Big BandMosaic Select: Curtis Amy (MS-007)
Mosaic Select
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Texas tenorman Curtis Amy had a long and distinguished career as a jazz artist, studio musician and record executive. During his years with Pacific Jazz, he recorded six superb albums that revealed an artist who constantly challenged himself as an improviser and as a composer. |
There’s nothing quite like the mournful cry or the bluesy drive of a great Texas tenor saxophonist. Curtis Amy was of the same generation as Booker Ervin, David Fathead Newman, James Clay and Wilton Felder, but his time in the jazz spotlight was brief. Amy had a beautiful sound and a style that was both muscular and lyrical. Although he had a long and successful career in his transplanted home of Los Angeles, much of it was spent doing high profile studio work and working with his wife, the extraordinary Merry Clayton.
During his years with Pacific Jazz (1960-63), he recorded six superb albums that revealed an artist who constantly challenged himself as an improviser and as a composer. After The Blues Message and Meetin’ Here, two soulful collaborations with organist Paul Bryant, he moved into more textured hard bop surroundings, fronting sextets with varied instrumentation. He and Frank Butler co-led Groovin’ Blue, which features Carmell Jones and Bobby Hutcherson. Way Down includes Roy Ayers, Marcus Belgrave, Victor Feldman and valve trombonist Roy Brewster among others. Tippin’ On Through was recorded live at the Lighthouse with Ayers and Brewster among others.
Amy’s final album for the label Katanga is regarded as his masterpiece; it featured the legendary trumpeter Dupree Bolton as well as Ray Crawford and Jack Wilson. From the furious be-bop of the title tune to the lament "Lonely Woman" to the hypnotic, extended performance of "Native Land", Amy's work as an improviser and composer is at its zenith. Trumpeter Dupree Bolton, who made an impressive debut on Harold Land's "The Fox" three years earlier, is absolutely dazzling with a brash attack, formidable chops and very original ideas.
Although he made two more albums (in 1966 and 1994) and recorded with Gerald Wilson and Onzy Matthews, the six albums that he made for Pacific Jazz – all contained in this Mosaic Select set -- represent his greatest legacy. Amazingly, five of them make their appearance on CD for the first time.
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Track Listing, Personnel & Recording Dates »
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Touch Me! |
| A fabulous player, a tremendously enjoyable collection. Amazingly, Curtis Amy will probably be most remembered among the general public for his scortching solo on The Doors' hit, "Touch Me." That is how how I first became aware of Curtis, when as a kid I read the credits on The Soft Parade and saw him perform with the band on a TV variety show! For anyone who missed it, you can find this clip on YouTube. | |
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****FuNkY**********! |
| It about sums this one up ! In a nutshell, if like the old B3 sound some great vibes solid bass, Let alone Carmell Jones & Marcus Belgrave two very underrated trumpet players in book. Then your sure dig this box set. The live stuff is worth the price of admission. Oh did I mention Cutis sure can BLOW! | |
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Outstanding! |
| From each track moving through the 3 CD set just gets better and better. Nice highlight of a not so well know artist | |
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Curtis Amy IS First Rank |
| The only way I would back down would be if we all stipulate that there was only one tenor saxophonist of the first rank. If I could write stuff half as good as Amy improvises, I would be SO happy. I have several Mosaic Select sets - not nearly all. Those I have are all very good - but I think this is the best one I have. | |
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Another great not found (yet)on any |
| I first heard and bought the "Katanga" album in '66, found it in an LA used record store in 83 and bought another copy. Then, Mosaic had the great good sense to produce the CD. For me "Native Land," Katanga," "Lonely Woman," etc., are among the best jazz best there is. C.Amy, remember, was the composer of many of these. Dupree Bolton is truly excellent. I guess all know that C.Amy's great soprano sax closes The Doors' "Touch me." | |
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Outstanding jazz from Curtis Amy and Co. |
| Everyone is talking about Katanga! as the highlight of this box but for me it is the live date from The Lighthouse entitled Tippin' On Through. It blew me away! Excellent playing coupled with amazing sound quality. What more can you ask for? This Mosaic Select is a gem of great unheralded playing and players. Get it now! | |
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Go for it! |
