Eddie Marshall

Bobby Hutcherson - Waiting (1976) {2013 Japanese BNLA Series 24-bit Remaster TOCJ-50578}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 327 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 113 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 182 Mb | 5% repair rar | 24bit remaster
© 1976, 2013 Blue Note / EMI Music Japan | TOCJ-50578
Jazz / Post Bop / Vibes

Waiting is an album by American jazz vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson recorded in 1976 and released on the Blue Note label. The album was issued on Blue Note and was called "Waiting" and with a few additions was Bobby's working band of the time. In the group was the late Manny Boyd on soprano and tenor saxophones and flute, George Cables on electric and acoustic piano, James Leary on bass and the late Eddie Marshall on drums. Added for the date was percussionist Kenneth Nash and on the title tune, "Waiting" a few extra flutes were added only to the melody. Those of you who were on the scene in Vancouver might remember the core band (Hutcherson, Boyd, Leary and Marshall) performing at Oil Can Harry's Jazz Room in 1976….a memorable gig to be sure. This album is fresh and varied with compositions by Bobby and James Leary and great playing by all. "Waiting" is worth waiting for!

Georgia son Johnnie Marshall has transitioned from gospel choir member (as a child) to gospel drummer to blues guitarist and singer. He received his blues schoolin' at Dave's CC, a Tallahassee juke joint where he occasionally got the chance to sit in with touring legends. Johnny Rawls took Marshall under his wing in the late '90s, and here he plays rhythm guitar and contributes vocals to four songs on this disc of 13 originals. Additional special guests include Eddie Kirkland, Sonny Rhodes, Slam Allen, and George Boone. It's a solid though not particularly innovative set of horn-dotted, soulful blues.

After two critically acclaimed but only moderately selling albums, los Lobos were hired to record songs for the film biography of Hispanic '50s rocker Ritchie Valens, resulting in this soundtrack album, which, in addition to eight los Lobos recordings, features tracks by Marshall Crenshaw, Brian Setzer, and others. los Lobos' remake of the title song topped the charts, as did this album, which went on to sell two million copies. The result has been something of a career dilemma for the band, who went back to being a critically acclaimed, modest seller afterward.

Bobby Hutcherson - Knucklebean (1977) {2013 Japanese BNLA Series 24-bit Remaster TOCJ-50563}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 201 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 77 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 194 Mb | 5% repair rar | 24bit remaster
© 1977, 2013 Blue Note / EMI Music Japan | TOCJ-50563
Jazz / Post Bop / Soul Jazz / Vibes

Beautiful late Blue Note work from Bobby Hutcherson – laidback, warm, electric, and with a mixture of CTI funk and some of the more lyrical soul jazz work of his years with Harold Land! Part of the credit for the set should go to George Cables – who plays both acoustic and electric keys on the record, and who gives the album a sweetly dancing feel that really warms things up wonderfully – and all other players are wonderful too, including drummer Eddie Marshall, bassist James Leary, and horn players Freddie Hubbard, Hadley Caliman, and Manny Boyd. Includes a great remake of "Little B's Poem", the mellow groover "Why Not", and the cuts "Til Then", "Knucklebean", and "So Far So Good".

Taking time off from her big band, pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi is well showcased on this excellent trio outing with bassist Dennis Irwin and drummer Eddie Marshall. She performs four veteran standards (including "Solitude" and "You Stepped Out of a Dream") and a quartet of originals. Of the new pieces, "Interlude" and "I Know Who Loves You" (the latter is based on the chords of "Somebody Loves Me") are among the highlights. Akiyoshi's piano playing sometimes gets overlooked due to her work with her orchestra so this particularly strong set (reissued on CD) serves as a reminder of her excellent Bud Powell-inspired style. Recommended.

Despite the album's title, Fourth Way remains mostly earthbound on The Sun and Moon Have Come Together. Structure is never abandoned at a song's expense and, when the group does head outward, any sense of aimlessness is avoided. No band member exemplifies this better than bassist Ron McLure. Satisfied playing a traditional walking bassline, he is just as comfortable straying from strict time. On "Farewell Goodbye," McLure breaks out of his conventional role, testing the possibilities of his instrument. His playing spans the spectrum, twisting time, bending notes, making strange leaps, and managing it all exceptionally. A similar fluidity can be felt with every member of the band. Only half of the songs on The Sun and Moon (a live recording from 1969) follow a standard jazz structure. On "Strange Love," solos emerge out of the group's interplay rather than taking place within a given number of choruses.