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Bobby Bradford / John Carter Quintet: Comin' On
By
Herbie Nichols
piano1919 - 1963

John Carter
clarinetb.1929

Billy Bang
violin1947 - 2011

Andrew Cyrille
drumsb.1939

Ed Blackwell
drums1929 - 1992

Don Preston
keyboardsb.1932

John Coltrane
saxophone1926 - 1967

Richard Davis
bass, acoustic1930 - 2023

Eric Dolphy
woodwinds1928 - 1964
This album, from Werner X. Uelinger's marvelous Basel-based contemporary music label, Hat Hut, renews interest in the revolutionary recordings made by Bradford and Carter almost forty years ago, because this concert from the Catalina, in Hollywood brought the two soul mates together after over a decade.
Few musicianslet alone trumpeters/cornetistshave consistently embraced the mandate for innovation like Bradford. An astute student of musical and cultural history, Bradfordlike

Ornette Coleman
saxophone, alto1930 - 2015

Louis Armstrong
trumpet and vocals1901 - 1971
Fellow Texan Carter was no less influential a musician, not only in the revolutionary sixties but in the decades since. After switching from alto saxophone to clarinet, Carter fine-tuned its woody sound and became another celebrated griot, developing his actively narrative style from a gravy of the blues. His playing with Bradford contains some of the finest dialogues in contemporary music.
Comin' On highlights the mature end of the Bradford-Carter relationship. Pitting his bronzed timbres against the woody ones of Carter's clarinet, Bradford drives the title track's edgy contrapuntal discourses, Cyrille, Preston and Davis creating a not-so-background swagger that elevates the song beautifully. The elegiac lyricism of "Ode to the Flower Maiden" is sublime. "Encounter" and "Room 408" sound exceedingly hip, even today. But it is the classic jam, "Sunday Afternoon Jazz Society Blues," which contains some of the most historic music on the album. With wild, preaching and brilliant vocalizing of their respective instruments Bradford and Carter make this a truly monumental date. ">
Track Listing
Comin' On; Ode to the Flower Maiden; Encounter; Sunday Afternoon Jazz Society Blues; Room 408.
Personnel
Bobby Bradford
trumpetBobby Bradford; cornet; John Carter: clarinet; Don Preston: piano, synthesizer; Richard Davis: bass; Andrew Cyrille: drums.
Album information
Title: Comin' On | Year Released: 2011 | Record Label: Hat Hut Records
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