Ricky Ford Future's Gold

Ricky Ford, tenor sax legend, needs no introduction, but he'll get one anyway because it's important to hear his lineage before diving into his new recording. After getting his start filling the Paul Gonsalves chair in the Duke Ellington Orchestra (under Mercer Ellington's leadership), Ford's gone on to play with Charles Mingus, Lionel Hampton, and Abdullah Ibrahim, to name but a few of his more illustrious stints. He is, quite simply, a national treasure. His latest recording, a tip of the hat to his early roots and a focused, fabulous blast of multi-hued bebop and traditional jazz, reflects tremendous taste and virtuosity, with nods to his heroes (Hawkins, Duke, Mingus, and others) and affirmation that the guy can still play with the best of them. While he may not have the same public profile as our present-day tenor heroes, he deserves every ounce of respect that they get and more. The Wailing Sounds of Ricky Ford: Paul's Scene, made with his accompanists pianist Mark Soskin, bassist Jerome Harris, and drummer Barry Altschul, is wondrous and his playing sounds as fresh today as it did decades back, when he was a true legend in the making.

Tenor saxophonist Ricky Ford's first record as a leader preceded the beginning of his highly rated string of Muse albums by a year. 23 at the time, Ford already had a recognizable sound that was influenced by Dexter Gordon. For this ambitious effort (which displayed the impact of his stint with Charles Mingus), Ford performs five of his originals (including one called "Dexter"), plus John Coltrane's "One Up, One Down" and the standard "My Romance." Ford is well showcased in a sextet with both Oliver Beener and Charles Sullivan on trumpets and a nonet that adds altoist James Spaulding, trombonist Janice Robinson, and the tuba of Jonathan Dorn; the rhythm section in both cases is composed of bassist Richard Davis and Mingus's pianist (Bob Neloms) and drummer (Dannie Richmond).

Ricky Ford - Saxotic Stomp (1988) {Muse MCD5349 rec 1987}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 279 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 118 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 11 Mb | 5% repair rar | 24-bit remaster
© 1988 Muse Records | MCD 5349
Jazz / Hard Bop / Post Bop / Saxophone

This is one of tenor saxophonist Ricky Ford's finer Muse recordings, although all nine are recommended. The talented tenor's six originals (including tributes to Mary Lou Williams, Art Blakey and Ben Webster) and Thelonious Monk's "Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are" inspire the impressive sextet, which also includes altoist James Spaulding, baritonist Charles Davis, pianist Kirk Lightsey, bassist Ray Drummond and drummer Jimmy Cobb. Ford's arrangements, while giving everyone adequate solo space, keep the proceedings moving. Well worth several listens.