Born in Texas and raised in San Diego, tenor saxophonist Harold Land began his musical journey in Los Angeles during the late 1940s as a devout disciple of bebop. His rise to fame began in 1954 when he joined the highly regarded Clifford Brown-Max Roach Quintet, then at the forefront of the nascent hard bop movement. Four years later, Land signed to Lester Koenig’s leading West Coast jazz label, Contemporary, and after that in the 1960s, enjoyed short stints at several different record companies until he landed at producer Bob Shad’s Mainstream imprint in 1971. By then, Land had been co-leading a group with noted vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, for three years, which yielded several memorable Blue Note albums, including 1970’s San Francisco, reissued on vinyl last year. Intent on extending musical boundaries and exploring new ground, Land and Hutcherson’s partnership produced a kind of jazz far removed from the language of bebop; as 1971’s Choma (Burn) reveals, it melded avant-garde and modal jazz elements with funk and blues, resulting in music that often exudes an otherworldly vibe.
Choma (Burn) was Land’s second album for Mainstream, following A New Shade Of Blue, released at an earlier juncture in 1971. The saxophonist and Hutcherson are backed by a band that includes two drummers – Leon “Ndugu” Chancler (whom some will recall for his work with George Duke, Weather Report, and Santana among others) and Woody ‘Sonship’ Theus. Ex-Jazz Messenger Reggie Johnson glues the rhythm section with his thick and sinuous bass lines, while Land’s son, Harold Jr, and Bill Henderson share keyboard duties.
Land swaps his saxophone for a flute on the album’s opening title track, a high-octane foray into progressive post-bop jazz, where swirling drums and crashing cymbals create a storm of noise. In sharp contrast, the Bill Henderson-written ‘Our Home’ is earthier; a funky soul-jazz groove spotlighting Hutcherson’s shimmering vibes. ‘Black Caucus’ starts with a funky undertow but soon develops into something more progressive while the closing cut, ‘Up And Down,’ begins with a ballad-like intro featuring Land’s eloquent saxophone before morphing into a propulsive bop-tinged swinger. Enlivened by blistering solos from Land and then Hutcherson, followed by the rest of the band, the lively track caps off a fine recording that underlines Land and Hutcherson’s special chemistry.
Thanks to meticulous remastering, this first-ever vinyl reissue of Choma (Burn) sounds better than ever. If you’re a fan of Land and Hutcherson’s Blue Note collaborations and not familiar with their Mainstream releases, then you’re in for a treat. (Available from 24th May).
(CW) 4/5
