The seventh son (Willie Dixon) (LP 2398)

Willie Dixon  I Am The Blues (Vinyl, CBS Records, 1981 *****  

Genre: Blues 

Places I remember: Marbecks Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Spoonful

Gear costume: The Seventh Son

Active compensatory factors: This was a revelation when I stumbled upon it while working at Marbecks Records in the early eighties.

I knew the songs, of course, from Cream, Muddy Waters, The Stones, Howlin' Wolf, George Thorogood and so on, but I had no idea that Willie Dixon was such a great singer as well as a great writer.

This album is just one amazingly crafted song after another and all done with great backing from the Chicago Blues All-Stars. You can't beat authenticity.

Where do they all belong? A great addition to the blues collection.

Road expense (Dixie Dregs) (LP 2397)

Dixie Dregs  Dregs Of The Earth (Vinyl, Arista Records, 1980) ***  

Genre: Rock/ Country rock

Places I remember: M

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Road Expense

Gear costume: Pride O' The Farm

Active compensatory factors: I really only got this because of the Steve Morse connection. He began the band and stayed until they broke up in 1983. It's certainly not for the cover, which is a shocker!

The music is stylistically diverse. They can do Allman Brothers jams, country rock and jazz fusion without any problem. In fact, that was probably the problem. They weren't identified with any one genre so didn't reap the commercial benefits. 

A shame because, these boys can play! And Steve Morse is a terrific guitarist.

Where do they all belong? The Steve Morse Band is coming eventually to Goo Goo.

Ring me up (Divinyls) (LP 2396)

Divinyls  Desperate (Vinyl, Chrysalis Records, 1982) ***  

Genre: Australian pop

Places I remember: Electric City Music

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: I'll Make U Happy

Gear costume: Siren (Never Let You Go)

Active compensatory factors: Better known for the big hit I Touch Myself, this is the debut studio album from this bunch of Aussie rockers. 

They have a tough guitar-based sound with an excellent tough sounding lead singer (Chrissy Amphlett), not unlike Concrete Blonde.

There are some cracking songs on this album, without having that killer single (that would obviously come when they lost the harder punk edges), hence the three stars.

Where do they all belong? Next up in the pop catalogue - Dixie Dregs.

Breakout (The James Taylor Quartet) (LP 2391 - 2395)

The James Taylor Quartet  The BBC Sessions (CD, Strange Fruit Records, 1987) ****  

The James Taylor Quartet  Mission Impossible (CD, CDMaximum, 1987) **** 

The James Taylor Quartet  The Library Sessions (CD, Bruton Music, 2000) ****  

The James Taylor Quartet  The Collection (CD, Spectrum/Universal Records, 2001) *****  

The James Taylor Quartet  Don't Mess With Mr. T (CD, Dome Records, 2007) ***  

Genre: Jazz, acid jazz, jazz funk

Places I remember: HMV and Fopp (London town); Mission Impossible from Real Groovy Records (label says - made only for Russia)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Theme From 'Starsky And Hutch' (The Collection)

Gear costume: Bossa Palante (BBC Sessions). I could have put a dozen other songs here - they're that good!!

Active compensatory factors: James Taylor plays the Hammond B3 organ and fronts the JTQ (even though they are often not a quartet). He has a background in pop as a member of garage rock band The Prisoners, but these albums are all jazz, acid jazz, or jazz funk.

I'm always amazed how versatile the Hammond B3 organ is. I love the sound it makes when played by people like Keith Emerson, Brian Auger, Jimmy Smith, Jon Lord and James Taylor. Not so much by others, like Roy Phillips (The Peddlers).

The BBC Sessions and Mission Impossible both kick off with his first single - Blow Up (a version of Herbie Hancock's theme from the movie). How cool is that! A cool theme from a cool movie about the cool swinging sixties London. That's cool!

From there on it's a thrill ride of tight arrangements and expert playing. That's the case on The Library Sessions as well. 

There's definitely a rockier sound on this set of tunes, with organ, guitar, bass, drums being augmented with horns, even sitar (from Mick Taylor no less) and harmonica appearing.

I don't often include compilations in this catalogue trawl but The Collection is a must because it has a multitude of tracks I don't have on those other two albums I've written about (he's very prolific and these four albums just scratch the surface).

The Collection kicks off with his remarkable version of the Theme from Starsky And Hutch. The version above is a funky mix one, whatever that means.

