Jazz Libre

Tom Wetmore The Desired Effect. Crosstown Records 2012

2012-01-09T11:12:00.000-08:00

Street Date 01/17/2012

If the desired effect is to create and walk the musical tightrope between modern jazz and a slightly more retro-fusion approach then we can call it a day. Tom Wetmore's debut release is a brilliant offering from a fresh new voice that will have heads turning in no time. Original compositions coupled with a unique front line instrumentation creates a three dimensional harmonic depth of field.

In the moment, bit of a bumper sticker but sums up the overall feel of this release well. Wetmore's sextet has been called "eclectic" however original, innovative and cutting edge seem to express the desired effect far better! A prolific composer, Wetmore writes on a daily basis with an on line diary available at http://www.tomstuneaday.com/ With a front line of two lead guitar players and two saxophonists there are adventurous and incredibly lyrical contrapuntal lines that play as one harmonious voice. Musical synergy with a smoldering groove running just beneath the surface.

Wetmore likes to play with time signatures to keep things interesting but never to the extent of losing the lyrical development of the tune in question. "Red Lights" is an intriguing all most neo-soul number highlighted by one of the more overlooked saxophone players today in Jaleel Shaw. "Good and Plenty" is an expansive sonic exploratory with guitarists Brad Williams and Justin Sabaj exhibiting a symbiotic musical kinship that works incredibly well together. Alto saxophonist Eric Neveloff also makes a substantial contribution to the development of this tune adding the right amount of texture to a rich sonic color palette exhibited throughout this piece. "Falling" is a bit more introspective but fits within the ebb and flow of the release perfectly. An ensemble with more than ample chops to shift dynamics on the fly without ever losing sight of the harmonic development which is the backbone of one of the most intricate pieces presented on this release. Bassist Michael League and drummer Garrett Brown anchor a first call rhythm section and work as the sonic glue that binds this ensemble together into one of the finest sextets working today.

The Desired Effect is literally a flawless work. The electric Rhodes piano has been heard on the occasional tune on numerous releases over the previous year but to utilize this instrument as the primary keyboard of choice is long overdue and in the hands of Wetmore is done with style, finesse and ingenuity.

A former editor often cautioned me about becoming too excited concerning a release and to never presume what the reader may take away from a recording. I get it, taste is subjective. The musical irony here is that Wetmore and I agree, allow yourself to be touched. Listen in the moment. We all react to audio stimuli in a different fashion but a shared perspective simply opens the door to new musical possibilities.

Tom Wetmore and this incredibly original ensemble display a musical cohesion rarely heard and sometimes never felt. Wetmore perhaps gives the best review of his own work with this quote from the liner notes, "I just want to put a little beauty into the world and make a few moments of life just a little more exceptional."

An exceptional release. A five star triumph and easily a critics pick for 2012!

Tracks: Red Lights; Wild Card; Good And Plenty; A Blessing; The Desired Effect; With Woven Wings; Falling; The Rub; More Matter.

Personnel: Tom Wetmore: electric piano; Jaleel Shaw: alto sax ( 1,2,4); Eric Neveloff: alto sax: (3,5,9)/tenor saxophone (1); Brad Williams: guitar; Justin Sabaj: guitar; Michael League: bass; Garrett Brown: drums.

http://www.tomwetmore.com/

Joanna Weinberg The Piano Diaries 2012

2012-01-08T20:39:00.000-08:00

Joanna Weinberg is the type of artist that drives critics insane. The recording industry has been built on a foundation of self imposed limitations that are commonly referred to as "labels." Weinberg side steps the more traditional label of a jazz singer and moves effortless into the role of artist.

Singer/songwriter Weinberg's The Piano Diaries is an original and highly personal work of what can be considered twelve one act plays within a play. Weinberg weaves captivating and imaginative stories from her own life utilizing comedic satire, irony and tremendous jazz sensibilities in an incredibly imaginative fashion that transcends genre. With The Piano Diaries, the focus becomes the magical lyrical tales that are incredibly accessible yet oddly quirky and eccentric at the same time.

Opening with the punctuated rhythmic hooks of "Freckled Angles" there is an infectious pop jazz goes Broadway feel with a subtle soulful groove that continues directly into "Innocence". An all most old school theatrical tune "The Artists Are Leaving" is as lyrically strong as the instrumentation is organic. "The Winds Of Fear" full of dynamic tension and melancholy adds perfect texture to an incredibly well thought out release. "Beautiful Old Man" with additional harmony vocals along with lyrical soprano saxophone work from Mark Ginsburg tells yet another relateable tale from Weinberg's unique perspective. Whether musical theatre, pop jazz or folk, Weinberg's creativity can not be placed into one safe musical niche. Trying to steer clear of musical frames of reference there is the Norah Jones meets Joni Mitchell on their way to a Broadway show vibe here but the recording is available to be sampled at:

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/joannaweinberg1

The Piano Diaries is an incredibly engaging work and part of Weinberg's nine one woman shows. An artistic mosaic of a lifetime of experience set to music. The true measure of a singer is the ability to morph into that of story teller. The true measure of an artist is to take the listener to a place they have never been but with a story they are somehow familiar with. Weinberg is an artist. Having reviewed stellar talent from Australia the previous year, Weinberg easily takes her place as one of the finest talents in Australia and should gain an even wider audience here in the United States. Subtle musical nuances run rampant with this recording giving up a little something new of itself with each subsequent spin.

5 stars. As fresh and innovative as they come, highly entertaining!

Tracks: Freckled Angels; Innocence; Daughter Of The Empire; The Artists Are Leaving; Benjamin And Penelope; The Wings Of Fear; Wide Open Eyes; Beautiful Old Man; Witness; Mama Buy Your Baby A Piano; Trophy Wife; The Piano At The Cabaret.

Personnel: Joanna Weinberg: vocals; Rafael Nazario: piano, keyboards, additional instrumentation; Kate Adams: cello; Mark Ginsburg: soprano and tenor saxophones, flute; Martijn Hadders: guitar; Jonathan Zwartz: bass; Simon Fishburn: drums; Blair Greenburg: African drums, percussion.

http://www.thepianodiaries.com/

Jazz Education Network Conference - Some final thoughts.

2012-01-08T19:29:00.000-08:00

Bob Mintzer and Dave Stryker 01/07/12

The 3rd annual Jazz Education Network Conference is now history. Louisville's Galt House played host to this roughly three day extravaganza that included concerts, seminars and displays there were all geared to fit everyone from the beginner to the seasoned pro.

Louisville has a strong arts community but is far from what most people would consider a jazz city. There is an N.P.R affiliate here that plays jazz in incremental segments, normally listened to by the chronically unemployed or the insomniac up at odd hours. To land such a noted conference is indeed a feather in the convention cap for the local tourist dollar and one can only hope local civic leaders will invest their time and hopefully money into bringing similar endeavors to the Derby City.

Connecting and reconnecting with old musical friends was a joy. The occassional annoyance that some of the more influential artists that rarely visit our fair city were often playing at the same time or at opposite ends of the facilities did occur daily. Logistical concerns are about the only negative issue one could bring up concerning this three day jazz smorgasbord.

Jazz is far from dead. As Nashville saxophonist Rashaan Barber commented, "Jazz is inclusive." Perhaps the misguided notion that jazz is dead is contingent upon how the individual defines jazz to begin with. Motema recording artist Roni Ben-Hur added that you can no more kill an art form then you can the spirit of a people. Jazz is at times cyclical. Sonny Rollins once stated there is really nothing new in jazz and the music is a derivative byproduct of itself.

Jazz is more than a proud lineage of musical history. Jazz is a feeling, an attitude, a way of life. There is a unique spirituality to jazz that seems to be missing from other forms of music. It is that special individualistic spirit of celebration that will never kill jazz.

A good critic can only share a perspective and hopefully channel the same sense of passion that the artist is attempting to share in an effort to pass along the active history of jazz today. My experience at the "Jen" Conference was of sheer delight and ironic sadness at the departure on the final day. There will be some interviews published with some of the recording artists mentioned throughout my diary of events so I hope you will be on the look out for these.

Kudos to the Jazz Education Network on a job well done!

www.jazzednet.org

Jazz Education Network Conference..."Playing With Words" - John Goldsby

2012-01-08T08:08:00.000-08:00

Part of the fun of the Jazz Education Network Conference would have to be seeing old friends as well as making new friends. While primarily a more artist oriented conference, critically acclaimed bassist John Goldsby invited me to attend his seminar "Playing With Words." The workshop, designed primarily for musicians/teachers to enhance a further connection with either their audience or students if not both was an opportunity this critic was not about to pass up.

There is seemingly a growing trend among artists to take the initiative to write about their own work, perhaps taking the lead in presenting a more entertaining look at their craft as compared to the plethora of overly technical and just plain boring reviews that seem to pop up in every publication, web site and blog post you can find. Goldsby is a critically acclaimed bassist and also a featured writer for Bass Player Magazine.

"Writing about music is like dancing with architecture." - Having seen this quote attributed to both Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk, the source is unclear but the accuracy can not be questioned. Describing one art form by carefully utilizing the tools and techniques of another art form is not an easy task. How do you describe sounds with words in a relateable context to reach the widest audience?

The importance of a captivating lead is of course paramount in establishing readership on literally any topic. As a critic, Goldsby touched on several topics that are of course ground zero for my work and excellent reminders of how I can consider refining my own attempt at this musical dance.

1. Leave your personal opinion and bias out of the equation.

Much tougher than it sounds, but all artists that I spoke with at the conference are in agreement that the perspective of the artist and their audience should be the prime objective. There are numerous good reviews that have appeared here but that certainly does not mean they are works that I now listen to on a daily basis. Occasionally there are releases and situations that lend themselves to a more direct presentation but the key is to substantiate, quantify and back up the more direct approach should the situation dictate.

Bob Mintzer said it best, "Not everything sucks." Mintzer added that everyone has something to offer when it comes to presenting their music. Bassist Rufus Reid and vocalist Rondi Charleston echoed the sentiment that when a critic writes a review they need to try and connect on some level with where the artist is coming from. So many reviews that appear in some publications by as many as ten different critics all read the same as though stylistic guidelines somehow supersede the artist stylistic performance they are writing about. Literary death by self indulgence is a slippery slope for the critic. Find the story that lurks just beneath the surface of the music, dig deep.

Revision and editing are perhaps the most important pieces to the critical puzzle. Take a third listen to the disc, let the first draft set over night, allow yourself the opportunity to listen!

An incredibly useftl seminar for all in attendance. Literary expertise can also be found in the talents of John's wife, Robin Goldsby. Both John and Robin Goldsby are successful authors, musicians and wonderful clinicians and to find out more:

http://www.johngoldsby.de/

Top photo courtesy of Robin Goldsby via face book.

Bottom photo at the "Playing With Words" workshop here at the Jazz Education Network Convention 01/07/12.

Jazz Education Network Conference...Wrapping up. Is Jazz Dead?

2012-01-07T04:09:00.000-08:00

Clark Terry's Lifetime Achievement Grammy

Tradition.

A great deal of emphasis during this conference has been placed on tradition. The importance of carrying a legacy through but never losing sight of the artistic journey of finding your own voice. After the recent internet explosion concerning a self-serving piece by an artist whose name I simply prefer to not mention as it disrespects just about everything the JEN Conference stands for I asked bassist Rufus Reid - Is Jazz Dead?

"Oh absolutely not!"

Reid added that while there will always be pockets where the music is more vibrant than others, jazz is far from dead. Jazz is expansive. Reid remarked that he finds himself in a musical place where he is hearing new sounds from a multitude of influences with the end result of changing compositions greatly effected by more than just a career of playing the same standards or writing the same changes. There is a growth and evolution to jazz that is alive and well.

Reid echoed my sentiments that there are a great many young players playing with their heads more so then their hearts. These players are going back and getting advanced degrees and becoming educators which is fine, but you have to play the music. Having long stated the belief there may be a small "pocket" of musicians that are more concerned about the business of jazz then they really are the music, Reid agreed. To paraphrase Reid, "Do you want to be famous or do you want to be a musician as these are most often two separate sides of the jazz coin." Again, Reid seemed to echo my sentiments that this same pocket of musicians seems to be attempting to make a career out of riding on the names of those that have passed before while offering very little originality of their own. They lack real passion. Odd meter and the speed is king approach may get you some press in a hurry but just as easy brand you as flavor of the month, if you lack the ability to sustain a certain level of creativity.

As the convention starts to wrap up today, I will be attending a seminar conducted by Louisville bassist John Goldsby that is designed for musicians that wish to write about music. Having a comfortable feeling that one hour with Goldsby who is also an editor with Bass Player Magazine may reap far more benefits then another six months as a volunteer publicist for All About Jazz, the final day of the JEN Conference looks to be a winner.

The best a critic can offer is perspective. The best an artist can offer is a real look inside themselves. It is the fan that ultimately has the final say. This critic is simply a cultural tour guide starting a new journey on a new year. My initial skepticism for 2012 has been easily washed away when it comes to the issues facing jazz today.

Don't fix the blame. Fix the problem.

http://www.jazzednet.org/

Jazz Education Network Conference...Day 3 Wrapping Up With Motema!

2012-01-06T20:33:00.000-08:00

Roni Ben-Hur

Rondi Charleston

Rufus Reid

The end of day three wrapped up an incredible week of interviews with three amazing artists from the Motema label.

Roni Ben-Hur - Mojave While there will be an interview posted a little later next week, a sneak preview includes that a follow up to one of my top 30 for 2011 Mojave - is something to be looking for. While the Jen conference is primarily industry oriented, this critic left the conversation with Roni with a renewed sense of original literary purpose. There is a common theme that runs through these three talents that is truly inspiring and it is these two simple things.

1. Listen

2. Be Original

Rhondi Charleston - Who Knows Where The Time Goes During our interview I discovered that Erik Charleston who is a brilliant vibraphone player just happens to be her brother! Having done an in depth interview with Erick Charleston back in October the irony was not lost. Rhondi Charleston and I both agree that a sterile, analytical all most clinical review is not the way to go. Rhondi looks to push her music past certain accepted norms of what the traditional jazz singer may be limited by and make no mistake - these are self imposed limitations. Long story short, jazz does not have to be sanitized for your protection. Jazz is an inclusive genre where a myriad of musical influences can take the ordinary and push the genre to the extraordinary. Jazz can be real, honest and raw and that is a good thing!

Rufus Reid - Hues Of A Different Blue Reid admits still benefiting from his work with the great Dexter Gordon but Reid's music stands on its on merit. Unlike some of the younger players looking to hitch a ride to fame on someone else's coattails - Reid is old school, you learn by playing. Reid's passion is tempered with the wisdom and common sense that every young musician should hear. Reid even reminded this critic ( in general terms ) not to go into a review with an axe to grind. Let it go, if a release upsets you that much then move on. Truer words were never spoken. While life is too short to listen to bad jazz, it is far too short to allow any person to draw that much negative energy from your own creative process.

Full Interviews to come soon!

My sincere thanks to everyone at Motema for setting these interviews up and continuing to put the emphasis on the Music, when it comes to the music business!

Jazz Education Network Convention...Day 3 Suzanne Pittson Quartet

2012-01-06T18:57:00.000-08:00

About the only negative remark to make is that the concert rooms are set up in such a fashion that unless you are a professional photographer then the quality of your photo is dependent upon your smart phone. Long story short...good thing I write.

A jazz conference such as the 3rd annual Jazz Education Network gathering in Louisville is a critics worst nightmare. Everyone is asking you to hear them play or sing and covering everyone is impossible. I reached out to Suzanne Pittson because of "Out of The Hub" which is a release that I have never heard but hearing that original lyrics were put to Freddie Hubbard tunes then I simply had to check this out.

Freddie Hubbard was a driving force behind this project offering lead sheets and anything else that would be of help in such a tremendous undertaking. Entering the room this was a tired worn out critic from covering the conference for the past three days. Suzanne Pittson's husband Jeff Pittson was on piano along with two former Hubbard sidemen Bob Bowman on bass and Steve Houghton on drums.

Opening with "Gibraltar" and moving quickly into the Abbey Lincoln classic "Up Jumps Spring" there was no doubt that I made the right choice on which artist to check out. Moving on to tunes from Out Of The Hub, Suzanne Pittson's son Evan penned the lyrics to the title track at the advanced age of fifteen with the blatantly obvious of the apple not falling too far from the tree certainly not lost. "Lament For Booker" found Suzanne Pittson at piano on a Hubbard classic that was co-written with husband Jeff Pittson. Another Hubbard classic "Your My Everything" and the slight blues infusion that slipped in was a sheer delight. Closing with "Birdlike" which Suzanne wrote the lyrics for, this smoker helped wrap up a set that was swinging hard! Jeff Pittson's harmonic punctuation on piano was flawless. The rhythm section which was anchored with Bob Bowman's stellar bass work and is as fine as anything you will hear and was more than complemented by drummer Steve Houghton whose musicality was a perfect match. Not just a rhythmic time keeper, Houghton rode the groove for all it was worth and the 4tet responded in kind. Freddie Hubbard has a keen sense of melody and is one of the incredibly gifted lyrical instrumentalists of our time, the work done here is a fitting homage to true musical genius and genius reviews itself.

Suzanne Pittson is a remarkable vocalist, a proven lyricist and made the critic into a fan. An incredibly enjoyable 5 star set that anyone would appreciate! I hope to review Out Of The Hub soon but if the set that I was fortunate enough to take in was any indication then this is a release to check out!

After the set the Suzanne Pittson Quartet was presented with the Outstanding Performance Award, well deserved recogition for an outstanding ensemble!

For more information please go to:

http://www.suzannepittson.com/

Jazz Education Network Convention...Day Three/ Roni Ben-Hur

2012-01-06T04:26:00.000-08:00

http://www.jazzednet.org/

Day three of the Jazz Education Network convention here in Louisville will include an interview with Motema great Roni Ben-Hur whose latest release Mojave was also featured in my year end "Best Of..." list. Later in the afternoon I hope to be meeting with Suzanne Pitson the Associate Director of Vocal Jazz studies at City College in New York.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to speak with Rufus Reid and while we seem to track really well from our thoughts and perspective on jazz, this critic received some much needed validation. By validation I do not mean a nice pat on the back, the validation of presenting an honest perspective. The critic needs to artistically develop in much the same fashion as the instrumental or vocal artist. Writing is a craft. Vocalist Rhondi Charlston was in agreement that the cold, sterile all most lifeless reviews found most places simply do not have to be the norm and the critic has the responsibility to back up what they write and this includes a negative review is the situation warrants but check your agenda at the door. If a critic runs into a release that gives them a huge problem, simply pass on the release. Granted there are the exceptions to the rule and they are limited in nature but the writer carries a great responsibility of thoughtful promotion for the jazz genre and needs to take this responsibility seriously.

Both Reid and Charleston agree that there are far tno many critics that have simply lost touch with the art of listening and are not making the necessary attempt to even try to "get" where the artist is coming from. While the Jazz Education Network is more an industry related convention, writers play an important role and need to stake their claim in a responsible and positive fashion so that when the casual listener hears the word "jazz" they stop having the same reaction they do when the hear the words "tax time."

Jazz does not have to be sanitized for your protection. The immediate gratification world of the digital download and the smart phone has dramatically changed the playing field. In short, we all must work smarter and not necessarily harder as we continue to promote a very special American art form, recognize the history but perhaps most important - look to the future.

Jazz is far from dead. In some cities it may be in the cultural witness protection program but for jazz to continue to survive and experience reasonable growth then everyone needs to become more involved.

Off to the convention for another jam packed day!

ttp://www.criticaljazz.com/2011/11/nilson-matta-roni-ben-hur-mojave-motema.html

Jazz Education Network Convention...Day Two...Getting my feet wet!

2012-01-05T17:37:00.000-08:00

O.K. So I am better known for my writing then for photography but this ensemble goes by the name of the Tennessee State University Jazz Collegians and while only catching the last part of their set - they swing hard!

The first full day of activities are a critics worst nightmare! You can not hear everyone and you can not attend ever seminar. It is a jazz buffet from which to sample some of the very best. The Jazz Collegians from Tennessee State prove without a doubt that jazz is far from dead! Under the direction of James Sexton since 1992, stellar arrangements and versatility are indeed this ensembles high notes! With soloists of incredibly high caliber and the willingness to explore the vast reaches of big band and jazz literature in general their artistry and command of the stage was certainly not lost.

Special Guest Rahsaan Barber was featured and is the tenor play pictured at the microphone. Fate smiled upon my mailbox when his publicist sent me Barber's latest release Everyday Magic and I would invite you to click the link below to get a feel for a tenor player whose musical stock is an arrow pointing straight up!

http://www.criticaljazz.com/2011/08/rahsaan-barber-everyday-magic-jazz.html

I'll have another report early tomorrow morning on some conversations/interviews that I was so blessed to have with some artists from Motema.

Back to the subject at hand, Tennessee State swings hard and Rahsaan Barber is a name to remember!
***********

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer talks about the history of jazz in this great city. Quoting Plato, “Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything.”

