Requisites
The Eternal Triangle ~ Freddie Hubbard and Woody Shaw | By Eddie Carter
Freddie Hubbard and Woody Shaw enter this morning’s spotlight with a superb 1987 sextet album, The Eternal Triangle (Blue Note B1-48017). I’m a long-time fan of both trumpet players and have been listening to their albums recently. The Eternal Triangle is their second collaboration after Double Take, recorded and released two years earlier. Freddie is heard on the left channel, and Woody is heard on the right channel. Returning from the earlier session are Kenny Garrett on alto sax, Mulgrew Miller on piano and Carl Allen on drums. Ray Drummond takes over on bass for this date. My copy is the original U.S. Stereo release.
Down Under by Freddie Hubbard starts Side One with the rhythm section’s infectious introduction to the sextet’s danceable theme. Freddie kicks off the opening line with a strong tone. Mulgrew continues the effortless swing in the following reading. Woody makes quick work of the third solo, and then Kenny has a fine spot ahead of the ensemble’s return that fades out slowly. The Eternal Triangle by Sonny Stitt comes at you fast and furious from the sextet’s rapid-fire melody. Hubbard takes us for a high-speed ride first, and then Garrett heats things up in the second statement. Shaw steps up next for an aggressive reading. Miller gives a spirited presentation, and Carl ends the solos with a brisk workout into the reprise and quick stop.
The Moontrane by Woody Shaw takes off with him leading the ensemble in a lively melody. Woody is the first soloist, and he comes out swinging. Kenny gives a brisk reading in the second spot. Freddie adds a bit more fuel to the fire in the following statement, and Mulgrew leads us to a swinging conclusion with an inspired interpretation. Side Two gets underway with the sextet keeping its foot on the gas for Calling Miss Khadija by Lee Morgan. It begins with the rhythm section’s introduction; then, the front line joins in for the melody. Shaw ignites the song’s first brightly burning flame. Miller whets our appetite further in the second statement, and then Hubbard has a few memorable moments next. Garrett comes in to give a sizzling solo, and Carl gets the last word in a vigorous finale before the ensemble returns.
I first heard Freddie Hubbard’s Nostrand and Fulton on an earlier album, Here To Stay. The song’s title comes from a Brooklyn intersection, and the sextet begins the melody vibrantly. Freddie dives into the opening solo and wails, then Kenny follows with some heated sax play. Woody tackles the next reading with passionate fire, and Mulgrew closes with a very enthusiastic statement ahead of the theme’s reprise and conclusion. Tomorrow’s Destiny by Woody Shaw is off to the races from the sextet’s opening chorus. Miller is up first with a solo of high-spirited delight. Shaw goes to work next on a swift reading, then comes Hubbard’s exhilarating statement. Garrett builds the song’s final interpretation into an impressive conclusion preceding the ensemble’s ending theme and exit.
Michael Cuscuna and Don Sickler produced The Eternal Triangle. The recording engineer was Rudy Van Gelder. It is a full digital recording that emerges from your speakers with a stunning soundstage. The musicians are transported to your listening room with excellent fidelity. The pressing is also quite good, and the record is noticeably quiet until the music starts. If you are a fan of Freddie Hubbard and Woody Shaw, I hope you will consider The Eternal Triangle on your next record shopping trip. In my opinion, it’s one of the best albums in both musician’s discographies and a terrific release worthy of a spot in any jazz lover’s library!
~ Double Take (Blue Note BT-85121), Here To Stay (Blue Note BST-84135) – Source: Discogs.com © 2024 by Edward Thomas Carter For the serious collector of jazz… #Jazz #Classic #Collectible #Music #Notorious
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
William “Keg” Purnell was born on January 7, 1915 in Charleston, West Virginia. He studied at West Virginia State College from 1932 to 1934, and played with the Campus Revellers while there. He toured for a year with King Oliver in 1934, then freelanced with his own trio in the late 1930s. In 1939, he worked with Thelonious Monk.
