Used-Bin Bargains: The Shape of Jazz to Come, Confusion/Gentleman

I've been wanting to do this for a little while, so now that we've successfully (for the most part) moved domains and back updating regularly, I figured it's the best time. This will be a weekly post (most likely Sundays) that highlights classic or essential albums that are worth your attention. I feel strongly that you cannot really appreciate new music without having some kind of notion of where they stem from; plus it will make some nice additions to your party shuffles. You should probably realize that most of my interests come from the jazz/funk/soul/African music side of music, so expect most of the albums to come from that direction. Happy listening and go bears!

(if you dig hip-hop, do yourself a favor and check out Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme, the clip of Biggie freestyling at 17 is absolutely unbelievable)





Ornette Coleman - Lonely Woman (mp3) - The Shape of Jazz to Come (Atlantic 1959)

Ornette Coleman – The Shape of Jazz to Come / Atlantic

1959 was a hell of year for jazz; Miles Davis introduced modal improvisations with Kind of Blue, Coltrane found his sound with Giant Steps, Dave Brubeck infused worldly rhythms with Time Out and Mingus brought spirituality to the genre with Mingus Ah Um. But maybe the most important contribution was from Ornette Coleman with this album significantly changing the direction of jazz and taking the biggest leap of technique from Bop to Free Jazz since Swing stemmed Bop. Teamed with Don Cherry on trumpet, Charlie Haden on bass and Billy Higgins on drums, Coleman broke every established rule with his sax; he completely refused any chord structure and played simply by feeling. Coleman and Cherry croon, wail and neigh in whichever direction their heart desired while Haden galloped up and down his bass and Higgins laid down a mutated swing beat. This album marks the beginning of free and avant-garde jazz though it is very accessible by today’s standards, but in 1959 it caused quite a fussy stir and once and for all transformed jazz from the dance floor to the cerebral, much to most critics dismay. An absolute masterpiece.







Fela Ransome Kuti & The Africa 70 - Fefe Naa Efe (mp3) - Gentleman (MCA 2000, originally 1973)

Fela Ransome Kuti & The Africa 70 – Confusion/Gentleman / MCA

Fela Kuti is without a doubt one of the most important figures in the globalization of modern music in the 20th century. The Nigerian born artist gained his reputation by combining jazz with traditional African music to create Afro-beat, a fierce almost communal blend of danceable African rhythms, complex arrangements and technically proficient instrumental solos, but went on to legend status with his unparalleled personality (which was in a continual seesaw of ethical dualities) and sociopolitical voice. Rereleased by MCA in 2000, Confusion/Gentleman paired two of Fela’s most prolific albums recorded with his band, Africa 70, at their creative high. 1975’s Confusion is one 25-minute song that begins with spacey, free jazz interplay between Fela on organ and drummer extraordinaire Tony Allen before exploding into an Afro-funk epic with three dialects explaining the general post-colonial confusion of Nigeria. 1973’s Gentleman featured Fela’s matured musicianship and the first fantastic production from the Africa 70. The title track is a stab at his fellow Africans who would wear thick traditional clothing in the African heat (Fela notoriously wore little to no clothing) followed by two equally enjoyable numbers, one a loose jazzy feel and the other a hot call-and-response percussion-oriented piece.