Miles Davis - 'Get Up With It'

 

By this point in the ’70s, Miles was moving away from jazz fusion’s popularity to something more primal and harsh.  His band grew more Afrocentric, and thanks in no small part to his wife of one year Betty Davis (Mabry), Miles started listening to Jimi Hendrix, James Brown, and Sly and the Family Stone.  But he also had an ear tuned to Aretha Franklin, and Ann Peebles.  In one of his signature turns of phrase, Miles told DownBeat magazine: "If Al Green had one tit, I’d marry that motherfucker."

The sessions that makeup 'Get Up With It' span from 1970 to 1974, and include a line up that reflects Miles and the transient nature of his ever-changing priorities: Herbie Hancock, Keith Jarrett, Billy Cobham, Al Foster, Airto, John McLaughlin, Reggie Lucas, Pete Cosey, James Mtume, David Liebman, and many more appear.  Behind them sat producer and editor Teo Macero, who transformed hours of sessions and chaos into something majestic.

The one stabilizing force, on these recordings, is teen bassist Michael Henderson, whom Miles lifted from Stevie Wonder’s band and dropped in to solidify each incarnation of Miles' groups for the next seven years.  Many members of the "Jazz Cognoscenti" deemed Michael Henderson too simplistic of a player.  To my ears, Michael sounds sublime.

'Get Up With It' is not the sound of jazz to come, and it's not even the sound of Miles Davis to come.  But, if you listen closely, along with jazz, funk, rock, the avant-garde, you'll hear many genres/sub-genres still to come: ambient, no wave, world beat, jungle, new jack swing, and post-rock.

The freeload is the 1996, 2 CD limited edition remastered reissue, from Sony Japan, as part of their "Master Sound" series.

For the freeload, ask me a question.

Vanilla Fudge - 'Box Of Fudge'

Vanilla Fudge is an American rock band known predominantly for their slow extended heavy rock arrangements of contemporary hit songs, most notably "You Keep Me Hangin' On".  The band's original line–up was vocalist and organist Mark Stein, bassist and vocalist Tim Bogert, lead guitarist/vocalist Vince Martell, and drummer and vocalist Carmine Appice recorded five albums during the years 1967–69, before disbanding in 1970.

The band has been cited as one of the few American links between psychedelia and what soon became heavy metal.  Vanilla Fudge also is known to have influenced other major bands such as The Nice, Deep Purple, Yes, Styx, Led Zeppelin, and Uriah Heep.

'Box Of Fudge' is a 4CD set, and was released in 2010 on Rhino Handmade label.  It includes mono and stereo versions of their first two albums, three more studio albums from that period ('Renaissance', 'Near the Beginning' and 'Rock & Roll'), and two discs of live recordings from the Fillmore West in San Francisco on December 31, 1968, plus various bonus tracks, including edited 45s. There's also a very nice booklet (included in the download)

CD 1
1. All In Your Mind
2. Take Me For A Little While
3. Ticket To Ride
4. People Get Ready
5. She’s Not There
6. You Keep Me Hanging On
7. Where Is My Mind
8. The Look Of Love
9. Sketch
10. The Beat Goes On
11. Come By Day, Come By Night
12. The Sky Cried – When I Was A Boy
13. That’s What Makes A Man
14. Faceless People
15. Season Of The Witch

CD2
1. Shotgun
2. Some Velvet Morning
3. You Can’t Do That
4. People
5. Good Good Livin’ (Long Version)
6. Heartache Jam
7. Need Love
8. Lord In The Country
9. Street Walking Woman
10. The Windmills Of Your Mind
11. Jealousy
12. My World Is Empty

CD3
1. She’s Not There (Live)
2. Shotgun (Live)
3. People Get Ready (Live)
4. You Keep Me Hanging On (Live)
5. Season Of The Witch (Live)
6. Break Song (Live)

CD 4
1. Good Good Livin’ (Live)
2. Ticket To Ride (Live)
3. Medley (Live)
a) Moonlight Sonata
b) Fur Elise
c) Eleanor Rigby
4. Take Me For A Little While (Live)
5. Like A Rolling Stone (Live)
6. Love Jam
7. Movin’ On
8. VF Studio Jam

When I was ripping these CDs, my grandson stopped by.  He listened to the Vanilla Fudge, and in bemusement, he said, "I guess you had to be there", I laughed and told him, "You should have been there, it was quite a time".  He shook his head in agreement, and said, "If I had a time machine, the 1960s would be my first stop."

