A planned out hard bop blowing session. Bill Evans guests on side two.
OK, first of all, this is how I discovered Sahib Shihab. In my endless search to track down any Bill Evans recordings, I came across this album, on which he is a sideman for the second half of the record. I wouldn't fully understand the meaning of this meeting until much later. But anyway, we'll get to that. The first half is a killer. It starts with one of the very highest highlights of Sahib's catalogue with "S.M.T.W.T.F.S.S. Blues", a mid-tempo blues thing that is absolutely catchy beyond belief. Art Taylor's purposely sloppy backbeat sounds right at home with this melody and it's a stunner of an opener. The sort of thing that's completely out of place for a 1957 hard blowing session like this. Things move on and although this is a hard bop date, the ballads really steal the show. Side one closer "The Moors" previews the eastern-informed melody that Sahib would make his trademark in the 60's. Hard to call something that gets as menacing as it does a ballad, but I guess it'll have to do. Side two is where things get turned up a notch. Bill Evans instead of Hank Jones on piano does wonders for the endlessly fascinating "Blu-A-Round". As the title implies, it is a sort of blues-sounding thing that allows for some of Sahib and Mr. Evans' most entrancing solos to ever be recorded. Bill Evans plays this counter riff to the main theme that made the hair on my arms stand straight up the first time I heard it (and it still does, occassionally). Sahib just blows in that completely captivating, "Listen to me!" sort of way that he does every so often and the song is 10 minutes of pure heaven. This is one of the record label concocted blowing sessions so the group is a sextet (with three of those being horns) on both sides, though the band differs slightly. It is, however, the only recorded encounter between two of my absolute favorite musicians so therefore it has a very special place in my collection. It has been released also under the title All Star Sextets and it saw its way to a limited CD release in the early 90's (with a bonus track that I've never heard, as I have it in vinyl). Tends to pop up occassionally in used bins(more often on vinyl). Do not hesitate to pick up this overlooked classic.
~Austin
Live date featuring Sahib and a bunch of Euros.
This music is so fresh sounding, it's hard to believe this was 1963. This was recorded well after Sahib had made his move to Copenhagen and the band (besides Sahib) consists entirely of Europeans, including a rare Shihab recording with a guitarist (Ole Molin) and the European Paul Chambers, Nels-Henning Orsted Pederson (only seventeen years old when it was recorded, no less!). It's definitely a live jam session as only one song clocks in under 6 minutes in length (the first four tracks are all at least 10 minutes). The songs are mostly Shihab originals and the highlight is easily the three part title track. Sahib switches horns from song to song going from flute to soprano, to alto, to baritone and then back up again. A very cool album that features one of only a handful of non-Clarke Boland Big Band-related recordings that Sahib made in Europe. Out of print on CD, but available in digital form from iTunes.
~Austin
Where Sahib settled in.
This album features a sextet consisting of members of the Clarke Boland Big Band and it's a really percussive, Latin-but-not sounding thing that features most of Sahib's best-known compositions. The most obvious thing that sticks out here is the two songs "Lilemor" and "Please Don't Leave" which feature Sahib on vocals. "Please Don't Leave" in particuar is fantastic. An instantly catchy bass groove introduces Sahib's perfectly deadpan vocals of yearning for his lost love. The rest of the album is instrumental, but no less stunning, especially on the epic "Campi's Idea" which divides itself into several movements. Sahib's flute intermingling with the heavy percussion creates this amazing inner-atmosphere within the music that has to be heard to be completely understood. An incredibly unique album. Nothing else I've ever heard sounds quite like it.
~Austin
YOU CAN COMPILE YOUR OWN VERSION...
This album has criminally never been reissued, however you can compile a makeshift version of it from the reissued compilations Sahib Shihab and All Those Cats (under Sahib's name) and Calypso Blues (released under the group name The Clarke Boland Sextet), both of which were issued on Rearward/Schema in 1999. Having original vinyl is cool, but I highly discourage anyone from paying high prices and making it more about the artifact (which is disposable) than the music (which is essential).
