Shirley Scott

New collection of great music from Orange Juice Records Vintage label

Antonio Hart - Here I Stand (1997) {Impulse IMPD-208}
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© 1997 Impulse! / GRP Records | IMPD-208
Jazz / Post Bop / Straight-Ahead Jazz / Saxophone

One cannot help but be impressed by the versatility that altoist Antonio Hart shows throughout this set. He plays with the intensity of John Coltrane on "The Community," utilizes his soprano on the light reggae groove of "True Friends," jams a boppish rendition of "Flamingo" in a trio with organist Shirley Scott (who plays effective piano on the blues "Like My Own"), sounds like a mixture of Richie Cole and Paquito D'Rivera on the Afro-Cuban "Ven Devorame Otra Vez" (which has a vocal sample of three Latin singers that fits in well), and also plays more advanced music that utilizes three or four other horns (a little reminiscent of Herbie Hancock's "Speak Like a Child").

Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, United States. It originated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and developed from roots in blues and ragtime. Jazz is seen by many as "America's classical music". Since the 1920s Jazz Age, jazz has become recognized as a major form of musical expression. It then emerged in the form of independent traditional and popular musical styles, all linked by the common bonds of African-American and European-American musical parentage with a performance orientation. Jazz is characterized by swing and blue notes, call and response vocals, polyrhythms and improvisation. Jazz has roots in West African cultural and musical expression, and in African-American music traditions including blues and ragtime, as well as European military band music. Intellectuals around the world have hailed jazz as "one of America's original art forms".

Drummer Alvin Queen is better known for his work as a sideman, though this is hardly his first record date as a leader. But this session is among his very best, leading a powerful quintet including trumpeter Terell Stafford, alto saxophonist Jesse Davis, organist Mike LeDonne, and guitarist Peter Bernstein. They open with a strutting, brassy take of Shirley Scott's "There's Blues Everywhere," while Queen sets up the well-known "Seven Steps to Heaven" with a tension-building solo introduction. The substitution of organ for piano in McCoy Tyner's "Contemplation" dramatically changes the character of the piece, bringing the drums to the forefront and showcasing Bernstein's superb solo. Jesse Davis contributed the funky "I Ain't Looking at You," a sassy piece that is full of humor even without lyrics.

A legend of the tenor saxophone, Stanley Turrentine was renowned for his distinctively thick, rippling tone, an earthy grounding in the blues, and his ability to work a groove with soul and imagination. Turrentine recorded in a wide variety of settings, but was best-known for his Blue Note soul-jazz jams of the '60s, and also underwent a popular fusion makeover in the early '70s. Born in Pittsburgh on April 5, 1934, Turrentine began his career playing with various blues and R&B bands, with a strong influence from Illinois Jacquet. He played in Lowell Fulson's band with Ray Charles from 1950-1951, and in 1953, he replaced John Coltrane in Earl Bostic's early R&B/jazz band.