Released on the label Pyroclastic, Nate Wooley’s Seven Storey Mountain -VI is a 45 minute piece based on Peggy Seeger’s “Reclaim the Night”. The piece addresses women’s rights, featuring a 14 piece ensemble comprised predominately of women. Centered around Wooley’s trumpet, The piece starts out with women humming Peggy Seeger’s reclaim the night as they each drop off is transitions to processed trumpet, keyboards, pedal steel guitar, and bicycle bell. While not strictly jazz, it is a strong composition of avant-garde music reminiscent of Arvo Part. This is a haunting piece of music from jazz trumpeter Nate Wooley. Highly recommended.
I enjoy the various tempos used (time signatures) With Paul Desmond on alto sax., Eugene Wright on Bass, and Joe Morello on drums, this became a worthy successor to “Time Out”
Edit: Time Out 1959; Time Further Out 1961; Time In 1965. Brubeck’s ingenuity especially in rhythm techniques are unique.
An interesting film and soundtrack. While I enjoy Altmann films, I found this to be confused. Maybe it’s me? As far as the soundtrack goes, young lions of the day, Geri Allen, Don Byron, David Murray, Nicholas Payton, Cyrus Chestnut, … I just may go back to the film to see if my recollection of it holds true.
Regarding film soundtracks from a similar time frame, I have always enjoyed both the film and the soundtrack for Bertrand Travinier’s Round Midnight, featuring Dexter Gordon, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, John McLaughlin, Freddie Hubbard, etc.
Carmen McRae is a capable singer and piano player. I like here voice, but like the voices of Sarah Vaughan & Ella Fitzgerald a tad better. McRae was inspired by Billie Holiday to the level that she would not start a performance without at least a song associated with ‘Lady Day’.
Wikipedia lists some of her interesting recording projects:
Mad About The Man (1957) with composer Noël Coward, Boy Meets Girl (1957) with Sammy Davis, Jr., participating in Dave Brubeck’s The Real Ambassadors (1961) with Louis Armstrong, a tribute album You’re Lookin’ at Me (A Collection of Nat King Cole Songs) (1983), cutting an album of live duets with Betty Carter, The Carmen McRae-Betty Carter Duets (1987), being accompanied by Dave Brubeck and George Shearing, and closing her career with tributes to Thelonious Monk, Carmen Sings Monk (1990), and Sarah Vaughan, Sarah: Dedicated to You (1991).
Her work with the Brubeck Quartet was spectacular especially songs composed by Dave Brubeck with lyrics by Iola Brubeck. I think this is one of her best collaborations.
I love Ella, and respect Sarah, though I don’t enjoy listneing to her as much. There’s something magical about Carmen. I wish she played piano more often but understand why she would not. She had been close to Billie as a young woman–their birthdays were just a day apart and Carmen said she would celebrate with Billie on hers and be so incapicitated she couldn’t then celebrate her own. I have all those albums mentioned in your post, and I think I may like her Decca and Mainstream periods the most.
I’ve had those sessions on other releases for years. Excellent stuff. Ella had an amazing instrument, at its very zenith there. Even in her later years she was wonderful, with an added emotional element that was missing in her younger recordings. I love the duos with Joe Pass!
JN, I haven’t heard this one–and it seems that Collier never recorded elsewhere accordign to discogs.com which makes me wonder. . . do you think it might be Zoot himself? Zoot does have an album where he sings, backed with a large orchestra, on Impulse Records, “Waiting Game”. . . .
You’d think if you had young Mose Alison on piano at the session you wouldn’t need to bring in a vocalist . . . I assume you are certain it’s not Mose.
Really seems to be a one time gig…hard to believe as Collier sings great for my taste.
I have a few other conpetent sources…will try to find out…may also contact Cuscuna, who’s always helpful.
Well, it could have been an overdub. I have ordered a cheap cd copy of this one. Yes, Michael is helpful–I cherish the memory of the afternoon I spent on the phone with him for our interview about Alfred Lion.