The rest of the album captures the band as they were in the eighties and nineties and while the only two constants in the quartet are James and his guitarist brother David, the sound is rich and vibrant throughout. Stacks of highlights on the album - it acts as a great primer. Definitely worthy of 5 stars.

The Don't Mess With Mr. T album contains a number of covers of lesser known Motown songs. Quite a lot have vocals which suits the material. It's a nice to have, but not essential, unlike The Collection.

Where do they all belong? A no brainer if I ever come across any more of his albums. Rare in NZ.

Kids at play (Brian Smith) (LP 2390)

Brian Smith & Friends   Taupo (CD, Ode Records, 2007) *** 

Genre: Jazz, NZ music 

Places I remember: JB Hi Fi

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Kids At Play

Gear costume: Madam Butterfly

Active compensatory factors: Brian Smith (interestingly, also the name of my father-in-law) has been a titan of NZ jazz circles for many years. This Brian Smith's tenor and soprano sax work is masterful. My father-in-law Brian Smith is a jazz fan, but a non-musician.

Brian's joined by the legendary Billy Kristian on bass for a few songs, and a variety of other friends throughout this album of smooth NZ jazz.

As readers of this blog know, I prefer the sax, piano, bass, drums quartet. Taupo has three tracks with that set up, most of the other songs have Kim Patterson on trumpet or flugel horn. I enjoy those ones as well, as Kim has a nice tone and style in his playing.

Where do they all belong? Next up in the jazz collection - James Taylor. Not that one, the other one.

Lions (Dire Straits) (LP 2388 - 2389)

Dire Straits  Live At The BBC (CD, Vertigo Records, 1995) ****  

Dire Straits  Making Movies (CD, Mercury Records, 1980) **** 

Genre: Pop rock

Places I remember: The Warehouse in Cambridge for the BBC one, Fives in Leigh-on-sea for Making Movies

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Solid Rock

Gear costume: Sultans Of Swing

Active compensatory factors: These are the only Dire Straits albums I own, because I've never been a fan of Mark Knopfler's band and the only reason I own Making Movies is my school mate, G Knowles esq, was a huge fan who tried hard to get me interested in them (he still does actually - a recent weekly choice of his was a Knopfler solo album).

When he played the album to me back in 1980, I enjoyed most of the rock songs (hated the last track, Les boys, and still do). So, for nostalgic reasons, I decided to grab a copy when I lived in England.

A few years later I also bought the Live at The BBC CD. Mainly because I was keen to hear more stripped down, comparatively raw versions of things from their early days.

That strategy worked - it's really good to hear the band before they became mega. Mark's stage introductions lend a much needed human element to DS proceedings. It's from a 1978 concert.

Where do they all belong? All good, but I have zero inclination to go beyond these albums in their catalogue.

Starfish-on-the-toast (Donovan) (LP 2386 - 2387)

Donovan  For Little Ones (Vinyl, Epic Records, 1967) *****  

Donovan  7-Tease (Vinyl, Epic Records, 1974) ***  

Genre: Pop 

Places I remember: Real Groovy Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: The Mandolin Man And His Secret

Gear costume: Voyage Into The Golden Screen

Active compensatory factors: I continue to collect Donovan's albums whenever they become available. These are my latest two.

I have been after a US copy of For Little Ones for a while now. It's the second half of A Gift From A Flower To A Garden - in the United States they split the double into 2 single albums and I have had a copy of the first half (Wear Your Love Like Heaven) since August last year.

The need to have a copy was fueled by Tim Bowness and Steven Wilson's podcast where they spoke eloquently about the album's special charm. They weren't wrong!

It is brilliant. Donovan's intention was to provide an album for children (not a children's album) to listen to years later. I was 10 in 1967, so I guess I'm a prime example of that idea and vision. It's taken me until my mid sixties, but I have finally reached a point where I can appreciate what he was after.

He succeeds, and then some. I can't get enough of this beguiling album. It feels special, a unique time capsule, and it's like he made it just for me.

Plus, it has a great cover!

7-Tease came a mere 7 years later, but Donovan was a very different creative artist by 1974. I like the album, but the variety of approach kind of dilutes the effectiveness for me. And I don't quite understand what his thematic concept was for these songs. I'll come back to it though in the years to come and see if it makes more sense.

Where do they all belong? A lot more to collect in his great catalogue (and I already own 18 Donovan albums).

