Aim (Jimmy Woods Sextet) (LP 2761)

Jimmy Woods Sextet   Conflict (Vinyl, Contemporary Records, 1963) ***  

Genre: Jazz 

Places I remember: Little Red Bookshop

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Aim

Gear costume: Look To Your Heart

Active compensatory factors: I didn't know anything about this album before buying it from Little Red Bookstore in Hastings. Adrian often has interesting jazz albums in his shop, so I took a punt.

Given the title, I was a tad fearful it would be some horrific angry jazz honkfest (plus there's trumpet on it), but I was very pleasantly surprised. It's certainly fairly intense music and not easy listening jazz, as Jimmy channels his anger into his playing in a lyrical way and Elvin is a muscular drummer.

Elvin Jones is of course a drawcard (and he gets a few drum solos throughout the album which don't do much for me) but it's the alto sax of Jimmy Woods, the tenor sax of Harold Land and pianist Andrew Hille that make the deepest impressions.

AllMusic's Scott Yanow says, "While all of the soloists are impressive and Jones' powerful drumming fuels the horn players, the leader's adventurous alto sax is not to be missed".

Couldn't agree more.

Where do they all belong? A cool addition, even though it has trumpet.