From 1961 to 1969, Bob Thiele was the main producer at Impulse Records and for the most part, gave the world numerous legendary recordings and made household names of almost everyone with whom he worked.
Impulsive! is a two-disc collection with original versions from the Impulse vaults on disc one and remixes on disc two. And with a deep back catalog from which to choose, the selection is quite good and includes a few off-the-wall gems.
George Russell‘s “A Helluva Town” starts it off, followed by Charles Mingus, Gabor Szabo, and Oliver Nelson, three legendary artists who enjoyed long careers on Impulse.
Next is “Astral Traveling” by Pharoah Sanders, which was released post-Coltrane in 1971. Dizzy Gillespie‘s version of the traditional spiritual “Swing Low, Sweet Cadillac” that he used to play with Charlie Parker back in the day also makes an appearance.
Songs from Clark Terry and Chico O’ Farrill, Archie Shepp, and multi-instrumentalist Yusef Lateef are highlights. Lateef’s “Bamboo Flute Blues,” originally from his 1965 album Psychicemotus is a moody piece that conveys the spirit of the New Orleans funeral parade.
Disc two, after a few listens, is nothing special. If you’ve already heard any of the other countless remix albums out there, you can almost guess what the outcome of most of the remixes will be. The guilty parties, Boozoo Bajou, Gerardo Frisina, DJ Dolores, SA-RA, Prefuse 73, GZA, and Telefon Tel-Aviv, do nothing more than add a big drum beat and some electronic beeps to the tracks.
Chief Xcel and Kid Koala are the exceptions. The two probably understood the sacred ground they’re trespassing on and took a reverent approach to their remixes. Or I could be wrong and they just got lucky.
– Jason Verhagen
V/A (Impulse Records)