The Master (1989)

Smith was so far outside the domestic blues loop that this Chicago-cut set only found release on a British logo, JSP. It was our loss – Smith is typically brusque and ominous, threatening to "Play the Blues on the Moon" and "Addressing the Nation with the Blues" as only he can. Nothing derivative about his lyrical muse – he's intense to the point of allowing his words not to rhyme to make his points, while his lead guitar work is inevitably to the point. Strictly judging from the lyrical sentiment of his recordings, it might be wise not to make Chicago guitarist Byther Smith angry. Smitty's uncompromising songs are filled with threats of violence and ominous menace (the way blues used to be before the age of political correctness), sometimes to the point where his words don't even rhyme.

Albert Mangelsdorff and Lee Konitz - Art Of The Duo (1989) {Enja CD 5059-2 rec 1983}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 155 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 95 Mb
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© 1983, 1989 Enja Records | CD 5059-2
Jazz / Post Bop / Modern Creative / Saxophone / Trombone

No one has worked harder to elevate the art of the jazz duo than Lee Konitz. His 1967 session, The Lee Konitz Duets, was a seminal statement. This much-later duet session with trombone master Albert Mangelsdorff pales in comparison. Konitz has long espoused the belief that horn players can swing without a rhythm section, yet much of the time Mangelsdorff insists on serving as a faux bass – really, tuba – player. And when he uses his patented technique of singing into his horn while creating chords, he functions as a very simple guitar player.

This two discs dedicated to the great Paris Symphonies that Haydn composed for Count D'Ogny in the mid-1780s. These were designed for a large and talented ensemble, and the atmospheric, clear and balanced sound achieved by the recording engineers allows for plenty of impact whenever it is required.