This is part of a new series of Blue Note jazz masterpieces newly remastered using 24-bit technology by the original, legendary recording engineer, Rudy Van Gelder. This inventive session with Joe Henderson and Elvin Jones put Larry Young and Woody Shaw on the jazz map. Churning rhythms, challenging compositions and brilliant solo work Recorded in 1965, in the afterglow of avant-garde jazz's first significant wave, Unity proved what organist Larry Young's Blue Note debut, Into Somethin', foreshadowed. Young had been a straightforward protégé of Jimmy Smith prior to his Blue Note years, and he later went full-tilt into fusion, eventually joining Tony Williams's Lifetime for their rightly named debut, Emergency. But here Young dug into an exploratory groove that fed in part off the Hammond B-3 tradition and in part off the pulse-oriented rhythmic developments then occupying Cecil Taylor and others. That said, the tunes are all keeled on even tempos, with thoughtful, tight soloing from Joe Henderson and a young Woody Shaw. With drummer Elvin Jones powering the quartet, the music cruises along, but Young's free-flying organ is the most striking point, with its fall-apart deconstructions and its architecturally complex solos and melody statements. More than anything, this recording helped clarify how relevant the B-3 was for the new breed of jazzers. This Rudy Van Gelder remaster improves the sound, both brightening it and bolstering the low end. Also added are a couple of great photos and a new liner essay. --Andrew Bartlett
Orig. 1965; reissued 1999. LY, org; Woody Shaw, tpt; Joe Henderson, ten sax; Elvin Jones, dr.When I first heard this album, it didn’t do anything for me. I think I had been expecting something more out of the norm, maybe an early variant on the Mahavishnu Orchestra. (Four years after this session, Young did record with John McLaughlin in the Tony Williams Lifetime.) What this album is, and I missed it then, is a high-level funk-bop album,..
Larry Young must have been a name that got placed somewhere in my sub-conscience as a kid, 'cause I've no clue how I came up with it when I was randomly searching for some straight ahead jazz. Didn't know anything about who he was or what he played, but when I saw this album I thought it would be a great addition to my widespread music collection. Man... was I right! It definitely makes for an enjoyable listening experience no matter what your taste, and if you al..
