Barry Harris trio - plays Tadd Dameron & Thelonious Monk ('75 Xanadu, '77 Columbia, '84, '78) (Jazz lips 2008)

Jazz Lips release cover (click to enlarge)

Xanadu_Prevue release Cover

Review from www.dustygroove.com:

Two overlooked 70's gems from Barry Harris, both of them trio dates based around famous jazz composers! First up are 8 tracks in which Barry Harris stretches out wonderfully in a set of compositions by Tadd Dameron -- most of them familiar jazz standards from a few decades before, transformed magically by Harris in a hip 70s piano trio mode! The group here features Gene Taylor on bass and Leroy Williams on drums -- both of whom work nicely with Barry's newly discovered sweetness at the time -- an approach that's sometimes a bit warmer than his work in the 60s, and which helps make these tunes stand out in newly sensitive readings. Titles include "The Tadd Walk", "Lady Bird", "Casbah", "Our Delight", "Soultrane", "The Chase", and "Hot House".
Next up are 5 more tracks penned by Thelonious Monk, and played by Harris with a trio that includes Bill Lee on bass and Leroy Williams on drums! Harris hits the right angular modes to make Monk's music come alive, but also warms them up with a bit more sensitivity too -- slight colorings in his choice of tone, and an almost more personal feel on some of the numbers, even when taken at a fast clip. Titles include "Epistrophy", "In Walked Bud", "52nd Street Theme", and "Light Blue". CD also features a solo version of "Pannonica" from 1984, and a reading of "All God's Chillun Got Rhythm" from 1978 -- recorded live in Montreux with Sam Jones on bass and Leroy Williams on drums.



01 HOT HOUSE 4:33
02 SOULTRANE 5:41
03 THE CHASE 5:09
04 LADY BIRD 5:05
05 CASBAH 8:25
06 IF YOU COULD SEE ME NOW 5:30
07 THE TADD WALK 3:38
08 OUR DELIGHT 4:17

BARRY HARRIS, piano
GENE TAYLOR, bass
LEROY WILLIAMS, drums
New York, June 4, 1975.

Released as Barry Harris plays Tadd Dameron (Xanadu) on LP. Also released by Prevue label on CD.
-------------------------------------------
Plays the Music of Thelonious Monk

09 EPISTROPHY 3:19
10 IN WALKED BUD 3:45
11 52ND STREET THEME 2:55
12 RUBY MY DEAR 3:53
13 LIGHT BLUE 2:31

BARRY HARRIS, piano
BILL LEE, bass
LEROY WILLIAMS, drums
New York, November 3-5, 1977.
Tracks 09-12 released on VVAA - I Remember Bebop (columbia) , tw0 lp's with new material (not a compilation from other releases)
Track 13 from same session, but not released on these two lp's
-------------------------------------------------------------
14 PANNONICA 6:03

BARRY HARRIS piano solo. New York, 1984.

Piano used is a 'tack piano' , an altered piano standard with sound resembling a harpsichord ....fascinating version!!
------------------------------------------------------------
15 ALL GOD’S CHILLUN’ GOT RHYTHM 5:59
BARRY HARRIS (p)
SAM JONES (b)
LEROY WILLIAMS (d)

Live in Montreux, Switzerland, July 15, 1978.
--------------------------------------------------------