Larry Young in Paris The ORTF Recordings Resonance HCD-2022 |
It is not hyperbole to say that Larry Young was perhaps the
last great innovator on the Hammond B3 organ. His trailblazing fusion work with
Tony Williams, John McLaughlin, Miles Davis, Carlos Santana and as a leader in
his own right would all be part of a seemingly un-matchable legacy that
catapulted the organ from the confines of the groove to limitless possibilities
of the stratosphere. Tragically he passed away at the age of thirty-eight while
being treated for pneumonia, but it leads one to speculate on the endless
possibilities his continued development would have brought to the music has he
lived.
Thankfully, producer Zev Feldman, of Resonance Records along
with executive producers Michael Cuscuna and George Klabin, uncovered this gem
of a discovery at the INA (Institut national de audiovisual of France) which
oversees the RTF/ORTF (Radiodiffusion-Television Francaise and Office de
Radiofussion-Television Francaise) archives that document an important part of
his development as a player. This beautifully packaged two-disc set captures
Young in Paris sometime between 1964 and 1965 and features a series of ten
songs played with different line ups and broadcast over French public radio.
Importantly it marks the period just preceding Young’s Blue
Note Years and you can hear the sound that Young was developing, one that would
later be honed with such precision on the groundbreaking album Unity. Young, just twenty four years old
during these recordings and is
predominantly a sideman on these sessions; a key figure in tenor saxophonist
Nathan Davis’ quartet along with fellow Newark, New Jersey band mates Woody Shaw-
an amazing nineteen years old at the time- on trumpet and Billy Brooks on
drums. These are inspired young black musicians in a pivotal time for Black Americans, ogether these guys just cook, driven by Young’s pulsing B-3 moan and
Brooks relentless traps. The music is electric like on Davis’ “Trane of
Thought,” which shows how well Young’s left foot bass line could just drive the rhythmic
heartbeat of the band. Woody Shaw’s fabled intervallic leaps are on grand display
and saxophonist Davis shows his strong Coltrane influence.
The band is also featured on two Woody Shaw compositions the
driving “Beyond All Limits” and quirky “Zoltan.” The first a skillful demonstration
of tight group interplay-clearly owing a debt to the Blakey legacy- with Davis’
muscular tenor voice leading the way and Shaw’s sinewy trumpet lines weaving in
and out of complex phrases. The rhythmic surety of Young and Brooks surge is
like the endless splash of waves on a beach. When Young solos, his deft use of
pull bars and masterful harmonies show the man’s unerring sense of time and
space. On “Zoltan” the cadenced opening by
Brooks is reminiscent of a military march. This is a live recording and the
energy level is palpable. Young and Brooks lay the modal groove over which
Davis-sounding more like Rollins here- and Shaw soar in opposing statements of acclamation
with fury. Shaw is particularly kinetic
in the higher register having at times a decidedly Gillespie-like sound to his
horn. After a long Shaw solo, Young finally gets his chance to shine playing at
first with a restrained, almost muted sound before skillfully adjusting his
pull bars to create a wail of urgency that brings the entire song up a notch in
intensity. This leads the group into a frenzied exchange with Shaw, Davis and
Brooks all trading licks in a flurry of excitement and drama that is just a
marvel to behold.
The group is expanded into the Jazz aux Champs-Elysees All
Stars with the addition of French players. Tenor saxophonist Jean-Claude
Forhrenbach, trumpeter Sonny Grey, and pianist and leader Jack Diếval, along
with Italian drummer Franco Manzecchi and conga player Jackie Bamboo. Together they tackle
Young’s bopping “Talkin’ About J.C.” with a joyful abandon. The extended front
line is fluid and precise as they navigate tune’s head. The solos flow solidly throughout.
Half way through Fohrenbach takes his turn on tenor with a deeply melodic, Getzian
tone to his swing, complimented by Diếval’s piano comping. Drummer Manzecchi is
delightfully loose and freewheeling, he and conga player Bamboo push the tempo.
Maestro Young holds down the fort with the two percussionists keeping the
groove smooth as silk throughout with brilliantly understated comping that is
like of carpet of sound-very similar to McCoy Tyner’s work on piano- that sets
the scene for the others to make their statements. Diếval and Young have a
wonderful interchange of ideas at about the twelve-minute mark, with Larry
sometimes laying leading basslines for Diếval’s pianistic explorations. Young’s
solo on this is perhaps his most creative of the album probing and exploratory
all within the framework of a deep groove. The international group continues
with “La valse grise”, a song presumed to be penned by the French pianist and the
All Star’s band leader Jack Diếval. The cool blues groove “Discotheque” is more
traditional fare. Young creates his own groove with his pedal driven walking
bass line and deeply sultry organ comping. Diếval offers a Martial Solal
inspired piano solo.
Perhaps the most striking part of these internationally
spiced sessions is the stark contrast in the playing styles of the horn and
reed players. The American players being much more under the influence of the
Coltrane/Tyner legacy then their European counterparts whose sound is much more
rooted in the legato, deep throated tone of Webster, Hawkins and Ellington.
Young is featured on two songs in the trio setting with
conga player Jacky Bamboo and drummer Franco Manzecchi, the campy “Mean to Me”
and Young’s own “Luny Tune.” There is an
immediate intuitive connection between Young and Manzecchi, with the drummer being particularly attuned to Young’s lofty
explorations. Listening to Young breath life and excitement into the otherwise
lackluster “Mean to Me” is just a joy to behold. You can hear Manzecchi
playfully responding to Young pushing the harmonic boundaries of the song’s
limits.
On the jaunty “Luny Tunes,” Young is at his most creative,
laying down a firm bottom and adjusting his drawbars to the perfect gurgling
sound, always facile enough to adjust his sound appropriately as he changes
direction, all the while Manzecchi is step for step with him accenting at all
the correct breaks as if the two musicians were of the same mind.
Hearing Young on piano is a rare treat and he plays
brilliantly on the finale titled “Larry’s Blues.” He is joined by French
bassist Jacques B. Hess and the intuitive and Italian drummer Franco Manzecchi who again proves up to the task of anticipating Young's excursions. Young is particularly Monkian in his dissonant approach and yet he always keeps that groove.
The booklet that comes with this cd set is filled with a
treasure trove of information and never before seen photographs that just make
the whole listening experience so much more complete. Larry Young’s connections
to both Eric Dolphy and Bill Evan’s makes for some fascinating reading. Notes and comments by guitarist John McLaughlin and organist John Medski are equally compelling as are recollections from Nathan Davis, the musicians' progeny Woody Shaw III and Larry Young III. For any
student of the music and the jazz organ in particular Larry Young in Paris the ORTF Recordings offer a rare glimpse into
the evolution of a truly unique giant of his instrument.
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