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1960's Impulse: Essential Mainstream Jazz
The 1960s over at Impulse! Records saw the release of some of the most forward-thinking jazz music of the time, most notably in the avant-garde spheres. But it wasn't all about free jazz - there were plenty of mainstream-minded releases coming out of the label around the same time by similarly boundary-pushing musicians like post-bop innovator Oliver Nelson, soul vocalist Ray Charles (who performs with a huge big band on Genius + Soul = Jazz), and even McCoy Tyner with his trio debut Inception.
If you're more into the wilder sounds of the early Impulse! Records catalogue, you can check out some of our favourite releases here. In the meantime, take a look below at some of our favourite Impulse! Records releases from the 1960s...
The line-up alone on saxophonist Oliver Nelson's acclaimed The Blues and the Abstract Truth ought to be enough to pique your interest; Freddie Hubbard, Eric Dolphy, Bill Evans, Paul Chambers and Roy Haynes, with George Barrow's contributions a nigh-unnoticable but key component in Nelson's arrangements. An eclectic affair that speaks to Nelson's adaptability as a composer, The Blues and the Abstract Truth is equal parts earworm-y melodies, well-honed compositional chops, and raw blues.
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Genius + Soul = Jazz was only the second release for Impulse! Records, and the first to feature the father of soul Ray Charles, accompanied on this recording by a big band arranged by Quincy Jones & Ralph Burns, featuring members picked out from the Count Basie Band as well as a handful of New York session players. Hugely influential in the development of soul music, Genius + Soul = Jazz even features a handful of purely instrumental tracks with Charles taking organ solos.
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Shirley Scott, otherwise known as the 'Queen of the Organ', was over 20 albums into her music career by the time she released Great Scott!!, her second Impulse! album after For Members Only. Both of these first two recordings featured Shirley's trio alongside an orchestra conducted by Oliver Nelson, as well as a small number of tracks recorded in a trio format.
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC
Trumpeter Freddie Hubbard only recorded two albums for Impulse!; 1963's The Artistry of Freddie Hubbard, and 1964's The Body & The Soul. A rather interesting lineup that sees Hubbard performing with his septet - which at the time included Wayne Shorter, Eric Dolphy and Louis Hayes just to name a few - as well as a string section and live orchestra, The Body & The Soul is still one of the more ambitious entries in Hubbard's discography.
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC
Early in his days with the John Coltrane Quartet, Inception is pianist McCoy Tyner's first release as bandleader, still somewhat predating the influence brought on by his time with the saxophonist's group; here we're treated to a set of mostly Tyner originals, with personal tunes like 'Blues for Gwen' named after his sister, or the pensive ballad 'Sunset' named by his wife Aisha. Tyner is seen here with drummer Elvin Jones, whom he'd record a handful of Coltrane albums with like My Favourite Things and Coltrane Plays the Blues, as well as bassist Art Davis whom you can actually hear on later Coltrane releases like Ascension and Africa/Brass.
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC
One of the first four albums ever in the Impulse! catalogue, Out of the Cool took the band (plus Elvin Jones) from Gil Evans' just-completed six-week stint at the Jazz Gallery club in New York into the studio for a session that saw the Orchestra working through both composed and improvised material. One of the few big bands that could compete with the calibre of the likes of Duke Ellington, Out of the Cool still stands out as one of Evans' finest works.
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC
Seeing Duke Ellington & John Coltrane written on a record sleeve is an enticing prospect if I've ever seen one; this duo of jazz icons only ever produced one collaborative record together, with this album mostly comprising of compositions by the Duke and alternating between the two's rhythm sections track by track. Recorded during a time where Ellington was reaching out to numerous contemporary jazz artists of the 1960s, this album is preceded in Ellington's catalogue by Money Jungle (a trio recording with Charles Mingus and Max Roach), having recently taken an interest in small ensembles rather than his usual big band.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC
Available Format: 2 Vinyl Records
You'll also hear Shirley Scott, mentioned earlier on this list, on saxophonist Stanley Turrentine's mid-60s release Let It Go; at the time of release, the two were married - how's that for musical chemistry? The rest of the quartet is filled out by drummers Mack Simpkins and Otis Finch, and bassists Ron Carter and Bob Cranshaw depending on the track, but the conversation is mostly between Turrentine and Scott. Turrentine had already recorded a number of successful Blue Note sets by this point in his career, and Let It Go carries on the winning streak with a few original tunes to boot.
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC
Joshua Lee - Jazz Content
