Kirk Whalum - Roundtrip

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:38
Size: 133,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:42)  1. Courtney
(4:34)  2. Desperately
(4:55)  3. Ruby Ruby Ruby
(6:51)  4. Glow
(4:51)  5. The Wave
(4:27)  6. Big Ol' Shoes
(4:42)  7. Inside
(4:47)  8. In A Whisper
(3:48)  9. Roundtrip
(6:13) 10. Back In The Day
(6:42) 11. Afterthought

Contemporary jazz saxophonist Kirk Whalum decided to take a little trip back in time on Roundtrip, back to the Memphis club scene that nurtured him early on, and to record some of his earliest compositions and ones written expressly for him with fresh ears as well as some new ones. Recording in four different places from Memphis to Los Angeles to New York to England, Whalum asked some old pals to pop in, like Earl Klugh, Jeff Golub, Gerald Albright, and Philippe Saisse, as well as some of his stalwart rocksteady bandmates such as Rex Rideout, drummer Michael White, bassist Melvin Davis, guitarist Mark Jaimes, and trumpeter James McMillan. There are a few other surprises as well, such as the appearance of Kim Fields on "In a Whisper," Shanice on "Inside," and sons Kyle, Hugh, and Kevin making appearances as well. Issued on his own Rendezvous Music imprint, this is Whalum at his most relaxed and celebratory. That said, Roundtrip has no less polish than anything recorded over his nearly 30-year career, and the label was his idea. It's a deeply personal offering that is celebratory in nature rather than merely reflective. The pairing with Klugh on "Ruby Ruby Ruby" is on the money. The keen melodic sensibilities both men possess complement one another perfectly, and the mix is skeletal enough to let Klugh's gorgeous guitar playing stand out. Whalum's tenor playing and the light, Latin-kissed composition are sparse and in the pocket. The reading of Nat Adderley, Jr.'s "The Wave" (the original is from 1988's And You Know That LP on Columbia) doesn't work quite so well in that Saisse does all the keyboards and programming and Whalum just blows over the top. The problem is that the synthetic handclaps add nothing; in fact, they detract from what otherwise might have been a nice funkier version of the tune. "Big 'Ol Shoes," which immediately follows, however, gets right down to it. Co-written by Whalum and Rideout, it's funky in all the right places, with one of those transcendent choruses that Whalum slips into his own tunes so often. The Grover Washington, Jr./Creed Taylor/Kudu feel is all over this one, with some killer keyboard work from Rideout and tasty guitars by Darrell Crooks.

The vocal performance by Shanice on "Inside" is a beautiful urban soul and nearly gospel performance, and Whalum lets his vocalist get to it without getting in her way. Producer James McMillan (who co-wrote the cut) keeps his star back in the mix until it's time for him to blow a solo. Kim Fields speaks her track, and it works seamlessly. Rideout, who co-wrote the cut, produces it and takes the same approach with Whalum, though the saxophonist plays more fills, allowing his in-the-pocket sense of lyric improvisation to underscore the vocalist's lines. "Back in the Day" is a slick but fruitful hip-hop track with rapper Caleb tha Bridge and Albright on alto. This is positive hip-hop, with plenty of soul casting a reflective and nostalgic look at the past. Whalum and John Stoddart act as a backing chorus. It's innocent but not cloying, the groove is solid, and the saxophonists playfully entwine around one another and do call and response, ending up playing harmony in the solo break. The chorus has "single" written all over it if only the square urban and smooth jazz radio programmers would get out of their rut and test it on an actual audience. The set ends with another early Whalum composition in "Afterthought" from his debut album, Floppy Disk, in 1985. The lithe groove shimmers and swirls as White's backbeat kicks the tune just enough in contrast to the deep bassline of Alex Al and the vibes-like percussion of Kevin Ricard; Rideout's keyboards paint Whalum's backdrop brightly and he blows the tune out of memory, from that charmed place of having the gratitude and sheer lyric talent needed to look back. It's not hollow nostalgia here, but rather the quintessential taste to revisit this tune with so much soul over two decades later and play it like he means it only there's wisdom here, too: the tune means something a little different now, and his blowing near the cut's end is full of deep swelling emotion and smoking chops he didn't have in 1985. Anybody could play his old tunes, or replay them, or re-record a greatest-hits album, but Whalum didn't do that; he made something new and beautiful out of his past that points to an even brighter, more aesthetically satisfying future now that he -- instead of another record company controls it. Highly recommended.~Thom Jurek http://www.allmusic.com/album/roundtrip-mw0000584656