So, for the freeload, if you had a time machine, what would be your first stop?

American Epic: The Best Of Mississippi John Hurt'

 

'American Epic: The Best of Mississippi John Hurt', was released on June 16, 2017, and issued as a download by Sony Legacy and a vinyl LP by Third Man Records.  Today's freeload is a vinyl rip of the Third Man LP, with 24bit/96kHz sonics.

This is not the 1971 classic Vanguard Records release 'The Best Of Mississippi John Hurt', which was a live release recorded April 15, 1965, at Oberlin College.

This is the thirteen surviving recordings, thirty-five-year-old Mississippi John Hurt recorded in 1928 for the OKeh Records label.  There were three recording sessions overseen by Tommy Rockwell of Okeh Records: February 14, in Memphis, Tennessee, and two sessions recorded in New York City on Recorded December 21, and December 28.  These performances are cited by many as some of the greatest recordings of the 1920s.

John received $240.00 (roughly $4,534.00 in 2025 money) from the Okeh Company for his recordings, the Great Depression set in, and he never heard from them again.  He returned home to Avalon and lived there for over thirty years until he was located by musicologist Dick Spottswood.  This led to a booking at the 1963 Newport Folk Festival, and a recording contract with Vanguard Records, which brought his music to a global audience in the last three years of his life.

John's 1928 sessions were first released on LP in 1971, and since then, there have been various reissues on LP and CD.

So, what makes this release so special?  Well, new sound restoration techniques developed specifically for the American Epic film series were employed to restore the thirteen 1928 recordings on the album.  Sound engineer Nicholas Bergh meticulously transferred the 78rpm records using reverse engineering techniques gained from collaborating with the restored first electrical sound recording system from the 1920s in The American Epic Sessions. Subsequently, sound engineers Peter Henderson and Joel Tefteller meticulously restored these 1920s recordings, resulting in a greater fidelity, presence, and clarity than had been previously heard.

Mississippi John Hurt fans adore this album, but many find the title somewhat misleading, as it only includes the thirteen 1928 recordings. Many of their favorite songs were recorded for the Vanguard label and the Library of Congress in the early 1960s.

So, for the freeload, what songs other than the songs on today's freeload, do you consider "The Best Of Mississippi John Hurt"? 

Art Pepper - 'Landscape Live in Tokyo' 79'

 

'Landscape Live in Tokyo 79' was recorded live at Shiba Yubin Chokin Hall, in Tokyo Japan, on July 16 & 23, 1979.  Art made numerous trips to Japan, and this one is pretty terrific.

Art is backed by a wonderful rhythm section led by pianist George Cables, whom Art mentions in his introduction as his favorite pianist (as evidenced by the numerous Pepper recordings that feature Cables).  Bassist Tony Dumas and drummer Billy Higgins provide solid support.

Art's playing is absolutely lyrical from beginning to end.  Among the standout tracks are "Avalon" where George Cables shines, and an incredible rendition of "Over the Rainbow", which just might just be my favorite version ever.

Art Pepper in '79

The freeload is the 2003 reissue from JVC, on an Extended Resolution Compact Disc (XRCD).  The album was remastered from the original tapes by Hiromichi Takiguchi, and remixed by Tamaki Bekku.  It sounds sweet.

For the freeload, what's the hottest pepper you've ever eaten? Or the hottest "dish" you've ever eaten?
Has anyone taken any of the hot pepper challenges, involving Carolina Reaper, Pepper X, Trinidad Moruga Scorpion et al. that are all over the interwebs?

Babs' Bootleg Bonanza # 8 - 1975 Edition

Today's Bootleg Bonanza is a mix of shows from 1975, featuring The Grateful Dead, Thelonious Monk, and Led Zeppelin.
All have excellent sonics.

In 1975, the Grateful Dead took a hiatus from touring, which allowed them to record the album 'Blues for Allah' and prepare for a return to live performances.  This period included a landmark, invitation-only concert at San Francisco's Great American Music Hall in August, where they debuted the album live for industry guests.  The Dead returned to the public with a concert in Golden Gate Park on September 28, 1975, marking their first large public show in a year.

