Sonny Rollins - The Standard Sonny Rollins

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1965
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:15
Size: 166,6 MB
Art: Front

( 2:59)  1. Autumn Nocturne
( 3:17)  2. Night and day
( 3:26)  3. Love Letters
( 5:58)  4. My one and Only Love
( 2:13)  5. Three Little Words
( 4:06)  6. Trav'lin' Light
( 1:36)  7. I'll be Seeing you
( 4:11)  8. My Ship
( 4:18)  9. It Could Happen to you
( 2:47) 10. Long ago (and far Away)
( 5:17) 11. Winter Wonderland
( 3:16) 12. When you Wish Upon a Star
(12:44) 13. Trav'lin'  Light

I tend to think of Sonny Rollins in terms of his tenures with the various labels he has recorded for over the past almost 50 years. In the '50s it was Prestige, Blue Note, Riverside, and Contemporary. The saxophonist would then drop off the scene in the early '60s, followed by a brief stay with RCA Victor that was followed up with three albums for Impulse and then his lengthy and often disappointing stay with Milestone. Clearly, the RCA period was one of the finest of his career, yet is has also proven to be the one most difficult to collect thanks to RCA's hodge-podge approach to reissues (remember those Bluebird compilations with the ugly drawings on the covers from the '80s?). Of course, if you're a Rollins nut then you'll have all the RCA recordings as collected on a recent boxed set. On the other hand, the task of collecting the individual albums has gotten easier with a new Classic Edition version of The Standard Sonny Rollins. While The Bridge has got to be the quintessential accomplishment of the period, this collection of standards is worthy of praise too. The cast assembled is sure to sound familiar- Herbie Hancock, Bob Cranshaw, Mickey Roker, and Jim Hall. 

Each standard is given a brief performance that basically gives us a solid dose of Rollins waxing rhapsodic, sometimes backed by just bass and drums, with guitar and piano added sparingly. Exceptions are two takes (one long and one short) of "Trav'lin' Light" with Hancock, Hall, bassists Teddy Smith and David Izenson, and drummer Stu Martin. Izenson's bowed work makes each one of the performances unique and beautiful. Three additional performances from the same sessions that made up the original vinyl release are added, putting all this music under one roof for the first time on CD. It all adds up to a mighty package that contains small, but ample doses of undiluted Rollins. Enjoy! 

~ C.Andrew Hovan https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-standard-sonny-rollins-sonny-rollins-rca-victor-review-by-c-andrew-hovan.php

Personnel:  Sonny Rollins, tenor saxophone; Herbie Hancock, piano; Bob Cranshaw, Teddi Smith, David Izenson, bass; Jim Hall, guitar; Stu Martin, Mickey Roker, drums

The Standard Sonny Rollins

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Joe La Barbera Quintet - Silver Streams

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2012
Time: 62:16
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 142,6 MB
Art: Front

( 7:59) 1. Afluencia
( 7:08) 2. Bradley's, 2am
( 6:50) 3. Monkey Tree
( 7:03) 4. Bite Your Grandmother
( 6:21) 5. Jade Visions
(13:37) 6. Silver Streams
( 4:47) 7. Grace
( 8:27) 8. E.J.'s Blues

If there is a stream of any kind that runs through Silver Streams by The Joe La Barbera Quintet, it is the flow of energy—intense to the point of ignition—that is tapped. No meandering "Old Man River," this team drinks from the source with gusto and unified creativity. That shouldn't be a surprise, since La Barbera and his mates—each a Los Angeles first call musician—have performed together for decades.

La Barbera, one-third of a celebrated jazz family, with brothers saxophonist Pat La Barberaand composer/arranger/educator John La Barbera, is one of the busiest, most respected and beloved drummers in the business. He's performed worldwide with singer Tony Bennett, pianist Bill Evans and others in the jazz pantheon. Here he takes the leader's role and performs with his usual meticulous time, brilliant cymbal and set work and total immersion into the creative forces around him.

The eight selections, all superb originals, provide a diverse platform from which frontline performers and rhythm section deliver. The groove gamut is covered from classic hard bop ("Afluencia," "E.J.'s Blues") and straight-ahead stroll ("Bradley's, 2 AM?") to Frank Zappa-esque quirk ("Bite Your Grandmother"). Throughout the session the intensity and creative energy never let up.

The interplay between these superb players, elegantly subtle at times and in-your-face intense at others, is a joy. Front-liners Bob Sheppard (saxophones) and Clay Jenkins (trumpet) deliver ideas and interpretations which flitter back and forth with little or no regard for their respective instruments' limitations. Each pushes the other's envelope relentlessly, but never in a competitive manner.

Sheppard's saxophones blow from the serene ("Jade Visions") to sublime ("Grace"). His is a creative approach of sustained surprise and rhythmic invention. Jenkins, playing in a highly stylized manner, unabashedly channels Miles Davis and startles with his sound, technical gymnastics, lyric lines and utterly intelligent approach. Pianist Bill Cunliffe beautifully explores tonalities from the Impressionist to the post-Modern and bassist Tom Warrington is a rock throughout. The ensemble's moments of freer group play are a veritable highlight show.

Bill Evans talked about a "Universal Mind Force," into which the finest musicians tap. Silver Streams demonstrates what is ultimately possible when five stellar players merge to simultaneously access that force and deliver its awesome power through their magnificent music.

https://www.allaboutjazz.com/silver-streams-jazz-compass-review-by-nicholas-f-mondello

Personnel:

Joe La Barbera: drums;

Clay Jenkins: trumpet;

Bob Sheppard: tenor and soprano saxophone;

Bill Cunliffe: piano;

Tom Warrington: bass.

Silver Streams

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Scott Silbert Quartet - Dream Dancing: Celebrating Zoot Sims At 100

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2025
Time: 73:28
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 169,6 MB
Art: Front

(7:19) 1. Dream Dancing
(5:15) 2. Louisiana
(5:51) 3. It's That Ole Devil Called Love
(6:34) 4. Deep In A Dream
(5:39) 5. All Too Soon
(5:50) 6. You Go To My Head
(3:39) 7. Blues For Louise (feat. Scott Silbert & Amy Shook)
(4:17) 8. Someday Sweetheart
(7:09) 9. Low Life
(5:20) 10. Round My Old Deserted Farm
(5:33) 11. Shadow Waltz
(6:22) 12. Ballad for Very Tired and Very Sad Lotus Eaters
(4:35) 13. Wee Dot

Eighty-one years after his recording debut, 44 years following his last recording session and 100 years since his birth, the music of John Haley “Zoot” Sims comes to life on Dream Dancing, Celebrating Zoot Sims at 100.

Like any Sims performance, the music of Scott Silbert and his quartet of Robert Redd on piano, Amy Shook on bass and Chuck Redd on drums is melodically rich, unassumingly timeless and unapologetically swinging.

Silbert, who spent 15 years as a woodwind player and arranger in the U.S. Navy Band, does an admirable job of capturing the warmth and soul of Sims on a set of familiar and some obscure standards as well as one original. Silbert floats over the bossa nova beat of Cole Porter’s “Dream Dancing” and Harry Warren’s “Shadow Waltz.” His ballad playing on familiar tunes such as “Deep in a Dream,” You Go to My Head” and “All Too Soon” is pure and honest as is his playing on under recoded ballads such as “It’s That Ole Devil Called Love,” “Low Life” and “Round My Old Deserted Farm.” He and the band swing hard on up-tempo numbers such as J.C. Johnson’s “Louisiana” and J.J. Johnson’s “Wee Dot.”  Like Sims, Silbert shows his soprano sax prowess on ‘Someday Sweetheart” as well as his ability to play the blues on a composition he wrote in honor of Sim’s wife — “Blues for Louise.” The rhythm section of Redd, Shook and Redd are in synch with Silbert much like folks such as Oscar Peterson, Jimmy Rowles, George Mraz, Jake Hanna and Mel Lewis who supported Sims on his numerous recordings.

One suggestion for volume 2 of Celebrating Zoot Sims at 100 would be to include some of the memorable tunes Sims wrote or tunes he made famous as a member of the Woody Herman Band or working with Al Cohn or Gerry Mulligan. Although Silbert’s Dream Dancing,

Celebrating Zoot Sims at 100 is a pleasant way to remember the warm sound and style Sims brought to jazz, a more meaningful way to celebrate Sim’s 100th years is to pick up one of the more than 100 recordings he appeared on during his four decades as a melodically rich, unassumingly timeless and unapologetically swinging jazz musician.

https://papatamusredux.com/2025/11/07/scott-sibert-dream-dancing-celebrating-zoot-sims-at-100/

Personnel:

