The Pasadena Roof Orchestra With The Swing Sisters - Take Me Back

Size: 104,9 MB
Time: 44:58
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1995
Styles: Retro Jazz, Swing
Art: Full

01. When The Midnight Choochoo Leaves (3:02)
02. Old Yazoo (3:19)
03. Dinah (3:03)
04. Heebie Jeebies (2:51)
05. A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square (3:52)
06. It Don't Mean A Thing (3:10)
07. Everybody Loves My Baby (2:27)
08. Mood Indigo (3:44)
09. Civilization (3:07)
10. Can't Help Lovin' That Man (2:55)
11. Sentimental Gentleman From Georgia (3:21)
12. I'm Sorry For Myself (4:00)
13. When I Take My Sugar To Tea (3:03)
14. Shoo Shoo Baby (2:58)

The Pasadena Roof Orchestra is a contemporary band from England that specialises in the jazz and swing genres of music of the 1920s and 1930s, although their full repertoire is considerably wider. The orchestra has existed since 1969, although the line-up has frequently changed. It has achieved success outside of the United Kingdom, most notably in Germany.

The Swing Sisters are a trio of female Danish singers who perform hit songs of the 1940s and earlier. The trio often pay tribute to The Andrews Sisters, as well as many others, such as The Boswell Sisters. They have collaborated with the Pasadena Roof Orchestra on several occasions. The group has a strong following in Denmark, Sweden, Germany and England.

Take Me Back

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Elizabeth Geyer - The Bridge

Size: 100,5 MB
Time: 41:59
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. The Bridge (3:58)
02. Waterfalls And Rainbows (3:51)
03. Goodnight Romeo (2:32)
04. Home (3:10)
05. Perfect Life (2:29)
06. Rain Falls (3:32)
07. The Party (3:19)
08. The Jewel (2:45)
09. I Weep (3:39)
10. Postcards From Paradise (3:47)
11. The Wall (3:11)
12. Place To Fly (3:31)
13. Rose (2:07)

Elizabeth Geyer invites you to join her on a journey seven years in the making. The renowned trumpet player turned flugelhorn turned vocalist has released a very personal album titled The Bridge.

Make no mistake about it Elizabeth still plays all of those instruments including the piano. You are probably wondering how someone that recorded instruments changed over to vocals? Well as she notes, “I had to find my voice.” Lord have mercy, did she ever.

The Bridge is aptly titled as this lady gathered up all her courage and crossed that bridge into unknown territory. I am here to tell you it was a successful trip. Her voice is beautiful, inviting and warm. She commands a song, she owns it, with an innate sense of melody and lyrics this performer knows how to put together a story in a song and make it all believable.

Another multitalented individual in his own right, Paul Adams, produced, engineered and mixed the album and was kind enough to introduce this amazing talent to me. In addition he played guitar and all the instruments that Elizabeth did not.

“The Bridge” opens the curtain, which is the most important track on any album as it sets the tone for everything else and the fact that it is the title track is all the more poignant. The instrument that is the key to these tracks is the piano, it lays down a solid foundation to build upon. The notes float off her fingers like the petals of a flower coming in for a soft landing on the morning grass. It is tasteful and a perfect lead into the rest of the album and the literal “bridge” to the rest of the story.

The more I listened to this album the more I realized what a great soundtrack it would make for a movie, when in fact it the artist playing her own movie for us to hear through music and words. I must say even though the piano is the most important instrument on this album the horns come in a close second. The brass gives it some nice smooth jazz tones while the piano has a more contemporary feel to it with influences drawn from classical and new age blending nicely with all the other elements presented.

One of my other favorites was the heartfelt track “The Jewel.” The song is too one very special person in the life of an artist going through change, stepping through the fear with courage and getting on with what her heart desires. We all need special people in our life for support, to lean on once in a while and mainly believe in us no matter what. That is what I heard on the track and I will leave it up to the listeners to decide what it means for them.

It is my practice to choose three key tracks but to be perfectly honest I could have easily chosen any one of the 13 offered on this album and would have had plenty to say. It is all very good. But “Postcards from Paradise” I felt was a prolific track with the perfect ambiance added to accompany the wonderful voice of Ms. Geyer. It made me feel tingly all over like I should be talking a walk on the beach at a favorite vacation spot.

