Search - John Handy :: Recorded Live at the Monterey Jazz Festival

Keep It Nice and Handy

El Lagarto | Sandown, NH | 05/16/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This legendary, show-stopping performance, recorded in 1965, was out of print for a long time - it's wonderful to have it back. The concert isn't just the highlight of Handy's career; it's one of the most spellbinding live jazz recordings ever. Indeed, there are moments, especially during some of Handy's sweeter alto solos, that you can almost hear the audience holding its breath.



The set consisted of only two songs, 27:29 of If Only We Knew, and 19:31 of Spanish Lady. [The producers generously added a bonus track, Tears Of Ole Miss, 31:09, rounding out the CD to a beefy 78:09.] The line-up is absolutely stellar: John Handy - alto sax, Mike White - violin, Jerry Hahn - guitar, Don Thompson - bass, and Terry Clarke - drums. These players are so in synch with each other it's like they're quintuplets, and at times the music from the bandstand sounds like it's coming from an orchestra.



Handy and White swap turns in the limelight as virtuoso star attractions, while Hahn is impeccable laying down the chords which, in a standard group, would have come from the piano - and offers some blazing solos as well. The rhythm section, Thompson and Clarke, is simply off the hook, there is not a moment without energy and purpose. These long compositions are minor odysseys, taking you from still, poignant, lyrical moments to frenzied heights of off-the-cuff, collaborative improvisation at a fever pitch. It's not hard to understand why this performance was the talk of the festival, and gained iconic status.



The bonus track is also live, recorded at the Village Gate two years later. Tears Of Old Miss [Anatomy Of A Riot] is episodic and fascinating; it feels very much grounded in the culture clashes of the day - marches, protests, and political conflict of every stripe. Handy is backed by a different cast here, an exemplary one. The great Bobby Hutcherson is featured prominently on vibes, as is the astounding Pat Martino on guitar. Albert Stinton anchors the effort on bass while drummer Doug Sides is dazzling throughout. Terry Clarke's work in Monterey is exceptional; but what Sides does on Riot is not to be missed - wow.



A long overdue reissue of a jazz classic, with an outstanding bonus feature - buy it and keep it nice and handy."

Get it for one long spell-binding classic track

a reader | Gloucester MA USA | 10/30/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"'If Only We Knew' the first track is so good even people not particularly into jazz understand and love it because it's so eloquently moving. The other tracks don't hit the spot. But 'If Only We Knew' is a track that has something almost universal about it and you'll want to have it to keep returning to it from time to time always? check it out because it's one of those jazz standards that's up there"