The Village Voice’s Gary Giddins picked this as one of his Best Jazz Discs of the Year. If you’re a fan of blues-steeped jazz with an unstoppable groove, you have to hear this CD. The line-up is stellar: Bluiett on bari sax; ex-Mingus star Jack Walrath on trumpet; young lion Mark Shim on tenor and a peerless rhythm section—Larry Willis, Keter Betts and Jimmy Cobb. Stereophile says “…this disc sounds awesomely present…these guys are having a rompin’, stompin’, honkin’ good time …Irresistible.” Their set ranges seamlessly from Dizzy’s hard-rocking “Blue ’N Boogie” all the way to Willis’ nostalgic ballad “Thinking About It” and the soul-drenched “Sir Phyllis Blues.”
1. Blue 'N Boogie (J.B.Gillespie) -Listen to Sample
2. Precious Moments For Right Now (H.Bluiett) -Listen to Sample
3. Sir Phyllis Blues (H.Bluiett) -Listen to Full Song
4. Thinking ABout It (L. Willis)
5. Jimmy And Me (Bluiett/ Cobb)
6. Bari-ed Treasure (J. Walrath)
7. Head Start (K. Betts)
8. Blues In F And G (K. Betts)
Two baritone players front sextets including a hot young tenor, which barrel straight through the mainstream idiom. Neither the personnel nor the approach on Hamiet Bluiett's Young Warrior, Old Warrior (Mapleshade, ) are what you'd expect from World Saxophone Quartet's anchor; his rhythm section is Larry Willis, Keter Betts and Jimmy Cobb. You may be surprised by how much Bluiett sounds at ease and at home, trading solos with trumpeter Jack Walrath and tenor-to-watch Mark Shim (a David Murray big band regular), ormixing it up in duets with bass and drums. Bluiett's limber blowing may put you in mind of Pepper Adams or vintage Cecil Payne, no small thing, ever. Don't let this sleeper slide by. -Kevin Whitehead
Bariman Bluiett, a founding member of the World Saxophone Quartet a decade and a half ago, snaps shut any generation gap on his debut for the audiophile Mapleshade label. As the title suggests, this CD features players ranging in age from their 20s through 70s. Relaxed, loose and swingful, Young Warrior, Old Warrior teams the leader on the front line with trumpeter Jack Walrath, his fellow Charles Mingus alumnus, and the 20-something tenorman Mark Shim, currently a member of David Murray's big band. Keter Betts, a respected bassist seldom heard on CD in recent years, holds down the time, and, just as important, chips in two fine songs. Flanking him on the back line are the well-respected drummer Jimmy Cobb and pianist Larry Willis. Choice cuts include the CD-opening Blue 'N Boogie by Dizzy Gillespie and the leader's raspy, undulating Sir Phyllis Blues. -Gene Kalbacher
JAZZ: THE BEST DISCS OF '95
#2: Hamiet Bluiett, Young Warrior, Old Warrior
It's uneven - the war between horns and rhythm section isn't metaphorical enough. But it introduces Mark Shim, the gifted young tenor saxophonist who has been gigging in David Murray's big band and has signed with Blue Note, and Bluiett is in rare form - lusty, blustery, swinging, cantankerous. -Gary Giddins
Boy, does Young Warrior, Old Warrior sound live! Not in-your-face bright, just can't-ignore-it there. And these guys are having a rompin', stompin', honkin' good time. Me too. Rooted in space by Keter Betts' (remember him from the Charlie Byrd record on Analogue Productions?) Big, blooming bass and defined in time by Jimmy Cobb's (Jimmy Cobb!) trap-set, this disc sounds awesomely present. There's no sound in all of jazz like Hamiet Bluiett on bari sax - he can play everything, from honks and grunts to the most soulfully expressive ballad - and I've never heard it more perfectly captured than here. Irresistible. -Wes Phillips
