Michal Urbaniak: Fusion III (1975)

With song structures similar to Mahavishnu Orchestra and electric-era Return to Forever, Michal Urbaniak's Fusion III appealed to the same fusion-buying clientele. What most distinguishes this music from that of its contemporaries was the unique vocalizing of Urbaniak's wife, Ursula Dudziak. She could sound at times like a Polish Flora Purim, at other times like a synthesized presence from another world. On this recording, Urbaniak's playing is fresh and engaging, and his compositions occasionally sound like Frank Zappa's instrumental work from this same era. John Abercrombie and Larry Coryell turn in blistering guitar passages, and bassist Anthony Jackson and drummer Steve Gadd provide a funkified rhythmic foundation.
Fusion III (RS) / Fusion III (MU) @ 256K

Lonnie Smith Trio: Afro Blue (1997)

After a long hiatus from the record shelves, the turbaned Dr. Lonnie Smith -- along with guitarist John Abercrombie and drummer Marvin "Smitty" Smith -- sets his sights upon John Coltrane, turning in five 'Trane tunes plus Mongo Santamaria's "Afro-Blue" and a grooving Smith tribute, "Traces of Trane." The propulsive title track is mostly dominated by Abercrombie, while "Impressions" continues the driving pace as Lonnie sprays Hammond B-3 organ notes all over the place with constant brief call-and-response dialogues with himself. Another highlight is one of the two breathers, the aptly named "Lonnie's Lament," which has a nice haunting lilt. Carelessly left off the label and booklet copy -- but embedded in your CD anyway -- is any mention of a 12-minute workout on "Greensleeves" in the push-pull, modal Coltrane manner, with a strong hint of Jimmy Smith. Abercrombie usually plays in his veiled, out-of-tempo manner, while "Smitty" is a volatile, hyperkinetic workhorse most of the time, offering a complex individualistic challenge to the Elvin Jones standard. ~ Richard S. Ginell, AMG

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Afro Blue (RS) / Afro Blue (HF) @ 320K

Charles Lloyd: Hyperion with Higgins (2001) [lossless, scans]

The December 1999 sessions that produced The Water Is Wide yielded enough material for a second album. Hyperion With Higgins is the result, and its title reflects the sad fact that Billy Higgins, Lloyd's friend and soul mate and the session's drummer, passed away not long after the music was put to tape. The music's spiritual quality is heightened by the after-the-fact dedication. Quite unlike The Water Is Wide, Hyperion With Higgins is comprised entirely of Lloyd's original compositions, although the same lineup is featured: Lloyd, Higgins, John Abercrombie, Brad Mehldau, and Larry Grenadier. After a couple of fairly straightforward jazz pieces ("Dancing Waters, Big Sur to Bahia" and "Bharati"), the quintet delves into two longer works: "Secret Life of the Forbidden City" and the Coltrane-esque "Miss Jessye." They then romp through the title track, a spirited mid-tempo blues, before tackling the album's centerpiece: the five-part "Darkness on the Delta Suite," an ambitious, free-leaning melange of Eastern and rural blues connotations (with a brilliant solo interlude by Abercrombie). The last two pieces — "Dervish on the Glory B" and "The Caravan Moves On" — depart almost completely from jazz vernacular. The former recalls the upbeat, folk-like drone of the sunset portion of "Forest Flower," while the latter, featuring Lloyd on taragato, evokes not only the Middle Eastern desert, but also the inexorable march of time. Thus does a fitting homage to the departed Higgins conclude this exceptionally focused, all-original statement from Charles Lloyd.

Charles Lloyd: The Water Is Wide (2000) mp3 @ 320K

Charles Lloyd was on a roll in the 1990s, each new CD offering some small surprises. On his new 2000 release, The Water Is Wide, Lloyd boasts a great lineup. Guitarist John Abercrombie and drummer Billy Higgins are back from Lloyd's Voice in the Night, but they are joined here by Brad Mehldau and the pianist's regular bassist, Larry Grenadier. The choice of material is also something of a surprise--Ellingtonia, such as "Black Butterfly," "Heaven," and "Lotus Blossom," the Scots folk song "The Water is Wide," Hoagy Carmichael's "Georgia," and several appealing Lloyd originals. The mood throughout is meditative, gentle, and carefully considered. Lloyd's tenor is sometimes sensuous, sometimes stark, Mehldau and Abercrombie matching him with minimalist but elegant support. Only on "There is a Balm in Gilead" does the tempo increase, and only on Cecil McBee's composition "Song of Her" does an arrangement become obvious. Yet this is music of great charm, made more so by its understatement and the delicacy of Lloyd's phrasing and the distinctiveness of his tone. Records like this used to come from Coleman Hawkins and Ben Webster, but there aren't many saxophonists today who could pull off something so straightforward and unpretentious. --John F. Szwed