Handle with care, this music is HOT…
Charles Tolliver Music Inc. – Live at the Captain’s Cabin – Reel to Real # RTLP 014 – two 180 gm audiophile vinyls – 1500 limited pressings – Black Friday Record Store Day release – recorded 06/24/73- ****
(Charles Tolliver – trumpet; John Hicks – piano; Clint Houston – bass; Cliff Barbaro – drums)
For devoted fans of jazz trumpeter, Charles Tolliver, the boutique label, Reel to Real, is releasing, in a limited 1500 pressings (in audiophile 180 gm remastering from the original tape reels!), a previously unavailable live recording from 1973, featuring Tolliver in his favorite quartet setting, leading his Music Inc. group of that period. Backing Charles is the brilliant, John Hicks on piano; Clint Houston on bass; and Cliff Barbaro on drums.
51 years later, Charles Tolliver, is still with us, and performing. He started the seminal independent label, Strata East, in the late 1960s that featured post bop African American jazz artists, who had free rein, without interference to record open original jazz. As Tolliver stated recently, “it was a wild period, and we played wild…”
This recording was made in a small, 100 seat, jazz club, in Edmonton, Alberta. The club was owned by a local entrepreneur, who was able to book the group, when they were on a West Coast tour. They were locked in, and played “all out, full stop, every time they played.” The recording that night was not planned, but the owner recorded their sets on a two track recording.
Kevin Gray at Cohearant Audio has done a brilliant job remastering, and the groups’ fire is captured brilliantly.
Charles Tolliver came up under Max Roach, Jackie McLean, and Horace Silver, and was heavily influenced by bop (stating “I’m always thinking be-bop,” and “I write for the drums”). He wrote all of the compositions for this recording with the exception of Clint Houston’s “Black Vibrations,” and Neil Hefti’s, “Repetition.” The seven extended tracks (most exceed well over ten minutes) bridge bop, into heavily modal and avant garde territory.
With the exception of the one ballad ( a sublime “Truth”), this is a wild ride. Tolliver blows scorching hot, John Hicks’ fingers fly over the keyboard, and bassist, Clint Houston is featured heavily on bass solos, very seldom “comping,” and fully involved. Cliff Barbaro, on drums, pushes Tolliver to new heights, and at times they seem to barely come up for air. The intimate club attendees were in for a night to remember, well outside any jazz mecca.
The opener, “Black Vibrations,” immediately takes off, and Clint Houston’s solo is vibrant, and so well miked. “Earl’s World,” was written for Tolliver’s brother, and builds up in intensity. Charles solos all thru “Impact,” while “Compassion,” is a somber mid-temp modal waltz, led by John Hicks’ piano.
The evening closer, “Stretch,” ends the evening, and perhaps a fire extinguisher might have been appropriate to bring down the heat that this quartet brought that night…
If you dig late period Coltrane, for his passionate playing, step up to the plate and discover Charles Tolliver’s Music Inc. quartet. Just make sure to let your turntable take a rest after listening to this RSD release.
I’m betting this limited edition of 1500 LP edition sells out on Black Friday. If you miss out, don’t worry, there is a two CD set coming out as well.
—Jeff Krow
Charles Tolliver Music Inc. – Live at the Captain’s Cabin
Tracklist:
Side A: Black Vibrations, Earl’s World
Side B: Impact, Compassion
Side C: Truth, Repetition
Side D: Stretch
