Quantcast
Channel: música en espiral
Viewing all 2694 articles
Browse latest View live
↧

ENRICO PIERANUNZI - Les Amants (2004)

February 2, 2017, 5:35 pm
$
0
0


After having released seven recordings for the Italian EGEA label in settings ranging from solo to trio, when pianist Enrico Pieranunzi was asked what he'd like to do next, he immediately replied, "a CD with piano, sax, bass and—a string quartet." Given the green light, Pieranunzi put together a series of pieces that seamlessly combine the rich culture of the string quartet with the improvisational verve of a jazz chamber trio. The result, Les Amants , successfully marries these two traditions in a way that is respectful to both, balancing them perfectly in a combination that is dramatic without being melodramatic, sweet without being syrupy, and completely accessible without losing a certain sense of exploration. - John Kelman
Tracks
1. Canto nascosto
2. Canto del mare
3. The kingdom (where nobody dies)
4. Les Amants
5. Canzone di Nausicaa
6. Where I never was
7. The flower

ENRICO PIERANUNZI piano
MARC JOHNSON double-bass
ROSARIO GIULIANI saxophone
GABRIELE PIERANUNZI violin
ALESSANDRO CERVO violin
FRANCESCO FIORE viola
DANIELA PETRACCHI cello
ANGELO CICILLINI viola on "Canto del Mare"

All compositions by Enrico Pieranunzi
Recorded at Perugia 14-15 April 2002
Egea Records SCA 106

-->

↧
Search

CARLA BLEY - Live (1982)

February 3, 2017, 7:24 pm
$
0
0




This is a live set recorded in 1981 at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco. Much of this same band also recorded the half-live I HATE TO SING album at the same venue a few years later. Bley's music always works well in front of a live audience, with it's strutting loopy gusto and emotionally resonant dramatics. Her six compositions touch on all of her then major musical interests, making this a very good overview for the uninitiated. "Blunt Object" is raucous and relentless. "The Lord Is Listening to Ya, Hallelujah!" draws upon Bley's childhood musical upbringing as the daughter of a church musician. "Time and Us" evokes a Latin American bearing with its melodic figures, as filtered through Bley's own harmonic sensibilities. The 10-piece band, with six horn players, is rich with inventive soloists who use Bley's compositions as a wonderful springboard for further exploration.

Tracks
1. Blunt Objeet
2. The Lord Is Listenin' To Ya, Hallelujah
3. Time And Us
4. Still In The Room
5. Real Life Hits
6. Song Sung Long

MICHAEL MANTLER trumpet
STEVE SLAGLE alto & soprano saxophones, flute
TONI DAGRADI tenor saxophone
GARY VALENTE trombone
VINCEY CHANCEY french horn
ERL McINTYRE tuba, bass trombon
CARLA BLEY organ, piano, glockenspiel
ARTURO O' FARRILL piano, organ
STEVE SWALLOW bass
D. SHARPE drums

Recorded August 19-20, 1981 at The Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, California

-->
WATT Works – WATT/12,  ECM Records - ECM
↧
↧

KEITH JARRETT - El Juicio (1971)

February 3, 2017, 8:19 pm
$
0
0







-->
El Juicio is an excellent early Jarrett album and finds him in typically eclectic form with his classic American quartet. I nominate the opener, "Gypsy Moth," as the best piece on the record. Sounding a little like a more confident version of "Lisbon Stomp," from Jarrett's 1967 debut album Life Between the Exit Signs, Jarrett first whips up a rollicking theme on the piano and then switches to soprano sax towards the end, the rhythm section swinging hard throughout. "Toll Road" is more abstract, but the collapsing cymbal pattern paired with Charlie Hayden's pummeling bass lines creates an intriguing canvass for Jarrrett and Redman's sax improvisations. "Pre-Judgement Atmosphere" is a short percussion piece that manages to incorporate a steel drum into the mix. The title track is an ecstatic ten-minute free-improv wherein Jarrett pounds out and wails away (if you don't like Jarrett's wordless yelps, I'm living evidence that it is possible to get used to them, eventually). Melodic fragments are continually spun out and just as quickly squashed, and the whole band burns with a smoldering energy. "Piece for Ornette (Long Version)" is a tribute to the free jazz pioneer (and significant influence) Ornette Coleman. It's good, if a little too understated; Redman really shines on it, though. Jarrett has a sense of humor about it, as the following track is the twelve-second "Piece for Ornette (Short Version). "Pardon My Rags" is a short tribute to ragtime-era piano and if you want to hear it you'll have to buy the European release of this album

Tracks
1. Gypsy Moth
2. Toll Road
3. Pardon My Rags
4. Pre-Judgement Atmosphere
5. El Juicio
6. Piece for Ornette (L. V.)
7. Piece for Ornette (L. V.)

