música en espiral

Tracks
01. Air Pakistan
02. Last Week
03. Shinola
04. Peter Gunn (Henry Mancini)
05. Thanks Again
06. Protocol
07. Blue Matter
08. Gray And Visceral
09. Spy Vs Spy
10. Tell You What
11. Evansville
12. Blues Bdre In The Bone (Ray Anderson)
13. Flat Out

JOHN SCOFIELD guitar
AL GALPER piano
STAFFORD JAMES bass
ADAM NUSSBAUM drums
STEVE SWALLOW e-bass
FRANCO AMBROSETTI flugelhorn
GREY OSBY alto sax
GERI ALLEN piano
MICHAEL FORMANEK bass
DANIEL HUMAIR drums
DAVID SANBORN alto sax
PETER LEVIN keyboards
STEVE JORDAN drums
DARRYL JONES e-bass
OMAR HAKIM percussion
HIRAM BULLOCK guitar
GARY GRAINGER e-bass
DENNIS CHAMBERS drums
ALBERT MANGELSDORFF trombone
DON ALIAS percussion
ANTHONY DAVIS piano
MARK DRESSER bass
GEORGE DUKE keyboards
JOHNNY VIDACOVICH drums
DON GROLNICK organ
RAY ANDERSON trombone

All music composed by John Scofield
Recorded between 1978 & 1988
From Enja, Tutu & Grammavision catalogs
HIGH TIDE 9138-2

Make no mistake about it, the swing and bop start right here on this legendary 1959 session between baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan and tenor man Ben Webster. Produced by Norman Granz as an early Verve album, this Mobile Fidelity 24-karat gold-disc reissue is sonically worth the extra bread as it feels like you're right in the control room every note of the way. The opening track, Billy Strayhorn's "Chelsea Bridge" is lush and emotional and truly sets the tone for this album. With Jimmy Rowles on piano (his intro on "Sunday" sounds like a ragtimer like Willie "The Lion" Smith just pushed him off the stool before the band came in), Mel Lewis on drums, and the always superb Leroy Vinnegar on bass present and accounted for, the rhythm section is superbly swinging with just the right amount of bop lines and chords in the mix to spice things up. The ghost of Duke Ellington hovers over every note on this record (Billy Strayhorn was one of his main arrangers) and that is a very good thing, indeed. There's a beautiful, understated quality to the music on this session that makes it the perfect relaxing around the house on a rainy day disc to pop in the player. File this one under cool, very smooth, and supple. - Cub Koda

Tracks
01. Chelsea Bridge (B. Strayhorn)
02. The Cat Walk (G. Mulligan)
03. Sunday (Conn/Miller/Krueger/Styne)
04. Wh's Got Rhythm (G. Mulligan)
05. Tell Me When (G. Mulligan)
06. Go Home (G. Mulligan/B. Webster)
07. In A Mellotone (D. Ellington)
08. What Is This Thing Called Love (C. Porter)
09. For Bessie (B. Webster)
10. Fajista (B. Webster)
11. Blues In B Flat (B. Webster)

BONUS: 5 Alternative Takes

GERRY MULLIGANbaritone sax
BEN WEBSTERtenor sax
JIMMY ROWLESpiano
LEROY VINNEGARbass
MEL LEWISdrums

Recorded Nov. 3/Dec. 2, 1959 at Radio Recorders, L.A.
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab - MFSL 1-234

The piano trio may be a longstanding jazz tradition, but that doesn't necessarily make it anachronistic. Pianist Marc Copland has been forging an increasingly distinctive identity that straddles the line between modern mainstream and greater abstraction for the past couple of decades. For this sublime recording, Copland recruited bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Bill Stewart—who last worked together with the pianist on Softly... (Savoy Jazz, 1998). The first of three trio dates in the series, each with a different lineup, finds the usually pensive Copland more outgoing than normal, although he has by no means left his introspective tendencies behind.
Three of the eight tracks are free improvisations, but you'd never know it. Peacock has long been connected with the concept of spontaneous composition, rather than free improvisation per se—which may seem like splitting hairs, but there is a difference. His association with Copland goes back nearly twenty years, and they are clearly of like mind when it comes to pulling form from the ether. It may be an abstruse motif, as on the challenging "Slap Happy," or rhythmically focused, as on "Aglasia," where Peacock's dark pedal tone evolves into a two-chord vamp that Stewart latches onto and develops into greater forward motion. But in either case—as well as in the clear swing of "Flat Out"—the three players share a sense of purpose that transcends mere extemporization.