Personnel: Kirk Whalum (soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone, background vocals); Caleb tha Bridge (vocals, rap vocals); Kevin Whalum, Shanice Wilson (vocals); Kim "Blondielocks" Fields (spoken vocals); Mark Jaimes (guitar, guitars, bass guitar); Earl Klugh, Jeff Golub (guitar); Gerald Albright (alto saxophone); Peter Murray (piano, Fender Rhodes piano); Chris Carter (organ); Julian Crampton, Melvin Davis , Alex Al (bass guitar); Michael White , Elijah "DD" Holt (drums); Ekpe Abioto (percussion); Garry Goin, Darrell Crooks (guitar); James McMillan (trumpet, flugelhorn, piano, Fender Rhodes piano, programming); Philippe Saisse, Rex Rideout (keyboards, programming); John Stoddart (keyboards, background vocals); Simon Phillips (drums); Martin Ditcham, Kevin Ricard (percussion); Priscilla Jones-Campbell (background vocals).

Roundtrip

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Jeri Southern - Southern Breeze / Coffee, Cigarettes & Memories

Styles:  Jazz, Vocal
Year: 1958
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:37
Size: 165,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:13)  1. Down With Love
(3:48)  2. Crazy He Calls Me
(3:06)  3. Lazy Bones
(3:16)  4. Who Wants To Fall In Love
(3:48)  5. Then I'll Be Tired Of You
(2:21)  6. Ridin' High
(3:15)  7. He Reminds Me Of You
(3:36)  8. Porgy
(3:42)  9. Are These Really Mine
(2:59) 10. Isn't This a Lovely Day
(2:56) 11. A Warm Kiss and a Cold Heart
(2:54) 12. I Like the Likes of You
(2:51) 13. Coffe, Cigarettes & Memories
(3:17) 14. Spring Will Be a Little Late T
(2:35) 15. This Time the Dream's On Me
(2:45) 16. Detour Ahead
(2:04) 17. The Song Is Ended
(2:33) 18. Yesterdays
(3:02) 19. Deep In a Dream
(3:01) 20. I'm Stepping Out Wit ha Memory
(2:23) 21. Maybe I Love You Too Much
(2:30) 22. Yesterdays Gardenias
(3:14) 23. I Must Have That Man
(2:20) 24. I'll Never Be the Same

In 1998, EMI released Southern Breeze/Coffee, Cigarettes & Memories, which contained two complete albums Southern Breeze (1958, originally released on Roulette) and Coffee, Cigarettes & Memories (1958, originally released on Roulette) by Jeri Southern on one compact disc.~Jason Birchmeier http://www.allmusic.com/album/southern-breeze-coffee-cigarettes-memories-mw0000528966

Southern Breeze / Coffee, Cigarettes & Memories

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John Handy - The 2nd John Handy Album

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1966
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:49
Size: 137,3 MB
Art:  Front

( 5:34)  1. Dancy Dancy
( 7:30)  2. Theme X
( 6:08)  3. Blues For A Highstrung Guitar
( 4:35)  4. Dance For Carlo B
(13:45)  5. Scheme No 1
( 7:46)  6. A Bad Stroke of Luck
( 5:39)  7. Blues For A Highstrung Guitar (alt)
( 8:50)  8. Debonair

Altoist John Handy's second Columbia album was actually his fourth as a leader. Utilizing the same musicians who had joined him during his sensational set at the 1965 Monterey Jazz Festival (violinist Michael White, guitarist Jerry Hahn, bassist Don Thompson and drummer Terry Clarke), Handy performs five of his complex yet accessible originals, which include the "Theme X" (in 5/4 time), the catchy "Blues for a Highstrung Guitar," and the adventurous "Scheme #1."The CD reissue adds three previously unissued alternate takes to the earlier program. This would be the unit's only studio album, and after disbanding, they did not reunite until 1994. The memorable music is highly recommended.~Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-2nd-john-handy-album-mw0000605710

Personnel: John Handy (alto saxophone, tenor saxophone); Jerry Hahn (guitar); Terry Clarke (drums).

