Mickey Tucker – Mister Mysterious (Muse, 1979)

Mickey Tucker (p); Cecil Bridgewater (tr); Frank Foster (ts, ss, fl); Pepper Adams (bs); Cecil McBee (b); Eddie Gladden (d); Ray Mantilla (perc, 2 tracks only); Azzedin Weston (cga, 1 track only)

Recorded on June 23, 1978

Mickey Tucker's music from the 1970s is largely unavailable; most of it has never been issued in any digital format.  That's a shame -- because he made some terrific records during this time.  None are better than this 1979 Muse LP.  

Mister Mysterious features a stellar line-up and a slate of interesting compositions, all written by the leader.  

This is high-octane 1970s mainstream jazz at it's finest.

More Mickey Tucker

- The New Heritage Keyboard Quartet (Blue Note, 1973) - co-led with Sir Roland Hanna

- Triplicity (Xanadu, 1975)

- SoJourn (Xanadu, 1976)

- Sweet Lotus Lips (Denon, 1978)

- The Crawl (Muse, 1980)

Jay McShann – Kansas City Hustle (Sackville, 1978)

Jay McShann (p)

Recorded on June 20 - 21, 1978

Reissued as part of the two-CD set Solos & Duets featuring Don Thompson (Sackville, 2005)

Given the title -- and McShann's reputation -- you might expect this set to be a boisterous, rollicking set.  But that's not the case at all.  If fact, this solo-piano LP captures the famous Kansas City jazzman Jay McShann in an especially meditative, reflective mood.  

Whenever I listen to this LP, I'm always pulled in.  It's a powerful and bluesy reverie, almost a spell.  Irresistible.

More Jay McShann

- Goin' to Kansas City (Master Jazz/New World, 1972)

- Crazy Legs & Friday Strut (Sackville, 1977) - with Buddy Tate

- A Tribute to Fats Waller (Sackville, 1978)

- The Last of the Blue Devils (Atlantic, 1978)

- The Man from Muskogee (Sackville, 1979) - with Claude Williams 

- Last of the Whorehouse Piano Players: The Original Sessions (Chazz Jazz/Chiaroscuro, 1980) - with Dick Sutton

Pepper Adams – Reflectory (Muse, 1978)

Pepper Adams (bs); Roland Hanna (p); George Mraz (b); Billy Hart (d)

Recorded on June 14, 1978

Pepper Adams was one of the great baritone saxophonists in jazz, a totally distinctive and nimble voice on the big horn.  

Backed by a superlative rhythm section, I think Reflectory is the best album he ever made.

More Pepper Adams

Other favorites include:

- Twelfth & Pingree (Enja, 1975)

- Julian (Enja, 1976)

- The Master (Muse, 1980)

- Urban Dreams (Palo Alto, 1981)

- The Adams Effect (Uptown, rec. 1985)

Archie Shepp & Dollar Brand [Abdullah Ibrahim] – Duet (Denon, 1978)

Archie Shepp (ts, as, ss); Dollar Brand [Abdullah Ibrahim] (p)

Recorded on June 5, 1978

Archie Shepp famously recorded two duo albums with Horace Parlan for SteepleChase: Goin' Home (1977) and Trouble in Mind (1980).  

While I'd hate to be without either of those wonderful albums, I like this duo album with Abdullah Ibrahim even more.  It's a special collaboration.

Bennie Wallace – Live at the Public Theater (Enja/Inner City, 1978)

Bennie Wallace (ts); Eddie Gómez (b); Dannie Richmond (d)

Recorded on May 26, 1978

I've always enjoyed Bennie Wallace's sound.  It's so big and brawny.  You can hear swing-era heroes like Coleman Hawkins and Herschel Evans in there.  But there's nothing self-consciously retro about it.  His playing lets you know he's familiar with these masters, but he has assimilated them, creating his own personal and thoroughly modern voice.

At the start of his career, Wallace made a series of outstanding recordings for the (West) German label Enja.  From this listener's point of view, the finest of the run is this live trio performance with Eddie Gómez and Dannie Richmond.

The album was recently reissued on the Japanese Solid label with two Thelonious Monk compositions as bonus tracks, "Ugly Beauty" and "Ask Me Now."

More Bennie Wallace

- The Fourteen Bar Blues (Enja, 1978)

- The Free Will (Enja, 1980)

- Bennie Wallace Plays Monk (Enja, 1981)

- Big Jim's Tango (Enja, 1983)

Bob Brookmeyer – Back Again (Sonet/Gazell, 1979)

Bob Brookmeyer (valve tb); Thad Jones (cor, flgn); Jimmy Rowles (p); George Mraz (b); Mel Lewis (d)

Recorded on May 23 - 25, 1978

How can you go wrong with this line-up?!?!  

Both Brookmeyer and Thad Jones are exquisite, and the rhythm section plays like a dream. 

More Bob Brookmeyer

Brookmeyer's outing for Gryphon Records, The Bob Brookmeyer Small Band (1978) -- with Jack Wilkins (g), Michael Moore (b), and Joe LaBarbera (d) -- is easy to recommend.  Early in the following decade, Brookmeyer would go on to make several excellent recordings with the Mel Lewis Big Band (after Thad's departure), including Bob Brookmeyer: Composer, Arranger (Gryphon, 1980) and Make Me Smile & Other New Works (Finesse, 1982).

New York Jazz Quartet – Blues for Sarka (Enja/Inner City, 1978)

Frank Wess (ts, fl); Roland Hanna (p); George Mraz (b); Grady Tate (d)

Recorded on May 17, 1978

Listening to the New York Jazz Quartet, one gets the impression that they could go anywhere and play anything.  Their mastery is so complete and so evident.  Moreover, they're a real unit --  a band -- not just players brought together for a gig.  

The word that I would use to describe the music they make is supple.  Not soft, but flexible, graceful, and strong.

More NYJQ

Every record by this ensemble is worth hearing, but the Enja releases are particularly notable. 

- In Concert in Japan (Salvation, 1975)  - with Ron Carter (b) and Ben Riley (d)

- Surge (Enja, 1977)

- Song of the Black Knight (Sonet, 1978)

- Oasis (Enja, 1981)

- The New York Jazz Quartet in Chicago (Bee Hive, 1983)