If our Mayor is so hot for jazz then why will he not discuss a proposed jazz festival? The Mayor ran on a campaign promise about building Louisville to be a cultural mecca for the arts. I have contacted the Mayor's office for a response.

More soon!

Jazz Education Network Convention...Day Two...The Music!

2012-01-05T04:03:00.000-08:00

With day two starting early, there are interviews set with Motema artists Rufus Reid and Roni-Ben Hur. Vocalist Holli Ross and I are trying to meet up for a chat. Nashville saxophonist Rahsaan Barber will be playing early this morning so that is ground zero for me.

The "Jen" Convention is set to bring anywhere from three to five thousand visitors to Louisville Kentucky and in a city that has economically flat lined long before the economy tanked, this is much needed revenue! Toss in the so called "Jazz is dead" factor and this is big news for a genre long since left for dead by many. The moral of the story here is never confuse your own career with the genre as a whole.

The logistical issues have all been ironed out with the hard work of some incredibly dedicated volunteers and not to forget the staff of the Galt House Hotel where the event is held. While Motema Records is bending over backwards to "hook me up" with some private time with their artists, the exhibit area alone is well worth the afternoon and may take that long to simply see everything!

Optimism for day two and hopefully a chance to see more friends!

Opening Day 3rd Annual Jazz Education Network in Louisville Kentucky

2012-01-04T03:51:00.000-08:00

I will be covering the 3rd annual Jazz Education Network convention here in my home city of Louisville Kentucky for the remainder of the week. Below is some membership information you may find useful or you can get more details at http://www.jazzednet.org/

Look for daily updates here and on facebook and twitter.

Follow me @2bjazz

eJEN Levels 1 & 2

eJEN Individual Level I: Ages 18 and up

Level I: $25

eligibility to receive JazzEd Magazine, the JEN bi-monthly magazine on line
voting rights in all member elections/meetings only
eligibility to be nominated and serve on committees with voice and vote (must be elected or appointed)
eligibility to receive JEN eNewsletters and eBlasts
full access to Members Only section of the website
full access to leading educators, industry representatives and artists, both young and old, via the JEN members only database and social network
full access to the members only active community FORUM
discounts for merchandise available in members only JENeral Store on line when presented
eligibility to purchase exhibit space at Annual Conference (Individual name listing Only. Companies/Institutions/Festivals must establish membership at the appropriate level to exhibit using business names)
eligibility to register to attend and participate in all JEN activities and events

Hope to see my friends there later today!

Liz Childs Quartet Take Flight 2012

2011-12-31T20:06:00.000-08:00

Street Date 02/01/12

Female vocalists working in the jazz genre are a dime a dozen. Liz Childs immediately grabbed my attention and gave me a reason to be excited. Now a former editor would tell me that "stylistic guidelines" dictate they we allow the listener to draw their emotional or artistic conclusions as to the success or failure of a particular work. Fair enough. Taste is subjective. Tone deaf lasts forever.

Liz Childs possesses that rare breed of vocal artistry and swing that can leave you wondering, where have you been all my life? Flawless and soulful phrasing and the ability to turn on a note that hits ground zero on a musical sweet spot that is surrounded my a first call band. On this second release, Childs steps away from her place at the piano to lead a stellar ensemble as they run through some standards, ballads, blues and even putting her tremendous jazz sensibilities on a pair of tunes by Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan.

"It Could Happen To You" has Childs making old school new cool with a swinging arrangement by guitarist Ed MacEachen. "Lover" is where Childs shines exceptionally well with her scatting ability that should have other vocalists paying close attention. Normally a singer with a release full of standards is essentially playing it safe but not on Take Flight. From the technically proficient "Lover" to the artistically challenging "Hallelujah" we find Childs more than willing to put her own signature on a tune and take risks that would find a lesser singer working the lounge at the local Holiday Inn Express. "You Don't Know What Love Is" is a slightly blues infused number that showcases her impeccable phrasing and keen sense of lyrical progression. Bassist Dan Fabricatore and drummer Anthony Pinciotti round out a solid and swinging rhythm section and work as the musical glue to bind this impressive release together. Not to simply rest on the works of other artists, Childs and Ed MacEachen contribute the self penned title track "Take Flight" which is a perfect fit in this collection of eclectic yet incredibly accessible tunes that most of us know by heart.

Liz Childs can swing with the best of them! Childs put her artistry on full display with literal perfection. An impressive vocal master class that simply leaves you longing for more.

5 stars!

Tracks: It Could Happen To You; Dindi; Lover; Baby All The Time; Just One Of Those Things; Hallelujah; Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise; You Don't Know What Love Is; Meditation; Bad Luck Card; Bluesette; Estate; Take Flight; I'll Be Your Baby Tonight; Baby, Don't Quit Now; Famous Blue Raincoat; You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To.

Personnel: Liz Childs: vocals; Ed MacEachen: guitar; Dan Fabricatore; Anthony Pinciotti: drums.

http://www.lizchilds.com/

TriOzean Nocturne Neuklang 2012

2011-12-31T18:48:00.000-08:00

Street Date 01/27/12

For a great many people jazz and especially a piano trio from Europe sounds "different" and the reasons can normally vary from country of origin and their specific cultural identity and how this transfers to the more familiar western improvised form and function of what we traditionally have come to expect in the United States.

Not bad. "Different."

Different is good, especially when it comes to TriOzean! Jazz detente. East meets west with a fusion of jazz, classic, rock and world music elements into a unique yet incredibly powerful voice given the traditional language of the jazz piano trio. A personal release of sorts with tunes that draw inspiration from life experiences, touring and the enjoyment of creating. Perhaps the myriad of personal influences accounts for the deep rich colors with which this eclectic ensemble paints their sonic canvas.

"Tango Incognito" opens the release with as much style and flair as one would expect any tune containing the word tango! The translation here is an incredible cultural nuance yet oddly quirky. The virtuoso playing of pianist Olga Nowikowa is punctuated by the formidable rhythm section of Lars Fodisch on double bass and Krishan Zeigner on drums. "Zentrifuge" is controlled sonic fury at its peak. The ensemble displays a keen sense of melody and lyrical progression all while pushing an improvisational envelope close to the edge of the table without the envelope ever going over the edge. "Nocturne en Chocolat" is where classical and new age merge with tremendous jazz sensibilities for a stunning harmonic progression. The ebb and flow with "Nocturne en Chocolat" is simply indicative of what is ahead including brilliant saxophone work from Michal Skulski. The addition of Skulski adds additional depth and character to a release that easily establishes its firm sonic foundation about 30 second into the first tune.

Fancy colors. Three independent voice working as one harmonious train of musical thought. Deep, rich and evocative, "Nocturne" is a prime example of the wondrous possibilities when labels, genres and preconceived ideas are cast aside in favor of but one thing -

Music.

Tracks: Tango Incognito; Zentrifuge; Nocturne en Chocolat; Home; Der Kleine Muck; Theresa's Dance; Birdlike; Vasteras; Message.

Personnel: Olga Nowikowa: piano; Lars Fodisch: double bass; Krishan Zeigner: drums.

Guest: Michal Skulski: saxophone

http://www.triozean.de/

http://www.neuklangrecords.de/

A taste of TriOzean from a 2009 performance via You Tube.

Hans Glawischnig Jahira Sunnyside 2012

2011-12-31T08:02:00.000-08:00

Street Date Jan. 31 2012.

A little rough around the edges. Raw. Somewhat eclectic but a release that is as intriguing as any as Jahira is a unique blend of perhaps more modern post bop with a smokey free jazz finish to go down a little smoother than expected.

The second release on the always reliable Sunnyside label finds Glawischnig and his acoustic bass guitar debuting a new trio to take the listener on a developmental world tour of jazz history by infusing a multitude of styles, concepts not to mention their slightly impressionistic execution. Having been a first call bassist on the vibrant New York scene for well over a decade and performing with luminaries such as Paquito D' Rivera, Miguel Zenon and the late Ray Baretto it was touring with Baretto's New World Spirit ensemble that brought Glawischnig to the acoustic bass guitar. Despite the limitations in sound as compared to the double bass, Glawischnig shows exactly what happens when artistic ability triumphs over what could potentially be a musical trip wire of technology. Rounding out this ensemble we have up and comers Samir Zarif on saxophone and Eric Doob on drums. A trio minus the piano is rare and the ability to successfully pull off this acoustic miracle without drawing attention to that fact is no easy task - except Glawischnig makes it look incredibly easy!

The opening tune, "Once I Hesitate: is a lyrically charged tune showcasing Zarif while punctuated by the rhythms of Glawischnig and Doob. This trio creates a sonic dynamic tension, three dimensional soundscapes working as one harmonious voice. "From The Essence" shifts musical gears to a more intimate approach, slightly moody but the feeling is for the listener to interpret. "Alondra" owns a slightly more Latin approach with a curious and highly accessible pop flair, modern jazz going mainstream?

Jahira is a musical safari. The sonic adventure is every bit as rewarding as the finished product. From classic swing to more post modern there are multiple winners to be bagged here. Organic, dynamic but most of all incredibly entertaining. A trio with musical meat on their bones and the ability to shift direction on the fly makes Jahira a winner to kick off 2012

Tracks: Once I Hesitate; Jahira; Ballad No. 2; Crown Point; Calabria; Celia; Alondra; Beatrice; Shock Value.

Personnel: Hans Glawischnig: acoustic bass guitar; Samir Zarif: saxophone; Eric Doob: drums.

A taste of Hans Glawischnig in rehersal with Chick Corea on a different project via You Tube.

A Critical Perspective : The Death of the Compact Disc.

2011-12-30T18:46:00.000-08:00

A small publication caused somewhat of a stir a few short weeks ago when they announced the plug would be pulled on compact disc productions at the end of 2012. Let's face it folks, we live in a down loadable, streaming cloud where you are the zen master of the mouse pad and your cultural options ( no matter how limited ) are available at the click of a mouse.

Whether it is 2012 or five years later in 2017 the fact is the compact disc is as dead in terms of long term formidable life as is an Obama economic policy. Hope and Change made most of us feel good but the reality is the government is not going to bring about Hope and Change any more than a major record label/the recording industry will stay with a format that is eventually doomed.

So what are the numbers?
This is taken from:
http://trustmeimascientist.com/2011/12/05/reports-of-the-death-of-the-cd-are-greatly-exaggerated/

Although CD album sales have continued to decline at a rate of roughly 20% each year, they have yet to be surpassed by all digital downloads combined.
Album downloads weighed in at a paltry 83 million units in the RIAA’s most recent report, representing growth of a little more than 8% and generating just $830 million in revenue, roughly a quarter of CD revenue. For their part, single-song downloads have increased by 12% in the past year, but with US revenues of $1.3 billion per year in 2010, they have yet to reach half the income generated by CD sales.
Even in an extreme scenario, assuming a continuation of the 2010 rate of growth in downloads and rate of shrinkage in Cd's, it would still take album downloads until about 2015 even to equal a newly decimated level of CD album sales. Using the RIAA’s current figures, in 2015, album downloads will have grown to nearly 127 million units, which would still amount to just half of the level of CD sales in 2010. Even at a continued growth rate of nearly 10% per year, it would still take album downloads an additional 7 or 8 years to equal even today’s relatively low level of CD sales.
If Cd's continue at the rapid rate of shrinkage they saw in 2010, it would still take them until 2015 to shrink to 80 million units sold in the US. And at that point, they’d still outsell vinyl records by a factor of 20. However CD sales have not shrunk in 2011 so far. In fact, they’ve grown.

O.K. Vinyl is dead. Nostalgia buffs have had their fun but let us face facts. With each play a "vinyl" recording loses quality no matter how great the pressing. The better the pressing, the slower the decay but the bottom line is hiss, pops, scratches and the simple passage of time are still the formats worst enemy.

Comparing disc to vinyl sales is like comparing Sonny Rollins to Boney James. The accessibility and affordability of pure digital formats are the only life lines letting compact discs stay afloat. Perhaps the disc is not doomed as of 2012, this appears to be the only source to have challenged the rumor from late this fall so never assume.

The switch to digital TV and the subsequent converter box fiasco that followed are courtesy of the United States Government. Remember the limited amount of time given the consumer to make the switch? The bottom line is money. Not corporate greed, not some cigar smoking label executive that says "Do It!" but money in the sense of remaining economically viable in a volatile marketplace.

Be prepared. The switch may come sooner then you think!

A Critical Perspective / Decca / EmArcy A Look Back for 2011!

2011-12-30T13:18:00.000-08:00

The Decca/EmArcy family is another of the "major labels" to have had what could easily be considered a "label of the year" effort for 2011.

Charlie Haden, Gerald Clayton, James Carter, John Scofield, Michel Camillo etc...

James Carter had two of the most revolutionary and ground breaking releases in Caribbean Rhapsody and Crossroads but here I wanted to focus on my three favorites.

John Scofield - A Moments Peace

The ballads album but not just a bunch of worn down and worn out standards but a slightly eclectic and oddly quirky spin on the less is more zen like funk that is John Scofield. Easily a top ten desert island pick for me.

http://digitaljazznews.blogspot.com/2011/09/john-scofield-moments-peace-emarcy-2011_26.html

Julian Lage - Gladwell

An incredible ebb and flow shows off the versatility as well as the impeccable artistry of an icon in the making.

http://digitaljazznews.blogspot.com/2011/03/julian-lage-gladwell-emarcy.html

Michel Camilo - Mano a Mano

A mini Latin jazz summit. The piano trio broken down to a more unplugged status with the use of smaller Latin percussion and perhaps one of the two best piano trios for the year.

http://digitaljazznews.blogspot.com/2011/07/michel-camil-mano-mano-emarcy-records.html

Congratulations to the Deca/EmArcy family of labels!

A Critical Perspective / Concord Records A Look Back for 2011!

2011-12-30T12:34:00.000-08:00

The jazz and classics divisions pulled in 9 Grammy nominations. To say Concord Records had a stellar year would be a huge understatement. Record label of the year? Perhaps one of two but the more traditional use of major record label and the importance of being signed to a label such as Concord tends to date a critic or so a former editor tells me. The editor told me a great many things as editors do but the blatantly obvious seems to whisked right past him. When the record label in question also had critically acclaimed releases from Dave Grusin ( Grammy nominee ) and Marcus Miller then the quality of the product is never in doubt as it so often is with certain labels that left jazz over a decade ago but simply hold on to past glory with the never ending stream of reissues. For Concord I wanted to highlight my three favorites:

1. Karrin Allyson - Round Midnight

In reading the review you will notice that I make reference to this recording as a potential Grammy nominee. One of the finest vocal release not just for 2011 but over the last decade.

http://digitaljazznews.blogspot.com/2011/05/karrin-allyson-round-midnight-concord.html

Next up: Terri Lyne Carrington - Mosaic.

An All Star female jazz summit that is ground breaking, jaw dropping and genre smashing.

http://digitaljazznews.blogspot.com/2011/07/terri-lyne-carrington-mosaic-concord.html

Finally there is perhaps my favorite: Acoustic Alchemy - Roseland.

Not many groups can weather a volatile economic climate and take the time to literally reinvent their sound and come back better than ever. Arguable their finest release to date.

http://digitaljazznews.blogspot.com/2011/10/acoustic-alchemy-roseland-heads-up-2011_10.html

Congratulations and Happy New Year to Concord!

www.concordmusicgroup.com

A Critical Perspective / New Years Resolutions In Black And White

2011-12-30T12:03:00.000-08:00

Resolutions for New Years not to mention all those pesky "Best Of" lists are occasionally fun but usually epic time wasters and speaking of which...

New Years Resolutions

Here are mine:

1. Nicholas Payton.

Wasted far too much of my time after his cyber melt down concerning my review of his latest Bitches, a horrendous train wreck. Payton also tried to engage his friends Marcus Strickland and Jeremy Pelt in cyber fire fights as well and in all likely hood his quote in All About Jazz sums up his philosophy as "this is publicity you can not buy." Check out the twitter post from earlier today:

paynic Nicholas Payton

Happy Fuck You Friday!!! There are too many of you to list, so I stick my universal middle finger out to y'all collectively. #FYF #mfcomn

31 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Nice Nick...Perhaps an indication as to why the release has stiffed faster than Hope and Change?

Let's just allow Mr. Payton to continue to ride that musical short bus to obscurity lane where he lives at the corner of musical footnote avenue. I'm still sitting on pins and needles waiting for the promised law suit that never materialized, not even as much as a nasty gram. Shame on you Nick, and you called ME the liar...Goodbye Nick and I hope the next release entitled Have You Seen My Career Lately does better for you.

2. There is a small but concerted group of musicians in the straight ahead genre that seem to think marketing themselves as having the cultural keys to the kingdom based on their ethnicity is the right thing to do. Their choice so let's call it a push. What is not a push is to disrespect the names of people like Ellington and Dizzy and to claim your self indulgent, racist and offensive attitudes and remarks in their name. Because I have been outspoken on this issue people like Orrin Evans and Dwayne Burno have physically threatened me on social media. Bully a critic? I must have hit the nail on the head. The resolution? To hold the door so they can take their seat on that short bus and never mention or review any work that is attached to their name.

3. As a former member of the secret pseudo intellectual jazz elite society, I am turning in my membership card at the stroke of midnight so I can have more time to focus on the up and coming Independent artists who have one concern and one concern only - music.

4. I will not make back handed digs at smooth jazz in general, merely the artists that have deserved it. The vast majority of these deserving souls recording for one label in particular but it is still the Holidays and I am filled with love and good cheer or maybe its sleep deprivation....so I will not go there.

5. I'll stop being this critic's worst critic. Life is a 24/7 learning curve and as Coleman Hawkins said and allow me to paraphrase - " If you don't make mistakes you ain't trying..." Those that travel in my inner circle know I always try.

6. Finally hoping each of you that take the time to read can perhaps find out about a great new release and maybe tell a friend or maybe give you some cool back story you were not aware of.

I wish each and everyone of you ( except those cats on the short bus ) a very happy, healthy and successful New Year!

Hey, I said nothing about stopping that nasty habit I have of holding a grudge!

Chick Corea Further Explorations Concord 2012

2011-12-29T19:18:00.000-08:00

The modern jazz piano trio, Bill Evans harmonic sense of self discovery played with a three dimensional soul including ChicK Corea along with bassist Eddie Gomez and the late drummer Paul Motian.

Further Explorations was recorded live at the Blue Note in New York City on May 4-17, 2010. Sadly drummer Paul Motian passed away on 11/22/11. This two-CD live set of 19 tracks is a profound and exemplary work of three master musicians displaying a musical synergy and cohesion rarely heard and in some cases felt. Far from a tribute, the discography of Evans was carefully considered along with original work from each trio member. A special gift is included on disc one, "Song No.1." is a previously unrecorded piece by Evans. The trio also replicates Irving Berlin's "They Say That Falling In Love Is Wonderful," from Annie Get Your Gun and examines "Peri's Scope" from Evans' Portrait In Jazz. A presentation of substance merging with style thanks to Corea's deft touch and the rhythmic finesse of Gomez and Motian. Perhaps the highlight of disc one is the intimately beautiful Evans ballad "Laurie."

Disc two goes a bit more adventurous with the Corea original "Another Tango" and the stellar opening tune "Hot House." Paul Motian's "Mode VI" and the Gomez original "Puccini's Walk" are perfect companions to the Evans work offered and a gentle reminder of how the classic brilliance that is Bill Evans has impacted so many giants of our time.

Corea is a disciple of Bill Evans, having adapted many of Evan's harmonic concepts and techniques to Corea's prolific discography and prodigious output. While there is a the harmonic frame of reference there is the lyrical flow of Corea that seems to infuse new life and new musical trains of thought as some of the most sacred music of the modern jazz piano trio is not just reexamined but redefined for the next generation.

Sound quality can make or break a live release. As is typical for Concord releases the sound quality is pristine and in perfect harmony with the evocative cover. Further Explorations is presented just after the 50 year anniversary of the Riverside release Explorations, a Bill Evans classic. Further Explorations is an instant classic and arguably one of Corea's finest recordings.

5 stars!

Tracks: Peri's Scope; Gloria's Step; They Say Falling In Love Is Wonderful; Alice In Wonderland; Song No. 1; Diane; Off The Cuff; Laurie; Bill Evans; Little Rootie Tootie; Hot House; Mode VI; Another Tango; Turn Out The Stars; Rhapsody; Very Early; But Beautiful - Part 1; But Beautiful - Part 2; Puccini's Walk.

http://www.chickcorea.com/

Florian Fleischer Quintett Verzucken Neuklang 2012

2011-12-29T18:40:00.000-08:00

U.S. Release 01-06-12

Jazz minimalism as a musical frame of reference may be best described as ECM lite for those familiar with the label. For those not familiar with ECM, think constant harmony, steady pulse and the zen like less is more to create a spacious ambiance of creativity and in this case presented from a gifted quintet from Germany.

