Some friends think that Shihab the man owes the balance of his soul to his beautiful Danish wife. They may be right; for Eros is the very essence of what Shihab plays.Yet Eros is a god with many a face. A tale of tender mournings Shihab’s flute is telling in Mauve - a piece that translates its title into delicately changing colors of sound. In Uma Fita de Tres Cores he has his instrument wooing with the proud self-reliance of Latin grandezza. Calmly, softly, almost blandishly Shihab blows the solo flute in the Jimmy Woode composition My Kinda World. Serene and somewhat playful his own title Another Samba comes along - a most uncommon composition by the way: lasting for sixty bars as if growing independent out of itself, with solos that appear to be additional spinnings rather than improvised choruses; and yet; a perfect, self sustaining melody no element of which is superfluous…
Even with Phil Woods standing out, the "four altos" on this jam session all sound pretty similar. Few listeners will be able to consistently pick out which solos are by Gene Quill and which by Sahib Shihab, Hal Stein or Woods. The solos (and the backup of pianist Mal Waldron, bassist Tommy Potter and drummer Louis Hayes) are generally hard-swinging and well-played, but the strong influence of Charlie Parker makes all of the altoists sound alike.
Shihab toured Europe with Quincy Jones in 1959 after getting fed up with racial politics in USA and ultimately settled in Scandinavia. In 1961, he joined The Kenny Clarke-Francy Boland Big Band and remained a key figure in the band for the 12 years it ran. Needless to say, he became a very influencial figure in the Scandinavian jazz scene. The present album features Shihab's own compositions and arrangements for the Danish Radio Jazz group, of which he had been a member since 1963. The brilliant group includes such Danish jazz stars as Bent Jaedig (tenor sax), Bent Axen (piano), Alex Riel (drums) and the young Niels Henning Ørsted Pederson on bass!
This split LP pairs a sextet led by multi-instrumentalist Sahib Shihab with another under the direction of Herbie Mann. Big names all the way around on this one. On the Shihab session, John Jenkins and Clifford Jordan round out the front line, while Hank Jones, Addison Farmer, and Dannie Richmond hold down the rhythm. Mann, on the other hand, is joined by Phil Woods, Eddie Costa, Joe Puma, Wilbur Ware, and Jerry Segal. Nothing overly surprising here, but one can expect quality performances by all.
Limited remastered reissue paperlseeve edition released by indie Japanese label, Muzak. HQCD, 24-bit remastering. One of the first European recordings from Sahib Shihab – a classic set that's the start of an amazing 60s run on the continent! Shihab here is quite different than his American dates of the 50s – bolder, and blowing with a really open, fluid sort of groove that marks a great development in his sound – using baritone sax, soprano, and flute – a range of instruments that really creates a wide range of feeling in the set! The performance is a live one, and the group is great too – with Allen Botschinsky on flugelhorn, Ole Molin on guitar, Niles Henning Orsted Pedersen on bass, and both Alex Riel and Bjarne Rostvold on drums.
A fantastic early record by Sahib Shihab – a motherlode of modal jazz grooves, cut during the early days of the Clarke-Boland Big Band! The record features a core group of players from that ensemble – including Shihab on alto, baritone, and flute, plus Francy Boland on piano, Jimmy Woode on bass, Ake Persson on trombone, Francy Boland on piano, Joe Harris on bongos, and Kenny Clarke on drums – all coming together here with a groove that's really groundbreaking – a style that's sweet and soulful, but rhythmically revolutionary too!