By the end of the decade and into the 1940s Keg was playing in the bands of Benny Carter, Claude Hopkins, and Eddie Heywood. He also recorded with Rex Stewart, Teddy Wilson, and Willie “The Lion” Smith. Late in his career he played with Snub Mosley in 1957 and subsequently on.
Drummer Keg Purnell, whose influences included Chick Webb and Big Sid Catlett died on June 25, 1965 at the age of 50.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Vernon Brown was born on January 6, 1907 in Venice, Illinois. He began his career as a jazz trombonist playing in St. Louis, Missouri with Frankie Trumbauer in 1925, and then moved through a variety of groups at the end of the 1920s and into the 1930s, including those of Jean Goldkette, Benny Meroff, and Mezz Mezzrow.
In 1937 Brown joined Benny Goodman’s orchestra, remaining there until 1940. While only soloing occasionally with Goodman, this association got him well known. The Forties saw him performing with Artie Shaw, Jan Savitt, Muggsy Spanier, and the Casa Loma Orchestra. In the 1940s, Brown switched focus from swing to Dixieland, playing often in studio recordings and working with Sidney Bechet.
Brown performed with Louis Armstrong and his All Stars for the ninth Cavalcade of Jazz concert in 1953 at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles, California. The concert also featured that day were Roy Brown and his Orchestra, Don Tosti and His Mexican Jazzmen, Earl Bostic, Nat “King” Cole, and Shorty Rogers and his Orchestra.
He led his own band in the Pacific Northwest in 1950 and did reunion tours with Goodman in that decade. He worked with Tony Parenti in 1963, and remained a studio musician into the early-1970s
Trombonist Vernon Brown, who later in his life lived in Roslyn Heights, New York, died in Los Angeles on May 18, 1979.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Oscar Klein was born on January 5, 1930 in Graz, Austria. His family fled the Nazis when he was young. He became known for older jazz like swing and Dixieland.
In the early Sixties he joined the famous Dutch Swing College Band in the Netherlands as first trumpeter and he is to be found on several of their recordings.
He played with Lionel Hampton, Joe Zawinul, Jerry Ricks and others. In 1996 he was honored by the Austrian President Thomas Klestil
Trumpeter Oscar Klein, who also played clarinet, harmonic and swing guitar, died on December 12, 2006 in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
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TIA FULLER
When Grammy-nominated Mack Avenue recording artist, composer, and bandleader Tia Fuller picks up her saxophone, something amazing happens. Blending technical brilliance, melodic creativity, and the performing precision drawn from both her academic and stage experience, Fuller is a force to be reckoned with in the worlds of jazz, pop, R&B, and more. Currently, Fuller balances the worlds of performance and education, fulfilling a demanding schedule as both a busy touring and recording artist and a full-time professor at the Berklee College of Music in Boston.
Fuller’s resume makes her uniquely qualified for these roles. The Denver, Colorado native graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from Spelman College in Atlanta, GA, and summa cum laude with a Master’s degree in Jazz Pedagogy and Performance from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Already established as a leading jazz musician, Fuller was selected to be a member of the all-female band touring with Grammy-winning pop star Beyoncé. Performing as part of the I AM … Sasha Fierce and Beyoncé Experience World Tour on stages across the globe, Fuller also became a featured soloist on the Beyoncé Experience DVD (Me, Myself and I), I AM Yours I DVD (Wynn Theatre) and also appeared on number of major television shows, including Today Show, Good Morning America, The Oprah Winfrey Show, BET Awards, American Music Awards, Grammy Awards and as a featured soloist with Beyoncé for President Obama at the White House.
An accomplished solo artist in her own right, Fuller has recorded five full-length projects with her quartet. Her most recent album, Diamond Cut, received a Grammy nomination in the Best Instrumental Jazz category; produced by three-time Grammy Award winner Terri Lyne Carrington, the album also features two superb rhythm sections, both of which contain some of jazz world’s brightest luminaries – bassist Dave Holland and Jack DeJohnette, then bassist James Genus and drummer Bill Stewart. Adding texture and harmonic support of several compositions are guitarist Adam Rogers and organist Sam Yahel. Additionally, Carrington contributes to two tracks with percussion.
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