Thursday, December 27, 2018

Pee Wee Ellis - Yellin' Blue

A versatile composer, arranger, saxophonist and keyboard player, a musician whose repertoire encompasses all manner of music from jazz through soul and funk to stadium rock, Alfred Pee Wee Ellis stands distinctive in any company...
A second trio album from Koln was recorded live during a Pee Wee Ellis Assembly Trio tour of Europe in the spring of '94. Called “Yellin' Blue,” it attracted much critical acclaim in Europe. - from All About Jazz.com

Artist: Alfred "Pee Wee" Ellis
Album: Yellin' Blue
Year: 1995
Label: Minor Music
Runtime: 65:00

Tracks:
1.  Lazy Bird (John Coltrane) 4:17
2.  Do Dee Dum Diddy (Pee Wee Ellis) 8:31
3.  Sophisticated Lady (Duke Ellington/Irving Mills) 9:52
4.  Like Sonny (John Coltrane) 6:58
5.  Yellin' Blue (Pee Wee Ellis) 9:42
6.  Groovin' High (Dizzy Gillespie) 6:10
7.  In A Mellow Tone (Duke Ellington/Milt Gabler) 11:24
8.  Tag Alone (Pee Wee Ellis) 8:02

Personnel:
Pee Wee Ellis (Tenor Saxophone)
Dwayne Dolphin (Double Bass)
Bruce Cox (Drums)

Wednesday, December 5, 2018

Diana Krall - Live in Paris

Recorded "live" at the Paris Olympia, Live in Paris offers listeners Diana Krall's understanding of the musical techniques of composition, piano, and vocal improvisation on 12 songs from the Great American Songbooks of Cole Porter,Harold Arlen, George and Ira Gershwin, and contemporary artists Joni Mitchell and Billy Joel. Accompanied by the award-winning Anthony Wilson on guitar, John Pisano on acoustic guitar, John Clayton on bass, Jeff Hamilton on drums, and Paulinho Da Costa on percussion as well as the Orchestra Symphonies European on "Let's Fall in Love" and "I've Got You Under My Skin," the lovely vocalist heightens your listening pleasures with distinctive phrasings and tangible pathways to inside the creative imagination by getting inside harmony, the changes, and melodic structures. On Joel's "Just the Way You Are," Krall is accompanied by Christian McBride on bass, Michael Brecker on tenor saxophone, Lewis Nash on drums, and Wilson on guitar, among others. This song also resides on the soundtrack to the film The Guru and is probably one of the best ballads on the set due to the great solo from Brecker. His powerful but sensitive playing adds the ultimate expression and approach to the melody -- one with attitudinal preparation, which is always necessary for a song that has such familiarity and association with another musician. For those who may not have heard Krall perform "live," this recording will give you a firsthand account of the ambience and excitement of a musical evening with her. - by Paula Edelstein, AMG

Artist: Diana Krall
Album: Live in Paris
Year: 2002
Label: Verve Records
Runtime: 70:02

Tracks:
1.  I Love Being Here With You (Peggy Lee / Bill Schluger) 5:12
2.  Let's Fall In Love (Harold Arlen / Ted Koehler) 4:34
3.  'Deed I Do (Walter Hirsch / Fred Rose) 5:18
4.  The Look Of Love (Burt Bacharach / Hal David) 5:00
5.  East Of The Sun (And West Of The Moon) (Brooks Bowman) 5:58
6.  I've Got You Under My Skin (Cole Porter) 7:24
7.  Devil May Care (Bob Dorough / Terrell Kirk / Joe South) 6:52
8.  Maybe You'll Be There (Rube Bloom / Sammy Gallop) 5:48
9.  'S Wonderful (George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin) 6:00
10.  Fly Me To The Moon (Bart Howard) 6:06
11.  A Case Of You (Joni Mitchell) 6:50
12.  Just The Way You Are (Billy Joel) 5:00

Personnel:
John Clayton (Bass)
Jeff Hamilton (Drums)
Anthony Wilson (Guitar)
Paulinho Da Costa (Percussion)
Diana Krall (Piano, Vocals)

Wednesday, October 24, 2018

Diana Krall - All For You (A Dedication To The Nat King Cole Trio)

Pianist/vocalist Diana Krall pays tribute to the Nat King Cole Trio on her Impulse! set. In general, the medium and up-tempo tunes work best, particularly such hot ditties as "I'm an Errand Girl for Rhythm," "Frim Fram Sauce," and "Hit That Jive Jack." Krall does not attempt to directly copy Cole much (either pianistically or vocally), although his influence is obviously felt on some of the songs. The slow ballads are actually as reminiscent of Shirley Horn as Cole, particularly the somber "I'm Through With Love" and "If I Had You." Guitarist Russell Malone gets some solo space on many of the songs and joins in on the group vocal of "Hit That Jive Jack," although it is surprising that he had no other opportunities to interact vocally with Krall; a duet could have been delightful. Bassist Paul Keller is fine in support, pianist Benny Green backs Krall's vocal on "If I Had You," and percussionist Steve Kroon is added on one song. Overall, this is a tasteful effort that succeeds. - by Scott Yanow, AMG

Artist: Diana Krall
Album: All For You: A Dedication To The Nat King Cole Trio
Year: 1996
Label: Verve Records
Runtime: 54:36
Recorded at the Power Station, New York City, USA

Tracks:
1.  I'm An Errand Girl For Rhythm (Nat King Cole) 2:56
2.  Gee Baby, Ain't I Good To You (Andy Razaf / Don Redman) 4:07
3.  You Call It Madness (Russ Columbo / Con Conrad / Gladys Dubois/ Paul Gregory) 4:37
4.  Frim Fram Sauce (Redd Evans / Joe Ricardel) 5:00
5.  Boulevard Of Broken Dreams (Al Dubin / Harry Warren) 6:27
6.  Baby Baby All The Time (Bobby Troup) 3:36
7.  Hit That Jive Jack (John Alston / Alex Alston / Skeets Tolbert) 4:16
8.  You're Looking At Me (Bobby Troup) 5:33
9.  I'm Thru With Love (Gus Kahn / Fud Livingston / Matty Malneck) 4:25
10.  Deed I Do (Walter Hirsch / Fred Rose) 3:31
11.  A Blossom Fell (Howard Barnes / Harold Cornelius / Dominic John) 5:12
12.  If I Had You (Jimmy Campbell / Reginald Connelly / Ted Shapiro) 4:56

Personnel:
Diana Krall (Piano, Vocals)
Russell Malone (Guitar)
Paul Keller (Double Bass)
Benny Green (Piano) - 12
Steve Kroon (Percussion) - 5

