David Fathead Newman Diamond Head

James Clay & David "Fathead" Newman - The Sound Of The Wide Open Spaces (1960) {Riverside OJCCD-1075-2 rel 2002}
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© 1960, 2002 Riverside Records / Fantasy | OJCCD-1075-2
Jazz / Hard Bop / Saxophone

James Clay's debut album as a leader (and one of only two that he cut before moving back to Dallas for nearly 30 years) matches him with fellow Texas tenor David "Fathead" Newman, pianist Wynton Kelly, bassist Sam Jones and drummer Art Taylor. Cannonball Adderley supervised the session, putting the spotlight on the competitive horns who really battle it out on the Babs Gonzales blues "Wide Open Spaces." Clay, who plays flute on the date's lone standard "What's New," holds his own with Newman and plenty of sparks fly.

David "Fathead" Newman - Newmanism (1974) {2015 Japan Fusion Best Collection 1000 Series}
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© 1974, 2015 Atlantic / Rhino / WEA / Warner | WPCR-28166
Jazz / Soul Jazz / Blues Jazz / Fusion / Saxophone

Reissue with 24-bit digital remastering. Comes with a mini-description. Sweet electric grooving from David Newman – a great little album cut with Roy Ayers on vibes and Pat Rebillot on electric piano – both of whom bring a very different feel to the set than Newman's work of the 60s! The style is warm and tight, but never too smooth – as there's these sharp edges and a slightly sinister undercurrent that you don't really find in some of David's other records of the period. Rhythm is by Ron Carter on bass and Andrew Smith or Roy Brooks on drums – plus added percussion from Armen Halburian, who kicks in a slight Latin essence on some numbers – which adds to the hipness of the grooves. Titles include nice versions of Roy Ayers' tracks "Foxy Brown" and "Sweet Tears", plus the cuts "Brandy", "Song For The New Man", "Baby Rae", and "Let Me Know".

Junior Mance feat. David "Fathead" Newman - Live At The Top (1968) {2012 Japan Jazz Best Collection 1000 Series WPCR-27179}
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© 1968, 2012 Atlantic / Warner Japan / WEA / Rhino | WPCR-27179
Jazz / Soul Jazz / Bop / Piano / Saxophone

Features 24 bit remastering and comes with a mini-description. This recording comes from three live gigs Junior Mance played at one of New York's better jazz watering holes, the room at the top of The Gate, during September 1968. The four cuts on the album were selected from ten tunes actually taped, but which never made it to the final release. If any of the six that ended up on the cutting-room floor came close to these performances, then some awfully good jazz was wasted. Right from the first track, it's clear this is going to be a top-quality and high-energy outing.

Only Everything, David Sanborn’s second album for Decca, feels like part two of his debut for the label, 2008’s Here & Gone. That set was a tribute to Ray Charles and Hank Crawford – the alto saxophonist who played with Charles in the '50s and early '60s, and influenced Sanborn tremendously. That set featured loads of vocals and tightly arranged tunes that were indicative of the performances of Charles' bands. Only Everything delves into more of that territory, but this time, Sanborn reflects more heavily on Crawford and David “Fathead” Newman, another legendary Charles ace from roughly the same period.

David Gilmour's Live in Gdansk was recorded and filmed in 2006 at the Polish city's shipyards, the very same historic location where Lech Walesa's Solidarity movement began its populist assault on the country's repressive Soviet-installed regime in 1980. By all accounts of the time it was a truly awesome multimedia spectacle. But there are strange and sad ironies that accompany this release as well. For starters, it was released in the U.K. exactly a week after the death of Richard Wright, Gilmour's longtime bandmate in Pink Floyd, and his keyboardist here. Secondly, it appears during a period of increased tension between Russia and the United States over the latter's proposed missile defense system to be placed in Poland (by the U.S.) and the country's membership in NATO…

Diamond Head is the first solo album by Phil Manzanera, issued in 1975. It was originally issued in the UK on Island (who was handling all E.G. recordings) and in US on Atco. The sound quality on the US album left a lot to be desired, so the UK import was a popular seller in the speciality record shops who sold Roxy Music and other UK bands.

Phil Manzanera - Diamond Head (1975) {EG Records EGCD19 rel 1990}
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© 1975, 1990 EG Records / Nimbus Virginia | EGCD 19
Rock / Prog Rock / Art Rock / Electronic / Experimental Rock / Leftfield

Phil Manzanera's first post-Roxy foray into solo albums is a terrific all-star affair that still holds up enormously well. Calling on favors from Roxy members present and past, and those from the Cambridge/British art rock scene, Manzanera assembled a supergroup for every song. Robert Wyatt sings Spanish gibberish on the opener "Frontera," a rewrite of his own "Team Spirit." Brian Eno teams up for the sunny "Big Day" and the nonsensical "Miss Shapiro," both of which would not have been out of place on his own early solo albums.