Jagan Seshadri

Review of "Open Sesame" by Freddie Hubbard
Classic Records, DAD-1019 (24/96 Digital Audio Disc)


Winning a bet is always good, but is especially sweet when you don't know the odds. Such was the case when I recently picked up the 24/96 reissue of "Open Sesame". As a relative newcomer to Jazz (since about 1999) my jazz album purchases had been relegated to the the albums sprouting, as it were, from the roster of musicians who played on Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue". Cannonball Adderley played on the KOB session, and his album "Somethin' Else" (another great one to get) happened to be issued as a 24/96 DAD on Classic Records. I was so impressed with the quality of that DAD that I decided to take a chance on another Classic Records 24/96 reissue - Freddie Hubbard's Open Sesame album, originally issued by Blue Note in 1960.

I have got to say that I am a fan of fast jazz tunes, and Freddie Hubbard can play the trumpet like Ritchie Blackmore can play a guitar solo (that's a *good* thing)! The title track "Open Sesame" and "All or Nothing At All" both really cook. "But Beautiful" is a rather ordinary ballad, but it takes me to the next track "Gypsy Blue" that has a samba feel to it that I dig, and then it switches to a finger-snapping swing - very cool. "One Mint Julep" is a standard blues progression which is fine, but again, nothing too new there. "Hub's Nub" is the final track and has some interesting note phrases and chord changes that makes it an interesting and enjoyable listen.

The audio is presented in high-resolution stereo, with the horns panned hard to the left and right, the bass centered, and the cymbals placed to the right, the snare placed further to the center, with a lush natural acoustic reverberation giving the drums depth and size on the soundstage. Hats off to the original Blue Note recording engineer Rudy van Gelder for capturing this performance back in 1960 with such quality and balance. Cheers to Classic Records for a pristine reissue!

I took a bet on this album and I won! If you like upbeat finger-snapping jazz from the late 50's - early 60's era, then I recommend this album. And do yourselves a favor if you take this bet: increase your odds of winning by picking up the Classic Records 24/96 DAD version.

-JNS

Mike Broadman

Jason, nice to see someone else enjoying that Hubbard album. Before getting it, I only had Hubtones, another great album. I ordered the DAD from elusivedisc and picked up the CD in the store. I pretty much expected it to be great, as I've heard Hubbard play as a sideman for many others.

I sometimes enjoying the DADs more than other formats because of the great stuff on them: Freddie Hubbard, Cannonball Adderley, John Coltrane, Hank Mobley, John Lee Hooker. I also plan on eventually getting the DADs for Kenny Drew, Al Cohn & Zoot Simms, and Art Taylor. The odd thing is, some of these aren't out on CD, like the Hank Mobley album.

When it comes to jazz, I personally don't care that much about surround sound. Sure it's a nice option, but give me high resolution stereo and I'm more than happy. SACD or DAD, it doesn't matter. Coltrane, Monk, Mingus, Miles, Hubbard, Mobley, Rollins, Evans, Adderley, Armstrong- these are the kind of releases that I bought my player for. We need more!

NP: David Bowie, Scary Monsters

My awesome music collection

Scott Oliver

Mike,

I am going to be completely amazed the day someone talks about a Jazz album that you have NOT heard.

How many of these albums do you own?

Anyway nice collection from a jealous fellow music lover.

Mike Broadman

Scott, I'm flattered.
Actually, there have been plenty of albums mentioned that I have not heard. Someone a while ago (I think in this thread) posted about jazz music that has elements of international music (Japanese, African, Middle Eastern, etc), and I had not heard any of them. Because of that post, I purchased two albums, but I am sorely ignorant in the department.
I also only started getting into vocal jazz (literally a couple of weeks), so I'm pretty ignorant about that, too.
My knowledge of current jazz is also extremely limited. There are quite a few HTF members who know more about it than I and have introduced me to such artists as Gonzalo Rubalcaba and Vandermark 5.

It probably only seems I know so much because the jazz most often discussed is the major artists from the 50s and 60s, where I happen to focus the vast majority of my interest.

Heck, that's why we're here, to learn from each other, right?

As for the number of jazz CDs I own, I'm guessing maybe 2 or 3 hundred. That isn't that many compared to most serious jazz fans. I actually have more rock than anything, because I've been into that longer (although I now do spend more time listening to jazz than anything).