Opening with "Die Stadt" there is an immediate connection to a more ensemble driven sound despite the improvisational skills of saxophonist Jens Bockamp. A constant forward motion, a specific musical direction while approaching the avant garde which merely adds more depth to this colorful quintet. Rolling directly into the deeply rich and moody "Verzucken" there is a spatial ambiguity that is carefully filled with subtly and a melancholy that is as thought provoking as it is expressive. This debut from guitarist Florian Fleischer carefully and methodically emphasizes the group concept where all participants are given an equal musical footing from which to work.

Minimal rehearsal was put into the recording of this work as to allow a more spontaneous free flow of improvisation and musical ideas to push on the fly. Given the technical proficiency of this quintet, less is more minimalism is a wondrous vehicle of expression in their hands. "Apple Tree" may demonstrate Fleischer's keen sense of melody and harmonic progression better than any tune on this release. Joe Pass meets Kenny Burrell. An open ended warmth and slightly more accessible approach while still holding true to form in terms of sonic exploration. Fleischer has chops galore and his strong lyrical playing drives this tune and ensemble into some creative territory similar artists seem to be side stepping.

Warm, rich and open this is a release that will get 2012 started in style. A unique ensemble approach avoiding the self indulgent and emphasizing the compositions. A gem!

Tracks: Die Stoudt; Verzucken; Erkennen; Bergreifen; Klarheit; Apple Tree; Silly Season; Die Grobe Leere; Jaolezie Nr. 1.

Personnel: Florian Fleischer: guitar; Jens Backamp: saxophone; Philipp Ruttgers: piano, synth; Oliver Lutz: double bass; Etienne Nillesen: drums.

http://www.florian-fleischer.de/

http://www.bauerstudios.de/

http://www.neuklangrecords.de/

Jack DeJohnette Sound Travels Golden Beams / E One

2011-12-29T11:46:00.000-08:00

"I love to play grooves and beautiful melodies" - Jack DeJohnette

The classic undersell with Sound Travels a vibrant sonic texture of Latin rhythms, percussive punctuations of West Indian vibe and a splash of old school swing. 2012 is proving to be a memorable year for the prolific talents of legendary drummer Jack DeJohnette. Arguably DeJohnette's finest release comes at the same time he receives a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master Fellowship, the highest honor for U.S. jazz musicians. DeJohnette turns 70 this year and Sound Travels is a clear indication there is plenty of gas left in the tank! Sound Travels does more than transcend genres it smashes musical barriers and limitations that seem to have plagued jazz for years.

DeJohnette composed all the tunes except for "Dirty Ground" which was co-written with Bruce Hornsby and is a tune with massive cross over potential but do not confuse cross over with sell out. "Dirty Ground" is all about the groove and the beautiful melodies that DeJohnette loves to play! Other notables on the release include Jason Moran, Bobby McFerrin and Esperanza Spalding.

"Sonny Light" is a tribute to Sonny Rollins and overflows with a West Indian calypso sound that borders on infectious. For the more straight ahead sound there is "New Muse" featuring a stellar outing by soprano saxophonist Tim Ries as well as trumpet phenom Ambrose Akinmusire. The first vocal on Sound Travels is Luisito Serena Salsa featuring the vocal improvisation of Esperanza Spalding, a strong lyrical flow and melodic feel play out over DeJohnette's subtle Latin infused finesse.An interesting side note is that DeJohnette also plays solo piano on "Enter Here" and "Home" again adding a three dimensional type of harmonic progression. Open, organic and original completes the feel of stellar release.

Modern jazz goes mainstream? Drawing from a myriad of influences and again with the groove as the focal point, Sound Travels is as entertaining and accessible a release as you may hear across any genre nf music.

5 Stars.

Tracks: Enter Here; Luisito Serena Salsa; Dirty Ground; New Muse; Sonny Light; Sound Travels; Oneness; Indigo Dreamscape; Home.

Personnel: Jack DeJohnette: drums, percussion, timbales, piano.

Special guests: Bruce Hornsby, Bobby McFerrin, Esperanza Spalding, Tim Ries, Ambrose Akinmusire, Lionel Loueke, Luisito Quintero, Jason Morn.

http://www.jackdejohnette.com/

http://www.goldenbeams.net/

http://www.eonemusic.com/

Photo via Jack DeJohnette on line media press kit.

Many thanks to Jordy at DL Media and Eone for their help!

Jeff Lorber Fusion Galaxy Heads Up 2012

2011-12-29T11:40:00.000-08:00

Having the good fortune to interview Jeff Lorber shortly after the release of Now Is The Time which should have won the Grammy for contemporary jazz album 2010, I may have been the first jazz journalist to uncover a potential sequel or follow up was being considered.

Confirming my accuracy if not my suspicions, Heads Up will release The Jeff Lorber Fusion Galaxy on 01/31/2012.

Again with an all star line up including Jimmy Haslip, Eric Marienthal, Paul Jackson Jr., Vinnie Colaiuta, Lenny Castro, Dave Weckle, Larry Koonse and Randy Brecker - Jeff Lorber does not just revisit a sound he pioneered but goes one step further in reinventing his own sound for contemporary jazz. Lorber is widely considered as being the founding musical father of what has become known as smooth jazz which is basically lyrically accessible instrumental jazz drawn from some pop and rhythm & blues sensibilities. In reality the smoother side of jazz is a radio format, not a genre of music. In my brief conversation with Lorber he expressed certain misgivings if not concern over how the original jazz/fusion movement seemed to take a softer more accessible approach that may have not been the original intent of most artists.

Jeff Lorber now presents Galaxy, a musical reinvention of his prodigious talents and an intense throw back to a time when contemporary jazz was known for having a bit more of an edge. Yellowjackets' bassist Jimmy Haslip co-produced and co-wrote five tunes with Lorber. There are fresh takes on Lorber classics such as "Wizard Island," "City," "The Samba" and "The Underground."

Galaxy kicks off with "Live Wire" and the incomparable drumming of Vinnie Colaiuta along with a keen lyrical sensd of direction and joyous spirit. Larry Koonse shines on a more modern jazz guitar solo with clean intense lines while the tune develops an abstract harmonic sense of excitement and texture. "Montserrat" again finds drummer Colaiuta owning the pocket and a dynamic solo from the most under rated saxophonist on the more contemporary scene in Eric Marienthal. Lorber handles the work on Rhodes, Piano and Minimoog again adding layers of sonic flavor while a subtle punctuated funk creeps from the horn arrangement. "City" keeps the intensity and improvisational groove in full effect again showcasing Marienthal and the all star rhythm section. Closing with "The Underground" which features Randy Brecker, a flash fired and fully funkafied bass solo from Jimmy Haslip the only musical let down here is that it is sadly the last track on an otherwise perfect release. You walk away from the musical table hungry for more!

Jazz battle lines have been drawn between genres with differences on occasion being as thin as a sheet of paper. Galaxy is not a release that breaks barriers, it smashes through them. In the press release Lorber sites Horace Silver and Ramsey Lewis as inspiration and their influence shines on what is arguably the best Jeff Lorber Fusion release to date and possibly the most important contemporary jazz record in the last quarter century.

Other artists speak of that new sound or direction for contemporary jazz. The search is over as the Jeff Lorber Fusion has simply taken what they do best, made it better and raised the bar for others to follow.

Tracks: Live Wire; Big Brother; Montserrat; Singaraja; Galaxy; City; Horace; The Samba; Rapids; Wizard Island; The Underground.

Personnel: Jeff Lorber: Rhodes, synth bass, loops (1), guitar (2), guitar, rhodes, piano, minimoog (3), rhodes, synth bass (4), guitar, rhodes, synth bass (5), guitar, rhodes, synth bass, piano (6), guitar (7), synth bass (9), guitar (10), rhodes, piano (11); Eric Marienthal: alto saxophone (2,3,6,9,), soprano saxophone (4,5,11), tenor saxophone (7,10); Jimmy Haslip: bass (2,5,8,9,10,11), percussion (8) Vinnie Colaiuta: drums (1-4 & 6-11); Michael Thompson: guitar (1,2,3); Andree Theander: guitar (1,4); Larry Koonse: guitar (1,4,8,) Lenny Castro: percussion; Paul Jackson Jr.: guitar (2,4,5,6,7,9,11); Randy Brecker: trumpet (4,11); Dave Weckl; drums (5).

@ Critical Jazz and Trippin N Rhythm / A Look Back At 2011

2011-12-28T20:01:00.000-08:00

This time last year "smooth jazz" was left for dead. The radio format was and is to a certain degree still struggling but Trippin N Rhythm forged ahead. The little musical engine that could, a family of truly dedicated professionals from executives down to the artists did what good Marines if not good musical soldiers do. Improvise, Adapt and Overcome!

2011 has been a stellar year for Trippin N Rhythm! No longer just the finest for those whose tastes run to the smoother side of jazz, Trippin N Rhythm is now reaching past the self imposed limitations of radio format or genre to appeal to the much broader based contemporary market.

Cindy Bradley has a monster release with Unscripted, Down To The Bone is back better than ever with The Main Ingredients and new comer to the party Randy Scott makes it burn with 90 Degrees at Midnight.

Meanwhile...Nate Harasim, Paul Hardcastle, Bob Baldwin, Nick Colionne all put out tremendously solid efforts that have a little something special for all tastes.

2012 has new releases coming from Julian Vaughn, Althea Renee, Gary Honor and Darren Rahn ( that is just what I know of so far...). Smooth jazz has taken some lumps and some undeserved but when you have a talent lineup as strong as this label and the ingenuity to adapt to an incredibly volatile marketplace then the end result is a label as good as any and across any genre.

http://digitaljazznews.blogspot.com/2011/04/cindy-bradley-unscripted-trippin-n.html

http://digitaljazznews.blogspot.com/2011/09/randy-scott-90-degrees-at-midnight.html

http://digitaljazznews.blogspot.com/2011/03/nate-harasim-rush-trippin-n-rhythm-2011.html

http://digitaljazznews.blogspot.com/2011/07/nick-colionne-feel-heat-trippin-n.html

http://digitaljazznews.blogspot.com/2011/05/down-to-bone-main-ingredients-trippin-n.html

http://digitaljazznews.blogspot.com/2011/07/paul-hardcastle-6-trippin-n-rhythm-2011.html

http://digitaljazznews.blogspot.com/2011/05/bob-baldwin-new-urban-jazzcom-re-vibe-2.html

http://www.trippinrecords.com/

@Critical Jazz Artist of The Year 2011 Jo-Yu Chen

2011-12-28T19:07:00.000-08:00

Having reviewed more than a dozen piano trios with perhaps 3 serving as memorable, Jo-Yu Chen stands out as my artist of the year for being the epitome of the creative artist. Chen's own compositions are written with no pre-conceived subject matter and drawing upon a myriad of influences including her love for and initial training as a classical pianist, Chen is a rising star in a genre desperately in need of a musical jump start.

Chen was kind enough to field a few questions for us.

BB: Two release for 2011 and with Incomplete Soul edging out Obsession by the thickness of piano wire, I asked Chen to discuss the release and inspiration tied into the project. Chen's classical background and influences are also on display in her response for a delightful insight into this amazing talent. Little wonder this Taiwanese artist also happens to be a Steinway artist.

"I am very much classically trained. i went to Julliard initially to study classical music when i moved to NYC. somehow after years, i accidentally fell in love with Keith Jarrett's album . i think i was blown away by his baroque-ish contrapuntal intro on "all the things you are". but i didn't start this jazz adventure until i went to new school in 2007 spring.(2 years of study).

I think incomplete soul did reflect my classical background. I love contrapuntal lines. and I am very obsessed with romantic period (bitter/sweet with dark beauty kind of concept). I love concise song form with beautiful melodic lines (you probably can sense that from most of my composition). so i guess my influence from classical music composers are Bach, Brahms, Schumann, and Scriabin, etc. as for jazz influences, i love Monk, Keith, Brad, Jason Moran, Mingus, Kevin hays, Sam Yahel my teacher, my band mates, ..etc they all inspire me here and there."

BB: Bringing her unique artistic gift if not approach to jazz, I was especially curious as a younger artist if she had her own "five year plan" of where she thought she may be career wise.

"When i was younger, i usually got very excited to plan for the future, as you can see, I didn't start seriously about jazz until 2007. and by 2011 i have two albums released by Sony. I've been pushing really hard without any rest and breathe. so somehow i felt it's time to slow down a bit and actually embrace a bit of what i have, subdue a bit, re-focus, find the center of my life, and i am hoping to create more music and definitely more of my own compositions in the future."

BB: Jazz sales stink. What is the problem?

Jazz sales stink everywhere in the world. I hope I don't offense anyone, but sometimes I think musicians might be trying too hard to impress hard-core musicians/listeners and forgot how to connect with audiences. sometimes i feel, simplicity with taste is way harder than complexity. To me, less is definitely more in term of aesthetics.

BB: Last disc you purchased?

last disc? i just got a bunch lately since i was away from tour. i got Rio by Keith, Live at bird land (Lee Konitz, Brad, Charlie Haden, Paul motian), Paul Motian trio 2000+Two live ath the vanguard volume 3. Paul Motian, i have a room above her. Amy Winehouse ...etc.

A very special thanks to Jo-Yu Chen and Happy New Year!

My reviews of both releases are contained in the links below:

http://digitaljazznews.blogspot.com/2011/12/jo-yu-chen-trio-incomplete-soul-sony.html

http://digitaljazznews.blogspot.com/2011/12/jo-yu-chen-obession-sony-taiwan-2011.html

Go to http://www.joyuchen.com/ - A clip from Incomplete Soul.

Critics Picks Vocal Best of 2011!

2011-12-27T21:04:00.000-08:00

Critics Picks / Jazz Vocals 2011

Having long said the best a critic can offer is perspective, an artist reminded me jazz vocalists are somewhat pushed aside when it comes time for year end "best of" lists and the point has tremendous merit! So, before this year of incredible music comes to a close there is still time to pay tribute to what I consider to be the best vocal releases either as a package or single track.

In alphabetical order!

1. Amina Alaoui - Arco Iris

2. Aimee Allen - Winters & Mays
3. Karrin Allyson - Round Midnight
4.Rick Braun - Sings With Strings
5. Shirley Crabbe - Home
6. Carmen Cuesta - Mi Bossa Nova
7. Elaine Elias - Light My Fire
8. Kurt Elling - The Gate
9. Grace Kelly - Man With The Hat ( vocal tracks )*
10. Lizzy Loeb - ( Mitchel Forman & Chuck Loeb )*
11. Renee Marie - Black Lace Freudian Slip
12. Meshell Ndegeocello - Weather
13. Gretchen Parlato - The Lost and Found
14. Holli Ross - You'll See
15.Kathrin Shorr - Send Me Some Snow ( Christmas Release w/ Chris Standring)
16. Becca Stevens Band - Weightless
17. Tierney Sutton - American Road
18. Sachal Vasandani - Hi-Fly
19. Roseanna Vitro - The Music of Randy Newman
20. Deborah Winters - Lovers After All

*Lizzy Loeb - Top / Grace Kelly - Bottom

Amy Cervini Digging Me Digging You Anzic Records 2012

2011-12-26T18:33:00.000-08:00

Street Date 01/31/12 (*)

You will dig this...

Amy Cervini is not a singer, not a vocalist but a wonderful story teller. Amy Cervini is an artist. Digging Me Digging You is breathing new life and for some people perhaps first discovery into the hip jazz pixie Blossom Dearie. While the release title is drawn from the lyrics to "Hey John" a song Dearie penned after becoming friends with John Lennon, Digging Me Digging You is a wonderful look not just at Dearie but a rising vocal star in Amy Cervini.

Unlike the American Idol and X-Factor flavored vocal pyrotechnics of vocalists whose greatest claim to fame may be a seven octave range despite not having the slightest clue as to how to use this gift artistically, Cervini is real. Cervini plays catch and release with certain notes all while keeping the melody front and center. Joined by an all star New York jazz combo, Cervini covers tunes such as "Everything I've Got" and "Tea for Two" and once again makes old school become new cool with relative ease.

This eclectic if not quirky set of tunes covers a wide range but is easily accessible to all tastes. On "Everything I've Got" Cervini conveys the right amount of attitude, sass and playful exuberance without ever hitting that self indulgent trip wire that a "singer" might otherwise find quickly. "I Like You, You're Nice" is an intimate ballad delivered with a subtle sensuality that is refreshing in the hands of a true artist. The rhythm section of Bruce Barth on piano, Matt Aronoff on bass and drummer Matt Wilson play with and not around Cervini which adds great texture and depth to a release full of intriguing nuances. Meters are slightly altered and arrangements slightly tweaked but everything comes together as a unique and invigorating take on classic vocal jazz.

Not familiar with Blossom Dearie? That's cool. Cervini will do the introductions on an impeccable release that is as entertaining as they come!

And...You will dig it.

5 stars!

Tracks: Everything I've Got; I Like You; Rhode Island; May I Come In; My Attorney Bernie; Hey John; Down With Love; Once Upon A Summertime; Doodlin Song; I'm Shadowing You; Tea For Two; The Physician; Figure Eight.

Personnel: Amy Cervini: vocals; Bruce Barth: piano; Matt Aronoff: bass; Matt Wilson: drums; Anat Cohen: clarinet; Avishai Cohen: trumpet; Jesse Lewis: guitar; Jeremy Udden: alto saxophone; Josh Sinton: baritone saxophone; Jennifer Wharton: bass trombone; James Shipp: vibes and percussion.

Cellos: Yair Evnine; Rubin Kodheli; Yoed Nir; Jessie Reagan; Alex Waterman.

For more: http://www.amycervini.com/

(*) Release dates are subject to change and initially this release was scheduled to hit the streets earlier. This review will be posted again closer to release date!

Chick Corea Further Explorations Concord Music Group 2012

2011-12-25T20:31:00.000-08:00

For Release 01/17/12

The modern jazz piano trio, Bill Evans harmonic sense of self discovery played with a three dimensional soul including ChicK Corea along with bassist Eddie Gomez and the late drummer Paul Motian.

5 stars!

http://www.chickcorea.com/

Dan Barnett Some Where Some Place Some Time DB 2011

2011-12-21T21:18:00.000-08:00

Big Band on steroids!

A vibrant swing, Latin you hear with your hips, an infectious groove and the New Orleans sound done to perfection. Dan Barnett is but one of the stellar talents that have been a well kept secret in Australia. Barnett's fifth album has this trombonist, singer and band leader not to mention the entire band firing on all cylinders with a foot to the floor approach missing from most big bands today.

Kicking the party off with the classic "Seventh Son" the horn charts are off the hook and Barnett's vocals are done to an old school crooner like perfection that makes old school new cool. "Looking At The World Through Rose Colored Glasses" is a smoker and continues to set up a non stop sonic party with great charts and stellar solos from this most engaging of big bands. "Let's Get Lost" swings with warm and vibrant vocals and a big band able to shift musical dynamics on the fly to create just the right amount of excitement and flavor without ever hitting the self indulgent level most big bands ultimately find themselves. "Hot Stuff - Tudo Bom" closes this release with style, flair and panache.

An infectious and intoxicating journey into the land of rhythm and groove, Some Where Some Place Some Time is a musical triumph of what was but...brought back and reinvented by drawing upon a myriad of genres and styles to make Dan Barnett's musical voice truly unique. Time and space limit my ability to express my true appreciation for just how well this band swings. If a chain is only as strong as the weakest link then there are clearly no weak links here! From Laura Kahle to JC Stylles to Andrew Dickeson and now Dan Barnett - The Australian jazz scene is exporting some of the finest jazz available anywhere!

Tracks: Seventh Son; Looking At The World Through Rose Colored Glasses; Warm Hearted Blues; Some Where Some Place Some Time; Soup Song; My Ideal; Little Joe From Chicago; A Little Minor Booze; Lament; Big Chief; Scarf Dance; Let's Get Lost; Hot Stuff - Tudo Bom.

Personnel: Dan Barnett: voice, trombone, shells; Darryl Carthew: trumpet; Peter Dilosa: trumpet; Todd Hardy: trumpet; Ben Gurton: trombone; Jeremy Borthwick: trombone; Andrew Robertson: lead alto, flute, clarinet; David Theak: tenor, alto, clarinet; Bradford Child: tenor, clarinet; Nick Boyd: baritone, alto, clarinet: Phil Stack: double bass; Andrew Dickeson: drums; Peter Locke: piano; Sam Rollings: guitar.

http://www.danbarnett.com.au/

Geri Allen A Child Is Born / A Gift - A Short Film for Children's Rights

2011-12-21T20:23:00.000-08:00

In September of 2011, I reviewed the Christmas release from Geri Allen.

http://digitaljazznews.blogspot.com/2011/09/geri-allen-child-is-born-motema-2011.html

A soulful release that captures an essence of Christmas that escapes most artists. A deep spiritual sense of thanksgiving and appreciation coupled with a positive and engaging soulful message. I was later honored that a portion of my review now appears on the back of the special edition Christmas cards that have been used as fund raisers for various worthwhile causes across the United States. Motema Records and Geri Allen are both deeply committed to the artistic path less traveled by other artists with their goal seemingly the unification of the cultural masses no matter the country, no matter the race. A unique and inspiring world vision.

