Foster Freeman

Elmo Hope - Hope Meets Foster (1955) {Prestige OJCCD-1703-2 rel 1991}
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© 1955, 1991 Prestige Records / Fantasy | OJCCD-1703-2
Jazz / Bop / Hard Bop / Piano

This session featuring pianist Elmo Hope and tenor saxophonist Frank Foster was originally recorded on October 4, 1955 in Rudy Van Gelder's Hackensack Studio for Bob Weinstock and Prestige Records. Rounding out the quintet are Freeman Lee on trumpet, John Ore on bass and Art Taylor on drums. The group tackles three Hope originals, two Foster originals and a solid rendition of "Georgia On My Mind." Hope had a very unique piano style which to me was a perfect synthesis of Monk and Bud, but his career was ultimately stunted due to drug addiction, incarceration, overall poor health, and ultimately his premature death in 1967 at the age of 44. The music should please bop fans.

The soaring spirit of Blue Note Records – served up here with a really special twist to fit the mode of the Free Soul series! The package is overflowing with goodness – four hours' worth of listening, with a special focus on two periods of the label – that great late 60s/early 70s stretch when they were trying out so many new ideas and rhythms, including elements borrowed from soul, Latin, fusion, and Brazilian modes – and the more recent stretch that has seen Blue Note re-emerge as one of the most forward-thinking labels in jazz!

Of the collections of Elmo Hope's '50s recordings, Trio and Quintet is the one to get. It includes his prime Blue Note sessions and features a stellar cast of hard bop musicians including Art Blakey, Frank Foster, Philly Joe Jones, and Harold Land. The majority of the tunes are Hope originals which, in their angular introspection, bear the influence of both Bud Powell and Thelonious Monk. Things begin with ten mostly hard bop swingers from a trio date in 1953. Prominently featured is Hope's Powell like, single line attack. Solos stay brisk and straightforward on uptempo numbers like "Hot Sauce," but turn a bit mercurial on slower pieces like "Happy Hour." Standout tracks include Hope's "Mo Is On" with its "off to the races" opening statement and "Carvin' the Rock," which falls somewhere between Powell's "Parisian Thoroughfare" and "So Sorry Please." Percy Heath and Philly Joe Jones provide sympathetic support throughout. The Quintet tracks start with an East Coast session featuring Foster and Blakey. The opening number is the convoluted, yet hard swinging original "Crazy"; it causes some problems for trumpeter Freeman Lee, but finds Foster in command with a vigorous solo statement.

Charlie Haden - The Montreal Tapes (2009) {6CD Box Set Verve 530 999-6 rec 1989}
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© 1989, 2009 Verve Records / Universal Music France | 530 999-6
Jazz / Post Bop / Bass

This box set contains everything released on Verve of the mini-festival of Charlie Haden's music recorded at a Montreal jazz festival in 1989. The music is uniformly excellent, and well-recorded. If you are a Charlie Haden fan, you'll enjoy it. Recording live of Charlie Haden's concerts at the 1989 Montreal International Jazz Festival. Each disc was initially published individually by Verve between 1994 and 2005.