Unity

Unity is a perfect name for this pretty much perfect jazz album. As someone who`s new to Larry Young - not having exactly made a beeline for records featuring organ before - I am delighted and excited by this quartet of Young on organ, the always resourceful Joe Henderson on tenor sax, the terrific Woody Shaw on trumpet and Mr Ubiquity himself, the irrepressible Elvin Jones on drums.The opener Zoltan, composed by Shaw, starts with a bar or two of martial drumming (Jones sounding more like Blackwell or Roach, with their `woody` attack) then the leader`s organ is there in a clear spray of notes and the number is underway. Henderson shines on his solo. A great track.Next is Monk`s Dream, with organ to the fore form the off. Young isn`t a `funky` organist, and has the smoothest, clearest tone of any I`ve heard, with a lyrical, impressionistic approach which reminds me not a little of one of my favourite musicians, vibist Bobby Hutcherson.One excellent aspect of this set is that there`s so much room for each musician to breathe. And no bass player! Young and an explosive Jones bop around this Monk tune as a duet, no brass on this one.Shaw & Henderson, as if impatient to be back in the fray, blast off the tenor`s own number If, a swinging affair which boasts some of Joe`s most Trane-like playing, before Shaw comes in, his trumpet a balm to the ears as he extemporises a fine, treble-heavy solo behind an insistent Young and percussive Jones.That`s half the album. The rest is just as good. Shaw has two more of his own, The Moontrane, a wonderful track with urgent solos all round, and the closer Beyond All Limits, an apt name for this modest marvel of an record. Softly As In A Morning Sunrise is as exultant as its title, a fast workout which brings a big grin to my face when I hear it.There are no ballads, which is odd in a way, as one would have loved to have heard these guys in mellower mood. But no matter.Unlike many in the exemplary Rudy Van Gelder reissues from Blue Note, there are no extra tracks, and what a good thing that turns out to be. After all, we get forty minutes packed with great music beautifully executed, Larry Young`s sensitive playing underpinning nearly every bar of these six well chosen tunes. No need for more. This Nov 1965 recording is as close to impeccable as jazz gets.I will be playing Unity regularly for a very long time. It`s an addictive, highly `listenable` set, with a quartet so together, their instruments complementing each other so well, and so often unexpectedly, that every note sounds like a discovery, for the players and for us.Essential.

Loved this album, I though it might be unavailable, but got it on Amazon for a good price

As well as having the pleasure of hearing Larry Youngs great skills, Woody Shaw also is a dominant force on this one.

I got this because it was recommended to me I like it it is interesting there is no bass playing on this album which I normally prefer BUT Larry himself does an excellent job of filling in the low end for me and it also gives a unique bass tone for the album and also creates alot of open space too. The drumming on the album is also another highlight :D Spectacular

No problems

A great Blue Note recording. Typical Rudy van Gelder quality sound.

Easy listening

Good album, bought to reminisce that Hammond sound, but memory fonder than experience....

Ce disque avec Elvin Jones ...

Larry Young along with Woody Shaw, both young NJ jazzmen who left the scene far to young, but left behind some outstanding work of which this is the perfect example. Remaster of a Rudy Van Gelder Studio production, the sound is clear crisp, and balanced. Listening makes me wonder why anyone wants to sacrifice such sound quality for mp-3!!

Unity fu uno dei capisaldi e dischi di culto della vecchia e cara Blue Note.Larry Young, lontano dallo stile più classico (o fruibile) di Jimmy Smith, si muove su un terreno fatto di ricerca e sperimentazione.E’ una sperimentazione, ancor oggi 2018, viva e fresca, ma questo fatto, oltre ad essere un merito acquisito di Unity, rappresenta anche un brutto segno, perché mostra il generale appiattimento culturale della musica di oggi (e non solo della musica); un declino che vaga alla ricerca di una confezione più che di un contenuto.(Ovviamente le eccezioni ci sono, ma sono rarità…)Il quartetto, con Joe Henderson al tenore, Woody Shaw alla tromba, il vulcanico Elvin Jones alla batteria, il nostro Larry Young all’Hammond, è fortemente ispirato e mostra grande interplay fra i musicisti ed un groove generale (anche per merito dell’attenzione di Fred Lion e del suono Van Gelder) di assoluta meraviglia.Atmosfera, idee, talento, fra le mura di Englewood Cliffs, sotto gli occhi compiaciuti di Alfred Lion, Francis Wolff e Rudy Van Gelder. La copertina, del solito Reid Miles, è un’altra opera d’arte, modernista e minimalista.La famiglia Blue Note è, come sempre, al completo e fa di tutto per coccolarsi i musicisti. E’ però una famiglia allargata, perché ai nostri dobbiamo aggiungere Michael Cuscuna, l’uomo che darà nuova vita, anni dopo, alla vecchia Blue Note in profonda crisi, producendo riedizioni e ristampe fatte d’amore e di qualità, che le daranno luce eterna.Solito librettino con le note originali di Nat Hentoff, unite a quelle del 1999 del solito Bob Blumenthal.Unity fa parte della cerchia degli albums che non possono mancare negli scaffali di un appassionato, ma anche (o soprattutto) di un giovane che voglia conoscere e capire cosa capitò in quegli anni fatti di sensibilità e magia.

トニー・ウィリアムス・ライフタイムの『Emergency!』（1969年）やマイルス・デイヴィスの『Bitches Brew』（1969年）への参加で知られるアメリカ合衆国のジャズ・オルガン奏者／ピアニスト、ラリー・ヤング（Larry Young）のリーダー作としては最も有名なアルバム。1965年に録音され、1966年にブルーノート・レコーズから発売された。ウディ・ショウ（trumpet）、ジョー・ヘンダーソン（tenor saxophone）、エルヴィン・ジョーンズ（drums）、ラリー・ヤング（organ）による2管ベースレスのクァルテットによる演奏。ベースパートはオルガンのベースペダルで演奏。ジョン・コルトレーンの影響下、ジミー・スミスのアーシーなソウルジャズとは異なるハモンドオルガン（B-3）のモダンな奏法を開拓したモーダル・ジャズの名作。「Zoltan」はゾルターン・コダーイの組曲「ハーリ・ヤーノシュ」のマーチの引用で始まる。「Monk’s Dream」はセロニアス・モンクの曲。「Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise」（朝日のごとくさわやかに）はシグマンド・ロンバーグ作曲のスタンダード曲。

Larry Young's name is upfront, but this is a great ensemble.Woody Shaw, Joe Henderson and Elvin Jones: Awesome!