Scott Silbert - tenor and soprano saxes

Amy Shook - acoustic bass

Robert Redd - piano

Chuck Redd - drums

Dream Dancing: Celebrating Zoot Sims At 100

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Joe La Barbera Quintet - Mark Time

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2003
Time: 67:12
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 153,8 MB
Art: Front

( 6:26) 1. Chick It Out
( 6:57) 2. Suite Sixteen
(10:12) 3. Automaton
( 8:47) 4. For Gillian
( 9:25) 5. Mark Time
( 8:42) 6. Contour
( 7:44) 7. Bella Luce (For Conte Candoli)
( 8:56) 8. S'Matta

Drummer Joe La Barbera leads an all-star group of top Los Angeles-based players on Mark Time. Trumpeter Clay Jenkins, pianist Bill Cunliffe, and bassist Tom Warrington all contribute many colorful statements along the way while Bob Sheppard (on tenor and soprano) often takes solo honors. The quintet performs two songs by La Barbera (including a melancholy ballad for the late trumpeter Conte Candoli called "Bella Luce"), a pair of numbers from Cunliffe, and selections by Kenny Wheeler, John Abercrombie, and Kenny Drew ("Contour"). The music includes some adventurous post-bop explorations (Sheppard is excellent on "Automaton" and "Suite Sixteen") and boppish renditions of "Contour" and Cunliffe's up-tempo blues "Chick It Out." The musicians were clearly inspired by each other and this moody and modern straight-ahead set has many bright moments along the way. ~ Scott Yanow

https://catalog.ccclib.org/?section=resource&resourceid=1093102577&currentIndex=2&view=fullDetailsDetailsTab

Personnel:

Bass – Tom Warrington

Drums – Joe La Barbera

Photography By – James Frank Dean

Piano – Bill Cunliffe

Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Bob Sheppard

Trumpet – Clay Jenkins

Mark Time

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Peter O´Mara - SYMMETRY

Styles: Jazz
Year: 1995/2025
Time: 66:06
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 152,1 MB
Art: Front

(5:52) 1. Fifth Dimension
(7:31) 2. The Gift
(7:50) 3. Catalyst
(7:32) 4. Seven Up
(5:41) 5. Chances
(8:08) 6. Symmetry
(7:35) 7. Steppin Out
(9:02) 8. Expressions
(6:51) 9. Blues Dues

Born in Sydney, Australia in 1957. Early Studies at Academy of the Guitar under George Golla, Sydney Conservatorium as well as jazz clinics with Jamey Aebersold, Dave Liebman, Randy Brecker, John Scofield & Hal Galper.

Professional work around Australia 1976-81. Prizewinner for Jazz Composition 1980 & 1982, awarded by the NSW Jazz Action Society. First record album "Peter O´Mara" released 1980, receiving widespread critical acclaim. Awarded the "Don Banks Memorial Fellowship" for overseas study. 1981 studies in New York under Dave Liebman, John Scofield, Roland Hanna, Jimmy Raney & Attila Zoller.

Moved to Munich, Germany in late 1981 and has since worked with many musicians on the European Jazz scene including... Kenny Wheeler, Jon Christensen, Joe Nay, Maria Joao, Uli Beckerhoff, John Marshall,John Taylor, Anders Jormin, Adelhard Roidinger, Randy Brecker, Rainer Brüninghaus, David Friedman, Peter Herbolzheimer, Charlie Mariano, Benny Bailey, Robben Ford, Mike Nock, Albert Manglesdorf, Ack van Rooyen, Herman Breuer, Johnny Griffin...

1995 CD "Symmetry" on GLM Records, featuring Bob Mintzer, Marc Johnson & young German drummer Falk Willis. Tour in March/April with this group to promote the CD. European festival tour with own quartet, performing at Northsea,Munich, Düsseldorf & Wiesen, Austria. , European tour & CD with "Passport". A brief return to Australia end of the year brought him together with Adam Armstrong (bass) & Andrew Gander (drums). This trio was acclaimed by Peter Jordan (SMH) as "scintillating" and O´Mara "one of our less well-known success stories...startling!"

https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/peter-omara/

Personnel:

Acoustic Bass – Marc Johnson (2)

Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Composed By [All Compositions By] – Peter O'Mara

Drums – Falk Willis

Recorded By, Mixed By – Joe Marciano, Mike Marciano*

Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Bob Mintzer

Symmetry

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HAPPY WEEKEND 08-11-25

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