Customer Reviews

Caravan

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

 

 

...This album was given to me as an assignment to study the form of the tunes and phrasing of solos. My teacher has listened to my comments heard me play, and usually tries to recommend albums that open me up to something I can connect to. This wasn't the first album I have studied by his assignment so I trusted his selection without reserve. For example, he had passed me Crescent (probably the best studio recording John Coltrane ever did), Art Pepper meets the Rhythm Section (Philly Joe Jones solos here are ones I...and maybe every other drummer has memorized), and Somethin' Else (Miles as a sideman...sort of).

Caravan has taken its place amongst the recordings I hold close to my soul. "This is for Albert" alone is an incredible tune, and I have spent enough time to justify buying this album ten times over with only that song. The tune is difficult to navigate and Art Blakey, like a master moves the song along with delicate rhyth-melodic phrasing. The sound attracted me.
Listening to Freddie Hubbard on the whole album he is so energetic, so nineteen years old! And he interacts with the group so well. Art Blakey was an incredible leader, putting such youth and experience together and coming out with a monumental recording.

Thermo is a premonition to the F Hubbard sound which has carved its own place in the history of jazz.
The title track is also a masterful accomplishment. Art Blakey is a hard drummer, but that is Art Blakey....you try it and make that musical, because he does. It isnt just showmanship, there is more there to recognize.

Mr Gray's sentiments are not mine to contradict or disregard, I just want you to know that what he wrote is not the end definition for this record.

Out of the 40-50 Blakey albums I've collected, this is the most "arranged," with the exception of the early "Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers" on Columbia, featuring the compositions and arrangements of Silver and Mobley along with masterful solo work by Mobley and Byrd. Moreover, the five-piece ensemble is so well mixed, it sounds like a mini-big band, exhibiting rare cohesion and group dynamics throughout along with an ideal balance between ensemble passages and solos.

By comparison, "Caravan" is a less satisfying album, with arrangements that sound overly busy, forced, occasionally awkward, and solos that are often spotty and choppy. Hubbard is in rare form, beginning with the title piece, but he's interrupted by a pedestrian Shorter solo just as he's hitting his stride--a pattern that continues throughout the session. Fuller always sounds so close to J. J. as to invite comparisons, which do the former no favors. His tone, articulations, and ideas are always a step behind, contributing little to the overall effectiveness of the ensemble.

Another problem with this session is the sound. Separation is extreme to the point of being annoying, making each of the individual horns sound like they're in separate recording studios. The piano sounds distant, and the bass so muffled I'm reminded of some of the '40's Parker recordings. This was not an especially encouraging new start for Blakey after the many distinguished recordings--on location as well as in the studio--by Blakey and the Messengers in the mid to late fifties--one of the reasons, I'm constantly searching for Blakey recordings, as scarce as they may be, by the underrated and neglected but mighty Messianic Messengers of the seventies. (I'm usually getting them from England, Holland, Japan, and frequently on LP--a bit of a hassle but well worth it once you've connected with the special spirit that Blakey, Hardman, Schnitter, along with the compositions of Walter Davis Jr. brought to the table.)

Art Blakey's drumming style was alive, powerful, and revolutionary for his generation. I think that to mistake his fiery intensity as 'insensitive' is to completely miss the mark, and miss the message of his playing. This is a great album, all the musician's brilliant. Cedar Walton's playing on the piano is exquisite, and if anything, I only wished he had chosen to solo more on this album. It has been said that his chops were still being honed in Blakey's band and it wasn't until after his tenure with the group that he started gaining more confidence with his soloing. No matter, I love his lines on this record. Hubbard's tone is gorgeous and tasteful, especially on such tunes as 'Skylark' and 'Sweet N' Sour'.

Amazon has added composers to the track listing, making it appear as if they are performers on the CD. This is Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers (Curtis Fuller, Freddie Hubbard, Wayne Shorter, Cedar Walton & Reggie Workman).

