STEVE GROSSMAN - TERRA FIRMA

Steve Grossman for PM Records from 1977.
A hard core fusion banger featuring The PM Crew-Gene Perla-Bass;Don Alias-Percussion;Jan Hammer-Keyboards;Steve Grossman-Tenor.

The mix and production on this are pretty raw but the energy really radiates from the grooves.

"In It" was the tune back in the day - a break heavy slice of funk-but the rest of the album careers along with great elan .

This has made a reissue on cd through PM Records but seems hard to track down-check their website here.This is ripped from the original vinyl @320

BARRY MILES - WHITE HEAT

Barry "Fusion Is" Miles teamed up with some soon to be big boys for this fantastic fusion session for Mainstream in 1971 :

BARRY MILES, electric & acoustic piano & vibesPAT MARTINO, guitarJOHN ABERCROMBIE, guitarVICTOR GASKIN, Fender and acoustic bassTERRY SILVERLIGHT, drumsWARREN SMITH, congasLEW TABACKIN, tenor sax and flute

Terry Silverlight is,of course,Barry Miles younger brother and was 14 when he played on this album.Check "White Heat" for a furious fusion tour de force wipe out-murdah !!!Here's a quote from none other than Pat Metheny talking to Terry Silverlight :

That record "White Heat" was such a mind blower - I remember when it first came out turning everyone I knew onto it around Kansas City - and then when I found out how young you were, that totally blew my mind - and inspired me. About a year after it came out, Lew Tabackin came to Kansas City to play with Doc Severinsen and I was playing in the band opposite them and I remember taking that side up to Lew for him to sign and he told me all about the session and stuff which was really cool.- Pat Metheny

Ripped @320 from the original vinyl-there's a Japanese cd on the way due for issue in July.

ED THIGPEN'S ACTION.RE.ACTION

More hard fusion from Denmark this time in the shape of the great US drummer Ed Thigpen with his Danish Action.re.action group comprising of Palle Mikkleborg:Trumpet;Kjell Ohman:Electric and Acoustic Piano;Mads Vinding:Bass;Lennart Aberg:Saxes and Flute;Carlinhos Pandeiro de Ouro:Percussion and the mighty Sabu on congas.
Recorded in 1974 for Sonet Grammofon (released in the US on GNP Crescendo) this hits a heavy,choppy groove from the start with Ed's swinging rhythmic approach moving from break beat driven funk -check the monstrous "Danish Drive"with its killer bass line and congas to the experimental and abstract "Adventures Of A Duck With Friends".
This has been reissued on cd coupled with another of his Danish lps as " Ed Thigpen in Copenhagen".This rip is from the original European vinyl pressing @320 and comes with the OIR Highly Recommended seal of approval!!!
Check out Ed Thigpen's My Space here-it's well worth further investigation

LES DE MERLE - TRANSFUSION

Les De Merle for Dobre records from 1978.On this one the super drummer knocks out a set of banging tunes with the Transfusion Group in a lost session, full of monster funky breaks which includes the astounding “Moondial” sampled by De La Soul, DJ Shadow & Greyboy.
Dusty Groove still stock the reissued vinyl and have this to say about it:
An excellent album of funky drumbreaks -- cut by a drummer who's a legend among funk fans, but who hardly ever gets mentioned in history books of jazz. Les was a little known LA player, but he had a monster approach to the kit -- and most of the few albums he cut are very in demand for fans of a good funky drum break. This one's a stellar session that mixes together straight funk with some strong choppy fusion numbers -- and it was issued on the tiny Dobre label, which came out with some excellent obscure sides during the 70s. Raul De Souza's on trombone, Milcho Leview plays piano, and Robby Robinson plays plenty of nice electric keyboards. Includes the break-heavy tracks "Moondial" and "Funk It!", the jazz dance cut "Canned Heat Suite", the choppy funky "Bacchanal", and the great groover "Kaballa".

