Sam Rivers Music

What an outstanding CD this is! I have always admired Sam; I once had the pleasure of seeing him live with Doug Matthews and Anthony Cole.
They made such joyous music together. This rhythm section is without compare. Jaki Byard will be added to my list of all time great piano players. He has a style all his own. Tony Williams and Ron Carter are indisputably the best... the work they did with Miles will attest to that.
And Sam himself... this is a CLINIC in how to play Jazz tenor! A killer quartet... such style and panache! Run to buy this CD. You won't be disappointed.

This is an absolute stunner! Anyone who thinks that Sam Rivers is strictly part of the "avant garde" and unaccessible needs to hear this album. Fuscia Swing Song was Sam's Blue Note debut and it is rooted firmly in hard bop. Rivers' playing is like no other - he achieves incredible tones and pitches as he weaves his lines around the tonal centers rather than the chord progressions. The result is a highly charged, hard bob session with some of the most intense tenor playing that you'll ever hear.

It's a shame that this is only available in the pricey, Japanese import version, however the 24-bit remastering results in an excellent overall sound quality. GO AHEAD AND BUY IT.. IT'S WORTH EVERY PENNY! This is a classic that belongs in every serious jazz collection. It will leave you speachless!

FUCHSIA SWING SONG was Sam Rivers' debut as a leader, and is unique not only in terms of its accessibility but also in its fabulous lineup of musicians. Joining Rivers - who plays tenor saxophone exclusively on this set - are the brilliantly eclectic pianist Jaki Byard (best known for his stunning work in various contexts with Charles Mingus and Eric Dolphy in the early sixties) and the justly legendary bass/drums team of Ron Carter and Tony Williams, who at the time of this recording were regularly gracing a variety of Blue Note sessions in addition to their steady gig with Miles Davis. FUCHSIA SWING SONG is, to my knowledge, the only date by this particular quartet, and a fine blend it is. As sole composer and primary soloist, Rivers is very much the dominant force herein, but typically he leaves plenty of space for his sidemen to contribute their own statements - listen, for example, to Carter's swooning and atmospheric bass solo in the middle of "Cyclic Episode," or Byard's constant prompting/doubling of the leader throughout "Luminous Monolith." For his part, Rivers maintains a remarkably balanced presence, skipping in and out of the mainstream so nimbly that you'll find yourself grooving just as easily to his sudden atonal bursts as to his lilting balladry on "Beatrice." The spare and rather similar nature of most of the album's melodies adds greatly to this cohesiveness; indeed, there are times when it almost feels like a suite. The well-defined personalities of the artist and his associates give this unique session its own personality, one which neither Rivers nor Blue Note would ever quite replicate anywhere else. I should add that this edition of the CD, though pricey and difficult to obtain, is a vast improvement over the original mid-90s Japanese release, on which the piano sounded as if it had been recorded from half a mile away. The LP-style packaging is likewise a welcome change, as FUCHSIA SWING SONG also boasts one of Blue Note's coolest covers. Definitely check it out.

It's difficult to understand why Sam Rivers' debut on Blue Note hasn't been reissued domestically as of yet; one would think the recent spate of Rudy Van Gelder series releases would have resolved this. Anyway, having Fuchsia Swing Song as part of the Mosaic Sam Rivers collection, I can attest to the value of this import. This is, as other reviewers have noted, the most "inside", hard bop-oriented of Rivers' available work, but regardless it contains a typically adventurous, bracing Blue Note session, with the ballad "Beatrice" standing out as among the most beautiful compositions not to enter the wider jazz repertoire (though Joe Henderson did record an equally stunning version of Rivers' tune on his excellent State of Tenor, also on Blue Note). Sam Rivers graced many brilliant Blue Note albums, most notably Bobby Hutcherson's "Dialogue" (also scandalously unavailable) and Tony Williams' "Lifetime"; "Fuchsia Swing Song" is worth it at any price.