KEITH JARRETTpiano, soprano saxophone, flute, percussion
DEWEY REDMANtenor saxophone, percussion
CHARLIE HADENbass, percussion
PAUL MOTIANdrums, percussion

All selections by Keith Jarrett
Atlantic SD 1673 (LP) / Atlantic 7567 - 80783 – 2
↧

DINO SALUZZI - Rios (1995)

February 3, 2017, 8:43 pm
$
0
0


Because Dino Saluzzi is an Argentine who plays the bandoneon, it is inevitable to compare him to Astor Piazolla. This comparison is unfair, however, because if Saluzzi is playing tango, it is so abstracted and transformed that we may as well just call it jazz. If a better comparison is sought it would be to another international jazz musician like Renaud Garcia-Fons.

On Rios, Saluzzi plays with American bassist Anthony Cox and American vibist and arranger David Friedman, a musician who's run the gamut from Yoko Ono to Disney soundtracks. Together they play an assortment of tunes by members of the group, about half of them Saluzzi's, plus the one cover "My One and Only Love." The numbers are thoughtful but not flashy. Friedman's "Penta y Uno" is largely a deconstruction of bossa nova and tango, featuring percussion as well as vibes. Cox's "Jad" uses weird effects from the instruments and the occasional Arabic motif to build up to a subdued bop frenzy. Other tracks are more straight-ahead combinations of the primary instruments. - Kurt Keefner


01. Los Them (friedman)
02. Minguito (Saluzzi)
03. Fulano de Tal (Saluzzi)
04. Sketch # 1 (Cox)
05. And He Loved His Brother til the End (Saluzzi)
06. Penta y Uno (Friedman)
07. Jad (Cox)
08. Lunch with Pancho Villa (Friedman)
09. My One and Only Love (Wood & Mellin)
10. Rios (Saluzzi/Cox/Friedman)

DINO SALUZZI bandoneon, voice, percussion
DAVID FRIEDMAN marimba, vibraphone, percussion
ANTHONY COX acoustic bass, electric bass

Recorded at Principal Studios, Münster, Germany
veraBra Records vBr 2156 2
-->

-->
↧

PAUL MOTIAN - Conception Vessel (1973)

February 3, 2017, 9:47 pm
$
0
0


Considering that Paul Motian was 41 when he recorded Conception Vessel, it’s clear to see why his disposition was so amenable to the dawn. As a human being, his voice had already come into its own and needed only the blessing of the score to give it shape without words. Then again, there are the titles, which for all their naked evocativeness retain an enigmatic patina. “Georgian Bay” congeals with the steady plucking of guitarist Sam Brown, who cuts a striking, if subtle, figure across the album’s filmic canvas. Supported only by a smattering of cymbals and Charlie Haden’s crab-walking bass lines, the tune betrays little of Motian’s prowess, saving it instead for “Ch’i Energy,” a flurried solo through which his centrality blossoms in non-confrontational power. This makes the looser affair of “Rebica” all the more lyrical. Haden is in peak form in this guitar-bass-drums setting. One moment finds him providing ground support, while in the next he has already ventured off into more airborne ruminations. Brown returns after a pensive resistance, flirting with the music’s surface like a drowsy Derek Bailey. The title track raises the curtain for Keith Jarrett’s spotlight, which strangely does little to change the album’s surface texture. Despite a lack of (discernible) melody, the interplay between piano and drums yields talented ramifications. Though not the easiest piece of music to put one’s finger on, Jarrett’s fiery exuberance as he whoops his way along makes it one of the most intriguing cuts on the bill. The flute and percussion of “American Indian: Song Of Sitting Bull” draw up a suitable contract for the pianist’s wind-work in combination with Motian’s rattlesnake maracas. “Inspiration From a Vietnamese Lullaby” adds bass and the violin of Leroy Jenkins to the same in the interest of new improvisatory heights. These are exactly the kind of rituals that Jarrett lived for in the 70s (see his recently unearthed Hamburg ’72, also with Haden and Motian), and the oracle-like qualities of their architecture hold up well beneath the weight of time.
Despite being headed by a drummer, Conception Vessel eschews the trappings of mundane grooves as indication of Motian’s lifelong mapping of branches over roots. The jacket art again proves instructive, describing a sound oriented toward invisible directions yet which is also mothered by the soil. It is furthermore a worthy example of ECM’s early sound and openness to those at the head of the line who share the label’s ongoing passion for pushing, if not defining, boundaries.

