This edition of Pork Pie - was it really billed as Pork Pie? - works surprisingly well despite the difficult setting of guitar, piano (or keys, actually) and saxophone. The three members are equally well represented (although the record has an overall Philip Catherine sound to me), each bringing in some of the compositions - with Schönberg's 'Verklärte Nacht' thrown in as an added surprise. Jasper van 't Hof makes his early electronic playware, never overused, sing like you never heard it before. Even Charlie Mariano's then-unavoidable nagaswaram works well, placed in a more or less realistic context by Catherine's sitar-like guitar. - by Signalman, Amazon.com
They were in the context of fusion, heavily relying in electric instruments. This is different in that it is mainly acoustic and is in a trio setting, much more intimate and personal. That's not to say that you won't hear an electric piano or guitar, but the use and context are a mile away from Pork Pie's "Transitory" and Michael Gibb's "The Only Chrome Waterfall Orchestra", both of which you'll find in this blog. A modern jazz album, not a fusion album. This is about the dymanics between great musicians in a small group setting, their interplay and invention, great stuff. Here we also get to hear Catherine, the electric bass player. He's good, so good that there is no doubt that he could also have been a very successful bassist. - by Micaus, Prognotfrog.blogspot.com
Artist: Philip Catherine, Charlie Mariano, Jasper van't Hof
Album: Sleep my Love
Year: 1979
Label: CMP
Runtime: 39:09
Tracks:
1. Sleep My Love (Charlie Mariano) 4:06
2. 5 Pages (Jasper van't Hof) 6:28
3. Les sept boules de christal (Philip Catherine) 5:41
4. Scrabble (Jasper van't Hof) 2:46
5. Janet (Philip Catherine) 7:49
6. Smell of Madras (Charlie Mariano) 5:30
7. Improvisation on a Theme of Schönberg's "Verklärte Nacht" (Arnold Schoenberg) 6:55
Personnel:
Philip Catherine (Electric and Acoustic Guitar, Guitar Synthesizer)
Charlie Mariano (Soprano and Alto Saxophone, Flute, Nagaswaram)
Jasper van't Hof (Piano, Electric Piano, Organ, Synthesizer, Kalimba)
Friday, June 14, 2013
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Art Farmer - You Make Me Smile
Among the most consistent of jazzmen, flugelhornist Art Farmer sounds in fine form on this quintet outing with tenor-saxophonist Clifford Jordan, pianist Fred Hersch, bassist Rufus Reid and drummer Akira Tana. The material, other than the standards "Nostalgia" and "Have You Met Miss Jones?" is more obscure than usual, with an adaptation of a Scriabin classical prelude and numbers by Rufus Reid, Farmer ("Flashback") and Benny Carter ("Souvenir"). Creative bop-based music with Farmer's usual subtlety clearly in evidence. - by Scott Yanow, AMG
Artist: Art Farmer Quintet
Album: You Make Me Smile
Year: 1984
Label: Soul Note
Runtime: 37:06
Tracks:
1. You Make Me Smile (Rufus Reid) 4:25
2. Prelude No 1 (Alexander Scriabin) 7:08
3. Nostalgia (Tadd Dameron/Fats Navarro) 5:49
4. Flashback (Art Farmer) 7:55
5. Souvenir (Benny Carter) 6:58
6. Have You Met Miss Jones (Lorenz Hart/Richard Rodgers) 4:49
Personnel:
Art Farmer (Flugelhorn)
Clifford Jordan (Tenor Saxophone)
Fred Hersch (Piano)
Rufus Reid (Double Bass)
Akira Tana (Drums)
Artist: Art Farmer Quintet
Album: You Make Me Smile
Year: 1984
Label: Soul Note
Runtime: 37:06
Tracks:
1. You Make Me Smile (Rufus Reid) 4:25
2. Prelude No 1 (Alexander Scriabin) 7:08
3. Nostalgia (Tadd Dameron/Fats Navarro) 5:49
4. Flashback (Art Farmer) 7:55
5. Souvenir (Benny Carter) 6:58
6. Have You Met Miss Jones (Lorenz Hart/Richard Rodgers) 4:49
Personnel:
Art Farmer (Flugelhorn)
Clifford Jordan (Tenor Saxophone)
Fred Hersch (Piano)
Rufus Reid (Double Bass)
Akira Tana (Drums)
Monday, June 3, 2013
Courtney Pine - Modern Day Jazz Stories
Courtney Pine has finally found his niche. I have every album that he has released in the U.S. I love his sound, especially this one, every track is smooth, especially the ones with Cassandra Wilson's sexy vocals. I've Known Rivers is an instant classic, so cool and it just flows. The Band really smokes on every cut, especially Dah Blessing. He is my 2nd favortie Sax player of all time. Only the immortal John Coltrane stands before him in my book. He is tremendously gifted and very underrated. - by Val Guilford, Amazon.com
