Norman Connors - 1974 - Slew Foot

Norman Connors

1974

Slew Foot

01. Mother Of The Future    6:49

02. Back On The Street    3:57

03. Welcome    7:20

04. Slew Foot    3:19

05. Dreams    6:14

06. Chuka3:27

07. Jump Street    2:40

Acoustic Bass, Electric Bass – Ron Carter (tracks: A1, A3, B2)

Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Gary Bartz

Clavinet – Hubert Eaves

Congas, Bongos – Lawrence Killian

Drums – Norman Connors

Electric Bass – Anthony Jackson (tracks: A2, B1, B3, B4)

Electric Piano – Elmer Gibson

Flute, Alto Flute – Hubert Laws

Guitar – Reggie Lucas

Percussion – Dom Um Romao, Skip Drinkwater

Tenor Saxophone – Carlos Garnett

Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Eddie Henderson

Vocals – Jean Carn

1975's Slewfoot continues Norman Connors' diversification into jazz-funk and brassy R&B with mostly positive results. Surrounded as usual by an all-star personnel -- including but not limited to vocalist Jean Carn, bassist Ron Carter, pianist Lonnie Liston Smith, tenor saxophonist Gary Bartz, horn player Eddie Henderson, and flutist Hubert Eaves III -- Connors tears through a mostly hard-driving set of songs. Carlos Garnett's "Mother of the Future" leads off the album as a frenetic jazz-funk workout and offers each instrumentalist a chance to flex muscles; Carn is particularly hot, while Elmer Gibson's electric piano runs highlight the latter half of the song. Henderson's "Dreams" and a gorgeous reworking of Coltrane's "Welcome" (Carn takes another spotlight) are the only reprieves from the upbeat slant. The remainder is dotted with decent but slightly innocuous funk and fusion instrumentals that are occasionally punctuated by bold horn charts (Richard Clay's "Back on the Street," Elmer Gibson's "Chuka," Connors' "Jump Street"). Not one of Connors' best, but it does have its moments.

Norman Connors is a fascinating artist to me. Starting out as a free jazz drummer with people such as Archie Shepp and Pharaoh Sanders,Connors was something of an internal talent scout during the 1970’s. His early solo career consisted of solo albums with an avant garde fusion style that somewhat anticipated the rise of the new age musical concept. By the end of the decade,Connors was known primarily for romantic soul ballads featuring the lead vocals of artists such Jean Carn,the bassist Michael Henderson and his major pet project in the late Phyllis Hyman. One of these ballads,”You Are My Starship” is still his best known song.

Over the past decade or so,I’ve been progressively exploring the music of Norman Connors album by album. Even though he became known for his slow numbers,it was through his uptempo material that his music really evolved. And it was an exciting time too because Connors original run as a solo artist started at the dawn of the funk era and came to a conclusion around the beginning of the post disco period. One major period of his career that has attracted me was from when Connors began transitioning from jazz to a more funk/soul sound in the mid 70’s. And one major cornerstone of that was the title song to his 1974 album Slew Foot.

A hard,fluttering horn chart led by Eddie Henderson opens up the groove as  Connors in similar manner to the Bar Kays’ choral horns from 1967’s “Soul Finger”.  The Clavinet of Hubert Eaves plays additional rhythm support-as each refrain is separated by a break featuring a bluesy amp’d guitar from future Mtume member Reggie Lucus. He is supported on bass by Anthony Jackson on those scaling,cinematic refrains before Lucas gets a chance to really rock out on the middle chorus of the song. The rhythm scales back down to the drums,bass line and Clavinet on the final part of the song. Especially right as the horns fanfare the song right into fade out.

Norman Connors really lifted up cinematic funk at a very important time. This was during the blacksploitation era when Isaac Hayes was winning best musical score for his work on Shaft. Not to mention Curtis Mayfield’s huge success with Superfly  and Roy Ayers with Coffey. Even though this song wasn’t in a movie,it was surely funk that moved itself on every level. Both rhythmically and melodically. It was also a building block in the evolution of Reggie Lucus’s transition into funk with the late 70’s edition of Mtume as well. So as a musician and a major talent assembler,this was some of Norman Connors’ finest funk!

