Music Monday: Perception

I know that I promised not to obsessively track down obscure (and perhaps justifiably obscure) albums from short-lived labels for a little while, but I was really happy to see the the British BBE label re-released some albums from the Perception label. Perception was active for only only 5 or 6 years in the early 1970s and focused on both jazz and R&B. During their short run they managed to release a handful of significant jazz recordings that have always been worth seeking out.

Dizzy Gillespie’s Portrait of Jenny is a great example of the enduring appeal of Gillespie’s straight ahead jazz. As some critics have noted, there’s nothing about this recording that jumps out or makes it a classic, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t enjoyable and just rare enough (until now) to be worth finding and hearing. The entire album has been on YouTube for a while.

Things get more fun, or at least more interesting, with Larry Young’s Lawrence of Newark. This album features organist Larry Young in an especially experimental mood and setting. Lawrence of Newark reflects free jazz, fusion, and free funk influences with tons of percussion. The album apparently featured,  Pharoah Sanders, who was perhaps credited as Sonny Fortune when the album was originally released, but his tone and attack is unmistakable. “Khalid of Space Pt. 2: Welcome” is particularly great and I’d love to imagine that it is an appreciative nod to Sun Ra’s space jazz.

Finally, I have a soft spot for jazz artists who make their mark and then disappear. In some cases, I find these figures romantic or even tragic as the changing tastes in music often made it hard for particularly inventive voices to make a living. In other cases, I appreciate individuals who discover that music couldn’t be their identity and make a break. Saxophone player Tyrone Washington appears to be in this latter camp. After recording and releasing an album with Blue Note, Natural Essence in 1968, that features some of the best and most innovative performers of the day, he records Roots for the Perception label in 1973 with a somewhat less renown group of sidemen. 

It is good, in the way that some of Albert Ayler’s last albums are good. It features not only a pop standard, “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” which probably prevented the album from being released to streaming services along with the other Perception re-releases by BBE. Both Roots and Lawrence of Newark suffer a bit from mediocre sound quality and both suffer from a nasty case of dynamic compression. My guess this is because they’re needle drop recordings rather than taken from tape masters.  That said, it is definitely worth the $12 cost.  

If you have any of the major streaming services, I’d urge you to check out Washington’s final album Do It Right (1974). There is also a rumor Washington recorded with Herbie Hancock, Herbie Lewis, and Jack DeJohnette that hasn’t been released. Perhaps the re-release of Roots will trigger a mini Washington revival that will bring more of this obscure genius to light!