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Features Disc of the day
George Adams
Sound Suggestions
(ECM, 1979)
Red-blooded, bluesy jazz from the cool label. MOJO messageboarder, he say yes.
After spending much of the '60s and '70s travelling around America and Europe in the employ of legends such as Sam Cooke, Charles Mingus and Art Blakey, 1979 found George Adams in Tonstudio Bauer, Ludwigsburg, recording a solo album for ECM Records, his only one with the famous German label.
Stylistically, Sound Suggestions is an artful blend of the many styles permeating jazz by the late-'70s. The opener Baba is a warm and unhurried mix of modal and freer post-bop elements, with all the horns given plenty of time to solo. Adams displays a strong but supple tenor sax sound, much like his contemporary Joe Henderson, with a deeply soulful sound on the drawn-out notes, but still wild and hot in his flurried runs. Producer Manfred Eicher has Adams on the right channel while German saxophonist Heinz Sauer's tenor is on the left, but their horns are very easy to distinguish; the latter has a deeper, more fragile tone that complements Adams' sound perfectly.
The second track, Adams' Imani's Dance is a masterful piece of advanced hard bop, with lovely repeated sections between the solos and a fabulous groove by drum legend Jack DeJohnette and bass maestro Dave Holland. Stay Informed is a thoughtful mid-tempo modal piece from Sauer, with some stately but energetic piano from Richard Beirach and some boldly emotive trumpet work from Kenny Wheeler before the horns go on an extended fusion workout through to the outro.
The bluesy jazz of Got Somethin' Good For You offers a terrific change-up, complete with powerfully gruff juke-joint vocals from Adams, shredded R&B solos and some very tight and groovy group horns. A Spire closes the set, an elegant ballad tempo piece from Wheeler which, once again, gives the horns lots of opportunities to create evocative melodies over DeJohnette's restless and wonderfully propulsive shuffles.
For those looking to find a lesser-known, slightly 'warmer'-hued gem amid the ECM jazz catalogue, Sound Suggestions is indeed just what its title promises.
Ange Tsibogiannis
Posted by Ross_Bennett at 6:00 AM GMT 01/07/2010
Further Listening
George Adams – Don Pullen Quartet – Live At The Village Vanguard Vol. 2 (Soul Note, 1983)
Dave Holland Quintet – Jumpin’ In (ECM, 1983)
Charles Mingus – Changes One (Atlantic/Rhino, 1975)
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