What Are You Listening To?

[Dennie]

Harley Davidson - Southern Road Songs -- CD

Various Artists

2001 Harley Davidson/The Right Stuff Records

Southern Road Songs contains 17 tracks that sound perfect on the open road -- particularly if you're riding a big hog. The nice thing about this collection is that while it is deeply rooted in Southern rock (meaning biker rock, with the requisite Lynyrd Skynyrd, Allmans, Marshall Tucker Band, Outlaws, Black Oak Arkansas, Johnny Winter, etc.), it does bend the rules and offer some unpredictable selections from Leon Russell, Freddie King, Jason & the Scorchers, and the incomparable Little Feat. This gives the record more character and makes it better than an average Southern rock collection, even though that's still where its heart lies. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Track Listing
1. Sweet Home Alabama - Lynyrd Skynyrd
2. One Way Out - The Allman Brothers Band
3. Take the Highway - The Marshall Tucker Band
4. (Ghost) Riders in the Sky - Outlaws
5. Gear Jammer - George Thorogood & the Destroyers
6. Mean Town Blues - Johnny Winter
7. She's Tuff - The Fabulous Thunderbirds
8. Oh, Atlanta - Little Feat
9. She Runs Hot - Little Village
10. Delta Lady - Leon Russell
11. Going Down - Freddie King
12. Let's Make It - John Lee Hooker
13. Jim Dandy - Black Oak Arkansas
14. Train, Train - Blackfoot
15. Don't Lie to Me - Elvin Bishop
16. Take Miss Lucy Home - Molly Hatchet
17. Lost Highway - Jason & the Scorchers
18. [Untitled Track] - (hidden track)

 

[Dennie]

Cellar Funk -- CD

Down To The Bone

2004 Narada Records

Acid jazz at its best !, January 29, 2004
By fivespotkid (seattle) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Cellar Funk (Audio CD)

MY definition of acid jazz is : music that's jazzy,funky,groovey & rockin' all at the same time.That's what this cd is ! And that describes all 5 or 6 of DTTB's cd's.If you've enjoyed their previous cd's you'll LOVE this one. And if you enjoy THIS cd you'll enjoy ALL of their others. These guys are GROOOOVEY!

Track Listing
1. Back in Business
2. Cellar Funk
3. I'll Always Hold You Close
4. Timeless
5. Flow, The
6. Crossing Boundaries
7. You're the Only Reason
8. Dancing to a Samba
9. Global Village
10. L.A. Shakedown
11. Little Smile
12. Down in the Basement
13. Back in Business - (the Business Mix, bonus track)

 

[Dennie]

My last one for the evening....

Scarecrow -- CD

John Cougar Mellencamp

1985/1990 Polygram Records

Amazon.com essential recording

Though the comparison has often been applied to him unfairly, it's fair to say that Scarecrow is to John Cougar Mellencamp what Born in the U.S.A. is to Bruce Springsteen: a hugely popular hit that solidified both his fan base and his critical reputation. The one important difference is that U.S.A.'s message was largely misinterpreted (Ronald Reagan co-opted the title song in a manner that's tragically ironic), while Scarecrow's ode to Mellencamp's native Indiana comes through loud and clear. Shortly after the release of this album, Mellencamp got involved in the Farm Aid benefit-concert series, and his concern for that lifestyle is evident on songs like "Small Town," "Rain on the Scarecrow," and "Rumbleseat"; other songs ("Lonely Old Night," "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.") are straight from the heart(land). --Randy Silver

1. Rain on the Scarecrow
2. Grandma's Theme
3. Small Town
4. Minutes to Memories
5. Lonely Ol' Night
6. Face of the Nation
7. Justice and Independence '85
8. Between a Laugh and a Tear
9. Rumbleseat
10. You've Got to Stand for Somethin'
11. R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.
12. Kind of Fella I Am

 

[Dennie]

Lady & Gentlemen -- CD

Leann Rimes

2011 Curb Records

Lady And Gentlemen is a creative concept album co-produced by LeAnn Rimes, country superstar Vince Gill and successful writer, Darrell Brown. It features country classic songs by the likes of George Jones, Merle Haggard and Waylon Jennings, all sung from a modern female s perspective. Says LeAnn, "This album was born out of the memories of when I first fell in love with country music and in reflecting, I realized that almost all of my favorite country songs from back then were sung by men. I am honored to take a step back in time and sing these songs from a woman's perspective and hopefully help reintroduce them to a new audience." The album features the Grammy Award nominated song "Swingin " (Best Female Country Vocal Performance) along with the moving single "Give," "Crazy Women" and an anniversary edition of "Blue" as bonus tracks.

