current listening 05/09
ornette coleman: twins (1871)
+ Ornette Coleman: Twins (1971) - Re-issued last year on the Water label, Twins offers what were, in 1971, unreleased sessions from the vanguard saxophonist’s early years (1959-61). Coleman’s free jazz heart is ablaze throughout, but it’s the guest list that kills you: Charlie Haden, Eric Dolphy, Don Cherry and Ed Blackwell. Stealing the show is the very sweet blend of Coleman’s scorched alto sax with the roaming groove of bassist Scott LaFaro on Check Up. An extraordinary jazz excavation.
king crimson: in the wake of poseidon (1971)
+ King Crimson: In the Wake of Poseidon (1971) - Crimson’s 1969 debut set the prog and psychedelic rock worlds on fire, although it’s lineup quickly splintered. Poseidon majestically picks up the pieces of proggish adventures that bow the blues (Pictures of a City), quasi-classical revisionism (the very Holst-like The Devil’s Triangle) and gorgeous acoustic reflection (Cadence and Cascade). The 1999 edition adds bonus material, extensive notation and gorgeously remastered sound.
santana: santana (1971)
+ Santana: Santana (1971) - Retroactively titled Santana III, this post-Abraxas album was the final outing for the first Santana lineup. Predominantly instrumental, the album pulls out the Latin psychedelic stops on Taboo, No One to Depend and Toussaint L’Overture while Everybody’s Everything enlists the hard soul swing of Tower of Power. Compare this to the Santana records of today and you just want to cry.
the flying burrito brothers: the flying burrito bros. (1971)
+ The Flying Burrito Brothers: The Flying Burrito Brothers (1971): Many fans wrote the Burritos off after Gram Parsons flew the coup. And while the band’s self-titled, Rick Roberts-led third album is safer, smoother and more Californian in design than its predecessors, it remains an appealing listen in its own right. But then, having prime Merle Haggard, Bob Dylan and Gene Clark tunes to draw from doesn’t hurt.
fairport convention: angel delight (1971)
+ Fairport Convention: Angel Delight (1971): Whittled to a quartet after the departure of guitarist Richard Thompson, the vanguard Brit folk-rock band simply plowed ahead with one of its most underappreciated albums. Less psychedelic and more rustic in an Old English sort of way, Angel Delight pumps up the mandolin, fiddle, and pub hearty attitude. A great overlooked chapter in the Fairport saga.
I am a native Kentuckian and freelance journalist who has been writing about contemporary music for the Lexington Herald-Leader since 1980. I have not a lick of honest musical talent myself, just a pair of appreciative ears for jazz, folk, blues, bluegrass, Americana, soul, Celtic, Cajun, chamber, worldbeat, nearly every form of rock 'n' roll imaginable and, when pressed, the occasional tango and polka.