Mike Longo

This is also known as Piano Greats (according to Amazon). the album consists of three sides by Corea (featuring Hubert Laws, Woody Shaw , Bennie Maupin , Dave Holland , Jack DeJohnette , and …), and three sides by Mike Longo – to provide, according to the sleeve notes, "a brief rest between the more demanding works composed by Chick Corea".

Dizzy Gillespie - Live At Ronnie Scott's, Volume Four (1973) {Consolidated Artists CAP1044 rel 2014}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks) +CUE+LOG -> 463 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 164 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 27 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1973, 2014 Consolidated Artists Productions | CAP 1044
Jazz / Post Bop / Afro-Cuban Jazz / Trumpet

Over the last few years, just as jazz fans had thought that CD collections of their favorite iconic jazz musicians were “complete” (since the legendary artists had been deceased for decades), we have been treated to welcome releases from European sources of previously unreleased material. The latest bonanza comes from CAP (Consolidated Artists Productions), of never before heard recordings of Dizzy Gillespie’s Quintet from a two week engagement in August, 1973, at Ronnie Scott’s club in London. (CAP is owned by the quintet’s pianist, Mike Longo.)

A strangely popular album for Dizzy Gillespie, Swing Low, Sweet Cadillac represents a period in his career where he was adapting to the times, keeping his goof factor on board, and individually playing as well as he ever had. This club date, recorded over two days circa May of 1967 from The Memory Lane in Los Angeles, has Gillespie with soon to be longtime partners James Moody and Mike Longo, joking and jiving with their audience, presenting a relatively short program of modified pop tunes and one of the trumpeter's most revered compositions. Drummer Otis "Candy" Finch is more than up to the task, but electric bass guitarist Frank Schifano is the weak link, playing basic lines, or unfortunately out of tune. Longo moves from acoustic piano and Fender Rhodes, while Moody's tenor or alto sax and flute are as distinctive as ever…

Despite the rather late date of 1977, the fusion influences are minimal, and as a whole sounds like organ funk you'd find on a Prestige album but far more raw and less polished. The highlight is the 20+ minute title number that weaves, bobs, and scorches with a sound that has been described as "Headhunters on mushrooms", full-on with the overblown flute and organ.

Gillespie was teamed up with Branford Marsalis for this decent effort. His own trumpet playing had faded quite a bit by this time (he was already age 67), but he sounds enthusiastic on five of his compositions (including "Birk's Works"), "Tin Tin Deo," and Mike Longo's "Every Mornin'," trading ideas with such young turks as Marsalis, pianist Kenny Kirkland and bassist Lonnie Plaxico.