Newly discovered 1973 live recording of Charles Tolliver / Music Inc. 180 gram double LP mastered by Kevin Gray of Cohearent Audio from original reels.

Trumpeter and composer Charles Tolliver leads Music Inc. through a previously unreleased 1973 performance on Live at the Captain's Cabin, capturing one of the defining ensembles of his early career in full flight. Recorded at the Captain's Cabin in Edmonton, Alberta, the set features Tolliver alongside pianist John Hicks, bassist Clint Houston and drummer Cliff Barbaro. With a program dominated by Tolliver's compositions, the quartet stretches beyond the confines of the studio versions, combining hard-driving post-bop, modal exploration and extended improvisation with the intensity of a working band playing night after night.

Born in Jacksonville, Florida in 1942 and raised in New York City from the age of ten, Tolliver emerged nationally in the mid-1960s through his work with alto saxophonist Jackie McLean, appearing on recordings for Blue Note before establishing himself as a bandleader and composer. In 1971, Tolliver and pianist Stanley Cowell co-founded Strata-East Records, the influential artist-controlled label that became an important outlet for independent jazz. Music Inc. was central to Tolliver's work during this period, providing a flexible setting for compositions that balanced strong melodic and rhythmic structures with considerable freedom for the musicians.

That freedom is vividly apparent on Live at the Captain's Cabin. Tolliver recalls that he deliberately allowed Hicks, Houston and Barbaro room to pursue their own ideas, resulting in what he describes as 'pretty wild renditions' driven by the exuberance of the group playing together on the road. The seven-performance program includes 'Black Vibrations,' 'Earl's World,' 'Impact,' 'Compassion,' 'Truth,' 'Repetition' and 'Stretch,' documenting a quartet capable of moving from tightly focused ensemble passages into expansive solos and volatile rhythmic exchanges without sacrificing the identity of Tolliver's compositions.

Transferred from the original tape reels and mastered for vinyl by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio, this Reel To Real Recordings edition presents the historic performance as a two-LP set pressed on 180-gram black vinyl. The package also includes an extensive booklet featuring rare photography, an essay by jazz writer Angelika Beener and an interview with Tolliver conducted by trumpeter Jeremy Pelt, providing additional context for the band, the music and this newly recovered document from a particularly fertile period in Tolliver's career.

Media

Track Listing

Disc 1:

• Black Vibrations
• Earl's World
• Impact
• Compassion

Disc 2:

• Truth
• Repetition
• Stretch

Additional Details

Label: Reel To Real Recordings

Genre: Jazz

Run Time: 82:05 mins

Region: 0

Release Date: 11/29/24

UPC: 628308830572