With The Bridge Elizabeth Geyer has triumphed in every way possible. As far as this listener is concerned it is a perfect 5/5 stars! ~Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck

The Bridge

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Ashleigh Smith - Sunkissed

Size: 99,0 MB
Time: 35:07
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz/Soul/R&B Vocals
Art: Front

01. Best Friends (4:18)
02. Sara Smile (3:56)
03. The World Is Calling (2:19)
04. Love Is You (3:31)
05. Blackbird (4:14)
06. Sunkissed (4:00)
07. Into The Blue (5:06)
08. Brokenhearted Girl (2:09)
09. Beautiful And True (3:44)
10. Pure Imagination (1:45)

Vocalist Ashleigh Smith, winner of the 2014 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocals Competition, will release her Concord Records debut album, Sunkissed, on August 26.

The album showcases a wide range of styles and influences, from Latin and bossa-nova to R&B and soul jazz. Smith co-wrote five of its 10 tracks. The other five tracks include interpretations of compositions by artists such as The Beatles and Hall & Oates, as well as a version of “Pure Imagination” from the soundtrack of the 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.

Sunkissed features Smith playing alongside musicians who were fellow classmates of hers at the University of North Texas, where she studied jazz. Her band includes bassist Nigel Rivers and guitarist Joel Cross. “I wanted people who have already been an integral part of my musical development,” explained Smith in a press release. “They all played a big part into the making of who I am as a musician. That’s something you figure out not necessarily in the classroom but when you’re performing on stage.”

Sunkissed

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Ron Helman - It Never Entered My Mind

Size: 150,0 MB
Time: 64:36
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz
Art: Front

01. You've Changed (5:39)
02. Just Friends (5:38)
03. Close Your Eyes (5:11)
04. Born To Be Blue (5:28)
05. All Or Nothing At All (7:34)
06. When Sunny Gets Blue (8:11)
07. Sweet Georgia Brown (5:41)
08. Desafinado (5:17)
09. Don't Explain (5:49)
10. Overjoyed (3:59)
11. It Never Entered My Mind (6:06)

Personnel:
Ron Helman: flugelhorn
Mike Mainieri: vibraphone
David Spinozza: guitar
Rachel Z Hakim: piano & fender rhodes
James Genus: bass
Joel Rosenblatt: drums

Special Guests:
Ann Hampton Callaway: vocals
Steve Wilson: alto & soprano sax

Proud to be part of jazz trumpeter Ron D Helman's beautiful CD "It Never Entered My Mind" singing the Mel Torme classic "Born to Be Blue." Finally got to listen to this romantic, late night collection of elegant standards played in every shade of blue with the great band he assembled- Steve Wilson, James Genus, Mike Mainieri, Rachel Z, David Spinozza and Joel Rosenblatt. Love the songs- every one is a jewel- and Ron's playing is stunning. Check it out! ~Ann Hampton Callaway

It Never Entered My Mind

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Ilonka - To Be Loved

Size: 117,6 MB
Time: 50:34
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz/Pop Vocals
Art: Front & Back

01. I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch) (4:02)
02. On The Sunny Side Of The Street (2:47)
03. Extraordinary Life (2:51)
04. You Needed Me (3:53)
05. Real Emotional Girl (3:00)
06. The Way You Look Tonight (4:22)
07. If You Stay (4:32)
08. Love's Work Is Never Done (3:43)
09. I Can't Imagine (4:26)
10. Getting Over (3:50)
11. The Power Of Love (5:30)
12. What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted (3:01)
13. A Reason (4:30)

Ilonka began her professional singing career at age 12 when she won a national singing competition in her native South-Africa. That accomplishment resulted in her first record label deal and launched her into six consecutive years of performances and casino tours.

With a thousand shows under her belt, a young nineteen-year old Ilonka then moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to pursue the next chapter of her music story. Her most recent record project (tenth studio album), “To Be Loved”, is a Light Jazz/Adult Contemporary creation on Naxos’ Suite 28 Records that showcases her intimate, yet powerful mezzo-soprano voice, in the same sisterhood as Sarah McLachlan and Celine Dion.

Her tumultuous journey through a childhood music career compelled her to write a tell-all book, “Keeping Secrets”. The book (2016) chronicles the dramatic and abusive life of a young girl surviving the South-African music industry and has propelled her to become a fierce advocate for women facing abuse.

She has shared her story on the Steve Harvey Show and multiple TV networks. She founded a free women’s counseling clinic in Franklin, Tennessee to help women in crisis. She continues to sing and speak, and directs her passions to encourage audiences with her uplifting message.

When she’s not on the road Ilonka lives in Franklin, Tennessee, enjoying the “bliss of life” with her husband Bill, daughter Iália, her Yorkie, a good book and wading in a fly fishing stream.

