Annika Chambers Wild & Free

Although Free was never destined to scrape the same skies as Led Zeppelin, when they first burst out of the traps in 1968, close to a year ahead of Jimmy Page and company, they set the world of British blues-rock firmly on its head. The band was a blistering combination of youth, ambition, and, despite those tender years, experience that across the course of their debut album, did indeed lay the groundwork for all that Zeppelin would embrace. The fact that Free and Zeppelin were cut from the same cloth is immediately apparent, even before you start comparing the versions of "The Hunter" included on both bands' debut albums. Where Free streaks ahead, however, is in their refusal to compromise their own vision of the blues. Even at its most commercial ("I'm a Mover" and "Worry"), Tons of Sobs has a density that makes Zeppelin and the rest of the era's rock contemporaries sound like flyweights by comparison. 8 Bonus tracks.

After 2 years, the great architects of Heavy/Power Metal return, steering their way through the much anticipated 17th studio album with the same force that defined their iconic sound in 1987. Running Wild hits harder than before; their ten-track journey (+3 bonus tracks) bringing depth and ambition into some of history’s greatest events with a smattering of rock nostalgia.

Recorded at a single session on May 19, 1957, the simply titled Quintet features one of bassist Paul Chambers' rare outings as a bandleader, and it teams him with Detroiters Donald Byrd (trumpet), Tommy Flanagan (piano), and Elvin Jones (drums), and Chicagoan Clifford Jordan (tenor sax). It's a low-key affair, with the quintet running through a couple of standards ("Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise," "What's New"), a pair of compositions from Chambers ("The Hand of Love," "Beauteous"), and two pieces by the prolific Benny Golson ("Minor Run-Down," "Four Strings"). The Golson tunes are the most striking, really, with "Minor Run-Down" starting things off with an easy, gliding swing, and "Four Strings" (an alternate take is also included here) gives Chambers a chance to show off his abilities bowing the bass…

Running Wild issue 17th full-length studio album Blood On Blood on October 29th, 2021 through Steamhammer / SPV. Running Wild mainman Rolf “Rock’n’Rolf” Kasparek commented: “We all know the difficulties the cultural sector was faced with during the lockdown. On the other hand, it also gave me and many other artists some extra time since most releases had to be postponed. I used that time to fine-tune every little detail of my new material. The result is an album that in my opinion is probably the best in Running Wild’s career to date. Every one of the ten songs sounds exactly as I had it in mind when I composed it. I’ve never been happier with a Running Wild record before.”

Of the seven songs on this Blue Note date, four are more common than the other three because they contain solos by tenor saxophonist John Coltrane and have therefore been reissued more often. Actually there are quite a few solos in the all-star sextet (which includes the bassist-leader, Coltrane, trumpeter Donald Byrd, guitarist Kenny Burrell, pianist Horace Silver, and drummer Philly Joe Jones) and all of the players get their chances to shine on this fairly spontaneous hard bop set. Coltrane's two obscure compositions ("Nita" and "Just for the Love") are among the more memorable tunes and are worth reviving. "Tale of the Fingers" features the quintet without Coltrane, the rhythm section stretches out on "Whims of Chambers," and "Tale of the Fingers" is a showcase for Chambers' bowed bass. This is a fine effort and would be worth picking up by straight-ahead jazz fans even if John Coltrane had not participated.

Combining classic rock with a bluesy stoner groove, 9 Chambers is a band that lives up to its rock & roll pedigree. Formed by ex-Monster Magnet guitarist Ed Mundell, and Alice Cooper and Lita Ford sideman Greg Hampton, the band takes a guitar-focused approach to heavy rock, delivering heavy riffs and psychedelic explorations aplenty…

AVID Jazz is proud to introduce an exciting new addition to our Four Classic Album series, Four Classic Jazz Instrumentalists. We continue with Four Classic Jazz Bassists, a re-mastered 2CD set complete with original artwork, liner notes and personnel details.