Personnel:
George Adams - tenor saxophone
Don Pullen - piano
Cameron Brown - bass
Dannie Richmond - drums

Track Listing
1. Mingus Metamorphosis (13:20)
(George Adams)
2. Samba For Now (8:31)
(Don Pullen)
3. Thank You Very Much Mr. Monk (8:31)
(Don Pullen)
4. Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen (5:18)
(Traditional, arr: Adams / Pullen)
5. City Gates (7:56)
(George Adams)

Recorded at Studio 44, Monster, Holland on 27 and 28 March 1983.

Profile

In an interview in Coda Magazine with drummer Dannie Richmond (early 1951) we could read: "It (= the formation of the quartet) was an experiment at first and it was only supposed to be for one short tour. We didn't know who the bassist would be for the quartet. But the rapport w as such, primarily because we had all played with Charles Mingus and knew each other (= Adams, Pullen, Richmond), that it was comparatively simple to have a new bassist, which basically meant that he was to follow us. The rapport was there and as soon as we hit the bandstand the music was so hot "this was about three years ago" that what was supposed to be a one-tour quartet has in fact become. I think, one of the hottest quartets that's been playing jazz today. There is no lack of excitement, musical ideas, togetherness, openness, freedom, you name it, that can happen within the context of this one group. It's all there and I think that's why it's happened for so long and that it will continue to happen. We're all friends, have been for a long time, there's never been any real static with anybody in the group, and everybody contributes to the oneness in this particular band." Dannie Richmond was right, this quartet was really one of the hottest groups in the early 1980's. A small group, established in 1979 by tenor saxophonist George Adams, pianist Don Pullen and drummer Dannie Richmond: the George Adams/ Don Pullen Quartet.Tenorist George Adams was born in Covington. Georgia on 29 April 1940. At the age of eleven he started to play the piano, at High School he switched to tenor sax. He studied at the Clark College and got lessons on flute by that former Chick Webb man, Wayman Carver. At first George Adams played mostly rhythm and blues in so-called organ trios. He worked with Sam Cooke and some local guys. In 1965 he left for New York. He worked with Roy Haynes (1965-1972), Art Blakey, Charles Mingus (1973-1976). Gil Evans (1975-197S). McCoyTyner (1976-1979) and Archie Shepp (1978). In 1975 he made his first record under his own name when he was touring with Mingus (in the group also Pullen and Richmond). In 1979 the three came to their quartet and they made this quartet a cohesive unit. playing powerful music, intense rhythm, lots of funk. dynamic contrasts and a modern approach. Adams playing on the tenor sax is hard, robust and lean. influenced by John Coltrane, Albert Ayler. Stanley Turrentine. Paul Gonsalves and the great three: Ben Webster. Coleman Haw kins and Charlie Parker. When he is in the mood, and he often is, Adams is a fine blues singer. Pianist Don Pullen was born in Roanoke. Virginia, on 25 December 1941. He started to play gospel music in churches and blues in local