The rest of the written material includes three standards, one contribution from Peacock, and two from Copland. Peacock's "Half a Finger Snap" opens up the disc, based around a brief but compelling idea that Copland uses to shape his entire solo. Peacock's tone is robust but possesses a sharp edge that distinguishes him from fellow bass icons Dave Holland and Charlie Haden. The song may be only four minutes long, but despite the enforced brevity of the solos, everyone's identity is instantly recognizable. Stewart remains one of the most melodic drummers on the scene today; he builds his solo around Peacock's theme, just as clearly as the others.

The trio revisits "Rain," from Copland's At Night (Sunnyside, 1990), a moody and dramatically understated piece where one can hear the evolution of Copland's more oblique harmonic conception. Its ten-minute length shows just how much a spare but by no means simplistic form can inspire extended extrapolation. The shorter "Peach Tree," the hardest-swinging track on the disc, is more assertive, spotlighting Stewart's compositional approach to soloing.

On the three standards Copland, Peacock and Stewart demonstrate an ability to elegantly think outside the box without neglecting what defines each tune. Copland's recorded work has been remarkably consistent despite its prolificacy—and, on the strength of this first volume, one can only hope that the other two won't be far behind. - John Kelman

Tracks
01. Half a Finger Snap (Gary Peacock)
02. Modinha (A. C. Jobim)
03. Flat Out (Marc Copland/Gary Peacock)
04. Rain (Marc Copland)
05. Slap Happy (Marc Copland/Gary Peacock
06. Sweet Peach Tree (Marc Copland)
07. Aglasia (Marc Copland/Gary Peacock)
08. Yesterdays (Jerome Kern)
09. Taking a Chance on Love (Vernon Duke)

GARY PEACOCK bass
BILL STEWART drums
MARC COPLAND piano

Recorded 11th & 12th March 2006 at Bennett Studio, New Jersey
Pirouet - PIT3018

Named after a 14th-century Laotian/Mekong Valley kingdom, this quartet of younger improvisers do not so much base their music on Asian themes, though they do crop up here and there. The composed and improvised music is thoroughly modern, rich, and accessible, and made tuneful by saxophonists Donny McCaslin (tenor/soprano) and Dave Binney (alto). Bassist Scott Colley and drummer Kenny Wolleson provide the rhythmic landscapes and frameworks on which the saxes paint figures of drama, color, passion, and stark realism. Binney wrote perhaps the most potent pieces. Electronic landscape textures intro and outro "The Restless Many" with beautiful, sad dual alto/tenor sax crying out in the middle. A pure bluesy, soulful, loping horn line informs the outstanding "Free to Dream," which builds to good intensity without completely erupting. McCaslin's flute leads the meditational snippet "Incurable Dreaminess." As a composer, McCaslin really asserts himself with Lan Xang. His alternately supercharged and staggered boppish chart for "Trinity Place" leads to free dissonance. Heavy, hip, highly arranged, and funky is "Mode Four," while a cleverly constructed and tricky 12/8 (or three repeated measures of 4/4) services the funky and intense title cut. A cerebral "Parting...From a View" sports toned-down, late-night sounds. Colley contributes two selections: "Segues" is a nine-note unison setup in bop mode replete with psychotrophic sampled voices and crackling percussion, and "Gradual Impulse" is a bass/drum extended funk. There's also a continuation of the "Xang" concerto with segments six through 11, ranging from McCaslin's Asian-flavored flute with percussion and desert wind sounds to bird fluttered trilling, insistent bus horn honking to tense free chaos, scatter shot improv, and an obvious space-probe piece. The creative juices of Lan Xang collectively flow from start to finish on this continually intriguing, cliché-free recording. Highly recommended for progressive music listeners. - Michael G. Nastos

Tracks
01. The Restless Many (David Binney)
02. Trinity Place (Donny McCaslin)
03. Xang Six (Lan Xang)
04. Segues (Scott Colley)
05. Mode Four (Donny McCaslin)
06. Incurable Dreaminess (David Binney)
07. Hidden Gardens (Donny McCaslin)
08. Xang Seven (Lan Xang)
09. Xang Eight (Lan Xang)
10. Gradual Impulse (Scott Colley)
11. Parting...From a View (Donny McCaslin)
12. Xang Nine (Lan Xang)
13. Free to Dream (David Binney)
14. Xang Ten (Lan Xang)
15. Xang Eleven (Lan Xang)

DAVID BINNEY alto saxophone, clarinet, Live Samples
SCOTT COLLEY bass, percussion
KENNY WOLLESEN drums
DONNY McCASLIN soprano & tenor saxophones, flute, Tunisian horn, percussion

