War is Not the Answer

Dillinger - Top Ranking (1977)

War Is Not The Answer


...Only love can conquer, baby!

JMack vs. the Stange Devil

Jackie McLean - Demon's Dance (1967)

Demon's Dance

Jackie McLean - Strange Blues (1957)

Disciples Love Affair

Throughout his long and extremely consistent career, Jackie McLean was known for one of the most distinct voices and truly pushed the boundaries of jazz. Taught in the school of Parker but quickly developing his own sharp and intense sound, McLean was responsible for more than a handful of the best creative jazz albums laid to wax. Maybe I'm a little biased- McLean was the founder and artistic director of the African American Music Program of the Hartt College of Music at the University of Hartford, and I was fortunate enough to take a course with him and hear stories of Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, and Charles Mingus first hand. His untimely death last year marked the passing of one of the last original jazz giants.

One of his criminally overlooked albums celebrates it's 40th anniversary this year, Demon's Dance (well, it was actually recorded in 1967 but not released until 1970 and finally reissued on CD last year). The Francis Wolff-produced session included Woody Shaw (who contributes one of the albums most memorable tracks, "Sweet Love of Mine"), Lamont Johnson, Scott Holt, and Jack DeJohnette, so just by the roster you know it swings hard. It ended up being his last Blue Note session and the beginning of a 5-year hiatus from recording, where he made an effort to end his addiction to heroin and started teaching at the University of Hartford. Using less experimentation structure-wise compared to some of his earlier sessions from the mid-60's, the group focuses more on cohesion and pulsation. Check out the opening title track written by McLean- a jagged but swinging piece that shows all five musicians contributing but allowing enough space for adventurous solos.

McLean also released in 1967 New and Old Gospel, another superb but overlooked Blue Note session (reissued on CD this past March), especially of interest since it's the only time McLean recorded with Ornette Coleman, with him as a sideman on trumpet no less, as well as the classic 'Bout Soul, which is somehow currently out of print.

Going back even further to a record now 50 years old is McLean's Strange Blues. 1957 was a productive year for the young band leader, performing and recording with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and releasing several of his own albums with his first label, Prestige. As with other sessions from this time, these songs are notable due to the presence of a then 17-year-old Ray Draper, who plays tuba- a rarity in the world of jazz- and contributes his own compositions. Check out Draper's "Disciples Love Affair" where his tuba really makes for an unique listen- never mind the liner notes claim that Draper's performance is "an honorable failure, due to the brutish, unresponsive nature of the instrument. It's a stodgy horn that simply isn't designed for virtuoso ad-libbing." As long as you're not expecting Coltrane (whom Draper actually recorded with), it's still enjoyable. The CD reissue is out of print, but the album is now available on iTunes.

Blackbeard's Orchestra

4th Street Orchestra - Yuh Learn! (1977)

The Grunwick Affair
Forever Missing You

Dennis Bovell is the man. He formed one of the first major UK reggae groups, Matumbi, in the mid-70's, produced The Pop Group's Y and the Slits Cut- two of the best albums from the post-punk era- in addition to producing all of Linton Kwesi Johnson's classic albums among other timeless reggae titles. His own dub albums are also worth checking out. One overlooked part of his catalog is his 4th Street Orchestra project that released some great dub in the late '70s. Check out these instrumentals from the album Yuh Learn! from '77 that feature some tight horn arrangements.

This album was reissued last year by EMI with the follow up album from '78, Scientific Higher Ranking Dubwise. Check it out here. "The Grunwick Affair" and other 4th Street Orchestra tunes also appeared on the excellent Bovell collection titled "Decibel" released on Pressure Sounds a few years ago.

Ras Michael, Son

Ras Michael & the Sons of Negus - Kibir Am Lak (1977)

Zion Land
Wicked Men

Ras Michael - Zion Train (1987)

Youthman Sufferer

Ras Michael creates Nyahbinghi fusion- a mix of the spritual African drumming with roots, psychedelia, rock, and more. His album Peace & Love (under the title Dadawah) could almost be called prog-roots, with 4 tracks that are roughly 10 minutes each, but whatever you want to call it, it's a unique and sadly underappreciated masterpeice in the world of reggae. The Kibir Am Lak album recorded a few years later in 1977 has a remake of Zion Land (from Peace & Love), which is itself in debt to the deep, deep roots style perfected by Yabby You (especially on his legendary debut, Conquering Lion). Another highlight from the album is Wicked Men, with a synth sound that would make Dr. Dre drool, with a Biff! Baff! a Biff, Biff, Boom! (listen to the song...).