Norman Connors - 1973 - Love From the Sun

Norman Connors

1973

Love From the Sun

01. Revelation 9:00

02. Carlos II 6:08

03. Drums Around The World 5:40

04. Love From The Sun 8:14

05. Kumakucha (The Sun Has Risen) 6:09

06. Holy Waters 5:28

Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Gary Bartz

Bass – Buster Williams

Cello – Terry Adams

Drums – Norman Connors

Electric Piano – Onaje Allan Gumbs (tracks: B1)

Electric Piano – Herbie Hancock

lute, Alto Flute – Hubert Laws

Bill Summers

Percussion, Congas, Dumbeg And Sakara Drums] – Kenneth Nash

Piano – Onaje Allan Gumbs (tracks: B3)

Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Carlos Garnett

Trumpet, Cornet, Flugelhorn – Eddie Henderson

Violin – Nathan Rubin

Vocals – Bill Summers (tracks: A3), Dee Dee Bridgewater

Recorded October 1973 at Wally Heider Studio A, San Francisco

A spiritual jazz masterpiece from drummer Norman Connors – one of those unique albums he cut before moving into soul music – done at a level that rivals the early 70s genius on labels like Strata East or Impulse Records! Connors worked with many contemporaries on those labels, and gets a good degree of help from them here, too – in a massive lineup that includes Eddie Henderson on trumpet, Herbie Hancock on keyboards, Gary Bartz on alto, Carlos Garnett on tenor, Buster Williams on bass, Bill Summers on drums, and even Dee Dee Bridgewater on a bit of vocals too! With a lineup like that, it would be easy to lay back and just do nothing – but you can really hear Connors' musical vision taking the lead – that warmly soulful approach that was there right from the start, given some great focus here by producer Skip Drinkwater. Tracks are all long, and free-flowing – a bit out at times, but always returning to the modal pulse of Connors' soulful rhythms. Titles include "Carlos II", "Kumakucha", "Holy Waters", "Revelation", and "Love From The Sun".

Norman Connors - 1973 - Dark Of Light

Norman Connors

1973

Dark Of Light

01. Dark Of Light 11:45

02. Butterfly Dreams 5:15

03. Laughter 2:55

04. Black Lightnin 11:50

05. Twilight Zone 1:30

06. Song For Rosa 2:00

Alto Saxophone – Gary Bartz

Bass – Buster Williams (tracks: A1)

Bass – Cecil McBee

Bass – Stanley Clarke (tracks: B1)

Bassoon, Alto Flute – Alfred Williams* (tracks: B1)

Congas – Lawrence Killian

Drums – Norman Connors

Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar – Ted Dunbar (tracks: A1)

Electric Piano – Elmer Gibson (tracks: B1)

Electric Piano, Piano – Herbie Hancock

Flute – Art Webb

Percussion – Gerald Roberts (tracks: B1), Henry Palmer (tracks: B1), Warren Smith

Piano – Alan Gumbs (tracks: B2)

Producer – Dennis Wilen, Skip Drinkwater

Strings – Gail Dixon*, Jerry Little, Pat Dixon

Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Carlos Garnett

Trumpet – Eddie Henderson

Vocals – Dee Dee Bridgewater, Ellen DeLeston, Michael Brown

Recorded at: The Hit Factory, N.Y.C. and Sigma Sound Studios, Philadelphia, Pa.

This is in the stone groove of earlier Connors delights -- New York club music, the nexus where disco and jazz collided and gave birth to a brassy sort of funk. Players abound here: Herbie Hancock, Cecil McBee, Gary Bartz, and Stanley Clarke, to name but a few. Soon after this, Connors had some hits and started making records he figured his "public" wanted to hear.

A real head-scratcher this one. I can't for the love of God understand why the people who arranged the woodwinds/horns opted for such slick scales for the solos on the opening track. Also, these friendly sounding scat vocalizations are eerily close to similar muzak that developed a major following in the smooth jazz circles much later than '72-'73. After the refreshingly nice classical guitar intro ends on "Dark of Light" we enter into short psychedelic bridge until Herbie unleashes the ominous surrealism from the Mwandishi period which is supported by the percussive tribalism of the bands dynamic rhythm section and suddenly BAM - to year 1978-80 where a crappy horn and soprano sax deliver wimpy lines for the masses. Just, Wow. The second track has been arranged in similar fashion and reminds me the smoother stuff that starts gradually appearing on Hancock's mid-seventies output, listenable, but leaves a mawkish aftertaste.