Recorded on 9th and 10th August, 1999
NAXOS JAZZ 86046-2

Dave Douglas is a creative trumpeter who infuses an eclectic array of musical styles into his compositions. From Eastern European folk music, tango, Italian opera, swing, and jazz, the artist brings it all together for an enjoyable program. Douglas, attended the Berklee School of Music, the New England Conservatory, and New York University, worked with Horace Silver, Vincent Herring, Don Byron, John Zorn, and remains dedicated to a number of performance projects. With almost a dozen recordings as leader in the 1990s, the trumpeter has remained true to his preference for original melodic jazz compositions of quality. Eight of the 13 tracks on his latest album are expressive accordion-trumpet duets with Guy Klucevsek. "Twisted" is a trio number that adds the support of bassist Greg Cohen; the other four tunes include violinist Mark Feldman. The album's artist edition includes photographic art that coincides with much of the session's theme: trees barren of their leaves, night lights, travelers on a journey. Winter & Winter has provided a durable package for the CD that contains no plastic, and—hence—no breakable parts. Like the packaging, this album is meant to last and will undoubtedly make frequent trips to the family's listening station.
Dave Douglas composed 9 of the 13 songs. His "Bal Masque" is a lovely waltz that, through the accordion, captures the essence of French folk music. The up-tempo Klezmer piece "Facing West" incorporates a powerful jazz/swing idiom into danceable festival surroundings. Similarly, "Decafinata" swings with an enjoyable out-of-step waltz time that induces an urge for gala dancing. Later, Douglas soars gently with the lyrical melody of Herbie Hancock's "Little One" as the trio backs him appropriately. Guy Klucevsek's "Wild Coffee" kicks up the heels of Eastern European traditional dance. His "The Girl with the Rose Hips" contrasts that with a sleep-inducing muted trumpet and accordion duet. The session turns to the world for inspiration, incorporates creativity, and maintains an element of swing throughout. Highly Recommended. - Jim Santella

Tracks
01.Charms Of The Night Sky
02. Bal Masqué
03. Sea Change
04. Facing West
05. Dance In The Soul
06. Little One (H. Hancock)
Mug Shots (G. Klucevsek)
07. Wild Coffee
08. The Girl With The Rose Hips
09. Decafinata
10. Poveri Fiori (Francesco Cilea)
11. Odyssey
12. Twisted
13. Codetta

GUY KLUCEVSEK accordion
GREG COHEN bass
DAVE DOUGLAS trumpet
MARK FELDMAN violin

Recorded September 1997 at Avatar Studios NYC
Winter & Winter - 910 015-2

Drummer and bandleader Chico Hamilton recorded The Ellington Suite twice. The released version was recorded in 1959 by a reunion of his original quintet of Buddy Collette, Jim Hall, Fred Katz and Carson Smith with Paul Horn added. However, Hamilton first recorded an unreleased version of the suite in 1958 with Eric Dolphy on alto sax, flute and clarinet, Nate Gershman on cello, John Pisano on guitar and Hal Gaylor on bass. Most of The Original Ellington Suite was lost for over 30 years, but a test pressing was recently discovered (in England!), allowing us to hear the entire Dolphy version of the suite for the first time.
This version is performed as an actual suite with written transitions between the pieces and has a chamber music feel. This is a chance to hear a young Eric Dolphy, who has some beautiful solos on the CD. Dolphy's playing might have seemed too extreme for the producer at the time, but it doesn't seem so now, and it's wonderful to be able to finally hear this music. — Alan Lankin, 27 Sept 2000

This release will have fans of Eric Dolphy salivating as it includes some long-lost work that jazz scholars didn't know existed at all. When the premiere reissue producer Michael Cuscuna researched all known Pacific Jazz tapes attributed to Chico Hamilton, all he came across were three edited numbers from this session, two of which had appeared on a compilation and another only on a DJ sampler. But this release is due to the luck of a Canadian resident who was digging through a used record bin in his hometown of Brighton, England, where he found a copy of The Ellington Suite with the personnel listed from a later session and a near mint blank test pressing of what turned out to be the long lost Chico Hamilton original version with Dolphy. While producer Richard Bock may have thought Dolphy's playing was at times too radical, history proves him wrong. His mellow alto sax is a key ingredient of "In a Sentimental Mood," while his unique phrasing is central to the swinging "Just A-Sittin'and A-Rockin'." Dolphy's flute is not as aggressive as it would be in the next few years, but his playing on "Everything but You" provides a preview of what was to come later in his career. Dolphy's clarinet weaves underneath Nate Gershman's arco cello solo in the lovely "Day Dream." Of course, the work of guitarist John Pisano, bassist Hal Gaylor, and the leader should not be ignored, as their musicianship is of the highest order, too. Chico Hamilton's pianoless chamber jazz recordings for Pacific Jazz between 1955 and 1959 are important landmarks, but the discovery of this long-lost date adds to his many achievements. Highly recommended. - Ken Dreyer

