B07KZ52TJW John Hicks – Hells Bells – Strata-East Records SES 8002 (1980)/Pure Pleasure Records (2019) 180-gram stereo vinyl, 38:50 ****:
(John Hicks – piano; Clint Houston – bass; Cliff Barbaro – drums)
John Hicks stands proudly in the pantheon of great jazz pianists. He has played with greats like Pharaoh Sanders, Art Blakey Chico Freeman, Archie Shepp. Charles Tolliver Betty Carter, Hank Mobley and Lee Morgan. Hicks , though renowned in jazz circles played for decades with limited commercial exposure. One of his strengths was composing and arrangement, tailoring songs for individual musicians. His style incorporated elements of swing, bop and avant-garde. His credits as a band leader and sideman are too voluminous to enumerate. Until his death in 2006, Hicks continued to record and perform in a variety of formats.
Pure Pleasure Records has re-mastered John Hicks – Hells Bells to 180-gram vinyl. It is refreshing to hear this analog upgrade of an artist who recorded for a “non-mainstream” label (Strata-East Records). The album was completed in 1975, but not released until 1980. The momentum-inspired trio (John Hicks/piano; Clint Houston – double bass; Cliff Barbara – drums) are locked in frenetically on four original compositions. Side One opens with Barbaro’s title cut. Hicks starts off with a classical flourish, accompanied by a stylistic bowed double bass by Houston. Then the trio shifts to a syncopated cool jazz rhythm that morphs into a snappy 3/4 time signature. Hicks’ first solo utilizes strong chording and notation with a significant degree of complexity. All the while, the double bass and drums furiously propel the jam. The trio reverts to waltz-time with swing dynamics. Houston executes a nimble bass solo that feels like a guitar. There is a mellower interlude at the finish. “Avojca” (one of 3 Hicks compositions) leads off with a gritty urban vamp. This cut is exhilarating and embraces an incandescent bop motif. Hicks manages to intermingle unusual chords. His integration of different right and left hand riffs is uncanny and speaks to the high bar of instrumentalism.
Side Two features a pair of Hicks originals. “Yemenja” has that familiar punctuated introduction. Hicks’ piano is grandiose and cinematic at times. There is an overall gentler sway that maintains the melodic essence. His jazzy chording and phrasing is impeccable. Then another swing transition energizes the trio as a commanding walking bass line leads into a Houston solo. Hicks’ accompaniment is graceful, and eventually the group returns to the first refrain. In a change of pace, “Angies Tune” begins as a poignant ballad with intrinsic harmonics. After a signature up tempo break, Hicks unleashes a masterful freewheeling solo with “open” atmospherics and finesse. The shifting moods underlie the compositional integrity of this great musician.
Pure Pleasure Records has done its customary superior job of re-mastering to 180-gram vinyl. The stereo separation is precise and the lower-end mix of the double bass and drums meshes with the crisp tonality of the piano. There is very little surface noise and the music is vibrant!
TrackList:
Side One:
Hells Bells
Avojca
Side Two:
Yemen
Angies Tune
—Robbie Gerson
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