No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Swingin'" John Anderson, Lionel Delmore 3:02
2. "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights" Wayne Duncan, Freddy Fender, Huey P. Meaux 4:06
3. "The Only Mama That'll Walk The Line" Jimmy Bryant 2:39
4. "I Can't Be Myself" Merle Haggard 3:12
5. "16 Tons" George S. Davis 2:42
6. "Help Me Make It Through the Night" Kris Kristofferson 3:01
7. "Rose Colored Glasses" John Conlee, George Baber 3:06
8. "A Good Hearted Woman" Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson 3:40
9. "When I Call Your Name" Vince Gill, Tim DuBois 3:41
10. "He Stopped Loving Her Today" Bobby Braddock, Curly Putman 3:51
11. "Blue" (with Time Jumpers) Bill Mack 2:34
12. "The Bottle Let Me Down" Merle Haggard 3:49
Bonus Tracks
No. Title Writer(s) Length
13. "Crazy Women" Brandy Clark, Jessie Jo Dillon, Shane McAnally 3:25
14. "Give" Connie Harrington, Sonya Isaacs, Jimmy Yeary 4:31

 

[Dennie]

Time and Circumstance -- CD

Marcus Roberts Trio

1996 Columbia Records

Released on the same day as PORTRAITS IN BLUE, TIME AND CIRCUMSTANCE shows Marcus Roberts to be a man with a lot on his musical mind. On PORTRAITS, Roberts, with orchestra in tow, tackles George Gershwin and comes up swinging. TIME AND CIRCUMSTANCE finds him paring down to a trio for a concept album about romantic relationships. Given the length and scope of the album, it's a pleasant enough surprise that it works at all. The fact that it works so well is a testament to the compositional and improvisational abilities of Roberts and the intuitive powers of drummer Jason Marsalis and bassist David Grossman.The elegant touch that worked so well for Roberts' Gershwin interpretations lends a heady glow to the extended improv sections here. Roberts and company explore the subtle intricacies of the piano-trio format with an expansive, searching spirit that takes them through countless moods, meters and tempos over the course of the album. And, befitting the subject matter, there is no shortage of heart on TIME AND CIRCUMSTANCE

Track Listing
1. Soul Mates
2. Exploration
3. Reflecting Mirrors
4. Imperfect Balance
5. Two Rocks by the Shore
6. Harvest Time
7. Alone
8. Time and Circumstance
9. Memories of One
10. Eternal Dialogue
11. In Retrospect
12. Optimism
13. When Fire Meets Moonlight
14. Renewed Vision

 

[Dennie]

Kiss My Axe -- CD

The Al Di Meola Project

1991 Tomato Records

One of the best guitarists on the planet!, January 6, 2007
By John Keating - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)
This review is from: Kiss My Axe (Audio CD)

While I too think Elegant Gypsy is Al's finest moment, his other work has always been a musical pleasure. His Winter Nights is simply superb. Electric Rendezvous short but sweet! Casino is as close to Gypsy as can be. Kiss My Axe is also worth the money and your time to give it a listen. If you like a variety of styles intermingled - here's the happy meal! Blazing guitar, gut wrenching bass on some of the tunes. Light and airy on others.

In following Mr. Dimeola's career, there seems to be a maturity in his work-While Gypsy is a simply a marvel in its blazing guitar work - each piece is technical bliss and speed! The works thereafter have been all about change -evolution if you will. The man still has the chops, but it's tempered and controlled. Youth to experience is the best analogy I can make here. It is obvious that he wants to stretch his music in other styles - not specifically jazz fusion.

I will continue to purchase his work simply because it has never failed to entertain me. Mr. Dimeola is simply one of the best of the best. One other reviewer wrote something to the effect "surely the Master knows more than his admirers!" I think there is a grain of truth in that remark. Each work that this man has done has been a step in his musical journey-I, for one, am glad he's allowed me the opportunity to walk with him along the way.

 

[Dennie]

Something Good -- CD

Charmaine Clamor

2010 FreeHam Records

From Charmaine Clamor, the queen of jazzipino: I believe there are two kinds of music: the Good Stuff and everything else.

