Search - Various Artists :: House That Trane Built: Story of Impulse Rec

A very nice but limited overview

Dazedcat | Earth | 06/15/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"If nothing else, this four cd set gives a nice overview of the Impluse jazz label and shows the impact it had on modern jazz. What's really revealing is the diversity of music that was recorded. It wasn't just screaming atonal tenor saxophones; there was Ben Webster, Count Basie, Earl Hines as well as hard bop illuminaries such as Art Blakey, Roy Haynes and others. In short there was a lot of musical styles to be had, and this might surprise some who always thought of Impulse as just Trane or Pharoah Sanders.



The shortcoming of this set however is the time limitations that four cd's offer. There is no way to get as much music on here as the label truly deserves. So you're stuck with the personal choices of Ashley Kahn who compiled this set and who also wrote the book about the label. Mostly I can't quibble with the choices, but how Sam Rivers fails to show up here is beyond my comprehension. Yet, the thirty three minute "The Creator Has A Master Plan" by Pharoah Sanders IS here as is "Gypsy Queen" by the late great guitarist Gabor Szabo......so all is not lost.



The packaging is nice enough, the mastering is impeccable and the price for such great music is right. I just wish there were a couple of more cd's in this collection. A label such as Impulse deserves the super deluxe treatment."

A Revelatory Collection - ****1/2

B. Niedt | Cherry Hill, NJ United States | 08/04/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Impulse Records rode point in the progressive jazz movement of the 1960's and early 1970's, the end of what is considered jazz's last "Golden Age". In the sixteen years of its existence as a subsidiary of ABC Records, Impulse brought together many jazz legends and young upstarts, from Earl "Fatha" Hines and Count Basie to Pharoah Sanders and Alice Coltrane. And of course there was their standard-bearer, John Coltrane, who enjoyed his last and most creatively productive years there, offering among others, his masterpiece, "A Love Supreme". This four-disc set presents the wealth of artists and styles that worked under the prestigious orange-and-black umbrella of Impulse: names like Gil Evans, Benny Carter, Coleman Hawkins, Freddie Hubbard, Charles Mingus, Sonny Rollins, Archie Shepp, McCoy Tyner, Gato Barbieri, Ahmad Jamal, and many others. It's all in here, the cool, the post-bop, the avant-garde, and the chronological progression is fascinating, as the music moves from a more traditional to a more radical voice, echoing the tumult of the 1960's. (Case in point: the middle section of Pharoah Sanders' "The Creator Has a Master Plan" - music doesn't get more "out there" than this.) Impulse had the reputation as a haven for the young, black, "angry" tenor sax player, and while several of their artists may have fit that profile, there was really much more variety to the music. Other influences were evident, like Eastern mysticism, (Pharoah Sanders with Leon Thomas, and Alice Coltrane), and the growing cross-pollination of rock and soul/funk (Gabor Szabo, Keith Jarrett) reflecting jazz's next major direction, "fusion". There are some familiar pieces here, especially those from John Coltrane, but much of it is revelatory, especially to the casual jazz fan like me. The packaging for this box set is nothing spectacular (though it is reminiscent of the glossy "gatefold" covers of the original LPs), but that apparently helps keep the price reasonable for a four-disc collection of over four hours of classic jazz. It's a rich and rewarding musical journey.



(Note: If you are curious but don't wish to invest in the whole set, there is also a budget-priced one-disc sampler available. Also released, concurrent with this set, is a series of single-disc compilations of artists such as John Coltrane, Alice Coltrane, Charles Mingus, McCoy Tyner, and others. I've purchased the Keith Jarrett collection and highly recommend it.)

"

Scottanthony

SAH | 02/10/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I have been listening/collecting Impulse albums for almost 25 years. It is very nice to see such a collection that was clearly put together with quite a bit of care and interest. Sounds wonderful and the song selection is superb. My only minor quibble is that it would have been nice to have one more CD devoted to more of the later releases especially with artists from the label that are not represented (i.e. Sam Rivers, Ornette Coleman and a little more from some others (Johnny Hartman, Sonny Rollins, Archie Shepp). Very nice job - and the Ashley Kahn book makes this a wonderful weekend getaway"