"Laughter" is a pretty decent odd-funk groove with no huge highs or lows, besides the catchy rhythms. Now the only reason why I'm still holding on to this one is the pseudo collaboration of Miles Davis and Pharoah Sanders on "Black Lightnin" which actually has some balls in its enrapturing sonic chaos. It's not as skronky as your usual Sanders track and blasts off effectively by the gonzo meter while the duo of trumpet and tenor sax wander around more avant-garde corners. Some Bitches Brew themed trumpet wails in the middle of the track support the abrasive arrangement with paranoid features until the elements eventually collide, crash and burn at the end of the track. Now that's an absolute winner as far as I'm concerned! Moments of occasional joy, but I was expecting a little less cheese in my sonic sandwich.

Early genius from drummer Norman Connors – a sensational bit of righteous soul jazz – right up there with the best work on Strata East and Black Jazz from the time! The sound here is full, soulful, and spiritual – as Connors heads up a large ensemble that includes luminaries like Herbie Hancock, Eddie Henderson, Gary Bartz, Carlos Garnett, Buster Williams, and Dee Dee Bridgewater – all working together in a formation that's free spirited, yet tightly unified – often at a level that's even stronger than their own recordings! The album mixes a few longer tracks with shorter numbers – in a mode that reminds us a lot of Garnett's classic Black Love album

Norman Connors - 1972 - Dance Of Magic

Norman Connors

1972

Dance Of Magic

01. Dance Of Magic 21:00

02. Morning Change 6:29

03. Blue 10:20

04. Give The Drummer Some 2:22

Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Gary Bartz

Bass – Stanley Clarke

Drums – Norman Connors

Flute – Art Webb

Percussion [African], Balafon – Anthony Wiles

Congas – Nat Bettis

Piano, Electric Piano – Herbie Hancock

Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Carlos Garnett

Trumpet – Eddie Henderson

Recorded June 26 & 27, 1972 at Bell Sound Studios, NYC

A landmark first album from drummer Norman Connors -- a spiritual jazz masterpiece that builds wonderfully on the post-Coltrane tradition! Norman is years away from his smoother soul recordings at this point, and coming out of a righteous jazz background that included work with Marion Brown and Archie Shepp. For this initial set, Norman's in incredible company -- working with players that include Herbie Hancock on both electric and acoustic keys, plus Eddie Henderson on trumpet, Gary Bartz and Carlos Garnett on saxes, Stanley Clarke on bass, and Billy Hart and Airto on percussion -- plus a chorus of vocalists on the album's mighty title cut! Tracks are all long, spiritual, and freely exploratory -- but never in a style that goes too far outside, or that forgets the joy and love that can spring forth in a forward-thinking session like this one!

This album is totally incredible. I could leave this review at that, but that might be a bit lazy. In short though, there's not many albums that have impressed on a first listen as much as this one has.

The title track, which takes up all of side one, is an incredible accelerator of a tune. This tune is like a totally magical pagan festival, full of euphoria, percussion, chanting, and just the most exhilarating music you could ask for, all packed into 21 minutes. Imagine a spiritual dance/festival, but condensed and pumped the hell full of steroids and energy, it's so intense it should come with a warning. Side two is no less invigorating, but slightly more westernised than the title track. There's a kind of spy film feel to the first two tracks, but with all the best elements of spacey, free, psychedelic and afrocentric all lumped into the equation. This album could almost be accused of being a little over the top (rather like this review), but thankfully it stays just on the right side of the 'too much' boundry.

Norman Connors, considering he was such a young guy at the time, has managed to pull together some of the best of the '70s jazz world, for example, Herbie Hancock, Eddie Henderson, Cecil McBee, Stanley Clarke, Gary Bartz, Art Webb, Carlos Garnett, Alphonse Mouzon, etc. I suppose if you chuck that lot into a studio you're bound to get something incredible come out of it.

This album literally shakes you by the scruff of the neck for 40 minutes, and then just tosses you aside when it's done. There are not many albums out there that are as much of an exhilarating ride as this one.

