GEORGE ADAMS — Sound Suggestions (review)

GEORGE ADAMS — Sound Suggestions album cover Album · 1979 · Post Bop Buy this album from MMA partners
4.5/5 ·
snobb
American tenor George Adams is best known from his long-lasting collaboration with pianist Don Pullen (they co-founded and ran successful band for years). Still he has released some albums under own name, many of them are of same great quality.

Jumped on forefront of jazz scene in early 70s playing in Charles Mingus band, Adams debuted as leader with two obscure avant-garde jazz albums on tiny and short-lived Italian Horo label. "Sound Suggestions", his third album as leader, comes as surprise - it's released on respectable German ECM label, and the band is all-stars. Sextet, containing bassist Dave Holland and drummer John DeJohnette among others,plays five members' originals - tightly composed memorable songs stylistically fluctuating between post-bop and European avant-garde jazz.

"Baba', album's opener,its longest track and is written by Anglo-Canadian trumpeter Kenny Wheeler and from very first seconds sounds like the melody you know for years. "Imani's Dance", Adams composition, continues "Baba" in natural way almost imperceptibly transfers to more muscular and groovy but still very soulful song. Adams, in ECM fashion, on this album plays less explosively than on many his previously and later works. Still, as for label's standard, album's music is very groovy, warm and ... American sounding. Perfectly recorded and mixed, "Sound Suggestions" are quite different from sterile groove-less and often emotionless ECM sound which has been already formed at the time of album's release.

Side B contains three shorter compositions. German musician Heinz Sauer (band's second tenor) composition "Stay Informed" is freer and more knotty than first two (completing side A), Adams even gets a chance for some harsher solos. Adams' "Got Somethin' Good For You" is up-tempo blues-based song with his own vocals on it.

"A Spire", Kenny Wheeler album's closer is the only ballad here and it radiates light melancholy. A great tasteful collection of beautiful music of miscellaneous origin, accessible but enough progressive for being attractive for listeners who avoid too conservative mainstream jazz. Not really typical ECM-style release (ok, they were more adventurous back in 70s), "Sound Suggestions" stays Adams only album on this label. Reissued on CD in 1994 it is quite accessible to find and can be really recommended as excellent evidence of creative jazz era. This music sounds modern even today.

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
js wrote:
more than 2 years ago
Thanks, corrected.
Steve Wyzard wrote:
more than 2 years ago
The late Kenny Wheeler was a trumpeter/flugelhornist, not a drummer.

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Jazz Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

JMA TOP 5 Jazz ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
A Love Supreme Post Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
Kind of Blue Cool Jazz
MILES DAVIS
Buy this album from our partners
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady Progressive Big Band
CHARLES MINGUS
Buy this album from our partners
Blue Train Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
My Favorite Things Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners

New Jazz Artists

New Jazz Releases

Tim Daisy & Chris Corsano : Natural Clatter Jazz Related Improv/Composition
TIM DAISY
Buy this album from MMA partners
Solace Of The Mind Avant-Garde Jazz
AMINA CLAUDINE MYERS
Buy this album from MMA partners
Winther / Andersson / Watts : Steep Steps Post Bop
CARL WINTHER
Buy this album from MMA partners
About (or On)First Visit 21st Century Modern
ELLERY ESKELIN
Buy this album from MMA partners
To Walk On Eggshells 21st Century Modern
RUSS JOHNSON
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Jazz Online Videos

Royalty For Real
SUSANNE ALT
js· 5 hours ago
Satoko Fujii Tokyo Trio Dream a Dream
SATOKO FUJII
js· 2 days ago
Wojciech Jachna Squad - Ad Astra (Promo Teaser)
WOJCIECH JACHNA
snobb· 6 days ago
Nitty Gritty
RUSS SPIEGEL
js· 6 days ago
Never in a 100.000.000 Dreams
SUPERSISTER
js· 6 days ago
More videos

New JMA Jazz Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Jazz News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed