George Braith - Soul Stream

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:13
Size: 86,5 MB
Art: Front

(5:26)  1. The Man I Love
(7:52)  2. Outside Around The Corner
(3:15)  3. Soul Stream
(6:23)  4. Boop Bop Bing Bash
(7:53)  5. Billy Told
(5:21)  6. Jo Anne

Picking up where "Braith-Away," athe final and most successful song on Two Souls in One, left off, Soul Stream finds George Braith coming into his own. Where his debut felt hampered by uneven material and unsure execution of Braith's trademark double-sax attack, Soul Stream is confident and assured. Soul Stream concentrates on mildly adventurous hard bop with soul-jazz overtones, which usually come from organist Billy Gardner and guitarist Grant Green. Braith doesn't rely on the double horn nearly as much as before, using it for harmonic coloring and musical texture. Only on "Billy Told," a languid reworking of "The William Tell Overture," does the technique fall flat on the other songs, the double sax sounds bizarre, but it accentuates the way Braith wants to push boundaries. Unfortunately, Braith never truly cuts loose, but there's enough provocative material and cerebral grooves on Soul Stream to make it a worthwhile listen. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine https://www.allmusic.com/album/soul-stream-mw0000465074

Personnel:  George Braith - tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, stritch;  Billy Gardner - organ;  Grant Green - guitar;  Hugh Walker - drums

Soul Stream

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George Braith - Laughing Soul

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1966
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:32
Size: 89,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:45)  1. Hot Sauce
(2:51)  2. Chops Sticks
(4:39)  3. Chunky Cheeks
(5:16)  4. Crenshaw West
(3:06)  5. Please Let Me Do It
(3:20)  6. Coolodge
(5:20)  7. With Malice Toward None
(4:07)  8. Little Flame
(4:04)  9. Cantelope Woman

Multi-reedist George Braith was one of the very few jazz musicians to follow in the footsteps of Rahsaan Roland Kirk in playing multiple instruments at the same time. Born George Braithwaite on June 27, 1939, in New York City, Braith's West Indian parents encouraged all of their nine children to pursue music, especially for church; at age ten, Braith formed a Calypso band and soon began studying woodwinds. At 15, his jazz quintet played a summer in the Catskills, and at 17, he was discovered by critic Nat Hentoff; after graduating high school, Braith toured Europe with his quintet, studied at the Manhattan School of Music, and gigged around the East Coast. He began to develop his two-horn technique in 1961, using a stritch (a type of straight alto) and a soprano sax that were configured to be played with one hand apiece; he also developed a double horn, dubbed the Braithophone, which consisted of two sopranos welded together. Braith signed with Blue Note and, in 1963, appeared on John Patton's Blue John and recorded his own debut album, Two Souls in One; it combined soul-jazz and folk melodies, plus the lengthy, popular "Braith-a-Way." His next two Blue Note albums, Soul Stream and Extension, found him continuing to improve his technique and compositional skill, though he began to move away from his two-horn technique. After leaving Blue Note, Braith recorded two sessions for Prestige, 1966's Laughing Soul and 1967's more outside Musart. He also opened a New York club called Musart, which was an important avant-garde venue for several years before Braith moved to Europe and closed it down. Braith eventually returned to New York, where he continued his experiments with multiple horns and worked as both a club and street musician. ~ Steve Huey https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/george-braith/id1098965

Personnel:  George Braith (saxophone), Grant Green (guitar), John Patton (hammond organ), Eddie Diehl (guitar), Ben Dixon (drums), Richard Landrum (percussions), Victor Sproles (bass)

Laughing Soul

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Big John Patton - Blue John

Styles: Soul Jazz
Year: 1963
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 73:35
Size: 168,8 MB
Art: Front

(7:59)  1. Hot Sauce
(5:59)  2. Bermuda Clay House
(6:17)  3. Dem Dirty Dues
(6:53)  4. Country Girl
(5:34)  5. Nicety
(7:31)  6. Blue John
(9:06)  7. Jean De Fleur (bonus track)
(5:45)  8. Chunky Cheeks (bonus track)
(4:49)  9. I Need You So (bonus track)
(5:05) 10. Kinda Slick (bonus track)
(8:33) 11. Untitled Patton Tune (bonus track)

