Looking to acquire some early Bartz on Milestone and this one is a great start. A live album recorded at the Left Bank Jazz Society in Baltimore in 1969. The sound is sublime so it feels more like it’s a studio recording.
The band is brilliant with Bartz on alto, Woody Shaw on trumpet, Albert Dailey on piano, Bob Cunningham on bass and Rashied Ali on drums. The presence of Shaw and Ali really makes this band special for me. Two of my favorite musicians together on an album for only the second time ever I believe. Nice to hear Ali in a more straight forward setting.
The program consists of Bartz originals and one Ellington standard. Very engaging post-bop tunes with a nice length to them so there is plenty of space for the soloists. The music is still quite new to me but I think I have an early favorite in ”Rise” which is the first tune on the second side. Bartz solo on that one is fantastic. I also can’t help but to hold the Ellington tune as a favorite as well as it’s one of the tunes Rollins played in 1959 here in Stockholm from the concert that really got me hooked on jazz. It’s ”It Don’t Mean a Thing” (If It Ain’t Got That Swing” and it’s a doozy.