After a bit of a lull in interesting titles, both Pure Pleasure and Speakers Corner have reissued some very interesting titles lately. I tend to (wrongly) think of Speakers Corner and Pure Pleasure together for some reason, even though they are quite different, but share pretty much the same manufacturing partners. CTI have been top of the list for both, which is something they have in common.
Pure Pleasure has reissued Freddie Hubbard's Straight Life, a fine title from the mid 70's that has aged very well. It is contemporary for the time, still contemporary today, is not a fusion record but a modern hard bop date with the usual CTI anchor in Ron Carter, Joe Henderson on tenor, George Benson, Herbie Hancock mostly on Rhodes, Jack DeJohnette. It is pretty straight ahead, the nod to fusion - or more so rock - is that it is a very hot date, with DeJohnette particularly laying out a harder, more rock oriented beat, and Hancock very electric. To those who mistakenly dismiss the 70's, this should be a wakeup call, a loud one. The music is fantastic and all the cast are far advanced from their Blue Note beginnings. This, in my opinion, is Hubbard's prime period. It is Joe Henderson's prime also, both on his few CTI appearances and his contemporaneous recordings on Milestone. These guys had broken out of the Blue Note shell and were on fire, and this is one of the trilogy of Hubbard masterpieces on CTI, and has never sounded better or been pressed better - original CTI pressings were pretty bad, suffering from the oil crisis induced quality decline in LP pressings of that era (except in Japan, where the original CTI pressings are excellent). Essential.
So is George Benson's Body Talk, reissued by Speakers Corner. A great choice by SC, a great Benson recording that predates his gradual descent into smooth jazz, still a jazz date that heads towards funkier, more street sense territory, this is prime Benson - the guitar dominates, his technique is incredible as is his melodic sense, these are solid tunes, with an "A" cast - and Benson is on fire - explosive, with a sense of carving out a new direction and taking jazz into more accessible, physical territory without ever losing the essence. There is a sense in these CTI recordings of artists breaking out of the confines of the 1950's bebop model, and no longer bound by Coltrane's direction, free, innovating, yet at their technical peak. Inspired. A fine job by Speakers Corner, a flawless pressing, and a very enjoyable record.
Pure Pleasure have just reissued The Divine Sarah Vaughan, and again show that they have been quietly curating a reissue catalog of prime material that American reissue labels don't even know exists or have the courage to bring back to life. A Roulette period Sarah Vaughan recording and one of her best, well deserving of "The Divine" title as this is jazz singing that has been lost to the influx of faceless, mostly white, traditional 'jazz' singers catering to older white males with pleasant, inoffensive, generic jazz standard recordings that are usually demonstrative of the worst in 'audiophile' recording. There can never be another Sarah Vaughan, nor another The Divine Sarah Vaughan - this prime recording is a stunner, Vaughan had matured well beyond her earlier, better known Emarcy recordings and her phrasing, nuance and expression had come to a point of absolute mastery, and this record - one of her masterpieces - is the prime exhibit. The orchestrations are wonderful and subtle, never overblown or sugary, and form a perfect backdrop for Vaughan's masterclass. The remastering is outstanding, easily exceeding in transparency and richness any original pressing, and is dead quiet. You will never be able to listen to any of the current crop of "jazz" singers again, and the only disappointment here is that The Divine Sarah Vaughan shows just how much the recording industry has fallen in being unable to uncover, nurture and develop artistry on this level. Essential.
Perhaps not as essential, but still very worthwhile, is the early 60's J.J. Johnson Sextet recording J.J. Inc., featuring Clifford Jordan on tenor among other top players. Speakers Corner have given this minor gem a sturdy, fairly forward remastering that is perhaps not their absolute finest, but excellent still in every respect. This is a solid hard bop date very much in the idiom, distinguished by creative sextet orchestrations and fie playing. J.J. in particular is on fine form, and the band is up to the challenging, melodic material. No classics here, just a fine date from the period, given a good sonic cleanup. Recommended.
Otis Spann's blues classic Walking The Blues is reissued on Pure Pleasure, an original Candid recording that is a classic of the acoustic blues genre. A bass and drum-less trio led by Spann's virtuoso (yet never showy) piano, this is a wonderful record that is magnetic from start to finish. The sound is crystal clear and detailed, but betrays some limitation of the 60's recording in that the piano is a bit on the thin side. Nonetheless, the sound is excellent and the playing has such elegance and conviction that more than compensate for any minor sonic drawbacks. Pure Pleasure have done an outstanding job and a real service by bringing this fine record back to life.
Also from Pure Pleasure, the absolutely fabulous Return Of Howard McGhee, a mid 50's Bethlehem recording that is just stunning. An amazing band with the far too seldom heard baritone of Sahib Shihab and Duke Jordan on piano, this is a typical Bethlehen date of the era - short, concise tunes, excellently recorded. The difference in this case is the level of inspiration and sheer joy in the playing, And maybe joy in being just released from the slammer, and inspired as he had a lot to prove with this comeback record. Shihab is a treat, as is Jordan. McGhee is a wonderful player, with a rich tone and quick, agile runs full of harmonic and melodic ideas. This record is simply a joy to listen to, and Pure Pleasure have given it fabulous sound, making it essential and elevating it, after half a century, into the great recordings of the 1950's.
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