Insanely wonderful and pretty darn rare! This album by John Patton was cut during the 60s, but never issued until the 80s and even then, only briefly yet it's easily one of our favorite records ever by this legendary Hammond player, thanks to lots of weird twists and turns! Although the record's led by Patton, it's more in the mad style of George Braith who plays some wonderful sax on the session, in the manner of his excellent Laughing Soul album a Prestige Records session cut with Patton and Grant Green around the same time. The vibe is very different than some of Patton's other Blue Notes very rhythmically playful, and mixed with mad reed lines from Braith with superbly sharp guitar lines from Grant Green, top trumpet work from Tommy Turrentine, and this great sense of skittish rhythm from the always-amazing drummer Ben Dixon. Titles include "Hot Sauce", "Bermuda Clay House", "Nicety", and "Blue John". Includes the bonus tracks "Jean De Fleur", "Chunky Cheeks", "Kinda Slick" & "Untitled Patton Tune"https://www.dustygroove.com/item/700809

Personnel:  John Patton – organ;  Tommy Turrentine - trumpet (track 5);  George Braith - soprano saxophone, stritch;  Grant Green – guitar;  Ben Dixon - drums

Blue John

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George Braith - Bop Rock Blues

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 51:01
Size: 116.8 MB
Styles: Bop, Blues
Year: 2007
Art: Front

[4:01] 1. Car Tune
[3:49] 2. Double Clutch
[4:01] 3. Capital Dive
[4:27] 4. Bishkabash
[4:18] 5. Metwo
[5:05] 6. Sweet Salt
[6:27] 7. You Know I Love You
[4:23] 8. Green Beats
[2:53] 9. High Beam
[5:11] 10. Hoagies & Wings
[3:01] 11. Pick & Roll
[3:18] 12. Cane Walk

Jazz musicians play multiple styles of music through their careers. Most of the time, the kind of music presented depends on who is listening. A tremendous audience has accumulated to Rock and Blues Styles. Bop Rock Blues contains the musical ingredients of Bop, Rock and Jazz with an emphasis on dance rhythms.

BOPTRONICS, developed by George Braith, is a method of using modern recording techniques to produce any kind of instrumentation. Unlike Midi, BOPTRONICS is played in real time. The BRAITHOPHONE is an invention of George Braith. it is a woodwind instrument that is played by producing two sounds at once.

George Braith - Vocals, Braithophone, Tenor Sax; Space Island Singers - Vocals; Earl Davis - Vocals, Trumpet; Bernard Wright - Piano; Charles Smith - Guitar; Reggie Bordeaux - Drums & Percussion.

Bop Rock Blues

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George Braith - The Complete George Braith Bluenote Sessions (2-Disc set)

