BST 84306

John Patton - Understanding

Released - February 1969

Recording and Session Information

Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, October 25, 1968
Harold Alexander, tenor sax, flute; John Patton, organ; Hugh Walker, drums.

4035 tk.1 Alfie's Theme
4036 tk.2 Understanding
4037 tk.5 Chittlins Con Carne
4038 tk.9 Soul Man
4039 tk.11 Ding Dong
4040 tk.14 Congo Chant

Track Listing

Side One
Title	Author	Recording Date
Ding Dong	M. Alexander	October 25 1968
Congo Chant	John Patton	October 25 1968
Alfie's Theme	Sonny Rollins	October 25 1968
Side Two
Soul Man	Isaac Hayes, David Porter	October 25 1968
Understanding	Sam Gary, Mark Nash	October 25 1968
Chitlins con Carne	Kenny Burrell	October 25 1968

Liner Notes

JOHN PATTON'S music comes in on warm and friendly waves of sound saturating our thirsty and appreciative shores. Like the ocean, his music commands a wide range of moods, sometimes quiet, often still (never stagnant), deep, dark and mysterious.

Mysterious to the extent that it cannot wisely be anticipated. Within the past few years, John's albums on Blue Note have come in steady numbers and again like the ocean's waves, some break with a thunderous roar while others dance in a gentler groove.

For me, his previous set, "That Certain Feeling", (4281) evoked thoughts of bright colors and carousels. This time he brings us "Understanding", and in it we find that his wave lengths are in soulful-harmony with Hugh Walker's and Harold Alexander's. Harold, better known to many as "Jazzbo" is a very passionate man. His message has an urgency that compels us to listen.

You see, when a man is not given the chance to say all that he is capable of saying, or cannot give all that he would like to, a swelling takes place. Deep inside, an emotional swelling takes place; the longer his desires go unfulfilled, the greater the swelling. John Patton is presenting Harold with the opportunity to give vent to his emotions.

Expression is an artist's sharpest instrument. Suppress it, and you make him dull. Deny it, and you destroy him. The artist spends his life span shaping his musical (should he be a musician) mode of expression, working alone and with others toward more meaningful and gratifying ways to "speak". Unfortunately, in the course of his development, he encounters untold obstacles, each being the dictate of its own particular trend of thought. More often than not, the will and the power of these forces overshadow and misrepresent the ultimate aims of the artist. Ironically though, it is very often while struggling (hustling?) with these same forces, that he realizes his true strength - Expression.

John Patton knows the power of expression, and is dedicated to the task of broadening his to its fullest talent. Further, he realizes the importance of "knowing", so he keeps his mind in the "on" position.

McCoy Tyner in his "Real McCoy" date on Blue Note, presented a tune called Passion Dance. John, Harold, and Hugh are doing passion dances in this set. John, with his eyes clenched, head thrown back in ecstacy and feet tapping out the rhythms of the music. Harold, with tenor locked securely in his grip, eyes closed and rocking back and forth and Hugh, with all of his rhythmic thunder, accented cymbal bursts and the stabilizing forces of his bass drum telling us where it's all coming from. John sits there like a "Black Scul-Wick" sopping up all the musical energy that they're creating and re-directing it back into the group effort so rapidly and with such a thrust, his trio becomes a combustion chamber.

The musical association of John Patton and Harold Alexander is, in a very real sense, a new beginning, a full moon of ideas and ideals. There is great feeling and unity in John's group, and as its warm waves break on your shores, greet them eagerly in the knowledge that they bring the full bounty of every harvest.

ED WILLIAMS Voyage" WLIB/FM NYC