Tracks
01. In a Mellow Tone (Duke Ellington/Milt Gabler)
02. In a Sentimental Mood (Duke Ellington/Manny Kurtz/Irving Mills)
03. I'm Just a Lucky So and So (mack David/Duke Ellington)
04. Just A-Sittin' and A-Rockin' (Duke Ellington/Lee Gaines/Billy Strayhorn)
05. Everything But You
06. Day Dream
07. I'm Beginning To See The Light
08. Azure (Duke Ellington)
09. It Don't Mean A Thing (D. Ellington/I. Mills

ERIC DOLPHY alto saxophone, clarinet, flute
HAL GAYLOR bass
NATE GERSHMAN cello
JOHN PISANO guitar
CHICO HAMILTON drums

Recorded in Los Angeles on August 22, 1958
Pacific Jazz Records - 7243 5 24567 2 7

Trickles is the first album by Steve Lacy to be released on the Italian Black Saint label. It features performances of five of Lacy's compositions by Lacy, Roswell Rudd, Kent Carter and Beaver Harris.

Tracks
01.Trickles
02.I Feel A Draught
03. The Bite
04. Papa's Midnite Hop
05. Robes

KENT CARTER bass
BEAVER HARRIS drums
STEVE LACY soprano saxophone
ROSWELL RUDD trombone

Recorded on March 11 & 14, 1976 at Generation Sound Studios, New York City.
Black Saint - 120008-2

Geri Allen is perhaps the most celebrated jazz pianist of her generation, with a fleet, unforced technique, and the ability to move from tender to hard as nails as the mood requires. Her compositions can be disarmingly simple, but without sounding routine or familiar. Emerging as part of the 1980s Brooklyn jazz scene, she worked with Steve Coleman and Cassandra Wilson, and though Allen now plays more traditionally than the rest of the M-Base crew, she's kept a freewheeling improvisatory approach and an openness to R&B and rock approaches. Somewhere between the New Traditionalists and the post-fusion funkateers, Allen continues to chart her own course, and we're privileged to be along for the ride.

Tracks
1. Night's Shadow (Eli Fountain)
2. No. 3 (Lawrence Williams)
3. It's Good To Be Home Again (Lawrence Williams)
4. Batista's Groove (Marcus Balfgrave)
5. Night Of Power (for mi daughter Laila) (Geri Allen)
6. Our Gang (Robert Hurst)
7. Silence And Song/The Nurturer (Geri Allen)
8. Le Goo Wop (Geri Allen)
9. Lullaby Of Isfahn (Kenny Garrett)

MARCUS BELGRAVE trumpet, flugelhorn
KENNY GARRETT alto saxophone, straight-alto saxophone
GERI ALLEN piano
ROBERT HURST bass
JEFF WAITTS drums
ELI FOUNTAIN percussion

Recorded at Sound On Sound, New York, N.Y. on January 5 & 6, 1990
Somethin'else/Blue Note 0777 7 95139 2 5

The '90s saw a small but noticeable rise in popularity of the tuba (and its marching band cousin the sousaphone) in jazz groups. Its sound gives any music a certain street fanfare feel, along with some avant-garde panache, but its difficult manipulability has a tendency to drag the momentum of any piece. Even the best tuba players can't avoid sounding a bit fat or heavy. That's what happens to Bob Stewart in this quartet. Luckily, he is well supported by a lively drummer (Thomas Alkier) and a vivacious two-headed saxophone line consisting of Christof Lauer and Wolfgang Puschnig. Bluebells contains a nice selection of funky avant-jazz-rock numbers that draw both from the downtown N.Y.C. scene (angular rhythms, faux-simple melodies, a delinquent poise) and the restraint (some would say dryness) usually associated with German and Swiss avant-garde jazz. "Screwbirds," penned by Lauer, opens the disc with a two-punch groove, very well done. Stewart's "Tunk" and Puschnig's "Down Under" provide the other highlights of the set. But even in its best moments, the music feels incomplete. There is a void left between the tuba line and the interplay of the saxophones. The addition of an electric guitar or a trombone would have made the tunes less obvious, less naked. It is still a good album -- and some of Lauer's solos on tenor sax should catch the attention of Ken Vandermark's fans. - Francois Couture

Tracks
1. Screwbirds (C. Lauer)
2. Mixed Metaphors (W. Puschnig)
3. Tunk (B. Stewart)
4. Bluebells Nightmare (C. Lauer)
5. Nonet (Bob Stewart)
6. Ann-Charlotte (C. Lauer / W. Puschnig)