As a women of passionate faith, her music and book truly reveals a personal journey from “What Becomes of the Broken Hearted” to having an “Extraordinary Life”.

To Be Loved

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Steve Turre - Colors For The Masters

Size: 140,8 MB
Time: 60:30
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz
Art: Front

01. Taylor Made (6:18)
02. Quietude (5:40)
03. Joco Blue (5:14)
04. Coffee Pot (5:06)
05. Reflections (6:51)
06. Mellow D For R.C. (5:53)
07. Colors For The Masters (5:48)
08. When Sunny Gets Blue (7:17)
09. United (5:01)
10. Corcovado (7:17)

When it comes to the contemporary trombone artists, there are two schools of exploration. Steve Turre is an advocate of the more melodic school of which elder champions include Curtis Fuller and J.J. Johnson. The more ebullient and bop-inflected side of things has its greatest proponent in Conrad Herwig. No one method should be considered the right path or wrong path to wander down, however Turre is quite outspoken when it comes to opinions on his contemporaries. He is also one whose own recordings have been inconsistent and possibly a bit too scattered in approach over the years.

Let the foregoing put into context the release at hand. For this writer, Turre's catalog has its share of gems and an equal share of misfires. Quite simply, Colors for the Masters is easily one of Turre's best releases in years. Without taking anything away from the trombonist, the company he keeps has a lot to do with that. A master of singular authority, pianist Kenny Barron has that perfect combination of fire and melodic grace. And if you can't pick out a Ron Carter bass line in a measure or two you are just not listening hard enough. Turre sagaciously lets the master take a nice share of his own solo spots, each one better than the next. Then there is Jimmy Cobb, still downright swinging at the ripe young age of 87.

The first three numbers penned by Turre cover a lot of stylistic ground in a way that recalls a finely-paced club set. "Taylor Made" is one of those slow, tipping tempos that goes down easy, while "Quietude" is a beautiful ballad with a lingering melody. "JoCo Blues" is obviously a blues and to hear these accomplished gentlemen tackle its basic structure speaks to its limitless possibilities. Other originals include "Mellow D for R.C.," one of four pieces to also present Javon Jackson on tenor saxophone. The title tune features a modal vamp set up by Barron that finds Turre speaking in angular lines across the range of his instrument.

Rounding out the ten tracks are Monk's "Reflections," J.J. Johnson's "Coffee Pot," Wayne Shorter's "United," and the standard "When Sunny Gets Blue." Of course, no Turre album would be complete without his creative use of conch shells. The closing "Corcovado" provides fodder for that talent with further textures added by percussionist Cyro Baptista. It's a spirited sendoff to an album that finds Turre and his colleagues at the top of their games. ~C.Andrew Hovan

Personnel: Steve Turre: trombone, shells; Kenny Barron: piano; Ron Carter: bass; Jimmy Cobb: drums; Javon Jackson: tenor sax; Cyro Baptista: percussion.

Colors For The Masters

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Kiki Manders - Love Is Yours Is Mine

Size: 99,0 MB
Time: 42:23
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. Leefde Is Van Dich Is Van Mich (6:28)
02. Sound Of Cycles (1:08)
03. Words And Sand (7:11)
04. De Storm (5:27)
05. Cycle Song (1:58)
06. Broken Stone (4:39)
07. Particles (4:23)
08. Avec Le Temps (4:48)
09. Mystery Of The In Between (4:36)
10. Alles Begint Met Ut Hert (1:41)

With her expressive, enchanting and warm voice, Kiki Manders sings her music like a painter uses his palette to paint. Creating different colours and sounds with her voice, from fragile and tender to dark and powerful, Manders creates a musical world of her own, striving to be as open and pure as possible.

Along with her quartet, this Dutch, Berlin-based vocalist and composer takes us on an adventurous musical journey into the depths of her soul, through jazz, storytelling in both English and Dutch dialect, and intimate ballads.

Manders grew up in Venlo, a small town in the south of the Netherlands. She graduated from the jazz singing program at the Conservatory of Amsterdam, where she earned a Bachelor and Masters of Music Degree under the tutelage of Sylvi Lane, Lydia van Dam and Annett Andriessen. After graduation, Manders moved to New York City to study Poetry and Singing and studied with Jen Shyu and Theo Bleckmann. While living in New York City, Manders started writing songs in the dialect from her hometown Venlo and she recently selected two to be recorded on her Debut Album, to be released with UNIT Records, August 2016.

