“The Rites of Diablo”   Johnny Richards Orchestra with the Dave Lambert Singers   Esquire Records (UK)   Cool English cover variation on this classic US jazz exotica record from 1958.   Here’s that original:

Johnny Richards put together this lp after studying the rituals of the Bantu,the family of tribes which inhabits southern Africa. Intrigued by the rhythmic possibilities he composed the six part Rites of Diablo which has been described as a sort of Black Mass during which the participants vilify, insult and by every means possible degrade the gods of evil. Augmenting his regular orchestra with SEVEN percussionists, including Sabu Martinez ,Potato Valdez and Jose Mangual, brought in to to emulate the sounds of the authentic drums used in the genuine ritual, plus the eight voiced Dave Lambert Singers, Richards took over New York’s Webster Hall for four sessions in march and april 1958. The flaring excitement of the band ,the superlative solo work of men such as Gene Quill, Seldon Powell and Jimmy Cleveland and the meshing of the huge percussion section gives the music a unique quality.   This is another great example of jazz exotica which had been long deleted until recently when it was reissued as part of the wonderful Mosaic Select series. — this from a great site called Orgy In Rhythm

(53 votes, average: 3.83 out of 5)

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A cool Bethlehem Records compilation of the label’s recording artists including Nina Simone, Howard McGhee, Herb Jeffries, Ruby Braff and others.   “Double Barrel Jazz (No Blanks Here)” (1955)

(49 votes, average: 2.92 out of 5)

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In honor of Ray’s 80th Birthday and John Coltrane’s 84th Birthday on September 23rd!  

Ray Charles At Newport Atlantic Records.   Newport, Rhode Island, July, 1958   — The Newport Jazz Festival was Ray’s initiation into the jazz circuit.   Even though he was slated to play on the Festival’s first “Blues Night,” the concert was recorded “live” on July 8, 1958.   The young boppers flocked to Ray who started out the set with jazz, moved onto his R&B hits and closed with the rockin’ “I’ve Got A Woman.” Many felt that Ray’s Newport appearance helped move jazz towards a “back to roots” movement. At the end of 1958, Downbeat Magazine named Ray Charles their “Best Male Star – New Singer”.

Ray Charles – keyboards, vocals, alto saxophone; Marcus Belgrave – trumpet; Lee Harper – trumpet; David Newman – tenor saxophone; Bennie (Hank) Crawford – baritone saxophone; Edgar Wills – bass; Richie Goldberg – drums; Marjorie Hendricks – vocals; The Raelettes – vocal group

(Night Time Is) The Right Time; In A Little Spanish Town; I’ve Got A Woman; Blues Waltz; Hot Rod (The Spirit – Feel); Talkin’ ‘Bout You; Sherry; A Fool For You

“New Thing at Newport”   Impulse Records (1965)   John Coltrane at the Newport Jazz Festival.   The title, “New Thing at Newport” refers to the avante garde style of jazz Coltrane and Shepp unleash throughout their sets.   The first two tracks “One Down, One Up” and “My Favorite Things” features Coltrane’s “classic” quartet of McCoy Tyner on piano, Elvin Jones on drums, and Jimmy Garrison on bass.   The second section features Archie Shepp, who managed to do something few tenors of the era did, develop his own sound outside of Coltrane’s influence.   The group Shepp fronts consists of the distinctive vibeist, Bobby Hutcherson, Joe Chambers on drums, and Barre Phillips on bass.

(55 votes, average: 3.82 out of 5)

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The Ararat Rockers play Kansas City Jazz

(44 votes, average: 2.57 out of 5)

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The “Pres” and the “Bean”   (Lester Young and Coleman Hawkins)   Savoy Records   Burt Goldblatt cover art.  Mid-twentieth century jazz and it’s culture coined colorful slang and dubbed it’s players affectionate, funny nicknames such as “Bird”, “Hawk”, “Bags”, “Count”, “Pops”, “Duke”, “Lady   Day”, “Dex”, “Dizzy”, “”Toots”, “Fatha”, “Cannonball”, “Cootie”, Monk”, “Sassy”……

(47 votes, average: 3.94 out of 5)

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We’re off to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival – we’ll be back next week (maybe)!

(42 votes, average: 3.50 out of 5)

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HUSH!   The Duke Pearson Quintet   Donald Byrd, Johnny Coles, Bob Cranshaw, Walter Perkins and Duke Pearson   JazzLine Records   (1962)   This is some great jazz by some of the music’s greatest artists, so sshhhhh, put on the record and just listen.

(46 votes, average: 3.61 out of 5)

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Sambrasa Trio   “Em Som Maior”   Som Maior Records (Brazil)   (1965)   The only LP by this more influential Brazilian samba-jazz group or Hermeto Pascoal, Humberto Clayber and Airto Moreira (later in Return to Forever).   Great cover!

(54 votes, average: 3.70 out of 5)

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“Marriage in Modern Jazz”   Rita Reys and The Pim Jacobs Trio   Philips Records

(40 votes, average: 2.88 out of 5)

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This is a great, hard-to-find John Lee Hooker lp recorded in 1971 and released in 1973 on ABC. “Going Down” features rockers Van Morrison and Elvin Bishop, while the other numbers include great r&b and jazz session guys like John Klemmer, Cliff Coulter, Mel Brown, Don “sugarcane” Harris, etc. But the highlight for me is a the first song on the second side – Younger Stud Younger Stud

The cover photo is by Al Kramer and designed by Ruby Mazur.

All I wore in the early 1970’s were high-top Converse like these.

(26 votes, average: 3.62 out of 5)

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