Tracks
1. Georgian Bay
2. Ch’I Energy
3. Rebica
4. Conception Vessel
5. American Indian: Song of Sitting Bull
6. Inspiration from a Vietnamese Lullaby

PAUL MOTIAN  percussion
CHARLIE HADEN  bass
SAM BROWN  guitar
KEITH JARRETT  piano, flute
LEROY JENKINS  violin
BECKY FRIEND  flute

All compositions by Paul Motian
Recorded on November 25, 26 1972 at Butterfly and Sound Ideas Studios, New York City
ECM  1028   519278-2

-->

↧
↧

JAMAALADEEN TACUMA - House Of Bass: The Best Of (1994)

February 5, 2017, 6:37 pm
$
0
0



Tracks

01. Animated Creation (Tacuma)
02. From The Land Of Sand (Tacuma)
03. Show Stopper (Tacuma)
04. Sparkle (Tacuma)
05. The Next Stop (Tacuma)
06. Rouge (Tacuma)
07. Jam-All (Tacuma)
08. Zam Zam Was Such A Wonderful Feeling (Tacuma)
09. A Time A Place (Tacuma)
10. Bass In Ya Face (Tacuma/Williams Jr/Hill)
11. Phone Call (Tacuma/Williams Jr/Hill)

BILL BRUFORD drums
JULIUS HEMPHILL alto sax
OLU DARA cornet
DAVID MURRAY tenor sax
DARYL BURGEE percussion, djembe
DENARDO COLEMAN electric drums
JODI DIAZ turntables
PHILLIPPE HERPIN alto sax
RON HOWERTON percussion
RICK LANNACONE e-guitar
VERNON REID e-guitar
ANTHONY McCLARY drums
BARBARA WALKER vocals
JAMES WATKINS clarinet, alto sax
KAE WILLIAMS Jr keyboards
DENIS ALSTON drums, gong
JEAN CLAUDE ASSELIN mandolin
FRANCOIS ROBAB acoustic bass
MONA SOYOC vocals
RICHARD TUCKER guitar
ALAN DUKENNIK keyboards
JAMAALADEEN TACUMA bass, electronics, keyboards

Recorded at Star Recording Studios, Springhouse, PA 1982-1988
GRAMAVISION GCD 79502 
↧

DEXTER GORDON - Biting The Apple (1977)

February 5, 2017, 6:49 pm
$
0
0



Many of Dexter Gordon's finest recordings were cut in Europe just prior to his triumphant return to the United States. This album was recorded just weeks before and it is one of the veteran tenor's best. With strong assistance from pianist Barry Harris, bassist Sam Jones and drummer Al Foster, Dexter plays exciting solos on "I'll Remember April," a warm version of "Skylark" and his two originals, "Apple Jump" and "A La Modal." It is highly recommended, as are all of Dexter Gordon's SteepleChase recordings from this period. - Scott Yanow

Tracks
01. Apple Jump (Dexter Gordon)
02. I'll Remember April (Raye-DePaul)
03. Georgia On My Mind (Carmichael)
04. Blue Bossa (Dorham)
05. Skylark (Carmichael)
06. A La Moda (Dexter Gordon)

DEXTER GORDON tenor sax
BARRY HARRIS piano
SAM JONES bass
AL FOSTER drums

Recorded November 9, 1976 at CI Recording Studios, Copenhagen
SteepleChase SCCD - 31080
↧

KENNY DREW TRIO - Dark Beauty (1974)

February 5, 2017, 7:44 pm
$
0
0




Tracks
01. Ran Away (Kenny Drew)
02. Dark Beauty (Kenny Drew)
03. Summer Nights (Al Dubin / Harry Warren)
04. All Blues (Miles Davis)
05. A Felicidade (Luiz Bonfá / Antonio Carlos Jobim)
06. It Could Happen to You (Johnny Burke / James Van Heusen)
07. Love Letters (Edward Heyman / Victor Young)
08. Silk Bossa  (Kenny Drew)
09. Blues Inn (Kenny Drew)
10. In Your Own Sweet Way (Dave Brubeck)
11. A Strange in Paradise (A. Borodin / G. Forrest / R. Wright)

KENNY DREW  piano
NIELS HENNING ORSTED PEDERSEN  bass
ALBERT “TOOTIE” HEATH  drums

Recorded at “Rosenborg Studie” Copenhagen, May 21 & 22, 1974

SteepleChase   VACZ - 1121
↧
Search

MAL WALDRON, STEVE LACY - Sempre Amore (1987)

February 5, 2017, 9:20 pm
$
0
0




Among the many things that Mal Waldron and Steve Lacy have in common when it comes to music is a special reverence for two of the most distiguished composers in jazz - Thelonious Sphere Monk and Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington. This album offers a dedicated salute to the compositions of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn.