Thursday, September 27, 2018

Diana Krall - The Girl in the Other Room

While the jazz fascists (read: purists) may be screaming "sellout" because Diana Krall decided to record something other than standards this time out, the rest of us can enjoy the considerable fruit of her labors. The Girl in the Other Room is, without question, a jazz record in the same manner her other outings are. The fact that it isn't made up of musty and dusty "classics" may irk the narrow-minded and reactionary, but it doesn't change the fact that this bold recording is a jazz record made with care, creativity, and a wonderfully intimate aesthetic fueling its 12 songs. Produced by Tommy LiPuma and Krall, the non-original material ranges from the Mississippi-fueled jazzed-up blues of Mose Allison's "Stop This World" to contemporary songs that are reinvented in Krall's image by Tom Waits ("Temptation"), Joni Mitchell ("Black Crow"), Chris Smither ("Love Me Like a Man"), and her husband, Elvis Costello ("Almost Blue"). These covers are striking. Krall's read of Allison's tune rivals his and adds an entirely different shade of meaning, as does her swinging, jazzy, R&B-infused take on Smither's sexy nugget via its first hitmaker, Bonnie Raitt. Her interpretation of Waits' "Temptation" is far more sultry than Holly Cole's because Krall understands this pop song to be a jazz tune rather than a jazzy pop song. "Black Crow" exists in its own space in the terrain of the album, because Krall understands that jazz is not mere articulation but interpretation. Likewise, her reverent version of Costello's "Almost Blue" takes it out of its original countrypolitan setting and brings it back to the blues. As wonderful as these songs are, however, they serve a utilitarian purpose; they act as bridges to the startling, emotionally charged poetics in the material Krall has composed with Costello. Totaling half the album, this material is full of grief, darkness, and a tentative re-emergence from the shadows. It begins in the noir-ish melancholy of the title track, kissed with bittersweet agony by Gershwin's "Summertime." The grain in Krall's pained voice relates an edgy third-person tale that is harrowing in its lack of revelation and in the way it confounds the listener; it features John Clayton on bass and Jeff Hamilton on drums. In "I've Changed My Address," Krall evokes the voices of ghosts such as Louis Armstrong and Anita O'Day in a sturdy hip vernacular that channels the early beat jazz of Waits and Allison. The lyric is solid and wonderfully evocative not only of time and place, but of emotional terrain. Krall's solo in the tune is stunning. "Narrow Daylight," graced by gospel overtones, is a tentative step into hope with its opening line: "Narrow daylight enters the room, winter is over, summer is near." This glimmer of hope is short-lived, however, as "Abandoned Masquerade" reveals the shattered promise in the aftermath of dying love. "I'm Coming Through" and "Departure Bay," which close the set, are both underscored by the grief experienced at the loss of Krall's mother. They are far from sentimental, nor are they sophomoric, but through the eloquence of Krall's wonderfully sophisticated melodic architecture and rhythmic parlance they express the experience of longing, of death, and of acceptance. The former features a beautiful solo by guitarist Anthony Wilson and the latter, in its starkness, offers memory as reflection and instruction. This is a bold new direction by an artist who expresses great willingness to get dirt on her hands and to offer its traces and smudges as part and parcel of her own part in extending the jazz tradition, through confessional language and a wonderfully inventive application that is caressed by, not saturated in, elegant pop. - by Thom Yurek, AMG

Artist: Diana Krall
Album: The Girl in the Other Room
Label: Verve Records
Year: 2004
Runtime: 55:31

Tracks:
1.  Stop This World (Mose Allison) 3:59
2.  The Girl in the Other Room (Diana Krall/Elvis Costello) 4:05
3.  Temptation (Tom Waits) 4:27
4.  Almost Blue (Elvis Costello) 4:04
5.  I've Changed My Address (Diana Krall/Elvis Costello) 4:47
6.  Love Me Like a Man (Bonnie Raitt/Chris Smither) 5:49
7.  I'm Pulling Through (Arthur Herzog Jr./Irene Kitchings) 4:02
8.  Black Crow (Joni Mitchell) 4:49
9.  Narrow Daylight (Diana Krall/Elvis Costello) 3:32
10.  Abandoned Masquerade (Diana Krall/Elvis Costello) 5:11
11.  I'm Coming Through (Diana Krall/Elvis Costello) 5:07
12.  Departure Bay (Diana Krall/Elvis Costello) 5:39

Personnel:
Diana Krall (Piano, Vocals)
Anthony Wilson (Guitar)
Christian Mc Bride (Double Bass) - 1,3,4,7-12
Peter Erskine (Drums) - 1,4,7-12
John Clayton (Double Bass) - 2,5,6
Jeff Hamilton (Drums) - 2,5,6
Neil Larsen (Hammond Organ) - 3
Terri Lynne Carrington (Drums) - 3

Tuesday, July 31, 2018

Herbie Mann - Seven Classic Albums vol.3 (Disc IV)

Salute to the Flute:
Salute to the Flute (reissued as When Lights Are Low) is an album by American jazz flautist Herbie Mann featuring tracks recorded in 1957 for the Epic label. - Wikipedia.org

This Portrait LP (a 1988 reissue of an Epic album titled Salute to the Flute) found flutist Herbie Mann accompanied for the first time by a big band on five of the nine selections. Prior to 1959, virtually all of Mann's recordings were bop-oriented, and this one is no exception. Whether it be "Little Niles," "When Lights Are Low," "Beautiful Love" or even "Old Honky Tonk Piano Roll Blues," Mann proves to be an excellent bop soloist; other important players on this date include trumpeter Joe Wilder, altoist Anthony Ortega, pianist Hank Jones, guitarist Joe Puma and bassist Oscar Pettiford. This LP will be a difficult one to find. - by Scott Yanow, AMG

Right Now:
Herbie Mann spent much of his career at Atlantic, which he signed with in the early 1960s and recorded for until 1985. The flutist provided a very wide variety of music during his long stay at Atlantic; this rewarding 1962 LP found him combining bop with various forms of world music. Mann has long been famous for his love of Brazilian music, and that interest serves him well on the charming "Borquinho" and Luiz Bonfa's "Manha de Carnaval," as well as two Antonio Carlos Jobim pieces: "Desafinado" (a major hit for Stan Getz in the early 1960s) and "Meditation." But Mann goes for more of an Afro-Cuban flavor on his exuberant "Free for All" and Lester Young's "Jumpin' With Symphony Sid," and he successfully incorporates elements of Jewish and Middle Eastern music on the moody "Challil." Now for the bad news: like so many of Mann's Atlantic dates, Right Now has long been out of print and has yet to be reissued on CD. - by Alex Henderson, AMG

Artist: Herbie Mann
Album: Herbie Mann vol.3; Disc Four (Salute To The Flute + Right Now)
Year: 1957-1962 (Epic Records, Atlantic Recordings)
Label: RealGoneJazz Records (2015)
Runtime: 54:51

Tracks:

Salute To The Flute:
1.  Beautiful Love (Wayne King / Victor Young / Egbert Van Alstyne) 6:31
2.  Hip Scotch (Joe Puma) 3:40
3.  Song For Ruth (Herbie Mann) 4:22
4.  Noga's Nuggets (Oscar Pettiford) 4:04
5.  A Ritual (Herbie Mann) 3:48

Personnel:
Herbie Mann (Flute, Vocals)
Anthony Ortega (Alto Saxophone)
Sol Schlinger (Baritone Saxophone)
Oscar Pettiford (Double Bass)
Philly Joe Jones (Drums) - 2
Gus Johnson (Drums) - 1-3
Joe Puma (Guitar)
Hank Jones (Piano)
Dave Kurtzer (Bassoon)
Dick Hafer (Tenor Saxophone, Alto Saxophone) - 4
Chauncey Welsch (Trombone) - 4
Urbie Green (Trombone) - 4
Bernie Glow (Trumpet) - 3
Don Stratton (Trumpet) - 4
Joe Wilder (Trumpet) - 4

Right Now:
6.  Right Now (Herbie Mann) 3:11
7.  Desafinado (Antonio Carlos Jobim / Newton Mendonca) 4:21
8.  Challil (Herbie Mann) 4:36
9.  Jumpin' With Symphony Sid (Lester Young) 2:56
10.  Borquinho (Roberto Menescal / Renaldo Boscoli) 3:38
11.  Cool Heat (Herbie Mann) 5:11
12.  Manha de Carnaval (Luiz Bonfa) 2:55
13.  Meditation (Antonio Carlos Jobim / Newton Mendonca) 5:52
14.  Free for All (Herbie Mann) 2:19
Recorded in New York City, March 12 & 28, April 19, 1962

Personnel:
Herbie Mann (Flute)
Hagood Hardy (Vibraphone)
Billy Bean (Guitar)
Don Payne (Double Bass) - 10,12,13
Bill Stalter (Double Bass) - 6-9,11,14
Willie Bobo (Drums)
Carlos "Patato" Valdes (Congas)
Johnny Pacheco (Percussion) - 10,12
Willie Rodriguez (Percussion) - 10,12,13

Sunday, July 8, 2018

Herbie Mann - Seven Classic Albums vol.3 (Disc III)

Musician Herbie Mann was born Herbert Jay Solomon on April 16, 1930 in Brooklyn, N.Y. After exploring the Army, Mann joined the Mat Mathews's Quintet and began recording work. He did some music writing for T.V., but his real joy came from his project with the Afro-Jazz Sextet, which was an international success. Mann's musical interests were not limited to jazz; he also played bop, rock, pop, reggae, and disco. Mann has also been a producer and record label owner. He has recorded almost one hundred albums for more than ten recording companies. - Amazon.com

Mann Alone:
Mann Alone is solo album by American jazz flautist Herbie Mann featuring tracks recorded in 1957 for the Savoy label. - Wikipedia.org

Salute to the Flute:
Salute to the Flute (reissued as When Lights Are Low) is an album by American jazz flautist Herbie Mann featuring tracks recorded in 1957 for the Epic label. - Wikipedia.org

This Portrait LP (a 1988 reissue of an Epic album titled Salute to the Flute) found flutist Herbie Mann accompanied for the first time by a big band on five of the nine selections. Prior to 1959, virtually all of Mann's recordings were bop-oriented, and this one is no exception. Whether it be "Little Niles," "When Lights Are Low," "Beautiful Love" or even "Old Honky Tonk Piano Roll Blues," Mann proves to be an excellent bop soloist; other important players on this date include trumpeter Joe Wilder, altoist Anthony Ortega, pianist Hank Jones, guitarist Joe Puma and bassist Oscar Pettiford. This LP will be a difficult one to find. - by Scott Yanow, AMG

Tracks: 

Mann Alone:
1.  Happy Happy 3:30
2.  Looking Thru the Window 4:00
3.  Like, You Know, Baby 5:50
4.  Love 5:15
5.  All Day Monday 6:20
6.  From Midnight On 3:25
7.  For the Love of Kali 4:21
8.  Ruth, Ruth 3:42
All compositions by Herbie Mann
Recorded in NYC, USA, May 9, 1957

Personnel: 
Herbie Mann (Flute, Alto Flute)

Salute to the Flute:
9.  When Lights Are Low (Benny Carter) 6:02
10.  Little Niles (Randy Weston) 6:11
11.  Old Honkie Tonk Piano Roll Blues (Herbie Mann) 4:43
12.  Pretty Baby (A.K. Salim) 4:58

Personnel:
Herbie Mann (Flute, Vocals)
Anthony Ortega (Alto Saxophone)
Sol Schlinger (Baritone Saxophone)
Oscar Pettiford (Double Bass)
Philly Joe Jones (Drums) - 2,4,
Gus Johnson (Drums) - 1,3
Joe Puma (Guitar)
Hank Jones (Piano)
Dave Kurtzer (Bassoon)
Dick Hafer (Tenor Saxophone, Alto Saxophone)
Chauncey Welsch (Trombone) - 1
Urbie Green (Trombone) - 1
Bernie Glow (Trumpet) - 1
Don Stratton (Trumpet) - 1
Joe Wilder (Trumpet) - 1

Tuesday, June 5, 2018

Herbie Mann - Seven Classic Albums vol.3 (Disc II)

Herbie Mann with the Wessel Ilcken Trio is an album by American jazz flautist Herbie Mann featuring tracks recorded in Holland in 1956 for the Epic label. - Wikipedia.org

One of the first experts in flute tones in jazz was Herbie Mann, who, however, renounced the lovely sweetness of the West Coast style and rather smart-kee.- Amazon.com

Artist: Herbie Mann
Album: Herbie Mann vol.3; Disc Two (Herbie Mann with the Wessel Ilcken Trio + Love and the Weather)
Year: 1956-1957 (Epic Records, Bethlehem Records)
Label: RealGoneJazz Records (2015)
Runtime: 76:40

Herbie Mann with the Wessel Ilcken Trio

1.  Lady Bach (Herbie Mann) 2:16
2.  Little Girl (Madeline Hyde / Francis Henry) 2:53
3.  Imagination (Jimmy Van Heusen / Johnny Burke) 2:49
4.  Love Is Here to Stay (George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin) 2:34
5.  The Lady Is a Tramp (Richard Rodgers / Lorenz Hart) 2:59
6.  Dear Old Stockholm (Traditional) 2:47
7.  Falling in Love with Love (Richard Rodgers / Lorenz Hart) 2:48
8.  Summertime (George Gershwin / DuBose Heyward) 4:23
9.  Blues for Leila (Herbie Mann) 6:13
10.  Lover Come Back to Me (Sigmund Romberg / Oscar Hammerstein II) 3:29
11.  Try a Little Tenderness (Jimmy Campbell / Reg Connelly / Harry Woods) 2:39
Recorded in Hilversum, Netherlands, 1956 November