Good can be jazz, or world, or blues. Good can be classical, or opera, or hip-hop. Or funk or soul or even pop. The labels don't matter; the sound matters.

It's true, I'm a Filipino-American. It's true, I'm a jazz singer. I do this musical blending called jazzipino, and it comes straight from my heart. But it's also true that I'm a citizen of Earth, and I'm a world-blues-funk-soul-pop vocalistwho won't be, can't be, categorized. I'm me, and this is my music.

You'll hear my passion for the groove, for swing, for beautiful words and inspiring sounds. You'll also discover my passion for the blessed planet we inhabit, and which we honor with our Mother Nature Suite. How strongly do I feel about taking care of our environment? The tray your CD sits in is made of potatoes. If you don't dig this album, you can bury the whole package in your compost heap. It's 100% recycleable!
We like to think, however, that our music doesn't qualify for the dreaded "everything else" genre. We're delighted to share with you Something Good.


Liner Note Author: Charmaine Clamor.


1 Every Single Moment
2 Doodlin' in Taglish
3 Something Good
4 Feelin' Stevie
5 Motherless Ili-Ili
6 Let's Take a Trip
7 Flow
8 Maalaala Mo Kaya
9 Ikaw
10 Sweet Spot
11 Farther You Go
12 Velieve in Love
13 Breakfast with Bubba

 

[Dennie]

Plays Ellington Songs -- CD

Harry Allen with the Bill Charlap Trio

1999 RCA Victor Records

Allen's tenor sax sound is perfectly suited for the music of Duke Ellington. His literate, traditional approach and occasionally Stan Getz-ian breathy tones go to the heart of Duke's melodic and harmonic concepts. Pianist Bill Charlap is excellent through and through, while bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington are dutiful in attending to their swing. Several of these tracks are read pretty straight, as the ballad "Lush Life," the easy swinger "Just Squeeze Me," the Afro-Cuban to bop "Caravan," and the air-filled "Sophisticated Lady." But the band changes up the rest. At the least extreme, "Mood Indigo" is easy swing as opposed to balladic; "Take the A Train" is slowed way down with Allen and Charlap only, while the pianist plays the melody while Allen's tenor counter-swipes licks on "C Jam Blues." More adapted is the slow tick-tock to bossa of the usual wall-melting ballad "Solitude," and a low-down, lugubrious bluesy swing with Charlap loading up on the intro and melody of "Things Ain't What They Used to Be," with Allen's stacatto stopped accents. At their most energetic, the quartet charges hard and trade eights during the up-tempo workout "Cotton Tail," whereas Allen and bassist Washington in duet need no other instrumental accoutrements in order to rhythmically fire up "It Don't Mean a Thing if It Ain't Got That Swing." This is most likely Allen's best batch yet, for he is a great interpreter rather than innovator. Duke did all the inventing necessary here, and this true collective quartet is hard to top. Recommended. ~ Michael G. Nastos

Track Listing
1. C Jam Blues
2. Solitude
3. Mood Indigo
4. It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)
5. Lush Life
6. Just Squeeze Me (But Don't Tease Me)
7. Things Ain't What They Used to Be
8. Caravan
9. Take the "A" Train
10. Cotton Tail
11. Sophisticated Lady

 

[No-L]

Lots of good stuff there, Dennie!

 

[Dennie]

Lots of good stuff there, Dennie!

Thanks No-L, it's a good thing I don't watch much TV, it leaves more time for sweet, sweet music!! :eusa-clap:




Dennie bscene-drinkingcheers:

 

[Dennie]

Moodswing -- CD

Joshua Redman Quartet

1994 Warner Bros. Records

One of the best at his very best!, August 1, 2002
By Greg Randolph (Johnson City, Tennessee United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Mood Swing (Audio CD)

This recording in my opinion is the freshest and finest work that Joshua Redman has produced. Considering that the band make-up of Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride and Brian Blade are three of the baddest young jazz musicians today, they have also become major band leaders in their own right. I think this was the recording that set them all on their way. The songs vary from melodic to sonically intense. McBride and Blade blaze a rhythmic trail followed by the creative yet subtle piano stylings of Mehldau, all giving way to the superior improvisational skills of Redman. The songs seem almost lyrical in their expression. Whether you are a Joshua Redman fan, or someone who has never experienced his music before, this is the beginning (although he had two prior quality releases prior) of the spectacular career of one of the finest tenor sax players of these times...