From a simple yet stunning Christmas release, an idea is born. Motema has collaborated with Media Voices for Children on a short film titled A Gift. A cultural music video set to Allen's new Christmas release and available for viewing on You Tube. The film is presented as a gift from Geri Allen, Motema and the filmmakers. In appreciation the public is encouraged to consider a gift to Media Voices or Media Voices Project, Kenyan School House.org (both non profit organizations) with those donating $100 or more receiving a gift of Allen's stellar Christmas release.

Filmmakers Len and Georgia Morris were inspired by the children they encountered while visiting Kenya and Allen's stirring Christmas release has some acknowledged Ethiopian flavors added throughout this impeccable effort. While the word economy struggles, this is a rare opportunity to contribute to a cause and know that your money is indeed well spent.

For more information go to http://www.motema.com/

Jo-Yu Chen Obsession Sony Taiwan 2011

2011-12-21T09:27:00.000-08:00

At first listen to Jo-Yu Chen there is little wonder as to why Chen is a Steinway artist. To refer to Chen as the future of jazz may be a tad presumptuous but whether you are listening to Incomplete Soul or Obsession there is little doubt that there is a new and very exciting voice that is creating a ripple effect throughout the rather close knit jazz community. Positive feedback is consistent and with high praise coming from such colleges as her mentor Grammy nominated Sam Yahel and the incredibly gifted pianist Jason Moran there is little doubt that Chen's musical stock is an arrow pointing straight up.

Obsession is the first Sony release that hit the streets in early 2011. A dazzling mix of Chen originals, five covers of jazz standards and a wonderful interpretation of the Taiwan folk tune "Waiting for Spring Breeze" there is a traditional yet somewhat impressionistic approach taken allowing for tremendous freedom of lyrical development to be played out as each tune develops.

"Baby, You Are Fired!" is a tune after my own heart after utilizing social media to literally fire certain friends that were literally "not working out." In reality "Baby, You Are Fired" is a positive tune about pushing forward past the negative individual roadblocks we all encounter. A soulful lyrical opening from stellar bassist Christopher Tordini kicks off a tune filled with an obvious air of dynamic tension but also of an intriguing air of sonic mystery while drummer Tommy Crane adds the appropriate finesse called for to act as the musical ties that bind these delightful trio together. "Sunday Rain" begins to dictate a unique personal ebb and flow of a textured impressionistic look at vibrant talent with a unique compositional approach to her music. Chen writes with no specific pre-conceived subject matter but approaches her craft from the visceral abstract point of feeling. An artist truly channeling an inner creative voice that few contemporaries ever realize much less listen to. "Everything I Love" is a more straight ahead lyrical number with a subtle swing and infectious groove that only begins to highlights the groove that this trio is capable of laying down. The iconic standard "Summertime" is reinvented into a more hard bop shuffle of harmonic expression as new life is breathed into a standard that has been done to death my most trios.

Jo-Yu Chen's background as a classically trained pianist that has made an all most effortless transition to the vibrant and incredibly competitive traditional scene happening in the New York area is causing critics and fans to sit up and take notice and for good reason. Jo-Yu Chen is not the next generation of jazz but instead part of a generation of musicians charting their own course and establishing their own unique and inventive voice at a time when jazz is in need of a much needs talent transfusion.

Jo-Yu Chen is a prodigious talent. Whether it is her relatively young age, an intense classical training that allows her compositions to take on a more grounded impressionistic quality, or simply raw dynamic talent for Jo-Yu Chen the next generation if not the future of jazz is now!

Picking the best of for 2011 was incredibly difficult. Announcing that Jo-Yu Chen is my artist of the year is relatively easy. In a year with the landscape dotted with various piano trios and few cutting any new or lasting ground, Chen is one of perhaps three I will remember for years to come!

Tracks: Baby, You Are Fired; Sunday Rain; Everything I Love; Waiting For The Spring Breeze; Obsession; Walking In B's Shoes; Tears; I Fall In Love Too Easily; Blues Connotation; Summertime; Bonus - Cry Me A River.

Personnel: Jo-Yu Chen: piano; Christopher Tordini: bass; Tommy Crane: drums; Tyshawn Sorey: drums.

A taste of Jo-Yu Chen from her other Sony release Incomplete Soul via You Tube.

http://www.joyuchen.com/

Jo-Yu Chen Trio Incomplete Soul Sony Taiwan 2011

2011-12-21T07:28:00.000-08:00

Listen to the notes that are not played.

Jo-Yu Chen's Incomplete Soul may be somewhat autobiographical. A quest for the lost chord, a harmonic balance of lyrical imagery that is delicate yet intoxicating. A classically trained pianist that began a personal search for her own voice through jazz beginning in 2007. What sets Chen apart immediately is the delicate balance of a formal classical training from Julliard combined with her continued growth as a jazz pianist. One genre never overwhelms the other. A fresh and uniquely innovative sound performed effortlessly.

In a brief conversation with Chen she expressed her love for the Romantic classical music and given the spatial jazz sensibilities on display here you have a modern twist on Schumann meets Keith Jarrett. The tune "Tipsy Cat" is a slightly whimsical abstract of subconscious inspiration following an intense period of work resulting in a lyrical dynamic tension that is intriguing and oddly mysterious. Bassist Christopher Tordini and drummer Tommy Crane merge their talents with Chen in filling space with subtle nuance to paint a more complete sonic image. The title piece "Incomplete Soul" is a wonderful exploratory of Chen's musical DNA. Chen achieves a harmonic fusion of stirring melody and lyrical finesse. Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of Chen as a composer is that nothing is written with a preconceived subject in mind. Chen's music is the epitome of the organic Jazz trio. "Black Forest" is a stunning piece of texture and vitality yet minimalist in nature. A zen like less is more impressionistic feel again pulled off effortlessly with the aid of Tordini and Crane. Chen expressed certain reservations at presenting two Taiwanese pop songs and one Chinese traditional song and here is where true artistry shines through. Chen's innate gift of composition allowed her the ability to place her own interpretation on these pieces thus adding to the ebb and flow and overall richness of texture in this release.

The modern jazz piano trio has at times become stagnant and sadly predictable. If Incomplete Soul is a subconscious autobiographical self portrait then it can be described as work of subtle beauty with direction and purpose. A stunning release.

Jo-Yu Chen Trio has now raised the bar for the modern jazz piano trio.

Tracks: Wandering Songstress; Chess; Incomplete Soul; Improv 1; Black Forest; Love Letter; Tipsy Cat; Departure; Improv 2; Dreamer; Follow Me; Improv 3; Red Bean.

Personnel: Jo-Yu Chen: piano; Christopher Tordini: bass; Tommy Crane: drums; Andy Lin: erhu (1)

Jamie Ousley A Sea Of Voices TIE 2012

2011-12-21T00:08:00.000-08:00

Double bassist Jamie Ousley like many artists searches for a way to "give back" while making a tangible difference in the world with his music. A Sea Of Voices is a release of water-inspired compositions to benefit a not for profit environmental project in his area. Ousley discovered the Sunshine State Interfaith Power and Light organization ( http://www.sunshinestateipl.org/) and putting aside the roll as activist for a brief moment, A Sea Of Voices is a triumph of artistic beauty and grace.

"Hymn Of The Tides" opens the release with Joe Davidian at the piano and charting a daring and imaginative musical course with one of Ousley's own tunes. While there is a unique spiritual quality to an Ousley tune, "How Deep Is The Ocean" is approached with a more spatial concept of the grandeur of the sea and the inspirational qualities that the sea can bring forth. Mixed in this somewhat eclectic set of tunes are the traditional "Shenandoah" which is performed with an elegant and slightly reverent performance. Another traditional "Rocky Top" is lyrically driven post bop exploration by pianist Davidian who plays with an intimate and soulful quality while expressing a delightful melodic sense as the tune develops. Ousley clearly demonstrates the title of "Best South Florida Jazz Musician of 2011" is richly deserved. Ousley's formidable talent as a composer is equally matched by his lyrical prowess as a bassist.

Jamie Ousley is the professor of jazz bass at Florida International University in Miami. Ousley will make you re-think the old saying "those who can do, those that cant teach."

Jamie Ousley can do both!

Tracks: Hymn Of The Tides; How Deep Is The Ocean; Steam; Shenandoah; Rocky Top; Loving Beauty; Swallowed In The Sea; With You; Holy Water; Alfonsina Y El Mar.

Personnel: Jamie Ousley: double bass; Joe Davidian: piano; Austin McMahon: drums; Nanami Morikawa: vocal (Shenandoah); Carlomagno Araya: percussion (Rocky Top & Swallowed In The Sea ); Gabriel Saientz: piano ( Alfonsina).

Candy Dulfer Crazy Listen 2 2012

2011-12-20T22:39:00.000-08:00

Street Date 01/31/12

From the head turning debut release of (1990)Saxuality, Candy Dulfer comes full circle with a release that may well chart the course for contemporary jazz and the tattered remnants of smooth jazz for years to come. Dulfer who is far more than "eye candy" with a prodigious chart topping instrumental and vocal talent, Dulfer is a high octane performer capable of shifting musical gears and dynamics on the fly to cover jazz, funk, R&B, pop, techno and virtually any other genre that should come her way.

Crazy has Dulfer teamed up with Producer Printz Board of Black Eyed Peas fame and the end result is a unique hybrid of contemporary jazz that transcends a myriad of musical boundaries while never pushing the self indulgent or relaying on poorly executed musical crutches that similar acts are known for. Make no mistake, Crazy is somewhere between the smoother side of jazz and the throwback fusion style of a David Sanborn sound simply brought up to date with an infectious rhythm and groove that is undeniable.

The title track "Crazy" sets the mood for musical unpredictability emphasizing the more traditional jazz call and response pattern between Printz's lyrics and Dulfer's punctuating alto riff and fills. The most common critical complaint with a contemporary releases are when vocals are added on what would otherwise be an obvious instrumental release. There are plenty of vocals on Crazy from both Printz and Dulfer with the blatantly obvious that both posses admirable vocal skills and their addition simply pushes the music to the next level. Harmonic progression is rich and vibrant while beautifully displayed on the vocal track "Complic8ted Lives" which is a tune in search of a mood. The mood or emotional connection with this piece seems to be left up to the listener. "Too Close" drops to a quiet instrumental ballad that carries a distinct somewhat European techno groove.

In the last decade, Dulfer seems to have been cooling her heels in the jazz witness protection program. It was as though the smoother side of jazz had muzzled a dynamic artistic voice to instead have her work "middle of the pack." Crazy catapults Dulfer back to the top of the heap where she belongs. They don't call this the music business without just cause. The cross-over potential with this release is through the roof given the myriad of styles, genres and beats from which to select.

Word to the wise. Never confuse the word cross over with sell out, Dulfer rolled the musical dice and came up big here with the added bonus of having the prodigious chops to pull it all together!

Not just a great contemporary jazz release but a five star winner in any genre.

Tracks: Stop All That Noise; Crazy; Hey Now; Flame; Good Music; Complic8ted Lives; Calling Next Door; Electric Blue; In Or Out; I Do; Rocket Rocket; No End; Open Up; Please Don't Stop; Too Close.

http://www.candydulfer.com/

A Critical Perspective : A look at Christian Rapper Brandon Leathers.

2011-12-20T19:14:00.000-08:00

Recently I became embroiled in the controversy involving trumpet player Nicholas Payton and his latest release "Bitches." A less than stellar review on my behalf caused as a former editor so eloquently described a "shitstorm" so I acted on a decision long in the works and walked away from two different publications as a contributing critic. To be fair this "storm" was a gathering cloud nationally while my review ignited a firestorm in the jazz community. Leathers is a virtuoso artist, a soulful improvisational musical poet. Leathers is not an individual that often operates with a sense of self absorbed entitlement as though he somehow holds the cultural keys to the kingdom based on jazz legends he never knew and a race card that causes others to aristically fold before their talent is fully realized. Brandon Leathers faces more struggles than the average artist.

Brandon Leathers would be the polar opposite of Payton. A Christian rap artist seeking not just the cultural keys to the kingdom for personal gain but the keys to a greater kingdom for the common good. Rap? Jazz? The common thread that ties these two cultural art forms together is not race and not that rap can easily be considered improvisational poetry thus establishing a firm commonality but instead a creative desire to open ones heart for the enjoyment of others.

While making some strides in gaining national attention, Leathers was forced to take a step back for health reasons. Currently waiting for a kidney donor, Leathers takes the pragmatic approach of simply playing the hand he has been dealt but is staging his own comeback in the world of Christian Rap. Music with a powerful message. The words of Leathers are of unification and a belief in a better world that he has found through his own spirituality rather than a road of anger, divisiveness and hate.

What do I know about rap? I look for compelling back stories. My personal knowledge of rap starts with Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five and for the most part stops with the more commercial flavorings of RUN DMC. I have a greater knowledge of differential calculus than I do rap but I know a genuine artist when I see one.

Neither Myspace nor Reverbnation allows for a direct video link here but check out the two embedded links below for a taste of what Brandon has to offer.

http://www.myspace.com/video/starchildtheblueprint/me-ministering-in-rap/13262495

http://www.reverbnation.com/label/falloutshelterrecords

http://facebook.com/starchild517

Brandon's brother Lawrence is a much sought after drummer on the vibrant New York jazz scene and appreciates that an artist must indeed take baby steps as he tries to climb the musical mountain.

From Brandon:

here in the Lansing/ Michigan area charts I came in at 21 out of 50

and in 5 days have jumped to #2

with hopes of taking over #1 within the next few days

and right now in the top 2000 nationally and the top 3000 internationally

so we will see what God wants to do..... :)

At a time when self indulgent art and artists seem to be eating up more time and space than should reasonably be allowed, Brandon Leathers takes the more honest old school approach of having his art built on a foundation of character and truth. Brandon Leathers is an artist comfortable with who he is and where he is going, his rock is a rock far more solid than one where you could rest a Grammy.

Jazz Education Network Convention...Day One...."Unloading"

2011-12-04T18:03:00.000-08:00

Well....The Holidays are now over but as you walk through downtown Louisville you will still find some remnants and a few step ladders taking down what is left of the "holiday" season. Sorry, I celebrate Christmas so do not even get me started on the Christmas vs Holiday thing.

Having worked on American Idol Season 8 when they came to Louisville, I am all too familiar with the nuts and bolts of putting together an undertaking of this nature. With the exception of the "Grinch" working the front desk and trying to get my press credentials worked out, the Convention looks to be a can not miss for the jazz aficionado! The Galt House Hotel provides ample room and the enthusiasm from the volunteer "roadies" is immediately felt. People are here for all things music!

Having been set up with two exclusive interviews with two Motema artists, thrilled would be the classic undersell. A third Motema artist is in the mix plus two other vocalists from other labels not to mention the local folks including the return of critically acclaimed bassist John Goldsby who is currently living in Cologne, Germany and the lead bass chair for the WDR Big Band. I will be attending a seminar with John on Saturday which should easily be the highlight of my week.

More soon! Be sure and visit http://www.jazzednet.org/

Someone I am hoping to speak with this week...If not the review will be soon and it is a winner!

Rondi Charleston

http://www.rondicharleston.com/

Patricia Barber: The Cole Porter Mix (2008)

2011-11-17T06:41:00.000-08:00

Patricia Barber:

The Cole Porter Mix (2008)

Jazz songwriter and pianist Patricia Barber's 2006 album Mythologies, a song cycle based on Ovid's Metamorphosis, is a sprawling work of poetic and musical adventure. Upon its release, it garnered universal acclaim from critics and responsive concert audiences across the United States and Europe. After this rigorous undertaking, Barber could have been forgiven for taking a breather. And on its surface, that seems to be what the Cole Porter Mix is. But in Barber's case, this is far from true. While she claims in her bio that she's been singing his songs for years, and that he's her favorite songwriter, she does anything but a "standard" read on his tunes, though she never undermines their integrity. The album is called a "mix" because Barber has woven three of her own tunes -- written after the manner of Porter's -- into the fabric of the album. Given her austere yet highly original readings of his songs, they fit in seamlessly. She is accompanied here by her longtime backing group of Neal Alger (guitar), Michael Arnopol (bass), and Eric Montzka (drums), with drummer Nate Smith alternating on three tunes, and guest saxophonist Chris Potter appearing on five.

Commencing with the opening number "Easy to Love," with its skeletal bossa nova rhythm (Barber doesn't play in the body of the tune and only contributes a wonderfully economical piano solo), and the relative austerity of her voice, it's obvious this isn't an ordinary standards set. She is faithful to the intent of these songs both lyrically and musically, but she shifts their arrangements in such a way that they are more suited to her deliberately restrained singing voice, and her own vocation as a songwriter. It's the songwriter she is paying tribute to here -- not the tradition. "I Concentrate on You" also carries within it the kernel of bossa, but this time, with her piano fills and artfully incisive manner of accenting, to quote Porter, "how strange the change from major to minor" without invoking the blues (the standard for doing so). Barber's pianism is elegantly idiosyncratic, even enigmatic. Her "cool" singing voice peels away the weight these songs have borne over the years, and instead returns to them their subtlety and gentle sense of humorous irony. There are some wild moments here -- such as the Latin polyrhythms at the heart of "In the Still of the Night," that set up a space for some serious blowing tenor by Potter -- but the spirit of "song" is never compromised. Barber's originals are truly canny, empathic evidence of her true understanding of Porter. "Snow," with its minor-key piano intro opens with: "Do you think of me like snow/cool, slippery and white? Do you think of me like jazz/as hip, as black as night?" The mysterious, dull ache of love and lust in "New Year's Eve Song" evokes the forlorn aspect of Porter but the strange, covert voyeurism of poet Robert Lowell's "Eep Hour": "Will he/peek in the mirror while she/knowing he's watching her tease/stripping the gown with ease/bare as the New Year, she/so in love with her is he..." All the while, the sense of a taut harmonic melody is inseparable from the lyrics, unveiling the secret intent in the song for both listener and singer. The Cole Porter Mix is a very modern form of imitation, as evidenced not only by interpretation but in her evocative compositions too; they mark the greatest form of flattery. But it is also an ingenious manner of reconsidering Porter -- and Barber -- with fresh ears.

Track Listing: Easy to Love; I Wait for Late Afternoon and You; I Get a Kick Out of You; You’re The Top; Just One of Those Things; Snow; C'est Magnifique; Get Out of Town; I Concentrate on You; In the Still of the Night; What is This Thing Called Love?; Miss Otis Regrets; The New Year's Eve Song.

Personnel: Patricia Barber: piano, vocals, melodica; Chris Potter: tenor saxophone; Neal Alger: acoustic guitar, electric guitar; Michael Arnopol: bass; Eric Montzka, Nate Smith: drums, percussion.

Gianluigi Trovesi: Profumo di Violetta "All ' Opera" (2008)

2011-11-09T05:19:00.000-08:00

Since joining up with ECM as a member of Italian Instabile Orchestra, responsible for 1995's Skies of Europe, reedman Gianluigi Trovesi has created a small but diverse body of work that has stretched the boundaries of composition and improvisation to include sources ranging from William C. Handy to Kurt Weill. Whether in duet with accordionist Gianni Coscia, his curiously configured Ottetto or the chamber trio responsible for the sublime Vaghissimo Ritratto (2007), a defining characteristic has been a fearless irreverence for tradition, all the while making it perfectly clear that his music couldn't come anywhere but from what has come before.

In contrast to the intimacy of Vaghissimo, Profumo Di Violetta is a boldly ambitious—sometimes melodramatic, occasionally humorous and often sublimely beautiful yet never over-the-top—homage to Italian opera and the North Italian provincial banda, the horn-driven (there are no strings to be found) orchestras often heard in Giuseppe Verdi operas. It's a thoroughly engaging hour-long performance that takes popular composer Gioachino Antonio Rossini's statement, "How wonderful opera would be if there were no singers," and makes it a reality. With three primary instruments—Trovesi, cellist Marco Remondini, and drummer Stefano Bertoli—accompanied by the 55-piece Filarmonica Mousike, conducted by Savino Acquaviva—it's a trip through history that's filtered through the present. Trovesi arranges material excerpted from popular Italian operas including La Traviatta, The Barber of Seville, and Tosca, combining it with like-minded original writing and improvisational passages that blur the temporal distance between music spanning four centuries.

There are even hints of modern technology, as the banda performs the familiar "Largo al factotum," from Rossini's Barber of Seville, faithfully, but leaves space for Remondini to solo with a heavily distorted and wah-wah'd cello. Elsewhere the integration of improvisation is more seamless and less jarring, as Trovesi soars over his own "Vespone," one of many original compositions that may be contemporary, but feel completely of a kind with the source material around it.

Trovesi may lean towards the majestic on "Toccata," from Montverdi's L'Orfeo, the playful on "Stizzoso, mio stizzoso," from Giovanni Battista Pergolesi's La Serva Pardrona, and the traditionally rooted on the brief, public domain "Antico saltarello," but there's no shortage of haunting beauty on Profumo Di Violetta. Still, it's the narrative arc of Profumo Di Violetta that gives it its weight, as Trovesi's own trifecta of the sparsely elegant "Musa" leads to greater improvisational elan on the more rhythmically propulsive "Euridice" and, finally, grandiose drama on the powerful "Ninfe avernali," where the clarinettist solos with the greatest abandon.

