Last Tongo in Paris

In the last years of the 1970s, Terry Riley seemed to be everywhere; it would not have been unusual for a Riley fan in 1979, through only a moderate amount of travel, to catch him in two different cities in different months of the year. At this point, Riley was delivering hours-long concerts, no two the same, playing from the advertised start time until the hall was no longer available for the evening. Riley was utilizing a Yamaha Organ, modified to accommodate two outputs, and a secret weapon, "The Shadow," a box built by Chester Wood that was an early digital delay. It was used in addition to the ancient Revox tape delay that Riley had employed for more than a decade in concerts that, by this time, invariably began with Riley stating, "I do have a tape recorder up here, but there is nothing on the tape. I use it to create some of the loop effects that you will hear tonight. Everything you will hear me play will be live."

For some reason, the Jazz in Paris series has put together a collection of music featuring these three vocalists. Except for the fact that all three recorded in Paris, there appears to be little connection. The music is still excellent however. The first 8 tracks by Harold Nicholas show off his excellence in covering standards. "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes", with its last verse in French, is a highlight. June Richmond, accompanied by the Quincy Jones Orchestra, sings "I've Got a Right to Sing the Blues" through "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea". Excellent renditions all. The last two tracks, by Henry Bey and the Bey Sisters, are nice, but give only a small introduction to their music.

Four different groups are heard on this compilation from the Jazz in Paris series. Although all groups were promoted as bop-oriented when they were overseas, the only bona fide bop musicians on the first two sessions are tenor saxophonist Don Byas and pianist Billy Taylor. The first date is jointly credited to Byas and trombonist Tyree Glenn (known for his work with Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong); Glenn is an effective soloist, even though he's firmly a swinger at heart. But it is Byas' big-toned solos that stand out, especially in Dizzy Gillespie's "Dynamo A" (also known as "Dizzy Atmosphere"), along with the effective comping and solos of the relative youngster Billy Taylor, who also contributed "Mad Monk"…