Tracks
01. Johnny Come Lately (Billy Strayhorn)
02. Prelude To A Kiss (D. Ellington / I. Gordon / I. Mills)
03. Stars Crossed Lovers (B. Strayhorn / D. Ellington)
04. To The Bitter (Duke Ellington)
05. Azure (D. Ellington / I. Mills)
06. Sempre Amore (Duke Ellington)
07. A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing (Billy Strayhorn)
08. Smada (B. Strayhorn / D. Ellington)

MAL WALDRON piano
STEVE LACY soprano saxophone

Recorded February 17, 1986 at Barigozzi Studio, Milano
Soul Note   121170 – 2
↧
↧

ENRICO PIERANUNZI - Special Encounter (2003)

February 6, 2017, 11:01 am
$
0
0




Italian pianist Enrico Pieranunzi drew strong accolades with last year's quintet FelliniJazz (CAM Jazz), though he's been busy making records since the '70s. He returns with the same veteran rhythm section, bassist Charlie Haden and drummer Paul Motian, for this trio Special Encounter. But the two discs are linked in more ways than one, because they were actually recorded during successive Rome studio sessions during March of 2003.
And so it's no surprise that they share many features in common: Piernanunzi's penchant for elegant, lyrical melodies; a full awareness, however rarely exploited, of the expansive possibilities of modern jazz; an intuitive shared spirit of exploration and discovery; and a general preference for understatement. But Special Encounter is a pared down recording, made prorportionately more spare by the absence of the horns, and it has a particularly pensive late night mood.
In addition to three standards, the disc features five Pieranunzi compositions (four of which are new on record) and three by Haden. The mostly ballad menu means that tempos tend to be slow, dynamics soft, and moods contemplative. Pinches of dissonance appear on the barely resolved "Secret Nights," a piece the pianist describes as related to the "kind of erratic, unanswered questioning" that sometimes takes place during dreams. His anthem-like "Earlier Sea" is the highlight of the recording, with a slightly faster pulse and a recurring feeling of sideways motion.
A similarly accelerated "Waltz for Ruth" finds Haden mostly guarding the pulse and allowing Motian to open up with light color and accent on the drums, while Pieranunzi sways and lilts through the memorable melody. Haden's solo has a natural, unforced, organic feel. This take presents an interesting contrast to the version that opens Haden's duet collaboration with Pat Metheny, Beyond the Missouri Sky (Verve, 1997).
This kind of softness and delicacy demands a rare sort of maturity, restraint, and wisdom—qualities present in abundance among these three veteran players. Trio jazz doesn't get much better than this. -  Aaj Staff

Tracks
01. My Old Flame (A. Johnston/S. Coslow)
02. You’ve Changed (B. W. Carey/C. Fisher)
03. Earlier Sea (Enrico Pieranunzi)
04. Nightfall (Charlie Haden)
05. Secret Nights (Enrico Pieranunzi)
06. Loveward (Enrico Pieranunzi)
07. Waltz For Ruth (Charlie Haden)
08. Miradas (Enrico Pieranunzi)
09. Hello My Lovely (Charlie Haden)
10. Why Did I Choose You? (H. Martin/M. Leonard)
11. Mo-Ti (Enrico Pieranunzi)

CHARLIE HADEN  bass
PAUL MOTIAN  drums
ENRICO PIERANUNZI  piano

Recorded in Rome on 6, 7 & 8 March 2003 at Sonic Recording Studio

CAMJazz  -  CAMJ  7769 - 2
↧

JOHN TAYLOR - Blue Glass (1991)

February 6, 2017, 3:37 pm
$
0
0


Tracks
01. Pure And Simple (John Taylor)
02. Spring Is Here (Rodgers - hart)
03. Q (John Taylor)
04. Hermana Guapa (S. Arguelles)
05. Blue Glass (John Taylor)
06. How Deep Is The Ocean (Irvin Berlin)
07. Fragment (J. Taylor - S. Arguelles)
08. Think Before You Think (B. Stewart)
09. Evansong (John Taylor)
10. Clapperclowe (John Taylor )

JOHN TAYLORpiano
MICK HUTTONbass
STEVE ARGUELLESdrums

Recorded live at Ronnie Scott's Club
18th - 19th - 21st June 1991

Ronnie Scott's Jazz House Records JHCD 020
↧

DAVE DOUGLAS - Soul on Soul (1999)

February 6, 2017, 9:16 pm
$
0
0



Tracks

01. Blue Heaven (Dave Douglas)
02. Ageless (Dave Douglas)
03. Soul On Soul (Dave Douglas)
04. Moon Of The West (Dave Douglas)
05. Canticles (Dave Douglas)
06. Aries (Mary Lou Williams)
07. Mary's Idea (Mary Lou Williams)
08. Waltz Boogie (Maary Lou Williams)
09. Multiples (Dave Douglas)
10. Kyrie (Dave Douglas)
11. Zonish (Dave Douglas)
12. Eleventh Years Old (Dave Douglas)
13. Play It Momma (Mary Lou Williams)