This has made a cd reissue in Japan and the previously mentioned U.S. vinyl which this post has been ripped from at 320.Props to xmnr0x23 for putting me onto the music of Les De Merle with his recommendation of the awesome "Spectrum"-nice work fellah !!

LPJE LIVE AT MONTREUX - MY FAVOURITE THINGS

"My Favourite Things" of course which Alfredo De La Fe had previously covered on his LPV album "Alfredo".

LPJE LIVE AT MONTREUX - BACALAO CON PAN

To tie in with my last post here's Tito,Alfredo,Patato,Jorge Dalto and Michael Vinas busting it up with "Bacalao Con Pan" from the live at Montreux album

LATIN PERCUSSION JAZZ ENSEMBLE - LIVE AT MONTREUX JAZZ FESTIVAL 1980

The Latin Percussion Jazz Ensemble recorded this for Martin Cohen's Latin Percussion Ventures lable in 1980.In the mid-1970s,THE Latin Percussion manufacturer Martin Cohen asked Tito Puente, and a handful of other Latin percussionists to make some records to help him market congas, timbales, and bongos. The recordings eventually became must-have's for Latin music aficionados and this album has become one of the most treasured.
Latin Percussion had a stall at the Northsea Jazz Festival for many years during the 80s and it was from this that I got most of my LPV albums. Martin Cohen has a couple of websites and they are highly recommended CONGAHEAD and Latin Percussion from which this review is taken:

In 1979, Martin Cohen launched a series of tours that promoted the cause of Latin music. The Montreux Jazz Festival was a highlight in 1980, celebrated on video and on the cover of the jazz magazine, Downbeat.
The the touring band hit the famous Swiss venue, it was hot. It consisted of Tito Puente on timbales, "Patato" Valdez on congas and percussion, Alfredo de la Fe on violin and percussion, Carlos and Michael Viñas on bass and the late, great Jorge Dalto on piano.
Rather than a pandering repertoire of "watered down" Latin for European audiences, the band chose difficult arrangements in a surprisingly contemporary format. "My Favorite Things" is a good example.
Alfredo de la Fe's electric violin recalls the work of Jean Luc Ponty, complete with the echoplex and phase shifter effects so popular at the time. His pensive, solo intro leads into a version as rousing as Coltrane's. Tito Puente prods the song forward with his sparkling ride cymbal work, working off Dalto's piano.
A percussion interlude featuring Patato's earthy sounding congas and Puente's timbales segues to a 6/8 portion; then it's back to common time, a high-speed montuno, and more of de la Fe's violin. You can hear that the players are having a great time! Tito Puente acts as M.C. At one point, while explaining Cuban song form to the audience, Tito claims his colleague Patato has been performing this one for "one hundred and two years!"
Patato opens the last tune with congas playing a melodic line that signals a Tito Puente song made famous worldwide by Santana. Quickly the audience picks up on a familiar refrain - the hit "Oye Como Va". In an unusual touch, Patato's harmony vocals predominate in the stereo mix (perhaps Tito was off-mic), providing the melody with an unusual twist. It is a vibrant closing to this stellar example of small group Latin musicians.

This is ripped from the cd reissue @320 as I cant burn any vinyl at present.

MARCO DI MARCO / CHRIS WOODS - TOGETHER IN PARIS

Marco di Marco recorded this in 1974 for Modern Jazz out of Italy and teamed up with Chris Woods for this magical collaboration.
Dusty Groove on the case as always:
One of our favorite jazz albums of all time -- and an amazing showcase for the soulful saxophone talents of American player Chris Woods! Woods spent a fair bit of his career in Paris, which is one reason why his talents aren't that well known on this side of the Atlantic -- but even there, he rarely got the chance to record -- which is one reason why this album is such a treasure. The other, though, is pianist Marco Di Marco -- the Italian player who was recording at the time with bassist Jacky Sampson and drummer Charles Saudrais -- both excellent rhythm players who helped Marco to find an amazingly fluid groove -- one that brought together elements of soul jazz, bossa, and modal rhythms, all into a mix that's as effortlessly grooving as it is sprightly, lyrical, and beautiful. Woods really rises to the occasion here, and delivers some of his most sensitive work on record -- playing both alto and flute on the session, alongside a mix of Fender Rhodes and acoustic piano from Marco, and some tasty added bongos and congas on the set

This was a tough one to find for a long time but was reissued by Arision a few years ago- although it appears to be out of stock in most places possibly deleted already.