Personnel:
Herbie Mann (Flute, Tenor Saxophone)
Wessel Ilcken (Drums)
Pim Jacobs (Piano)
Ruud Jacobs (Double Bass)
Ado Broodboom (Trumpet) - 2,4,5,7

Love and Weather

12.  Love And The Weather (Irving Berlin) 3:50
13.  But Beautiful (Johnny Burke/Jimmy Van Heusen) 2:55
14.  Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most (Tommy Wolf/Fran Landesman) 3:29
15.  I'm Glad There Is You (Jimmy Dorsey/Paul Madeira) 3:21
16.  A Sinner Kissed An Angel (Ray Joseph/Mack David) 3:13
17.  High On A Windy Hill (Joan Whitney/ Alex Kramer) 3:33
18.  I'll Wind (Ted Koehler/Harold Arlen) 3:47
19.  For Heaven's Sake (Donald Meyer/Elise Bretton/Sherman Edwards) 3:19
20.  Autumn Nocturne (Kim Gannon/Josef Myrow) 4:18
21.  Moon Love (Mack David/Mack Davis/Andre Kostelanetz) 2:40
22.  The Morning Side Of The Mountain (Larry Lawrence Stock/Dick Manning) 3:22
23.  Like Someone In Love (Johnny Burke/Jimmy Van Heusen) 2:58
Recorded at the Bethlehem Studios, N.Y.C., 1956 March

Personnel:
Herbie Mann (Alto Flute)
Ralph Burns (Conductor) - 1-6
Frank Hunter (Conductor) - 7-12
Joe Puma (Guitar)
Milt Hinton (Double Bass) - 1-6
Don Lamond (Drums) - 1-6
Whitey Mitchell (Double Bass) - 7-12
Herb Wasserman (Drums) - 7-12

Monday, May 28, 2018

Herbie Mann - Seven Classic Albums vol.3 (Disc I)

Musician Herbie Mann was born Herbert Jay Solomon on April 16, 1930 in Brooklyn, N.Y. After exploring the Army, Mann joined the Mat Mathews's Quintet and began recording work. He did some music writing for T.V., but his real joy came from his project with the Afro-Jazz Sextet, which was an international success. Mann's musical interests were not limited to jazz; he also played bop, rock, pop, reggae, and disco. Mann has also been a producer and record label owner. He has recorded almost one hundred albums for more than ten recording companies. - Amazon.com

Flamingo:
An early showcase for the cool, compressed flute work of the young Herbie Mann — a style that created a great bridge to jazz for so many later players on the instrument ! The Mann heard here isn't the overblown, soul-drenched Herbie of the 60s — but a player who's very careful with his tone and timing, yet still able to swing incredibly well! Herbie's solos are a masterpiece of economy — and set up strongly in a hip quartet that features some equally careful work from Joe Puma on guitar — plus Charles Andrus on bass and Harold Granowsky on drums. There's a number of strong original tunes on the set — numbers written with a bit of wit and angular finish... Dusty Groove, Inc.

Artist: Herbie Mann
Album: Herbie Mann vol.3; Disc One (East Coast Jazz + Flamingo)
Year: 1954-1955 (Bethlehem Records)
Label: RealGoneJazz Records (2015)
Runtime: 60:48


East Coast Jazz/4

1.  Chicken Little (Herbie Mann) 2:58
2.  The Things We Did Last Summer (Jule Styne / Sammy Cahn) 4:12
3.  Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea (Harold Arlen / Ted Koehler) 4:03
4.  After Work (Herbie Mann) 4:04
5.  A Spring Morning (Herbie Mann) 2:42
6.  My Little Suede Shoes (Charlie Parker) 2:40
7.  The Purple Grotto (Herbie Mann) 2:42
Recorded at the Bethlehem Studios, N.Y.C., 1954 December

Personnel:
Herbie Mann (Flute)
Keith Hodgson (Double Bass)
Lee Rockey (Drums)
Benny Weeks (Guitar)

Flamingo
8.  I've Told Ev'Ry Little Star (Jerome Kern/Oscar Hammerstein) 4:33
9.  Love Is Simple Thing (Arthur Sigel/June Carroll) 2:02
10.  There's No You (Hal Hopper/Tom Adair) 4:17
11.  Sorimao (Herbie Mann) 3:28
12.  The Influential Mr Cohn (Herbie Mann) 2:36
13.  A One Way Love (Herbie Mann) 3:37
14.  The Surrey Whith The Fringe On Top (Richard Rodgers/Oscar Hammerstein) 2:41
15.  Flamingo (Ted Grouya) 2:44
16.  Little Orphan Annie (Gus Kahn/Joe Sanders) 3:26
17.  Jasmin (Tamiko Jones) 3:01
18.  Beverly (Herbie Mann) 2:06
19.  Woodchuck (Joe Puma) 2:54
Recorded at the Bethlehem Studios, N.Y.C., 1955 June

Personnel:
Herbie Mann (Flute)
Charles Andrus (Double Bass)
Joe Puma (Guitar)
Harold Granowsky (Drums)

Monday, April 30, 2018

Ruben Gonzalez - Chanchullo

While perhaps a little bit more rambling and less focused than his American solo debut Introducing Ruben Gonzalez, this album nonetheless presents some lush piano arrangements supported by mellow Cuban percussion. Gonzalez is an extremely fluid player and his sometimes complex improvisations seem to constantly come off without a hitch, which is amazing considering that he is in his eighties. The songs range from sweet and light to more passionate and forceful, but throughout, Gonzalez's unique sense of joy shines through. This album also features a brief appearance from vocalist Ibrahim Ferrer, who gained fame with Gonzalez through his work with the Buena Vista Social Club. That project has spawned a number of albums which, surprisingly, have nearly all been quality productions. This recording is certainly not the exception to the rule. - by Stacia Proefock, AMG

Artist: Ruben Gonzalez
Album: Chanchullo
Year: 2000
Label: World Circuit
Runtime: 51:03

Tracks:
1.  Chanchullo (Israel Lopez) 5:12
2.  De Una Manera Espantosa (Arsenio Rodriguez) 4:18
3.  La Lluvia 5:18 (Amadio Valdes/Orlando " Cachaito"Lopez/Miguel "Angá" Diaz/Jesus " Aguaje" Ramos/Rubén González)
4.  Central Constancia (Enrique Jorrín) 5:57
5.  Quizás, Quizás (Joe Davis/Osvaldo Farrés) 2:29
6.  Choco's Guajira (Alfredo "Chocolate" Armenteros) 6:52
7.  Si Te Contará (Félix Reina) 1:28
8.  El Bodeguero (Richard Egües) 5:12
9.  Isora Club (Coralia Lopez/Israel "Cachao" Lopez) 5:35
10.  Rico Vacilón (Rossendo Ruiz, Jr) 4:12
11.  Pa' Gozar (Aristides Soto/Tata Güines) 4:30