DAVE DOUGLAStrumpet
GREG TARDYtenor sax, bass clarinet, clarinet
JOSHUA ROSEMANtrombone
URI CAINEpiano
JAMES GENUSbass
JOEY BARONdrums
CHRIS SPEEDtenor sax, clarinet

Recorded August 11, 12, 1999 at Avatar Studios New York City
RCA VICTOR 09026 63603 - 2
↧

DAVID MURRAY BIG BAND & LAWRENCE ''BUTCH'' MORRIS (1991)

February 9, 2017, 3:13 pm
$
0
0


The David Murray big band, which can be undisciplined and even a bit out of control, is never dull. This generally brilliant effort has quite a few highpoints. "Paul Gonsalves" recreates the tenor's famous 1956 Newport Jazz Festival solo and has some heated playing from the ensemble. While "Lester" does not really capture the style of Lester Young, "Ben" does bring back the spirit of Ben Webster. "Calling Steve McCall" is a heartfelt tribute to the late drummer (although the poetry does not need to be heard twice) and trombonist Craig Harris' singing on "Let the Music Take You" is so-so, but the colorful "David's Tune" and the eerie "Istanbul" are more memorable. This disc is easily recommended to listeners with open ears. - Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

Tracks
1. Paul Gonsalves (David Murray)
2. Lester (David Murray)
3. Ben (David Murray)
4. Calling Steve McCall (Lawrence "Butch" Morris/Craig Harris)
5. Lovejoy (Craig Harris)
6. Instanbul (David Murray)
7. David's Tune (david Murray)
8. Let The Music Take You (David Murray)

DAVID MURRAYtenor sax, bass clarinet
HUGH RAGIN, GRAHAM HAYNES, RASUL SIDDIK, JAMES ZOLLARtrumpets
CRAIG HARRIS, FRANK LACY, AL PATTERSONtrombones
VINCENT CHANCEYfrench horn
BOB STEWARTtuba
KAHLIL HENRYflute, piccolo
JOHN PURCELLalto sax
DON BYRONbaritone sax, clarinet
SONELIUS SMITHpiano
FRED HOPKINSbass
TANI TABBAL drums
JOEL A. BRANDONwhistle on "Paul Gonsalves"
LAWRENCE "BUTCH" MORRISconductor

Arrangements by David Murray and Lawrence "Butch" Morris
Recorded at Clinton Recording Studios, NYC on March 5-6, 1991
DIW CK 48964
↧
↧

ART DAVIS QUARTET - Life (1986)

February 10, 2017, 10:53 pm
$
0
0


Bassist Art Davis, who occasionally played with John Coltrane in the early '60s, has led relatively few sessions throughout his career. A very talented player with complete control over his instrument, Davis contributed all four selections to this impressive outing which is highlighted by "Duo" (matching his bass with tenor saxophonist Pharoah Sanders) and the 19-and-a-half-minute four-part "Add." Davis' all-star quartet also includes pianist John Hicks and drummer Idris Muhammad.  -  Scott Yanow

Tracks
01. Life (Art Davis)
02. Duo (Art Davis / Pharoah Sanders)
03. Blues From Concertpieces For Bass (Art Davis)
04. Add (Art Davis

PHAROAH SANDERS tenor saxophone
JOHN HICKS piano
ART DAVIS bass
IDRIS MOHAMMED drums

Recorded Live in New York City October 5, 1986

Soul Note  SN  1143
↧

ENRICO PIERANUNZI, MARC JOHNSON, JOEY BARON - Play Morricone (2002)

February 11, 2017, 12:58 pm
$
0
0


Italian pianist Enrico Pieranunzi reveals that he played on many recordings of Ennio Morricone’s celebrated film music as a session player in the 1970’s and 1980’s. This project is an altogether deeper investigation of the composer’s work, in which Piernanuzi and his collaborators, bassist Marc Johnson and drummer Joey Baron, dig beneath the surface of the music in exemplary fashion. The trio has worked together in the past, and has the kind of finely-honed understanding and musical empathy which makes a trio an organic unit. Each of the players has a full part in making the music come alive in the course of this beautifully played and recorded disc. The pianist has selected some less obvious examples of Morricone’s art, ranging in time from 1962 through to 1993, and in style from lovely slow meditations to sparkling uptempo explorations. He rounds out the set with one of his own compositions, ‘Just Beyond the Horizon’, which sounds very much like a homage to the composer.  -  Kenny Mathieson 


