Bless my soul (Tom Scott) (LP 4905 - 4910)

Larry Coryell  Spaces (Vinyl, Vanguard Records, 1970/ 1974 reissue) ****  

Keith Jarrett  Facing You (Vinyl, ECM Records, 1972) ***** 

Antonio Carlos Jobim  Wave (Vinyl, A&M Records, 1967) ***** 

Tom Scott and The L.A. Express  Tom Scott and The L.A. Express (Vinyl, Ode Records, 1974) **** 

Tom Scott and The L.A. Express  Tom Cat (Vinyl, Ode Records, 1975) **** 

Tom Scott Apple Juice (Vinyl, Columbia Records, 1981) *** 

Genre: Jazz fusion, Brazilian jazz, modern jazz

Places I remember: Brian Smith Collection, The Little Red Bookshop, JB Hi Fi, Vinyl Room, Vinyl Vault Plus

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Dahomey Dance (Tom Scott and The L.A. Express)

Gear costume: Nunya (Tom Scott and The L.A. Express), but really any of the tunes on this album fit the bill.

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6; Part 7; Part 8

Active compensatory factors: My ongoing acquisition of Larry's albums continues with Spaces. What a lineup! Larry Coryell plays alongside John McLaughlin on guitar, Chick Corea on electric piano, Miroslav Vitouš on bass, and Billy Cobham on drums. All are virtuosos on their instruments.

Along with Zappa's Hot Rats, this is one of the first jazz fusion albums (Miles Davis' late sixties albums are also a factor of course). Spaces is way more out there than Zappa though (and that's saying something).

Basically, jazz-fusion is a genre of music that describes when jazz harmony and improvisation is used within a rock music context. Larry and John's electric guitars along with electric bass and drums take off in improvised ways on Spaces - sometimes it sounds like they shoot off in four different directions. The thrill comes from that experimentation when everything jells. Then this music is inspirational. Like on track 1, side 2 -Wrong is Right. Here endeth the lesson.

Keith Jarrett is a fierce improvisation expert as well. Facing You was his first album for ECM in 1971. It's a solo piano album that's become a landmark recording for jazz generally, and for Jarrett specifically. 

But don't take my word for it - here's AllMusic on the album: Facing You is one of the most important recordings in contemporary jazz for several reasons, aside from being beautifully conceived and executed by pianist Keith Jarrett. It is a hallmark recording of solo piano in any discipline, a signature piece in the early ECM label discography, a distinct departure from mainstream jazz, a breakthrough for Jarrett, and a studio prelude for his most famous solo project to follow, The Köln Concert (which I featured a while ago - here).

So there! It's a biggie! Glad to grab a copy from the Little Red Bookshop for $4.

Antônio Carlos Brasileiro de Almeida Jobim's fifth album, Wave, is another landmark recording - this time in Brazilian music.  Jobim was a famous Brazilian composer, pianist, guitarist, songwriter, arranger and singer. Wave was recorded in the US with American jazz musicians and it sounds great. Just the ticket for our parent's dinner parties back in the late sixties, early seventies.

Tom Scott has appeared in the collection before, with and without Joni Mitchell (see here and here). Here are two more of his albums - both $4 each from Little Red Bookshop. Both are worth having.

The first is a cool collection of jazz grooves from the player of many horns and his band, which includes Larry Carlton - guitar, Max Bennett - bass, Joe Sample - keyboards, John Guerin - drums.

Tom Cat continues the jazz-funk sounds but without Sample and Carlton. Robben Ford and Larry Nash sit in for them and do a great job. Tom and his mates (including Joni) get down to it in hot and sweaty fashion. 

Apple Juice is a Tom Scott live album from the start of the eighties. He can certainly gather together a formidible array of musicians. Joining him on this set are Eric Gale and Hugh McCracken (guitars), Richard Tee (Keyboards), Marcus Miller (bass), Ralph MacDonald (percussion) and Steve Gadd (drums). Dr John also makes a guest appearance (the one sus moment of the show).

Sidebar: the cover has credits for the show AND the 're-recording' of it - but it's impossible to tell where the joins are. I'm not a purist and don't really care when bands embellish live versions - if it sounds better - good luck to them.

Where do they all belong? Brilliant additions to the jazz fusion and jazz sections in the collection.