My favourite things (Rodgers and Hammerstein) (LP 2385)

John Coltrane with Eric Dolphy  Evenings At the Village Gate (CD, Impulse! Records, 2023) *****  

Genre: Jazz 

Places I remember: Real Groovy Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Greensleeves

Gear costume: Africa

Active compensatory factors: The back story on this one is pretty interesting. Recorded in 1961 and undiscovered for years. Wow!

This is firey, explosive, cutting edge, seat of your pants, OMG jazz.

All the musicians are masters and all are unbelievable on this album. In fact, I'd hazard to say that Eric Dolphy is actually overshadowed by the rest.

McCoy Tyner is superb - whenever he's given space, he takes off, Reggie Workman (and Art Davis) are endlessly inventive on bass, and Elvin Jones - words fail to describe his singular genius. 

Listening to this is incredible - it's mouth open, what just happened?, OMG, I can't believe it - all the way, during four compositions.

Greensleeves is a favourite of mine - ever since I heard it on a compilation album as a teenager. The version here is sublime. 

Where do they all belong? Coltrane. A freak!

Solitary man (Neil Diamond) (LP 2384)

Neil Diamond  Hot August Night (CD, MCA Records, 1972) **  

Genre: pop 

Places I remember: Shona Walding's collection

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Sweet Caroline

Gear costume: Cherry Cherry

Active compensatory factors: I was faced with a seminal question when I was given this as part of Shona's CD collection by her sister Terese. Keep it or not?

My past was screaming - throw it away, while my present was saying - don't be a judgmental baby. Steven Wilson's wise words that there should be no such thing as guilty pleasures also rang in my ears.

Don't get me wrong, I've loved Neil Diamond songs over the years (hello - The Monkees) but I've always disliked his vocal style, and well yes - label me shallow - his image. Even an appearance in The Last Waltz didn't convert me. But that was also back in the seventies.

Now? Well, now I'm prepared to give it a listen at least (this is the first time I've ever listened to it actually) and reserve a spot in the collection next to his Greatest Hits collections (also from Shona and Lindsey's collections).

Back in the seventies though? Forget about it. I found plenty to dislike: there's that cover where he looks like he's pregnant cradling a baby bump, or else something else; there's the strings; and the hype - this was everywhere in the early seventies. In my imagination, older sophisticate hipsters loved it. Which made me immediately wary.

Keep in mind - in 1972 I was listening to Black Sabbath, Frank Zappa, The Stones, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Bowie, T Rex, Jimi Hendrix, Slade and Deep Purple.

Now? His performance between songs is pretty cringey, but many of the songs themselves hold up, many don't (Soggy Pretzels, Canta Libre), many of them are brilliant: Solitary Man; Sweet Caroline; Holy Holy. The hits are there.

Where do they all belong? Okay - I have that one out of my system now. Will I ever listen to it again? Probably not, but it stays...for now. 

Next up in the popstar ranks - Dire Straits.

My one and only love (George Shearing) (LP 2383)

George Shearing  Walkin' (CD, Telarc Jazz Records, 1995) ***  

Genre: Jazz 

Places I remember: Graham Purdy's collection

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Subconscious Lee

Gear costume: Bag's Groove 

Active compensatory factors: Dad obviously appreciated George Shearing's skills on the piano. This is a CD but he had a few vinyl albums by him as well.

It's a very laid back style of playing for the most part. In this case it's a live date from 1992. George operates in a piano trio with Grady Tate on drums and Neil Swainson on bass. I prefer the up-tempo numbers, the slower ones are really sloooooow.

Where do they all belong? It's not really my style of piano jazz but dad loved it so that's good enough for me.

Daydreaming (David Sanborn) (LP 2382)

David Sanborn   Inside (CD, Elektra Records, 1999) *** 

Genre: Jazz 

Places I remember: Shona Walding collection

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Miss You

Gear costume: Lisa

Active compensatory factors: This is a strange one as it aims to do a Winelight (Grover Washington's cross over jazz-pop album). In this case Sting pops up incongruously to sing Bill Wither's hit, Ain't No Sunshine.

There are vocal tracks elsewhere on the album. Interestingly, in 2000, the album won Sanborn the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Performance.

It certainly sounds good 24 years later but it's still modern jazz of a commercial bent - tastefully done, but not a lot of depth.

Where do they all belong? Next up in jazz - George Shearing's Walkin'.

