Customer Reviews

Apogee

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Some say jazz had died in the 1970's. Others say that there were some great moments, like the return of Dexter Gordon to the united States, and albums like this one, Apogee by the Wayne Marsh Pete Christlieb Quintet, featuring the two on tenor saxophone, Lou Levy on piano, Jim Hughart on bass, and Nick Ceroli on drums.

This album is the meat and potatoes of jazz. It is great from start to finish. The opening tune, Magna-tism seems to open up the mood of the album. The two raging tenor men blow it out of their horns, effortlessly, and with passion.

The two men, obviously did not get the recognition they deserve, but it hardly seems to matter. When the two are battling it out on say, Tenors Of The Time, the only thing that matters is what's in the moment, and what is, is two great tenor giants expressing themselves through the universal language of jazz.

The beauty on Donna Lee is exceptional. All six tunes on here turned out to be a nice listen, and this album, especially due to the reissue of it onto cd, which is a first, is making this album a classic.

One of the most classic album covers is this one. Not a lot going on, just a simple picture that manages to capture the mood of the album, which is how the music should be described too.

If you enjoy a nice swinging date, from one of my favorite periods in jazz recording, the 1970's, you'll love this disk. Not a bad note, not a bad tune, not a bad player, a fabulous recording!

This is a GREAT album for tenor sax fans! Can we give this one 15 stars? 'Apogee' features the contrasting masterful styles of Pete Christlieb and Warne Marsh. Both men are true giants of the tenor sax. The way Pete and Warne play off each other and compliment each other is very interesting. This album deservedly received five stars in DownBeat Magazine when it was first released in the late 70's. Many of us have worn our vinyl copies of 'Apogee' down to dust over the years, so it is great to see it now offered on CD - with bonus tracks. Pete Christlieb is a hard charging bebopper with a robust sound, eating up the changes, and digging into the tempos with his incredible time playing. Warne Marsh on the other hand, often plays over the time, across beats and barlines, with a mysterious sound that was all his own. Don't miss out on this one!

This recording, which I've owned since it first appeared on LP, remains one of the most engaging and enthusiastic sessions from Christlieb's recording career, and it's a highlight in Marsh's discography as well. Despite their differing sound (tone, phrasing--you name it!) these two tenor players weave their lines and play off of each other with great force and terrific inventiveness. Of the Christlieb/Marsh encounters, this is by far the best. How wonderful, finally, to have this on CD. Don't listen to the gasbags who find this "dated"; listen to the recording. It's a joy.

I purchased this album when it originally came out on vinyl and haven't yet heard the remastered recording (I don't think it's ever appeared on CD before), but over the years the original LP proved to be one of the most consistently enjoyable jazz recordings I have ever owned. The melodic invention and tag-team blowing (not to mention the Supersax-like moments where they play the same line together at about 200 MPH) never fails to amaze me. Listening to the sample clips made me realize I could probably still sing the whole thing from memory even after all these years. By the way, this album was produced by Donald Fagan and Walter Becker of Steely Dan, who also wrote one track for the album.

I know this review is unnecessary: 99% of people looking at this page will be able to decide whether or not to buy the CD based on the sound clips and other reviews. But I want to add my two cents, if only to say "Thank you!" to everyone involved in this project. The LP is one of my top 10 favorite albums--a little jewel of musical beauty and fun. (For instance, I cannot listen to that crazy fun-house-mirror arrangement of "Donna Lee" without smiling--it's just not possible.) And that was before the bonus tracks added another 21 minutes!

But if, somehow, you're reading this and you need one more argument to convince you to buy the CD, here's what Lou Levy, the pianist on the date, said about it years later to an interviewer:
"I remember sitting there, playing behind them, and thinking, 'Man, this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience; I may never again hear two virtuosos play with this much speed, authority, and soul.' When the date was over, I knew I had participated in a miracle."
Levy was 50 at the time of the recording. He had played professionally for decades. And he called the session a miracle. Enough said.

But I can't resist a postscript to "that opinionated guy 'steve'", who asked why another person's more critical review here got so many negative votes. I can't speak for anybody else, Steve, but when a reviewer downgrades an album _because he or she doesn't care for that style of music (!)_, I don't find that very helpful. I mean, I could go give 1-star reviews to every rap CD or romance novel, but what use would that be to people who are trying to figure out which ones are good, on their own terms? (Oh yeah: the critical reviewer also disliked the sound quality. I can't help noticing that he or she thought the drums were underrecorded, while you said they were sometimes too loud [at least on the downloaded version]. Go figure!)

