Unity
Recorded in 1965, in the afterglow of avant-garde jazz's first significant wave,Unityproved what organist Larry Young's Blue Note debut,Into Somethin', foreshadowed. Young had been a straightforward protégé ofJimmy Smithprior to his Blue Note years, and he later went full-tilt into fusion, eventually joining Tony Williams's Lifetime for their rightly named debut,Emergency. But here Young dug into an exploratory groove that fed in part off the Hammond B-3 tradition and in part off the pulse-oriented rhythmic developments then occupyingCecil Taylorand others. That said, the tunes are all keeled on even tempos, with thoughtful, tight soloing fromJoe Hendersonand a youngWoody Shaw. With drummerElvin Jonespowering the quartet, the music cruises along, but Young's free-flying organ is the most striking point, with its fall-apart deconstructions and its architecturally complex solos and melody statements. More than anything, this recording helped clarify how relevant the B-3 was for the new breed of jazzers. This Rudy Van Gelder remaster improves the sound, both brightening it and bolstering the low end. Also added are a couple of great photos and a new liner essay.--Andrew Bartlett