Perhaps most impressive is how Trovesi has taken snippets from so many sources and joined them together into a seamless program that's as much a history lesson in Italian operatic tradition and regional music-making as it is a piece of music to be taken on its own merits. After experiencing the broad emotional range of Profumo Di Violetta, it's possible that those scared off by the often larger-than-life and melismatic nature of operatic vocals will find them more approachable.

Track Listing: IL PROLOGO: Alba; IL MITO: Toccata, Musa, Euridice, Ninfe avernali, Frammenti orfici; IL BALLO: Intrecciar Ciaccone; IL GIOCO DELLE SEDUZZIONI: "Pur ti miro," "Stizzoso, mio stizosso," Vespone; L'INNAMORAMENTO: Profumo di Violetta Part I, "Ah, fors'e lui che l'anima," Profumo di Violetta Part II, Violetta e le alter; ILK SALTELLA GIOIOSO: "E Piquillo, um bel gagliardo," Salterellando, Antico salterello, Salterello amoroso, "Largo al factotum"; LA GELOSIA: Aspettando compare Alfio, "Il cavello scalpita"; L'EPILOGO: Cosi, Tosca.

Personnel: Gianluigi Trovesi: clarinets, saxophone; Marco Remondini: violoncello; Stefano Bertoli: drums. Filarmonica Mousike: Savino Acquaviva: conductor; Valentina Noris: flute 1; Maurizio Beltrami: flute 2; Lidia Bressan: flute 2;Daniele Cugini: piccolo; Luigi Rapetti: oboe 1; Matteo Donadoni: oboe 2; Giuseppe Cattaneo: English horn; Ugo Gelmi: bassoon 1; Marco Taraddei: bassoon 2; Beatrice Cattaneo: clarinet 1; Luca Garavelli: clarinet 1; Alessio Carrara: clarinet 1; Pierluigi Brignoli: clarinet 1; Federica Salvia: clarinet 2; Stefano Rossi: clarinet 2; Gaudenzio Cattaneo: clarinet 2; Maurizio Biava: clarinet 2; Silvia Banchetti: clarinet 3; Alberto Locati: clarinet 3; Simona Cuter: clarinet 3; Francesco Chiapperini: clarinet 3; Eugenio Capponi: clarinet 3; Luca Bonaldi: piccolo clarinet; Roberto Bergamelli: bass clarinet; Claudio Acerbis: contralto saxophone 1; Michele Margosio: contralto saxophone 2; Dario Zanni: tenor saxophone; Mario Mafeis: baritone saxophone; Rocco Guerini: trumpet 1; Roberto Maffeis: trumpet 1; Fabio Brignoli: trumpet 2, flugelhorn solo (9), trumpet solo (21); Alessandro Salvi: trumpet 2; Daniele Pezzoli: trumpet 3; Stefano Carrara: trumpet 3; Diego Ottolini: trombone 1; Davide Biglieni: trombone 2; Maurizio Bazzana: trombone 3; Gianluca Tortora: trombone 3; Simone Maffioletti: trombone 3; Allesandro Valoti: horn 1; Franscesca Acerbis: horn 2; Frederica Bergamelli: horn 2; Fulvio Comminelli: horn 3; Francesco Peracchi: horn 4; Fulvio Pezzoli: horn 4; Adamo Carrara: euphonium; Mauro Cadei: tuba; Davide Viada: tuba; Fabio Pagani: tuba; Diego Bombardieri: percussion; Raffaele di Diola: percussion; Michaelangelo Donadini: percussion; Matteo Verzeroli: percussion; Paolo Pezzoli: percussion.

Bill Evans: Loose Blues (1962)

2011-11-02T04:16:00.000-07:00

Bill Evans: Loose Blues (rec 1962-Released 1982)

Loose Blues is an album by jazz pianist Bill Evans released on the Milestone label featuring performances by Evans with Zoot Sims, Jim Hall, Ron Carter, and Philly Joe Jones recorded in 1962. It was recorded for the Riverside label, but eventually dropped mostly because of Riverside forthcoming bankruptcy and the pressures of Verve producer Creed Taylor - he wanted Evans on his Verve label.So the project was shelved, and released posthumously only in 1982 as MCD-9200-2, after having been rediscovered in the Fantasy Records vaults. This was, in fact, believed to be a lost album since Keepnews couldn't find the master reels of the session dates, except for a take of "Loose Bloose". However, after a thorough research, he did succeed in finding the reels "stored in poorly marked tape boxes".[2] The material was then assembled by Keepnews and Ed Michel. "Fudgesickle Built for Four" was named by Evans himself - who dug puns - and was a reference to "a bicycle built for two", a line from the popular song "Daisy Bell". Keepnews, recalling the sessions, stated that "My Bells", which is characterized by difficult tempo changes, took 25 takes to be recorded properly.

The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow states "Due to some difficulties during the recording process (none of the sidemen were familiar with the often complex numbers), the results were originally shelved and lost for a couple of decades. This CD reissue shows that the music was actually much better than originally thought... It is a pity that Evans and Sims (a logical combination) never did record together again"

Track listing

All compositions by Bill Evans

"Loose Bloose" - 7:07

"Loose Bloose" [alternate take] - 5:34

"Time Remembered" - 6:02

"Funkallero" - 6:13

"My Bells" - 5:24

"There Came You" - 5:52

"Fudgesickle Built for Four" - 4:31

"Fun Ride" - 5:15

Tracks 1-4 and 7 recorded on August 21, 1962; tracks 5, 6, 8 recorded on August 22, 1962.

Personnel

Bill Evans - piano

Zoot Sims - tenor saxophone

Jim Hall - guitar

Ron Carter - bass

Philly Joe Jones - drums

Chick Corea & Stefano Bollani-Orvieto (2011)

2011-10-29T02:33:00.000-07:00

Chick Corea & Stefano Bollani-Orvieto (2011)

Track Listings

1. Part I. Orvieto Improvisation No. 1

2. Portrait In Black And White

3. If I Should Lose You

4. Doralice

5. Jitterbug Waltz

6. A Valsa da Paula

7. Part II. Orvieto Improvisation No. 2 / Nardis

8. Este Seu Olhar

9. Darn That Dream

10. Tirititran

11. Armando's Rhumba

12. Blues In F

Chick Corea (b. 1941) and Stefano Bollani (b. 1972), the master and the new talent, the American of Sicilian and Spanish descent on one piano, the Italian from Tuscany on the other piano, recorded live in concert at Umbria Jazz Winter in Orvieto, on December 30, 2010.

A travel into jazz in 75 minutes, from free improvised moments to well-know standards, from original compositions to the blues. Excluding two free improvisations (Orvieto Improvisation N.1 and Orvieto Improvisation N.2) that work as introductory pieces, tempi are mostly fast. Still, there is a sort of laidback approach, with the music coming out very naturally, without any apparent effort. Both pianists have huge technical abilities, yet their virtuosity is here always focused to just one goal, produce beautiful, lyrical, stylish and sophisticated as well as entertaining music, and never as a show off to impress the listener. If you are after special effects and keyboards on fire, you will be disappointed. If you are after jazz piano music to discover and enjoy more and more at every listening session, then this work should definitely deserve your attention.

The recording quality is excellent as usual from ECM. Not only the two pianos, but all noises during the concert were recorded as well. The first time I was listening this CD on my hi-fi system at a realistic volume I was thinking someone was punching the floor of my apartment from downstairs... luckily that was just the pianists stomping their feet on the stage. Impressing indeed.

Stefano Bollani: Les Fleurs Bleues (2004)

2011-10-28T02:55:00.000-07:00

Stefano Bollani: Les Fleurs Bleues (2004)

Stefano Bollani (Piano)

Scott Colley (Bass)

Clarence Penn (Drums)

This is some of the better jazz out there today! What a great trio! With Stefano Bollani on piano, Scott Colley on bass, and Clarence Penn on drums, you can't go wrong. These musicians are locked tight in the groove for the duration of this recording. Bollani is on top of his game, as he plays incredibly fast licks and incredibly original chord voicings that sound like fire from his fingertips, especially on the tracks which feature solo piano. There are a few well placed ballads on which the group really makes sound tender and delicate, and Bollani even sings on "Si Tu T'Imagines"! Scott Colley and Clarence Penn are world-class musicians, and accompany Bollani beautifully on this set. This is a highly recommended album, too bad it is only available through import. If you are lucky, you'll find it in a bargain bin like I did! Happy Listening...

01 – L’Histoire Qui Avance

02 – Rever et Reveler

03 – Cidrolin

04 – Il Duca

05 – Se Non Avessi Più Te

06 – L’Arca

07 – Bar Biturico

08 – Chippie

09 – Si Tu T’Imagines

10 – Dans Mon Ile

11 – It Could Happen to Queneau

12 – Un Giorno dopo l’Altro

Tord Gustavsen Trio: The Ground (2005)

2011-10-25T07:17:00.000-07:00

Tord Gustavsen Trio: The Ground (2005)

Norwegian pianist Tord Gustavsen became something of a rock star in his own country after Changing Places (ECM, 2003) came out two years ago. The fact that a jazz record—particularly such a mellow, understated one—could rise above a mess of mass-market pop came as a surprise to just about everyone involved, but I guess it's a sign that the Norwegians have pretty good taste in music after all. The rest of the world caught on a little more slowly, but Gustavsen ended up doing quite well internationally with his debut, now well over the 60,000 mark.

Thus The Ground, his sophomore trio release, aroused some pretty high expectations (and rocketed to the top of the Norwegian charts in its second week). Fortunately, Gustavsen and his trio grew wiser and stronger in the two-year interval between these recordings, aided by quite a bit of touring along the way. The relaxed, confident playing on this record is evidence that Gustavsen is here to stay. The mellowness is back, and many listeners will relish the way themes unfold without calling much attention to themselves, but this is serious stuff that rewards careful attention and involvement.

What's most striking about the way Gustavsen plays is the liquid, flowing quality of his motion. The pianist places careful emphasis on timing and dynamics, which means you can often catch a ripple or a glint of sun along the way, but the melody is always moving forward. It's never in a hurry, never surging like surf over a waterfall, just flowing like a river—around curves, through passages narrow and wide. Together with regular bluesy colorations and gospelly phrasing, there's something spiritual about this collection of brief meditations. It's hard not to be swept away.

Bassist Harald Johnsen and drummer Jarle Vespestad are very much in tune with Gustavsen's vision, interacting in the moment to flesh out the greens and blues that color this recording. But the pianist is really the center of the action, and you'll find yourself anticipating his moves—often successfully, because the inner logic is quite intuitive, but never predictably so. That's the sort of clever balance Gustavsen crafts and it's what draws me most magnetically to his music. I suspect it will take many spins before this record ever grows tired.

Track Listing: Tears Transforming; Being There; Twins; Curtains Aside; Colours of Mercy; Sentiment; Kneeling Down; Reach Out and Touch It; Edges of Happiness; Interlude; Token of Tango; The Ground.

Personnel: Tord Gustavsen: piano; Harald Johnsen: bass; Jarle Vespestad: drums.

Luis Salinas: Ahi Va (2003)

2011-10-23T08:38:00.000-07:00

AHI VA highlights the Latin fusion of guitarist Luis Salinas and includes performances by Daniel Maza, Facundo Guevara, Sebastian Peycere, Jose Reynoso, and Reynald Colom.

2003 release from the Argentinean guitar virtuoso/vocalist who delivers the concept of jazz with his native folk music, funk, bossa, blues, bolero and candombe in his own style. 13 tracks. DBN.

Personnel: Raynald Colom (trumpet); Jose Reinoso & Repique (piano); Facundo Guevara (percussion).

Recording information: Estudios Ion (2003).

Arranger: Raynald Colom.

Track List

   1   Dulce
   2   Funky en Si Menor
   3   Ahi Va
   4   Alla Lejos
   5   Bolero
   6   Salsita
   7   Estrella del Fin, La
   8   Amanece
   9   Noche
   10   Candombes
   11   Contigo En La Distancia
   12   Latin Beeboop
   13   RTM Blues

Danilo Rea: Lost in Europe-Piano Solo (2000)

2011-10-21T06:46:00.000-07:00

Danilo Rea - Piano Solo - Lost in Europe (2000)

1. Sospensione 1 (D. Rea) (02:27)

. Burrqua) (05:00)

2. Tico Tico (Abreu) (05:45)

3. Isogni son desideri (David/Hoffman/Livingston) (05:02)

4. Autumn lives (Cosma/Prevert/Mercer) (10:29)

5. Sospensione... (D. Rea) (03:50)

6. What a wonderful world (Thiele/Weiss) (03:50)

. Pc. (Coltrane) (02:35)

7. America (L. Bernstein) (00:50)

. Debussy) (00:50)

. Rea) (01:00)

. Tenco) (03:00)

8. Stella by starling (Young/Washington) (02:27)

Flora Purim: Open Your Eyes You Can Fly (1976)

2011-10-20T04:56:00.000-07:00

Flora Purim: Open Your Eyes You Can Fly (1976)

As an original member of Chick Corea's group Return to Forever, Purim subsequently drew praise as a solo act. Recording for the jazz label Milestone since 1973, Purim's sensual and strong voice was singular enough to withstand the pitfalls that hampered the work of many Latin jazz fusion artists. Open Your Eyes You Can Fly represents a commercial breakthrough, and has the artist again supplemented by adventurous players and top-notch songwriting. The best of the three Chick Corea tracks is the title song. With it's emotive and stinging guitar solo from David Amaro, it features Purim at her most accessible and charming. The remake of "Sometime Ago" has one of Corea's more accessible melodies, as Purim turns in one of her more sweet and fulfilling vocals. The melodic and soothing "San Francisco River" has the artist writing solely with frequent Corea collaborator Neville Potter on the evocative track. Despite the great work here, Open Your Eyes You Can Fly, lacks consistency. But with the great talents assembled and great voice, it's easy to overlook that fact. Hermeto Pascoal's "Andei (I Walked)" has a great synthesizer solo from George Duke and a flute solo from Pascoal. "Ina's Song (Trip to Bahia)" features Purim singing in Portuguese, starting off slow but then enlivened by her passion filled vocalizations. Produced by jazz producer Orrin Keepnews, this features the artist more lucid and joyful than some of her other work. For the reason it is recommended. ~ Jason Elias

Recorded at Paramount Studios, Los Angeles, California in 1976. Originally released on Fantasy Records. Includes liner notes by Orrin Keepnews.

Personnel includes: Flora Purim (vocals); Hermeto Pascoal (flute, electric piano, harpsichord, percussion, background vocals); George Duke (electric piano, Arp & Moog synthesizers, background vocals); David Amaro (acoustic, electric & 12-string guitars); Egberto Gismonti (acoustic guitar); Alphonso Johnson (acoustic & electric basses); Ron Carter (acoustic bass).

1- Open Your Eyes, You Can Fly (Chick Corea-Neville Potter)
2-Time's Lie (Chick Corea-Neville Potter)
3- Sometime Ago (Chick Corea-NevillePotter)
4-San Francisco River (Airto Moreira-Purim Purim)
5-Andei "I Walked" (Hermeto Pascoal)
6-Ina's Song "Trip to Bahia" (Flora Purim)
7-Conversation (Hermeto Pascoal)
8-Medley: White Wing/Blank Wing (Hermeto Pascoal-Flora Purim)

Chick Corea: Return to Forever (1972)

2011-10-16T15:42:00.000-07:00

Chick Corea: Return to Forever (1972)

Amazon.com essential recording

The soul of fusion lies not in the barrage of note clusters played through overdriven amplifiers but in the arresting beauty of Return to Forever's lucid vision of music without boundaries. The stunningly virtuosic pianist Chick Corea had already gone through an exploration of free jazz with Circle, tutelage in the Miles Davis Academy of New Electric Music and the soul-searching of "Piano Improvisations" when he arrived at his most brilliant conception. Corea and bassist Stanley Clarke fly through the proceedings, supporting Joe Farrell's flute and soprano sax playing in what may have been the performance of his life. Flora Purim's vocals and Airto Moreira's drums and percussion work discretely in service of the music's serenity. --John Swenson

Corea was at his peak with this '70s release, which brought together his Latin-flavored compositions and writing for singer Flora Purim with his liquid electric piano, Airto's varied gifts on percussion, and the late great Joe Farrell's facility on flute and sax.

One of the approaches to jazz that has unfortunately seemed to pass by the boards is what I'll call extended comp/improv, a blend of formal composition, passages for improvisation and sections that allow for free group interaction. Sonny Rollins and Max Roach were modernists who plowed early ground in this area, and they were followed by, among others, McCoy Tyner, John Handy, the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Jack DeJonette, and of course, the master of the form, Charles Mingus. Corea makes a fine contribution to the informal canon with "Sometime Ago/La Fiesta," a hypnotic 23-minute excursion.

For the extended comp/improv to work, all the musicians have to be headed in the same direction without ever losing the sense that there are many paths toward the same goal. "Sometime Ago/La Fiesta" illustrates the beauty of this ideal. Corea, Farrell, and bassist Stanley Clarke all prove their mettle in long, lyrical passages in which they both play and respond to one another. Farrell is particularly inspired on flute and soprano sax, but Clarke will startle you as well with the sounds he gets from his bass.

The rest of the CD? Fine as well, although you might find Purim's vocals an acquired taste. For me, a little generally goes a long way, but on this CD, her voice is tightly interwoven into the compositions and is an asset rather than a distraction.

Those who think of Return to Forever as a rock band will find this record a surprise -- one way or the other. For me, it's vastly superior to the fusion records Corea turned out later in the '70s.

1-Return to Forever
2-Crystal Silence
3-What game shall we play Today
4-Sometime Ago-La Fiesta

Chick Corea: electric piano
Joe Farrell: flutes, soprano saxophone
Flora Purim: vocal, percussion
Stanley Clarke: bass
Airto Moreira: drums, percussion

John Scofield : Uberjam (2002)

2011-10-13T04:26:00.000-07:00

John Scofield: Uberjam (2002)

Like his most famous employer, Miles Davis, John Scofield has had his own classic band eras. With Bill Stewart, Marc Johnson, and Joe Lovano he used his distinctive playing and compositional skills to bring a freshness to the sound of the straight-ahead jazz quartet; and on his 1987 Pick Hits Live, he and cohorts Dennis Chambers, Gary Grainger, and Robert Aries used a piercing intelligence to temper fusion's athletics. His more recent funk efforts have suffered; some from the sensitive but "grease"-deficient work of Larry Goldings and some from a general excess of politeness. Bump was an interesting, if tepid, foray into modern hip-hop grooves, but hitting the road in front of the Phish/MMW crowd has forged that sound and his road band into something to be reckoned with. It is no accident that Uberjam is credited to the John Scofield Band; the title tune was created by the members over three years of road dates. Far from being a pastiche, it demonstrates the cohesive unit that this group has become. Whether it is rhythm-guitar wiz Avi Bortnick adding Indian samples to Jesse Murphy's dub bass on "Acidhead," or former Average White Band drummer Adam Deitch laying in the phat-ist of phat grooves, it is apparent that Scofield has come up with another classic ensemble--one well equipped to take jazz into the 21st century. --Michael Ross

Track Listings
1. Acidhead
2. Ideofunk
3. Jungle Fiction
4. I Brake 4 Monster Booty
5. Animal Farm
6. Offspring
7. Tomorrow Land
8. uberjam
9. Polo Towers
10. Snap Crackle Pop

    John Scofield - electric guitar
    Avi Bortnick - rhythm guitar and samples
    Jesse Murphy - electric bass
    Adam Deitch - drums
    John Medeski - B3 Organ (tracks 1,2,5,9), clavinet (tracks 1,5,) and mellotron (tracks 1,9)
    Karl Denson - flute (track 2) and saxophone (track 9)

Kith Jarrett Trio: Somewhere Before (1968)

2011-10-11T10:33:00.000-07:00

Kith Jarrett Trio: Somewhere Before (1968)

While still a member of the Charles Lloyd Quartet, Keith Jarrett did some occasional moonlighting with a trio, anchored by two future members of Jarrett's classic quartet, Charlie Haden (bass) and Paul Motian (drums). On this CD, Jarrett turns in a very eclectic set at Shelly's Manne-Hole in Hollywood, careening through a variety of idioms where his emerging individuality comes through in flashes. He covers Bob Dylan's "My Back Pages" -- which actually came out as a single on the Vortex label -- in an attractive, semi-funky style reminiscent of Vince Guaraldi. "Pretty Ballad" delivers a strong reflective dose of Bill Evans, while "Moving Soon" is chaotic free jazz. By the time we reach "New Rag," we begin to hear the distinctive Jarrett idiom of the later trios, but then, "Old Rag" is knockabout stride without the stride. As an example of early, unfocused Jarrett, this is fascinating material.

