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Sam Rivers

”Flutes!” by Sam Rivers & James Newton on Circle Records RK 7677/7

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”Flutes!” by Sam Rivers & James Newton on Circle Records RK 7677/7

Flutes

On this one we have both Sam Rivers and James Newton on flute, but separately in different live settings. Side 1 contains one tune played by the Sam Rivers Tuba Trio and the second side features three flute solos by James Newton. Rivers is joined by Joe Daley on tuba and french horn and Warren Smith on drums. Quite an unusual instrument line-up but it really blends together great. Tuba and french horn sounds awesome when played in this fashion and in this style of jazz. The tuba almost steps in for the double bass actually.

I really enjoy the flute solos by Newton on the second side. Fantastic player. I’ve enjoyed the flute in jazz for a long time but I’ve never listened to it in a solo format before. You really get a sense of the capacity of the player when it’s just a solo piece and live as well. Newton shows what an absolute master he was. 

Unusual album which you should check out if flute is your thing. 

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"Paragon" by The Sam Rivers Trio on Fluid (101)

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"Paragon" by The Sam Rivers Trio on Fluid (101)

70’s Rivers.

Sam Rivers in 1977 doing the avant stuff in a trio setting with Dave Holland on double bass and Barry Altschul on drums. Holland on bass is amazing. Rivers plays multiple instruments on this, tenor and soprano sax, flute and piano. He plays the piano really well. I haven’t explored a lot of Rivers’ 70’s stuff but will definitely get to work on that. This title, found in a local shop, is a lovely start to my deeper exploration of his work.

Really good recording here, clear and powerful sound. The label is called Fluid Records out of France, which only released 4 titles, and this was the first one. Will check out the other titles as well.

It’s funny how things evolve regarding personal growth in musical taste and styles of jazz. I’ve really gotten into the avant and free stuff lately. I’ve been listening to it for a long time but not nearly this much and I feel that it’s gonna be a lot more of this stuff coming into the collection going forward.

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"Into Somethin'" by Larry Young on Blue Note 4187

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"Into Somethin'" by Larry Young on Blue Note 4187

Beautiful organ-heavy stuff.

Just like “Unity” this is one of the best Blue Notes in the later Blue Note catalogue for me. The organ provides a special kind of vibe to a jazz setting. But it all depends who plays it and Larry Young plays with such an interesting approach and his style really resonates with me. It feels modern.

The line-up on this session is a great one, with the brilliant Sam Rivers on tenor sax, Grant Green on guitar and Elvin Jones on drums. Sam Rivers stands out for me, with his raw, free-thinking style. I have one album with him as a leader which is one of my favorite albums. I really need to try and get some more of his stuff into the collection. This group really gels together beautifully and the results is a lovely album with lots of melodies getting stuck if your mind long after the needle has left the grooves.

A couple of favorite picks are “Plaza de Toros”, on which Sam Rivers plays an outstanding solo which reminds me a lot of Joe Henderson, and “Paris Eyes” which is a laid back piece with a rememberable theme. All tunes are superb though.

The cover art is one of my favorites by Reid Miles, love the typography, the image and the colour. Really adds to the overall appeal of this album.

Have added quite a few albums to the collection of late, so stay tuned for more great titles. Cheers!


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"Fuchsia Swing Song" by Sam Rivers on BLP 4184

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"Fuchsia Swing Song" by Sam Rivers on BLP 4184

One of my favorite Blue Notes, which says a lot.

I’ve gravitated heavily towards post bop in the last couple of years and I’ve been discovering a lot of superb albums and quite a few new artists as well. Sam Rivers I hadn’t listened to at all before, until I discovered the album on display earlier this year and fell in love with it. It’s jazz right up my alley. I love this stuff. It’s post bop, stretching the scope of your regular hard bop a bit, but I feel it’s still rooted in bop. Not flying too far away from that. It has quickly become one of my favorite Blue Notes, yet another superb title in the 4100 series. Loving the cover art as well, quite different.

Sam Rivers is a wonderful tenor player with a powerful tone, and he plays with such an inventive approach. It’s always very fulfilling when you find a new cat playing so great, that you haven’t heard before, and you are just at the very beginning of discovering his/her catalogue.

The other musicians are for me some of the best of the best; Jaki Byard on piano, Ron Carter on double bass and the great Tony Williams on drums, who I hold in very high regard. As a drummer myself I always listen intently to the drums in jazz, and Tony Williams is always so brilliant. His touch on the drums and cymbals is magic, especially the ride cymbal, and I always marvel at his overall approach to playing the drums. He’s probably in my top 3 list of favorite drummers of all time.

This is Sam Rivers debut as a leader and it’s the only album by him I’ve explored thoroughly. I’ll dive deeper into his catalogue, which will be interesting. Maybe his other stuff is a bit more free? I love his style on this LP though. For me it’s perfect, and the tunes are so enjoyable. Like I said, my kind of jazz.

Some questions: Maybe you guys have some tips on some other great Sam Rivers albums? If you’ve heard “Fuchsia Swing Song”, please, share your thoughts on it.

I hope you guys are having a wonderful summer and that you are enjoying your collections. At the moment I’m in Mexico, soaking up some much needed sun. Stay tuned for more vintage original 1st pressings from the collection coming up. Cheers!

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