Lindley Meadow, September 28th 1975

CD1

01. Help On The Way>
02. Slipknot
03. The Music Never Stopped
04. They Love Each Other
05. Beat It On Down The Line
06. Franklin's Tower
07. Big River
08. It Must Have Been The Roses,

CD2
01. Truckin'>
02. The Eleven Jam>
03. Drums>
04. Stronger Than Dirt>
05. Not Fade Away>
06. Goin' Down The Road>
07. One More Saturday Night

Jerry Garcia - Guitar, Vocals

Donna Jean Godchaux - Vocals
Keith Godchaux - Keyboards
Mickey Hart - Drums
Bill Kreutzmann - Drums
Phil Lesh - Bass, Vocals
Bob Weir - Guitar, Vocals

Thelonious Monk's only public appearance in 1975, was at this July 3rd performance as part of the Newport Jazz Festival, which for most of the 1970s had moved to New York City.  This show was Monk's first major concert in 2 years, as his physical health was in decline and his emotional state wasn't much better.  However, listening to this show, you’d never know it.

My husband Jerry and I were lucky enough to have seen this show.

01. Introduction by George Wein
02. I Mean You
03. Bolivar Blues
04. We See
05. Mysterioso
06. 'Round Midnight

Thelonious Monk Quartet: 
Thelonious Monk - Piano
Paul Jeffrey - Tenor Saxophone
Larry Ridley - Bass
Thelonious Monk, Jr. - Drums

Speaking of shows, I saw with Jerry.

Led Zeppelin
"Keeper Of The Seasons"
February 12, 1975
Madison Square Garden, New York City

CD 1
01. Rock and Roll
02. Sick Again
03. Over The Hills and Far Away
04. In My Time of Dying
05. The Song Remains The Same
06. The Rain Song
07. Kashmir

CD 2
01. No Quarter
02. Trampled Under Foot
03. Moby Dick (20:26)

CD 3
01. Dazed and Confused
02. Stairway To Heaven
03. Whole Lotta Love - Black Dog
04. Heartbreaker

"Pagey" on guitar
"Percy" on vocals
"Jonsey" on bass
"Bonzo" on drums

For the freeload, what's your favorite album from 1975?

John Hammond - Bear’s Sonic Journals: 'You’re Doin’ Fine Blues at The Boarding House, June 2 & 3, 1973'

 

In a career spanning more than 60 years, John Hammond holds a unique place in music, he played with just about everyone and seemed to influence everyone else.

John released his self-titled debut album in 1960 just as the roots music revival was gaining steam.  Along with others like Charlie Musslewhite, Paul Butterfield, Bonnie Raitt, Rory Block, John was a white American who paid homage and added a new spin to blues music.

'Bear’s Sonic Journals: You’re Doin’ Fine Blues at The Boarding House' showcases John Hammond’s mastery of the blues, performed live with his guitar and track-mounted harmonica.  This masterclass covers Delta, Chicago, Texas, and Piedmont blues, featuring six songs by the legendary Robert Johnson.

The sheer volume of blues music that Hammond masterfully performs here is astounding—passionate, intimate, and captivating.  These unforgettable performances of Hammond singing, playing guitar, and harmonica represent a pivotal moment in Hammond’s long and illustrious career. 

This three-CD set, one of the latest Bear’s Sonic Journals, was released in 2024.  The Bear in question is Owsley Stanley, the clandestine chemist/acid guru of San Francisco in the 1960s (I sampled Owsley's product on many an occasion).  Owsley was also an innovative live and studio sound master, most associated with the Grateful Dead.  This is yet another outstanding release from the Owsley Stanley Foundation, which has released nearly a dozen of these Sonic Journals. Stanley’s production-related credit appears on around 75 albums.

These live performances were recorded over two nights of a five-night run in July 1973 at the renowned Boarding House in San Francisco. Tom Waits opened the show, and John Lee Hooker was in the audience on the final night.  The club had been open since 1971, but gradually declined in the early 1980s.  However, it held significant importance as a hub for emerging comedians and a venerable venue for underground hip music, featuring both local and international superstars.  Notably, it was there that the iconic 'Old & In the Way' album was recorded in 1975, featuring Jerry Garcia, Peter Rowan, David Grisman, Vassar Clemens, and John Khan. 

While many reissue series of jazz releases (Blue Note) and releases from other genres have received accolades, these 'Bear’s Sonic Journals' releases are underground gems that offer historically significant recordings, with superb sound that is close up and immediate.