CHRISTOF LAUER tenor & soprano saxophones
WOLFGANG PUSCHNIG alto saxophone
BOB STEWART tuba
THOMAS ALKIER drums

Recorded at Ztudio Zerkall, Germany, April 1992
CMP CD 56

"Real Deal" is as good a place as any to continue to build a Murray collection. These two jazz-avant giants play their booties off for 64 minutes. Murray is brilliant, of course, but Graves doesn't simply accompany him, his drumming challenges the saxophonist beat for beat, solo for solo. A particular favorite on this record is "Essential Soul," in which Murray basically turns his bass clarinet into another piece of percussion. This is a wonderful recording (reminiscent of the Max Roach and Anthony Braxton meeting on "Birth and Rebirth"). - Jeff Delfield

Tracks
1. Started with Peace (David Murray)
2. The Third Day (David Murray)
3. Luxor (David Murray)
4. Under & Over (Milford Graves)
5. Moving About (Milford Graves)
6. Ultimate High Priest (Milford Graves)
7. Essential Soul (Milford Graves)
8. Contuinity (David Murray)

DAVID MURRAY tenor saxophone, bass clarinet
MILFORD GRAVES drums, percussion

Recorded at Power Station, NYC on November 3, 1991
DIW Records DIW-867 Japan

This set of eight adventurous compositions by bassist Mark Dresser has some otherworldly sounds, some free improvising and plenty of spacey stretches. The latter is due to the flexible and chancetaking singing of Theo Bleckmann, who often functions as part of the ensembles and sticks to wordless improvising. The group also includes trumpeter Dave Douglas (who sometimes sounds traditional and in other spots is as adventurous as Bleckmann, pianist Denman Maroney and drummer Phil Haynes. The music is stimulating but sometimes disturbing, easier to respect than to love. - Scott Yanow

"Very much the bassist's record, but only in the proper sense that he steers the music the total effect is of an ensemble rather than a loose coalition of individuals, which is what the music requires." - The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD

Tracks
O1. Focus
02. Force Cuisine
03. Ediface
04. Bosnia
05. For Miles
06. Castles for Carter

MARK DRESSER bass
PHIL HAYNES drums
DENMAN MARONEY piano
DAVE DOUGLAS trumpet
THEO BLECKMANN voice

Recorded on September 8-9, 1994 at Sorcerer Sound Studio
Soul Note - 121273-2. Italy

Mal Waldron has style. That kind of style that allows a musician to take a life of technical study, the skill to express a wide range of feelings, the sensibility required to move as a dancer from one of those feelings to the other, and rather than make all of this a burden for the listener or a monument to himself, hide it in a solid, tasty, tasteful end product.

It's surprising to see not only how naturally he can go from one mood to another, but also how effectively he can communicate them through seemingly simple expressions. Sadness is real sadness, delight is real delight. It's like when everybody is using the same worn out words to talk about something, and then someone who has never heard of it articulates it best. Although he doesn't seem to be doing anything particular, the concept gains a bright, attracting freshness that sets it apart both from the stale use of standard-poetic-thesaurus and from the irritating show of the ones who try too hard to be different.

Free At Last is a easy listening record, in the most positive meaning of such an expression: it's easy to listen to it, because it's beautiful. Nevertheless it isn't fit to be background music for other activities, and this without taking in consideration the numerous changes of rhythm and the solos of bass and of drums. The fact is it catches your attention, and even if you try to concentrate on something else it ends up dragging you in again almost without letting you notice. These pieces seem to be surrounded by an aura of sincerity that gets through the heavy armor of cerebral assessment and hits right to the heart. - qwff

Tracks
01. Rat Now (Mal Waldron)
02. Balladina (Mal Waldron)
03. 1-3-234 (Mal Waldron)
04. Rock My Soul (Mal Waldron)
05. Willow Weep for Me (Ann Ronell)
06. Boo (Mal Waldron)

MAL WALDRON piano
ISLA ECKINGER bass
CLARENCE BECTON drums

Recorded on November 24, 1969 at the Tonstudio Bauer, Ludwigsburg
ECM Records ECM 1001. Germany

Tracks
1. Triverse
2. Inneroutersight
3. Unichange
4. Spihumonesty

ROSCOE MITCHELL alto saxophone, flute
LEONARD JONES bass
AMINA MYERS piano, e-piano, organ
MUHAL RICHARD ABRAMS piano, sinthasizer
YOUSEF YANCEY theremin
GEORGE LEWIS trombone, sousaphone, synthesizer
JAY CLAYTON voice

