Search - Don Pullen :: Best of

Blue Note has betrayed Don Pullen (and his audience).

Tyler Smith | 05/04/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The recordings these few morsels were culled from are wonderful. But I think it's sub-pathetic, verging on pitiful, that Blue Note has deleted nearly all the Pullen and Pullen/Adams quartet records from its catalog. Tiny and obscure Black Saint label has kept its recordings in print. We and Don Pullen deserve better from Blue Note."

Wonderful collection

Tyler Smith | Denver, CO United States | 05/11/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The late Don Pullen was a jazz treasure, one who straddled the mainstream and avant-garde worlds. He possessed a unique sound that incorporated everything from down-home blues to abstraction. The Blue Note compilation offers a fine representation of Pullen's work from 1986-1990. It includes a strong sprinkling of Spanish flavorings, exuberant keyboard-pounding forays and melancholic ruminations.Two of the tunes feature the late saxophonist George Adams, a longtime collaborator with Pullen. The two play beautifully together on the aptly titled "Song from the Old Country," which has a gypsy lilt to it, and on the lyrical ballad "Sing Me a Song Everlasting." "Indio Gitano" and "El Matador" feature Pullen improvising on Spanish-tinged themes. The latter includes African drums, plaintive sax from Carlos Ward, and a healthy does of Pullen's amazing knuckle-dragging technique across the keyboard. "Indio Gitano" is also notable for the strong drumming of Lewis Nash.Pullen was never afraid to try new things, as evidenced by "Reservation Blues," which begins with Native American chanting from the Chief Cliff Singers before seguing into a powerful blues led by Pullen, Ward and trombonist Joseph Bowie.Pullen's humor is apparent in "Andre's Ups and Downs," which for me has a lot more ups than downs. It does feel like a rollercoaster ride as Pullen makes round trips from one end of the keyboard to the other.The CD ends on a beautiful but sorrowful note with "Ode to Life," which reminds us of what we lost when Pullen passed. Anyone who had the luck to see Pullen play live realizes that none of the power demonstrated on this CD was manufactured in the studio. The CD is a fitting tribute to one of the driving forces behind the modern jazz piano."

Why?

Allan Suchinsky | Kensington, MD United States | 01/05/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's rather incredible and sad that so little of Pullen's work is available on disc. All one has to do is listen to this highly representative compilation to understand this.Pullen was clearly a unique artist. He is classified as avant-garde; but he never really loses you as so many others do. And throughout these sessions, he really swings.We want more!"