Customer Reviews

Unity

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

This album is one of the most satisfying jazz albums I've ever bought. First off, it's a treat to hear the organ in such an up-front and wide-open setting; usually when we hear a B-3's sweet tones it is merely tapping out some cute seventh chords in the background of a blues jam. Larry Young is as unrestricted as any jazz musician can sound within the bounds of a chord progression here, playing lines as melodic and purposeful as Freddie Hubbard or as emotional and forceful as Joe Henderson, who also plays in top form on the date in question, within the same solo, all the while holding down a solid bass line with his left hand so masterfully that many have been led in ignorance to think there is a bass player on the recording (there isn't). Woody Shaw, often hailed as one of the most underrated soloists in post-bop, shows his true talent here as well, placing his unorthodox yet fluid phrases in all of the tunes from his own 60's avant-garde flavored "Moontrane" to the very standard standard, "Softly As in a Morning Sunrise," all with the same level of energy and sheer emotion that is par for the course on this fantastic album. So, the soloing is great. Really great.

Next order of business: Elvin Freaking Jones! Elvin passed away recently, and I'm sure many people are looking for his most characteristic and celebrated recordings to appreciate what a great talent he was and what an impact he had on jazz drumming and on jazz as a whole. Unity is as good a place to start as any. Though he was obviously most famous for his work in thepurpose-driven John Coltrane Quartet, he displayed hisunique polyrhythmically swinging style on a number of records as a sideman including this one and other perennials such as Wayne Shorter's Speak No Evil and Sonny Rollins' Live at the Village Vanguard. It is a joy to hear him communicating with less familiar musicians with the same empathy as he did in the Coltrane quartet. His solos are fantastic as well, with his free, over-the-barline style which often displayed itself in open-ended solos turning up here inside the boundaries of extended form ("Monk's Dream") and in four bar phrases ("Zoltan"). Even within the restriction of specific solo lengths, Elvin plays with the same freedom and motive-oriented melodicism as always.

And last but not least: song selection. No Larry Young originals here, but three by Shaw and one by Henderson which are wonderful new (at the time) compositions that have become those type of "standards" that get played from time to time but aren't in the Real Book and don't exactly get called at wedding gigs. The very Monk-ish "Monk's Dream" is a Larry and Elvin duet here, a very good choice and a nice variation for the album's general flow. As said earlier, the standard "Softly..." is treated with the same improvisational attitude as the more modern tunes. Great selections.

Okay, if my bombastic ramblings communicate nothing else to you, please hear this last line: buy this album! 

A classic. Young on organ, Woody Shaw in top form on trumpet, the incomparable Elvin Jones on drums. And Joe Henderson "at the peak of his powers," as they say, on tenor. Advanced but still very, very listenable. The B-3 put to atypical but just marvelous use. Still in heavy rotation even though my collection has gotten out of hand.

"Unity" is an album that belongs in the post-Hardbop category. Larry Young was the first Organist to start to break away from the Jimmy Smith tradition. If you have experienced any of his first few sessions for the Prestige label, you will hear the undeniable Jimmy Smith influence in his playing. Jimmy Smith is the king of the Organ but Young took what Smith had done and refined it. He also added his own material to start a whole new way to look at an instrument that was handicapped by it's own size, but stood out with it's incredible sound. Joining the "Young" organ master is the masterful Elvin Jones with his complicated Rhythmic drumming, Elvin had just left the Coltrane group and, if you have heard any of his earlier sessions with the Coltrane group, you will start to hear his playing change in a way that he is more open to what the soloist is doing yet still keeping the beat and Enhancing the feeling. Larry played the Organ more like a piano so he constructs his solos on lines more than sticking to the more chordal improvisation that was so heavily used by Smith and others. Joe Henderson, a very talented Tenor Saxophonist is often considered to be incredibly original yet you will hear an almost direct relation between him and fellow sax men Junior Cook and Sonny Rollins. Hendersons solos are constructed of broken up phrases that are loud but meaningful statements. Woody Shaw is a very fine trumpeter who sounds like a combonation of Blue Mitchell and Freddie Hubbard. The players are in top form, the Compositions are played with intensity.

"Zoltan", the opening tune, was composed by Woody Shaw and the solo work done on this song alone is worth the price of the album. Young and Jones play a Duo on "Monks Dream" which is obviously by Thelonious Monk. "Moontrane", another Shaw original, was written for John Coltrane since he was one of Shaws, Youngs, and Hendersons biggest influences. The form is standard 32 bars but the harmonies and Chordal structure are much different than that of many standard jazz compositions. "If" is a Henderson tune resembling the blues but many of the chords are replaced with altered voicings that make it very unique sounding. The group plays a reworking of the standard "Softly as in a Morning Sunrise" and features excellent solos from all around. The closer, also by shaw, is a smoker and uses even more complex harmonies and chord patterns that "Moontrane" not to mention the odd number of 5o bars. If you want to hear extremely good jazz, this is one of the best examples.

Wow, what a great album. Who would have thought that Larry Young would provide one of the great jazz albums of the 60's. This album is the perfect blend of old and new. A lot of jazz purists scoffed at the organ as having a roller rinky, circus kind of sound, but this album proves how great the organ can be. Along with the outstanding playing of Woody Shaw on trumpet, Unity creates a unique vibe of its own. It's hard to deny the power of this album. Not overly uptempo or funky like some of the organ albums of the seventies and not entirely contained in the boundries of the traditional jazz of the fifties. This album is for any fan of jazz. You will not be disappointed.

Unity is one of the best albums l've ever had the pleasure to hear. l became a fan of the artists on this album from listening to this album. My collection has grown exponentially since. There's a mood or tone to this album that is so unique-edgy, unbalancing, expectant, and clear-as to make me look for it on other albums. l think Young and Shaw are the purveyors of this. Enjoy.

Maybe I'm a sucker for the Hammond B-3, but this is some great music. The music is informed by 60s avant-garde jazz, but never really goes "out". If you like Coltrane's pre-'65 Impulse! recordings and some of the more advanced Blue Note albums, this one is definitely for you.

Larry Young was simply a raw and rare talent in jazz. This album is just great from the first song to the last. It starts out with "Zoltan" which is a high-energy, groovy-feel type jam. The rhythm on this song is marvelous. It then goes on through 4 more songs before it gets to my favorite song. "Beyond All Limits." In reality, this album just proves that Jazz is one of the only "True" forms of music. This was recorded in 1965, and most of the material is beyond the level of any of today's artists in any genre of music. I am amazed every time I listen to this album because I cannot help but to think what Larry Young would have been if it weren't for his very unfortunate early demise. He was on the verge of greatness by the age of 18, and that greatness did get a chance to shine through on "Unity." Another notable selection on the album is "Monk's Dream." Young showcases some solo serious solo skills in this one. But I think that the main reason why this album is so outstanding is because of the collective unit. Accompanied by Woody Shaw, Joe Henderson, and Elvin Jones, Larry can't help but have one of the best jazz organ albums ever. They also wrote at least one song each on this project. The band just meshes together perfectly, and it really doesn't get any better than this. 5 stars.
-Peace-