Grachan Moncur III is another unsung hero of jazz whose extensive body of work has largely gone out of print.Moncur was a trombonist who established himself as a sideman for other famous jazz musicians—most famously saxophonist Jackie McLean on his records One Step Beyond and Destination Out. He was even the composer behind the spectacular "Kahlil The Prophet" on Destination Out.
In 1963 on the famed Blue Note label Moncur released his debut as a bandleader with the spectacular Evolution, an avant-garde release featuring the likes of McLean, Lee Morgan on trumpet, and the incredible Bobby Hutcherson on vibraphone. Also worth seeking out is his follow up, Some Other Stuff from 1964 with Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock.
Moncur continues to record to this day, and has even released an album in 2007. A majority of the records he released as a bandleader are unfortunately unavailable anymore, although his two BYG-Actuel records are packaged together as a 2-CD set.
Click the link below to download Evolution. Enjoy the standout "Monk In Wonderland."
Grachan Moncur III - Evolution
- Marquee Smith
3 comments:
Thanks for posting this! I can recommend "New Africa" and "One Morning I Woke Up Very Early (Aco Dei De Madrugada)" as well. Please find my review here
Hey thanks for your comment! I do have those albums, and yes they're awesome. Great review.
Well, it's over a year later and both "Evolution" and "Some Other Stuff" are back in print! These are among my favorite albums of all time. Nice to see them get some recognition here.
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