Tracks
01. Addio Fratello Crudele
02. Mio Caro Dottor Gräsler
03. La Voglia Matta
04. Just Beyond the Horizon
05. Incontro
06. Jona Che Vissa Nella Balena
07. Le Mani Sporche
08. ...Correva L'anno Di Grazia
09. Escalation
10. Stanno Tutti Bene
11. Hidden Song

ENRICO PIERANUNZIpiano
MARC JOHNSONbass
JOEY BARONdrums

All music composed by Ennio Morricone, except (4) by Enrico Pieranunzi
All arrangements by Enrico Pieranunzi
Recorded on 15 and 16 February 2001 in Rome at Sonic Recording Studios
CamJazz CAMJ 7750 - 2
↧
Search

PAUL MOTIAN - Bill Evans (1990)

February 11, 2017, 1:41 pm
$
0
0


Paul Motian has been a constant and essential feature of the American jazz scene for many years. From his early days as drummer with the Bill Evans Trio through to the mid period of his career, as one third of the Paul Motian Trio he has constantly shown touch and perception in his choice of material and playing partners. 
This album, Bill Evans: Tribute to the Great Post-Bop Pianist, recorded in 1990 on Winter & Winter, when he was approaching his sixtieth birthday marks perhaps a highlight in a career that has many highlights. Drawing on the material of the legendary pianist and melodist, Bill Evans, he has, together with his trio partners, Bill Frisell and Joe Lovano plus bassist Marc Johnson created an album that is excellent and at times sublime. 
Given the high standards of playing this group of musicians has been responsible for over the years, and the unforgettable and haunting melodies of Bill Evans it is hard to see where this recording could have gone wrong. But what is truly remarkable is that all four musicians have found ways of expanding their past powers of interpretation and unearthed in these nine Evans tunes harmonic possibilities, rhythmic interplay and originality of voice that in the hands of lesser musicians could have resulted in a more subdued tribute. Perhaps Motian’s personal experience of playing with Evans brought an element to the sessions that prevented it from simply treading water as the work of four fans. 
The only real problem must have been deciding on which Evans songs not to include. There are no real highlights here, as each track is played with such excellence and sensitivity they all stand out. It would be better perhaps to name my favourites. An absolute contender has to be "Turn out the Stars," with Joe Lovano floating lovely feathery and melancholy tenor sax over Paul Motian’s ever thoughtful drum and brush work. Bill Frisell’s curious, at times bluesy guitar shapes and Marc Johnson’s bass work off the percussion with a bounce and swinging touch
"Time Remembered" also stands out. The minor figures, and the melody’s downward pull are interpreted with emphasis on its spaces, and its sense of loss. The drum and brush work add a fluid, almost liquid quality, with a splash of cymbal here, and a rhythmic phrase rising like a wave only to subside again. Again Bill Frisell pulls shapes and lines from his fretboard that have a feel of the blues, as well as conventional jazz, and at times even a hint of country-western (a genre he would later explore). Marc Johnson walks and steps though the melody, with a solo that finds its hidden harmonics. And Lovano’s tenor sax is perfectly pitched, sweet without being saccharine, expressive without being intrusive. 
There are other wonderful tracks. "Re: Person I knew," (what a great title), is played with an engaging and wistful nonchalance. "Very Early" simply swings. "Five" features the most experimental, distorted guitar and passages of free-jazz, while "34. Skidoo," is a playful and uplifting number. 
This is an excellent and essential recording. It shows four musicians at their best. The level of interplay and communication is never short of exquisite. It is a worthy tribute to a great musician, and a fitting example of four great musicians playing music that is unforgettable and inspiring. Highly recommended.  -  David Millington 


Tracks
1. Show-Type Tune
2. Turn Out The Stars
3. Walkin' Up
4. Very Early
5. Five
6. Time Remembered
7. 34 Skidoo
8. Re: Person I Knew
9. Children's Play Song

PAUL MOTIAN drums
BILL FRISELL guitar
JOE LOVANO tenor saxophone
MARC JOHNSON bass

All compositions by Bill Evans
Recorded at Sorcerer Sound NYC, May 1990

JMT 834 445 – 2
↧

HANK JONES, MILT HINTON, BOBBY ROSENGARDEN - The Trio (1977)

February 11, 2017, 6:44 pm
$
0
0




Tracks

1. 'Swonderful (Gershwin)
2. Queen Of Hearts (The Trio)
3. Mona's Feeling Lonely (Hinton)
4. Right Here, Right Now (The Trio)
5. I'll Remember April (Raye-Johnson-DePaul)
6. Oh, What A Beautiful Morning (ROdgers-Hammerstein)
7. Lullaby Of The Leaves (Young-Petkere)
8. Re-Union (The Trio)
9. Hank You, Thank (The Trio)