...an example of how hip hop is influencing traditional jazz....the inclusion of turntables on the straightahead tracks is unique. Accepting the DJ's role as a minimal soloist, MODERN DAY JAZZ STORIES is an outstanding and well-executed album... (from Jazziz)
Courtney Pine's remarkable jazz career started at school when he was 13, taking piano and clarinet lessons. Though he subsequently decided that the saxophone was what he really wanted to play, his musical heroes, including Grover Washington Jr, John Coltrane and Miles Davies, all played the piano, and Courtney's piano experience has been very useful, as he now spends quite a lot of time in his home studio, working with a MIDI sequencer connected to an ageing Sequential Prophet VS keyboard. As you might expect, he's also had a lot of experience with MIDI wind controllers. One of the motivating factors behind this interview was Courtney's latest album, Modern Day Jazz Stories, an essentially acoustic modern jazz album underpinned by hip-hop loops and DJ vinyl pyrotechnics. Unlike the many hip-hop records that have a jazz influence or feature a token jazz performer, Modern Day Jazz Stories is most definitely jazz with a hip-hop influence, rather than vice versa, and unlike many compositions that use off-the-shelf loops, many of the drum loops on this album started life as an acoustic kit in the studio, while some of the more experimental loops were produced by Courtney at home. - from soundonsound.com
Artsit: Courtney Pine
Album. Modern Day Jazz stories
Year: 1995
Label: Verve
Runtime: 59:07
Tracks:
1. Prelude - The Water Of Life 1:24
2. The 37th Chamber 4:21
3. Don't 'Kplain 4:56
4. Dah Blessing 8:48
5. In The Garden Of Eden (Thinking Inside Of You) 5:58
6. Creation Stepper 10:44
7. Absolution 7:33
8. Each One (Must) Teach One 3:50
9. The Unknown Warrior (Song For My Forefathers) 6:39
10. I've Known Rivers 3:41
11. Outro - Guiding Light 1:08
All tracks written by Courney Pine
Personnel:
Courtney Pine (Soprano and Tenor Saxophone, Flute)
Geri Allen (Piano, Hammod Organ)
Charnette Moffett (Double Bass)
Ronnie Burrage (Drums, Percussion)
DJ Pogo (Turntables)
Eddie Henderson (Trumpet)
Cassandra Wilson (Vocals)
Mark Whitfield (Guitar)
...an example of how hip hop is influencing traditional jazz....the inclusion of turntables on the straightahead tracks is unique. Accepting the DJ's role as a minimal soloist, MODERN DAY JAZZ STORIES is an outstanding and well-executed album... (from Jazziz)
Courtney Pine's remarkable jazz career started at school when he was 13, taking piano and clarinet lessons. Though he subsequently decided that the saxophone was what he really wanted to play, his musical heroes, including Grover Washington Jr, John Coltrane and Miles Davies, all played the piano, and Courtney's piano experience has been very useful, as he now spends quite a lot of time in his home studio, working with a MIDI sequencer connected to an ageing Sequential Prophet VS keyboard. As you might expect, he's also had a lot of experience with MIDI wind controllers. One of the motivating factors behind this interview was Courtney's latest album, Modern Day Jazz Stories, an essentially acoustic modern jazz album underpinned by hip-hop loops and DJ vinyl pyrotechnics. Unlike the many hip-hop records that have a jazz influence or feature a token jazz performer, Modern Day Jazz Stories is most definitely jazz with a hip-hop influence, rather than vice versa, and unlike many compositions that use off-the-shelf loops, many of the drum loops on this album started life as an acoustic kit in the studio, while some of the more experimental loops were produced by Courtney at home. - from soundonsound.com
Artsit: Courtney Pine
Album. Modern Day Jazz stories
Year: 1995
Label: Verve
Runtime: 59:07
Tracks:
1. Prelude - The Water Of Life 1:24
2. The 37th Chamber 4:21
3. Don't 'Kplain 4:56
4. Dah Blessing 8:48
5. In The Garden Of Eden (Thinking Inside Of You) 5:58
6. Creation Stepper 10:44
7. Absolution 7:33
8. Each One (Must) Teach One 3:50
9. The Unknown Warrior (Song For My Forefathers) 6:39
10. I've Known Rivers 3:41
11. Outro - Guiding Light 1:08
All tracks written by Courney Pine
Personnel:
Courtney Pine (Soprano and Tenor Saxophone, Flute)
Geri Allen (Piano, Hammod Organ)
Charnette Moffett (Double Bass)
Ronnie Burrage (Drums, Percussion)
DJ Pogo (Turntables)
Eddie Henderson (Trumpet)
Cassandra Wilson (Vocals)
Mark Whitfield (Guitar)
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