Music Monday: More from Strata-East

I’m not sure whether I’m in the calm before the late-semester storm or whether the worst has passed, but I’m enjoying a bit more time to listen to music lately. This coincides with a spate of releases that have intrigued and delighted me. I’ve really enjoyed the steady stream of Strata-East releases that shed light on lesser known artists. I really like sax player Cecil Payne’s Zodiac (recorded in 1968 and released in 1973) which features Kenny Durham on trumpet! Oddly, Strata-East has not released a contemporary recording led by Clifford Jordan, In the World which also features Durham, Julian Priester, Don Cherry, Wynton Kelly, and a similar rhythm section of Wilbur Ware and various drummers: Albert Heath, Roy Haynes, and Ed Blackwell. I’ve also enjoyed Shamek Farrah’s 1975 album First Impressions. It’s was his first effort as leader (and I posted on his second album, The World of Children (1977).) As far as I can tell, he’s obscure and his bandmates — Sonelius Smith (piano), Norman…

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