Grachan Moncur III Grachan Moncur III (June 3, 1937 – June 3, 2022) was an American jazz trombonist. He was the son of jazz bassist Grachan Moncur II and the nephew of jazz saxophonist Al Cooper. Biography Born in New York City, United States, (his paternal gra ...

Capri Records ''Capri Records'' was a rock and roll record label established in Conroe, Texas, by Huey P. Meaux and Foy Lee in the early 1960s. It started the careers of many Texas musicians and furthered the careers of Gene Summers, Gaylon Christie, Scott ...

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Gary Smulyan Gary Smulyan (born April 4, 1956) is an American jazz musician who plays baritone saxophone. He studied at Hofstra University before working with Woody Herman. He leads a trio with bassist Ray Drummond and drummer Kenny Washington.

Billy Harper Billy Harper (born January 17, 1943) is an American jazz saxophonist, "one of a generation of Coltrane-influenced tenor saxophonists" with a distinctively stern, hard-as-nails sound on his instrument.Chris KelseyBilly Harper Biography ''AllMusi ...

Tim Hagans Tim Hagans (born August 19, 1954) is an American jazz trumpeter, arranger, and composer. He has been nominated for three Grammy Awards: Best Instrumental Composition for "Box of Cannoli" on ''The Avatar Sessions'' (Fuzzy Music, 2010); Best Contem ...

Ray Drummond Ray Drummond (born November 23, 1946, in Brookline, Massachusetts) is an American jazz bassist and teacher. He also has an Master of Business Administration, MBA from Stanford University, hence his linkage to the Stanford Jazz Workshop. He can be ...

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Mark Masters Mark Masters is an American media entrepreneur, known for being the CEO of Talk Radio Network and its four sister networks. It was Moncur's first album after a lengthy hiatus, during which he wrote, taught, and dealt with dental issues.

Reception

In a review for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

,

Scott Yanow Scott Yanow (born 1954) is an American jazz reviewer, historian, and author. Life and career Yanow was born in New York City and grew up near Los Angeles. Beginning in 1974, Yanow was a regular reviewer of many jazz styles and was the jazz e ...

wrote: "Dental problems resulted in Moncur only playing once in a great while in the 1990s. He had been in obscurity for quite a while when he was contacted by arranger Mark Masters for the ''Exploration'' project. Fortunately Moncur's playing proved to still be in his prime. Masters wrote sympathetic charts for many of the trombonist's finest pieces, utilizing an all-star nonet that could really dig into the inside/outside music... This CD overall is very rewarding, a dream project for those who have long admired the underrated Grachan Moncur. The musicians have their solos, there are both written and improvised ensembles and Moncur plays wonderfully throughout. This set, which sums up Grachan Moncur's career definitively, is a gem." The authors of ''

The Penguin Guide to Jazz ''The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' is a reference work containing an encyclopedic directory of jazz recordings on CD which were (at the time of publication) currently available in Europe or the United States. The first nine editions were compiled b ...

'' stated: "This session... brings back into focus a major compositional figure... the emphasis as ever falls on the very fine writing and on a band of equally undersung players." Writing for ''

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'', Clifford Allen commented: "Though Moncur's music gives itself well to loose improvisational settings, wherein the soloists and group are highly liberated, the cohesive and tightly arranged nature of these readings brings out their inherent logic and structure in addition to their springboard-like qualities. It is both a testament to the pieces themselves and the empathy of this group (many of whom had not played together prior to rehearsals) that ''Exploration'' is as seamless as it is." In a ''

JazzTimes ''JazzTimes'' was an American print magazine devoted to jazz. Published 10 times a year, it was founded in Washington, D.C., in 1970 by Ira Sabin as the newsletter ''Radio Free Jazz'' to complement his record store. Coverage After a decade ...

'' review, Harvey Siders remarked: "Moncur shows a youthful vigor in the title tune, exploring the tune's whole-tone structure with his velvety tone. 'Monk in Wonderland' captures Thelonious' staccato humor, providing Smulyan with his best solo moments. 'Love and Hate,' one of Moncur's darkest ballads, gives him a chance to show his highly personal side as soloist, and tenorist Harper matches the trombonist in introspection. 'New Africa,' a three-part suite, is also dominated by Moncur and Harper, but more interesting are the ensemble writing/playing and the strong walking by Drummond, free to roam in the pianoless environment. 'Excursion' is a nonstop free ensemble with more tonality than anarchy. Just about everyone solos in 'Frankenstein', with colorful statements coming from French hornist Clark." Peter Marsh, writing for the ''

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'' website, stated: "this is a fine record. Bristling with intelligence, good humour and swing, Moncur's music stands the test of time; something like 'Monk in Wonderland' should be a standard by now. Nice to see him back."

Track listing

:''All tracks composed by Grachan Moncur III.'' # "Exploration" – 8:08 # "Monk in Wonderland" – 5:23 # "Love And Hate" – 8:45 # "New Africa (Queen Tamam/New Africa/Black Call/Ethiopian Market)" – 9:52 # "When?" – 7:32 # "Frankenstein" – 6:57 # "Excursion" – 2:53 # "Sonny's Back!" – 4:13

Personnel

*

Grachan Moncur III Grachan Moncur III (June 3, 1937 – June 3, 2022) was an American jazz trombonist. He was the son of jazz bassist Grachan Moncur II and the nephew of jazz saxophonist Al Cooper. Biography Born in New York City, United States, (his paternal gra ...

– trombone *

Gary Bartz Gary Bartz (born September 26, 1940) is an American jazz saxophonist. He has won two Grammy Awards. Biography Bartz was first exposed to jazz as the son of the owners of a jazz nightclub in Baltimore. In 1958 he left Baltimore to study at the J ...

– alto saxophone *

Billy Harper Billy Harper (born January 17, 1943) is an American jazz saxophonist, "one of a generation of Coltrane-influenced tenor saxophonists" with a distinctively stern, hard-as-nails sound on his instrument.Chris KelseyBilly Harper Biography ''AllMusi ...

– tenor saxophone *

Gary Smulyan Gary Smulyan (born April 4, 1956) is an American jazz musician who plays baritone saxophone. He studied at Hofstra University before working with Woody Herman. He leads a trio with bassist Ray Drummond and drummer Kenny Washington.

– baritone saxophone *

Tim Hagans Tim Hagans (born August 19, 1954) is an American jazz trumpeter, arranger, and composer. He has been nominated for three Grammy Awards: Best Instrumental Composition for "Box of Cannoli" on ''The Avatar Sessions'' (Fuzzy Music, 2010); Best Contem ...

– trumpet * Dave Woodley – trombone * John Clark – French horn *

Ray Drummond Ray Drummond (born November 23, 1946, in Brookline, Massachusetts) is an American jazz bassist and teacher. He also has an Master of Business Administration, MBA from Stanford University, hence his linkage to the Stanford Jazz Workshop. He can be ...

– bass *

Andrew Cyrille Andrew Charles Cyrille (born November 10, 1939) is an American avant-garde jazz drummer. Throughout his career, he has performed both as a leader and a sideman in the bands of Walt Dickerson and Cecil Taylor, among others. AllMusic biographer ...

- drums

References

{{Grachan Moncur III, state=autocollapse 2004 albums Grachan Moncur III albums