Music Monday: Tolliver, Booker, and Aldana

I usually have a bit of burnout in the week before the semester starts. The summertime grind of research, reading, and writing runs up against the anticipation of the new academic year. It’s stressful, exhausting, and exciting all at once. And, it’s usually a time when I turn to music to help my channel my waning and dispersed energy. The last week was a good music week. First, Strata-East continues to release its catalogue to streaming services and that includes lots of Charles Tolliver. His most recent album, Charles Tolliver Allstars: Right Now… and Then (1971) is a brilliant album by one of Tolliver’s best bands: Herbie Hancock on Piano, Ron Carter on Bass, Joe Chambers on Drums, and Gary Bartz appears on a couple of tracks playing alto sax. The album is loud, intense, and brash in a brassy, swingin’, 26-year-old-first-time-band-leader-with-an-Allstar-supporting-line-up kind of way. Check it out: Second, I’ve been listening to Roy Haynes with Booker Ervin’s album Cracklin’ (1963)…