A finalist in the Voicingers International Singers Competition and semi-finalist in the Brussels Young Jazz Singers Vocal Competition, Manders’ “irrepressible style” makes her an “in demand musician both as a bandleader and as a sideman.” She lent her voice to Amsterdam-based saxophonist Maarten Ornsteins’ DASH!, which featured artists such as Oene van Geel and Morris Kliphuis. She performed with DASH! throughout Europe, in the Music Theatre production “Spica”, multi-disciplinary theatre performance “Brilliant Limbs" and toured China with the band.

Manders performed and/or collaborated with The Metropole Orchestra, Maarten Ornstein, Oene van Geel, Morris Kliphuis, Grammy nominee Vince Mendosa, Erik Hoeke, Joshua Samson, Alexander Maksymiw, Yuriy Yaremchuk, Jeffrey Bruinsma, Oene van Geel, Alex Oele, Wim Kegel, Daniel Schroeteler. She performed at world known venues and festivals such as The Bimhuis, Muziekgebouw aan het IJ, Paradiso, North Sea Jazz Festival, and the Concert Hall Amsterdam in the Netherlands, the Unterfahrt in Germany, the Sziget Festival in Hungary, the Brussels Jazz Club in Belgium, Jazzclub Jazz Dock in the Czech Republik, Jazz Club Dzyga in Ukraine, the Jazz Gallerie in Canada and at the Nanjijng Jazz Festival and the Chengdou Jazz Festival in China.

Love Is Yours Is Mine

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Jay McShann - At Cafe Des Copains

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:50
Size: 132.4 MB
Styles: Piano
Year: 1989/1999
Art: Front

[3:24] 1. Exactly Like You
[3:44] 2. Autumn in New York
[3:34] 3. The Bells Are Ringing
[6:39] 4. Body and Soul
[4:31] 5. Caravan
[4:47] 6. But Beautiful
[3:18] 7. (Back Home Again In) Indiana
[3:29] 8. Night Train
[4:15] 9. On the Trail
[4:51] 10. Once in a While
[3:41] 11. Watch What Happens
[4:09] 12. Sweet Sue
[3:40] 13. I Cover the Waterfront
[3:42] 14. But Not for Me

Jay McShann may be best known as "Charlie Parker's first employer", but he is far more than that...This record of solo piano, live from a cafe in Canada, is breathtaking. The man tackles boogie woogie, blues, stride and more modern jazz with equal strength and authority, and the music swings with total abandon from start to finish. They just don't make them like this anymore. ~T. Bekken

At Cafe Des Copains                 

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Cynthia Sayer - Forward Moves

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:31
Size: 115.7 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[4:04] 1. Kiss Me Sweet
[3:06] 2. Moonlight On The Ganges
[4:49] 3. My Honey's Lovin' Arms
[4:23] 4. Melancholy
[4:04] 5. Douce Ambiance
[5:07] 6. Blues In My Heart
[4:10] 7. Kansas City Kitty
[5:08] 8. Cryin' For The Carolines
[4:19] 9. Forward Moves
[3:26] 10. Crazy Man Blues
[3:46] 11. Them There Eyes
[4:03] 12. Is You Is, Or Is You Aint (Ma' Baby)

Kenny Davern on clarinet; Peter Ecklund on cornet; Vince Giordano on bass saxophone; Greg Cohen on string bass. This CD was remastered by multi-award-winning engineer Alan Silverman of Arf! Digital

FORWARD MOVES is fresh and vibrant as when it was first released, thanks to Cynthia’s usual unique approach to early jazz styles. Cynthia Sayer is regarded a one of the top 4-string banjoists in the world today. A member of Woody Allen’s jazz band for over 10 years, Cynthia’s solo career has taken her well beyond these New Orleans roots to become an acclaimed bandleader and guest artist. She has a unique and expansive approach to the instrument which is all her own, and she is also a respected vocalist. Her eclectic repertoire ranges from swing and hot jazz to tango, western, classical, and more. Cynthia has worked with a variety of leading jazz and popular artists such as Dick Hyman, Wynton Marsalis, Marian McPartland, Bill Cosby, Warren Vaché, Les Paul, Wycliffe Gordon, Marvin Hamlisch, Bucky Pizzarelli, Scott Robinson, and many others. She has also played with some top bluegrass/roots/country artists, including Tony Trischka, Bill Keith, Odetta, Eric Weissberg, Mike Marshall, and John McEuen (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band).