The 2nd John Handy Album

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Brian Blade & The Fellowship Band - Landmarks

Styles: Post-Bop, Straight-Ahead Jazz 
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:25
Size: 122,6 MB
Art: Front

( 0:56)  1. Down River
( 8:22)  2. Landmarks
( 1:04)  3. State Lines
(11:37)  4. Ark.La.Tex
( 1:52)  5. Shenandoah
( 5:39)  6. He Died Fighting
( 4:06)  7. Friends Call Her Dot
(13:22)  8. Farewell Bluebird
( 4:01)  9. Bonnie Be Good
( 2:21) 10. Embers

Four records in 16 years may not be prolific, but clearly Brian Blade and his longstanding Fellowship Band aren't about quantity. While a seemingly scant two years separated the drummer's leader debut (and inspiration for the group name), Fellowship (Blue Note, 1998) from its even more impressive follow-up, Perceptual (Blue Note, 2002), the group's next record, Season of Changes (Verve) came a full eight years later in 2008, and beyond a label change also reflected the trimming down of the Fellowship Band from its original septet to a sextet with the departure of pedal steel virtuoso Dave Easley. Another six years have passed, but Landmarks represents not only another label change as it returns to Blue Note, but some additional shifting on the personnel front, with the departure of Kurt Rosenwinkel, a key member since Perceptual. These days, more often than not, the Fellowship Band is, in performance, a lean but very potent quintet with five of its seven original members intact; for Landmarks, however, the group enlists guitarist Jeff Parker (making a return after being part of the group that recorded Fellowship) and Marvin Sewell to flesh out seven of the album's ten tracks. While the core quintet is absolutely capable of standing on its own—and as a fully acoustic group to boot, as demonstrated in a knock-out performance at the 2012 TD Ottawa Jazz Festival and virtual roof-raiser at Nasjonal Jazzscene Victoria, during the 2011 Oslo International Jazz Festival there's no doubt that Parker and Sewell have plenty to offer on a recording that, while retaining some of the fire that's fundamental to the group's live sets, clearly treats the studio as a different environment entirely.

For one thing, the brief opener, Cowherd's minute-long solo improvisation "Down River," is performed on that unwieldy progressive rock stalwart, the Mellotron; but here, the distinctive warbling sound of fluttering flute tapes only gives it a more strangely haunting quality that's the perfect setup for the title track, Cowherd's only other compositional contribution to Landmarks, though his unmistakable piano and pump organ work as much folk and country simplicity as it is jazz sophistication is, as ever, a strong definer of the Fellowship Band sound. "Landmarks" opens with a relatively rare solo from Thomas that, in duet with Cowherd, is the first of many demonstrations from the Fellowship Band members that it's not about individual instrumental virtuosity, though that's a fundamental anyway; it's about surrendering to the needs of the song and, in this case its simply beautiful, singable melody. As Blade enters and Butler and Walden reiterate the theme on soprano saxophone and bass clarinet respectively, the tune unfolds into a soprano solo of similar reverence, as Blade's light cymbal work is juxtaposed with more powerful runs around the kit, creating the punctuations for which he's become known, not just in Fellowship, but with Wayne Shorter and Daniel Lanois. Cowherd takes the final solo and it's a lengthy one but, like the entire album, it tells a story rather than merely demonstrating his intrinsic virtuosity a mastery required to intuit when to let loose with fireworks and when to keep things spare and simple.