Personnel:
Ruben Gonzalez (Piano)
Orlando "Cachaito" Lopez (Double Bass)
Amadito Valdes (Timbalez)
Angel Terry (Congas)
Roberto Garcia (Bongos, Cowbell, Guiro)
Alberto Valdes (Maracas)
Alejandro Pichardo Perez (Guiro, Cave)
Manuel Mirabal (Trumpet)
Jesus Ramos (Trombone, Vocals)
Miguel "Angá" Diaz (Congas) - 2,3,6
Ibrahim Ferrer (Vocals) - 2,6
Richard Egües (Flute) - 4,5
Cheikh Lo (Vocals) - 6
Lazaro Villa (Vocals) - 4
Joaquín Oliveiras (Flute) - 4
Javier Zalba (Baritone Saxophone) - 1
Lazaro Ordonez Enriquez (Violin) - 4
Eliades Ochoa (Guitar) - 5
Papi Oviedo (Tres) - 6
Ry Cooder (Tres) - 10
Joachim Cooder (Drums) - 10

Tuesday, April 24, 2018

Bugge Wesseltoft - New Conception of Jazz

Within the framework of his project New Conception of Jazz, Bugge successfully fused elements of jazz, house, techno, ambient, noise and free improvisation. This sound has been referred to as Future Jazz. In addition to grand piano and Fender Rhodes, Bugge uses different keyboards, percussion instruments, samplers, programming devices, and vocal effects, both in live performances and in studio recordings. For the studio recording of New Conception of Jazz (recorded in 1994), the first album from this project, Bugge gathered an impressive crew from some of the best new talent in Norwegian jazz: Ingebrigt Flaten (bass), Anders Engen (drums), Vidar Johansen (reeds), Eivind Aarset (guitar), Bjorn Kjellemyr (bass), Rune Arnesen (drums), Nils Petter Molvaer (trumpet). The recording took place during three sessions during a single week. The musicians followed schemes and notes written by Bugge, but in fact most of it was improvised. The resulting sounds were then mixed and edited by Bugge. The CD was released in 1996 by Jazzland. Playing with musicians as part of an improvising collective is an important aspect of this project, and Bugge has stated that he will always take this approach, in the studio or on the live stage. The first concert took place in Bergen at the NattJazz Festival in May that same year. The line-up was: Bugge (Fender Rhodes, Prophet 5 and looping), Ingebrigt Flaten (bass), Anders Engen (drums), Eivind Aarset (guitar, effects), Erlend Gjerde (trumpet), and Vidar Johansen (tenor/soprano sax and bass clarinet). - From Bugge's website

Artist: Bugge Wesseltoft
Album: New Conception of Jazz
Year: 1996
Label: Jazzland Records
Runtime: 56:37

Tracks:
1.  Somewhere in Between 4:48
2.  New Conception of Jazz 5:10
3.  Spectre Supreme 5:52
4.  Trouble 4:58
5.  New Conception of Jazz 2 7:19
6.  Trio 7:01
7.  Poem 6:52
8.  My Street 5:35
9.  Modular 6:42
10.  Endless 2:20
All compositions by Bugge Wesseltoft

Personnel:
Bugge Wesseltoft (Electronics, Vocals, El. Piano, Sythesizer, Piano, Percussion, Hammond Organ)
Vidar Johansen (Bass Clarinet and Tenor Saxophon) - 1-5,7,9,10
Trude Eick (Waldhorn) - 1-3,5,7,9
Ingebrigt Flaten (Double Bass) - 1,4,5
Anders Engen (Drums) - 1,4,5
Jens Petter Atonsen (Trumpet) - 2,3,9
Bjorn Kjellemyr (Double Bass and Bass Guitar) - 6,8,9
Rune Arnesen (Drums) - 6,8,9
Sjur Miljeteig (Trumpet) - 1,5
Sveinung Hovensje (Bass Guitar) - 7,10
Audun Kleive (Drums and Electronics) - 3
Eivind Aarseth (Guitar) - 4
Erlend Gjerde (Trumpet) - 4
Nils Petter Molvaer (Trumpet) - 7
Michy (Vocals) - 8

Monday, March 26, 2018

James Blood Ulmer - Blues Preacher

This effort from controversial guitarist James "Blood" Ulmer sticks to a harsh blues-rock groove, with many of the one-chord vamps sounding like they are leftovers from John Lee Hooker's repertoire. There are no harmolodics (and little jazz) to be heard on the CD, and this rather primitive music is to be recommended only to fans of Ulmer's shouting vocals. - by Scott Yanow, AMG

The former accolyte of free-jazz greats like Ornette Coleman and Sun Ra shows that he can also follow Muddy Waters and Jimmy Reed, in one of the earliest of his long string of intense straight blues albums. Electric guitar is unusual in experimental jazz, but Blood's guitar work (and writing)is a bit unusual anywhere. I do detect some Jimmy Rogers influence in spots, and maybe some jazzier Texans like Gatemouth Brown. I like him, but it might be an acquired taste. Jazz is the teacher/Funk is the preacher. by- Mark Schlezinger, Amazon.com

Artist: James Blood Ulmer
Album: Blues Preacher
Year: 1993
Label: Diw Records
Recorded at the Sound on Sound Studios, New York City, USA (September-November, 1993)

Tracks:
1.  Cheering 6:45 
2.  Alone To Wonder 6:17 
3.  Let Me Take You Home 5:15 
4.  Who Let The Cat Out Of The Bag? 4:37 
5.  Jazz Is The Teacher 6:45 
6.  Justice For Us All 5:05 
7.  Nobody But You 5:40 
8.  Blues Alnight 6:30 
9.  Get Up 7:35 
10.  Angel 7:05 
All music by James Blood Ulmer

Personnel:
James Blood Ulmer (Electric Guitar, Flute, Vocals)
Aubrey Dayle (Drums)
Mark Peterson (Electric Bass)
Ronald "Head" Drayton (Electric Guitar)

Sunday, March 18, 2018

Kari Bremnes - You'd Have To Be Here

Some say this album has more impact than Norwegian mood, others say it is a project to itself, We say This is a Kari Bremnes album just as she is, the ability of interpreting life with her songs and life is as diverse as it comes! I like the rock guitar every now and than, I adore her voice and love these lyrics. The music is for everybody and yet in order to understand you must have lived a bit. - Music Choise.com