KEITH JARRETT, piano
CHARLIE HADEN, bass
PAUL MOTIAN, drums

My Back Pages
Pretty Ballad
Moving Soon
Somewhere Before
New Rag
A Moment For Tears
Pout’s over (And The Day’s Not Trought)
Dedicated To You
Old Rag

Recorded at Shelly’s Manne-Hole, Hollywook, USA, 30th 31st August 1968

Keith Jarrett: Staircase (1976)

2011-10-06T13:53:00.000-07:00

Keith Jarrett: Staircase (1976)

keith Jarrett (solo piano)

The fourth of Keith Jarrett's solo piano albums turns inward, away from the funky, pulsating melodic inventions of its predecessors toward a more reflective, scattered, never-despairing romanticism well removed from the pulse of jazz. As such, it is paradoxically his weakest solo piano album of the '70s and also the most influential, for here is the blueprint for sensitive meandering that the New Age piano crowd took off upon in the 1980s. A studio session, Staircase is actually only one of four separately titled improvisations on this double album (now on one CD) -- the others are "Hourglass," "Sundial" and "Sand" -- but their overall moods of repose are so similar that it hardly matters what they are called. One can always admire Jarrett's lovely tone and flexible touch, yet when he gets stuck for ideas, the repetitions finally begin to grate. Maybe he really needs the stimulus of a live audience in order to get the creative and rhythmic juices flowing when flying solo.

Tracks

Staircase:

    "Part 1" - 6:57
    "Part 2" - 7:58
    "Part 3" - 1:25

Hourglass:

    "Part 1" - 4:42
    "Part 2" - 14:03

Sundial:

    "Part 1" - 8:57
    "Part 2" - 4:55
    "Part 3" - 6:27

Sand:

    "Part 1" - 6:54
    "Part 2" - 8:48
    "Part 3" - 3:21

    All compositions by Keith Jarrett

Enrico Rava and Dino Saluzzi Quintet: Volver

2011-10-04T09:42:00.000-07:00

Enrico Rava and Dino Saluzzi Quintet: Volver

Trumpeter Enrico Rava and his quartet (with guitarist Harry Pepl, bassist Furio Di Castri and drummer Bruce Ditmas) meet the Argentinian bandoneon player Dino Saluzzi on six group originals. Rava's introverted yet inwardly passionate playing matches well with Saluzzi's modern tangos, and the results are fairly accessible yet still exploratory. An intriguing set. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

Enrico Rava: trumpet

Dino Saluzzi: bandoneon

Harry Pepl: guitar

Furio Di Castri: bass

Bruce Ditmas: drums

Dino Saluzzi: Cite de la Musique (1997)

2011-10-01T15:01:00.000-07:00

Dino Saluzzi: Cite de la Musique (1997)

It seems pointless writing a review for this album. It's almost as if you will either come across it in the journey of your life or you will not. If the timing isn't right it will just waft past you like the scent of a beautiful flower that you pass walking along a darkened path that you can never find again.

I was lucky enough to come across this album in late 1999 and I have a funny feeling that it will remain on my top-five-most-beautiful-albums list for a long time to come.

It's not as if there's a particular person or event in my life that this album reminds me of, it's a sort of a collage of everything beautiful and tragic that has ever happened in my 42 years of living. It's a medium to a whole collection of memory-feelings all bundled up together.

More than once I have dozed off (stone cold sober) while listening to this album and have "come to" sensing the most vivid yet indescribable feelings, particularly during the last two tracks.

I agree with the other reviews of this album - each of which is personal. Unlike other reviewers I can't put any visual images to the music on this album. I can't even tell my closest friends what I feel some times when I listen to this album. I just feel it.

This beautifully dark and sensual album is mood altering if you can allow it to get in.

Marc Johnson Double Bass

Dino Saluzzi Bandoneon

José Maria Saluzzi Guitar (Acoustic)

01. Cité de la Musique

02. Introducción y Milonga del Ausente

03. El Rio y el Abuelo

04. Zurdo

05. Romance

06. Winter

07. How My Heart Sings

08. Gorrión

09. Coral Para Mi Pequeño y Lejano Pueblo

John McLaughlin and Shakti: Shakti (1976)

2011-09-26T10:49:00.000-07:00

John McLaughlin and Shakti: Shakti (1976)

I remember quite clearly walking through the aisles of the Sears record department in 1976 checking to see if there was a new Mahavishnu Orchestra album. What stared back at me from the Mahavishnu bin was a very strange looking album cover. John McLaughlin had longish hair and a tight, confident smile, and he was holding the oddest-looking acoustic guitar I had ever seen. It had an extra set of strings attached in a crooked fashion across the sound hole. The information on the back cover made matters even worse. I remember wondering who this Raghavan guy was, and what the hell was this mridangam that he was playing? I'm still not truly sure what a mridangam is, but I am quite sure I love Shakti.

McLaughlin had abandoned the electric Mahavishnu Orchestra and put together a band featuring some of India's greatest young musicians, thus dooming his popularity. Together with McLaughlin, tabla master Zakir Hussain, violin virtuoso L. Shankar, and ghatam player T.S. Vinayakaram made up Shakti. Although not a core member of Shakti, the previously mentioned Raghavan also joined in on the previously mentioned mridangam. With names like that and 30 minute long tunes, Shakti did not get much airplay in the U.S.

Shakti was recorded live at South Hampton College in New York State, and the live audience is truly a part of this performance. One can only imagine what they were expecting before the concert. McLaughlin had earned his fame as Mahavishnu. He was the king of the electric guitar. Instead, he appeared on stage with the acoustic Shakti, sitting down Indian style. The drones started humming. This had to be bizarre. 'Pass the joints. Quick!' However, several minutes into the first piece, Shakti had the crowd in its hands.

Blistering guitar runs, unison playing among all the players, and mesmerizing percussion duels make Shakti one of the most exciting live recordings around. Shakti created as vast a fusion as could be imagined at the time. The musicians were introducing World Music, albeit with a wild jazz abandon, twenty years before anyone else even attempted such a thing again.

McLaughlin was speed-bending notes and strumming those extra sympathetic strings which had been positioned on his guitar. Shankar's Far Eastern violin matched McLaughlin's guitar in call and response after call and response. And without a doubt, the album's high water mark is the culmination of an absolutely riveting percussion duel between Hussain and Raghavan resolving the oddly-titled 'What Need Have I for This? What Need Have I for That? I am Dancing at the Feet of my Lord. All is Bliss. All is Bliss'. It appears the audience shared in a group musical orgasm at that moment.

According to Jeff Beck, McLaughlin's playing with Shakti was as good as any player could hope to do. The original Shakti never sold a lot of records. But today they are seen as one of the true pioneers, and their current reunion version is at long last commercially viable.

A special note to guitar speed freaks: this album contains the fastest guitar playing John McLaughlin ever recorded.

Related link: John McLaughlin Reviews @ All About Jazz .

Track Listing: Joy; Lotus Feet; What Need Have I For This- What Need Have I For That- I Am Dancing at the Feet of My Lord- All is Bliss-All is Bliss;

Personnel: John McLaughlin- guitar; Zakir Hussain- tabla; L. Shankar- violin; R. Raghavan- mridangam; T. S. Vinayakaram- ghatam

Stefano Bollani: Jazzitaliano live 2006

2011-09-20T07:58:00.000-07:00

Stefano Bollani

Jazzitaliano live 2006

Recorded at the Teatro Lauro Rossi in Macerata and mixed at La Casa del Jazz in Rome, this disc by pianist Stefano Bollani is the ninth of a series of live recordings dedicated to the best of Italian jazz from the Italian magazine L'Espresso. Bollani, a musician, writer and semi-stand up comedian, is at his peak. Only last year, he was named Musician of the Year by Musica Magazine and his ECM CD Piano Solo was awarded Record of the Year.

The full Bollani experience, though, comes when he's on stage, mostly because of his Puck-like spirit whenever there is a piano and an audience. The CD features Bollani in trio with Ares Tavolazzi (bass) and Walter Paoli (drums). The opening piece is the bossa nova-like Bollani original "Eravamo un manipolo di eroi. Here the musicians brilliantly create an embroidery of notes, with the light colors being darkened by the instruments exchanging roles continuously. Also included are other original tunes: "Elena e il suo violino, a ballad he often plays solo, and "Logorio della vita moderna, a tenser piece with a smooth piano release. In "Morph the Cat, a composition by Steely Dan's Donald Fagen, Bollani is the blue cat that appears in different corners of Manhattan. "La puerta, "All The Things You Are, "Moonlight Serenade and "Puttin' on the Ritz are all transformed through Bollani's original touch. The CD closes with a typical Bollani signature: imitating the voices and the musical peculiarities of his colleagues. In "Copacabana he's a perfect Paolo Conte. As Bollani states, "Even Paolo Conte thought it was himself playing. The final joke—understandable only to the Italian speaking crowd—refers to the length of the piece: "This piece lasts 27 more minutes, if you applaud now, we can end it here.

Track Listing: Eravamo un manipolo di eroi; Elena e il suo violino; Morph the Cat; La puerta; Logorio della vita moderne; All The Things You Are; Moonlight Serenade; Puttin' on the Ritz; Copacabana.

Personnel: Stefano Bollani: piano; Ares Tavolazzi: bass; Walter Paoli: drums.

Egberto Gismonti: Danca das Cabecas (1977)

2011-09-17T05:04:00.000-07:00

Egberto Gismonti: Danca das Cabecas (1977)

Dança Das Cabeças is Egberto Gismonti's debut album for ECM Records.

Egberto Gismonti is one of the most talented jazz musicians around. His flute-playing is pretty impressive on side one; his guitar work, also on side one, is simply staggering. But when you turned the LP over and heard his fantastic piano, you cannot help but be amazed. I know nothing about the technicalities of playing keyboards, but if someone had told me it was Keith Jarrett or Lyle Mays playing, I would have believed them.

This is one of those LPs that I bought when it first came out, back in 1977, and have re-purchased on CD. This is where it all started, ECM-wise, for Gismonti and Vansconcelos. As soon as you start playing the album, you feel like you've let the Amazonian jungle into your room. Vasconcelos can conjure up an entire rainforest with his percussive background effects. Gismonti spent a period in the Brazilian jungle working with Indian musicians in order to gather material for this album, and it shows ... wonderfully. I should add that Gismonti is a classically trained musician -- he had studied in Paris.

As you hear to this music, you will enjoy one of the most singular and beautiful musical experiences one can ever have. Egberto Gismontis' sincerity, and his sense of touch, rhythm and musical spirit goes far beyond any standard, and reaches a realm of freedom and beauty that truly enhances our cultural condition, remaining as "a thing of beauty", sublime and lasting forever. Alone or in the context of his whole work, this recording expresses one of the most original musical minds of this centuries (XX and XXI). So, take your time, make sure nothing will brake your listening, and do enjoy this musical rite as a true ascension to the heights of beauty.

Track listing

"Part I" – 25:21

Quarto Mundo no. 1 (E. Gismonti)

Dança Das Cabecas (E. Gismonti)

Águas Luminosas (D. Bressane)

Celebração De Núpcias (E. Gismonti)

Porta Encantada (E. Gismonti)

Quarto Mundo no. 2 (E. Gismonti)

"Part II" – 24:30

Tango (E. Gismonti/G.E. Carneiro)

Bambuzal (E. Gismonti)

Fé Cega Faca Amolada (M.Nascimento/R. Bastos)

Dança Solitária (E. Gismonti)

Personnel

Egberto Gismonti - 8 String Guitar, Piano, Wood Flutes, Voice

Nana Vasconcelos - Percussion, Berimbau, Corpo, Voice

Hallo

2011-09-13T01:43:00.001-07:00

hallo

Cassandra Wilson: Blue Light Till Dawn (1993)

2011-09-10T13:36:00.000-07:00

Cassandra Wilson has steadfastly refused to be pigeonholed or confined to any stylistic formula. Her highly anticipated Blue Note debut may stir renewed controversy, as she is once again all over the place. She begins the set with her intriguing version of "You Don't Know What Love Is." Then she moves from two Robert Johnson covers ("Come on in My Kitchen" and "Hellhound on My Trail") through rock compositions from Van Morrison and Joni Mitchell, her own title track, blues cut "Redbone," and a piercing version of "I Can't Stand the Rain" that can hold up to comparisons with Ann Peebles' classic. She doesn't have Johnson's menacing quality (who does?), but does invoke an equally compelling air. Wilson has great timing, pacing, and delivery, and certainly has blues sensibility in her sound.

Cassandra Wilson is a postmodern jazz singer, a conceptualist who sees no dividing lines between genres. If her career had commenced in the 1970s rather than the label-conscious 1990s she would have been marketed as a mainstream pop diva. Her magnificent voice and interpretive genius mark her as a jazz singer for the ages, however. She finds her material wherever her fancy takes her and remakes it in her own image, whether it be the country blues of Robert Johnson's "Come On in My Kitchen" and "Hellhound On My Trail," the soul of Ann Peebles's "I Can't Stand the Rain," the elegant R&B of Charles Brown's "Tell Me You'll Wait for Me," the melodic pop of Joni Mitchell's "Black Crow," and Van Morrison's "Tupelo Honey," or her own "Redbone"--and the title track, accompanied by steel guitarist Gib Wharton. --John Swenson

Track listing

"You Don't Know What Love Is" (Gene DePaul, Don Raye) — 6:05

"Come On In My Kitchen" (Robert Johnson) — 4:53

"Tell Me You'll Wait For Me" (Charles Brown, Oscar Moore) — 4:48

"Children Of The Night" (Thom Bell, Linda Creed) — 5:19

"Hellhound on My Trail" (Johnson) — 4:34

"Black Crow" (Joni Mitchell) — 4:38

"Sankofa" (Cassandra Wilson) — 2:02

"Estrellas" (Cyro Baptista) — 1:59

"Redbone" (Wilson) — 5:35

"Tupelo Honey" (Van Morrison) — 5:36

"Blue Light 'til Dawn" (Wilson) — 5:09

"I Can't Stand the Rain" (Don Bryant, Bernard Miller, Ann Peebles) — 5:27

Personnel

Cassandra Wilson – vocal

Olu Dara – cornet

Don Byron – clarinet

Charlie Burnham – violin, mandocello

Tony Cedras – accordion

Brandon Ross, Chris Whitley – guitar

Gib Wharton – pedal steel guitar

Kenny Davis, Lonnie Plaxico – bass

Lance Carter, Kevin Johnson, Bill McClellan, Jeff Haynes, Cyro Baptista, Cyro – percussion

Charlie Haden-Egberto Gismonti: In Montreal (1989)

2011-09-08T07:15:00.000-07:00

Charlie Haden/Egberto Gismonti: In Montreal (1989)

Twelve years after the fact, this live duet performance from the 1989 Montreal Jazz Festival has finally been brought to light. It's a wonderful combination: Charlie Haden is comfortable in just about any setting (consider his tenures with Ornette Coleman, the Liberation Music Orchestra, and Keith Jarrett's American Quartet). Egberto Gismonti has been continuously honing and refining his idiosyncratic folk/jazz/Brazillian guitar (and piano) work on a couple dozen recordings in different settings since the '70s.

The '89 Montreal Jazz Festival was indeed momentous. Haden appeared on four Verve discs memorializing his live performances that summer, including three different piano trios with Paul Motian. This one stands out from the rest: it's so strikingly intimate that it strongly accents the personalities involved.

That said, it must be made clear that Gismonti really takes the helm on this recording. Not only are seven of the nine tracks his compositions, but his fingerprints are everywhere. Gismonti's stylized approach to piano and guitar often demand that Haden approach his instrument from different angles: melodic counterpoint, pulse, and lead. Haden adapts deftly. Shifting from guitar to piano and back, Gismonti generally adopts a shared approach, relying an ostinato pulse and pattering rhythmic chords as the foundation for stepwise transitions in harmony; or he simply pulses away in a gentle, understated way. The second track, Gismonti's "Maracatú," builds in both density and intensity, then relaxes into gentle undulating tones from both players that slowly fade away. You breathe. Then Haden's "First Song" begins almost inaudibly with quiet commentary, leading dramatically into a stark, folkish melody bearing obvious similarity to his Americana duets with Pat Metheny in '96. It demands faster changes from the guitarist, and a jazzier role than Gismonti usually delivers. Haden steps up into the lead, offering a warm, gentle, and uplifting melody—then Gismonti follows suit with a harmonized stroll of his own.

The remarkable "Em Familia" takes Gismonti into unexpectedly explosive territory, where the simple force of his guitar attack lifts the whole piece into the stratosphere; Haden hammers away behind him as they navigate several mountain passes. Six minutes into this piece, Gismonti pulls some tricks from his back pocket, using harmonics, muting, and various alternative techniques to achieve thread-like timbres. This tune stands as the true high-water mark on an otherwise fine record.

It's rare to hear such a dramatically successful live performance, and these two musicians clearly have a natural affinity for each other. Given the personalities involved, that makes sense. In Montreal stands right up there alongside Haden's other recorded masterpieces from that 1989 festival. (Only one complaint here: too much applause in the edits. But I suppose it's only fair to give the producer some slack for lingering on the cheers, since that energy seems to feed forward with these two players.) Ah, the inexorable problem with great live records... you just wish you had only been there.

Track Listing: Salvador; Maracatu; First Song; Palhaco; Silence; Em Familia; Loro; Frevo; Don Quixote.

Personnel: Charlie Haden: bass; Egberto Gismonti: guitar, piano.

Chris Potter: Undergound (2006)

2011-09-06T08:28:00.000-07:00

Chris Potter: Underground (2006)

Billed as Chris Potter's funk album, Underground takes a conceptual leap of faith into uncharted waters. Classifying this as either a funk or a fusion record is shortsighted. Though a strong rhythmic undercurrent flows through the majority of the record, it offers much more.

One of the most promising tenor saxophonists of his generation, Potter is joined by an all-star lineup. Ubiquitous keyboardist Craig Taborn handles double duty as Fender Rhodes soloist and the group's bass foundation. Underexposed but distinctive fusion guitarist Wayne Krantz makes a rare sideman appearance. His singular approach reveals a vast range of expression—from delicate, unadorned lyricism to raucous, metallic furor. Drummer Nate Smith demonstrates a remarkably dynamic sensibility. Smith may be the least well-known member of the quartet, but he contributes an infectious enthusiasm that elevates the entire group.

Potter's writing is often knotty and complex but never stifling, allowing his bandmates ample flexibility within the structures. Engaging in simultaneous four-way call and response, their tight rapport is focused, but not traditionally straight-ahead. While these arrangements are more obtuse than those of a typical groove session, they still deliver the goods.

Alternating between driving funk and ambient introspection, Underground is sequenced to maintain interest over the duration. When Smith digs deep into the backbeat, bringing the rhythm to a boil, the quartet goes for broke. Potter's intervallic linearity culminates in passionate screams, while Krantz's muscular guitar fires torrents of serpentine melody. Taborn spins swirling Fender Rhodes lines that invoke past masters while advancing headlong into the future. Taborn's bass notes are the quartet's secret weapon. The softly insinuated harmonic anchor of the Fender Rhodes avoids the pneumatic conventions of slapped electric bass and other such funk tropes. This ethereal vibe permeates the album, distancing it from similar efforts.

Not all is roiling intensity, however. Potter demonstrates lyrical fluency on a gorgeously spacey interpretation of "Lotus Flower," providing respite from angular, contrapuntal workouts. Updating standard repertoire, Potter provides a studied but passionate reading of Radiohead's "Morning Bell," as well as closing the album with a brief but gorgeous take of the Beatles' "Yesterday."

Breathing fresh life into a genre fraught with clichés, Potter's quartet proves that primal groove and intricate interplay needn't be mutually exclusive. Underground is yet another document in the early stages of what should prove to be a long and fruitful career.

Track Listing: Next Best Western; Morning Bell; Nudnik; Lotus Blossom; Big Top; The Wheel; Celestial Nomad; Underground; Yesterday.

Personnel: Chris Potter: tenor saxophone; Wayne Krantz: electric guitar; Craig Taborn: Fender Rhodes; Nate Smith: drums; Adam Rogers: electric guitar (6,9).

Nils Petter Molvaer: Solid Ether (2001)

2011-09-04T13:30:00.000-07:00

Nils Petter Molvaer: Solid Ether (2001)

Norwegian trumpet player Nils Petter Molvær captures himself in a swirling electronic nightmare of his own creation on Solid Ether (ECM). A stunning meltdown of classic jazz trumpet styles with modern techno, drum-and-bass and electronic music, Solid Ether continues and expands the stylish deviltry of Khamer, Molvær’s debut as a leader for ECM in 1998. Khamer claimed awards in Norway, Germany, and “Jazz Record of the Year” from “The L.A. Times.” This challenging, inventive follow-up does not disappoint.