HANK JONES  piano
MILT HINTON  bass
BOBBY ROSENGARDEN  drums

Recorded on Octubre17, 1977 in New York City
Chiaroscuro CR 188
↧
↧

GEORGE SHEARING, NHOP, LOUIS STEWART - The 1977-1980 Sessions

February 11, 2017, 10:18 pm
$
0
0






For those fortunate enough to hear and own the immaculately produced Germany/Black Forest based MPS recordings, distributed as imported pristine virgin vinyl LPs that were pressed in the '70s, you already know the quality of this four-CD set of George Shearing's trio. With the peerless Dane Niels-Henning Orsted Pederssen and Ireland's genius guitarist Louis Stewart, they can hardly do anything wrong musically. The first three CDs have  Sharing playing standards, occasionally contemporizing his repertoire on Chick Corea's "Windows" and "500 Miles High," doing NHOP's "Cowboy Santa" and "My Little Anna," and offering two of his own originals, "The Fourth Deuce" and "G & G." The final CD has the threesome accompanied by strings, arranged and conducted by the brilliant Robert Farnon, and while a bit syrupy, lend pleasant late-night contrast at the end of a long day to the proceedings. This is a welcome addition to Shearing's collections discography, and a reminder of how good, in a short time period, MPS and producer Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer were.  -  Michael G. Nastos

Tracks CD1
01. Tricotism (Oscar Pettiford)
02. Windows (Chick Corea)
03. No Moon At All (Redd Evans / David Mann)
04. Some Other Spring (Irene Kitchings / Arthur Herzog)
05. Wait Till You See Her (Richard Rodgers / Lorenz Hart)
06. Tune Up (Miles Davis)
07. The Party’s Over (Jule Styne / Betty Comden / Adolph Green)
08. The Lamp Is Low (Peter De Rose / Mitchell Parish / Bert A. Shefter)
09. Lazy Afternoon (Jerome Moross / John Latouche)
10. Cowboy Samba (NHOP)
11. Cheryl (Charlie Parker)
12. 500 Miles High (Chick Corea)
13. I Wished On The Moon (Ralph Raigner / Doropthy Parker)
14. Old Folks (Willard Robinson / Dedette Hill)

Tracks 1-10 Recorded June 1977, originally released on LP “Windows” (MPS 15 488) [P] 1978.  Tracks  11-14 Recorded June 1977, originally released on LP “500 Miles High” (MPS 15 504) [P] 1979

Tracks CD2
01. Jordu (Duke Jordan)
02. P.S. I Love Youn(Gordon Jenkins / Johnny Mercer)
03. Everything Happens To Me (Matt Dennis / Thomas Adair)
04. Here’s That Rainy Day (Johnny Burke / Jimmy Van Heusen)
05. Invitation (Bronislaw Kaper / Paul Francis Webster)
06. In Your Own Sweet Way (Dave Brubeck)
07. Alice In Wonderland (Sammy Fain / Bob Hilliard)
08. All This And Heaven Too (Jimmy Van Heusen / Edgar De Lange)
09. No Greater Love (Isham Jones / Marty Symes)
10. Con Alma (Dizzy Gillespie)

Tracks 1-5 Recorded June 1977, originally released on LP “500 Miles High” (MPS 15 504) [P] 1979.  Tracks 6-10 Recorded June 1, 1977 & September 18, 1979) originally intended for LP “Feeling Happy” (MPS 15 507, unreleased [P] 2007

Tracks CD3
01. The Fourth Deuce (George Shearing)
02. The Wine Of Way (Loonis McGlohon)
03. Don’t Get Around Much Anymore (Duke Ellington / Bob Russell)
04. Consternation (George Shearing)
05. Sweet And Lovely (Gus Arnheim / Jules Lemare / Elliott Tobias)
06. My Little Ann (NHOP)
07. Sweet Lorraine (Clifford Burwell / Mitchell Parish)
08. Lois Ann (Buddy Montgomery)
09. G & G (George Shearing)
10. Poinciana (Nat Simon / Buddy Bernier)
11. This Can’t Be Love (Richard Rodgers / Lorenz Hart)

Tracks 1 & 2 Recorded June 1, 1977 & September 18, 1979
Tracks 3-11 Recorded September 19-21, 1979, originally releasedmon LP “Getting In The Swing Of Things” (MPS 15 537)

Tracks CD4
01. Fjärlins Vingor (Carl Michael Bellman )
02. Last Night When We Were Young (Harold Arlen / E. Y. Harburg)
03. Amaryllis (Harald Banter)
04. Strange Enchantment (Friedrich Holländer / Frank Loesser)
05. Look At The Face (Leslie Bricusse / Anthony Newley)
06. Portrait Of Jennie (J. Russel Robinson / Gordon Burdge)
07. Song Bird (loonis McGlohon)
08. This Is All I Ask (Gordon Jenkins)
09. A Nighttingale Sang In Berkeley Square (Manning Sherwin / Eric Maschwitz)