| I hesitated before ordering this one - there's so much good stuff around. But now I know that I should have acted sooner. There's some really good music here, across a set of albums providing plenty of variety. Disc 1 offers bluesy quintets with organ. Disc 2 includes really good early work by the likes of Carmell Jones (excellent!), Bobby Hutcherson and Roy Ayers, with, on one album, Jimmy Bond and Frank Butler proving yet again what a superb rhythm section they were (as on Art Pepper's "Smack Up" and "Intensity" in 1960). And the offerings on Disc 3 include Roy Ayers, Victor Feldman and John Houston, as well as Dupree Bolton on "Katanga!", the jewel in the crown. Why wait? Bob Wright, Hitchin, Herts, UK. | |
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The Mighty Amy |
| One of the great jazz-men! | |
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Gets Better As It Goes Along -- GREAT At The Finish! |
| This is what Mosaic Select is good for. Curtis Amy could never be called an artist of the first rank. But he's near the top of the second. What's interesting is how this set gets better as it goes along. Curtis is never less than fine, but the arrangements and the backing start out pretty ordinary. When we get to the groups with vibes, things get more interesting. Finally, "Katanga!" is a career masterpiece -- a classic hard bop album that just about anyone would have been proud to make. More a three-and-a-half star set than a full-fledged four-star, the set as a whole is nevertheless very enjoyable from start to finish -- and more than merely that at the end. | |
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Very Nice |
| A chance to someone who is quite good but was new to me. Mr Bolton has real fire!! The organ was great. | |
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What's wrong with the organ? |
| I get such a kick out of reading these reviews...Everybody thinks that they are a Jazz critic...The organ isn't puzzling, it's fine indeed...Keep up the good work, Mosaic.... | |
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Impressive |
| Two excellent discs and one uneven disc. The good is really good and the iffy is mixed but interesting. Curtis Amy is very impressive. | |
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Curtis Amy & Dupree Bolton!!!! |
| These guys are SICK!!!! Great JAZZ!!!! Highly recommended!!!! Keep Swinging guys!!!! np4. | |
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Great Jazz |
| This is some of the smoothest jazz available! | |
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Mr. Curtis Amy |
| Very enjoyable set. Curtis Amy is consistently excellent; his beautiful soprano sax playing is a surprise. Highlights include trumpeter Dupree Bolton, who's so good he steals the show from Amy on one session - which is quite an accomplishment. Carmell Jones is very good - not as breathtaking a trumpeter as he is on his own Mosaic Set but very good. Bobby Hutcherson on vibes is also a highlight. The rhythm sections are fair to good with no outstanding units. The organ playing on the first disc is sometimes puzzling. Curtis Amy's tunes are a big plus, some nice stuff; he is a much underrated jazz musician. Overall, an interesting and pleasurable set - recommended. | |
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Rough and Tumble |
| Rough and tumble Texas tenor with spriit, vigor, and raw emotion. This ain't no elegant wine sipping, palm bar back ground music. Curtis Amy is out front with a rhythm and blues influenced sound that might get your fat ass up dancing. This is the real stuff, crusty edges and all. The organist on the first disc is wildly erratic with some great tracks in which he just meshes perfectly with Amy and on others he's bewilderingly bad; it's funky and enjoyable in a strange way. When they're good it's almost a religious experience. The other two discs are simply excellent jazz. I'm enjoying this set. | |
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Ups and Downs |
| I am very pleased with the Mosaic Select Curtis Amy Set and play it a lot. The organ is much too noisy on the first two records, the bass player seems to play 'behind' the beat on 'The Blues Message' - was he overdubbed later? On 'Meeting Here' that problem seems to have been solved. I like listening to the title track. 'Early in the morning' is nice and groovy, too. For some reason I don't play Disc Two that much. Frank Butler's drumming is driving and powerful but at times not that tasteful. Carmell Jones' playing always a joy, however. Disc Three clearly is the show stopper. The live gig at the Lighthouse is most enjoyable, especially so 'Tippin on through' and 'Funk inthe evening'. Then on to Katanga. That recording really is unbelievable! Curtis is at his best, but underrated trumpeter Dupree Bolton clearly steals the show. His solo on 'You don't know what love is' is ABSOLUTELY PERFECT and moving. Can't get enough of it! Bert Keim /Germany | |
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Overall...Not Bad |
