All Categories — All Formats  

Proof that the genius of Art Blakey never falters! This obscure gem was recorded in the mid 80s – but rarely saw proper issue until the time of this CD – and it features Blakey leading a hip group of young lions with all the care and confidence of some of his best Jazz Messenger sides from earlier years. The style on the album's about halfway between Blakey's Blue Note and Prestige styles – with the hard-blown solos of the former, and the longer freer song structure of the latter – and players include Terence Blanchard on trumpet, Donald Harrison on alto, Jean Toussaint on tenor, and Mulgrew Miller on piano. Tracks are all long – and titles include "Fuller Love", "Dr Jeckyle", "81", and "One By One".

A nice little sleeper – a straight hardbop set in a fierce Young Lions mode, featuring tenorist Jeff Clayton and trumpeter John Clayton, in a quintet with Patrice Rushen on piano and Ron Eschete on guitar. Titles include "Big Foot", "Watergate Blues", "Yo Mama", and "Walkin Bass".

Robot Rock n Roll issue featuring a lavishly illustrated encyclopedia of hundreds of robot records/bands/etc. Interviews with Captured! By Robots, Gilbert and George (The Singing Sculpture), Arthur Lee Maye (1950s R&B/Baseball star), Blowfly, The Troggs, Snoop Dogg, The Syndicate of Sound, Richard and the Young Lions, Rocket From The Crypt, Archer Prewitt, Andy Starr and Junior Brown. Plus Bubblegum, Martin & Lewis, Shrimpenstein (written by Dominic Priore), Crispy Ambulance, Sammy Davis, Jr., Art Fein's 1950s Chicago memories, Bryan Gregory obituary, lots of comics, reviews and more.

An excellent CD of contemporary spiritual jazz excursions from this former member of Sun Ra's Arkestra. While Catlett's earliest pedigree is in Latin jazz, his many years spent with Ra have infused his music with a far reaching sensibility, well understood by his bandmates Craig Taborn and Rodney Whitaker on this disc, who are also joined by many of Detroit's other young lions to fill out some of the larger arrangements on a few numbers. Taborn is at his most Tyner-esque in these post-Coltrane lyrical numbers, 13 in all, including "Iron Master", "Vital Force", "The Other Side Of The Mask", "Cultural Warrior" and "El Morro".