Charles Mcpherson

Charles McPherson delves into a number of standards in this collection of timeless ballads, well accompanied by pianist Steve Kuhn, bassist David Williams, and drummer Leroy Williams...

Charles McPherson - The Quintet Live (1966) {Prestige OJCCD-1804-2 rel 1992}
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© 1966, 1992 Prestige Records / Fantasy | OJCCD-1804-2
Jazz / Bebop / Hard Bop / Saxophone

A great set of soul jazz from McPherson – recorded live, with a rolling groove that's in the Blue Note mode of the mid 60s – but even more open overall! The group's got a lot of hometown talent from McPherson's native Detroit – including Barry Harris on piano, Lonnie Hillyer on trumpet, and Ray McKinney on bass – and the mighty Billy Higgins handles the drums, always with a lean and fluid groove that works well with the extended energy of the set! McPherson's horn is sometimes a bit overshadowed by Hillyer's trumpet on the head arrangements – but given how much we like Lonnie, that's hardly a bad thing – and Charles more than comes into his own on the solos!

Bebop is the thing on this excellent outing as altoist Charles McPherson and pianist Barry Harris do their interpretations of Charlie Parker and Bud Powell. With trumpeter Carmell Jones, bassist Nelson Boyd and drummer Al "Tootie" Heath completing the quintet, the band romps through such bop classics as "Hot House," "Nostalgia," "Wail" and "Si Si" along with an original blues and "Embraceable You." A previously unissued "If I Love You" is added to the CD reissue. McPherson and Jones make for a potent frontline on these spirited performances, easily recommended to fans of straightahead jazz.

For the second of his three Mainstream sessions (one that has been reissued on CD), the bebop altoist Charles McPherson pays tribute to Billie Holiday; in fact, "Siku Ya Bibi" means "Day of the Lady" in Swahili.

Charles McPherson - Siku Ya Bibi (1972) {2017 Japan Mainstream Records Master Collection Series CDSOL-45219}
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© 1972, 2017 Time / Mainstream Records / Solid Records Japan | CDSOL-45216
Jazz / Bop / Hard Bop / Mainstream Jazz / Saxophone

For the second of his three Mainstream sessions (one that has been reissued on CD), the bebop altoist Charles McPherson pays tribute to Billie Holiday; in fact, "Siku Ya Bibi" means "Day of the Lady" in Swahili. The emphasis is mostly on ballads, with "Miss Brown to You" and "Lover Come Back to Me" being exceptions. Four of the eight selections find McPherson backed by ten strings arranged by Ernie Wilkins, while the remainder of the date has the altoist joined by a rhythm section that includes pianist Barry Harris. Although not quite up to the level of his upcoming, more freewheeling Xanadu sessions, this is a fine outing. Highlights include the two aforementioned cooking pieces, "Lover Man," "Good Morning Heartache," and "I'm a Fool to Want You."

Charles McPherson's fifth Prestige album differs from the first four in that McPherson contributed four of the six originals. Assisted by pianist Cedar Walton, the up-and-coming guitarist Pat Martino, bassist Walter Booker, drummer Billy Higgins and (on three of the songs) the obscure but fluent vibraphonist Nasir Hafiz, the altoist is in typically swinging and boppish form. Best among his originals are the catchy "Ain't That Something" and "She Loves Me," while "Lush Life" is taken as an alto guitar duet. By playing bop-oriented music in 1968, Charles McPherson could have been considered behind the times, but he was never a fad chaser and he has long had a timeless style. This music still sounds viable and creative decades later.

Dave Pike & Charles McPherson - Bluebird (1988) {2015 Japan Timeless Jazz Master Collection Complete Series}
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© 1988, 2015 Timeless Records / Solid Records Japan / Ultra-Vibe | CDSOL-6316
Jazz / Hard Bop / Vibes / Saxophone

Reissue with the latest remastering. Features original cover artwork. Comes with a descripton in Japanese. Beautiful work from one of our favorite vibes players – a return to basic hardbop from Dave Pike, recorded in conjunction with soulful altoist Charles McPherson! Given the title, and the tunes, the set's ostensibly a tribute to Charlie Parker – but the tunes themselves are played in more open, introspective versions than Bird might have done, especially considering the use of the vibes! In fact, McPherson drops out for a number of tracks on the set, letting Pike take the main solos on some of the tunes, and even stepping aside for one piano trio-only number as well. Titles include "Old Folks", "Anthropology", "Ornithology", and "Bluebird".

Charles McPherson - Bebop Revisited! (1964) {Prestige OJCCD-710-2 rel 1992}
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© 1964, 1992 Prestige / Fantasy | OJCCD-710-2
Jazz / Bop / Hard Bop / Straight-ahead Jazz / Saxophone

Bebop is the thing on this excellent outing as altoist Charles McPherson and pianist Barry Harris do their interpretations of Charlie Parker and Bud Powell. With trumpeter Carmell Jones, bassist Nelson Boyd and drummer Al "Tootie" Heath completing the quintet, the band romps through such bop classics as "Hot House," "Nostalgia," "Wail" and "Si Si" along with an original blues and "Embraceable You." A previously unissued "If I Love You" is added to the CD reissue. McPherson and Jones make for a potent frontline on these spirited performances, easily recommended to fans of straightahead jazz.

Some of the songs on this set by bop-influenced altoist Charles McPherson (reissued on CD in 1997) use boogaloo and pop rhythms. The repertoire ranges from a couple of OK originals ("Little Sugar Baby" and "Like the Way You Shake That Thing") to a recent show tune ("Once in a Lifetime") and a few standards. Pianist Cedar Walton, the young guitarist Pat Martino, bassist Peck Morrison and drummer Lennie McBrowne form the strong supporting cast.