"Sweet Sorrow"
"Chill"
"Rejoice"
"Faith"
"Alone in the Morning"
"Mischief"
"Dialogue"
"The Oneness of Two (In Three)"
"Past in the Present"
"Obsession"
"Headin' Home"

Joshua Redman – saxophone
Brad Mehldau – piano
Christian McBride – double bass
Brian Blade – drums

 

[Dennie]

My last one for the evening.....

Goin' Out of My Head -- CD

Wes Montgomery

1965/2007 Verve Records

Amazing drums/guitar, December 24, 2011
By Ken Takaoka - See all my reviews
This review is from: Goin Out of My Head (Reis) (Rstr) (Dig) (Audio CD)

I am a musician and I read a fair amount of jazz journalism. I am perpetually amazed that jazz listeners, especially drummers, and critics have not noted how amazing this recording is.
Chim Chim Cherie is quite simply a classic. Wes and the drummer just BURN through the solo section of this tune. I would go so far as to say that this solo (really a duet)is one of the best examples of modern interactive drumming on record anywhere, by anybody, almost on the level of Coltrane/Elvin, Miles/Tony Williams interaction, but in a more mainstream vein. The energy, creativity and interaction displayed here is phenomenal. I assume the drummer is Grady Tate (Sol Gubin is also credited on the session) since I have heard him play almost as intensely on other recordings (check out Stan Getz's "Sweet Rain" and Oliver Nelson's "Sound Pieces"). The band just tears through all the charts on the record. The crack NY sessioners are clearly having a great time playing great charts by Oliver Nelson. This simply has to be considered a classic.

"Goin' Out of My Head" (Teddy Randazzo, Bobby Weinstein) – 2:14
"Morro"(Vinicius De Moraes, Antonio Carlos Jobim) – 4:46
"Boss City" (Wes Montgomery) – 3:46
"Chim Chim Cher-ee" (Richard M. Sherman, Robert B. Sherman) (From Disney's Mary Poppins) – 4:51
"Naptown Blues" (Montgomery) – 3:08
"Twisted Blues" (Montgomery) – 4:15
"End of a Love Affair" (Edward Redding) – 3:43
"It Was a Very Good Year" (Ervin Drake) – 3:43
"Golden Earrings" (Ray Evans, Jay Livingston, Victor Young) – 5:14


Wes Montgomery – guitar
Phil Woods – alto sax, clarinet
Bob Ashton – flute, clarinet, saxophone
Romeo Penque – tenor saxophone, piccolo, flute, clarinet, oboe, English horn
Jerry Dodgion – tenor saxophone, piccolo, flute, clarinet
Donald Byrd – trumpet
Ernie Royal – trumpet
Joe Newman – trumpet
Danny Moore – trombone
Jimmy Cleveland – trombone
Quentin Jackson – trombone
Wayne Andre – trombone
Tony Studd – trombone
Herbie Hancock – piano
Roger Kellaway – piano
George Duvivier – bass guitar
Dan Bank – drums
Grady Tate – drums
Candido Camero – congas

Production notes:

Creed Taylor – producer
Oliver Nelson – arranger, conductor
Rudy Van Gelder – engineer
Orrin Keepnews – original liner notes

 

[Rope]

Lots of good stuff there, Dennie!

Thanks No-L, it's a good thing I don't watch much TV, it leaves more time for sweet, sweet music!! :eusa-clap:


Dennie bscene-drinkingcheers:

If you own TV, sell it, use the proceeds to fuel the music fire.

Rope

 

[Dennie]

Heart Of A Woman -- CD

Etta James

1999 RCA Victor

Amazon.com

There's no doubting the power and passion of Etta James's voice. That alone is enough for her to give Aretha Franklin a run for her money, and on Heart of a Woman she gives that voice free rein. Something of a companion to 1998's Life, Love & the Blues, Heart of a Woman takes what feels like a deliberately feminine approach, from the selection of the material to its arrangement. If there's a weakness to the result, it's that James's voice often overpowers the music, leaving the mood-setting piano and gentle guitar in the dust. The strongest moments occur when the music rises to match James's singing, as with the sax solo on "My Old Flame," the smoky piano on "I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good," and the overall building of intensity toward the end of "You Go to My Head." Another highlight is a reworked version of James's classic "At Last." --Genevieve Williams

Track listing

1. You Don't Know What Love Is
2. Good Morning Heartache
3. My Old Flame
4. Say It Isn't So
5. At Last
6. Tenderly
7. I Only Have Eyes For You
8. I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
9. You Go to My Head
10. Sunday Kind of Love
11. If It's the Last Thing I Do
12. Only Women Bleed

Bonus Picture.....