| I am a big fan of Curtis Amy and was glad to see this type of set released. However, I found the recordings "The Blues Message" and "Meeting Here" to be too heavy on the organ. Not that I do not like the Hammond B3. In fact, I really love the B3 works of Jimmy Smith, John Patton, Larry Young and Dr. Lonnie Smith and Joey Defrancesco. I guess I found Ray Bryant's organ play a little too harsh and overbearing. His style reminds me of the organ player at a hockey game; attacking the instrument instead of playing it. He does not play with the finesse or soul of Smith or Patton. If he'd just stuck to "comping" and had no solo space, it would probably sound OK because Curtis Amy's play really shines. But beyond those 2 recordings, the rest of the material is first rate (especially "Groovin' Blue" with Carmell Jones and Bobby Hutcherson)and is worth buying the Mosiac Select Curtis Amy. | |
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Desert Island Pics on CD |
| For years "Way Down" has been on my desrt island picks list with "Blues Message" vying for a spot recently. Now I have them both and all the other Amy releases on CD. What a great set! I hope this leads to Curtis getting some more fans. | |
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Slightly off the mark |
| I am a major fan of Mosaic and have multiple sets. I chose to purchase this after listening to some of the online colips and doing a little research. (I also like David Newman which gave me a point of reference). The first disc I did not enjoy. I'm not a big fan of jazz organ and much of it sounded very repetitous. Discs 2 and 3 were much better. I would have liked to hear more of the live stuff from Disc 2. I also enjoyed Amy more on soprano sax than tenor. If you have no issues with jazz organ then you may enjoy it more than I. Overall, I found this set somewhat disappointing. | |
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Unexpected Treasure |
| Stunning! I bought this set with some trepidation; although I had owned the superb Katanga on vinyl for 18 years I only knew of the existence of the other sessions from reproductions of the album sleeves in Marsh and Callingham’s ‘California Cool’. Katanga had dispelled any lingering notions of Pacific Jazz being associated with music that was in any way effete. It is an album of warmth, intensity and beauty, sounding, to me, far more like a Blue Note than a West Coast session, but well as Amy plays it is Dupree Bolton who dominates this date. So just how good is Curtis Amy? Very good! Earthy, bluesy with a real melodic gift and a lovely tone; yet another fine player lost to the prevalent fashions of the West Coast? All I can say this is my own personal album of the year, an unexpected treasure – thank you Mosaic. | |
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Varied Amy Collection a Winner! |
| A fascinating collection featuring Amy in a wide range of settings: organ combo, with vibes, and a more conventional sextet. "Katanga" is the best well known of these sessions, and it merits every ounce of praise it has been given -- Dupree Bolton is fantastic. On an earlier session, Carmell Jones shows the same fire and restraint that makes his own Mosaic Select such a delight. Amy is hard-charging throughout, his solos uplifting even some of the less interesting material. The sessions with Amy and organ are not as essential as discs two and three, but they are certainly worth hearing. Thanks again Mosaic Select for making such hard-to-find music available for such a remarkable price! | |
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LIGHTEN UP |
| IN MY EXALTATION AT LOCATING THIS "GIFT",PERHAPS,I BROKE A RULE OF YOURS.100%,INNOCENTLY,I SIMPLY REVIEWED THE ALBUMS,WITH WHICH I AM VERY FAMILIAR. I'LL IMMEDIATELY,HIT MY KNEES AND REPENT. | |
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You have been forgiven |
| We of the flesh sometimes succumb to earthly pleasures which cloud our better judgement. Since you have repented for your sins may I wish you many happy mahundahs. Peace brother. | |
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Oh Really? |
| How can you review this set? It has not been released. Shame on you. | |
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W/OUT WORDS |
| 6,of my favorite lps of all time !!! Curtis Amy was labelled,another , "Texas Tenor",when in fact he was so much more. Noone that I have ever heard,plays with more raw emotion;this combined with a relaxed,but intensely personal ,sinewy tone,all combine to make Curtis Amy ,one of jazz's most underrated tenor/sop. players. These CDs,have been,literally impossible to find. "Katanga",and "Mustang",are not impossible to find,but the other four,, WOW!! If you love straight ahead driving soulful "heads",with advanced solos,by all ;;;GET THIS !ALL PLAYERS ARE TRULY INSPIRED AS WELL. | |
Mosaic Select: Curtis Amy (MS-007)
Limited Edition: 5000 copies
3 CDs - $44.00