Kari Bremnes will live up to her reputation as Norwegian Joni Mitchell at the 13th album. Like her US colleague, the singer and songwriter from the Lofoten Island once again infatuates with beautiful melodies, intense emotions and verse lines full of language skills. For ten of her own compositions and an adaptation of Sandy Dennis's classic "Who Knows Where The Time Goes" she has created a melancholy-brittle folk rock with companions such as trumpeter Nils Petter Molvar, as he can come in the color only from the far north. As soon as these wistful sounds resound, the listener inevitably sees fjords passing through the skies of Midsummer Night and Polar Lights. For the second English-language album (after Norwegian Mood, 2000) Kari Bremne has translated more recent songs from her home idiom. Although some intellectual refinements and metaphors fell by the wayside, the Scandinavian woman is still fascinated by very rich text ideas. For example, in "Protection" she ponders over the security of childhood, which one painfully misses as an adult. "I See You" tells the story of a couple whose love has crept over the years. In the title track "You'd Have To Be Here" we meet a woman who wants to share everything in life with her loved one, before the transience of earthly existence strikes mercilessly. And in the song "Can It Really Be Years", it's all about unfulfilled dreams, unfulfilled life plans. All this gives Bremnes an expressiveness that is second to none, not only in Europe. - by Harald Kepler, Amazon.de

Artist: Kari Bremnes
Album: You'd Have To Be Here
Year: 2003
Label: Strange Ways Records
Runtime: 42:42

Tracks:
1.  You'd Have To Be There (Kari Bremnes) 4:19
2.  Protection (Kari Bremnes) 3:45
3.  Can It Really Be Years (Kari Bremnes) 4:16
4.  Zarepta (Kari Bremnes/Petter Henriksen) 3:53
5.  A Fantastic Time Already (Kari Bremnes) 3:52
6.  Full Control (Kari Bremnes) 4:18
7.  I See You (Kari Bremnes) 2:23
8.  I Would Like To Go (Kari Bremnes) 4:13
9.  Waltz (Kari Bremnes) 3:54
10.  Look Homeward, Angel (Kari Bremnes) 3:26
11.  Who Knows Where The Time Goes (Sandy Denny) 4:23

Personnel:
Kari Bremnes (Vocals)
Nils Petter Molvaer (Trumpet)
Bengt Hanssen (Keyboards)
Borge Petersen-Overleir (Guitar)
Gjermund Silset (Double Bass)
Arnfinn Bergrabb (Drums)
Stig-Ove Ose (Viola)

Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Kari Bremnes - Norwegian Mood

What's one of the biggest preconceptions ageing audiophiles drag in their tattered shadows? That all they listen to is female Jazz vocalists, the sexier in the flesh the better. Depending on the year, there'll be different names detractors point to as the over-played, musically undernourished hate object du jour. Norwegian super star Kari Bremnes' Norwegian Mood might eventually gain this questionable status if audiophiles, en masse like lemmings, took the trouble to obtain this album and push it on every future CES demo imaginable. Until then, bookmark this release -- one of the few if not the only that has Kari sing in English -- as the quintessential audiophile wet dream of the new super-duper demo record. Everything aligns - production values, sound quality, compositional weight, instrumentation, arrangements, vocal glories, sophistication of delivery - and, may I add, the ubiquitous in-the-flesh beauty, too. In a way, I don't want to give away too much here to prevent the above scenario. What to say, what to leave out? Okay, here goes: We ain't talking Jazz, exactly - more an ECM Garbarek/Brahem Visible World/Pas du Chat Noir focus on stark atmospheres, moody spaciousness in accord with the craggy windswept coast lines of Norway, sea gulls on the wing, hidden coves, fishermen returning home from their nightly sojourns, lovers sailing off to the outer posts to return or not. These songs embody the kind of unfocused, far-reaching gaze of boat people used to endless horizons - mysterious, dreamy, unmoored. What to leave out? All the good stuff you should discover for yourself. With a harmless grin, let's just add that the well-hated "unholy trinity" of Patricia Barber, Diana Krall and Rebecca Pigeon just fleshed out and gained a new corner in Kari Bremnes. And unless you overplayed Mood to hollow its magic, this Norwegian lady might just become your new flame for now and later, until the fickleness of fate intervenes and presents a new contender to the temporary throne of popular applause. As for me? I intend to treat Kari with the respect she deserves and only visit her Copenhagen haunt just often enough to lust for more the next visit 'round... - by Srajan Ebaen, 6moons.com

Artist: Kari Bremnes
Album: Norwegian Mood
Year: 2000
Label: Kirkelig Kulturversted
Runtime: 52:13

Tracks:
1.  A Lover in Berlin (Kari Bremnes) 5:11
2.  Coastal Ship (Kari Bremnes/Petter Henriksen) 4:24
3.  Montreal (Kari Bremnes/Ola Bremnes) 5:45
4.  My Heart Is Pounding Like a Hammer (Kari Bremnes/Petter Henriksen) 3:23
5.  Birds (Ola Bremnes) 5:00
6.  Day (Kari Bremnes/Petter Henriksen) 5:34
7.  Wave on Rock (Kari Bremnes/Ola Bremnes/Lars Bremnes) 4:03
8.  The Copenhagen Cavern (Kari Bremnes) 4:28
9.  Song to a Town (Kari Bremnes/Ola Bremnes) 5:01
10.  Riddle Beside Another Riddle (Kari Bremnes) 5:40
11.  To Give You a Song (Kari Bremnes) 3:44

Personnel:
Bengt Egil Hanssen (Keyboards, Accordion, Organ, Piano, Backing Vocals)
Kari Bremnes (Vocals)
Gjermund Silseth (Double Bass, Bass Guitar)
Bjorn Jenssen (Drums)
Finn Sletten (Percussion)
Borge Petersen-Overleir (Guitar)

Tuesday, February 13, 2018

Grant Green - The Complete Quartets With Sonny Clark II

Just like rice and beans, Grant Green and Sonny Clark created a synergy that was more than the sum of its parts. Nowhere is that more apparent than on "The Complete Quartets," where there were no horns competing for solos. The elegant, laid-back style that characterizes these recordings was the one in which both Green and Clark seemed most comfortable, and it shows. Ironically, neither Green nor Clark was around to see any of this music released. Apparently due to Green's prodigious output in the early '60's, Blue Note decided to shelve these "less commercial" recordings in favor of his more groove-oriented soul-jazz material. The wrong was corrected in 1980, when "Nigeria," "Gooden's Corner," and "Oleo" were released, combining to contain all the music found here except for a couple alternates. My opinion is that these tunes swing as hard as anything I've heard, and that their appeal runs the gamut — there is nothing not to like. Green's delicious riffs flow from his guitar like water from a glacier, and the analogy of melting ice shouldn't be lost; the mood here is so "cool" it burns. This is the type of music whose implied swing is so ferocious it has you on the edge of your seat howling with ecstasy. The highlight of the first disc is Gershwin's chestnut "It Ain't Necessarily So," which clocks in as the longest of the set at 10:20. Drummer Art Blakey starts things off with a subtly Latin 12/8 groove as Green joins him and sympathetic bassist Sam Jones with a decidedly loose interpretation of the melody. Blakey kicks into a straight four rhythm as Green's guitar sails over the changes, accompanied by Sonny Clark's bluesy punches and full keyboard slides. Blakey, overcome with the irresistability of the music, starts hootin' and hollerin' as Clark takes his solo. Clark, like Green, is a master of understatement and uses this to full advantage by teasing the listener with half-finished motifs drenched with the blues. As he gets ready to turn the melody back over to Green, Blakey insists for him to continue - "No, go ahead, go ahead" - a revelatory glance into the atmosphere of the session. The immensely likeable playing is augmented by excellent song selection, with some standouts being a smokin' "The Song is You," "On Green Dolphin Street," Henri Mancini's "Moon River," "Tune Up," and a "My Favorite Things" that stays much truer to the heart of the tune than any of Coltrane's more impassioned renditions. Full of intuition, soul, and swing, and lacking in pretense, "The Complete Quartets with Sonny Clark" has me asking myself"does music get any better than this?" - by Reid Thompson, AllAboutJazz.com

