Customer Reviews

Out Front

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

 

 

This CD took its time revealing its charms to me. The use of a kind of omnipresent 3-part triadic harmony felt at the same time too rich and not rich enough. And which side of the Ornette fence does it stand on? Or does it sit on it? Well, these are the dangers of an overly canonical, overly historical approach to Jazz. If Booker would've lived past the age of 23, all would've surely been made clear. This is a very young man's record. And yet, it is the music of one who must have intuited that his time wasn't long. The playing and writing are brilliant, passionate and focused. The dirge - like qualities of Moods In Free Time are what finally woke me up to what's going on in this music. I myself would not have gone back to an ensemble part which resembles the opening at the end - that feels like the easy choice. But that's a minor cavil.

Booker's playing is so assured and lyrical. I love the way he attacks high notes. They don't seem to have the climactic function they have for so many trumpeters - they seem more like an element of design. His solos go very well next to some of composer Stefan Wolpe's music for trumpet. I also feel a link to some of Andrew Hill's music, especially Point of Departure. Not enough has been written about some music of the early - '60's which availed itself of some of the innovations of Free Jazz while continuing to make a music extremely linked to a set harmonic scheme. This is a classic of that music.

The tragically short lived Booker Little (died of kidney failure on October 5, 1961, at the age of 23) on trumpet, Julian Priester on trombone, Eric Dolphy on alto sax, bass clarinet, and flute, Don Friedman on piano, Ron Carter plays bass on four tracks, while Art Davis supplies bass for the remaining three, Max Roach drums, and provides, tympani, and vibes.
Upbeat and sunny pieces alternate with slower and dreamier, even slightly melancholic tracks.
I've listened to this album almost more than any other jazz release I own, and I've yet to tire of it.
I was listening to "Man of Words" when I got the news that one of my oldest and best childhood friends had passed away, I can't imagine a more appropriate piece of music for such an experience.
Buy this today if you like jazz at all.

Booker Little's "Out Front" is truly one of the great early recordings of the New Jazz. Recorded over two sessions in the spring of 1961 for jazz writer and critic Nat Hentoff's Candid label, "Out Front" features some of the best jazz musicians of the day -- Eric Dolphy, Julian Priester, Ron Carter and Max Roach. (Additionally, Art Davis replaces Carter on three tracks and Don Friedman plays piano.) These are names that would become synonymous with the experimental jazz innovations of the 60s. Of the numerous factors that contribute to this being a classic album, Little's creative compositions and impeccable arrangements are the most remarkable. The combination of Dolphy, Little and Priester produced bright, energetic melodies that are hauntingly evocative. Unfortunately, Little would die in just a few short months. And it's tragically ironic that just as Little was shedding the inevitable Clifford Brown comparisons, Little too would die too young and too soon. "Out Front" gives us a glimpse at what could have been, yet thankfully it is a masterpiece in its own right to relish.

If I had to pick a handful of jazz recordings to take to a desert island, this would certainly be one of them.

The conception, the originality, the arrangements, the choice of sidemen, the lyricism, the quality of the solos--it's all there.

Plus astounishing fidelity!

I had the original LP when it first came out in 1961. Though I hadn't heard it in many years, when it was reissued on CD, I bought it and have not stopped listened to it. It is like a reunion with one of your oldest and dearest friends whom you haven't seen in many years.

Even though Booker's life, like his colleague, Eric Dolphy, was tragically short, he demonstrated a genius and a maturity far beyond his years.

To me Booker Little is one of the elite trumpeters in jazz history and a beautiful person.

If you listen closely to the way he constructs his tunes, with short episodes,punctuated by contrasting choruses, you will recognize the considerable influence Booker's music had on Dave Douglas.

But as much as I admire and enjoy Dave Douglas, he is a mere mortal compared to the inspired Booker Little.

Get this album while it is still available. You won't regret it.

One final thought: Max Roach is truly unbelievable on this date!

This album is quite possibly the most inventive&innovative album of '58-'64 period. And since it is not a summation but rather an execution upon the principles of poignancy...I cannot figure how it has been obscured from (or by) the "less" meaningful recordings of say Miles Davis, Max Roach and the Jazz Crusaders. I assume it's likely a favorite "gem" of theory teachers and perhaps this is why it is not more readily offered in successive comparison. It would be unwise to critique any blues-rooted jazz from any period without giving a listen to THIS HERE!!! Exorbitant in its "Uniquity..." of course, I'm sure some critics would easily find fault with its TONE. But in addition to doubletracking some of the most brilliant harmonic dissonance of the genre, "Out Front" also captures "The Taming of the Dolphy," who, though known for his highly argumentative verse, is forced into a reduction of mathematical&classical proportions! Little undoubtedly establishes Memphis Blues as a force to be reckoned with in the influence of the Jazz genre!

Booker Little's first session as a leader features a powerful line-up playing a program of all Little originals. This strong studio session features Dolphy, Max Roach, a very young Julian Priester, Don Friedman, and bass duties are split between Ron Carter and Art Davis. No fan of either man should miss this critical chapter in the heartbreakingly short careers of Little and Dolphy. This is the most easily accessible of all the Dolphy /Little pairings and while I am not in love with the way Roach sits too far back in the mix, it is still a lovely little album.

Out Front is an important CD. But his best work is another recording under Time Records titled 'Booker Little' which is not readily available. I have been amazed and disappointed that there has been no reissue of one of the most important albums of the post-Parker, post-Clifford Brown era. This album which was Booker's first album as a leader was recorded on April 13, 1960, eleven days after his 21st birthday. It is an astoundingly beautiful recording using the highest quality multi-channel technology available at the time. It was part of the Series 2000 recordings issued by Time Records with liner notes by Nat Hentoff. It featured Tommy Flanagan, Scott La Faro, and Roy Haynes (with Wynton Kelly sitting in on one tune). If you are a fan of "Bee Tee" (his nickname since childhood), or if you just want to hear a profound trumpet album, having few equals, then you must somehow get this recording. Again, however, I am not sure this is possible since I know of no readily available reissue. I have owned this album since I was a teenager and I have played it over the years for fellow aficionados of the music. Everyone who has heard the work has confirmed this is a masterpiece; and during the 60s and 70s it attained legendary status among serious collectors. For those interested in the important work of Scott La Faro (Bill Evans bassist), this album is essential -- his work here is a virtual tour de force of acoustic bass. I hope other jazz collectors will join me in encouraging whoever owns and controls the Time tapes and catalog to reissue this great work. The album is exceptionally tight and harmonically interesting. Rarely have four musicians played so much in unison, with so much clarity and clean, inspired musicianship.