Recorded on June 18, 1971
If you're like me, you first took note of Ted Curson's trumpet work when you heard it on a Charles Mingus record. (In my case, it was Mingus at Antibes.) Curson's career as a band-leader never approached the level his former employer, but he made some outstanding music nonetheless. Today's selection, Pop Wine, is case in point.
Curson recorded Pop Wine in Paris for the French Futura label. He had the good fortune to make the record with Georges Arvanitas' trio, a regular working group that often recorded with American musicians who traveled through Europe as "singles." (In fact, we've already heard from Arvanitas' trio in this survey. They backed Anita O'Day when she made her record at the Berliner Jazztage in November 1970.) But Arvanitas and his trio do much more than merely support Curson. They're collaborators, partners in helping make this music come to life.
Curson's trumpet work is impressive, and he composed all of the music on the disc. It's difficult to characterize the music, since it's so wide-ranging. For example, the 13-minute first cut, "Quartier Latin," begins as free jazz. Then it modulates into a Spanish-tinged piece, reminiscent of something you might have heard on Miles' Sketches of Spain (if you could imagine it reduced to a quartet format). Other pieces, like the title cut, are more groove oriented. But regardless of how it's assembled, this is exciting, spontaneous jazz that moves in unexpected directions.
More Ted Curson
Two other Curson LPs that I have enjoyed: Jubilant Power (Inner City, 1976) and Quicksand (Atlantic, 1977).
I have to look for this one. It sounds great. Another great 70s Curson disc is “The Trio” on Interplay. It’s just Ted, Ray Drummond, and Roy Haynes, and all three give amazing performances. The record starts with a very fast “Snake Johnson” and each tune gets slower, ending with a beautiful “Round Midnight.” I have no idea if it ever became a CD, but I suspect not.
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