Owsley "Bear" Stanley was a legendary character.  The Steely Dan song, "Kid Charlemagne" was inspired by the rise and fall of Owsley.

For the freeload, what are your favorite songs about legendary characters?

Billie Holiday - 'Rare Live Recordings (1934-59)'

 

'Rare Live Recordings (1934-59)' is a 5CD set, that was released on the ESP-Disk label in 2007.

This is a nice companion to Billie's studio sessions.  The various broadcasts are never less than interesting.  There are also several concert recordings; notably the Just Jazz evening from California and of her appearance at the Monterey festival in 1958.

The (more or less) chronological presentation opens with a twenty-year-old Billie Holiday performing with Duke Ellington in 1935, followed by a radio broadcast from the Savoy Hotel in New York two years later in which Holiday fronts the Count Basie Orchestra.  The next four discs cover Holiday's career from 1949 to her death in 1959.

The booklet (included in the freeload), is extensive and interweaves discography and biographical chronological information.  The notes are simultaneously informative, insightful, and unfortunately, sprinkled with typographic, editorial, and even factual errors (it brings to mind a high school homework assignment, dashed off the night before it was due).  The most flagrant of which is a statement in reference to the CBS Sound of Jazz television broadcast of December 8, 1957, where the producer claims "...this would also prove to be one of the last performances for baritone saxophonist Harry Carney."  The reference was actually to tenor saxophonist Lester Young, who would die almost exactly four months before the passing of Billie in 1959.  Harry Carney, of course, lived for another 17 years as the bass clef backbone of the Duke Ellington Orchestra.  Errors aside, it nicely maps her personal and artistic transformation between the years 1934 and 1959.

'Rare Live Recordings' set is for those of us who have been smitten for life and cannot get enough Billie Holiday.

For the freeload, post something about Billie that is wildly inaccurate.

Grateful Dead - Blues For Allah (50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)

 

Released yesterday.

Link
https://workupload.com/file/4kspMvj7FpR

"To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Grateful Dead's ambitious 1975 album Blues For Allah, we have produced what we feel is the most eclectic 50th anniversary reissue since this series began in 2017.  The 3-disc special release features the original album on Disc 1, remastered by David Glasser at Airshow Mastering, with tape restoration and speed correction by Plangent Processes.  On Disc 2, we have nearly 45 minutes of nearly-live material from August 12, 1975 at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco, the soundcheck the day before the Dead's famous show at the venue on August 13, 1975, all mixed from the 16-track analog masters. Additionally, we have included the full Blues For Allah suite from the March 23, 1975 SNACK Benefit at Kezar Stadium, where the Dead played their first of four 1975 shows by debuting one of their most wild pieces of music they'd ever composed.  Disc 3 features 75 minutes of live material recorded in June 1976 at the Tower Theatre in Upper Darby, PA, on the Dead's first tour after the release of Blues For Allah, and features all five of the Blues For Allah songs the Dead were performing live at the time: "The Music Never Stopped," "Help On The Way>Slipknot!>Franklin's Tower," and "Crazy Fingers," along with a half hour of additional material from the shows.  This 50th anniversary reissue is packed with three hours of studio, soundcheck, and live material. It's a reissue unlike any other, just as Blues For Allah is an album unlike any other." — David Lemieux

Such a long, long time to be gone
And a short time to be there…

Rolling Stones - 'Beggars Banquet' (50th Anniversary Hi-Rez 24bit-192kHz)

The Rolling Stones need no introduction, and come to think of it, either does 'Beggars Banquet'.  So here are a few pics from the photo shoot.
 

The freeload is a sweet sounding remaster with 24bit-192kHz sonics. This is the digital version you should have.

The other night I was out with some friends, and we were asking hypothetical questions (yes, alcohol was involved).  One of the questions was, "If you could only to listen to one Rock band for the rest of forever, who would it be?". My answer was, "Either The Rolling Stones or The Grateful Dead", as I could only narrow it down to two.

So, for the freeload, if you could only to listen to one Rock band for the rest of forever, who would it be?  If you can't decide on one, narrow it down to two, as I did.

Junior Kimbrough

 

David "Junior" Kimbrough, was a master of the North Mississippi hill country blues style, which he affectionately called "cotton patch blues."  His music was characterized by a raw, hypnotic quality, relying on modal, repetitive riffs rather than the traditional 12-bar blues progressions.

