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Tone Poet Blue Notes

poco a poco said:
The bass is a bit of a disaster though again as Tony says, muddy and lacking distinctiveness, at least at the start of the first set. I'd put probably put most of that down to Jymie Merritt using his hybrid amplified Ampeg Bass that he helped to invent. I'm not a fan of uprights amplified via pickups and played through a 90 watt amplifier in his case.
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Listening to this again it makes total sense. The recording is fine, in fact the rest of the band is great (excellent horns & drums, Rudy style piano), it’s just the bass is just a horrible distorted honking booming mess, which I guess is exactly what it sounded like. Why he didn’t just use a conventional acoustic bass or even a standard Fender Jazz Bass and amp I have no idea. He must have realised it was crap!

What’s the studio album Caramba (1968) like? That’s pencilled in for a Classic reissue later and I’ll likely take a punt as I love the Lighthouse material, especially the more long-form stuff.
 
Tony L said:
Listening to this again it makes total sense. The recording is fine, in fact the rest of the band is great (excellent horns & drums, Rudy style piano), it’s just the bass is just a horrible distorted honking booming mess, which I guess is exactly what it sounded like. Why he didn’t just use a conventional acoustic bass or even a standard Fender Jazz Bass and amp I have no idea. He must have realised it was crap!

What’s the studio album Caramba (1968) like? That’s pencilled in for a Classic reissue later and I’ll likely take a punt as I love the Lighthouse material, especially the more long-form stuff.
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Tony, yes I agree again about the bass. I don't understand it's use for an upright at all. You lose all the sound of wood body of the instrument and much of the subtleties of hands on strings. It is a real pity here as otherwise the standard of playing is exceptional and the sound (apart from the bass is very good). I think perhaps Merritt wanted to mark himself out as different and amplification was becoming the norm for bass players even in small clubs. Ron Carter tried it for a while because of the demand (as on the two Tone Poets - it does sound much better there though), but hated it and eventually abandoned using it. Or perhaps Merritt was just pushing his use of a pickup on an upright that he helped to invent for Ampeg for commercial reasons.

I'm two thirds way through the sets at the moment and apart from the bass really enjoying it. The way the musicians respond and bounce off one another is almost telepathic at times and there is real drive and excitement to the music and that you also pickup from the atmosphere in the club. I'm really impressed by Bernie Maupin on this both for his solos and the compositions. Makes me think he is very under rated. Harold Mabern's playing is impressive as well. Roker on drums is good, but the version of 'Speedball' where Jack Dejohnette sits in instead is really electrifying.

I have not heard Caramba before (horrible cover), but Bernie Maupin is on that with Lee and Cedar Walton on piano and similar period so it should be good. I'll check it out on Youtube, but almost certainly will take a punt as well.
 
Caramba is fantastic! Lee gets funky. Again, I bought a cheap-ish original with RVG in the run out. Amazing how much they’ve increased in value over the past few years…
 
I love Maupin's playing probably more so than Morgan's on the Lighthouse sessions. There's just not much Maupin around and I ordered the box mostly because I wanted more of it.

If you like this period of Lee Morgan, I recommend his last studio album for Blue Note, simply self-titled. Similar band although Maupin was not on it, and recorded a year after the Lighthouse performance.

Morgan was a great trumpet player but generally I prefer his earlier recordings (e.g. Sidewinder, Search for New Land, his work as sideman on many classic BN sessions). I think I probably rate Hubbard and Woody Shaw more (blasphemy!).
 
I think the only Maupin's with him as leader are about 5 or 6 albums later than Lighthouse. I have only heard the ECM one Jewel in the Lotus. Otherwise I can only remember hearing him as a sideman on the later Miles and Herbie Hancock albums and on the 1967 McCoy Tyner that is a now a Tone Poet.

I like Morgan's playing on the Lighthouse, but my favourites are the earlier 'Search for the New Land', Cornbread and 'Tom Cat' that got delayed till 1980 probably not to conflict with 'The Rumproller' follow up to Sidewinder? I would probably rate him a bit higher than Hubbard and Shaw, but probably just because I have more albums of his or with him as a sideman?

I thought the last Morgan album might also become a Tone Poet. Perhaps it still will?
 
poco a poco said:
I think the only Maupin's with him as leader are about 5 or 6 albums later than Lighthouse. I have only heard the ECM one Jewel in the Lotus. Otherwise I can only remember hearing him as a sideman on the later Miles and Herbie Hancock albums and on the 1967 McCoy Tyner that is a now a Tone Poet.
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Yes, I think he might have done some other fusion stuff (after Jewel in the Lotus) mid/late-70s - could be thinking of someone else as it's not really my thing.
 
gavreid said:
Yes, I think he might have done some other fusion stuff (after Jewel in the Lotus) mid/late-70s - could be thinking of someone else as it's not really my thing.
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Just checked Discogs that gives 6 albums, 1 single and two compilations. 4 albums in the 70's. Mostly fusion I think as you say, but the Almanac album with Cecil McBee seems interesting I might check that out.
 
My copy of The All Seeing Eye arrived yesterday and I have just given it a spin (no Gin accomplement though :(;)). Thought it was a little noisy at first, but it was just the rain beating against our windows. So a beautiful and quiet pressing as usual plus of course great music. Only very slight downside is that Alan Shorter (love Mephistopheles composition and solo on this), James Spaulding and Joe Chambers missing from the sleeve photos.

What I need now is a same Tone Poet high quality pressing of 'Schizophrenia'!
 
I'd love to see Andrew Hill's 'Grass Roots' re-released on TP: it's Hill at his most accessible.

There was a relatively recent re-pressing on BN: anybody here heard it?
 
Theo said:
I'd love to see Andrew Hill's 'Grass Roots' re-released on TP: it's Hill at his most accessible.

There was a relatively recent re-pressing on BN: anybody here heard it?
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Theo,
I think the last official Blue Note LP version was 2006. I have seen a version on Honest Jon's at £11.99, but I have doubts about the provanance of that given the price. It unfortunate they never seem to give a date. I haven't risked it, but I suppose worth a punt as not too expensive. There was a Japanese 2014 CD release that can be found new, but fairly expensive. I have not heard either of those. A Tone Poet would be good. :) Joe Harley has now hinted that there will be some more Andrew Hill after Dance With Death as Passing Ships sold well and the Wobblegate fuss has now died down. No details yet though.
 
A Tone Poet Box Set that has been rumoured for sometime seems to now be confirmed for a December release:
IMG-0066.jpg

Ornette Coleman - 'Round Trip' 6 LP's. Priced on this site below at 299 Euros:
https://www.recordsonvinyl.nl/products/ornette-coleman-round-trip
Similar Price to the Lee Morgan Lighthouse Vinyl Box Set. Although I have some of the contents and it is expensive if it's not delayed I might persuade someone to make it my 'Christmas Box' Set. ;)
 
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