This is a major album that has fallen through the cracks, a masterpiece no one's ever heard of. If you ever liked Dave Holland's "Conference of the Birds" or Tony Williams' "Spring," you simply must get this record. It's pretty "inside" for Rivers, but it's super-melodic and lovely, while swinging like mad. An incredible record, well worth the price!

What an outstanding CD this is! I have always admired Sam; I once had the pleasure of seeing him live with Doug Matthews and Anthony Cole.
They made such joyous music together. This rhythm section is without compare. Jaki Byard will be added to my list of all time great piano players. He has a style all his own. Tony Williams and Ron Carter are indisputably the best... the work they did with Miles will attest to that.
And Sam himself... this is a CLINIC in how to play Jazz tenor! A killer quartet... such style and panache! Run to buy this CD. You won't be disappointed.

This is an absolute stunner! Anyone who thinks that Sam Rivers is strictly part of the "avant garde" and unaccessible needs to hear this album. Fuscia Swing Song was Sam's Blue Note debut and it is rooted firmly in hard bop. Rivers' playing is like no other - he achieves incredible tones and pitches as he weaves his lines around the tonal centers rather than the chord progressions. The result is a highly charged, hard bob session with some of the most intense tenor playing that you'll ever hear.

It's a shame that this is only available in the pricey, Japanese import version, however the 24-bit remastering results in an excellent overall sound quality. GO AHEAD AND BUY IT.. IT'S WORTH EVERY PENNY! This is a classic that belongs in every serious jazz collection. It will leave you speachless!

FUCHSIA SWING SONG was Sam Rivers' debut as a leader, and is unique not only in terms of its accessibility but also in its fabulous lineup of musicians. Joining Rivers - who plays tenor saxophone exclusively on this set - are the brilliantly eclectic pianist Jaki Byard (best known for his stunning work in various contexts with Charles Mingus and Eric Dolphy in the early sixties) and the justly legendary bass/drums team of Ron Carter and Tony Williams, who at the time of this recording were regularly gracing a variety of Blue Note sessions in addition to their steady gig with Miles Davis. FUCHSIA SWING SONG is, to my knowledge, the only date by this particular quartet, and a fine blend it is. As sole composer and primary soloist, Rivers is very much the dominant force herein, but typically he leaves plenty of space for his sidemen to contribute their own statements - listen, for example, to Carter's swooning and atmospheric bass solo in the middle of "Cyclic Episode," or Byard's constant prompting/doubling of the leader throughout "Luminous Monolith." For his part, Rivers maintains a remarkably balanced presence, skipping in and out of the mainstream so nimbly that you'll find yourself grooving just as easily to his sudden atonal bursts as to his lilting balladry on "Beatrice." The spare and rather similar nature of most of the album's melodies adds greatly to this cohesiveness; indeed, there are times when it almost feels like a suite. The well-defined personalities of the artist and his associates give this unique session its own personality, one which neither Rivers nor Blue Note would ever quite replicate anywhere else. I should add that this edition of the CD, though pricey and difficult to obtain, is a vast improvement over the original mid-90s Japanese release, on which the piano sounded as if it had been recorded from half a mile away. The LP-style packaging is likewise a welcome change, as FUCHSIA SWING SONG also boasts one of Blue Note's coolest covers. Definitely check it out.

It's difficult to understand why Sam Rivers' debut on Blue Note hasn't been reissued domestically as of yet; one would think the recent spate of Rudy Van Gelder series releases would have resolved this. Anyway, having Fuchsia Swing Song as part of the Mosaic Sam Rivers collection, I can attest to the value of this import. This is, as other reviewers have noted, the most "inside", hard bop-oriented of Rivers' available work, but regardless it contains a typically adventurous, bracing Blue Note session, with the ballad "Beatrice" standing out as among the most beautiful compositions not to enter the wider jazz repertoire (though Joe Henderson did record an equally stunning version of Rivers' tune on his excellent State of Tenor, also on Blue Note). Sam Rivers graced many brilliant Blue Note albums, most notably Bobby Hutcherson's "Dialogue" (also scandalously unavailable) and Tony Williams' "Lifetime"; "Fuchsia Swing Song" is worth it at any price.

