Customer Reviews

Katanga

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
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One of the delights of the CD revolution has been the rediscovery of great music overlooked at the time of its initial release perhaps due to fashion - anything by Miles, Mulligan or Monk was purchased leaving one's wallet a little thin and unable to stretch to the relatively "unknown". On the other hand, the 50s and 60's was a period of unparalleled revolution in the music, and those who were not part of the avant garde may have been unfairly dismissed. To me KATANGA represents "mainstream" jazz at its best, the front line at least the equal of Shelley Manne's renowned Blackhawk work. And the remastering belies its origins 36 years ago at the Pacific Jazz Studios in Los Angeles, especially in regard to the bass which is beautifully round and full without being too forward, and the stereo image which is excellent. Producer Michael Cuscuna has done justice to Richard Bock's original excellent production. I'd not heard of Dupree Bolton but he is a mightily impressive trumpet player with tone, attack, and inventiveness to match the best. Ray Crawford, familiar to those who know OUT OF THE COOL by heart, is an unfussy master of colour and timing, and Curtis Amy is outstanding on soprano sax as well as tenor. The music is not over-arranged and leaves space for the music to breathe - two highlights for me were NATIVE LAND by Curtis Amy which clocks in at over 10 minutes and the title track KATANGA which really cooks. It's a cliche but I'm happy to spend 12 bucks for these two tracks alone. But there's more! As a bonus, there are three tracks added to the original album featuring Marcus Belgrave instead of Bolton, and Roy Brewster on valve trombone, augmented by a four piece rhythm section. I recommend this album. Ian Muldoon email: morejazz@bigpond.com

It was only thanks to an article in the excellent literary magazine Granta that I even heard of Dupree Bolton. His teaming up with Curtis Amy is great, but it's Bolton who steals the show. After reading about his tragic life, his ups and downs, his personal problems, and above all, the energizing quality of his trumpet playing, I bought this CD just to find out how good he really was. Buy this CD! Had he continued to play and survive into a more modern period, Dupree Bolton would probably have become one of the most famous trumpet players in the annals of jazz. As it is, Bolton has been relegated to the position of an overlooked talent who should have made it bigger than he did. The songs on the CD percolate with short-burst madness, improvisational ingenuity, tonic surprises, and rhythmic twitching. Fans of Fats Navarro and Cliff Brown will dig the blowing. Amy and the others are worthy context for Bolton. A gem of a CD.

For more than 30 years I was looking for this record and for a reedition as CD. Now my wish is fullfilled. Since three weeks you can get this rarity as a CD. I recommend this re-edition of a forgotten Bepop record as one of the most amazing composition. The music shows how far evolved Bebop was in the Fiftys. It is very differentiated. The pieces bring together different styles of Bebop-Jazz. If you want to know the paradigm of Bebop, this record can convey it to you. There is no boring piece on it.

Another Kind of Blue, this is what you will find behind the mask. I'm not exaggerating. It's absolutely not mainstream Jazz, it's MODAL Jazz in the Miles vein from the sixties. The album is a Pacific Jazz from 1963. I have listened to this album ONE TIME and I'm completely addicted. Perfect. One shot one kill! It always seems this way when the pianist Jack Wilson, which I ADORE, is involved. The line up is composed by some phenomenal musicians, Jack Wilson piano that I have already mentioned, Dupree Bolton exceptionally gifted trumpet player in the Davis fashion (sixties, Kind of blue style), maybe even a little more technically accomplished (a sort of Lee Morgan in a sense), Curtis Amy (tenor, soprano), Ray Crawford (guitar), Vic Gaskin (dbass), Doug Sides (drums). Maybe some of them will not mean something special to you, but they are phenomenal on this date. The program is based on some modal compositions, but it's so and so, modal and boppish, it reminds me of something by George Russell (Ezz Thetics etc). Brilliant music, very balanced, it's impossible you will not like this if you're a Jazz fan or even a casual listener. Even if it's deep Jazz, it's very easy to grasp, full modal, but hard bop at times, similar to some Lee Morgan or Blakey' Jazz Messengers (A shade of Brown). Fantastic date, I doubted to buy this one, because the cover, even if stuff of Jazz mithology, it's awkward at least ... I thought about some full africanism, free modal stuff, you know what I mean? Nothing to do with those awkward african experiments from the sixties (aka some HORRIBLE COltrane stuff in that way). This is legendary Jazz of the highest caliber that I suggest to all my Jazz brothers. PHE NO ME NAL.

Because Dupree Bolton spent most of the time in prison because of drugs,Katanga is one of the few recordings starring Dupree Bolton...

A great trumpet player, a fantastic story, a rare cd...well everything is there to please jazz lovers.

Katanga is a vibrant jazz mix featuring excellent musicians. It is a shame this was their only group effort.