If you're looking for some relaxing background jazz to ease your work day or set the mood for an intimate evening, this isn't it. Get some Paul Desmond.
Warning: This collection contains intense swing and bop with fast, busy lead lines and frequent episodes of simultaneous improvisation by tenor saxophonists Christlieb and Marsh. For a saxophonist like myself or anyone steeped in the jazz idiom, this album has a 5-star "wow" factor. But it may not be the best choice for introducing your friends to their first dose of jazz. They'll have to grow into this one.
By the time of this 1978 recording, Marsh had left his mark on countless albums and had played with Supersax, and Christlieb was a veteran of the Tonight Show band. Their styles are noticeably different, but putting them together works anyway. I prefer Christlieb's style, but that's a matter of taste. Comparing their playing is a bit like discussing which supermodel is better looking.
While the intensity of this album is certain to leave an impression on listeners, it does have its lighter moments. Many of those come in the tunes "Rapunzel," "I'm Old Fashioned," and anywhere that Lou Levy inserts his tasteful piano solos.
For those who are looking for a high-energy saxophone rush, check out "Tenors of the Time," "Lunarcy," and "Love Me." The latter two are bonus tracks so good that some listeners will wonder how they got cut from the original album release. "Donna Lee" is here as well, but Christlieb and Marsh do it as a medium-fast swing, defiantly refusing to join the competition among saxophonists of the time to see who could play this tune the fastest.
Lovers of the saxophone, especially those fond of classic tenor pairings like Al Cohn & Zoot Sims or Gene Ammons & Sonny Stitt, should grab this CD - if you think you can handle it.

if you're looking for a pete christlieb/warne marsh album, this is not where you should start. their best work can be found on the cds "conversations with warne" volumes 1 and 2.

if you already have those cds and want this as well, it's certainly not a bad album. i downloaded it, so i have no idea what the sound quality on the cd is like. the download is listed as being remixed in 2006, so if the cd you order was pressed before then and only has 6 songs, you're not getting the updated version.

i only have two complaints about this album: the first one is that there's no real reason for pianist lou levy to be here. he's a fine musician but just clutters up the ensembles and gets in the way. the other marsh/christlieb sessions have no pianist and you never miss one either.

and the production, even on this sonically updated version is dodgy. it's hard to tell for sure whether this is an acoustic or an electric bass being played. the drums (especially the kick) are sometimes too loud. some of the aforementioned cluttered ensembles have a grating quality to them. on a couple of tunes drummer nick ceroli comes up with rather flat-footed playing ideas and slows things down considerably, again, mostly because of how loud he happens to be in the mix on those particular tracks.

as for the positive stuff, christlieb and marsh play beautifully together and there are a lot of breathtaking moments on this set.

the last thing i'd like to say is this: why so many negative votes for the one review that criticized this album? are warne marsh fans really so narrow minded that they can't imagine a world where their hero is subject to any criticism? the review doesn't seem especially unfair, even if i don't agree with it. people need to lighten up.

. . . but somewhat of a tough listen for anyone (like me) who's come to love jazz in the past two decades or so. Like a postcard from 30 years ago, this disc has a lot more in the way of nostalgia value than present urgency.

First of all, the recording quality is problematic. Not only are the bass and drums (somewhat thankfully, in the latter instance) underrecorded, the entire disc displays a thinness of sound that is annoying.

Second, although Marsh and Christlieb engage in some quite spectacular musical interaction, prove to be entirely nimble and glib soloists, each possessing a unique and developed voice, and demonstrate complete command of their horns, this session seldom seems to rise above the level of a rather extravagant though somewhat pointless blowing session.

Thirdly, to these ears this sounds like some kind of ne plus ultra, last gasp bebop date. Yes, everyone's mastered the bop idiom--to the point of beating a dead horse. This was, after all, recorded in 1978, more than a decade after John Coltrane died, nearly two decades after Ornette Coleman's debut, a decade after Bitches Brew, several years after Weather Report's greatest recordings. Yet, stylistically it dates from more like the late forties or early fifties.

Nothing wrong with that, one supposes, if that's what you want to do. After all, similar types of musical dispatches continue to issue with frequency from the Crescent City. This just isn't my bag. 4 and 1/2 stars for the quality of playing. 1 and 1/2 stars for the cultural intractability.