This is a major album that has fallen through the cracks, a masterpiece no one's ever heard of. If you ever liked Dave Holland's "Conference of the Birds" or Tony Williams' "Spring," you simply must get this record. It's pretty "inside" for Rivers, but it's super-melodic and lovely, while swinging like mad. An incredible record, well worth the price!

Wow, This is great to hear Sam play over changes and hear him walk a tightrope. I agree that the piano sometimes keeps Sam in a box but that is what is cool about this disk. Hearing Sam play over changes is great. No doubt, this is a classic.

Beyond just being one of my favorite Blue Note albums, this is one of my favorite albums, period.

I can see where one of the previous reviewers is coming from with respect to Jaki Byard's playing. He indeed was a guy who had the entire history of jazz piano at his fingertips and could play it at any time. Like anything else, I guess that will work for some listeners and not work for some listeners. I love it. I think it works perfectly on this album, and I can't help but think that the other guys in the band loved it as well. Tony Williams' playing here, for instance, often hinges right on what Jaki is playing. There are a couple times on here where Jaki changes the entire rhythm and tone of the jam, and Tony is instantly on top of it. Taking it back right there with Jaki, as if they were sharing one soul in that moment. It's just fantastic and moving to hear, in my opinion.

Sam's own playing and tone are as gorgeous as ever. Sometimes he is firey and intense, and other times he does that hypnotic, drifting, dreamy repetitive thing he does that I love so much. I can't help but thinking that Sam's playing here, and some of Eric Dolphy's more relaxed, spacial stuff are probably the two main players (at least of saxophones) who influenced and guided Evan Parker's later explorations and subsequent utter reinvention of the capabilities of the soprano saxophone.

This is one of those bands that makes me regret that era of jazz, where bands so often came together and split apart after just a couple recording sessions. The three alternate takes are the source of my lament. The last 2 are so completely different (and great!) in mood and attack that I just know this band could have had a 100-song repertoire and played 200 nights a year and killed people everywhere they went, without ever repeating themselves.

I just can't help wondering what other jewels would have been forged had this quartet been together for even just three years and two or three albums. This would have been one of the all-time legendary bands.

I can't do anything but wholeheartedly recommend this release.

In the mid-sixties a certain strand of relatively accesible avant-garde Blue Note albums appeared, helmed by the likes of Eric Dolphy, Jackie Mclean, Bobby Hutcherson, Tony Williams, Andrew Hill, and of course the great Sam Rivers. Many of those albums such as Dophy's Out to Lunch, Hill's Point of Departure, and Mclean's Let Freedom Ring (among others), are stone cold classics of a very interesting sub-genre. But even in a crowded field of classics Sam River's debut: "Fuchsia Swing Song" stands out. The genius of that whole purple-patch of avant-garde Blue Notes is that the freedom, and "out" playing they displayed where always structured in an obvious way that wouldn't alienate fans of the hard-bop Blue Note style. Much as Ornette Coleman was always deep in the blues, which gave his music a point of reference, and even gravity; Sam Rivers always had a method to his madness, a foundation of what came before as a base to explore the future. Rivers couldn't have picked a better pianist to lay that essential foundation. As has been noted before (and by this point might be cliche) Jaki Byard is steeped in jazz tradition. It pours out of his fingers in such an individualistic, wonderfully subjective way that in retreading the old, something new is born. It's no wonder that Charles Mingus (a man as weary of the piano as Rivers) was so taken with Byard. On this album esspecially it's instructive to compare the similar directions both Mingus and Rivers were going with the music (see Cornell 1964, which also prominently features Byard, for comparison). Along with Rivers and Byard "Fuchsia Swing Song" also features Ron Carter and River's protegee Tony Williams, both of Miles Davis's second great quintet fame. The names should speak for themselves: this was a rhythem section not to be beaten. On this album (as well as the notoriously out of print "New Conception") Sam is investigating traditional form and seeing where it can be taken in light of Coleman's inovations. To say that the experiment is a success is, to say the least, an understatement. For my money there was never a better marriage of the "in" and the "out" comitted to record. In fact this album can and should be used as a primer for jazz fans looking to understand the avant-garde. Despite what critics (like the the hilariously arrogant writers of "The Penguin Guide to Jazz") say, there is no attempt here to pander to the hard-bop market by filing the edges off River's tenor playing. Quite the opposite, one of the main characteristics of this album is it's authenticity, it's direct, honest, musical mission to create a synthesis between two seemingly opposite poles. There seems to be some debate between the converted as to which album, this or the equally wonderful "Contours, is the superior effort. I would give the same advice in this instance as I would with two other brilliant Blue Notes; Hank Mobley's "Soul Station" and "Roll Call". If you prefer the tenor in the company of a trumpet go with "Contours" (or in Mobley's example "Roll Call"), however if you like the freedom and uncluttered atmosphere that a quartet allows (and I'm of this school of thought) then you will not be disapointed by "Fuchsia Swing Song" (or for that matter "Soul Station"). In anycase, this is vintage Sam Rivers, playing exclusively tenor (the instrument he was always best at), and it's impossible to go wrong. This album is as highly recommended as possible.
Cheers.

Let's celebrate this landmark recording finally reissued affordably! Until now only available in the over-priced Japanese edition, 'Fuchsia Swing Song' is Sam Rivers' first and best album: no flute or soprano but all tenor, skillfully hugging the outskirts of the harmony with a tone that has both lyrical softness and, at times, an invigorating edge. Here, Rivers' tone is not as hard as it would become; his musical ideas are more accessible and patiently developed than in the later days of testy avant garde exploration.

The rhythm section is always inventive. Jackie Byard's jagged off-beat chords make it impossible for the soloist to settle into riff or repetition. Tony Williams, who had used Rivers for his own premier name-session, sizzles behind the horn but never over-shadows the solo, as he often did later. The incomparable Ron Carter tosses out bass notes like stones in outer space, solid yet weightless. This is a meaty hour-long session, with some alternate takes so inventive that all they have in common is their title! All first rate cuts.

I place this session among the great tenor sax quartets of the 60's. Creatively,it's the equivalent of Henderson's 'Inner Urge,' Shorter's 'Adam's Apple,' Booker's 'Space' and 'Freedom' sessions, yes, even Coltrane's 'Love Supreme.'A landmark of post-bop, 'Fuchsia Swing Song' I recommend without hesitation for your collection.

Quite frankly, I cannot stand the remastering job done by Mr. Ron McMaster on this one... Go figure out why BLUE NOTE has got this man as one of the people in charge of such a difficult mission. Really, whenever I see the name 'RON McMASTER' on cd reissues I get nervous, I would say even deppressed... For those of you who do not know his 'work', go listen to the almost unlisteneable - not the music though - GRACHAN MONCUR III or ELVIN JONES MOSAIC BOX SETS...

PLEASE, GET A JOB, MR. McMASTER!

Wow, This is great to hear Sam play over changes and hear him walk a tightrope. I agree that the piano sometimes keeps Sam in a box but that is what is cool about this disk. Hearing Sam play over changes is great. No doubt, this is a classic.

Beyond just being one of my favorite Blue Note albums, this is one of my favorite albums, period.

I can see where one of the previous reviewers is coming from with respect to Jaki Byard's playing. He indeed was a guy who had the entire history of jazz piano at his fingertips and could play it at any time. Like anything else, I guess that will work for some listeners and not work for some listeners. I love it. I think it works perfectly on this album, and I can't help but think that the other guys in the band loved it as well. Tony Williams' playing here, for instance, often hinges right on what Jaki is playing. There are a couple times on here where Jaki changes the entire rhythm and tone of the jam, and Tony is instantly on top of it. Taking it back right there with Jaki, as if they were sharing one soul in that moment. It's just fantastic and moving to hear, in my opinion.

Sam's own playing and tone are as gorgeous as ever. Sometimes he is firey and intense, and other times he does that hypnotic, drifting, dreamy repetitive thing he does that I love so much. I can't help but thinking that Sam's playing here, and some of Eric Dolphy's more relaxed, spacial stuff are probably the two main players (at least of saxophones) who influenced and guided Evan Parker's later explorations and subsequent utter reinvention of the capabilities of the soprano saxophone.

This is one of those bands that makes me regret that era of jazz, where bands so often came together and split apart after just a couple recording sessions. The three alternate takes are the source of my lament. The last 2 are so completely different (and great!) in mood and attack that I just know this band could have had a 100-song repertoire and played 200 nights a year and killed people everywhere they went, without ever repeating themselves.

I just can't help wondering what other jewels would have been forged had this quartet been together for even just three years and two or three albums. This would have been one of the all-time legendary bands.

I can't do anything but wholeheartedly recommend this release.

In the mid-sixties a certain strand of relatively accesible avant-garde Blue Note albums appeared, helmed by the likes of Eric Dolphy, Jackie Mclean, Bobby Hutcherson, Tony Williams, Andrew Hill, and of course the great Sam Rivers. Many of those albums such as Dophy's Out to Lunch, Hill's Point of Departure, and Mclean's Let Freedom Ring (among others), are stone cold classics of a very interesting sub-genre. But even in a crowded field of classics Sam River's debut: "Fuchsia Swing Song" stands out. The genius of that whole purple-patch of avant-garde Blue Notes is that the freedom, and "out" playing they displayed where always structured in an obvious way that wouldn't alienate fans of the hard-bop Blue Note style. Much as Ornette Coleman was always deep in the blues, which gave his music a point of reference, and even gravity; Sam Rivers always had a method to his madness, a foundation of what came before as a base to explore the future. Rivers couldn't have picked a better pianist to lay that essential foundation. As has been noted before (and by this point might be cliche) Jaki Byard is steeped in jazz tradition. It pours out of his fingers in such an individualistic, wonderfully subjective way that in retreading the old, something new is born. It's no wonder that Charles Mingus (a man as weary of the piano as Rivers) was so taken with Byard. On this album esspecially it's instructive to compare the similar directions both Mingus and Rivers were going with the music (see Cornell 1964, which also prominently features Byard, for comparison). Along with Rivers and Byard "Fuchsia Swing Song" also features Ron Carter and River's protegee Tony Williams, both of Miles Davis's second great quintet fame. The names should speak for themselves: this was a rhythem section not to be beaten. On this album (as well as the notoriously out of print "New Conception") Sam is investigating traditional form and seeing where it can be taken in light of Coleman's inovations. To say that the experiment is a success is, to say the least, an understatement. For my money there was never a better marriage of the "in" and the "out" comitted to record. In fact this album can and should be used as a primer for jazz fans looking to understand the avant-garde. Despite what critics (like the the hilariously arrogant writers of "The Penguin Guide to Jazz") say, there is no attempt here to pander to the hard-bop market by filing the edges off River's tenor playing. Quite the opposite, one of the main characteristics of this album is it's authenticity, it's direct, honest, musical mission to create a synthesis between two seemingly opposite poles. There seems to be some debate between the converted as to which album, this or the equally wonderful "Contours, is the superior effort. I would give the same advice in this instance as I would with two other brilliant Blue Notes; Hank Mobley's "Soul Station" and "Roll Call". If you prefer the tenor in the company of a trumpet go with "Contours" (or in Mobley's example "Roll Call"), however if you like the freedom and uncluttered atmosphere that a quartet allows (and I'm of this school of thought) then you will not be disapointed by "Fuchsia Swing Song" (or for that matter "Soul Station"). In anycase, this is vintage Sam Rivers, playing exclusively tenor (the instrument he was always best at), and it's impossible to go wrong. This album is as highly recommended as possible.
Cheers.

Let's celebrate this landmark recording finally reissued affordably! Until now only available in the over-priced Japanese edition, 'Fuchsia Swing Song' is Sam Rivers' first and best album: no flute or soprano but all tenor, skillfully hugging the outskirts of the harmony with a tone that has both lyrical softness and, at times, an invigorating edge. Here, Rivers' tone is not as hard as it would become; his musical ideas are more accessible and patiently developed than in the later days of testy avant garde exploration.

The rhythm section is always inventive. Jackie Byard's jagged off-beat chords make it impossible for the soloist to settle into riff or repetition. Tony Williams, who had used Rivers for his own premier name-session, sizzles behind the horn but never over-shadows the solo, as he often did later. The incomparable Ron Carter tosses out bass notes like stones in outer space, solid yet weightless. This is a meaty hour-long session, with some alternate takes so inventive that all they have in common is their title! All first rate cuts.

I place this session among the great tenor sax quartets of the 60's. Creatively,it's the equivalent of Henderson's 'Inner Urge,' Shorter's 'Adam's Apple,' Booker's 'Space' and 'Freedom' sessions, yes, even Coltrane's 'Love Supreme.'A landmark of post-bop, 'Fuchsia Swing Song' I recommend without hesitation for your collection.

Quite frankly, I cannot stand the remastering job done by Mr. Ron McMaster on this one... Go figure out why BLUE NOTE has got this man as one of the people in charge of such a difficult mission. Really, whenever I see the name 'RON McMASTER' on cd reissues I get nervous, I would say even deppressed... For those of you who do not know his 'work', go listen to the almost unlisteneable - not the music though - GRACHAN MONCUR III or ELVIN JONES MOSAIC BOX SETS...

PLEASE, GET A JOB, MR. McMASTER!

Wow, This is great to hear Sam play over changes and hear him walk a tightrope. I agree that the piano sometimes keeps Sam in a box but that is what is cool about this disk. Hearing Sam play over changes is great. No doubt, this is a classic.

Beyond just being one of my favorite Blue Note albums, this is one of my favorite albums, period.

I can see where one of the previous reviewers is coming from with respect to Jaki Byard's playing. He indeed was a guy who had the entire history of jazz piano at his fingertips and could play it at any time. Like anything else, I guess that will work for some listeners and not work for some listeners. I love it. I think it works perfectly on this album, and I can't help but think that the other guys in the band loved it as well. Tony Williams' playing here, for instance, often hinges right on what Jaki is playing. There are a couple times on here where Jaki changes the entire rhythm and tone of the jam, and Tony is instantly on top of it. Taking it back right there with Jaki, as if they were sharing one soul in that moment. It's just fantastic and moving to hear, in my opinion.

Sam's own playing and tone are as gorgeous as ever. Sometimes he is firey and intense, and other times he does that hypnotic, drifting, dreamy repetitive thing he does that I love so much. I can't help but thinking that Sam's playing here, and some of Eric Dolphy's more relaxed, spacial stuff are probably the two main players (at least of saxophones) who influenced and guided Evan Parker's later explorations and subsequent utter reinvention of the capabilities of the soprano saxophone.

This is one of those bands that makes me regret that era of jazz, where bands so often came together and split apart after just a couple recording sessions. The three alternate takes are the source of my lament. The last 2 are so completely different (and great!) in mood and attack that I just know this band could have had a 100-song repertoire and played 200 nights a year and killed people everywhere they went, without ever repeating themselves.

I just can't help wondering what other jewels would have been forged had this quartet been together for even just three years and two or three albums. This would have been one of the all-time legendary bands.

I can't do anything but wholeheartedly recommend this release.