BOBBY HUTCHERSON - WAITING

Bobby Hutcherson from 1976 for Blue Note records.
Emanuel Boyd (ts, ss, fl); Bobby Hutcherson (vib, mar); George Cables (p); James Leary III (b); Eddie Marshall (d); Kenneth Nash (per)
Final post in this run of late 70s Blue Note Hutcherson.Something of a darker,harder edge to this one than the previous two posts.As always some great compositions with James Leary contributing four and the rest from Hutcherson.This one's a real grower-I'd forgotten just how good it is until I ripped it for this post-highly recommended listening.
As before this is included in the Mosaic Select box set and as before this is ripped @ 320 from the original vinyl.

BOBBY HUTCHERSON - THE VIEW FROM THE INSIDE

Bobby Hutcherson for Blue Note from 1976.Emanuel Boyd (ts, ss); Bobby Hutcherson (vib); Larry Nash (p, el-p); James Leary III (b); Eddie Marshall (d)
Here's a write up from musicweb international

If I were forced to describe The View from the Inside in one word, it would be “laid-back.” It’s a gentle record that floats along like a raft on tranquil stream. As with most of Hutcherson’s work from the Seventies, there’s little indication that this music comes from that decade. (I can think of one spot. On “Laugh, Laugh Again,” the rhythm section sails along, and then incongruously breaks into a disco beat. Funny. But, hey, even the Rolling Stones did it!) But there’s no trace of fusion, and the only electric instrument is Lewis Nash’s tasteful electric piano. The music doesn’t swing as hard as Hutcherson’s recordings from earlier and subsequent decades. But I sense that he was shooting for something different. Remember, the Seventies were a low-point in terms of acceptance of straight-ahead swinging jazz.
The opening track, “Later, Even,” revisits one my very favorite Hutcherson compositions, “Even Later” from the album Cirrus. This is indescribable, uncategorizable music. (If you were to compare it with someone else’s music, you might say that it’s like Erik Satie’s.) “Houston Street, Thursday Afternoon” is another solid Hutcherson composition. Houston Street must have been a pleasant place on Thursday afternoon. The performance is effortless; no strain, no fuss. The third and final track on side one of the LP is “Same Shame,” which Hutcherson originally recorded on Total Eclipse. (Incidentally, Chico Freeman recorded this piece on his album Destiny’s Dance.) As with Freeman and Harold Land, this track draws out some impassioned playing from tenor saxophonist Manny Boyd. Hutch follows with an excellent, drawn-out solo of his own. The second side, featuring compositions from Hutcherson’s band-mates, is not quite a strong as the first. But it’s still good music and well worth hearing.

This has also made it to cd as part of the Mosaic Select box set previously mentioned in the Knuclebean post-and this post is,of course, ripped from the original vinyl @320.

BOBBY HUTCHERSON - KNUCKLEBEAN

Bobby Hutcherson for Blue Note from 1977.A lovely,laidback, warm sound puts this among Bobby's best work,and revolves around his working band of the time: saxophonist Manny Boyd, bassist James Leary and drummer Eddie Marshall.This band had developed an extraordinary empathy during its time and the musicians execute the exceptional material, most from Hutcherson and Leary, with ease, invention and enthusiasm.Here's a review from AMG:
This little-known gem is from the declining days of Blue Note. Vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson welcomed his friend trumpeter Freddie Hubbard to his date and Hubbard (who is heard on four of the six selections) almost stole the show. It is particularly nice to hear Hubbard (whose recordings from this era are horrible) playing jazz again. In addition to the leader (who also doubles on marimbas), solo space is given to keyboardist George Cables and the reed players Manny Boyd and Hadley Caliman. This LP is worth searching for since it may be awhile before it returns on CD. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

