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Joe Bataan – Gypsy Woman (1967) (2022 Fania / Craft Recordings)


Joe Bataan – Gypsy Woman
Vinyl rip in 24-bit/192 kHz |Latin, Boogaloo, Soul
2022 Craft Recordings CR00552|| Original release – Fania 1967

So it’s another holiday weekend in the land of my birth.  Actually, the holiday is Tuesday, July 4th, Independence Day, but in spite of the insidious Protestant Work Ethic, many Americans will make like Brazilians and turn it into an extended 4-day weekend.   I’m not big on celebrating it myself, at least not until we all get free ( and someday we’ll be free).  My city does have a pretty decent fireworks viewable from the riverfront within biking distance of my house, though, so I may catch a little buzz and watch the explosions in the sky.Joe Bataan – Gypsy Woman (1967) (2022 Fania / Craft Recordings)

Max Roach’s Freedom Now Suite: We Insist feat. Abbey Lincoln (1961)

Max Roach – Max Roach’s Freedom Now Suite: We Insist
Vinyl trasnsfer in 24-bit/192 kHz | FLAC |  300 dpi + web scans | Bebop, Hard Bop
Candid CLP 30021 | Record Store Day 2022 | Orig.rel. 1961

“The Beat has a rich and magnificent history…”  We could do worse than to commemorate Juneteenth with this epoch-defining slab of jazz directly from the front lines of the Civil Rights Movement.  Max Roach and vocalist Abbey Lincoln (soon to be married in 1962) lead an ensemble that includes other luminaries like Coleman Hawkins, Julian Priester, Olatunji, and Booker Little. Max Roach’s Freedom Now Suite: We Insist feat. Abbey Lincoln (1961)

Lonnie Liston Smith & The Cosmic Echoes – Cosmic Funk (1974) (2022 RGM)

Lonnie Liston Smith & The Cosmic Echoes – Cosmic Funk
Vinyl rip in 24-bit/192 kHz | FLAC | 300 dpi scans | Jazz, Spiritual jazz
2022 Real Gone Music || 1974 Orig. Flying Dutchman

So I actually crafted a new, short write-up of this record without remembering that I posted about it once before, 13 years ago, because of course I did.  You can read that screed here, if you like.  I will probably blog about this album a third time, when I get around to transferring an original Flying Dutchmen pressing I have.  I think this recent reissue holds up quite well against it, sonically speaking, so here we go….

Lonnie Liston Smith & The Cosmic Echoes – Cosmic Funk (1974) (2022 RGM)

Larry Coryell – Live At The Village Gate (1971)

Larry Coryell – At The Village Gate (1971)
Vanguard VSD-6573 – Vinyl transferred at 192 khz 32-bit floating point

Most of the Vanguard material that Larry Coryell recorded is pretty distinct from the kind of music he would later become known for.  More raw, psychedelic, and bluesy than his later shred-it-to-bits fusion flexing, and with a leaner, more stripped-down sound due do its (mostly) trio format.  Is there such a thing as a jazz power trio?  If so, I guess that’s what this is. Larry Coryell – Live At The Village Gate (1971)

Tito Puente – Mucho Puente (1957) (1986 Venezuela)

Tito Puente – Mucho Puente
Vinyl transfer in 24-bit/192 kHz || Latin, Salsa
1957 RCA Victor || This pressing 1986 Venezuela RCA 102-02019 || Mono

An interesting late 50’s record from Tito Puente, this may not be the best record to inaugurate what (I hope) will be a small series of posts I will do here to commemorate centenary of  the great timbalero, bandleader, and icon of Latin music. Lemme tell you why:Tito Puente – Mucho Puente (1957) (1986 Venezuela)

Quarteto Novo – Quarteto Novo (1967)

Quarteto Novo – Quarteto Novo
1967 Odeon (S)MFOB 3505
EU Reissue 2008 EMI – 5099921674624

Holy hell somebody grab a fire extinguisher because this record cooks so much it started a grease fire and may burn your whole house down. Don’t believe me? Yes, the record starts out gently with acoustic treatments playing Northeastern musical motifs (what would have still been called ‘folklore’ back in the 60s), featuring Airto Morreira on various percussion and Hermeto Pascoal on flute.Quarteto Novo – Quarteto Novo (1967)