Be stiff (Devo) (LP 2380 - 2381)

Devo  Freedom Of Choice (Vinyl, Warner Bros Records, 1980) ****  

Devo  DEV-O Live (Vinyl EP, Warner Bros Records, 1980) ***  

Genre: Pop rock 

Places I remember: Marbecks Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Freedom Of Choice

Gear costume: Be Stiff (Live)

Active compensatory factors: Freedom Of Choice is a great pop record, with more hooks than a butcher's shop!

Truly, this is an infectious collection of songs. Each one is single worthy.

Indeed, Devo's third album did include their biggest hit - Whip it. Girl U Want, Gates Of Steel and Freedom Of Choice were other songs from the album released as singles.

The Live EP has versions of all four, plus Planet Earth and the awesome Be Stiff. It's a nice to have, the EP, but not essential. The parent album though, definitely is.

Where do they all belong? That's all the Devo I have. Next up in pop rock - Neil Diamond. Neil Diamond??? Yes, Neil Diamond.

Deep in it (St Germain) (LP 2378 - 2379)

St Germain  Boulevard (CD, F Communications Records, 1995) *** 

St Germain  Tourist (CD, Blue Note Records, 2000) ****   

Genre: Jazz 

Places I remember: The Warehouse

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Pont Des Arts

Gear costume: Sure Thing 

Active compensatory factors: I became hooked on Tourist for a while there in the early naughties.

It sounded so fresh, revolutionary even, and it was on Blue Note - so massive credibility. It's also got that cool French cachet in spades.

The repetition is essential and creates a trance like effect. Main man of St Germain is French DJ and record producer Ludovic Navarre, and he knew what he was doing.

Boulevard was his debut album but it's not a patch on Tourist. It's also far too long.

Nevermind - for a time there St Germain was the perfect cafe music. 

Where do they all belong? next up in the jazz category - David Sanborn's Inside.

Brand new start (Jackie DeShannon) (LP 2377)

Jackie DeShannon  Jackie (Vinyl, Atlantic Records, 1972) *** 

Genre: Pop 

Places I remember: Second hand store in Turakina

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: I Wanna Roo You 

Gear costume: Paradise

Active compensatory factors: Jackie DeShannon has a nice soulful vocal style. The material on this album allows her to shine, and although it wasn't commercially successful in 1972 it's a good album that makes her sound relaxed. It helps that the musical settings are complimentary.

A Rolling Stone reviewer at the time described her singing thus: what is so satisfying about her singing is the tension she accumulates by always just holding back the full wallop.

Although it's tough for her to shake that 60's image thanks to those hit love songs (Put A Little Love In Your Heart, What The World Needs Now for example), this album is a successful early seventies repositioning of her talent. It's definitely worth a listen.

Where do they all belong? Next up in the pop rock category - are we not men? No, we are...Devo!

Paradox (Sonny Rollins) (LP 2373 - 2376)

Dizzy Gillespie/Sonny Rollins  Duets (CD, Classic Jazz Records, 2010, originally released 1958) ***  

Sonny Rollins  Tenor Madness (CD, Classic Jazz Records, 2010, originally released 1956) ****  

Sonny Rollins  Plays For Bird (CD, Classic Jazz Records, 2010, originally released 1957) *** 

Sonny Rollins  Worktime (CD, Classic Jazz Records, 2010, originally released 1955) ****  

Genre: Jazz 

Places I remember: FOPP

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Tenor Madness

Gear costume: The Most Beautiful Girl In the World (Tenor Madness)

Active compensatory factors: These four albums form a '4 Originals' CD package and the four albums are featured in the order above.

First up is really a Dizzy Gillespie album with Sonny Rollins and Sonny Stitt taking turns on tenor sax with Dizzy's trumpet. I'm not a Gillespie fan. My dad liked him but I find his tone too strident.

Ray Bryant (piano), Tommy Bryant (bass) and Charlie Persip (drums) are the other musicians featured. 

Tenor Madness features the title track with John Coltrane joining Sonny. The other players on that track and the rest of the album are impressive as well - Red Garland on piano, Paul Chambers on double bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums.

AllMusic sums this album up with: a recording that should stand proudly alongside Saxophone Colossus as some of the best work of Sonny Rollins in his early years, it's also a testament to the validity, vibrancy, and depth of modern jazz in the post-World War era. It belongs on everybody's shelf.

Sonny Rollins Plays For Bird features material associated with Charlie Parker. It also has Kenny Dorham on trumpet, which both adds and detracts from Rollins own playing.