Bobby Hutcherson, vibes, marimba; Freddie Hubbard, trumpet; Manny Boyd, soprano sax, tenor sax, flute; Hadley Caliman, tenor sax, flute; George Cables, piano, electric piano; James Leary III, bass; Eddie Marshall, drums.
Recorded at Wally Heider Studios, San Francisco on March 1-3, 1977
Recording and mixing engineer: Hank Cicalo.
Produced by Dale Oehler

This has actually now made it to a cd release as part of the excellent Mosaic Select box set showcasing Hutcherson's later work for Blue Note(much of which I posted here last year).This post is ripped from the original vinyl @320.

FREDDIE HUBBARD - OUTPOST

Freddie Hubbard on Enja from 1981 with a classic quartet line up of Kenny Barron-Piano;Buster Williams-Bass;Al Foster-Drums.Not so easy to dig this one up-it's Freddie's first album after leaving Columbia and you only need to see the line up to know that its back to basics following his years of commercial fusion.Dusty Groove wrote this about it:

One of the best recordings from Freddie Hubbard's "back to basics" stretch in the early 80s -- a time when Freddie returned to a strongly acoustic jazz mode after a mostly electric 70s! The record still has Freddie stretching out on the longer tracks he got used to during the CTI years -- but he's working here in tight quartet formation with Kenny Barron on piano, Buster Williams on bass, and the always-great Al Foster on drums -- carving out long lines on extended, but well-conceived numbers that echo with a tremendous amount of force. Freddie's lost none of his edge by this point, and the record shows a new sense of energy and focus that are extremely impressive -- and also pretty darn soulful!

Ripped at 320 from the cd issue.

MICHEL COLOMBIER - L'HERITIER

Blimey, soundtracks are like buses at Orgy in Rhythm-you don't see one for ages then three come along at once!
This one is very short and is Michel Colombier's soundtrack to a Jean Paul Belmondo vehicle from 1973 called "L'Heritier".It only runs at about 12 minutes-but what a 12 minutes they are!Moody and funky featuring some great keyboards, guitar and drums with an insistant theme running through it.The only comparison I can make would be Roy Budd which is high praise indeed!
Reissued by Universal on cd with two more of his soundtracks for the films of Philippe Labro.

QUINCY JONES - THE DEADLY AFFAIR

This list should give you a clue if you are curious about the soundtrack from Sidney Lumet's The Deadly Affair :
Quincy Jones,Astrud Gilberto,Bossa Nova,Creed Taylor,Hank Jones,Verve,1966.
Summed up in a line-who needs reviews!?

DAVID SHIRE - FAREWELL MY LOVELY

Time for a soundtrack and here's a rarity on vinyl from David Shire with his soundtrack for the 1975 version of "Farewell My Lovely " starring Robert Mitchum.I had always enjoyed the film and thought the music played an integral part of it(you can't beat a good film noir) so I was chuffed to bits when I turned up a vinyl copy in a dumper bin for $5 in a small town in south west Florida.It's amazing what you can pick up when you leave your woman on the beach sunbathing-and I don't mean crabs!!!
Shire made a fabulous job of this haunting,brooding soundtrack which features solos by Don Menza,Dick Nash and Ronny Lang.I also find it somwhat reminiscent of Goldsmith's masterful "Chinatown" score (a future post and a favourite film).
Here's a few lines from Film Score Monthly who reissued it on cd:

Farewell, My Lovely resurrected the Philip Marlowe detective character - expertly played by Robert Mitchum - in a remake of the earlier Murder, My Sweet (1944). At the time, David Shire was in the midst of a remarkable run of brilliant scores as disparate as The Conversation, The Taking of Pelham One-Two-Three, All the President's Men and The Hindenburg. For Farewell, My Lovely, he crafted a wonderful, melancholy main theme which stands with Jerry Goldsmith's Chinatown, Bernard Herrmann's Taxi Driver, and John Barry's Body Heat as one of the best pieces of film jazz of the era. The entire score is permeated with melody - bluesy, haunting, and lovely - merging the Los Angeles of the '40s with the dramatic sensibility of the '70s. The theme for Charlotte Rampling's character is a perfect complement to Marlowe's music, and, much like Chinatown, the suspenseful moments are treated with modern, avant garde effects.Farewell, My Lovely was expertly designed by Shire as one of the best LPs of the 1970s.

This post is ripped from the original vinyl @320.It was reissued (with extra cues) on cd by Film Score Monthly in a limited run of 3000 copies

MICHAEL LONGO - 900 SHARES OF THE BLUES

Michael Longo for Groove Merchant from 1974 produced by Sonny Lester.A really great album featuring some killer cuts including "Like a Thief in the Night" and "Magic Number"
Dusty Groove on the case as always:

A killer electric piano jam from the great Mike Longo -- stone funky, and one of his best albums ever! The whole thing's done in a really laidback style that's simply amazing -- a lot like the best CTI work of the time, but somehow rougher, and with a darker edge. Longo riffs out on the keys over rhythm by Ron Carter, Mickey Roker, and Ralph MacDonald -- and Joe Farrell and Randy Brecker add in some great horn work that fleshes out the tunes with a deeply soulful jazzy feel. The whole album's great, with a range of moods, emotions, and grooves that Longo hardly ever hit again.

This ones been bootlegged(?) on vinyl and reissued in numerous guises on cd some of which are still available.

JACK MCDUFF - KISSES

Jack McDuff cut this hunk of funk for Sugarhill Records in 1980.This was my first exposure to Brother Jack as the album got some heavy rotation on the jazz funk scene at the time.
Here's the line up:
The Jack McDuff Heatin' System:
Gerryck King - Drums, Percussion, Vibes
Jonathon Wood - Bass
Danny Wilensky - Tenor Sax
Danny Petrow - Guitar
Jack McDuff - Organ, Piano, String Ensemble, Moog, Percussion and Vocals
Guests: Joe Farrell (soprano sax), Stanley Banks-(Keyboards), Phil Upchurch (guitar), Karl Lidral (soprano & tenor saxophones)
This album is very much of the time although listening to it again whilst ripping it I felt it had aged quite well-or is it that so much funky fusion these days is just very retrogressive? Anyway the tunes for me were(and still are)"Pocket Change","Nasty" and "Tunisian Affair".
Ripped from the original vinyl at 320-no reissues.
And thanks again to Jazz Neko in Okinawa for the last couple of cover pictures.

BROTHER JACK MCDUFF - GIN AND ORANGE

Brother Jack's back here at Orgy in Rhythm with another B3 bump 'n' grind session for Cadet from 1969.Soul Strut on the case with this review from motown67:

Another Jack McDuff title for the collection. This one caught a review my eye because of the name and cover scene of a dirty bar counter with a drink and cigarette butts. I was also thinking Gin and Orange, Gin and Juice, what the hell. I also liked the liner notes by Mort Fega about how fake liner notes generally are and what a pain in the ass they were to write. That gave me a laugh. Overall, this is a really strong album. Mac-Duffin, On The Case, Get it Up are all cool soul-jazz tunes. Electric Surboard, which McDuff recorded on at least one other album if not more, is a slow paced jazz cut with a looping horn line, and a nice breakdown which is played twice. The song goes perfectly with the mood of the cover art. There’s also a big, long jazz drum break in the middle of With The Wind to finish the album.

No reissues of any description-ripped from the original vinyl at 320.
Apologies-I missed "With the Wind"from my original rip-find it here.