 

[Dennie]

Lots of good stuff there, Dennie!

Thanks No-L, it's a good thing I don't watch much TV, it leaves more time for sweet, sweet music!! :eusa-clap:


Dennie bscene-drinkingcheers:

If you own TV, sell it, use the proceeds to fuel the music fire.

Rope

That is a Damn Good idea! :bow-blue:




Dennie :eusa-clap:

 

[Dennie]

Prime Cuts - The Columbia Years 1987 -1999 -- CD

Grover Washington Jr.

1999 Columbia Records

Amazon.com

Washington's Columbia material wasn't quite as rapturous as his landmark records from the '70s (most notably Inner City Blues and Mister Magic), which minted the template for the smooth jazz. But Prime Cuts offers a concise yet comprehensive overview of a surprisingly adventurous period in the soulful saxophonist's career, which was tragically cut short by his death at age 56 in late 1999. There are classic Washington grooves like "Strawberry Moon" and his version of Brubeck's "Take Five," both songs showcasing his luminescent tone and sinuous inflections. "Only for You" and "Summer Nights" pour soothing horn phrases over lively percussion, while "Blues for D.P." puts Washington in a more straightforward, postbop setting with Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Grady Tate. Of the three previously unissued tracks, "Heat Index," suffers from a stilted arrangement and not enough bottom-tone organ; a new rendition of "Soulful Strut" is marvelous but only marginally different than the original; and "The Night Fantastic" is a relatively standard workout enhanced by Washington's dulcet modulations and quickly punctuated crescendoes. The closer, "Protect the Dream," delivers the giddy eddies and melodic swoons most listeners now associate with Kenny G--except that Grover's are invested with twice as much soul. --Britt Robson

Track Listing

1. Take Five (Take Another Five)
2. Sacred Kind of Love
3. Only for You (Siempre Para Ti)
4. Please Send Me Someone to Love
5. Strawberry Moon
6. Summer Nights
7. Heat Index
8. Next Exit
9. Blues for D.P.
10. Soulful Strut - (previously unreleased, alternate take, The Top Down version)
11. Love in His Infant Eyes, The
12. Night Fantastic, The - (previously unreleased)
13. Protect the Dream

 

[Dennie]

Guitar On The Go -- CD

Wes Montgomery Trio

1963/1990 Riverside/OJC -Fantasy Records

Digitally remastered by Phil De Lancie (1990, Fantasy Studios, Berkeley).

Wes Montgomery's last record for Riverside found him the company of organist Mel Rhyne, with whom he had cut his first album for that label just four years earlier. In fact, GUITAR ON THE GO includes a Rhyne/Montgomery take from 1959: the original "Missile Blues," named for the lounge in Indianapolis where Montgomery had worked a steady gig before the jazz world discovered him. The guitarist clearly loved to play the blues, and this set includes two more, "Geno" and "Fried Pies."

In true reissue fashion GUITAR ON THE GO includes previously unreleased material. In this case that material is pretty noteworthy: an unidentified solo tune which Riverside producer Orrin Keepnews claims was one of only two such solos to be recorded for the label (the other was "While We're Young" on SO MUCH GUITAR). It's a beautiful, reflective closer to the album and to Montgomery's Riverside period. From 1964 until his premature death Montgomery would record a variety of more arranged and orchestrated albums with Creed Taylor (a notable exception being the live SMOKIN' AT THE HALF NOTE set), but in 1963 he was still just burning it up with small combos such as this.

Recorded in New York, New York in 1959 and 1963. Originally released on Riverside (9494). Includes original liner notes by Bob Messinger.

Personnel: Wes Montgomery (guitar); Melvin Rhyne (organ); George Brown , Jimmy Cobb , Paul Parker (drums).

