George Adams & Don Pullen Quartet - City Gates (1983) [2015 Timeless Jazz Master Collection] CD-Rip

Reissue with the latest remastering and the original cover artwork. Comes with a description written in Japanese. George Adams and Don Pullen knock it out of the park on this one – finding great company in each other's presence, and really moving things forward in the process! The set begins with a long track titled "Mingus Metamorphosis", and that really sums up the spirit of the record – an 80s reworking of all the ideas that the players had learned from Mingus, but with an individual, personal sense that's all their own – and very different than some of the more standard modes of the Mingus Dynasty group that continued the legacy in a more direct manner. Adams is bold one minute, lyrical the next – and plays both tenor and flute – alongside Pullen on piano, Cameron Brown on bass, and Dannie Richmond on drums.
By 1983, the quartet was at a musical peak, and this may be their best recording. Everything gels: The choice of tunes, the solos, and the arrangements all come together to produce one of the leading post-bop albums of the 1980s. Adams and Pullen perform magnificently and soulfully on "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen," while the other three originals by pianist Don Pullen and two by Adams include a lengthy tribute to Charles Mingus and a shorter one for Thelonious Monk. Thankfully, there are no vocals by Adams. When these fellows get it right, as they do here, there is a synergy and energy that just can't be beat. Adams soars on tenor, building to a frenzied crescendo without losing control, while Pullen is right at his side. Drummer Dannie Richmond and bassist Cameron Brown seem inspired by the date.

Tracks:

01 - Mingus Metamorphosis
02 - Samba For Now
03 - Thank Your Very Much Mr. Monk
04 - Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen
05 - City Gates

Personnel:

George Adams - tenor saxophone, flute
Don Pullen - piano
Cameron Brown - bass
Dannie Richmond - drums