Island Vibes, Broad Records

Curtis Amy - Groovin' Blue & Way Down & Tippin' On Through (1961-1962) {2CD Fresh Sound Records FSRCD 768 rel 2013}
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© 1961-62, 2013 Pacific Jazz / Fresh Sound Records | FSRCD 768
Jazz / Soul Jazz / Hard Bop / West Coast Jazz / Saxophone

Between 1960 and 1963 Texas tenor Curtis Amy (1927-2002) made six superb albums for Dick Bocks Pacific Jazz label, three of which, Groovin Blue, Way Down, and Tippin on Through, are included here. They were part of Bocks recognition of the emergence on the West Coast scene of a more groove-based, harder swinging approach than the cooler, considered style that preceded it. He chose well. Years of semi-obscurity in L.A. dance bands and organ combos had made Amy a thoroughly seasoned, assertive and inventive player in the mould of fellow tenor, Harold Land; these Pacific albums established him as a major exponent of the new music revitalizing West Coast jazz.

Lionel Hampton - At Malibu Beach (1961) {Jasmine Records JASMCD 2535 rel 1992}
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© 1961, 1992 Parade /Jasmine Records | JASMCD 2535
Jazz / Mainstream Jazz / Swing / Big Band / Vibes

Vibraphonist Lionel Hampton was extremely active as a bandleader throughout a good portion of his career, with numerous live and studio recordings. This live performance, evidently taped for broadcast around 1961 in Malibu Beach, originally appeared on the obscure Parade label, and was finally reissued on the English label Jasmine. There's nothing particularly significant about the date, as Hampton plays his perennial flag-waver "Flying Home" as well several long-forgotten originals. Hampton is the primarily soloist, mostly on vibes, but also joining his pianist for some two-finger piano on the finale, "Shortness of Breath," which is actually "Hamp's Boogie Woogie" minus its typical "Hey Ba Ba Re Bop" vocals.

The Claudia Quintet - For (2007) {Cuneiform Records ‎Rune 247}
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© 2007 Cuneiform Records ‎| Rune 247
Jazz / Contemporary Jazz / New Chamber Music / Modern Creative

Percussionist John Hollenbeck's Claudia Quintet belongs to a sub-genre all by itself : it combines elements of jazz, prog rock and chamber music. The band is already on its fourth album ("four"?), and always with the same line-up : Chris Speed on clarinet and sax, Matt Moran on vibes, Ted Reichman on accordion, Drew Gress on bass and Hollenbeck himself on drums. The compositions are like lightly flowing rivers, with repetitive undertones, complex interacting melodies and often changing rhythms. The overall musical effect is more important than the musician's soloing. There are solos of course, but they don't carry the weight of the performance.