Look at the roster; no joke, that's for sure. Before airplanes and top hats, before disco beat all my spiritual heroes into dust, before the cars and booze and loose friends, Norman connors knew how to throw a party.

No misses here, my friends. Just a mix - at times, free or groovy or heavy or playful or - did I say heavy? Yes, like a weight you don't want to take off. Who wouldn't like being pressed back into the earth by Connors circa 1973? Thrown to the ground to remember your roots, our roots, as mystical human beings. Thank you, Mr. Gravity for that responsibilty. Or honor.

ed with a who's who of fusion titans including trumpeter Eddie Henderson, bassist Stanley Clarke, and keyboardist Herbie Hancock, Dance of Magic channels the lessons drummer Norman Connors learned in the employ of Pharoah Sanders, Sam Rivers, and Sun Ra, marshaling Latin rhythms, electronic textures, and cosmic mysticism to create nondenominational yet deeply spiritual funk-jazz. The sprawling 21-minute title cut spans the entirety of the record's first half, capturing a monumental jam session that explores the outer edges of free improvisation but never steps past the point of no return. Connors' furious drumming is like a trail of bread crumbs that leads his collaborators back home. The remaining three tracks are smaller in scale but no less epic in scope, culminating with the blistering "Give the Drummer Some."

Pharoah Sanders - 1972 - Black Unity

Pharoah Sanders

1972

Black Unity

01. Black Unity [37:21]

Pharoah Sanders - tenor saxophone, balaphone
Hannibal Marvin Peterson - trumpet
Carlos Garnett - tenor saxophone
Joe Bonner - piano
Cecil McBee - bass
Stanley Clarke - bass
Norman Connors - drums
Billy Hart - drums
Lawrence Killian - congas, talking drums, balaphone

Recorded at A & R Recording Studios, New York City on November 24, 1971

During the 1960s, many new and exciting musical movements emerged. Psychedelic rock is of course the first that comes to mind, but it was also the decade of a new kind of jazz music, where the musicians tried to get rid of the old rules of the genre to create transcendental sounds: free jazz.

Saxophonist Pharoah Sanders is one of the most well-known representatives of this genre. Originally playing for John Coltrane, most notably on his masterpiece Ascension, Sanders then created his own band to bring to the world his vision of a universal black music, expressed through the form of free jazz.

Keep in mind that free jazz was not only a new free music, but also a way to convey a political statement, that is the affirmation of black people’s rights. Many free jazz musicians used this theme of Black Unity and underlined the necessity of a shared identity in every black man to finally get the rights they deserved.

Musically, Black Unity is one long improvisational piece that revolves around a single bass lick. The formation here is extended, as there are two drummers (as well as a percussionist) and two bassists who offer an incredible groove throughout the whole album. The presence of two bassists allows both of them to offer variations of the riff and punctuation of the phrase, and it gives an impression of stillness and movement at the same time that structures the piece. The theme is repeated through a cacophony of drums and percussions, adding to this impression of movement as the rhythm is always evolving. The African percussions such as the lovely balaphone add a tribal feel to this senses-overload. We are in the middle of a sacred African ritual.

The layered sounds of the melodic instruments (two saxophones, one trumpet and a piano) do the rest of the job, with each element coming and going, reminding me of the pop side of the avant-garde (namely the 1960s experimental bands like White Noise or The United States of America). It sounds almost like a trip, with new things always happening around you and much information’s continuously going to your brain.

The intensity of the music is not one-directional, as it is slowly moving, going to peaks, and then coming down to reach a new phase. The furious soloing of the trumpeter and the saxophonists punctuate those peaks. Pharoah Sanders tenor solos are, as usual, completely out there, very aggressive and yet very beautiful and full of spirit. It reeks of devotion to the music and the cause.

It is most definitely the rawest I know of him, and probably the less prepared. It is an example of the power of improvisation and the liberty it gives to the performers. It definitely favors a transcendental music, that get rids of the brain to just let emotions and energy lead. Black Unity is a collective mystic experience and a trip back to the roots of Humanity. This is not only an African music, but also Universal music, Human music, a chant that takes the listener back to the roots of the world.

The only comparison I see with another album is Free Jazz by the Ornette Coleman Double Quartet: it is also one improvisational piece with an extended formation, very brilliant all the same but with very different inspirations and aspirations.