169. Ronnie Cuber / Live at the Blue Note (1986)

Live at the Blue Note is fine hard bop by a very strong quartet featuring Cuber on barisax, with Dr. Lonnie Smith on organ and the outspoken Randy Brecker on trumpet. Drums are by Ronnie Burrage. The lineup says it all. Brecker is outstanding, assertive and brassy but so is everyone else. Listeners will recognize Cuber and Smith as an old team. From behind the organ Dr. Smith gives the music a robust buoyancy, working the draw bars like floodgates. Along with Burrage, he bounces between playing his own steely choruses and pointed interplay with Brecker and Cuber. The date is memorable and stands head and shoulders above Cuber's studio dates on Projazz, like Two Brothers. The set is a mix of bop, rhythm, and blues. It gets pretty hot, as with "Philly Blues," or "Blue 'n' Boogie," but practically the whole disc has the same feel. If you can find a copy and the price is reasonable, buy it. The audio is great, too.

90. Frank Morgan and George Cables / Double image (1986)

Another nice disc in Frank Morgan's comeback, and definitely something for the shelf. These two musicians are quite a pair. If a trio is less complicated and gives the leader greater clarity and flexibility than a quartet, then a duo takes that rationale to the next level. This album is aptly titled and features Morgan and Cables almost as sympathetic col-leaders. I'd love to hear Morgan's memories of the session. His alto is characteristically expressive. Together with Cables at the piano, they work through an interesting set list. I say it's interesting because there's only two chestnuts: "All the Things You Are" and "After You've Gone," which are quite good. The rest of the record is mixed of more recent stuff and a few originals. On the first side they do a really nice interpretation of Wayne Shorter's "Virgo" (sound the bias alarm, that's one of my favorite tunes) and "Blues for Rosalinda," which is a blues written by Morgan. Bop-inflected blues are his forte, complete with lightning-fast flurries of Birdlike chromaticity. In this regard, I am struck by how similar Morgan and Cables can be. Their choruses are saturated with the mood and use dynamics wisely, before flying up the registers in deftly fingered runs of dazzling acuity. The record closes with a meditative version of Miles' "Blue in Green," but not before Cables has a serious workout in his tune, "I Told You So," which you have to hear to appreciate. Seriously! It might be out of print, but if you can find a copy, buy it now.