Junior gained international attention in 1992 when he was featured in Robert Mugge’s documentary 'Deep Blues'.   

He recorded his debut album, 'All Night Long', at his juke joint, Junior’s Place, in Chulahoma, Mississippi.  Junior’s Place drew both University of Mississippi students and international blues fans.  His Fat Possum albums, featuring his signature riff-based songs with minimal chord changes and droning bass lines also resonated with fans of alternative music.  Artists like the North Mississippi Allstars, the Black Keys, Iggy Pop, and Daft Punk covered his music. 

Junior died of a heart attack following a stroke in 1998 in Holly Springs, Mississippi, at the age of 67.

The back of Junior's headstone bears the memorable quote from rockabilly legend (and friend of Junior's) Charlie Feathers, "Junior Kimbrough is the beginning and end of all music".

Junior Kimbrough was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame by The Blues Foundation in 2023 at the 44th Annual Blues Music Awards.

A Mississippi Blues Trail marker honoring Junior Kimbrough was unveiled on February 21, 2024, in Holly Springs, Mississippi, along with a marker for R.L. Burnside.  The marker is located in Blues Alley, near 125 N. Center Street, and acknowledges Kimbrough's significant contribution to Hill Country Blues.

Today's freeload is three of Junior's albums

'All Night Long' from 1992

'Sad Days, Lonely Nights' from 1993

'Most Things Haven't Worked Out' from 1997

I love Junior's epitaph, "Junior Kimbrough is the beginning and end of all music".

Strictly speaking, an epitaph refers to text that is inscribed on a tombstone or plaque, but it may also be used in a figurative sense.  So for the freeload, who (dead or alive) would you choose to write your epitaph?

Miles Davis - 'Nefertiti'

 

'Nefertiti' was recorded over four sessions on June 7, June 22-23 and July 19, 1967, at Columbia 30th Street Studios, New York City.  It was produced by Teo Macero (more on Teo below), and engineered by Fred Plaut and Stan Tonkel.  The photographs are by Bob Cato.

The album was released on January 15, 1968, on the Columbia Records label.  I bought the album on the Saturday after it was released at Canterbury Records in Pasadena, CA, which was a short walk from California Institute of Technology.  Back then, it was run by a gentleman named Lenny, who was a hysterically funny man and had an encyclopedic knowledge of Jazz.  When I walked into Canterbury Records, Lenny reached under the counter, pulled up a copy of 'Nefertiti', and said "I've been expecting you", and laughed.  For the next month or so, Lenny and I discussed the finer points of the album.

Along with Miles are, Wayne Shorter on tenor saxophone, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass, Tony Williams on drums (the so-called Second Great Quintet).  'Nefertiti' was Miles' last all acoustic album.  

For me, 'Nefertiti' is a "desert island disc".  A lot of it has to do with saxophonist Wayne Shorter’s mysterious and beautiful title tune, where the soloists and the rhythm section reverses their roles.  Miles and Wayne play the theme over and over again in unison, while the rhythm section stretches the time and varies the intensity and harmonies of the piece. The melody is so compelling, and the interplay of the rhythm section so animated, that you never get bored by the repetition.

All the playing is flawless on this, which with this quintet is a given.  The way Miles and Wayne harmonize on trumpet and sax. It creates a really great unique tone, and it allows for the rhythm section to do more when they combine their parts to form a homogenous sound. Tony Williams is phenomenal on his track "Hand Jive", no surprise there, and Ron Carter is as always sublime.

Of all the compositions, I think that Wayne Shorter was the most consistent with all three of his tracks being contenders for the best, but Herbie Hancock steals the show with "Riot", my favorite off the album.

In the 1980s, I got to know Teo Macero and his wife Jeanne.  Most of our conversations were about books, food, wine, and movies.  Jeanne told me privately that Teo liked that I didn't bombard him with questions about music, as many people did.  Occasionally, Teo would broach the subject of Jazz, and when he did, he recounted stories that were just so cool.  It was also my "green light" to ask a question or two.  One time he asked me what I was listening to, and I told him "Nefertiti".  Teo smiled and told me, "Creative tension doesn't even begin to describe the intense atmosphere of those sessions".

Today's freeload is the 2023 remaster with 24bit/192kHz sonics, and sounds sweet.

For the freeload, I’m going to ask a rather clichéd musical question. Be that as it may, what are some of your desert island discs?