groups. He studied at the Lucy Addison High School and the .Johnson C. Smith University. In New York he played and studied with Muhal Richard Abrams (1964). Giuseppe Logan (1964-1965) and Milford Craves (1966. acting as a duo). At that time Don Pullen got the legendary reputation of an important free-jazz musician, one playing with dissonants. scattering handfuls of tone-clusters (a bit like Cecil Taylor but less dramatic). But Don Pullen soon found out that he could not live on free-jazz alone. He started to accompany singers just to earn a living and worked with Big Maybelle, Ruth Brown. Arthur Pry sock, Nina Simone and so on. In 1973 he resurfaced as a member of the Charles Mingus Quintet. He worked with Mingus (1973-1975). Art Blakey (1974), Sam Rivers (1975). Billy Hart, David Murray. Hamiet Bluiett (1977). Beaver Harris, the Mingus Dynasty group (1979) and of course the quartet with George Adams and Dannie Richmond. With his piano play. formed under the influences of Art Tatum. Cecil Taylor. Muhal Richard Abrams. blues, gospel, stride and lots of African elements. Don Pullen became an important pianist and composer. Bassist Cameron Langdon Brown was born in Detroit, on 21 December 1945. For six years he studied the piano, at High School he sw itched to bass and played in a small combo at the Columbia University. He worked with George Russell (1965). Don Cherry (this was when he lived in Sweden). Bill Barren. Donald Byrd (1965-1966). Beaver Harris. Rod O'Brien. Sheila Jordan (1975). Archie Shepp. Art Blakey (1976). Mat Waldron. Steve Lacy. Beaver Harris again (1979). the Adams-Pullen Quartet, the Dannie Richmond Combo and again with Don Cherry. In his play Cameron Brown is influenced by Paul Chambers. Jimmy Garrison. Charles
Mingus and dan Peacock. With his full tone and solid swing he is ideal in a small-group context. Drummer Dannie Richmond (New York. 15 December 1935) played tenor sax in rock and roll and rhythm and blues groups. That was when he was in his teens. He toured with Paul Williams' r & b band but switched to drums when he found out that on the jam sessions which he attended often a drummer was missing. Six months later he was a member of the Charles Mingus Jazz Workshop. For a long time (1956-1967,1969-1970,1973-1978) Richmond was the regular drummer of Charles Mingus. He worked in rock jazz with Mark Almond (1971-1973), Joe Cocker, Elton John but also with Chet Baker, Johnny Taylor and after Mingus died he became the musical director of the Mingus Dynasty Group. From 1979-1983 and in 1985 he was the drummer of the George Adams/Don Pullen Quartet, of which he w as the co-founder. He played with Chico Freeman (1980), David Murray, Archie Shepp, Bennie Wallace, Ricky Ford and Jack Walrath in the 1980's. Richmond, who died on 16 March 1988, was an all-round drummer with a special feeling for dynamics and changes in tempo (his work with Mingus). He once told that his influences came from Max Roach and PhillyJoe Jones, but this winner of the Down Beat poll in 1968 and 1969 had a style of his own as well, a combination of support and excitement, highly emotional, just the right one for this quartet. Wim van Eyle

