Unity [Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered]

Larry Young | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 9, 1999)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Label: Blue Note Records
• ASIN: B00000I41F
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,745 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #1 in Music > Indie Music > Jazz > Boogaloo
  • #3 in Music > Indie Music > Jazz > Modern Post Bop
  • #5 in Music > R&B > Funk > Jazz Funk

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Recorded in 1965, in the afterglow of avant-garde jazz's first significant wave, Unity proved what organist Larry Young's Blue Note debut, Into Somethin', foreshadowed. Young had been a straightforward protégé of Jimmy Smith prior to his Blue Note years, and he later went full-tilt into fusion, eventually joining Tony Williams's Lifetime for their rightly named debut, Emergency. But here Young dug into an exploratory groove that fed in part off the Hammond B-3 tradition and in part off the pulse-oriented rhythmic developments then occupying Cecil Taylor and others. That said, the tunes are all keeled on even tempos, with thoughtful, tight soloing from Joe Henderson and a young Woody Shaw. With drummer Elvin Jones powering the quartet, the music cruises along, but Young's free-flying organ is the most striking point, with its fall-apart deconstructions and its architecturally complex solos and melody statements. More than anything, this recording helped clarify how relevant the B-3 was for the new breed of jazzers. This Rudy Van Gelder remaster improves the sound, both brightening it and bolstering the low end. Also added are a couple of great photos and a new liner essay. --Andrew Bartlett

Product Description

The album that put Larry Young and Woody Shaw on the jazz map, this exciting and inventive session with Joe Henderson and Elvin Jones. Churning rhythms, challenging ground breaking compositions and brilliant solo work make this album a classic that exerted great, uncredited influence on the next generation of jazz artists. And one of the most requested Blue Note reissues!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential in a top Jazz collection, November 25, 2001

By 

Christo "montxsuz" (Vancouver, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Unity (Audio CD)

Move over Jimmy Smith. This one really cooks. I did not know much about Larry Young when I ordered this CD sight unseen from Amazon recently - I came across it in the Penguin. The other musicians on the CD need no introduction. It features a masterful Joe Henderson on tenor sax, Elvin Jones's intense drumming, and an effortless Woody Shaw on trumpet. And then of course Larry Young on the Hammond B3 organ. And it is Young who does it for me on this CD. There aren't a lot of jazz organists who have made it to the top, and unfortunately Larry Young died young - like too many jazz musicians (including Woody Shaw).

Young never had any formal organ training, and he modeled his style on John Coltrane. That is apparent in the flurry of notes and key changes the listener is presented with. But the sound never gets as intense as for example Coltrane's Ascension. It is a more laid-back sound, but with plenty of captivating audio interest. Young complements the other players and never overpowers them.

At the time the CD was recorded, Elvin Jones had just completed a 5-year tenure with Coltrane, and Coltrane's influence here also shines through in Jones's flexible rhythm. Joe Henderson, who went on to become one of the premier saxophonists of the last couple of decades, contributes substantially to this recording with his original sound. Woody Shaw played with Eric Dolphy before teaming up with Young at the age of 20. The fascinating thing about his musical education for me is his interest in 20th century composers such as Bartok and Schoenberg. Apart from the accomplishments of the individual musicians, the sustained, collective spirit of the quartet is strongly evident.

The 6 tracks on the album were composed by Woody Shaw (3), Thelonious Monk, Joe Henderson, and Romberg and Hammerstein. My favourite track is track 6 "Beyond all limits" by Shaw. It is a track which is fast off the mark with the organ, and then continues with some challenging chord changes.

This is one of those CDs that you almost immediately like - and the more you listen to it, the more it grows on you. This CD is a superb re-master; the original was recorded in 1965. Apparently it is difficult to find, so grab it now while it is still available.

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A classic, August 21, 2000

By 

N. Dorward "obsessive reviewer" (Toronto, ON Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Unity (Audio CD)

This is often considered one of the highpoints of the Blue Note catalogue, & I certainly wouldn't disagree. Larry Young was one of the greatest of organists--"the Coltrane of the organ", as he's been called. Here he's joined by Joe Henderson on tenor, a very young Woody Shaw on trumpet, and Elvin Jones on drums; Young's generosity to up-and-coming musicians is shown in his turning over the main compositional focus to Shaw (then an unknown 22-year-old from Newark), whose tunes "Zoltan", "The Moontrane" and "Beyond All Limits" receive their debut recordings here. These are all superb, but perhaps the highlight is an organ-and-drums battle on "Monk's Dream", which elicits an ecstatic & yet perfectly logical solo from Young. Henderson, Shaw & Jones all turn in some of the most impressive work of their careers here--surely Henderson's solo that kicks off "Softly as in a Morning Sunrise" deserves to be ranked among his best, for instance.

The only disappointment of this album, I suppose, is that it never received a followup. After this disc Young first swung in the direction of free jazz (the disappointingly shambolic _Of Love and Peace_) and then heavily commercially-oriented music (_Contrasts_ and _Heaven on Earth_). Neither venture was commercially or artistically successful; his best recordings after this point were for other leaders (Tony Williams, Miles Davis, etc.) in a fusion mode. Young died at the age of 37 in 1978 (of pneumonia, contracted while in hospital for routine surgery) before he could turn his career around--one of the greatest losses to the music in recent decades. Best to remember him by such discs as _Unity_, _Into Somethin'_ and the fine series of LPs he recorded with Grant Green. Perhaps someday if the record companies get smart they'll reissue _Double Exposure_, Young's last recording, a duo with Joe Chambers.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very impressive outing, April 11, 2002

By 

happydogpotatohead "happydogpotatohead" (New Orleans, LA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Unity (Audio CD)

Most people, when they think of jazz organ, think of Jimmy McGriff or Jimmy Smith and their blues-jazz workouts. This is completely different. Larry Young created an ensemble around himself that works to create unified pieces of music in a modern jazz style that owes more to John Coltrane than Jimmy Smith.

Young works with the ensemble in a very giving way. He does take impressive, Coltranesque solos, but this is no "Look at me, I got a big B-3" organfest. Everybody here is a capable soloist, and everyone takes turns being brilliant and being supportive. Young didn't even write most of the tunes, wisely letting his bandmembers contribute their compositions. And those compositions are good; angular and modern without being strained or pretentious, and melodic without being cloying.

There are a lot of jazz critics who claim that this is the best jazz organ record ever made. I can't say that, because I haven't heard every jazz organ record ever made (and because I still have a soft spot for Jimmy Smith's "The Sermon"). But this is definitely right up there among the top 10.

"Unity" is definitely not just another jazz organ jam session by any means. If you're a fan of progressive jazz played by sensitive and well-spoken players, you'll dig this CD. This is the good stuff.