Larry Young – In Paris: The ORTF Recordings (2016) DSF DSD128

Larry Young – In Paris: The ORTF Recordings (2016)
DSF Stereo DSD128, 1 bit/5,6 MHz | Time – 01:39:25 minutes | 7,88 GB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download – Source: HDTracks | Booklet, Front Cover | ©  2xHD

Released here for the first time, 2016’s Larry Young in Paris: The ORTF Recordings is something of a lost treasure rediscovered. Recorded while the Newark, New Jersey-born pianist/organist Larry Young was living in France from 1964-1965, these recordings were broadcast once on French public radio and then archived for decades. As a listening experience, The ORTF Recordings are a revelation, showcasing the innovative Young (who died tragically in 1978 at age 38) and his group of equally youthful and talented musicians, including 19-year-old Newark trumpeter Woody Shaw. Technically speaking, half of the tracks were recorded under the leadership of tenor saxophonist Nathan Davis, a fellow Newark native, who had been performing in Paris with saxophonist Eric Dolphy. In fact, it was Davis who first brought Shaw, and later Young and drummer Billy Brooks, to Paris. With their New Jersey backgrounds and shared love of John Coltrane and modernist Hungarian composers like Bartok and Kodaly, this was a group of voraciously intellectual, highly creative musicians on the cusp of greatness. Notably, these sessions prefigure Young’s landmark 1965 Blue Note album, Unity, which also featured Shaw. While these recordings are more ad hoc in nature than Unity, one can clearly hear the angular modalism and cutting-edge harmonies that Young and Shaw borrowed from Coltrane, pianist McCoy Tyner, and others, and would then build on it throughout the rest of the ’60s into the ’70s. This is particularly evident on the two Shaw originals included here, “Beyond All Limits” and “Zoltan,” both later re-recorded for Unity. Also engaging are the handful of Young trio numbers here, including his buoyant take on “Mean to Me,” which display just how adroit and inventive a keyboardist he was. That said, even cuts like “Talkin’ About J.C.,” “La Valse Grise,” and “Discotheque,” recorded here with a group of European musicians gathered together by producer and radio host Jack Dieval, are prime examples of soulful, harmonically aggressive jazz. Ultimately, The ORTF Recordings offer a revealing snapshot of a new breed of jazz musicians, Young and Shaw, who would return to the states on the heels of their time in Paris and revolutionize the sound of modern jazz.

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Larry Young – Unity (1965/2012) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz]

Larry Young – Unity (1965/2012)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 39:56 minutes | 1,78 GB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Blue Note Records

Larry Young’s Unity was a revolutionary masterpiece. The album has been deemed by critics and fans as one of jazz’s best organ recordings of all time. This first-rate performance features legendary sidemen Woody Shaw, Joe Henderson and Elvin Jones. Young’s electrifying delivery not only challenged but redefined any preconceived notions. The ensemble’s chemistry is undeniable. Includes the high energy “Zoltan,” the widely popular “Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise” and a riveting rendition of “Monk’s Dream.” An undeniable classic for any music lover.

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Larry Young – Larry Young In Paris: The ORTF Recordings (2016) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Larry Young – Larry Young In Paris: The ORTF Recordings (2016)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:39:45 minutes | 2,17 GB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © 2xHD

Released here for the first time, 2016’s Larry Young in Paris: The ORTF Recordings is something of a lost treasure rediscovered. Recorded while the Newark, New Jersey-born pianist/organist Larry Young was living in France from 1964-1965, these recordings were broadcast once on French public radio and then archived for decades. As a listening experience, The ORTF Recordings are a revelation, showcasing the innovative Young (who died tragically in 1978 at age 38) and his group of equally youthful and talented musicians, including 19-year-old Newark trumpeter Woody Shaw. Technically speaking, half of the tracks were recorded under the leadership of tenor saxophonist Nathan Davis, a fellow Newark native, who had been performing in Paris with saxophonist Eric Dolphy. In fact, it was Davis who first brought Shaw, and later Young and drummer Billy Brooks, to Paris. With their New Jersey backgrounds and shared love of John Coltrane and modernist Hungarian composers like Bartok and Kodaly, this was a group of voraciously intellectual, highly creative musicians on the cusp of greatness. Notably, these sessions prefigure Young’s landmark 1965 Blue Note album, Unity, which also featured Shaw. While these recordings are more ad hoc in nature than Unity, one can clearly hear the angular modalism and cutting-edge harmonies that Young and Shaw borrowed from Coltrane, pianist McCoy Tyner, and others, and would then build on it throughout the rest of the ’60s into the ’70s. This is particularly evident on the two Shaw originals included here, “Beyond All Limits” and “Zoltan,” both later re-recorded for Unity. Also engaging are the handful of Young trio numbers here, including his buoyant take on “Mean to Me,” which display just how adroit and inventive a keyboardist he was. That said, even cuts like “Talkin’ About J.C.,” “La Valse Grise,” and “Discotheque,” recorded here with a group of European musicians gathered together by producer and radio host Jack Dieval, are prime examples of soulful, harmonically aggressive jazz. Ultimately, The ORTF Recordings offer a revealing snapshot of a new breed of jazz musicians, Young and Shaw, who would return to the states on the heels of their time in Paris and revolutionize the sound of modern jazz.

(more…)

Read more
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