Terry Adams – Terrible
This was NRBQ’s Terry Adams’ first solo outing & the founder of that band/pianist was in a different dimension entirely & quite addressed for the music. He invited fellow musicians Marshall Allen (flute/alto sax) & other Sun Ra members Roswell Rudd (trombone), Greg Cohen (bass) & Bobby Previte (drums/percussion) to perform on 12 originals dipped generously in a somewhat 50s jazz identity. The instrumental pieces at times are wild, but always melodic & well-recorded.
Is it for every rock fan? No. But a rock fan who dabbles in Frank Zappa, Carla Bley, an obscure jazz keyboardist Scott Bradford, & a little Scott Hamilton with slices of what Joe Jackson captured with his jazzier album “Body & Soul.” It’s all here with the blaring horns wrestling with the jabs that come off the piano keys. It’s a good concept & aficionados of jazz will like it & some people who just like a taste will enjoy it.
Adams doesn’t have the music veering off into other worlds but maintains a semblance of order. The melodies may not be as catchy as Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five,” or “Blue Rondo ala Turk,” but the tradition is there in spurts. The solos are like arguing women at times – the high pitches the lows, the saxes that blabber like sentences without punctuation. But it’s exciting.
There are 16 cuts on this Arthur Moorhead-produced set Terrible (Drops Jan 26–Big Notes/Omnivore/ 65:00) recorded in Woodstock, NY (1995). One cut “Wrong Garden,” was captured in Toronto at a jazz festival in 1997 & produced by Ron Gaskin. All the musicians assert themselves well in each composition (all written by Terry).
This CD is a jazz reissue, but it contains bonus cuts & some newly issued pieces that make the exploration of this showcase all the more intriguing. I was wondering (& could be wrong) if the song “Out the Windo,” was a nod to the late sax player Gary Windo since the word is not often spelled that way. The sole vocal is on “These Blues,” with its Paul Butterfield Blues band atmosphere. Quite cool & you don’t have to be a beatnik to appreciate it…but snapping your fingers & hitting your glass with your spoon would be nice.
Highlights – “Toodlehead,” “Venusian Sunset,” “Say When,” “Out the Windo,” “Distant Instant,” “Thinking of You,” “These Blues,” “Wrong Gasket” & “Say When,” (Take 2).
Musicians – Terry (piano/Japanese organ/dulcitone/vocal/DX7), Jim Hoke (soprano & alto saxes/flute/harmonica), Tom Ardolino (drums), Tyrone Hill & Donn Adams (trombone), Dave Gordon (trumpet), Johnny Spampinato & John Sebastian (guitars), Joey Spampinato & Pete Toigo (bass), Knoel Scott (solo on “Say When”/flute) & Jimmy Gordon (harmonica).
Color image courtesy of Melissa Clarke. CD @ https://omnivorerecordings.com/shop/terry-adams-terrible/ & http://www.terryadams.net/
Interview in 2018: https://americanahighways.org/2018/05/18/interview-nrbqs-terry-adams-defines-musics-spiritual-beauty/