"The Way You Look Tonight" [Alternate take] (Jerome Kern, Dorothy Fields) – 5:48
"The Way You Look Tonight" (Kern, Fields) – 9:08
"Dreamsville" (Ray Evans, Jay Livingston, Henry Mancini) – 3:48
"Geno" (Wes Montgomery) – 2:53
"Missile Blues" (Montgomery) – 5:57
"For All We Know" (J. Fred Coots, Sam M. Lewis) – 4:29
"Fried Pies" (Montgomery) – 6:41
"Unidentified Solo Guitar" (Montgomery) – 3:37 Bonus Track

 

[Botch]

Bryan Ferry:

 

[Dennie]

Songs I Like To Sing! -- CD

Helen Humes arranged and conducted by Marty Paich

1960/1991 Contemporary/OJC Records

Glorious stuff October 7, 2004
By N. Dorward
Format:Audio CD

This is perhaps a slightly overlooked album--but if you hear it you'll know why anyone who's heard it treasures it. Humes' voice is absolutely gorgeous (you'd almost believe the lyrics to "Million Dollar Secret" when she says she's 33!--she was 47), & she handles a challenging set of tunes & Marty Paich's complex arrangements effortlessly, modulating easily between intimate, plainspoken ballads & spirited numbers that bring out the joy & a certain steeliness too in her voice. The band's mostly West Coast musicians--Art Pepper gets the alto solos (this was one of the last things he did before getting thrown in the slammer for 6 years), Jack Sheldon the trumpet solos, Teddy Edwards gets one spot, & Barney Kessel, Andre Previn, Leroy Vinnegar & Shelly Manne are an instantly recognizable, blue-chip rhythm section. But the biggest pleasure is the presence of Ben Webster, who gets all over the ballads--just sample his work on the opening "If I Could Be With You", or his obliggatos on "Imagination". A few tracks have (discreet) string quartet accompaniment, which for once complements rather than oversweetens the music. Paich is respectful of Humes &, while there are plenty of modern touches to the charts, he always stays in touch with a 1930s/1940s big band sound & doesn't pepper the charts with cute touches (the bane of 1950s arrangements, I've found).

Virtually everything here is first-rate, but let me single out "If Could Be With You", "Mean to Me", "Every Now and Then", "My Old Flame" & "Imagination", all of them classic readings which bear out Humes' statement in the liner notes that "Primarily, I like to sing ballads." Somehow, despite the slight oddity of pairing Humes & Webster with a crack West Coast band, the results are a classic album. Do try.

Track Listing
1. If I Could Be With You (One Hour Tonight)
2. Don't Worry 'Bout Me
3. Don't Worry 'Bout Me - (alternate take)
4. Mean to Me
5. Every Now and Then
6. I Want a Roof Over My Head
7. St. Louis Blues
8. You're Driving Me Crazy
9. My Old Flame
10. Million Dollar Secret
11. Love Me or Leave Me
12. Imagination
13. Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone

 

[Dennie]

"Speak No Evil" -- CD

Wayne Shorter

1964/1999 Blue Note Records

Few Albums Can Compare, May 12, 2004
By John Russon (Toronto, ON Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
This review is from: Speak No Evil (Audio CD)

In the space of only about four years in the mid-1960s, Wayne Shorter put out about 7 albums, any one of which could have revolutionized jazz music. In my view, Speak No Evil is the best of them all (though the competition is incredible). Basically, jazz music entered a new and original phase through Shorter's compositions. In the '30s and '40s, people played swing and then bebop, which were "jazzed up" approaches to standard tunes. The '50s and early '60s saw a period of new jazz composition, and a self-conscious introduction of new styles that were centered around instrumental style rather than around standard tunes. These new styles definitely broke new ground, but they still were mostly built around virtuoso-style improvising that exploited the harmonic possibilities of the chord structure of a song. Though it is obviously indebted to this tradition, Shorter's compositions shifted the focus away from "blowing" and onto the beauty of the compositions. Playing these songs emphasized more the evoking of the appropriate mood and texture rather than just using them as generic platforms for playing the same scales and licks. Basically, these songs invited new forms of exploration--and for that reason they remain some of the most popular songs for contemporary jazz bands to play. This album, Speak No Evil, is a real pleasure to listen to, and that is true the first time and the five-hundredth time. This is one of the tiny handful of albums that can without question be called the greatest in the history of jazz. Everyone should have the pleasure of listening to this album.

(All pieces written by Shorter)

"Witch Hunt" 8:07
"Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum" 5:50
"Dance Cadaverous" 6:45
"Speak No Evil" 8:23
"Infant Eyes" 6:51
"Wild Flower" 6.00
"Dance Cadaverous" (alternate take) 6:35

Track 7 not part of original LP.

---

Freddie Hubbard — trumpet
Wayne Shorter — tenor saxophone
Herbie Hancock — piano
Ron Carter — bass
Elvin Jones — drums