In the mid-sixties a certain strand of relatively accesible avant-garde Blue Note albums appeared, helmed by the likes of Eric Dolphy, Jackie Mclean, Bobby Hutcherson, Tony Williams, Andrew Hill, and of course the great Sam Rivers. Many of those albums such as Dophy's Out to Lunch, Hill's Point of Departure, and Mclean's Let Freedom Ring (among others), are stone cold classics of a very interesting sub-genre. But even in a crowded field of classics Sam River's debut: "Fuchsia Swing Song" stands out. The genius of that whole purple-patch of avant-garde Blue Notes is that the freedom, and "out" playing they displayed where always structured in an obvious way that wouldn't alienate fans of the hard-bop Blue Note style. Much as Ornette Coleman was always deep in the blues, which gave his music a point of reference, and even gravity; Sam Rivers always had a method to his madness, a foundation of what came before as a base to explore the future. Rivers couldn't have picked a better pianist to lay that essential foundation. As has been noted before (and by this point might be cliche) Jaki Byard is steeped in jazz tradition. It pours out of his fingers in such an individualistic, wonderfully subjective way that in retreading the old, something new is born. It's no wonder that Charles Mingus (a man as weary of the piano as Rivers) was so taken with Byard. On this album esspecially it's instructive to compare the similar directions both Mingus and Rivers were going with the music (see Cornell 1964, which also prominently features Byard, for comparison). Along with Rivers and Byard "Fuchsia Swing Song" also features Ron Carter and River's protegee Tony Williams, both of Miles Davis's second great quintet fame. The names should speak for themselves: this was a rhythem section not to be beaten. On this album (as well as the notoriously out of print "New Conception") Sam is investigating traditional form and seeing where it can be taken in light of Coleman's inovations. To say that the experiment is a success is, to say the least, an understatement. For my money there was never a better marriage of the "in" and the "out" comitted to record. In fact this album can and should be used as a primer for jazz fans looking to understand the avant-garde. Despite what critics (like the the hilariously arrogant writers of "The Penguin Guide to Jazz") say, there is no attempt here to pander to the hard-bop market by filing the edges off River's tenor playing. Quite the opposite, one of the main characteristics of this album is it's authenticity, it's direct, honest, musical mission to create a synthesis between two seemingly opposite poles. There seems to be some debate between the converted as to which album, this or the equally wonderful "Contours, is the superior effort. I would give the same advice in this instance as I would with two other brilliant Blue Notes; Hank Mobley's "Soul Station" and "Roll Call". If you prefer the tenor in the company of a trumpet go with "Contours" (or in Mobley's example "Roll Call"), however if you like the freedom and uncluttered atmosphere that a quartet allows (and I'm of this school of thought) then you will not be disapointed by "Fuchsia Swing Song" (or for that matter "Soul Station"). In anycase, this is vintage Sam Rivers, playing exclusively tenor (the instrument he was always best at), and it's impossible to go wrong. This album is as highly recommended as possible.
Cheers.

Let's celebrate this landmark recording finally reissued affordably! Until now only available in the over-priced Japanese edition, 'Fuchsia Swing Song' is Sam Rivers' first and best album: no flute or soprano but all tenor, skillfully hugging the outskirts of the harmony with a tone that has both lyrical softness and, at times, an invigorating edge. Here, Rivers' tone is not as hard as it would become; his musical ideas are more accessible and patiently developed than in the later days of testy avant garde exploration.

The rhythm section is always inventive. Jackie Byard's jagged off-beat chords make it impossible for the soloist to settle into riff or repetition. Tony Williams, who had used Rivers for his own premier name-session, sizzles behind the horn but never over-shadows the solo, as he often did later. The incomparable Ron Carter tosses out bass notes like stones in outer space, solid yet weightless. This is a meaty hour-long session, with some alternate takes so inventive that all they have in common is their title! All first rate cuts.

I place this session among the great tenor sax quartets of the 60's. Creatively,it's the equivalent of Henderson's 'Inner Urge,' Shorter's 'Adam's Apple,' Booker's 'Space' and 'Freedom' sessions, yes, even Coltrane's 'Love Supreme.'A landmark of post-bop, 'Fuchsia Swing Song' I recommend without hesitation for your collection.

Quite frankly, I cannot stand the remastering job done by Mr. Ron McMaster on this one... Go figure out why BLUE NOTE has got this man as one of the people in charge of such a difficult mission. Really, whenever I see the name 'RON McMASTER' on cd reissues I get nervous, I would say even deppressed... For those of you who do not know his 'work', go listen to the almost unlisteneable - not the music though - GRACHAN MONCUR III or ELVIN JONES MOSAIC BOX SETS...

PLEASE, GET A JOB, MR. McMASTER!