Harold Mabern (soul-jazz) A Few Miles From Memphis LP 1968 Prestige VG RARE
$
54
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Description
Harold Mabern
A Few Miles From Memphis
Prestige PR 7568 12"
33 1/3 rpm 1968 (USA)
Harold Mabern (born March 20, 1936 in Memphis, Tennessee) is a hard bop and soul jazz pianist.
Early in his career, Mabern played in Chicago with Walter Perkins' MJT + 3 in the late 1950s before moving to New York in 1959. Mabern has worked with Jimmy Forrest, Lionel Hampton, the Jazztet (1961-1962), Donald Byrd, Miles Davis (1963), J. J. Johnson (1963-1965), Lee Morgan (1965), Hank Mobley (1965), Sonny Rollins, Freddie Hubbard, Wes Montgomery, Joe Williams (1966-1967), and Sarah Vaughan. In more recent years, he has recorded extensively with his former William Paterson University student, the tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander.
A transplanted Chicagoan by way of Memphis, pianist Harold Mabern gigged with an incredible array of jazz talent during his youth. His colleagues, recounted in the liners to this recent two-fer, read like a VIP list of hard and post-bop talent: Miles Davis, Donald Byrd, Hank Mobley, Freddie Hubbard, Jackie McLean, Frank Strozier, Wes Montgomery, Grant Green, Art Farmer... I could easily go on, filling the limited word count of this review with a bevy of other names. Suffice it say Mabern’s substantial talents were discovered early. As a consequence of his early bloomer status sessions as a leader became a precious commodity. Fortunately he did find time to front groups and this album points to how well his talents as a sideman translated to the lead.
This is a quintet with Mabern’s old Memphis friend George Coleman sharing the frontline with fellow tenor Buddy Terry. Bassist Bill Lee (father to famous film director Spike) and drummer Walter Perkins round out the rhythm section. Perkins and Mabern would also share the spotlight as the Modern Jazz Two (MJT). The strong emphasis is on Mabern-scripted tunes, all of which balance the more soulful predilections of the late-60s era with expansive post-bop structures ripe for improvisation. Coleman responds especially well to the balance and his solos on tunes like the title track straddle gutbucket blowing with subtle modernist leanings. Terry is of an older school, his rotund lines sometimes laced with an odd reverb, but he holds his own in the fast company. Lee and Perkins make for a responsive fit, tugging and twisting at the tempos together and crafting elastic support for the soloists. Mabern defers quite often to the horns, but doesn’t relinquish his marquee role entirely, rolling out steady statements of his own on pieces like “Walkin’ Back” and the Bossa-scented “A Treat for Bea.”
Tracks: A Few Miles From Memphis/ Walkin’ Back/ A Treat For Bea/ Syden Blue/ There’s a Kind of Hush/ B&B/ To Wane
Personnel: Harold Mabern- piano; George Coleman- tenor saxophone; Buddy Terry- tenor saxophone; Bill Lee- bass; Walter Perkins- drums; Blue Mitchell- trumpet; Hugh Walker- drums. Recorded: March 11, 1968, Englewood Cliffs, NJ.
LP is Very Good in a Good sleeve (some minor edge damage), comes with plastic-lined paper inner sleeve and outer protector
Harold Mabern
A Few Miles From Memphis
Prestige PR 7568 12"
33 1/3 rpm 1968 (USA)
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