Trio recorded September 18-21, 1979 at MPS-Studio, Villingen, Germany
Orchestra recorded November 5 & 6, 1980 at Music Center Sound Studio, Wembley, England
Originally released on LP “On Target2 (MPS 15 551) 1981

GEORGE SHEARING  piano
NIELS-HENNING ORSTED PEDERSEN  bass

LOUIS STEWART  guitar
↧

LOUIS SCLAVIS, DOMINIQUE PIFARÉLY - Acoustic Quartet (1994)

February 12, 2017, 12:48 am
$
0
0


After debuting with his quintet onRouige, reedist Louis Sclavis returned to ECM with French jazz violin phenom Dominique Pifarély to front this trend-setting session. Joined by guitarist Marc Ducret and bassist Bruno Chevillon, the so-called Acoustic Quartet snaps right into action with “Sensible,” the first of four pieces by Sclavis. It is, like every track that follows, an astute blend of composed and improvisatory elements that pairs instruments cleverly and with panache. Pifarély and Chevillon work particularly well together here, and Ducret’s jangly asides make a nice match for Sclavis’s clarinet. Ducret provides notable glue in “Elke,” in which bass harmonics cut through the darkness like a whale song, and elicits some oud-like tones in the playful “Rhinoceros.”
Pifarély delights with a handful of his own compositions. Of these, the guitar-propelled romp of “Abrupto” speaks loudest. The violinist strings a Christmas tree’s worth of ornaments across its conical surface, practically toppling it into the cutting lead of “Hop!” where he lays out the album’s most astonishing solo against a crunchy bass. Not to be outdone, Sclavis dots his every i and lends brilliant inflection to a substantial monologue in “Seconde.” The group also shines in its cinematic rendition of Alain Gibert’s “Bafouée.” Its nods range from Django Reinhardt to klezmer, each stretched and refracted behind a veil of sparkling melancholy.
Pifarély boggles the mind with his rhythm and slide in a group overflowing with virtuosity. Yet it is Sclavis who seems most comfortable in his skin, weaving in and out of narrow spaces with the grace of an eel. The composed material, while on the surface pedantic, provides a frame to see the fullness of every picture. The resulting Sturm und Drang atmosphere when the musicians discard prewritten material in favor of all-out storytelling makes for some intriguing music-making. All in all, a real gem


Tracks
1. Sensible (Louis Sclavis)
2. Bafouée (Alain Gibert)
3. Abrupto (Dominique Pifarély)
4. Elke (Louis Sclavis)
5. Hop! (Dominique Pifarély)
6. Seconde (Dominique Pifarély)
7. Beata (Louis Sclavis)
8. Rhinoceros (Louis Sclavis)

LOUIS SCLAVIS  clarinet, bass clarinet
DOMINIQUE PIFARÉLY  violin
MARC DUCRET  6- and 12-string guitars
BRUNO CHEVILLON  doublé-bass

Recorded September 1993 at Rainbow Studio, Oslo

ECM  1526  521349-2
↧

STEVE LACY - Evidence (1962)

February 12, 2017, 2:44 pm
$
0
0


Soprano saxophonist Steve Lacy continued his early exploration of Thelonious Monk's compositions on this 1961 Prestige date, Evidence. Lacy worked extensively with Monk, absorbing the pianist's intricate music and adding his individualist soprano saxophone mark to it. On this date, he employs the equally impressive Don Cherry on trumpet, who was playing with the Ornette Coleman quartet at the time, drummer Billy Higgins, who played with both Coleman and Monk, and bassist Carl Brown. Cherry proved capable of playing outside the jagged lines he formulated with Coleman, being just as complimentary and exciting in Monk's arena with Lacy. Out of the six tracks, four are Monk's compositions while the remaining are lesser known Ellington numbers: "The Mystery Song" and "Something to Live For" (co-written with Billy Strayhorn). - Al Campbell


Tracks
01. The Mystery Song (Duke Ellington)
02. Evidence (T. Monk)
03. Let's Cool One (T. Monk)
04. San Francisco Holiday (T. Monk)
05. Something To Live For (Ellington/Strayhorn/Campbell)
06. Who Knows (T. Monk)

STEVE LACY soprano saxophone
DON CHERRY trumpet
CARL BROWN bass
BILLY HIGGINS drums

Recorded at Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ November 14, 1961
Reissue of NEW JAZZ NJLP 8271

Prestige/New Jazz OJCCD 1755 - 2
↧
Viewing all 2694 articles
Browse latest View live
Search