Personnel:
George Adams - tenor saxophone, flute, vocals
Don Pullen - piano
Cameron Brown - bass
Dannie Richmond - drums
Track Listings
1. The Great Escape, or Run John Henry Run (4:36)
(Don Pullen)
2. Seriously Speaking (7:59)
(George Adams)
3. Soft Seas (7:15)
(Dannie Richmond)
4. Nature's Children (9:42)
( George Adams)
5. Protection (1:35)
(George Adams)
6. Newcomer; Seven Years Later (9:30)
(Don Pullen)
Profile
In history' we can point at a lot of small groups that in fact helped to write
that history. Just a grab: The Original Dixieland Jazz Band. the New Orleans Rhythm
Kings. Jelly Roll Morion's Red Hot Peppers, Louis Armstrong's Hot Five and Hot
Seven, the Chicago Rhythm Kings, Joe Venuti's Blue Four, Hot Club de France. Nat
King Cole Trio, the Lennie Tristano Quintet, the Gerry Mulligan Quartet, the Lighthouse
All Stars, the Modern Jazz Quartet, the Oscar Peterson Trio. the Jazz Messengers,
the New^York Art Quartet, the Art Ensemble of Chicago and I think it is time to
add the George Adams/Don Pullen Quartet. The reason is a musical one: it is in
this group that we find a great synthesis of blues, gospel music, bop. funk and
free jazz. A synthesis brought to existence by four men: tenor saxophonist George
Adams (Covington. Georgia. 29 April 1940). pianist Don Pullen (Roanoke, Virginia.
25 December 1941), bassist Cameron Brown (Detroit, 21 December 1945) and drummer
Dannie Richmond (New-York, 15 December 1935).
Three of these four men had the same employer: Charles Mingus. George Adams was
with that great bassist from 1973 to 1976. Don Pullen from 1973 to 1975 and drummer
Dannie Richmond was one of the musicians who was a member of the Mingus groups
for a very long time: 1956-1967,1969-1970 and l973-l978.After Mingus died he was
the musical director of the Mingus Dynasty (1979-1980). That the bassist did not
work with Mingus is not a strange fact. being a bass player. But listen carefully
to Brown's style and you will hear Mingus here too. Speaking about influences:
George Adams was influenced by John Coltrane, Albert Ayler. Ben Webster, Charlie
Parker. Coleman Hawkins. Stanley Turrentine and Paul Gonsalves;
Don Pullen was influenced by Art Tatum, Cecil Taylor and Muhal Richard Abrams:
Cameron Brown had. except for the Mingus traces, influences by Paul Chambers.
Jimmy Garrison and Gary Peacock and drummer Dannie Richmond had listened very
intensively to the work of Max Roach and PhillyJoe Jones. But the four musicians
have their own strong points too: George Adams is a powerful player with intense
gospel roots and the capability to use the harmonic and linear freedom of the
post-Coltrane saxophonists: Don Pullen is very exciting with his right hand
clusters played very rapidly. It was the poet Leroi Jones who once described
Pullen as a musician with exploding fingers. Bassist Cameron Brown is solid,
flexible, has a full tone and is at ease in the avant garde. Drummer Dannie
Richmond was a very special case, he could play in a conservative jazz group
but lie was also at home in a free-jazz unit. an allround drummer with heavy
emotions. But there is more. The musicians are composers as well. In this 1981
recording George Adams composed three of the six pieces. Don Pullen made two
contributions, Dannie Richmond one. The quartet came to life in 1979 but already
in 1975 and 1976 Adams. Pullen and Richmond had made records in Italy, one with
bassist David Williams, one with bassist David Friesen. With Cameron Brown as
bassist the quartet started a real career. Travelling all over the world and
making records till in 1985. The quartet no longer really exists now since the
'Life Line' was broken when Dannie Richmond died on 16 March 1988 in New York.
But the music of these four men is still there.
Wim van Eyle
What the press said
'In this 1980s mainstream-jazz the rhythm-duo Dannie Richmond and Cameron Brown
is fitting very well and also the Charles Mingus-message is brought with more
dignity and with a face of his own than is the case in Mingus Dynasty led by
Richmond." (Jazz Nu)
'This quartet has made a decision to let everybody out of the chairs, Note.
it is a determination. You'll get a shock anywhere you put the needle on the
record. If you don't be happy of this the hope is out." (Dagens Nyheter)
"This Adams/Pullen Quartet is a showcase of what jazz can do in the area of
melody and rhythm: blues, ballad and beat. not too modern, but in noway old-fashioned.
Of course, not a Sun Ra or Art Ensemble, but they will stay." (HetVaderland)
"This is a varied recording and contains some exceptional music over its six
tracks. The opening track 'The Great Escape, or Run John Henry Run' is a Pullen
original taken way up tempo and with breath-taking work from the co-leaders:
it is superb!" (Cadence)
"A recording that is a success. Not as avant garde-like as some other cooperation
between Adams and Pullen, but rooted very well in blues and ballad. Wigt may
be happy to have four top musicians like these in his stable." (Jazz Freak)
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
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