Unity (Larry Young album)

Unity is an album by jazz organist Larry Young, released on the Blue Note label in August, 1966. The album features trumpeter Woody Shaw, tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson and drummer Elvin Jones. While not free jazz, the album features experimentation that was innovative for the time. Young chose the title because, "although everybody on the date was very much an individualist, they were all in the same frame of mood. It was evident from the start that everything was fitting together."[5] The album was Young's second for Blue Note, and is widely considered a "post-bop" classic.

Unity
Studio album by
Larry Young
ReleasedAugust 1966 (1966-08)[1]
RecordedNovember 10, 1965
StudioVan Gelder Studio
Englewood Cliffs
GenreJazz
Length40:02
LabelBlue Note
ProducerAlfred Lion
Larry Young chronology
Into Somethin'
(1965)		 Unity
(1966)		 Of Love and Peace
(1966)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[2]
Penguin Guide to Jazz + Crown[3]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[4]

Music

Three of the six tracks were composed by Woody Shaw. The first, "Zoltan", starts with part of a march from the Háry János suite of Zoltán Kodály and continues in the Lydian mode. The fourth, "The Moontrane", is dedicated to John Coltrane, "as can be heard in the harmonic cycles in it", explained Shaw.[5] The last, "Beyond All Limits", has a difficult harmonic progression, but, in Shaw's words, "once the inherent difficulties of the tune are solved, there are no limits as to where you can go with it".[5] "If" is a 12-bar Joe Henderson composition; "Monk's Dream" (played mainly by Young and drummer Elvin Jones) is by Thelonious Monk; and "Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise" is a Hammerstein and Romberg composition.[5]

Elvin Jones played "a standard 4-piece drum kit with two cymbals and hi-hat".[6]

Reception

Scott Yanow states that Unity "is considered Larry Young's finest recording".[7] Billboard Magazine called the album "a sureshot for jazz fans".[8] The Penguin Guide to Jazz included the album in its suggested “core collection”, and awarded it a rare crown and four-star rating, describing it as "Quite simply a masterpiece."[3] Also, saxophonist Michael Brecker referred to the album as a favourite of his.[9]

The album's cover art, by Reid Miles, has also become well known. In 2008, graphic designer Mike Dempsey picked it as one of his favorite album covers, stating that it shows "Ultimate simplicity [...] Put in an album rack today it would still raise an eyebrow as it looks remarkably fresh".[10]

Track listing

Original CD
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Zoltan"Woody Shaw7:41
2."Monk's Dream"Thelonious Monk5:48
3."If"Joe Henderson6:46
4."The Moontrane"Shaw7:21
5."Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise"Oscar Hammerstein II, Sigmund Romberg6:24
6."Beyond All Limits"Shaw6:02

2014 Blue Note SHM-CD Remaster Edition (Japan Release)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Zoltan"Woody Shaw7:41
2."Monk's Dream"Thelonious Monk5:48
3."If"Joe Henderson6:46
4."The Moontrane"Shaw7:21
5."Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise"Oscar Hammerstein II, Sigmund Romberg6:24
6."Beyond All Limits"Shaw6:02
7."If" (Alternate Take 1)Henderson6:27
8."If" (Alternate Take 2)Henderson5:42
9."The Moontrane" (Alternate Take)Shaw6:40
10."Beyond All Limits" (Alternate Take)Shaw6:03

Personnel

Musicians

Production

References
  1. Billboard Aug 27, 1966
  2. Jurek, Thom (2011). "Unity - Larry Young | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved July 17, 2011.
  3. Cook, Richard and Morton, Brian (2008) The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.), Penguin, p. 1534.
  4. Larkin, Colin (2007). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
  5. Original liner notes by Nat Hentoff
  6. Riley, John (1997) Beyond Bop Drumming, Alfred Music, p. 50.
  7. Yanow, Scott (2003) Jazz on Record: The First Sixty Years, Backbeat Books, p. 624.
  8. "Album Reviews: Unity" (August 27, 1966) Article from Billboard, p. 41.
  9. "Brecker Enlists 3 Favorite Drummers" (November 6, 1999)Article from Billboard, p. 43.
  10. "Album Cover Design: Art on the sleeve" (October 16, 2008) Design Week, Vol. 23, Issue 42.
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