The record producer Creed Taylor died this week. He was the founder of Impulse! Records and a major force in introducing bossa nova to America, both of which assure him a storied place in musical history. But he is most associated with his own CTI Records, which is effectively the opposite of the vanguard represented by his previous company. CTI was the purveyor of a commercial style from the late 1960s through the mid-1970s that was somewhat controversial in its time, abounding with strings sections and rock beats in a bid for radio play. Many jazz aficionados hated it, and it was notably a less than ideal setting for established artists like Wes Montgomery. But history has vindicated it somewhat—it’s the kind of thing that is so dated that, with enough distance, it starts to sound contemporary again.
The most legitimate artwork I know of that emerged from this milieu is Red Clay by Freddie Hubbard, an electrified extension of '60s post-bop that achieves a genuine timelessness. Joe Farrell’s Joe Farrell Quartet, with some primo John McLaughlin, is in a similar vein. Both records, from 1970, feature unadorned small groups, eschewing ornamentation from arrangers like label stalwart Don Sebesky. For a close-to-home example of the full experience, there’s Milt Jackson’s Sunflower, where the leader’s vibraphone gives the proceedings a space-age quality and the lush environment adds, well, vibes. But the CTI sound is epitomized by the work of Bob James, whose kitschy yet intoxicating records One and Two run wall-to-wall with bars you’ll recognize from golden age rap samples. As for more traditional jazz from the label, I like Paul Desmond’s Pure Desmond and Jim Hall’s Concierto. (Though even those show traces of the moment—notice when the backbeat drops on the title track of the latter, four minutes in.)
I wasn’t too familiar with the work of recently departed trumpet player and composer jaimie branch; this remembrance by Natalie Weiner helped me catch up. Her 2017 debut album, Fly or Die, is terrific—shades of Dogon A.D., featuring Tomeka Reid in the Wadud chair.
An intriguing account by Hannah Zeavin at Dissent of the entry of women into psychoanalysis and subsequent changes in the profession.
Jenny G. Zhang offers a useful corrective to the ubiquitous “too spicy” meme at Bon Appétit. Many cuisines in the global south achieve flavor in different ways.
Howard Zinn’s 100th birthday was earlier this week. His memoir, You Can’t Be Neutral On a Moving Train, made a lasting impression on me when I was a teenager, as much for his love of literature as his politics. You can read Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor’s introduction to the new edition at Literary Hub.