Monthly Archives: June, 2020

HANK MOBLEY-POPPIN’.

Hank Mobley-Poppin’. Label: Blue Note Records. Musically, Hank Mobley was a late starter, and first  picked up a saxophone was when he was sixteen, and suffering from an illness that meant he had to stay at home for several months. By then, he was living in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and was finding that the days …

Continue reading

LEE MORGAN-THE RUMPROLLER.

Lee Morgan-The Rumproller. Label: Blue Note Records. In 1964, twenty-six year old hard bop trumpeter Lee Morgan’s career was transformed when he enjoyed a crossover hit with The Sidewinder. Instantly recognisable and incredibly catchy, it became a jazz standard and nowadays, is regarded as Lee Morgan’s best known composition. Buoyed by the success of the …

Continue reading

AKSAK MABOUL-FIGURES.

Aksak Maboul-Figures. Label: Crammed Discs.  Nowadays, there aren’t many bands that are still together and releasing new albums after five decades. The same can be said of record labels founded in the seventies. Sadly, bands and record labels aren’t enjoying the same longevity in the modern music business.  All too often, bands release a couple …

Continue reading

CULT CLASSIC: LEON THOMAS-BLUES AND THE SOULFUL TRUTH.

Cult Classic: Leon Thomas-Blues and The Soulful Truth. Some labels prove to be the perfect fit for an artist. This was the case when Leon Thomas signed to Bob Thiele’s Flying Dutchman Productions.  By the late sixties, Leon Thomas had embraced free jazz fully. He turned his back on the blues and his vocal style was totally …

Continue reading

CULT CLASSIC: LEON THOMAS-FULL CIRCLE.

Cult Classic: Leon Thomas-Full Circle. For Leon Thomas, Full Circle represented the end of an era. It was the last album Leon Thomas released on Flying Dutchman Productions, and marked the end of his “classic period.” It had started four years earlier in 1969, when Leon Thomas released his debut album Spirits Known and Unknown. …

Continue reading

CULT CLASSIC: THE MONKEES-HEAD.

Cult Classic: The Monkees-Head. On September the ‘8th’ 1965, the Daily Variety contained an advert that said: “Folk & Roll Musicians-Singers for acting roles in new TV series.” This was a new sitcom that had been written by Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider about a struggling rock band from Los Angeles. The new sitcom would …

Continue reading

CULT CLASSIC: NICOLETTE LARSON-ALL DRESSED UP AND NO PLACE TO GO.

Cult Classic: Nicolette Larson-All Dressed Up and No Place To Go. Nowadays, far too many people are scared to follow their dream and instead, settle for second best and the drudgery of working 9-5. Sadly, it’s only much later, when it’s too late, that they realise what they gave up and what might have been. …

Continue reading

TROUBLED TROUBADOURS.

Troubled Troubadours. Label: Iron Mountain Analogue Research. Release Date: “8th’ June 2020. Ever since the birth of popular music, many troubled troubadours have laid bare their soul. For some it’s a cathartic experience as they share their troubles and the hurt, heartache and the hardships that they’ve experienced. This goes back to the days of …

Continue reading

HILLBILLIES IN HELL-COUNTRY MUSIC’S TORMENTED TESTAMENT (1952-1974) VOLUME X.

Hillbillies In Hell-Country Music’s Tormented Testament (1952-1974) Volume X. Label: Iron Mountain Analogue Research. Release Date: “8th’ June 2020. One genre that divides the opinion of critics and music lovers is country music. It’s been referred to as Marmite music, you either like it or loathe it. There’s plenty of people love country music and …

Continue reading

EDDIE HARRIS-THE IN SOUND.

Eddie Harris-The In Sound. Label: Pure Pleasure Records. When Eddie Harris released The In Sound on Atlantic Records in late 1965, the Chicago born jazz saxophonist was thirty-four, and had already established a reputation as a versatile, inventive and innovative musician. That was despite only releasing his debut album Exodus To Jazz on Vee-Jay  Records …

Continue reading

CULT CLASSIC: OLIVER NELSON-SWISS SUITE.

Cult Classic: Oliver Nelson-Swiss Suite. In 1971, Oliver Nelson and his all-star band were flown by Bob Thiele, the founder and owner of Flying Dutchman Productions, to the  Montreux Jazz Festival to showcase his latest composition, the four-part, Swiss Suite. It had been written by Oliver Nelson especially for the Montreux Jazz Festival, which was only in its fourth year. Founded …

Continue reading