Artist: Grant Green
Album: The Complete Quartets With Sonny Clark I-II
Label: Blue Note Records (1999, SBM Reissue)
Year: 1961-1962
Runtime:
CD2 63:10

CD2 Tracks:
01.  Moon River (Henry Mancini/Johnny Mercer) 5:34
02.  Gooden's Corner (Grant Green) 8:11
03.  Two For One (Grant Green) 7:38
04.  Oleo (Sonny Rollins) 5:35
05.  Little Girl Blue (Lorenz Hart/Richard Rodgers) 7:12
06.  Tune Up (Miles Davis) 7:17
07.  Hip Funk (Grant Green) 8:35
08.  My Favourite Things (Oscar Hammerstein II/Richard Rodgers) 8:28
09.  Oleo (Alternate Take) (Sonny Rollins) 6:00

Personnel:
Grant Green (Guitar)
Sonny Clark (Piano)
Sam Jones (Double Bass)
Louis Hayes (Drums)

Grant Green - The Complete Quartets With Sonny Clark I

Just like rice and beans, Grant Green and Sonny Clark created a synergy that was more than the sum of its parts. Nowhere is that more apparent than on "The Complete Quartets," where there were no horns competing for solos. The elegant, laid-back style that characterizes these recordings was the one in which both Green and Clark seemed most comfortable, and it shows. Ironically, neither Green nor Clark was around to see any of this music released. Apparently due to Green's prodigious output in the early '60's, Blue Note decided to shelve these "less commercial" recordings in favor of his more groove-oriented soul-jazz material. The wrong was corrected in 1980, when "Nigeria," "Gooden's Corner," and "Oleo" were released, combining to contain all the music found here except for a couple alternates. My opinion is that these tunes swing as hard as anything I've heard, and that their appeal runs the gamut — there is nothing not to like. Green's delicious riffs flow from his guitar like water from a glacier, and the analogy of melting ice shouldn't be lost; the mood here is so "cool" it burns. This is the type of music whose implied swing is so ferocious it has you on the edge of your seat howling with ecstasy. The highlight of the first disc is Gershwin's chestnut "It Ain't Necessarily So," which clocks in as the longest of the set at 10:20. Drummer Art Blakey starts things off with a subtly Latin 12/8 groove as Green joins him and sympathetic bassist Sam Jones with a decidedly loose interpretation of the melody. Blakey kicks into a straight four rhythm as Green's guitar sails over the changes, accompanied by Sonny Clark's bluesy punches and full keyboard slides. Blakey, overcome with the irresistability of the music, starts hootin' and hollerin' as Clark takes his solo. Clark, like Green, is a master of understatement and uses this to full advantage by teasing the listener with half-finished motifs drenched with the blues. As he gets ready to turn the melody back over to Green, Blakey insists for him to continue - "No, go ahead, go ahead" - a revelatory glance into the atmosphere of the session. The immensely likeable playing is augmented by excellent song selection, with some standouts being a smokin' "The Song is You," "On Green Dolphin Street," Henri Mancini's "Moon River," "Tune Up," and a "My Favorite Things" that stays much truer to the heart of the tune than any of Coltrane's more impassioned renditions. Full of intuition, soul, and swing, and lacking in pretense, "The Complete Quartets with Sonny Clark" has me asking myself"does music get any better than this?" - by Reid Thompson, AllAboutJazz.com

Artist: Grant Green
Album: The Complete Quartets With Sonny Clark I-II
Label: Blue Note Records (1999, SBM Reissue)
Year: 1961-1962
Runtime:
CD1 62:20

CD1 Tracks:
1.  Airegin (Sonny Rollins) 7:32
2.  It Ain't Necessarily So (George Gershwin/Ira Gershwin) 10:20
3.  I Concentrate On You (Cole Porter)5:40
4.  The Things We Did Last Summer (Sammy Cahn/Jule Styne) 5:54
5.  The Song Is You (Oscar Hammerstein II/Jerome Kern) 7:44
6.  Nancy (With The Laughing Face) (James Van Heusen/Phil Silvers) 6:20
7.  Airegin (Alternate Take) (Sonny Rollins) 7:34
8.  On Green Dolphin Street (Bronislaw Kaper/Ned Washington) 6:25
9.  Shadrack (Robert MacGimsey) 6:20
10.  What Is This Thing Called Love (Cole Porter) 5:49

Personnel:
Grant Green (Guitar)
Sonny Clark (Piano)
Sam Jones (Double Bass)
Art Blakey (Drums)

Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Jan Garbarek - In Praise of Dreams