With a few exceptions, I've never really taken a strong liking to albums with drummers or bassists as the session leader. It think it unbalances the ensemble when one of these two roles is placed closer to the front - farther than they would dare go on somebody else's gig. It sounds show-offish. Sure, Art Blakey (drums) has great history and great chops, but his days as an innovator seem far behind. He's clean, sharp, fast and flashy, and yet he seems uninterested in the music taking place right in front of him.

With that out of the way, I question the appointment of Cedar Walton (Piano) to his seat. His style is in strong contrast to others of the band, and the session suffers throughout from the mistake. To make matters worse, the sound of his piano suffered very low fidelity. I wonder if they even gave him his own microphone.

This session was the first for a Jazz Messenger sextet, which is manifested in the enriched harmonies found on a few of the pieces, thanks to the addition of Curtis Fuller (trombone). Reggie Workman (bass) seemed to lack the presence he has demonstrated in so many other sessions of the era. The prodigious Wayne Shorter (tenor sax) and Freddie Hubbard (trumpet) shine brightest on this day, when the occasion arises to do so.

Caravan - When not interrupted by Art's self-indulgence, this Ellington-Mills-Tizol piece has it all. The multi-threaded harmonies and melodies are rich and evocative. The blending of Wayne, Freddie and Curtis is masterful, and includes some fabulous countering where Freddie and Wayne burn up the high road in unison while Curtis takes the low road counter-melody. Freddie is fast and smart in his hard-bop bag. Wayne is recognizable in the first note of his solo, and continues with more of the classic Wayne pouring-out-of-the-soul. Curtis is as crisp as can be. This piece is all about the mind-infesting melodies and the improvisations of the three hornmen.

Sweet 'N Sour (take 4) - This CD release, absent from the original LP, was a nice choice for inclusion here. Wayne's solo is more energetic than in the original, whereas Freddie loses his groove once or twice and Curtis is more reserved. Cedar is again caught-up in a traditional early fifties bop groove.

Sweet 'N Sour - A harmonious and witty composition of Wayne's. Wayne takes honors and blows a somewhat subdued solo effort. Freddie is next, and offers up an interesting improvisation in his ever-maturing style. Curtis, too, solos with strength and precision. Cedar's follow-up just doesn't fit - it isn't in the same musical style suggested by the hornmen - and seems out of place and in the past.

In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning - This James-Elliot ballad features Curtis in front, with Freddie and Wayne filling quietly. The piece comes off rather blandly. Cedar's solo is average at best. I didn't like it.

This Is For Albert - Another Wayne composition, apparently dedicated to Bud Powell. Not one of Wayne's better offerings as a writer. Wayne solos first, yet seems a bit uncomfortable with the whole thing. Curtis, Freddie and Cedar follow without much substance in their efforts.

Skylark - This Carmichael-Mercer standard is simply played way too straight for me. Freddie leads without much feeling. Wayne has a nice, but short jaunt in his earlier, Coltrane-like style, and Cedar again fails to deliver.

Thermo (take 2) - Another CD bonus. Freddie searches but comes up a little empty this time. Wayne is as strong as on the original, and your spine tingles. (You Wayne fanatics know what I mean...). Even Cedar gets drawn right in and opens up his accompaniment for the first time. Curtis and Cedar equal their previous efforts.

Thermo - A handsome, yet gritty, hard-bop composition by Freddie that finds the whole band on the same page for the first time. Freddie solos crisply, and Wayne delivers his best of the session, finally exposing himself right to the bone. Curtis delivers a fine solo, despite the insensitive antics of Art and an uninspiring accompaniment by Cedar, who then struggles a bit on his solo, but does find a hipper groove this time.

So, apart from the performances of Wayne, Freddie and Curtis, which ranged from par to masterful, and a couple of really nice pieces in 'Caravan' and the pair of 'Thermo's, there wasn't a whole lot of good jazz working here. This album is not likely to land in your CD player more than once a year. I give it 3 stars.