Revisiting A&M Records No. 40
Kai Winding & J.J. Johnson: ‘Israel’ (Summer ’68)
If stuffy jazzbos will forgive the comparison, this storied duo was to the late ‘60s what Silk Sonic is now: a much-heralded unification of esteemed forces.
There are so many reasons to admire this cleverly intertwined tale of tragic lovers, yet I’d scarcely know where to start praising Louis Malle’s evocative cornerstone of the French New Wave were this post not focused on its trendsetting score.
Revisiting A&M Records No. 36
Wes Montgomery: ‘Down Here on the Ground’ (April ‘68)
Perspectives shift and refocus with time and experience, that’s undeniable. So when I listen again to oft-maligned music from several decades ago, and discover how much I enjoy it, I still try my best to hear hints of what others once found so problematic.
Revisiting A&M Records No. 33
Nat Adderley: ‘You, Baby’ (late winter ’68)
Sometimes these CTI albums impress immediately, seizing our attention with intricate compositions, remarkable interplay and an enveloping warmth that offsets bracing coolness. Other times it takes multiple spins before arrangements click, distinctive solos sink in and subtler charms emerge.
Revisiting A&M Records No. 28
Herbie Mann: ‘Glory of Love’ (December ‘67)
I must not be jazzbo enough to understand why this very enjoyable one-off the groundbreaking flutist cut for Creed Taylor’s CTI subsidiary isn’t held in nearly as high regard as albums that came before and after it.
Ordinarily I would’ve shared this latest installment in my #TuesdaysWithJerry series on, well, Tuesday.
But as I spent yesterday on the road from Tucson back to Cali, there simply weren’t brain reserves left to produce a post with any measure of meaning. And yet I don’t want to wait longer to nudge this never-ending survey of A&M Records along.
Music moguls have rarely been as monumentally influential as Jerry Moss was. Last week’s loss of the M half of A&M Records — Herb Alpert, the A, is still kicking at 88, the same age his partner reached — rises to a level of recognition reserved for legendary scene-shapers such as Mo Ostin at Warner/Reprise or Ahmet Ertegun at Atlantic. Like those fellow Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees, Moss was a crucial titan with a decades-deep effect on careers and stylistic shifts.