Cynthia's extensive career includes performances in New York City's Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, playing the White House, appearing with The New York Philharmonic, feature film and TV soundtracks, TV commercials, radio jingles, and numerous national TV and radio show appearances in the USA and abroad. She plays at many music festivals in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Cynthia has accumulated numerous awards and honors, including induction into the National Banjo Hall of Fame. Her most recent CD release, “Attractions,” which includes legendary jazz guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, received two 2009 award nominations. She is also a subject of a PBS documentary about the banjo, expected to be aired in 2011. Cynthia endorses Ome banjos and GHS Strings.

Forward Moves

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Johnny Hodges, Billy Strayhorn & Orchestra - S/T

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:30
Size: 83.6 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 1961/1999
Art: Front

[2:59] 1. Don't Get Around Much Anymore
[3:35] 2. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)
[2:26] 3. The Gal From Joe's
[2:59] 4. Your Love Has Faded
[3:25] 5. I'm Just A Lucky So And So
[3:17] 6. Jeep's Blues
[3:55] 7. Day Dream
[3:18] 8. Juice A-Plenty
[2:32] 9. Azure
[3:34] 10. Tailor Made
[4:24] 11. Stardust

Alto saxophonist Johnny Hodges recorded frequently for Verve in the 1950s and 1960s, although nearly all of the musicians on this CD are from the Ellington orchestra and the arrangements are by Billy Strayhorn. Hodges is never less than superb throughout this reissue, while Lawrence Brown, Harry Carney and non-Ellingtonians Howard McGhee on trumpet and pianist Jimmy Jones also deserve praise. Strayhorn's exotic chart of "Azure" and emotional scoring of "Your Love Has Faded" are especially striking. Recommended. ~Ken Dryden

Johnny Hodges, Billy Strayhorn & Orchestra

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George Masso Quintet - Trombone Artistry

Styles: Trombone Jazz
Year: 1995
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 79:32
Size: 191,7 MB
Art: Front

( 7:43)  1. You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To
( 5:19)  2. In A Mellow Tone
( 6:52)  3. More Than You Know
(10:11)  4. Blue Monk
( 7:09)  5. If I Were A Bell
( 8:53)  6. It All Depends On You
(10:08)  7. Just Friends
( 5:21)  8. I Thought Abought You
( 9:52)  9. On The Alamo
( 7:59) 10. Three Little Words

This German CD teams together trombonist George Masso, clarinetist Ken Peplowski, pianist Brian Dee, bassist Len Skeat and drummer Jake Hanna. The trombone-clarinet frontline works together quite well, and overall, this is one of Masso's finest recordings. Mainstream fans should enjoy the live recording, which is highlighted by "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To," "More Than You Know," "It All Depends On You" and a burning rendition of "Three Little Words." ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/trombone-artistry-mw0000601827

Personnel: George Masso (trombone); Ken Peplowski (clarinet); Brian Dee (piano); Jake Hanna (drums).

Trombone Artistry

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Branford Marsalis - Contemporary Jazz

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 73:54
Size: 170,3 MB
Art: Front

( 6:49)  1. In The Crease
(10:19)  2. Requiem
(16:03)  3. Elysium
( 8:47)  4. Cheek To Cheek
( 8:23)  5. Tain Mutiny
( 6:03)  6. Ayanna
(17:26)  7. Countronious Rex

Although the penultimate release from Branford Marsalis was entitled Requiem, this outing for sure embodies a fitting tribute to Kenny Kirkland. The pianist died mid-recording of Branford’s last disc, shocking the young saxophonist and causing him to find a new rhythm section leader. Well actually Tain Watts is the center of any rhythm scene wherever he plays. Calderazzo fills the Kirkland role in a sort of meddling way. While and accomplished pianist on his own, Calderazzo doesn’t fit nicely into Branford’s jazz vision. His piano seems to agitate and disturb the tenor. Marsalis is a talented trio saxophonist, in that I mean he can carry the melody and his improvisation without the need of a piano, as evidenced on his recordings Trio Jeepy (1988), Bloomington (1991), and The Dark Keys (1996). Most of the tracks here work best when either Marsalis or Calderazzo listen to the other play in trio format. 

