Incredible trumpet quartet - unbeatable price!
greg taylor | Portland, Oregon United States | 12/23/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"There are few if any better deals on Amazon.com... than this CD at this price. This is my favorite version of Charles Tolliver's quartet that went under the name Music Inc. In this version, the pianist is Stanley Cowell, Clint Houston is on the double bass and Clifford Barbaro is on the drums. They play three Tolliver originals, one by Cowell (Effi) and Monk's great anthem, Round Midnight.
Tolliver is a first rate composer and player. On this album he plays with great intelligence, harmonic sophistication, lyricism, and passion. His tone is beautiful and played with relatively little variation. His songs are wonderful: full of great melodies and rhythmic vitality. The ballad, "Truth" is played with both sadness and grace and will haunt your ears long after it is finished.
Cowell's playing and composing at this period of his career is of such a stature that I can only regard him as greatly underappreciated. His chording sounds like no one else, his melodic lines are equally unique and his playing has an enormous appeal. If you ever come across his great solo album from this period, "Musa-Ancestral Streams", snap that bad boy up. There is no other solo piano album that I know of like it. Its long absense from being in print is a crime. On this album you can hear just how good he was (I find what he is doing these days to be of less interest to me but you should listen to him none the less- you may think my preference for the earlier Stanley to be nuts).
Clint Houston never sounded better than on this album. His bass is well recorded (which is not as true of Barbaro's drums) and he shows off his nice tone and improvisation skills on several memorable solos. His melodic sense is somewhat like Ron Carter's.
This is an album that will never be out of my collection. It has been there for almost thirty years. These guys always sound good. But then when you study your craft as diligently as these guys did and you play with all your heart and skill you can make music that will be timeless.
I am telling you, dear reader, you will find no better investment for the lover of music on this site."
This is disc #2
Garrison | Texas Valley, Georgia | 11/24/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"...in Mosaic 3CD boxset... w/ extra tracks from same concert...
Charles Tolliver, trumpet, Stanley Cowell, piano; Clint Houston, bass; Clifford Barbaro, drums.
Recorded at Yubinchokin Hall, Tokyo on December 7, 1973
Disc #2 originally issued as CHARLES TOLLIVER MUSIC INC LIVE IN TOKYO (Strata East SES19745)
Disc Three, tracks 4-6 are previously unissued
4. Impact (B) 7:28
(Charles Tolliver)
5. Our Second Father (Dedicated to the memory of John Coltrane) (B) 20:15
(Charles Tolliver)
6. Earl's World (Dedicated to my brother) (B) 6:24
(Charles Tolliver
"
Track Listings (5) - Disc #1