Live in studio radio stuff. Mesmerising.
This album is unique because it features Sahib in a big band recording where the band isn't the Clarke Boland group. The band is competant and plays his compositions well enough, even though there isn't much gelling happening. The songs are all strong enough to overcome such issues and the band isn't exactly amateur, so it should go down just fine unless you're obessesive (like I obviously am). It's more about the actual tunes here than it is the performance, and like I said, they're all fairly spectacular (especially the first three). This is also a showcase for Sahib's arrangment skills as he handles the larger group quite well, filling the neccessary spaces and knowing where spaces are needed specifically on the ballads. A really great recording all around and more than just a footnote.
~Austin
Same old (incredible) thing.
First off, I have to thank this kind gentleman for sharing this incredibly rare album (and he's obviously read my page!). If it weren't for kind people like this, I (and you) would be without such wonderful sounds. The songs here are far more concise, as the majority of the album's tunes clock in under 4 minutes. A few tunes pop up here that you might recognize from other albums, but these recordings are exclusive to this album, so no worries, nothing's repeated. Overall, it's basically Summer Dawn redux, so there's no real major revelations, but it's just another volume of fantastic music to add to Sahib's resume`. True, the exceeding rarity of the album will surely create hype that is unachievable, but it's not too much of a disappointment. You will need to download WinRar to extract the files in the link above. Google has the details.
~Austin
Masterpiece. Landmark. Classic. And any other one word cliches that describe its greatness.
The first three songs on this album are the most spiritual pieces of music I've ever heard outside of A Love Supreme. The three tunes are all incredibly catchy numbers on which Sahib streches out and digs down deep to blow some of his most resonating solos ever. He plays soprano on all three, creating nothing less than a chilling atmosphere of pure expression (especially on "The Call"). After that, things move into the title track, which employs a Hammond B-3 organ and gives the song a feel that is straight out of the church. A wonderful melody as well. The album is ended with three more mid-tempo (though shorter) highly spiritual pieces and it finally apexes with arguably Sahib's best composition, "Companionship" which receives an absolutely beautiful reading. Features all non-Clarke Boland band members and a stunning appearance again from Nels Henning Orsted Pederson. Absolutely amazing music.
~Austin
AVAILABILITY AND SUCH...
This was reissued in 2005 by the Storyville label and not only did they remaster it fantastically, they graciously appended the Danish radio broadcast album from 1965 onto the original program; also remastered. Original liner notes (which are articulate and insightful, without being pompous or overbearing in the least), penned by the man himself, are included. Propers are in order for Storyville.
Holy crap.
This invaluable compilation gathers recordings from the sessions for Sahib's Summer Dawn album and other similar small group offshoots of the Clarke Boland Big Band, some previously released, others from the personal archives of Gigi Campi. A short review would say that it doesn't suck. At all. In fact, quite the opposite. If you really wanna get technical, it's along the lines of being some of the most unique music that's ever passed my ears. And it doesn't suck. Every song finds Sahib leading the group into territory that is somewhat familiar to most jazz fans, but although you may be well acquainted with your immediate surroundings, it's no telling what's on the other side of the block. And that's where Sahib wants to go. With his compositions and solos, he seems to be endlessly saying, "Hey guys, what's over here?" while the band is calmly and competantly staying put. There's some pretty amazing stuff here and to pick favorites is to neglect other greats. "Yah Yah Blues" only sticks out because it shows that the guy was human and liked to have as much fun as anybody else (not to mention, Francy Boland totally steals the show with his solo). It is, simultaneously, a fun composition and a completely resonating event. Honestly, this whole album, when you look at the recording dates of the various songs and put them into context, was miles ahead of it american contemporaries. Where the music was recorded shouldn't have mattered, but sadly it did. Even now, this material has only been reissued by some fanatic Italians. Get it while you can because you'll never hear anything else like it.
~Austin