The highlight of the record is Marsalis’ remake of Irving Berlin’s “Cheek To Cheek.” Playing havoc with time signatures, Branford and Watts reshuffle the familiar to create the infinite in terms of permutations of the song. His reworking a song, be it an original or his own “Elysium” (originally on Requim ), is Branford’s strongest suit. After Marsalis opens “Cheek,” Calderazzo follows in the deconstruct mode, chasing the melody up and down the keyboards. While the songs are not just soloing devices, the solos here are significant. Watt’s opens “Tain Mutiny” with his patented thunder attack before Marsalis spits a horn line and the wrestling match continues. And, like the WWF, all the mayhem is choreographed. You just got to love Tain’s pulse over Branford’s best Coltrane blowing. The set closes with the Gospel tinged “Countronious Rex,” named for the drummer’s country roots. The Pittsburgh-born Watts (the Steeler’s country?, well maybe Terry Bradshaw) wrote the hand-clapping soul station blues it seems to act as an old fashion revival. Reminds me of Cannonball Adderley and his feel for a great song. ~ Mark Corroto https://www.allaboutjazz.com/contemporary-jazz-branford-marsalis-columbia-records-review-by-mark-corroto__13180.php

Personnel: Branford Marsalis (saxophone); Joey Calderazzo (piano); Eric Revis (bass); Jeff "Tain" Watts (drums).

Contemporary Jazz

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Paul Grabowsky - Tales of Time and Space

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:38
Size: 171,4 MB
Art: Front

(9:28)  1. Tailfin
(8:50)  2. Sideshow Sarabande
(5:13)  3. Silverland
(6:58)  4. Angel
(9:48)  5. Medium Rare
(8:29)  6. Wist
(6:52)  7. Reason and Rhyme
(6:49)  8. Updraft
(7:03)  9. Circle of Trust
(5:04) 10. Silverland

There is little question that for the public at large, pianist and bandleader Paul Grabowsky is the largest question mark when it comes to the personnel on this album. Holding company with Branford Marsalis, Joe lovano, Scott Tinkler, Ed Schuller, and Jeff "Tain" Watts is no small feat. And although the liner notes to Tales of Time and Space attempt to answer the question of who Grabowsky is, the just-under-fifty Australian pianist is more than a musician with wide ranging roots in jazz and film scoring, he's a consummate pianist and composer who warrants significant attention. Aside from those facts, the other welcome surprise here is that although Tales is a one-off recording with a ton of talent something that often results in a muddy or uninspired date this is a tight ensemble with purpose and drive. Everyone shines and has his particular moments, but first and foremost they serve Grabowsky's music and vision. Recorded in 2003, Tales of Time and Space has the elegance of a modern straight-ahead jazz recording that one might hear in performance at Jazz at Lincoln Center, but the music also has depth and fire that can sometimes be lacking in such establishments. Marsalis' command of the sometimes unwieldy soprano is inspired, continuing his impressive development of an individual voice on the instrument he has been cultivating more publicly of late. And while his quartet band mate Watts, the modern tenor giant Lovano, and the highly adaptive and imaginative bassist Schuller all turn in quality performances, Tinkler and his swaggering trumpet provide a particular voice that nearly eclipses them.

With a strong full sound and a background tying him with the leader, Tinkler more than holds his own on tracks like the opening "Tailfin, where he uses a plunger alongside Lovano and Marsalis, who states a theme that pulls in different directions of space and time following an opening drum solo that sets a locomotive pace. Grabowsky himself finally comes in following all this action underneath the band, and he almost immediately falls away when Tinkler races out front. Tinkler's articulation is crisp and never escapes him during his invigorating solo. He eventually pulls up his pace in time with the plaintive soprano that emerges behind him, eventually giving way to Grabowsky, who sounds somewhere between Kenny Barron's natural flow and Ran Blake's reductive use of space and sound. There is little question why everyone involved was excited after the inspired take of "Tailfin. And the majority of the album follows suit. The one misstep, however, is the inclusion of a remix of "Silverland (dedicated to the Australian rock trio Silverchair). While it is an interesting track unto itself, with Watts mixed way up front, its inclusion here seems out of place with the overall feel of the album. This quibble aside, Tales of Time and Space is an excellent recording for those who enjoy straight-ahead ensemble playing that straddles the mainstream jazz vernacular and a loose and outer-reaching feel. ~ Michael McCaw https://www.allaboutjazz.com/tales-of-time-and-space-paul-grabowsky-sanctuary-records-review-by-michael-mccaw.php
 

Personnel:  Paul Grabowsky: piano;  Joe Lovano: tenor saxophone; Branford Marsalis: soprano saxophone; Scott Tinkler: trumpet;  Ed Schuller: acoustic bass;  Jeff "Tain" Watts: drums.

Tales of Time and Space

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