Worktime is a classic sax, piano, bass, drums quartet with Rollins joined by Ray Bryant (piano), Max Roach (drum titan), and bass player George Morrow. 

It's a terrific album. No trumpet cluttering up the approach. One of my favourite albums from Rollins, along with Tenor Madness.

Where do they all belong? Next up in the jazz section - St Germain.

Jump jump jump (Rick Derringer) (LP 2371 - 2372)

Rick Derringer & Friends  Live On the King Biscuit Flower Hour (CD, King Biscuit Flower Hour Records, 1983) ***  

Rick Derringer  Hoochie Koo Once More (CD, Music Avenue Records, 2003) **** 

Genre: Rock 

Places I remember: King Recording (Abu Dhabi)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Beyond The Universe (I couldn't find the version I'm writing about so this is a live version from around the same time)

Gear costume: Teenage Love Affair (I couldn't find the version I'm writing about so this is a live version from around the same time)

Active compensatory factor: I missed these two CDs when I was writing about the vinyl albums I have by Rick.

The live album was a concert organised by Rick's friends after his truck was stolen with all the band's gear onboard.

It's lively! Rick is in great shape on new stuff at the time from Guitars and Women. Plus he does his hits and the guests are impressive - Dr John, Hall & Oates, Ian Hunter, and Edgar Winter turn up the fun level.

Hoochie Koo Once More is an album that sees Rick re-recording his hits. So, the track listing has double ups obviously. The man knows how to write a song!

Where do they all belong? Next up in the pop rock ranks - Jackie DeShannon.

Off to the races (Lana Del Rey) (LP 2366 - 2370)

Lana Del Rey  Born To Die (CD, Polydor Records, 2012) *****  

Lana Del Rey  Ultraviolence (CD, Polydor Records, 2014) ****  

Lana Del Rey  NFR (CD, Polydor Records, 2019) *****  

Lana Del Rey  Violet Bent Backwards Over The Grass (CD, Polydor Records, 2020)  

Lana Del Rey  Chemtrails Over The Country Club (CD, Polydor Records, 2021) ****  

Genre: Alt-pop, trip-hop

Places I remember: Fopp, HMV, JB Hi-Fi.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Off To The Races (Born To Die)

Gear costume: Summertime Sadness (Born To Die); Venice Bitch (NFR); California (NFR);

Active compensatory factors: Basically, Born To Die was Lana Del Rey's debut (Lana Del Rey being her stage name - her real name is Elizabeth Grant). The tortured story of her first album, called Lana Del Rey, can be read here.

Born To Die is a 5 star classic - no duff tracks - every single one holds my attention. It's rare, these days, that I put an album on and immediately need to read the lyric sheet, having been transfixed by the delivery. Lana inspires this diligence!

Yes, it's melodramatic, and yes - the repetition can be a tad annoying at times - Diet Mountain Dew is a case in point, but I'll forgive her this minor transgression. She's a real star, a real individual talent and she deserves the space to do whatever the heck she wants.

Ultraviolent came two years later and was a collaboration between her and The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach. He produces most of the songs and plays a variety of instruments.

That's probably why this is quite a rocky album - a much more organic sound than Born To Die, featuring much more electric guitar. 

For some reason I didn't buy her next two albums (Honeymoon and Lust For Life). Maybe I considered them extensions of Ultraviolet which I hadn't enjoyed quite as much as I had Born To Die. Instead, Norman ******* Rockwell was next for me.

It's another 5 star effort. Her consistency is quite breathtaking. The sound is different again, a kind of amalgam of Born To Die and Ultraviolent. Her vocals are mixed higher and she sounds fully in command.

Her lyrics aren't included in the album packaging of Ultraviolent or NFR, which is a real shame. She clearly enunciates her lyrics on NFR but I'd still like to follow along on a lyric sheet.

Violet Bent Backwards Over The Grass is a spoken word album to accompany her book of poetry of the same title, also published in 2020. This is great! Her poetry is inspired by Whitman and Ginsberg - two of my favourite poets, so it's a bit of a no-brainer that an English teacher type like me would enjoy this collection. I haven't rated it because it's not music.

Chemtrails Over The Country Club is her seventh album. It's again produced by Jack Antonoff (who actually features on the cover of NFR). It's a great team!

Chemtrails doesn't have the intensity that NFR had (that one can be a bit dark at times), instead it's a sunnier, more playful record. Maybe it's that cover image of a group of smiling women that sets the tone.

Although it's in very small print, a lyric sheet makes a welcome return for Chemtrails, plus it ends with her simple and pure version of For Free - the Joni Mitchell song that David Crosby loves so much. She sings it well.

Where do they all belong? A few holes in the catalogue that I need to plug.

Superstrut (Deodato) (LP 2364 -2365)

Deodato  Artistry (Vinyl, MCA Records, 1974) **  

Deodato  First Cuckoo (Vinyl, Astor Records, 1975) ***  

Genre: jazz rock 

Places I remember: Electric City Music (Napier)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Black Dog (First Cuckoo)

Gear costume: Funk Yourself (First Cuckoo) 

Active compensatory factors: I still have no idea why I continue to buy albums by Deodato. He holds some kind of lingering appeal. 

There's the cool electric piano, the gentle sway of his playing and the side men like John Tropea, Steve Gadd, Lou Marini, Hugh McCracken, Hubert Laws and others. But I could easily pass up these albums. And yet I don't. Curious.

Artistry is a live album and a polite one at that. Nothing much going on and I'll probably never listen to it again. The cover image is even a meh expression by Deodato. A weird image for a live album.

First Cuckoo is better but still not essential. The version of Black Dog is interesting (it's hilariously credited on the cover to Gene Paige, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones).

The final track, the title track, is all strings. I'm not a fan!

Where do they all belong? I dare say these won't be the last Deodato albums I buy, but that's it for now.

The deserving many (Joshua Redman) (LP 2358 - 2363)

Joshua Redman Wish (CD, Warner Bros Records, 1993) ***

Joshua Redman Timeless Tales (For Changing Times) (CD, Warner Bros Records, 1998) ***  

Joshua Redman Elastic (CD, Warner Bros Records, 2002) ****  

Joshua Redman Back East (CD, Nonesuch Records, 2007) ***  

Joshua Redman Compass (CD, Nonesuch Records, 2009) *** 

James Farm Quartet  James Farm (CD, Nonesuch Records, 2011) ****   

Genre: Jazz 

Places I remember: These all came from my time living in the Middle East - from 2009 - 2012, and were bought at a variety of Virgin stores in Dubai, Al Ain or Doha.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Summertime (Timeless Tales)

Gear costume: Eleanor Rigby (Timeless Tales)

Active compensatory factors: American jazz saxophonist Joshua Redman has developed a signature post-bop sound over the years. 

Wish was his second album and is a smooth jazz album, although two of the sidemen, Charlie Haden and Billy Higgins are graduates of Ornette Coleman's bands. The presence of Pat Metheny on guitars guarantees that smooth sound.

It's an eclectic song selection - tunes by Ornette Coleman, Charlie Parker, Stevie Wonder and Eric Clapton as well as some Metheny and Redman. All sounds pretty wonderful to me.

Timeless Tales (his fourth album) sounds more assured to me. He still features songs from an eclectic range - Stevie Wonder (again), Joni Mitchell, Prince, Dylan as well as Irving Berlin, Rodgers - Hammerstein etc.

It's still at the smooth jazz end of the continuum. Brad Mehldau is on piano this time with the quartet (Larry Grenadier on bass and Brian Blade - drums).  

Elastic is my go to album. Essentially, it's a trio of Redman, Blade (exceptional on this album) and keyboard warrior - Sam Yahel. The three make a lot of great noise together.

It's quite a funky record - some great grooves going on. I think of this as a transitional record between the first ones and the comparatively more free form, experimental ones to come.

Back East I find quite hard to get into and enjoy (unlike Elastic). As an example - my wife will happily go along with Timeless Tales and Elastic, but will only last a few tunes before asking me to take Back East off!

Worthy of note - Dewey Redman (his father) joins for a few tracks. He would pass away shortly after these sessions.

Compass came next in his catalogue and continues the feel of experimentation that was on Back East. Also one my wife dislikes, so I don't listen to it much. When I do, I do find it a tad harsh, but it's challenging. Which is good - he's forging ahead!

Bringing us right up-to-date with Redman - James Farm is the name of the band, and the name of the album. It combines the talents of Redman, Aaron Parks (piano), Matt Penman (bass), and Eric Harland (drums). Along with Elastic, this is my favourite Redman album.

The guys fuse together a great post-bop collection. They are still together and touring - a rare thing for a jazz ensemble. It would be great to catch them live.

Where do they all belong? Next up in jazz - four albums from Sonny Rollins.