Buddy Terry - Pure Dynamite (2007)

An overlooked gem from the early 70s, Buddy Terry’s “Pure Dynamite” mixes post bop and fusion in a style somewhat similar to what Freddie Hubbard and Sonny Rollins were doing at the same time, but Terry also dips into some psychedelic sounds and ensemble freedom that pushes his music a little closer to Herbie Hancock’s excellent Sextet. The connection to the Sextet is furthered by the appearance of the Sextet’s Eddie Henderson and Billy Hart. Meanwhile, the new Return to Forever was also playing with post bop that bordered on the avant-garde on their first album, so its no big surprise to see RTF’s Lenny White, Airto and Stanley Clarke on here as well. The rest of this album’s all-star cast also includes Joanne Brackeen, Mtume, Woody Shaw and Kenny Barron, its hard to go wrong with a cast like that and there is certainly very little wrong with this album.
The album opens with “Quiet Afternoon”, which starts off like a mellow psychedelic fusion version of “All Blues”, before Stanley kicks the bass line into double time and the soloists unleash their fire. All through this album the soloists don’t necessarily go it alone as other players might add counter melodies or even occasional competing solos. This busy complicated texture is pushed further with occasional tape echo and a rich tapestry of percussion and sound effects. The early 70s was a very creative time in music and this album is very much a product of that culture. If you enjoy post bop that borders on fusion and the avant-garde, you probably will not be disappointed by this one. Buddy Terry certainly deserves way more recognition than he has received.