All music composed by Muhal Richard Abrams
Recorded in July 1979 at Big Apple Studios, New York City
Black Saint - 120 032-2 Italy

Guitarist David Torn, bassist Mick Karn, and drummer Terry Bozio play a total of over 20 instruments in this far-reaching musical experiment, released in 1994 on avant- fusion label CMP Records. Led by Torn's scattered almost-melodies, these ten tracks present a tribal jazz ambiance and near-constant guitar and bass noodling that fans of Torn and Karn's prior work will enjoy. Bozio's expressive percussion stylings are up to the drummer's world-class standard, and carry Polytown beyond the new age oblivion similar records inhabit. Despite the virtuoso, heavily-nuanced performances, however, this challenging collection still might not posses the cohesion necessary to interest listeners unfamiliar with so much obsessive compulsive instrumentalism. There is an uncredited nugget of prose inside the CD case that says it best; "Rivers of warm sand like snakes coil around Polytown often flooding into larger reptiles." Impossibly meaningless, but odd and beautiful -- that's the dichotomy of Polytown. - Vincent Jeffries

Tracks
01. Honey Sweating
02. Palms for Lester
03. Open Letter to the Heart of Diaphora
04. Bandaged by Dreams
05. Warrior Horsemen of the Spirit...
06. Snall Hair Dune
07. This Is the Abduction Scene
08. Red Sleep
09. Res Majuko
10. City of the Dead

MICK KARN fretless bass, bass clarinet, voice
TERRY BOZZIO drums, percussion, noises, samples
DAVID TORN guitar loops, organ, harmonica, koto, piano, voice

All music composed by Terry Bozzio, Mick Karn, David Torn
Recorded between June 25 and July 16, 1993 at White Crow Audio, Burlington
CMP Records - CMP CD 1006. Germany

Although the instrumentation on this CD might lead one to think that the music on the session is a typical organ date from the 1960s (with alto used instead of tenor), the first moments of the opening "All Cracked Up" immediately changes one's expectations. Organist Jeff Palmer does his best to blow away any thoughts of Jimmy Smith as he plays harmonically advanced and sometimes nearly atonal improvisations. The music is quite adventurous (although often swinging) with plenty of fiery interaction between the musicians. Altoist Arthur Blythe's highly original tone (which sometimes sounds halfway between Cannonball Adderley and Eric Dolphy) fits in perfectly with Palmer and the eccentric soloing of guitarist John Abercrombie. It is a particular joy to hear the legendary drummer Rashied Ali (still best-known for being a member of John Coltrane's Quintet during 1966-67) playing at the peak of his powers after nearly 30 years of general obscurity. But it is Jeff Palmer who deserves the bulk of the credit for this set's success. He contributed all ten pieces and is one of the few organists around today who has managed to escape from the dominant Jimmy Smith influence, developing a style that is even beyond Larry Young. The music on his CD is sometimes quite dark and mildly disturbing but it is also quite often extroverted and full of wild spirits; even "Amerigo" (which is basically a blues) is unpredictable. Jeff Palmer's best recording thus far, Island Universe is highly recommended. - Scott Yanow

Tracks
01. All Cracked Up
02. Loop Hole
03. Spot Check
04. Amerigo
05. Count Sirloin
06. Octopia
07. Geminied Take 2
08. Warrior Not Worrier
09. Boomer Rang
10. Five Fingers

ARTHUR BLYTHE alto saxophone
RASHIED ALI drums
JOHN ABERCROMBIE guitar
JEFF PALMER hammond B3 organ, bass pedals

Recorded March 1994 at East Side Sound, New York City
Soul Note - 121301-2

Dance is the third album by Paul Motian to be released on the ECM label. It was released in 1977 and features performances by Motian with David Izenzon and Charles Brackeen.
The music on Dance might initially seem anything but that which might evoke dancing of the rhythmic kind. "Waltz Song" does not have any perceptible connection to the 3/4 dance, while the title tune, which might be visualizable in an avant-garde ballet, does not feel like a "dance". "Kalypso" sounds more of march rhythms than Calypso rhythms, and "Asia" does not evoke the Orient in any obvious way.

Nevertheless, there is a bouncing lightness in the music, led by Brackeen's extremely pure soprano saxophone. Brackeen's one track playing tenor, "Prelude" is played in its high register. Some of Motian's most attractive melodies/motives can be heard here. On "Asia," Brackeen floats like a butterfly or a cloud wisp as the melody, with its clear structure plays out against light arco bass and percussion. "Waltz Song" finds Brackeen declaming and then working the unfurling theme in rubato time, against a light, but steady rhythm set up by Motian and Izenzon, creating an intriguing tension. The last tune, "Lullaby" sounds faintly like "Dance" at times and the gongs, soft plucking and arco of the bass do manage to instill a sense of peace.

