The Quarantined Jazz Voyager

Idle Moments by guitarist Grant Green is this week’s jazz album that the quarantined jazz voyager has chosen to spotlight. It was recorded on November 4 and 15, 1963 at Van Gelder Studios in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, however, it wasn’t released until February 1965 on the Blue Note Records label.

The album was produced by Alfred Lion and is best known for the title piece, a slow composition in C minor which lasts for nearly 15 minutes. Pearson, who wrote the song, explains in his liner notes to the album that the tune was meant to be much shorter. Due to the musicians repeating the main melody twice, however, there was some confusion as to whether or not one chorus would consist of 16 or 32 measures. 

Track Listing | 42:45

1. Idle Moments (Pearson) ~ 14:56
2. Jean De Fleur (Green) ~ 6:49
3. Django (John Lewis) ~ 8:44
4. Nomad (Pearson) ~ 12:16

Personnel

• Grant Green – guitar
• Joe Henderson – tenor saxophone
• Duke Pearson – piano
• Bobby Hutcherson – vibraphone
• Bob Cranshaw – double bass
• Al Harewood – drums

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The Quarantined Jazz Voyager

The Quarantined Jazz Voyager is continuing to practice social distancing and as my personal quarantine continues, I’m selecting one of my favorite albums, Speak Like A Child by Herbie Hancock.

This is the sixth album by pianist Herbie Hancock, recorded and released by Blue Note Records in 1968. This session features Hancock’s arrangements for an unusual front line of alto flute, bass trombone and flugelhorn.

The pianist wanted to represent here a childlike, but not childish, philosophy. He felt this music didn’t reflect the social turmoil of the late 1960s in America, that is riots and a problematic economy but a picture of a more upbeat, brighter future, He wanted to go back and rediscover certain childhood qualities that are lost to adulthood. There is a purity, a spontaneity that children have and it is then they are at their best. Hence this album aims to translate as think and feel in terms of hope, and the possibilities of making our future less impure.

The cover photograph was taken by David Bythewood, an acquaintance of Hancock. The photo depicts Hancock in silhouette kissing his wife-to-be, Gigi Meixner.

Track Listing | 37:05

All compositions by Herbie Hancock, except First Trip, composed by Ron Carter.

Side A

1. Riot ~ 4:40
2. Speak Like a Child ~ 7:50
3. First Trip ~ 6:01

1. Toys ~ 5:52
2. Goodbye to Childhood ~ 7:06
3. The Sorcerer ~ 5:36

• Herbie Hancock — piano
• Ron Carter — bass
• Mickey Roker — drums
• Jerry Dodgion — alto flute (not on #3)
• Thad Jones — flugelhorn (not on #3)
• Peter Phillips — bass trombone (not on #3)

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The Quarantined Jazz Voyager

As the social distancing and my personal quarantine continues, the next album this jazz voyager is East To Wes by guitarist Emily Remler. Recorded in May 1988 on the Concord Records label. This is her last session to be recorded and released before her death. Having put together one of the finest rhythm sections, it has been hailed as her finest effort.

1. Daahoud (Clifford Brown) ~ 5:19
2. Snowfall (Claude Thornhill) ~ 6:39
3. Hot House (Tadd Dameron( ~ 5:45
4. Sweet Georgia Fame (Blossom Dearie/Sandra Harris) ~ 5:38
5. Battle For A Music Box (Emily Remler) ~ 7:25
6. Blues For Herb (Emily Remler) ~ 6:26
7. Softly In A Morning Sunrise (Oscar Hammerstein II/Sigmund Romberg) ~ 8:14
8. East To Wes (Emily Remler) ~ 6:14

• Emily Remler ~ guitar
• Hank Jones ~ piano
• Buster Williams ~ double bass
• Marvin “Smitty” Smith ~ drums

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The Quarantined Jazz Voyager

Stone Flower is the sixth studio album by Antônio Carlos Jobim. Recorded over a period of seven sessions in 1970 on March 16, April 23, 24, 29, and May 8, 20, and 22nd by Rudy Van Gelder at Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. The album was produced by Creed Taylor, the album was released on July 7, 1970 on CTI Records. The album peaked at #18 on the Jazz Albums chart in 1971 and #196 on the Billboard 200.

1. Tereza My Love ~ 4:24
2. Children’s Games ~ 3:30
3. Choro ~ 2:10
4. Brazil (Ary Barroso) ~ 7:25
5. Stone Flower ~ 3:21
6. Amparo ~ 3:41
7. Andorinha ~ 3:32
8. God and the Devil in the Land of the Sun ~ 2:23
9. Sabiá ~ 3:58

• Antônio Carlos Jobim – piano, electric piano, guitar, vocals
• Harry Lookofsky – violin
• Joe Farrell – soprano saxophone
• Urbie Green – trombone
• Hubert Laws – flute
• Ron Carter – double bass
• João Palma – drums
• Airto Moreira – percussion
• Everaldo Ferreira – percussion
• Eumir Deodato – guitar, arranger

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The Quarantined Jazz Voyager

The Quarantined Jazz Voyager is pulling off the shelf for your listening pleasure comes from Black Orchid. It’s an album by jazz group The Three Sounds featuring performances recorded on March 7, 1962 (1-4, 6) and March 8, 1962 (5, 7-8) at Rudy Van Gelder Studios in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. It was released on the Blue Note label in 1964. The session was produced by Alfred Lion.

A 1998 reissue on compact disc added seven additional songs and as you listen to the below recording you will hear all fifteen compositions.

Track Listing | 42:37

1. Black Orchid (Cal Tjader) – Erroneously credited to (Neal Hefti) – 5:25
2. A Foggy Day (Gershwin, Gershwin) – 6:46
3. For All We Know (Coots, Lewis) – 5:31
4. Oh Well, Oh Well – 3:45
5. At Last (Gordon, Warren) – 5:37
6. Secret Love (Sammy Fain, Paul Francis Webster) – 5:44
7. Don’t Go, Don’t Go – 5:08
8. Saucer Eyes (Randy Weston) – 4:41

Personnel

• Gene Harris – piano
• Andrew Simpkins – bass
• Bill Dowdy – drums

Remain diligent my fellow voyagers in staying healthy, continue practicing social distancing, and don’t be so anxious to rush back to the new normal. It has been said that music soothes the savage beast, so listen to great music. I share that music to give you a little insight into the choices this voyager has made over the years during this sabbatical from jet setting investigations of jazz around the globe.

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