It has been six years since saxophonist/composer Jan Garbarek issued a new recording under his own name. For In Praise of Dreams Garbarek enlisted violist Kim Kashkashian and frequent collaborator Manu Katché on drums. Garbarek, who composed the album's 11 selections, plays saxophones as well as a host of keyboards and percussion, while Katché plays acoustic and electronic drums along with Kashkashian's viola. In many ways this is the most radical recording that Garbarek has ever issued, but not because it's outside -- quite the opposite. This is easily the warmest, most accessible outing Garbarek has ever issued because though there are no vocals, Garbarek has clearly written "songs" on this set, with identifiable structures that are followed almost throughout. Though he is no stranger to the form, having employed it almost continually for the last 20 years, he has never engaged it so thoroughly and completely. Previously, he has engaged improvisation to get song to the breaking point and move it somewhere else. Here it is always present; surprise happens inside the formal frameworks of these compositions. Beautiful, soulful lines underscore and recontextualize the saxophonist's trademark Nordic iciness of tone on the opener, "As Seen from Above," with its spiraling soprano, lush keyboards, and hypnotic loops. In its warmth, it comes very close to a distinctly European kind of groove/soul-jazz. The interplay between Kashkashian and Garbarek on the title track offers rounded, multidimensional sonorities winding through the intro before spilling into a call-and-response melody. The repetitive keyboard line and Katché's mantra-like drumming under the loops draw the listener inside the song's heart and extend the edge for the front line. The restrained romanticism shown by Kashkashian on her nocturnal solo intro to "One Goes There Alone" is nearly breathtaking. As it gives way to the tune itself, it's slow, reflective, and rooted deeply in the tension created between percussion and Garbarek's minimal backing response lines. When he solos later in the tune, he's clearly blowing blues into her elegiac line. The blues notion continues in his phrasing on "Knot of Place and Time," slipping through the landscape of Kashkashian's elegant, near heartbreakingly poetic soundscape. And so it goes. Things get more speculative on "Scene from Afar" and "Cloud of Unknowing," but it hardly matters since these song forms are nonetheless immediately recognizable, presenting the nether side of the equation. It emerges again with "Conversation With a Stone" and whispers to a close with "A Tale Begun," a mantra-like duet that closes this strong set that will undoubtedly, if it gets the opportunity to be heard, garner Jan Garbarek some new fans. Poetic, moving, and marvelous, In Praise of Dreams is a welcome return. - by Thom Yurek, AMG

Artist: Jan Garbarek
Album: In Praise of Dreams
Year: 2004
Label: ECM
Runtime: 52:25
Recorded at the Blue Jay Recording Studio (Carlisle, USA, 2003)) 

Tracks:
1.  As Seen From Above 4:44 
2.  In Praise Of Dreams 5:25 
3.  One Goes There Alone 5:09 
4.  Knot Of Place And Time 6:27 
5.  If You Go Far Enough 0:44 
6.  Scene From Afar 5:19 
7.  Cloud Of Unknowing 5:26 
8.  Without A Visible Sign 5:04 
9.  Iceburn 5:03 
10.  Conversation With A Stone 4:25 
11.  A Tale Begun 4:39 
All music by Jan Garbarek

Personnel:
Jan Garbarek (Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Synthesizer, Percussion)
Kim Kashkashian (Viola)
Manu Katche (Drums, Loops)

Monday, January 22, 2018

Grant Green - Talkin' About!

On the heels of Matador and Solid, two of his most advanced albums, Grant Green decided to continue the more modal direction he'd begun pursuing with the help of members of Coltrane's quartet. Accordingly, he hooked up with organist Larry Young, who was just beginning to come into his own as the first Hammond B-3 player to incorporate Coltrane's modal innovations into his own style. Talkin' About is the first of three albums the Green/Young team recorded together with Coltrane drummer Elvin Jones, and it's exceptional, one of the most underrated items in Green's discography. With just a basic organ trio lineup, the album works a fascinating middle ground between the soul-jazz of Green's early days and the modal flavor of his most recent work. Though Young's style wasn't quite fully formed yet, he's no longer the in-the-pocket Jimmy Smith disciple of his earliest sessions; his playing here is far more adventurous than the typical soul-jazz date, both harmonically and rhythmically. Jones and Young often play off one another to create an intricate, percolating pulse that's miles ahead of the standard soul-jazz groove. The trio's interplay is best showcased on Young's Coltrane tribute, "Talkin' About J.C.," a monster jam that's worth every one of its nearly 12 minutes, and the cheerful "I'm an Old Cowhand," popularized as a jazz tune by Sonny Rollins. Meanwhile, Young and Green positively shimmer together on the ballad numbers, "People" and "You Don't Know What Love Is." It all makes for a terrific album that ranks in Green's uppermost echelon. - by Steve Huey, AMG

Artist: Grant Green
Album: Talkin' About!
Year: 1964
Label: Blue Note Records (24bit remastered, 1999)
Recorded at the Van Gelder Recording Studio, Englewood Cliff, NJ, USA (09.11.1964)

Tracks:
1.  Talkin' About J.C. (Larry Young) 11:45
2.  People (Bob Merrill/Jule Styne) 7:28
3.  Luny Tune (Larry Young) 7:43
4.  You Don't Know What Love Is (Gene DePaul/Don Raye) 7:38
5.  I'm an Old Cowhand (Johnny Mercer) 6:31

Personnel:
Grant Green (Guitar)
Larry Young (Organ)
Elvin Jones (Drums)

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Abbey Lincoln - Who Used To Dance

Abbey Lincoln, 65 at the time of this recording, still had a reasonably strong voice at this point in her career, and although she showed signs of mellowing now and then, she was still capable of performing fiery musical statements. This Verve release mostly emphasizes slow tempos and melancholy moods. The nostalgic "Who Used to Dance" (featuring Savion Glover's tapdancing) is a highlight, and "Street of Dreams" works well, although "Mr. Tambourine Man" is not too essential. Six different saxophonists (five of them altoists) appear on the date (usually one on a song), and despite the diversity in styles (from Steve Coleman to Frank Morgan), their subsidiary roles and respectful playing find them all sounding fairly similar. An interesting but not overly essential outing. - by Scott Yanow, AMG

Artist: Abbey Lincoln
Album: Who Used To Dance
Year: 1997
Label: Verve Records
Runtime: 61:29
Recorded at the Clinton Recording Studios, New York City, April-May, 1996

Tracks:
1.  Love Has Gone Away (Abbey Lincoln) 7:34
2.  Who Used To Dance (Abbey Lincoln) 9:41
3.  Love Lament (R.B. Lynch) 7:14
4.  Mr. Tambourine Man (Bob Dylan) 6:55
5.  When Autumn Sings (R.B. Lynch) 4:09
6.  Love What You Doin' (Abbey Lincoln) 8:27
7.  Street Of Dreams (Sam Lewis/Victor Young) 6:36
8.  I Sing A Song (Abbey Lincoln) 5:50
9.  The River (Abbey Lincoln) 5:00

Personnel:
Abbey Lincoln (Vocals)
Marc Cary (Piano) - 1-8
Michael Bowie (Double Bass) - 1-8
Aaron Walker (Drums and Percussion) - 1,2,4,7,8
Alvester Garnett (Drums) - 2,5,6
Steve Coleman (Alto Saxophone) - 1,6,7
Oliver Lake (Alto Saxophone) - 6,9
Frank Morgan (Alto Saxophone) - 3,5
Riley T. Bandy (Alto Saxophone) - 6,8
Savion Glover (Tap Dance) - 2
Julien Lourau (Tenor Saxophone) - 4
Justin Robinson (Alto Saxophone) - 9
Graham Haynes (Cornet) - 9
Rodney Kendrick (Piano) - 9
John Ormond (Double Bass) - 9
Turu Alexander (Drums) - 9
Bazzi Bartholomew (Backing Vocals) - 9
Arthur Green (Backing Vocals) - 9

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