Another interesting album from Ras Michael is Zion Train, though I'll admit it's very uneven and only interesing becasue of it's connection with HR of the Bad Brains... and it was recorded on my 4th birthday. Released by SST Records in 1987 (most likley the only reggae album on the label outside of HR/Human Rights), it has a few tracks orinally from HR's Singing In the Heart, plus some new tracks that are really sub-par. The versioned tracks have a different mix and feature HR's lead and backing vocals. I'll just give you one track from the record; "Youthman Sufferer" features delay-drenched drums, a fat fuzz bass, and eventually ends in total chaos.

Trojan, Over the Hill

The Birth of Trojan (2002)
Dedicate My Song to You - the Jamaicans
Starry Night - Tommy McCook & The Supersonics

Rocksteady Rarities (2005)
The Good You Can - Charlie Organaire & the Carib Beats
Coming On the Scene - Johnny & the Attractions

2007 marks the 40th anniversary of one of reggae's most important labels, Trojan Records, but it was 5 years ago when Trojan released this compilation. The Birth of Trojan collects the first 11 singles (with their b-sides) recorded at Duke Reid's Treasure Isle in 1967. The first selection is "Dedicate My Song to You" by the Jamaicans, a short-lived group that is mostly known for their rocksteady classic, "Ba Ba Boom." "Dedicate" was actually written by Curtis Mayfield and recorded by the Impressions a couple years prior- Mayfield's falsetto, sparse guitar work, and socially conscious lyrics would eventually became a huge influence on Jamaican artists. Also posted from the comp is Tommy McCook's "Starry Night", a beautiful version of a tune I think was originally performed by Glen Miller & His Orchestra called “The Story of a Starry Night” that further shows the American influence on Jamaican music of the time.


While I'm on the subject, Trojan's Rocksteady Rarities Box Set is also an essential purchase. Usually "rarities" collections can contain a bunch of tracks that were left off of albums for good reason, but in the case of the singles-driven rocksteady market, almost all 50 of the tracks on the 3 CDs are good if not amazing. Most have never been re-issued and will appeal to the rocksteady beginner and expert. Check out "The Good You Can" by Charlie Organaire & the Carib Beats, and “Coming On the Scene" by Johnny & the Attractions- both very obscure artists, but both are absolute killers from '67.

Revolutionary Sounds

Agrovators Meets The Revolutioners At Channel 1 Studios (1977)
The Revolutionaries - The Conqueror
The Aggrovators - Special Brew

Revolutionary Sounds (1976)
Sudden Attack

On this day in 1777, militiamen from New Hampshire and Massachusetts fought and defeated British forces at the Battle of Bennington (thanks "On this Day in History" widget...). To honor this important date of the American Revolution we offer some Revolutionary sounds from Channel One; Agrovators Meets The Revolutioners At Channel One Studios, recorded 200 years after the Battle, and Revolutionary Sounds from the year before, complete with album art featuring Che Guevara... Ok, so this may be completely absurd and irrelevant to that historical fact, but whatever, listen to some classic instrumentals that will make you happy you're not getting shot at right now.

Alternate dub versions of a few tracks from these albums were collected on crucial sets on the Pressure Sounds label- "Maxfield Avenue Breakdown," an amzing collection of Channel One tracks from '74-'79 released in 2000, and the recently released “Drum Sound - More Gems From The Channel One Dub Room 1974-1980,” possibly the best compilation of the year. Buy them immediately from your local indie store.

We Need More Soul

Soul Syndicate - Harvest Uptown, Famine Downtown (1977)

Wicked A Go Feel It
Mariwana

The Soul Syndicate is mostly recognized as a backing band that featured the cream of the crop of Jamaica's top players with the obligatory nickname (George "Fully" Fulwood, Carlton "Santa" Davis, Earl "Chinna" Smith, etc.). But as proven with their debut released in 1977, they worked just as well on their own. Haverst Uptown, Famine Downtown features a beautiful mix of roots reggae and jazzy funk with some serious messages as well as lighter numbers that make the album perfectly balanced and compelling. Check out Wicked Go A Feel It, a killer tune straight to Babylon's head, and the funky pot anthem, Mariwana. The album also features a cover of Junior Byles "Fade Away" that is surely on par with the original. The album was reissued on CD with a bunch of bonus tracks.