Molvær performs on trumpet, piccolo trumpet, bass, percussion, electronics, synthesizers, and sound treatments. His professed influences – Miles, Don Cherry, Jon Hassell – are evident in his trumpet playing, when he aspires to sound “in my best moments, as a singer.” But he also deploys those same influences in the music he writes around his trumpet sound, in combination with the influence of modern constructionists such as Bill Laswell and Brian Eno who manage to fringe the edges of pop and non-pop music. In this respect, the traditionally crisp and icy sound of ECM Records serves him well.

Molvær strides into his solo trumpet introduction to the opening cut, “Dead Indeed,” in sharp, smart lines like Freddie Hubbard. After the song erupts into a techno-color maelstrom, with clanging robotic drums and squalling electronics, that same trumpet provides a cool, detached fulcrum to the piece.

“Ligotage” presents a brawling update of the single Molvær released in between his two albums. It casts Cherry’s “third world” trumpet style in an intense dub/jungle setting worthy of Sly & Robbie, ripe with wah-wah guitars and explosive samples and screeches from DJ Strangefruit, to create thoroughly original and modern music. It bleeds into “Trip,” where Molvær’s soft, feathery downward trumpet modulation and the sense of adventure in the accompanying undertow somehow evoke both echoes of Davis and new, exciting ideas.

“Merciful” continues Molvær’s series of collaborations with poet Sidsel Endresen, as she adorns his composition with Joni Mitchell-like lyrics and vocals, supported only with his piano; it is reprised for a quiet moment at the end of the set.

Molvær found inspiration for Solid Ether ’s title track, a jarring sonic landscape full of trumpet (almost a tribute to Hassell and Cherry in its long, flowing lines and unique colors), DJ scratching, hip-hop beats and dangerous sharp curves, in underground DJs the Basement Jaxx. “They have all these beats going on, stopping and starting all the time, and they use delays to weave them together,” he explains. “It’s an idea I like and have adapted.”

On Solid Ether, Molvær is joined by guitarist Eivind Aarset, bassist Auden Erlien, DJ Strangefruit (Paul Nyhus), and drummers Rune Arnesen and Per Lundvall (who played with Abba in what must have been another lifetime).

Track Listing:

Dead Indeed,

Vilderness 1,

Kakonita,

Merciful 1,

Ligotage,

Trip,

Vilderness 2,

Tragamar,

Solid Ether,

Merciful 2.

Nils Petter Molvaer: Re-Vision (2008)

2011-09-03T09:39:00.000-07:00

Nils Petter Molvaer: Re-Vision (2008)

The music of Norwegian trumpeter/Nu Jazz progenitor, Nils Petter Molvaer, has always been cinematic. Call it music for a non-existent movie or a film of the mind, Molvaer's albums, beginning with the groundbreaking Khmer (ECM, 1997), have always been about aural landscapes evocative of highly personal imagery and plenty of club-ready grooves. Even in performance, the lighting provided by Tord "Prince of Darkness" Knudsen is intended to provoke the imagination rather than focus attention on the musicians.

It's no surprise, then, that Molvaer has been recruited to provide music for film. His score for the 2005 French film Edy already saw limited release on Molvaer's Sula imprint the same year. Re-Vision culls four pieces from Edy and, by combining them with music from two other films—the 2007 German film Hoppet and 1999 Norwegian documentary Frozen Heart—and one non-soundtrack piece, fashions a continuous 46-minute suite that stands independently as yet another highly visual piece, incorporating Molvaer's ever-expanding frames of reference.

Re-Vision is also Molvaer's first release in years to not primarily feature members of his touring band, but guitarist Eivind Aarset remains a fundamental part of its overall soundscape. Aarset's Sonic Codex (Jazzland, 2007) possesses some of his most overtly recognizable guitar tones in years, but here he's in full-out textural mode; an essential if rarely recognizable sonic contributor to half of Re-Vision's sometimes dense, other times spacious twelve tracks. Punkt Festival artistic co-director/Molvaer touring group member Jan Bang also shows up on the non-score "Perimeters," providing ambient textures and beats which are ethnic rather than dance floor in nature.

Anders Engen and Italian expat Paolo Vinaccia provide live percussion on a handful of tracks, but it's Molvaer—perfecter of the "recording studio as laboratory" concept—who contributes most of Re-Vision's instrumentation. Still, amidst a broad personal palette Molvaer's trumpet remains distinctive, ranging from unaffected and spare on the solo "Trumpet Player in the Backyard" to heavily processed and utilizing a variety of extended techniques on the propulsive "The Beginning" and darker-hued "Alone in the Bathtub."

Molvaer's lyricism continues to be a defining characteristic and, despite the preconception that programming might imply, he clearly remains an improvising musician. There's little in the way of delineated soloing here; instead, his trumpet moves in and out of the mix, a distinctive focal point that helps the music flow seamlessly from one terrain to the next.

Molvaer's sonic bag of tricks isn't restricted solely to his horn and an array of electronic manipulation. On "Visitation," he plays the double-reeded duduk which, in its plaintive, haunting melancholy, recalls Armenian duduk master Djivan Gasparyan's cult classic, I Will Not Be Sad In This World (Opal, 1989).

While many of Molvaer's markers can be found on Re-Vision—techno beats, processed soundscapes, world music references and improvisation—with a purer cinematic purpose it both fits in and stands out amongst Molvaer's growing discography, an album of exceptional beauty, emotional depth and visual resonance.

Track Listing:

Torn (from the film Hoppet);

The Beginning (from the film Edy);

Alone in the Bathtub (from the film Edy);

Visitation (from the film Hoppet);

Arctic Dub (from the film Frozen Heart);

Perimeters;

Trumpet Player in the Backyard (from the film Edy);

The End (from the film Edy);

The Visitor (from the film Hoppet);

Azads Theme (from the film Hopper);

Decisions (from the film Hoppet);

Leaps and Bounds (from the film Hopper).

Personnel: Nils Petter Molvaer: trumpet, all other instruments (1-3, 5, 8, 12), all instruments (10), duduk (4), soundscapes (4, 9, 11); Eivind Aarset: guitars (1-3, 5, 8, 12); Nizamettin Aric: voice (1, 12); Anders Engen: drums (2, 3, 8); Jan Bang: beats and soundscapes (6); Paolo Vinaccia: percussion (12).

Ornette Coleman : The Shape of Jazz to Come (1959)

2011-09-01T11:36:00.000-07:00

Ornette Coleman

The Shape Of Jazz To Come

Atlantic

1959

Ornette Coleman's Contemporary Records releases Something Else!!!! (1958) and Tomorrow Is The Question! (1959) documented the alto saxophonist's development from the last vestiges of bebop toward a harmonically freer jazz language. Coleman's album titles became more prophetic as they were released. The Shape Of Jazz To Come is a further, but not yet completed, evolution away from harmonic harnesses of the swing and bebop eras.

If Something Else!!!! brought the jazz literati's ears to attention with its spherical, untethered solos; and Tomorrow is the Question! further justified baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan's necessary sans-piano format, then The Shape Of Jazz To Come was the 16-inch shot across the bow of conventional jazz wisdom. It paved the artistic way for the next Coleman recording, The Change Of The Century (Atlantic, 1959). Gone are the chordal patterns that guided alto saxophonist Charlie Parker out of the swing era. Gone is the harmonic anchor of piano or guitar that was a jazz mainstay for years. What is left is a gently directed independent music trajectory, a concurrent and separate mode of invention for four instruments playing with only experience and self-understanding.

The structure (if that is what it can be called) of the six pieces comprising The Shape Of Jazz To Come is presentation of a theme (or traditional head) followed by free improvisation in the solo sections by Coleman and cornetist Don Cherry followed by restatement of the theme, multiple times, in some cases. Coleman hits upon his most empathic band with bassist Charlie Haden and drummer Billy Higgins, who remain reluctant last attachments to the old ways, providing a rock-solid swing to the recording as well as their own informed solo sections without interfering with Coleman's direction.

Coleman's approach is not unlike that employed by trumpeter Miles Davis that same year on Kind Of Blue (Columbia), recorded on March 2 and April 22, 1959, where Davis entered the studio with sketches of pieces and directed the band to improvise over scales rather than chords. What Coleman did differently with The Shape Of Jazz To Come (recorded May 22, 1959) was to do away with even scalar organization, opening up the solo canvas not simply two-dimensionally, but to fully four dimensions. The result to the jazz world was a full assault on two fronts that would eventually pave the way for post bop and fusion and bolder free jazz exploration.

The Shape Of Jazz To Come in a microcosm, can be heard in "Lonely Woman," a tune so far reaching yet amenable to coverage—by the Modern Jazz Quartet in 1962 on Lonely Woman (Atlantic) and saxophonist John Zorn in 1989 on Naked City (Nonesuch))—that it help ease Coleman's jazz medicine down critically. The rhythm is established by Haden, strumming bass chords, and Higgins, establishing the poly-rhythms of a near Eastern Indian mantra. Coleman and Cherry add their own Eastern flourishes saturated with the blues. It is mournful and searching, with enough dissonance to distract without covering first Coleman's and then Cherry's earthy, nearly down-home solos.

The ballad (if such definitions anymore apply) "Peace" is the most revealing track on the album. It offers Haden duets with the two soloists with appropriately minimal support form Higgins. Coleman and Cherry mix the entire history of jazz into their solos, expressing the results calmly and with purpose. Drawing from all of the genre influences surrounding him, Coleman plotted a course that led to this groundbreaking record, still, oddly, only the beginning of the revolution. In the meantime, tenor saxophonist John Coltrane, who, by the end of the next decade, would have exhausted what Coleman starts here, was in New York with Davis making a history of a different sort.

Tracks: Lonely Woman; Eventually; Peace; Focus on Sanity; Congeniality; Chronology.

Personnel: Ornette Coleman: alto saxophone; Don Cherry: coronet; Charlie Haden: bass; Billy Higgins: drums.

Chris Potter Quartet: Lift "Live at The Village Vanguard" (2002)

2011-08-30T02:53:00.000-07:00

Chris Potter Quartet:
Lift "Live at The Village Vanguard" (2002)

Just as you're about to really get into tenor saxophonist Chris Potter's funky unaccompanied solo on "7.5," the rest of the band charges in, led by Kevin Hays on an electric keyboard sounding like a ringing cell phone. It grabs your attention, and the band doesn't let go for the next fifteen minutes, with Hays soloing commandingly on piano, and Potter and the song's composer, drummer Bill Stewart, duetting in gripping, telepathic fashion. Stewart carries on with bassist Scott Colley before Potter returns, shadowed by Hays' touch tones.

Colley propels "What You Wish" as Potter lays line on top of line, intensifying the composition as he follows each idea. As the piece continues, Hays takes his turn, generating as much momentum as Potter before him. Potter starts "Stella by Starlight" with a delicate reading, the atmosphere handled by Stewart's continuous brushing, Colley's solid bass, and Hays' piano flourishes, before he opens his heart and gets strong supportive backing from the band.

The title track is complex, shifting among tempos and soloists so that it's three or four tunes in one. By the end, the band is in a race to the finish line, until they cross it and restate the melody to cool down. The lovely "Okinawa" features Potter's soprano and a minimalist piano solo echoed by Hays' simultaneous keyboard. The effect is ethereal and graceful, suggestive of a Japanese koto.

The program closes with a version of Mingus' "Boogie Stop Shuffle" in two parts. The first, a solo intro, puts Potter's round tone on display in a cascade of notes before finally taking aim at the melody, and the band joins in to swing the tune like it was meant to be swung. To tackle Mingus without a big band, you need a band that sounds big, and with Hays doubling on electric and acoustic keys, together with the hard swing of Stewart and Colley, the quartet manages to sound twice its size.

Track Listing:

1 7.5 14:57

2 What You Wish 13:51

3 Stella by Starlight 7:16

4 Lift 11:58

5 Okinawa 9:15

6 Boogie Stop Shuffle Sax Intro 4:13

7 Boogie Stop Shuffle 15:09

Personnel: Scott Colley: Bass; Kevin Hays: Piano, Fender Rhodes;Bill Stewart, Drums; Chris Potter: Tenor Sax.

Patricia Barber: Verse (2002)

2011-08-29T09:46:00.000-07:00

Patricia Barber: Verse (2002)

Eclectic in everything she does, Patricia Barber has come up with a winner in Verse. Sound samples may be found at www.patriciabarber.com . All original material, Barber's songs tell stories and bring each tale's meaning around emphatically through modern mainstream jazz interpretations. Reaching into folk song territory, the vocalist provides timeless spiritual communication: made for jazz and designed to appeal to everyone who likes good vocal art. Dave Douglas, Neal Alger and Joey Baron prove superb partners for Barber's venture. Together, they're what makes the world go 'round. Verse appears to be the logical selection for best jazz album of the year.

By moving jazz along the modern mainstream highway to an area where new sounds blend with timeless tales in perfect harmony, Barber's succeeded in going over the top.

Track Listing:
The Moon; Lost In This Love; Clues; Pieces; I Could Eat Your Words; The Fire; Regular Pleasures; Dansons La Gigue ; You Gotta Go Home; If I Were Blue.

Personnel:
Patricia Barber- vocals, piano, Fender Rhodes; Dave Douglas- trumpet; Joey Baron- drums; Michael Arnopol- bass; Neal Alger- guitars; Eric Montzka- drums on "You Gotta Go Home;" Cliff Colnot- arranger, conductor for "Clues;" Paul Phillips, Marlou Johnston, Ronald Satkiewicz, Baird Dodge, Fox Fehling, Qing Hou, Lei Hou, Robert Swan, Karen Dirks, Lawrence Neuman, Lee Lane, Katinka Kleijn, Lawrence Brown, Judy Stone- strings on "Clues."

Kenny Garrett - Pursuance: The Music Of John Coltrane (1996)

2011-08-25T06:53:00.000-07:00

Kenny Garrett - Pursuance: The Music Of John Coltrane (1996)

While clearly paying homage to Coltrane Kenny Garrett is such a huge talent that he creates something here that is uniquely his own. Never imitative the tunes have the spirit of Coltrane's versions while incorporating a bright texture that centers on Garrett's alto but is certainly enhanced by the addition of Pat Methany. Brian Blades is amazing as always. This guy is Max Roach and Tony Williams in one package. What a drummer ! Overall this is a very fine collection and Garrett can play both melodically sweet and on the edge in a way that makes him one of this eras finest jazz musicians. Highly recommended.

01. Countdown (3:42)

02. Equinox (7:38)

03. Liberia (7:33)

04. Dear Lord (5:53)

05. Lonnie's Lament (5:23)

06. After the Rain (7:21)

07. Like Sonny (6:13)

08. Pursuance (6:05)

09. Alabama (6:10)

10. Giant Steps (3:23)

11. Latifa (5:47)

Kenny Garrett (alto saxophone)

Pat Metheny (guitars)

Rodney Whitaker (bass)

Brian Blade (drums)

Herbie Hancock: River: The Joni Letters (2007)

2011-08-22T10:47:00.000-07:00

Herbie Hancock: River: The Joni Letters (2007)

While it might be easy, on the surface, to view pianist Herbie Hancock's River: The Joni Letters as a continuation of Possibilities (Hear, 2005), nothing could be further from the truth. Possibilities was an unapologetically pop record; River is unequivocally jazz—although such broad classifications shouldn't matter. River is, quite simply, a superb disc that takes Joni Mitchell's extant jazz proclivities and gives them an even greater interpretive boost.

The majority of River is culled from Mitchell's "classic" songwriting period—Clouds (Reprise, 1969) through Hejira (Asylum, 1976). Still, "Tea Leaf Prophecy," from Chalk Mark in a Rainstorm (Geffen, 1988), featuring a guest vocal appearance from the songwriter herself, proves that, while she may not be writing as consistently, she still is capable of greatness. Here Hancock's group—saxophonist Wayne Shorter (no stranger to Mitchell), bassist Dave Holland, drummer Vinnie Colaiuta and guitarist Lionel Loueke—plays it light, with a gentle bossa rhythm that's even more harmonically rarified than Mitchell's arsenal of open tunings have been on her own versions.

The title track from Court and Spark (Asylum, 1974) begins in pianistic abstraction, but ultimately settles into a soft groove for Norah Jones' characteristically relaxed vocal delivery. But while the groove remains during both Shorter and Hancock's solos, the group transcends Mitchell's innate lyricism into more adventurous territory. Holland skirts the line between interaction and anchor, while Colaiuta is the biggest revelation. Best known as a virtuosic powerhouse drummer, his remarkably subtle work throughout the album affirms there's far more to him than reputation suggests.

Tina Turner turns in a surprisingly understated "Edith and the Kingpin," from The Hissing of Summer Lawns (Asylum, 1975), while neo-soulstress Corinne Bailey Rae's sweet-voiced version of Blue's (Reprise, 1971) "River" feels almost paradoxical, turning the song's plaintive wish into optimistic reality. Leonard Cohen approaches "The Jungle Line" as spoken word in duet with Hancock, who stretches the esoteric Hissing tune even farther, while Shorter winds in, out and around Luciana Souza—whose own The New Bossa Nova (Verve, 2007) establishes an unmistakable debt to Mitchell—on a deeply personal reading of Hejira's "Amelia."

Two non-Mitchell instrumentals—Duke Ellington's classic "Solitude" and Shorter's "Nefertiti"—draw a direct line between Mitchell and the jazz world. "Nefertiti" is especially notable. The original, mid-1960s Miles Davis Quintet version was a vibrant feature for the late drummer Tony Williams. Here, Shorter plays more liberally with the repeating theme, with Hancock driving the tune's improvisational core, while Colaiuta begins in relative quiet, but builds to a powerful climax before everyone fades gently to black.

But it's Clouds' classic "Both Sides Now" that defines the album's elegant but intrepid spirit. Mitchell's familiar melody may be obscured by a more daring and elastic approach, but it's there nevertheless. River: The Joni Letters is both classic Hancock and proof of the potential for Mitchell's material to be taken even further into the jazz sphere, with a group that respects the writing while viewing it as grist for greater liberties.

Track Listing: Court and Spark; Edith and the Kingpin; Both Sides Now; River; Sweet Bird; Tea Leaf Propechy; Solitude; Amelia; Nefertiti; The Jungle Line.

Personnel: Herbie Hancock: piano; Wayne Shorter: soprano and tenor saxophones; Dave Holland: bass; Vinnie Colaiuta: drums; Lionel Loueke: guitar; Norah Jones: vocal (1); Tina Turner: vocal (2); Corinne Bailey Rae: vocal (4); Joni Mitchell: vocal (6); Luciana Souza: vocal (8); Leonard Cohen: vocal (10).

Kenny Garrett: Beyond the Wall (2006)

2011-08-20T16:00:00.000-07:00

Kenny Garrett: Beyond the Wall

Sometimes homages can be too reverential. Alto saxophonist Kenny Garrett, with a spiritual energy mirroring a significant influence, John Coltrane, intended to use Beyond the Wall as an opportunity to record with pianist McCoy Tyner, with whom he's shared the bandstand on occasion. Though a scheduling conflict prevented Tyner from participating, his spirit—and that of his late employer—looms large over the project. The result echoes the scope of larger-scale Tyner projects like Asante (Blue Note, 1970) and the fierce modality of middle-period Coltrane.

With Tyner unavailable, Garrett's choice of Mulgrew Miller was inevitable. With so many pianists citing Bill Evans as a primary influence, Miller has defined his career by looking to Tyner for his primary inspiration. Garrett had already tailored his writing on Beyond the Wall to Tyner's distinctive language, so Miller gets to pay tribute but, with a more muscular sound, still speak with his own voice. And direct links are forged on most of the disc, to both Tyner and Coltrane, with the appearances of tenor saxophonist Pharoah Sanders and vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson.

Beyond the Wall came about because of a 2005 visit to mainland China, inspired by Garrett's longstanding interest in the nation's culture and spirituality. He's always been a deeply passionate player who can speak volumes with a single note, and the relentless intensity of the majority of this record makes it the most purely cathartic album he's ever recorded.

Whether it's the out-of-time opening to "Calling," which resolves into a slow 6/8 vamp where Sanders and Garrett solo in tandem, or the up-tempo burn of the title track, everyone is firing on all cylinders. And while the route through Tyner must inherently lead back to Coltrane, Garrett's heads—more fully-realized than Coltrane's relatively short themes—echo Tyner's more compositional approach to setting context for improvisation.

There is some respite, specifically "Realization: Marching Towards the Light)," where a sampled chorus is the pulse that drives the song, and the chamber-like "Tsunami Song," featuring Garrett on piano and a haunting melody played by Guowei Wang on the bowed, two-stringed erhu.

From there it's a gradual buildup from the light funk of "Kiss to the Skies" to the finale, "May Peace Be Upon Them." "Kiss" is one of four songs to feature wordless vocals and, while they're interesting the first few times around, they ultimately feel superfluous. "May Peace" is curiously ambiguous, beginning in a gentle space but leading to an out-of-time whirlpool of sound featuring Garrett at his most visceral.

It's hard to find fault with the deeply emotional ride of Beyond the Wall except, perhaps, in its unrelenting seriousness. Still, with a cast of players this strong, one can forgive its earnestness and revel in performances that bring Tyner's and Coltrane's innovations into the 21st Century.