The use of multiphonics in jazz has been mastered by very few players, and while at times shrill and thin, can be enlivening and exciting. Rahsaan Roland Kirk and Albert Mangelsdorff set the gold standard, while several trumpeters like Rayse Biggs and Corey Wilkes have tried it with two brass instruments, and contemporary saxophonist Jeff Coffin gives it ago. George Braith holds a singularly unique place in the pantheon of these stylistas, following the path of Kirk in playing two saxophones while combining bop and soul-jazz. This set represents the complete works of Braith on Blue Note in 1963 and 1964 from the albums Two Souls in One, Soul Stream, and Extension. While a consistently satisfying set, it does take some orientation and a bit of patience warming up to the duality presented on a combination of soprano, alto, straight alto aka the stritch, and tenor sax. The brilliant guitarist Grant Green and Braith's high school classmate Billy Gardner on the Hammond B-3 organ are heard throughout, with three different drummers per album. Braith wrote the bulk of the material, with an occasional cover or traditional song tossed in for good measure. Because of the uneven level of song choices overall, there are definitive standout cuts, but the Two Souls in One recording features the great drummer Donald Bailey, and that factor alone lifts the first five tracks. Theoretically, doing "Mary Ann" and "Mary Had a Little Lamb" brings the session down to a childish level. A unique version on alto only of the choppy, Latin shaded "Poinciana," the original light waltz "Home Street" with the dual horns agreeably merging together, and the 13 1/2 minute soprano sax jam "Braith-A-Way" lifts the cache of Braith's music. Hugh Walker on the drum kit stokes the rhythms for Soul Stream, six cuts that range from a stealth, slinky variation of "The Man I Love" (dedicated to assassinated Pres. John F. Kennedy,) the spatial ballad title track, the hot bop "Boop Bop Bing Bash" with Braith's woodwinds a tad bleating, and the Spanish castanet flavored traditional "Billy Told," adapted from the "William Tell Overture." Finally Clarence Johnston is the drummer on the final six selections, all originals save for a bop take of the Cole Porter standard "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye," which closely foreshadows the style of Kirk. Braith adopts a lilting quality for the spirit waltz "Nut City," paraphrases Dizzy Gillespie and Gil Fuller's "Things to Come" on "Extension," while Johnston proffers the perfect small shuffle beat on "Sweetville." "Out Here" is the most fun and playful tune of the entire collection, using pedal point start-stops, shifting bop lines, and tangents that stream out of the nimble beat. Grant Green is the true star here at a time where he was ultimately empowered as a sideman, and special attention must be given to the obscure but cozy and talented Gardner. Where the saxophonist's personal sound may not universally appeal to all, his style next to Kirk compares favorably. One of the truly lost figures of modern jazz, George Braith deserves a revisit, and this complete compilation is quite worthy of more attention as the years go passing by. ~Michael G. Nastos

Album: The Complete George Braith Bluenote Sessions (Disc 1)

Bitrate: 320K/s

Time: 57:19

Size: 131.2 MB

Styles: Post bop, Saxophone jazz

Year: 2000

[ 7:28] 1. Mary Ann

[ 6:54] 2. Home Street

[ 6:13] 3. Poinciana

[ 6:54] 4. Mary Had A Little Lamb

[13:25] 5. Braitth-A-Way

[ 5:22] 6. The Man I Love

[ 7:50] 7. Outside Around The Corner

[ 3:10] 8. Soul Stream

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Album: The Complete George Braith Bluenote Sessions (Disc 2)

Bitrate: 320K/s

Time: 56:38

Size: 129.6 MB

Styles: Post bop, Saxophone jazz

Year: 2000

Art: Front

[6:20] 1. Boop Bop Bing Bash

[7:49] 2. Billy Told

[5:19] 3. Jo Anne

[5:52] 4. Nut City

[7:18] 5. Ethlyn's Love

[6:55] 6. Out Here

[6:35] 7. Extension

[5:59] 8. Sweetville

[4:27] 9. Eve'ry Time We Say Goodbye

The Complete George Braith Bluenote Sessions Disc 1, Disc 2                  

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George Braith - Extension

Styles: Soul Jazz
Year: 1964
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:32
Size: 86,9 MB
Art: Front

(5:57)  1. Nut City
(7:22)  2. Ethlyn's Love
(6:58)  3. Out Here
(6:39)  4. Extension
(6:03)  5. Sweetville
(4:30)  6. Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye

Pushing to the side the double sax that became his trademark, George Braith turned in his strongest record with Extension. Largely freed from the restraints of the dueling horns, Braith is able to explore the outer reaches of his music. He still remains grounded in soul-jazz any guitar-organ combo is bound to have soul-jazz roots  but he pushes the music toward adventurous hard bop, often with rewarding results. His compositions are fully realized, with interesting melodic statements and plenty of opportunities for him and mainstays Grant Green on guitar and Billy Gardner on organ to stretch out. And when Braith does reach back for the double-sax technique, such as on the title track, it works because its otherwordly tone is better suited to this searching, adventurous music, than on the more basic fare that dominated Two Souls in One. The double horns do make Cole Porter's "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye" sound a little awkward, but even that song is redeemed by excellent solos. Nevertheless, it's the originals, and the way the quartet of Braith, Green, Gardner, and drummer Clarence Johnston executes them, that make Extension the definitive Braith album. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine  http://www.allmusic.com/album/extension-mw0000462312

Extension

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