Max Roach - The Max Roach Trio, Featuring The Legendary Hasaan Ibn Ali

Styles: Hard Bop
Year: 1964
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:45
Size: 94,3 MB
Art: Front

(5:40) 1. Three-Four vs. Six-Eight Four-Four Ways
(5:13) 2. Off My Back Jack
(3:52) 3. Hope so Elmo
(6:39) 4. Almost Like Me
(6:09) 5. Din-Ka Street
(8:08) 6. Pay Not Play Not
(5:00) 7. To Inscribe

Hardly any other musician has released so little as Hasaan Ibn Ali, born William Henry Langford Jr., in 1931, who died in 1980. Just seven titles in all are his complete output, all of which he composed himself, all of them on the present Atlantic LP, and all recorded in December 1964. The saxophonist Odean Pope, who often practised with him, talks of a second recording session in 1965 for Atlantic, but the recordings were never released because Hasaan was sent to jail shortly afterwards; rumour has it that the tapes were destroyed in a fire and it might well be that recordings with John Coltrane still exist somewhere or other.

Until then, one should enjoy the Max Roach Trio with Art Davis on the bass to the full. We have here a recording that will astound and fascinate your ears with its originality. A first impression conjures up reminiscences of Cecil Taylor and Herbie Nichols, while Hasaan himself talks of the pianist Elmo Hope as the man who brought him closer to the ‘mystery of music’. When asked how the recording session with maestro Max Roach went, Hasaan said: »They scared me to death.«

According to Odean Pope, Hasaan was not an easy person to get on with, and he was convinced of his talent to the point of arrogance. But despite this or perhaps because of this one listens spellbound to the 40 minutes on this LP, a legacy and never-fulfilled promise of an extremely talented man. We are indebted to Max Roach, who persuaded the bosses of Atlantic Records to make these recordings. For many, many years they had vanished from the record market, but fortunately they are now available as an audiophile re-release to be listened to and admired. https://lightintheattic.net/releases/5903-the-max-roach-trio-featuring-the-legendary-hasaan

Personnel: Max Roach - drums; Hasaan Ibn Ali - piano; Art Davis - bass

The Max Roach Trio, Featuring The Legendary Hasaan Ibn Ali

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Branford Marsalis Quartet - Belonging

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2025
Time: 62:53
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 144,4 MB
Art: Front

( 8:21) 1. Spiral Dance
(11:01) 2. Blossom
( 8:55) 3. ‘Long As You Know You’re Living Yours
( 7:35) 4. Belonging
(12:40) 5. The Windup
(14:19) 6. Solstice

It appears to be that time of year when all musicians with ties to New Orleans unveil their latest albums. This time, we are graced with a release from one of the most illustrious members of the Marsalis family. This remarkably elegant album represents Branford Marsalis and his quartet’s vision of Belonging, the seminal record Keith Jarrett recorded in 1974. This highly sophisticated reinterpretation borders on an outright rewriting of the original, with the crème de la crème of jazz musicians joining Branford Marsalis: pianist Joey Calderazzo, bassist Eric Revis, and drummer Justin Faulkner.

Belonging, as envisioned by Branford Marsalis, delves even deeper into the complexities of the original recordings. Joey Calderazzo, rather than merely echoing Jarrett’s style, offers us sublime moments; at times so breathtaking that one can hardly believe how profoundly he has elevated Jarrett’s music. Long captivated by Branford Marsalis’s saxophone artistry, I find that here, he delivers truly astonishing performances, seamlessly inhabiting Jarrett’s musical spirit with remarkable success. Marsalis himself admits that when Belonging was first released in 1974, his musical interests lay elsewhere. “I was a high school freshman, listening to R&B,” he recalls. “I didn’t even know Belonging existed.” That changed when he turned to jazz, though initially, he was familiar only with Jarrett’s solo piano work; until pianist Kenny Kirkland introduced him to Jarrett’s European Quartet, featuring saxophonist Jan Garbarek, bassist Palle Danielsson, and drummer Jon Christensen. “We were on a plane sometime in the ’80s, and Kenny put his headphones over my ears to make me listen to [Jarrett’s 1979 album] My Song. When he tried to take them back after five minutes, I grabbed his hand. As soon as we landed in the next city, I went out and bought every album that group had recorded.”

Such moments of revelation are common among great musicians; knowing how to listen is just as crucial as knowing how to learn. It is through this deep listening that an artist can ultimately refine their craft to the exquisite level displayed by each member of this quartet. A similar epiphany occurred when Marsalis decided to include The Windup from Belonging on his previous album, The Secret Between the Shadow and the Soul (2019). “We were all listening to The Windup while working on that album, and Revis suggested we go a step further and record Belonging in its entirety. The album is phenomenal, and we knew we could bring something unique to it. We all loved the idea, but then the pandemic hit. Once it was over, our enthusiasm for the project remained just as strong.”

The pandemic; a time of reflection and creativity for many artists; became the fertile ground from which this vision fully emerged. For musicians like Branford Marsalis, it allowed for a deep, unrestrained exploration of the project. The quartet approached Belonging with the same philosophy Marsalis has applied to classics by Charles Mingus, the Modern Jazz Quartet, John Coltrane, and others: neither a strict imitation of the originals nor an extreme deconstruction. “On the track Belonging, I do borrow certain phrases from Jan Garbarek,” Marsalis acknowledges. “I didn’t hold back when it felt natural, but we never intended this as a rigid homage. I always listen to an album as a whole, not just the saxophone solos, and what impresses me most about Belonging is how seamlessly everything interlocks.”

For Marsalis, the passage of time has proven to be an invaluable asset: “The greatest advantage we have is fifty years of additional musical history and the ability to channel that collective experience.”

I often find myself immersed in extraordinary albums, but I must confess a particular fondness for this one. The sheer intelligence of its conception, coupled with its stunning execution, makes it far more than just a convincing tribute. It is nothing short of essential; an album destined to rise to the top of our Indispensable collection.By Thierry De Clemensat
https://www.paris-move.com/reviews/branford-marsalis-quartet-belonging/

Belonging

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