Pure Fire! is a suitable companion to the recent Sunday Afternoon At Dingwall release and it features some of our long time heroes on the scene and some top tunes like the classic ‘See You Later’ and ‘The Blessing Song’
John Coltrane’s ‘Wise One’ is here, perhaps its inclusion is inspired by Dwight Trible’s cover on Living Water (with Trible’s lyrics). And talking of greats, in addition to Coltrane, Peterson has put in all his vibrazone favourites; Pharoah Sanders (of course but not an obvious track), Oliver Nelson (not ‘Stolen Moments’), Yusef Lateef, McCoy Tyner, Archie Shepp and the mighty Art Blakey.
And that is very much the skill of DJ Peterson who managed to get the hard bop of the Jazz Messengers into clubs for kids to dance to years after the originals were recorded.
As Gilles might say, “It’s all about the orange and black covers.” And have they got a back catalogue to plunder! It must be almost impossible to pick a ‘Best of’. Even when no less than Michael Cuscuna compiled Impulse! Jazz — A 30 year Celebration he only got 18 tracks on a double CD set but went back to the start including Coltrane, Sanders, Freddie Hubbard, Chico Hamilton, Charles Mingus, Duke Ellington and Count Basie.
Always one up on Blue Note with the Coltrane card and as Peterson notes, “Impulse! Records, nothing but immaculate music… I’m at my happiest here — this is my preferred destination.” Can’t argue with that (not today at least).
Getting back to Dingwalls, you might want to compare with the Patrick Forge Impulse! compilation California Dream’ — Jazz Exotica (Chico Hamilton, Dave Mackay & Vicki Hamilton, Gabor Szabo and many more).
And we’ve not even mentioned Albert Ayler, Alice Coltrane or Shirley Scott. What more can you say? Go out there and act on Impulse! Brilliant.
Reviewed: Various — Pure Fire! A Gilles Peterson Impulse! Collection (Impulse!) Cat. No. 0602517044401 Release date: Sept 2006
Tracklisting:
01 Michael White — The Blessing Song (6:13)
02 Milt Jackson and Ray Brown — Enchanted Lady (5:06)
03 Max Roach — Lonesome Lover (7:01)
04 Art Blakey — Alamode (6:48)
05 Archie Shepp — I Got It Bad (and That Ain’t Good) (5:14)
06 John Coltrane — Wise One (9:01)
07 McCoy Tyner — Three Flowers (10:10)
08 Dave Mackay and Vicky Hamilton — See You Later (5:20)
09 Oliver Nelson — Patterns (6:16)
10 Yusef Lateef — First Gymnopedie (3:27)
11 Pharoah Sanders — Hum-Allah-Hum-Allah-Hum Allah (15:04)
Links:
www.impulserecords.com
