For German readers: some thoughts and notes and quotes on the music I'm listening - to be found
on my new blog:
ubus-notizen.blogspot.com

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Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Max Roach & Sonny Rollins - Live 1966 (r.i.p. Freddie Hubbard)

As promised, here's a post that includes Freddie Hubbard... showing his less nice side during the Graz portion, where he tell the all-white audience to kiss his black ass...

The music though is great. Roach's work of that era (roughly I'd say from the 1964 trio album with Hasaan to "Lift Every Voice and Sing" from 1971) and even more particularly this quintet with Freddie Hubbard, James Spaulding, Ronnie Mathews (another recently passed) and Jymie Merritt had a certain "on the edge" quality that I enjoy a lot. Check out the smoking, almost never-ending "Nommo" from the first of the concerts!

The Rollins trio titles are sheer glory! It's been decades that Rollins played with sidemen that were his equals, yet here he is, getting together with Max Roach again after years - Roach played on Rollins' great "Freedom Suite", Rollins was a member of the great Max Roach/Clifford Brown quintet (albums on EmArcy and one under Rollins' name on Prestige, "Sonny Rollins Plus Four"), and they also worked together on Monk's landmark album "Brilliant Corners". Too bad Rollins, who to this day continues to play extremely well, has not used to opportunity to play with Roach again as long as there still was time...

Photo credits:
Max Roach in Unna 1979, by Karlheinz Klüter (website)
Sonny Rollins at Monterey Jazz Festival 1972, by Paul Slaughter (website)

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Sonny Rollins & Max Roach

prob. Newport in Europe Tour - November 1966


** Max Roach Quintet **
Freddie Hubbard (t), James Spaulding (as), Ronnie Mathews (p)
Jymie Merritt (b), Max Roach (d)

** Sonny Rollins Trio **
Sonny Rollins (ts), Jymie Merritt (b), Max Roach (d)


CD1/54:42 - November 10, 1966
Stockholm (SE), Konserthuset


*** Roach ***
1. Nommo (Jymie Merritt) 35:14 [beginning slightly cut]

*** Rollins ***
2. Introduction (prob. George Wein) 0:23
3. There Will Never Be Another You (Warren-Gordon) 19:03


CD2/59:05 - November 12, 1966
Stefaniensaal, Graz (AT)


*** Roach ***
1. banter > Nommo (Merritt) [partial drop out at 2:50-3:39]
> Kissing Hubbard's Black Ass > unknown [opening bars only] (8:21) //
2. drum solo (3:57)

*** Rollins ***
3. Announcement (prob. George Wein) 0:27
4. Love Walked In (Gershwin) 9:53
5. Lover (Rodgers-Hart) > Ann (prob. GW) 18:43
6. Poinciana (Bernier-Simon) 17:41

TT: 113:48

Sound: A- (CD1), A-/B+ (CD2 - has some digi- or tape-clicks)
Source: SBD (?)
No lineage/source info


** Note from seeder on dime (bluenote2005) (first seed) **
Track 1 and 2 opening act. Sorry no idea who they are. I wish I did.
You will know what I mean when you listen. An argument breaks out between the audience and the musicians. It is very racist in nature. The term jive mother fucker is used a lot.
If you're offended, but download.

** Note from hamhen on dime (second seed) **
This is not from the Graz concert but from a concert that took place at the "Konserthuset" in Stockholm on November 10, 1966. There is also one track missing here (a 15 min-version of Hubbard's "For B.P." and George Wein's opening announcements).
The first track on this torrent is Merritt's "Nommo".
It may be of interest that Roach's group shared the bill with Albert Ayler on this European tour.

** My Notes **
There's a cut between #1 and #2, but there seems to be not cut between #2 and #3.
Prob. this was part of a George Wein Newport tour package.
There's a cut in the applause between #3 and #4.
After #4 the announcer (Wein?) announces a ten-minute break, stating that after the break the concert will continue with Rollins/Roach.
Probably the music comes from several sets, probably each of them featuring both bands - thus the two conflicting announcements during the Rollins/Roach trio segment. I decided to re-group the music as done above, myself.

Edits:
- added fade-in at beginning of CD1#2
- deleted applause (18.5sec), added fade-in at beginning of CD2#3
- separated CD2#1 from CD2#2 and CD2#3 from CD2#4
- moved mark CD2#4/#5 +1.6sec, added fade-out at end of CD2#4
- deleted silence at beginning of CD2#5 (3.5sec), added fade-in
- moved mark CD2#5/#6 +22.3sec, added fade-out at end of CD2#5
- deleted silence at beginning of CD2#6 (2.8sec), added fade-in
- added fade-out at end of CD2#6

6 comments:

ubu said...

Of course once again I freaked this up before it even is finished... there'll be an upgrade of the Stockholm portion eventually, but I have no idea where the CDR of that is...

Links for this version will follow as soon as the files are up, the Graz is only to be found here, even if I'll find the upgrade of the Stockholm portion eventually, so for those who want to hear Freddie Hubbard's infamous speech, you'll have to grab this one!

ubu said...

FLAC (tagged) + info:

http://rapidshare.com/files/178180534/MaxRoach___SonnyRollins_1966-11-20_Stockholm___1966-11-22_Graz_-_edited.part1.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/178182773/MaxRoach___SonnyRollins_1966-11-20_Stockholm___1966-11-22_Graz_-_edited.part2.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/178182566/MaxRoach___SonnyRollins_1966-11-20_Stockholm___1966-11-22_Graz_-_edited.part3.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/178178909/MaxRoach___SonnyRollins_1966-11-20_Stockholm___1966-11-22_Graz_-_edited.part4.rar

Danny said...

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yipeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I LoveLOVElove it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nick said...

whoa. looks amazing. thank you for this, ubu!!

sasha said...

Mmmmm sounds like Mr Merritt left his electric bass at home for these shows....Nice to hear him on the upright..Many thanks.

hulaboy said...

I can't top Danny's superb comment, so I'll just say, Many thanks!