CHARLES McPHERSON - Live In Tokyo
Xanadu Master Edition 906091
Charles McPherson ( alto ) Jimmy Raney ( gtr ) Barry Harris ( pno ) Sam Jones ( bass ) Leroy Williams ( drs )
Recorded at Nakano Plaza Hall, Tokyo, 14 April 1976
By the age of 17 years old Charles McPherson was playing professionally in Detroit with Barry Harris who just happens to be the pianist on this album. In 1959 he moved to New York and within a year he Hd joined the Charles Mingus Jazz Workshop and continued to work with Mingus off and on until 1974.
His alto style is heavily influenced by Charlie Parker and took on board his harmonic ideas and there is a warmth in his playing which does not become strident.
The programme he plays at the Nakano Sun Plaza Hall in Tokyo is nicely balanced between a number of bop standards, numbers from the Great American Songbook and a couple of originals by Charles McPherson himself.
The programme opens with a Charles McPherson original “Tokyo Blue” taken at a nice easy tempo and it soon becomes apparent that McPherson is in good form and the concert will be a success, Barry Harris lays down a masterful solo, a great opening to the concert.
Charles McPherson is equally adept on a ballad and on “These Foolish Things” he comes up with a solo of great beauty closely followed by Barry Harris.
The final two numbers on the album “Groovin’ High” and “Blue ‘n Boogie” were not present on the original LP release and have guitarist Jimmy Raney added to the line up.
On the first number “Groovin’ High” McPherson and Raney play the theme in unison which is most effective.
This type of jazz may be thought as old hat but there is much for the listener to enjoy and for those who were brought up on this type of music it is a joyous album.
Reviewed by Roy Booth
Xanadu Master Edition 906091
Charles McPherson ( alto ) Jimmy Raney ( gtr ) Barry Harris ( pno ) Sam Jones ( bass ) Leroy Williams ( drs )
Recorded at Nakano Plaza Hall, Tokyo, 14 April 1976
By the age of 17 years old Charles McPherson was playing professionally in Detroit with Barry Harris who just happens to be the pianist on this album. In 1959 he moved to New York and within a year he Hd joined the Charles Mingus Jazz Workshop and continued to work with Mingus off and on until 1974.
His alto style is heavily influenced by Charlie Parker and took on board his harmonic ideas and there is a warmth in his playing which does not become strident.
The programme he plays at the Nakano Sun Plaza Hall in Tokyo is nicely balanced between a number of bop standards, numbers from the Great American Songbook and a couple of originals by Charles McPherson himself.
The programme opens with a Charles McPherson original “Tokyo Blue” taken at a nice easy tempo and it soon becomes apparent that McPherson is in good form and the concert will be a success, Barry Harris lays down a masterful solo, a great opening to the concert.
Charles McPherson is equally adept on a ballad and on “These Foolish Things” he comes up with a solo of great beauty closely followed by Barry Harris.
The final two numbers on the album “Groovin’ High” and “Blue ‘n Boogie” were not present on the original LP release and have guitarist Jimmy Raney added to the line up.
On the first number “Groovin’ High” McPherson and Raney play the theme in unison which is most effective.
This type of jazz may be thought as old hat but there is much for the listener to enjoy and for those who were brought up on this type of music it is a joyous album.
Reviewed by Roy Booth