More than merely a reflection of the many physical places this group has traveled in its 16-plus year existence, the album title speaks to inner travels, and a spiritual quality that's been palpable since the group's inception, making its name more than just a word. It's also a reflection of extracurricular activities brought back to the group, whether they're Walden's overtly jazz-centric Momentum (Demi Sound, 2009), more reflective In This World (Demi Sound, 2010) and aptly titled Countrified (Demi Sound, 2010); Blade's exploratory work with Shorter's Quartet (together almost as long as the Fellowship Band) and similarly searching work, albeit in a more rock-centric context, with Lanois on projects like Black Dub (Jive, 2010); or Cowherd' s work with everyone from singer/songwriter Rosanne Cash and Canadian bassist Chris Tarry to saxophonist Marcus Strickland and punk idol Iggy Pop. But rather than any of these disparate elements being obvious, they're subsumed into the unmistakable, singular voice that the Fellowship Band continues to evolve, gig after gig, year after year. Landmarks feature s a number of brief, sometimes through-composed miniatures that act as thematic threads that join the album together as a conceptual whole. Sewell's improvised piece of ambient soundscaping on "State Lines," reflects and sets up the five primary notes of Blade's "Ark.La.Tex." which follows, a lengthy exploration that builds slowly, with Butler and Walden (this time on tenor and alto saxophones) creating the thematic unison lines that occasionally, wonderfully, diverge, only to reunite as one. The piece begins to pick up steam, leading to an open middle section where Walden's prowess is bolstered by the joined-at-the-hip pocket created by Blade and Thomas, only to find its way back to the original theme and, ultimately, the composition's primary five-note motif, ending, as it began, with Sewell's ambient landscape, but this time with Cowherd creating a larger sound on pump organ. It's a marvelous piece of writing that, in its construction, seems to expand and contract as its episodic movements move outwards from its gentler beginnings, only to come full circle by the time it closes, twelve minutes later.

Cowherd's pump organ acts as the connecting thread from "Ark. La. Tex." to "Shenandoah," a lovely traditional tune that The Fellowship Band has explored at length in concert, but here keeps to a script, with Walden and Butler (on bass clarinet and tenor saxophone) delivering the familiar, bittersweet theme rubato, leading to Blade's solo introduction to "He Died Fighting," a song that could easily be transported into the singer/songwriter vein of the drummer's unexpected Mama Rosa (Verve, 2009) unexpected, because who'd have thought a drummer so capable of incendiary power would also be capable of such profound poetry, delivered with a voice so unassuming, tender and meaningful? Landmarks' longest piece, "Farewell Bluebird," follows the largely through-composed "Friends Call Her Dot," though Walden's opening a cappella bass clarinet solo is not unlike Cowherd's "Down River" in the way that it sets up this ambling, folkloric tune driven by Blade's gentle but persistently propulsive playing and Parker's subdued but essential tripling of the melody alongside Butler and Walden. It also seems to set up "Friends Call Her Dot," which initially revolves around a four-chord motif and some lovely contrapuntal playing from Cowherd and Walden, a thematic duo that soon becomes a trio when Butler enters on soprano. The solo section features Cowherd's most impressive solo of the set a lesson in motivic evolution whose end signals a shift in time and a bluesy riff that drives a gritty solo from Sewell that combines outré ideas with frenetic slide guitar, marrying Cowherd's modal support with the sound and feeling of the Mississippi Delta. As the Fellowship Band has grown, it has moved away from overt traditional references, even though they're an undercurrent throughout. Instead, as it explores milestones both inner and outer, Landmarks further speaks with the singular voice that the Fellowship Band has built upon since inception. Blending folkloric references, hints of church and spiritual concerns, jazz modality and countrified touchstones, Landmarks is the perfect name for Brian Blade & The Fellowship Band's fourth album; beyond its meaning to the group, it truly is yet another landmark recording in the core quintet's evolutionary travels. It may have come after a long gap in time, but that only makes it a wait all the more worthwhile.~John Kelman http://www.allaboutjazz.com/brian-blade-and-the-fellowship-band-landmarks-by-john-kelman.php

Personnel: Brian Blade: drums; Melvin Butler: soprano and tenor saxophones; Jon Cowherd: piano, mellotron, pump organ; Chris Thomas: bass; Myron Walden: alto saxophone; bass clarinet; Jeff Parker: guitar (7, 9); Marvin Sewell: guitar (3, 4, 6, 8, 10).

Landmarks

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