Track Listing: Calling; Beyond the Wall; Qing Wen; Realization (Marching Toward the Light); Tsunami Song; Kiss to the Skies; Now; Gwoka; May Peace Be Upon Them.

Personnel: Kenny Garrett: alto saxophone (1-4,6-9), piano (5); Pharaoh Sanders: tenor saxophone (1-4,6-8); Mulgrew Miller (1-4,6-9); Robert Hurst, III: bass; Brian Blade: drums; Bobby Hutcherson: vibes (3,4,6,7,8); Ruggerio Boccato: percussion (1,3,4-8); Nedelka Echols: vocals (3,4,6,8); Genea Martin, Kevin Wheatley, Arlene Lewis, Geovanti Steward, Dawn Caveness: vocals (6,8): vocals; Guowei Wang: erhu (5); Jonathan Gandelsman: violin (5); Neil Humphrey: cello (5); Susan Jolles: harp (5).

Bill Charlap Trio - Stardust (2002)

2011-08-17T04:10:00.000-07:00

Bill Charlap Trio - Stardust (2002)

With his elegant lyric sensibility and use of classic harmonies which might be characterised as equal parts Hank Jones and Bill Evans, pianist Bill Charlap manages to suggest something at once timeless and modern in his approach to jazz piano. And while references to past and present masters of the keyboard abound in this recital of Hoagy Carmichael compositions (as in his tasty appropriation of Evans's tolling intro to "Some Other Time" on a poignant reading of "The Nearness of You", or his interpolation of Red Garland's "Billy Boy" as a prelude to "I Walk with Music"), Charlap manages to evoke the dreamy, unhurried character redolent of so much of Carmichael's music, while maintaining his own probing, crystalline presence. Thus, while a briskly swinging jaunt through "Jubilee" finds him navigating an equestrian set of changes in a round-robin romp with his exceptionally empathetic rhythm mates (bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington), his sultry flirting with tenorist Frank Wess on "Blue Orchids" and his lofty harmonic byplay with guitarist Jim Hall reveal a musician wise beyond his years--restrained and relaxed and confident enough not to hide behind a fusillade of empty notes. Such maturity is part of what makes his storytelling accompaniments behind master vocalists Tony Bennett and Shirley Horn--and a breathtakingly slow, humid trio treatment of "Georgia"--so richly rewarding. --Chip Stern

Tracks

1 Jubilee

2 I Get Along Without You Very Well (Except Sometimes)

3 Rockin' Chair

4 I Walk With Music

5 Two Sleepy People

6 The Nearness Of You

7 One Morning In May

8 Blue Orchids

9 Georgia On My Mind

10 Stardust

11 Skylark

Bill Charlap (Piano)

Kenny Washington (Drums)

Peter Washington (Bass)

Tonny Bennett & Shirley Horn (Vocals)

Jim Hall (Guitar)

Frank Wess (Tenor Sax)

Chris Potter: Unspoken (1997)

2011-08-14T01:47:00.000-07:00

Chris Potter: Unspoken (1997)

Twenty-seven year old reed man Chris Potter made a big splash on his 1992 debut as a leader for Criss Cross. He showed remarkable promise not only in tenor sax work, but also on alto, soprano, bass clarinet and alto flute. On this one he sticks to tenor and soprano, but his playing is no less fluent and capable. An all-star lineup joins the former Steely Dan and Joe Henderson sideman for this date: John Scofield on guitar, Dave Holland on bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums. All four are in top form for this album, which manages to be warm, smooth, inviting, and adventurous all in one package.

Potter shows that he's been doing his homework. "Wistful," the opening track, veers perilously close to Coltrane Imitator Wasteland, but Potter skirts the edge of homage without lapsing into slavish regurgitation. "Hieroglyph" recalls Coltrane on soprano, complete with a tasty proto-world music ostinato from Holland, but again, Potter's playing is fresh and involving. "Seven Eleven," on the other hand, makes you wonder if Chris was digging into his Ornette collection. Then "Amsterdam Blues" starts with an unaccompanied tenor of such quality that I became sure I'd find some of the works of Mr. Sonny Rollins over at Chris's house. Still and all, Potter is a player of enormous talent who is already far along in synthesizing these and other influences. This is a fine album, but I'll bet I'll like his release of 2007 even better.

The highlight here is "Et Tu, Brute?", the album's most striking track. Scofield contributes some scalding guitar licks to a rhythmically complex workout requiring some careful listening by the quartet. Of course, these guys are old hands, and they come through. With no loss of energy, the lovely title track follows, featuring some tasty arco by Holland and passionate playing by everyone. "Time Zone" is as far out as this one gets, with some remarkable variations of mood and tempo a free section of great vigor. Potter is clearly the star here, proving he's worthy of the company he keeps.

The legendary trumpeter Red Rodney loved this "kid:" "This kid is exactly what I like to hear in a kid. He sucked up everything like a sponge, but his sound is original; his articulation is different from anybody; his harmonic knowledge is profound." Red was right. The kid has a great tone, great chops, and by the way, he wrote all the tunes. While this is relatively common these days, Potter's tunes show a wealth of good sense, imagination, and care. He's paid attention to architectonics, and it shows.

Unspoken is a solid album from start to finish.

1-Wistful

2-Seven Eleven

3-Hieroglyph

4-Amsterdam Blues

5-Et Tu, Brute?

6-Unspoken

7-No Cigar

8-Time Zone

9-New Vision

Chris Potter (woodwinds, soprano & tenor saxophones)

John Scofield (Guitar)

Dave Holland (Bass)

Jack DeJohnette (Drums)

Chris Potter: Gratitude (2001)

2011-08-12T00:30:00.000-07:00

Chris Potter : Gratitude (2001)

Chris Potter is probably the second most famous young tenor player working today, Joshua Redman being the clear numero uno. After releasing over a half-dozen albums for Criss Cross and Concord, Potter now makes the leap to a major label, Verve, with the excellent Gratitude.

Jazz is a lethargic sales category, so major labels often like jazz artists to do concept albums — usually tributes to legends both living and dead — to attract the attention of otherwise indifferent consumers. But tributes often seem self-conscious and forced, stultifying the artist’s individual voice by imposing an artificial agenda upon it. Happily, Gratitude escapes this fate. It’s a generalized tribute, an acknowledgement of saxophone greats (eleven of them, to be exact) who have influenced Potter and continue to do so. (McCoy Tyner made a similar gesture with Jazz Roots. ) The idea seems to flow naturally from Potter’s artistic self-image, and so it serves him well.

Rather than clutter the record with guest artists and the like, producer Jason Olaine wisely has Potter sticking with a quartet all the way through. And as quartets go, this one couldn’t be more burning — joining the saxophonist are Kevin Hays on piano and Rhodes (sounding better than ever), Scott Colley on bass, and Brian Blade on drums. The group focuses on Potter’s originals for an unbroken stretch of nine tracks, beginning with the Coltrane dedication "The Source," cleverly based on "Mr. Day" blues changes. Not until late in the program does Potter start to tackle standards, and when he does, it’s with an unconventional flair. He interprets "Body and Soul" on bass clarinet, in duo with Colley — a nice update on the version found on 1995’s Sundiata (Criss Cross). He plays alto, fittingly, on the Bird tribute "Star Eyes," with Hays laying out. And he closes the album with a solo tenor reading of "What’s New?", intending the title as a double entendre, a rhetorical question about the prospects for innovation among the current generation of jazz artists. Sandwiched between these standards is the original "Vox Humana," a tribute to Ornette Coleman, on which Potter plays a Chinese wood flute — one among many creative breakthroughs on this refined, rewarding disc.

1-Source, The (For John Coltrane) 6:36

2-Shadow (For Joe Henderson) 5:47

3-Sun King (For Sonny Rollins) 7:00

4-High Noon (For Eddie Harris) 8:19

5-Eurydice (For Wayne Shorter) 6:00

6-Mind's Eye Intro 0:44

7-Mind's Eye, The (For Michael Brecker and Joe Lovano) 7:14

8-Gratitude 3:05

9-Visitor, The (For Lester Young) 7:39

10-Body And Soul 5:29

11-Star Eyes (For Charlie Parker) 5:22

12-Vox Humana (For Ornette Coleman) 5:24

13-What's New (For the Current Generation) 2:23

Personnel: Chris Potter, tenor, alto, and soprano saxes, bass clarinet, alto flute, Chinese wood flute; Kevin Hays, piano, Fender Rhodes; Scott Colley, bass; Brian Blade, drums

McCoy Tyner Trio with Symphony Orchestra;What The World Needs Now: The Music Of Burt Bacharach (1997)

2011-08-10T15:12:00.000-07:00

McCoy Tyner Trio with Symphony Orchestra;What The World Needs Now: The Music Of Burt Bacharach (1997)

McCoy Tyner (Piano)

Christian McBride (Bass)

Lewis Nash (Drums)

1-(They Long to Be) Close to You Bacharach, David 7:51

2-What the World Needs Now Is Love Bacharach, David 6:09

3-You'll Never Get to Heaven (If You Break My Heart) Bacharach, David 5:04

4-The Windows of the World Bacharach, David 5:30

5-One Less Bell to Answer Bacharach, David 5:39

6-A House Is Not a Home Bacharach, David 5:36

7-(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me Bacharach, David 4:43

8-Alfie Bacharach, David 4:26

9-The Look of Love Bacharach, David 7:10

It took a number of listenings for me to really get into this album, even though I am a HUGE McCoy Tyner fan. John Clayton did an excellent job with the orchestrations. There is a great deal of variety. It is both harmonically challenging, yet accessible.

A big band (at least some of whom have played in McCoy's own big band)joins the orchestra on "You'll Never Get to Heaven if You Break My Heart." They get a good groove going, and my one regret is that they do not appear on more of the tracks.

McCoy has excellent rapport with both Christian McBride on bass and Lewis Nash on drums. I'm not sure if this was his working trio at the time or if they had just gotten together for this recording. Anyway, it sounds like they had been playing together for a quite some time.

There are times when McCoy's wordless vocals get in the way as he takes off on a solo. I used to find this a total distraction, but I am coming to appreciate the fact that it is simply a part of his music and that there is a place for it.

McCoy's playing has become more refined, elegant, and reflective since his Milestone recordings of the 70s. I love his playing from that era, but it was time to evolve some more. That is a good thing! Here is an elder statesman of jazz who still can deliver the goods.

John Patitucci: On the Corner (1989)- (New Link)

2011-08-09T11:06:00.000-07:00

John Patitucci: On the corner

Label: GRP Records

Year: 1989

Track Title
1. On the corner
2. Avenue "D"
3. Venetian moonlight
4. A better mousetrap
5. Vaya con dios
6. Kingstone blues
7. Painting
8. Strength to the weak
9. Flatbush ave
10. The storyteller
11. Bertha's bop

Credits

Bass - John Patitucci
Drums - Al Foster (tracks: 3, 11) , Alex Acuna* (tracks: 5, 7) , Vinnie Colaiuta (tracks: 2, 6, 10)
Drums, Percussion - Dave Weckl (tracks: 1, 4, 8, 9)
Electronics - Judd Miller (tracks: 1, 9)
Guitar - Paul Jackson Jr. (tracks: 6)
Percussion - Jay Oliver (tracks: 4)
Piano - Chick Corea (tracks: 3, 11)
Piano, Synthesizer - John Beasley (tracks: 1, 2, 7 to 10)
Saxophone [Soprano] - Eric Marienthal (tracks: 6)
Saxophone [Tenor] - Kirk Whalum (tracks: 8) , Michael Brecker (tracks: 2)
Synthesizer - David Witham (tracks: 1 to 10)
Vocals - Alfie Silas (tracks: 6) , Howard McCrary (tracks: 6) , Phyllis St. James (tracks: 6) , Rick Riso (tracks: 6)

Dynamite bass work (as always), contemporary (but not "smooth", though not quite straight ahead either), stacked with excellent players: Chick Corea, Michael Brecker, Al Foster, Dave Weckl, Alex Acuna, Vinnie Colaiuta, Eric Marienthal, etc., each selected to contribute to the style and sound of particular songs. A good effort.

Wayne Shorter: Adam's Apple (1966)

2011-08-08T05:25:00.000-07:00

Wayne Shorter: Adam's Apple (1966)

By the beginning of '66, Wayne Shorter had already made jazz history twice: forging gospel-drenched hard bop with Art Blakey from '59 to '64 and helping to create the metaphysical artistry of the Miles Davis quintet during the mid-'60s. So it should come as no suprise that Adam's Apple , which was recorded in February of '66, has Shorter compositions in standard AABA blues form and introspective ballads that sound like his work with Davis.

Recorded at the infamous Van Gelder studio for Blue Note Records, Adam's Apple features Shorter leading an all-star rhythm section consisting of pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Reggie Workman, and drummer Joe Chambers. As in the second "classic" Miles Davis quintet, Hancock and Shorter find solace in each other on Adam's Apple. Shorter's solos throughout the album are encouraged by Hancock's stride-like comping.

Adam's Apple features underrated drummer Joe Chambers, who appeared on four of Wayne Shorter's Blue Note albums during the '60s. Not a well-known Blue Note favorite like Tony Williams or Art Blakey, Chambers still manages to produce outstanding aesthetics of sound on his drums, frequently using the tom-toms in his solos to produce a tympanic effect. Chamber's playing is so controlled throughout Adam's Apple that he manages to keep a swinging tempo during his extremely polyrhythmic solos.

The title track of Adam's Apple opens up with a punchy bass line from Workman that sounds like pure Motown. Workman's tone on Adam's Apple is deep and ethereal, sounding alot like his work with the John Coltrane quartet. "502 Blues (Drinkin' and Drivin')" is a contemplative ballad where Shorter plays long lines of blues over the rhythm section that gives the song a suspended-like quality until Hancock brings it down with an impressionistic solo in the style of Bill Evans.

"El Gaucho" has the bossa nova sound that was gaining wide popularity during the '60s. Shorter plays stop-and-start phrases which is a sign of things to come later with his fusion outfit, Weather Report. "Footprints" has a memorable walking bass line in 6/8 meter throughout the whole course and Shorter's theme is instantly recognizable. "Footprints" would later be recorded by Shorter with the Miles Davis Quintet.

Adam's Apple ends with the avant-garde Hancock composition "The Collector." The piece features abstract improvisation by all members of the quartet, especially in the rhythm section. Hancock solos with unpredictable chaos, but leaves enough space for a dramatic solo by Chambers at the end.

Track Listing:

Adam's Apple,
502 Blues(Drinkin' and Drivin'),
El Gaucho,
Footprints,
Teru,
Chief Crazy Horse,
The Collector

Personnel:

Wayne Shorter,tenor sax;

Herbie Hancock,piano,

Reggie Workman,bass;

Joe Chambers,drums

Keith Jarrett: Belonging (1974)

2011-08-06T04:30:00.000-07:00

Keith Jarrett: Belonging (1974)

Personnel: Keith Jarrett (piano); Jan Garbarek (soprano & tenor saxophones); Palle Danielsson (bass); Jon Christensen (drums).

Song

1. Spiral Dance 4:07

2. Blossom 12:11

3. 'Long As You Know You're Living Yours 6:10

4. Belonging 2:12

5. The Windup 8:22

6. Solstice 13:22

Amazon.com essential recording

When Keith Jarrett debuted this largely Nordic quartet, he was in the midst of developing a U.S.-based group of the same size with heavy leanings toward the approaches of Ornette Coleman and Paul Bley (even using veterans of Coleman bands). With the Nordic band, Jarrett was better suited to play wistful, melodic vamps that got great mileage out of Jan Garbarek's wavering but mostly vibrato-free tone and the ethereal rhythmic floats supplied by drummer Jon Christensen and bassist Palle Danielsson. "Blossom" is a lengthy, smoldering ballad, as tender as it gets in Jarrett's canon and worth every minor move the group makes. And while things are fairly icy throughout the slower spots, the band slinks into a couple gospel-touched gems, "'Long as You Know You're Living Yours" and the harmonically piled, funky "Windup." All in all, this is not only one of the Jarrett high marks, it's a pinnacle for 1970s jazz overall. --Andrew Bartlett

The spine on the CD cites Keith Jarrett as the recording artist, but many regard this as a Jan Garbarek album. Jarrett was the non-Scandinavian in a superb quartet that comprised Garbarek (saxophones), Pelle Danielson (bass) and Jon Christensen (drums). Garbarek and Jarrett constantly interplay, offering melancholy, romance, sadness and emotional, musical bliss on 'Spiral Dance' and 'Blossom', and manage to groove along with the out-of-character 'Long As You Know You're Living Yours'. One of the finest moments from ECM's exceptional and now sizeable catalogue, perhaps Jarrett and Garbarek need to work together sporadically in order to spark and recharge each other.

Recorded at Arne Bendiksen Studio, Oslo, Norway on April 24 & 25, 1974.

Eliane Elias: Brazilian Classics (2003)

2011-08-04T09:30:00.000-07:00

Elias: Brazilian Classics (2003)

Now that longtime Blue Note pianist/singer Eliane Elias has left the label for RCA/Bluebird, several compilations of her work are being released, including the present item, Brazilian Classics. A cynic might note “just in time for Christmas,” but even if its release is motivated mainly by marketing concerns, the CD provides a useful, focused troll through Elias’s back catalogue. Although Elias has ranged far and wide in her recordings (which include hard bop, pop-jazz, and classical pieces), this is the music with which she is most associated— bossa/jazz classics from the songbooks of Jobim, Nascimento, and others from her native Brazil.
Elias is at home with this material and her piano work is muscular and confident. As such, the best tracks on the album are the instrumentals that feature her in a trio setting, mostly with bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Jack DeJohnette. Throughout punchy and inventive takes on “Passarium,” “One Note Samba,” and “Black Orpheus,” Elias goes toe-to-toe with the rhythm section, with exciting results. Her tendency to introduce subtle reharmonizations and rhythmic variations keeps these well-worn tunes from sounding like boring retreads.

Somewhat less successful are the tracks featuring her vocals. While her thin yet husky delivery is appropriately unstudied on Só Danço Samba,” it can’t quite carry “Chega De Saudade” or “Girl From Ipanema” convincingly. Having Elias’s young daughter sing on “Ponta de Areia” was not the wisest of decisions either, bringing to mind, as it does, grade school recitals best left forgotten.

That said, however, Brazilian Classics is an appealing listen, thematically unified and impeccably produced. The hardcore jazz fan may do better with Elias’s Plays Jobim album, from which many of the best tracks with Gomez and DeJohnette are taken. But bossa nova fanatics, or maybe those wishing for a warm Brazilian breeze in the dead of winter, will enjoy this generous selection of Elias’s work.

Track Listing: Passarium; Chega De Saudade; Carioca Nights (Noites Cariocas); Garota De Ipanema (Girl From Ipanema); Milton Nascimento Medley; Waters Of March/Agua De Beber; One Note Samba; Crystal And Lace; Jazz 'N' Samba (So Danco Samba); Brazil (Aquarela Do Brasil); Iluminados ; Jet Samba (Samba Do Aviao); Wave; Black Orpheus (Manha De Carnaval); Dindi; O Polichinelo (Clown)

Personnel: Eliane Elias, piano, vocals; various personnel including Eddie Gomez, Marc Johnson, bass; Jack DeJohnette, Peter Erskine, drums; Michael Brecker, sax; Cafe, percussion

John McLaughlin: Trio of Doom (2007)

2011-08-03T07:52:00.000-07:00

John McLaughlin - Trio of Doom (2007)

John McLaughlin (Guitars)

Jaco Pastorius (Bass)

Tony Williams (Drums)

Tracks

1 Drum Improvisation

2 Dark Prince

3 Continuum

4 Para Oriente

5 Are You The One Are You The One

6 Dark Prince

7 Continuum

8 Para Oriente

9 Para Oriente

10 Para Oriente

This release may have its detractors due to the very short playingtime, not much more than 35 mins of effective music. But what we get is absolutely fabulous, with all three supermusicians in topform. The liner notes hints at Jaco Pastorius beginning to have some psychological problems, but sure isn't audible in his playing.

One could have feared an unmusical clash of ego's, but in fact the respect between this three giants seems so great that it's a lot more like a super-fusion version of Cream, with all three instruments and all three musicians having equal weight in the furious jamming.

We get their entire set from Havana, for the first time ever, starting after a fine drumintro with what's actually the highlight of the whole release, a monstrous version of "The Dark Prince" with a very inspired McLaughlin-solo. Followed by a beautiful "Continuum" with John adding some fine chordal colours under Pastorius' beautiful soloing. The precedings ending on a bit of a bum note though, with a rather disjointed jam, only to be recognized as "Are You The One?", when McLaughlin plays the theme at the very end. A version far from the grandeur of the original on "Electric Guitarist" with Tony, John and Jack Bruce.

So far it's been a very good year for Jaco Pastorius fans, with this gem and with the wonderful DVD with Weater Report "Live At Montreux".

The whole project has been supervised and produced by John McLaughlin and as one would suspect the sound his absolutely top-class.

Another fine Legacy-release.