The music on Dance is quite subtle and never attempts at overpowering the listener, but rather wraps her in a delicate web of sound and evoked images. - Budd Kopman

Tracks
1. Waltz Song
2. Dance
3. Kalypso
4. Asia
5. Prelude
6. Lullaby

DAVID IZENZON bass
CHARLES BRACKEEN soprano and tenor saxophones
PAUL MOTIAN drums, percussion

Music composed by Paul Motion
Recorded September 1977 at Tonstudio Bauer, Ludwigsburg
ECM Records ECM 1108 / ECM Records - 519 282-2

Tracks
01. LE TUE MANI (Spotti)
02. MA L’AMORE NO (D’Anzi)
03. MUNASTERIO ‘E SANTA CHIARA (Barberis)
04. AMORE BACIAMI (Rossi)
05. DONNA (Kramer)
06. SILENZIOSO SLOW (D’Anzi)
07. TU MUSICA DIVINA (D’Anzi)
08. ARRIVEDERCI (Bindi)
09. PARLAMI D’AMORE, MARIU’ (Neri / Bixio)
10. ROMA NUN FA’ LA STUPIDA STASERA (Trovajoli)
11. AMORE BACIAMI (Rossi)
12. LE TUE MANI (Spotti)
13. THE MAN I LOVE (G. Gershwin)

ENRICO RAVA trumpet, flugelhorn
RENATO SELLANI piano

Recorded at Mu Rec Studio, Milano on November 7, 2000
Tracks 12 and 13 recorded live at San Michele Arcangelo Church, San Genesio
Philology W 192.2

Recorded live in Tokyo, the great pianist McCoy Tyner performs three of his best originals ("Passion Dance,""Search For Peace" and "Song Of The New World") plus two John Coltrane songs ("Moment's Notice" and "The Promise"). He takes three selections unaccompanied while "Moment's Notice" and "Song Of The New World" are with a trio including bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams. This Lp (long overdue to be reissued on CD) has plenty of fiery and passionate music. All of Tyner's Milestone records of the 1970's are recommended and this is one of the better ones. - Scott Yanow

Tracks
1. Moment's Notice (John Coltrane)
2. Passion Dance (McCoy Tyner)
3. Search for Peace (mcCoy Tyner)
4. The Promise (John Coltrane)
5. Song of the New World (McCoy Tyner)

RON CARTER bass
TONY WILLIAMS drums
McCOY TYNER piano

Recorded Live at Denen Coliseum, Tokyo, Japan; July 28, 1978
Milestone Records, Milestone OJCCD - 1107-2

This music is a piece of genius. Even after having listened to it for a hundred times, The Survivors' Suite is still extremely exciting and moving. It starts out very slowly with a worldmusic sounding bass recorder and the lightly plucked bass of Charlie Haden, which move on into a hypnotic repetitive rhythm, the recorder like an incantation moving to the background, and then both saxes (Dewey Redman and Jarrett himself) play the core theme. It is almost magical how, with so very few notes, they can conjure up images of space, open skies, extensive plains, and it is only after approx. nine minutes that Jarrett takes place at his keyboard, repeating the theme in full force, while bass and drums intensify. This is not jazz in the traditional sense, this is music, full stop. Constructed with movements like in a classical symphony, but with room for improvisation. Jarrett's piano solo follows seamlessly, sometimes hesitant, then light and dancing. Paul Motian shows his extraordinary skills in giving accents to the music without playing a fixed rhythm, or rather giving the rhythm implicitly. Charlie Haden gets also some solo space, lightly supported by vibraphone (or glockenspiel?). Haden is a very lyrical improvisor, and he builds great tension into his solo by repeating the same sequence of notes and then gliding to the lowest sounds on his bass. Redman joins and soars as a bird over the melody, and when Jarrett plays his piano piece, Redman keeps blowing, softly, very softly in the background. Jarrett plays one of his most beautiful tunes, with all the romanticism and sensitivity for which he is known. "Conclusion", the second piece (the B-side of the original album) starts with an intense, chaotic, free-for-all, with Redman screeching, Motian hard-hitting, Jarrett thundering, then suddenly moving on to an uptempo melody with an almost latin feel, with Haden on arco. The intensity remains for a long piece of improvisation, shifting back to the beginning melody, with the high tones of the bass recorder, the singing, howling sax, the plucking bass. The solo sax evolves toward the menacing chaos tones from the beginning, joined by the rest of the band and then suddenly the whole thing bursts open like a flower into a liberating open melody, with long and sustained tones of the sax and a playful piano. Everything quiets down then, with flute and bass, ebbing away... absolutely sublime!
http://www.freejazzblog.org/2007/02/keith-jarrett-survivors-suite-ecm-1977.html