NP: AC/DC, Razor's Edge

My awesome music collection

Al B. C

Ok - So I bought "Bitches Brew".

I'm really trying here friends.

"A Love Supreme" sounds like a Carpenter's album compared to this. I'm not sure this CD will ever grow on me.

It really sounds like a lot of noise!

***Update*** I really have grown to appreciate "A Love Supreme" for what it is, and it has become one of my favorite new purchases. It is truly a wonderful piece of work. Like a good book, I find it very hard to put down.

Mike Broadman

Al, I give you credit for jumping in to the deep end on your first swimming lesson. A Love Supreme and Bitches Brew are certainly not your typical jazz albums (some would argue that BB isn't even jazz, and Coltrane's playing was coined as "anti-jazz," whatever that means).

I personally find listening to these two albums to be opposite: ALS is to be listened to intently, getting into the details and that guts of the music; BB and Mile's other 70s work is better as a background collection of "musical noise," as I like to call it.

NP: Queensryche, Empirep, DVD-A

My awesome music collection

Al B. C

So Mike - do you like this "musical noise"?

Mike Broadman

Indeed. It's my favorite thing in the world.

I'm a bit of an oddball as I enjoy everything Miles ever did, including the much-hated 80s material.

My awesome music collection

Al B. C

It just seems to me right now that this is taking improv from the sublime to the ridiculous.

There is a point to where improvisation can become nothing more than mere jibberish to most, except to the one that is performing it.

Robin Williams stand up improvs can be funny, but what if he just started a comedy bit, and then ended it with drooling, fart sounds, nose picking and chicken walking for 30 minutes, you'd probably say WTF and get up and leave.

That first CD of "Bitches Brew" doesn't appear on the surface to be a whole lot different than the example above.

I was dead wrong about "ALS" and willfully admit it. I'm not so sure about "BB"




NP - "Ultimate Blue Train"

PaulHeroy

Hi folks, nice to see this thread back again in full force. I've been away for a while after posting a few times earlier (including the ethnic/international jazz post that Mike referenced).

Al, kudos on sticking with ALS; like you, to me it seemed a little impenetrable the first time I heard it but it had so much acclaim that I kept at it. It's very likely that hearing some other things in the meantime helped me "get" it. So one of the things I'd say to people having a hard time hearing a supposedly great work, but having trouble, is let your ears stretch out on some other things, maybe some recordings from a few years prior that lead up to the work in question. I think sometimes we just need to let our brain soak up the language a bit before we can understand it.

On Bill Evans: I tend to like harder swinging, more percussive pianists a la Monk, Randy Weston and others. But there is no question that Evans was one of the absolute greats, one of the most influential pianists ever, and when someone's at that level personal taste nearly goes by the wayside. So I do enjoy Evans despite my weakness in hearing what he does so well. FYI, Waltz For Debby and Sunday at the VV are both from the same set of shows at the Vanguard in 1961, and at the same incredibly high level.

On Miles and Bitches Brew: it's a thang. Kinda like ALS in a way, in that it is a legendary recording that can be hard to approach, but try listening to In a Silent Way or even a couple of pieces on Filles de Kilimanjaro (Frelon Brun is one tune I think), which is where Miles first recorded with electric instruments. Or... you could jump ahead a bit and check out Jack Johnson, which many regard as more successful than BB. Also realize that BB is basically put together piecemeal by Teo Macero from lots of studio recordings, lots of experiments with sounds and different instruments and improvs. In fact 2 expanded sets of music have come out of that: the 3 disc "complete" BB box set, and a remix album called Panthalassa from Bill Laswell. Both are quite good. Miles continued with various incarnations of the electric blend of jazz/funk/rock/African musics until 1975, and while I understand jazz fans who say that Miles stopped playing jazz in 1969 I just don't care, because there's so much amazing music there. I especially love the last couple of recordings from 1975, Agharta and Pangaea (both live in Japan).

Speaking of live jazz: YES. THAT is the truth in any way you want to understand the word.

Mike Broadman

Paul, good to see you back. I shall welcome you with a correction:

Miles first recorded with electric instruments on the under-appreciated Miles in the Sky, which featured his "2nd quintet" and, on one track, a very young George Benson.

My awesome music collection

PaulHeroy

Quoth Al: