To complete our series of Elvin Jones albums on Vanguard Records, reader Luis has kindly donated a vinyl rip of "Summit Meeting" from 1976.
This comes the year after "New Agenda" in Jones' Vanguard chronology, recorded a few months after "The Main Force"; and the year before "Time Capsule".
As the title suggests, this is more of a group album, and is listed in some places as such. It's generally a little more straight-ahead that the albums that preceded it and followed it - Jones is deferring to trumpeter Clark Terry and saxaphonist James Moody, neither of whom he had played with before.
The fusion touches of "The Main Force" are nowhere to be seen - guitarist Roland Prince has a more laid-back, supportive role than Ryo Kawasaki from the former album. Keyboards are provided by Albert Dailey - his rhodes work is as solid as ever - not working with the onboard FX, but more working in a blues-based piano style, while still mindful of the electric instrument's tonality.
Mostly, the tracks are a showcase for solos by Moody, Terry and altoist Bunky Green, who would come to the fore in "Time Capsule" the year after. Producer Ed Bland's composition "Moody Magic" is the closest track to the more organised and composed structures that would follow on that album. The other standout for me here is Bunky Green's "Blues for Clark", with great solos by Dailey, Terry and Green. Check previews of both of these tracks at the top of the post.
Hope you enjoy this one! Please thank Luis for the rip.
TRACKLIST
01. 'Tee Pee Music' - (Clark Terry) - 8.09
02. 'Blues for Clark' - (Bunky Green) - 5.59
03. 'Moody Magic' - (Ed Bland) - 6.11
04. 'Summit Song' - (Bunky Green) - 10.13
05. 'Jones' - (Pauline Reddon-Duke Ellington) - 9.54
MUSICIANS
Elvin Jones - drums
Clark Terry - trumpet and flugelhorn
James Moody - tenor sax
Bunky Green - alto sax
Roland Prince - guitar
Albert Dailey - electric piano, piano
Angel Allende - percussion
David Williams - bass
PRODUCTION
Vanguard Records VSD 79390
Recorded NYC November 18th, 1976
Produced by Ed Bland
Recording Engineers - Charlie Repka, Jeff Zaraya
Mixer - David Baker
Design - Jules Halfant
Photograph - Joel Brodsky
OTHER ELVIN JONES at this blog :
1975 "New Agenda"
1976 "The Main Force"
1977 "Time Capsule"