This is an extraordinary composition. It is almost like tribal music, absolutely mesmerizing. I have listened to it many times over the years, and it never fails to uplift and fill my soul and provide me with inner strength. - Cliff Helander

Tracks

1. The Survivor's Suite: Beginning

 2. The Survivor's Suite: Conclusion

KEITH JARRETT piano, soprano saxophone, bass recorder, osi drums

DEWEY REDMAN tenor saxophone, percussion 

CHARLIE HADEN bass

PAUL MOTIAN drums, percussion

Music composed by Keith Jarrett

Recorded April 1976 Tonstudio Bauer, Ludwigsburg

ECM Records / ECM - 1085

On four of the nine selections of this otherwise solo piano set, Ran Blake duets with the warm and soulful tenor of Houston Person. Rather than playing some blues or standards (all of the solo pieces are well-known), Person and Blake surprisingly explore four of the pianist's quirky originals, and the unusual matchup turns out quite well. Other highlights include Blake's transformations of "Pete Kelly's Blues,""Old Man River" and "Stars and Stripes Forever," plus a medley of tunes played in tribute to Mahalia Jackson. No Ran Blake record is ever dull. - Scott Yanow

Ran Blake once said of Horace Silver, "... the energy with which [he] erupts is often greater than the content of his ideas." As author Robert Doerschuk has observed, exactly the opposite is true of Mr Blake - and that's certainly true of his performance in "Suffield Gothic."

I doubt that I have ever read a review of one of Mr Blake's records that did not describe him as "unique." And he is. No other jazz pianist sounds even remotely like Mr Blake - stripped down, spare, single notes - Mr Blake is as concerned about the silence between notes as he is with the notes themselves. And yet, for all of its austerity, Mr Blake's music is deepy evocative and emotional.

"Suffield Gothic" gives you four of Mr Blake's darkly elegant original songs, a couple of standards, and, God help me, John Philip Sousa's "Stars and Stripes Forever." On four of these cuts, he is joined by Houston Person. This pairing works surprisingly well, (much better than Mr Blake's match-up with Clifford Jordan on "Masters From Different Worlds"). Mr Person's warm, mellow tenor sax is the perfect accompaniment to Mr Blake's piano. - Gary L. Connely

Tracks
1. Curtis (Ran Blake)
2. Pete Kelly's Blues (Sammy Cahn/Ray Heindorf)
3. There's Been a Change in My Life (Hubert Powell)
4. Vanguard (Ran Blake)
5. Old Man River (O. Hammerstein/J. Kern)
6. Tribute To Mahalia (Ran Blake)
7. Indian Winter (Ran Blake)
8. Stars And Stripes Forever (John Phillip Sousa)
9. Midnight local To Tate County (Ran Blake)

RAN BLAKE piano
HOUSTON PERSON tenor saxophone

Recorded September 28-29, 1983 at Vanguard Studios, NY
Soul Note SN 1077 CD

JOHN SCOFIELD - Enja, Tutu & Grammavision (1995)

GERRY MULLIGAN meets BEN WEBSTER (1959)

MARC COPLAND, GARY PEACOCK, BILL STEWART - Modinha (2006)

LAN XANG - Hidden Gardens (2000)

DAVE DOUGLAS - Charms of the Night Sky (1997)

CHICO HAMILTON QUINTET with ERIC DOLPHY - The Original Ellington Suite 1958

STEVE LACY, ROSWELL RUDD, KENT CARTER, BEAVER HARRIS - Trickles (1993)

GERI ALLEN - The Nurturer (1991)

CHRISTOF LAUER, WOLFGANG PUSCHNIG, BOB STEWART, THOMAS ALKIER - Bluebells (1992)

DAVID MURRAY & MILFORD GRAVES - Real Deal (1992)

MARK DRESSER - Force Green (1994)

MAL WALDRON - Free At Last (1969)

MUHAL RICHARD ABRAMS - Spihumonesty (1979)

DAVID TORN, MICK KARN, TERRY BOZZIO - Polytown (1994)

JEFF PALMER - Island Universe (1995)

PAUL MOTIAN TRIO - Dance (1978)

ENRICO RAVA & RENATO SELLANI - Radio Days (2000)

McCOY TYNER - Passion Dance (1978)

KEITH JARRETT - The Survivors' Suite (1977)

RAN BLAKE - Suffied Gothic (1983)