ARTIST PROFILE: GEORGE ADAMSÜ tenor saxophone

ThereÌs not a whole lot of movement on stage. The drummer works hard at the urging of the leader. The bassist does his similarly yeoman job. The pianist urges and tantalizes his leader with chords and runs. ItÌs the saxophonist who is the center of attention÷ and thereÌs not a whole lot of movement there either. Save the eyes. During moments they slip back into his head showing only whites. ÏDo you suppose heÌs looking into his brain?Ó one prominent New York radio personality asked. Then, ÏNo, More likely into his mind.Ó Was his own quick retort. George Adams, tenor saxophonist, spent some time with a reporter in Brooklyn recently and his eyes darted back into his mind at moments when he seemed most involved with the questions. Unlike a set of his music, which we caught at CondonÌs, a fairly new room in NYC, high-energy Adams was not in evidence during the interview. While the tunes presented during a typical Adams outing are often raw burners Ò even the ballads Ò the interviewer encountered a warm, introspective, and articulate person, with reverence towards his mentors and his country. Having risen to prominence with such notables as Charles Mingus, Gil Evans, Roy Haynes and McCoy Tyner, Adams teamed with former Mingus pianist Don Pullen to form one of the most exciting groups in jazz.

A Dutch promoter had booked Mingus with Pullen, drummer, Dannie Richmond and Adams on an extensive tour of Holland. ÏAfter MingusÌ death in 1979, he (the promoter) wanted to call the remainder of the group ÏThe Mingus Dynasty.Ó ÏWe didnÌt mind doing the tour, but we didnÌt want to be called by that name without Charles Mingus.Ó Cameron Brown became the groupÌs bassist as the tour began in November 1979. The George Adams-Don Pullen Quartet toured Europe for the first few years. Then a date at New YorkÌs Village Vanguard catapulted them to fame in the U.S.But it wasnÌt this group that brought Adams to the Apple. ÏI went on the road with organists, Hank Marr at first, later Bill Dogett (Honky Tonk). When I came to N.Y. (with Dogett) I had $100 in my pocket. The very next day I got a gig with the Flamingos (a charted R&B group) in Brooklyn. Six months later George Adams was back with organists, this time Lonnie Smith was the leader. Drummer, Roy Haynes, for whom Adams has great respect, led a group which featured George. But it was with Mingus where he became widely recognized. The world was rediscovering Charles Mingus during the early 70s and the great bassist/composer was experimenting with new voicing. He used drummer Roy Brooks playing saw with mallet; Charles Magee played two trumpets÷ at the same time. And George Adams was creating a new voice of his own based on MingusÌ ideas.

ÏThe first time I ever used my voice was with Mingus. It was at a place called ÎMaxÌs Kansas CityÌ (now defunct), and we were sharing a bill with Manhattan Transfer. Last set, Mingus plays a blues line and says, ÎCome on George, sing someÌÓ. If youÌve ever heard a Mingus request, itÌs more like a regal edict. George ad libbed a blues and the pair decided to write some lyrics. ÏI use the voice sound as an extension of the saxophone and vice versa.Ó In fact, his next record will be further extended with the addition of French horn and baritone saxophone. ÏIÌve got John Clark and either Charles Davis, or Hamiett Bliuett in mind. Mingus used saxophone front lines while I was with him (Ì74) with Hamiett and other.Ó His time with McCoy Tyner was particularly valuable, harmonically speaking. ÏMcCoy was carrying a septet with alto and tenor front line and added conga in the rhythm section. I combine his colors with the colors I heard and played with Mingus and Gil Evans and blend those into the sound I hear in my own headÓ. GeorgeÌs work with the Gil Evans Orchestra began about the same time as his work with Mingus. ÏI would work with Gil on my off time from Charles. Gil favored two tenor saxes, Bill Harper and myselfÓ. He worked off and on with the band until EvanÌs death. ÏI always like the big sound behind me. I played in the marching band at College and played all sorts of read instruments including bassoon. The main reason I favor smaller groups now is economics. So I held onto the (Evans) orchestra to keep me in touch, an outlet to participate in another musical context.Ó Not to mention the musical freedom that organization affords. At College, George Adams was fortunate being a student of Wayman Carver, a multi-reed specialist with Chick Webb, whose claim to musical fame was being the first solo voice on flute. ÏHe (Carver) was very adept at tone colors with woodwinds. It was Mr. Carver who asked me to play bassoon. Got me interested in all the other reeds. Gil once brought me a bass clarinet to try. But I donÌt play them much anymoreÓ. There was a short stint with vocalist Leon Thomas in 1971. ÏWorking with a male vocalist of his stature and his musical background, the African influence, gave me a chance for growth in another direction.Ó The America sessions brought back some memories for George Adams. Touring with Charles Mingus during the Iran hostage crisis saw some concerts canceled. ÏThere was some anti-American sentiment during that period. We were canceled in Aleppo and Damascus. But while we were there, we got to play for the International School for the Children of Diplomats. In Riad a concert originally scheduled for Westerners was canceled when Saudi locals began buying ticket. The cultural minister disappeared so we couldnÌt complete the details. An American businessman invited the band to his place to perform. He owned what I considered to be a small town. I guess the officials were afraid of a mixture of SaudiÌs and Westerners at that time. But we made the best of it. ÏI really feel there is no place like America so when I play those tunes I remember where I was Ò Bombay, Madras, New Delhi, Bahrain, Dubai, Cairo, Alexandria, Tunisia, Algeria, Oran, Morocco, Rabat. Casablanca Ò and where IÌm from, and I canÌt wait to get back.Ó