The George Shearing Quintet - Mood Latino

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1961
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 31:41
Size: 81,7 MB
Art: Front

(2:23)  1. Blue Moon
(1:40)  2. Day By Day
(2:39)  3. Yesterday's Child
(2:17)  4. Salud
(3:06)  5. You And The Night And The Music
(2:51)  6. Tintilin
(2:58)  7. The Night Is Young And You Are So Beautiful
(2:48)  8. Jackie's Mambo
(3:17)  9. All Through The Day
(2:21) 10. Say Si Si
(2:52) 11. Blue Rainbow
(2:24) 12. Te Arango La Cabeza

During his Capitol years, pianist George Shearing recorded several Latin-flavored albums which generally found his popular piano-vibes-guitar-bass-drums Quintet augmented by the congas of Armando Peraza. For this particular album not only is Peraza added to the group but so are a couple of other percussionists and an unidentified flutist. The Quintet sound is still quite dominant during the rhythmic easy-listening set with the music ranging from "Blue Moon" and "You and the Night and the Music" to "Jackie's Mambo" and "Say 'Si Si'." The performances on this LP have not yet been reissued on CD. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/mood-latino-mw0000872116

Personnel:  George Shearing (piano);  Gary Burton (vibraphone);  Armando Peraza (congas);  John Gray (guitar);  Bill Yancey (bass);  Vernel Fournier (drums)

Mood Latino

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Gerry Mulligan - In Paris Disc 1 And Disc 2

Disc 1

Styles: Saxphone Jazz
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:27
Size: 165,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:50)  1. Bernie's Tune
(0:32)  2. Presentation of the Musicians
(5:03)  3. Walkin' Shoes
(4:41)  4. The Nearness Of You
(5:48)  5. Motel /Utter Chaos
(5:33)  6. Love Me Or Leave Me
(4:26)  7. Soft Shoe
(5:24)  8. Bark for Barksdale
(4:54)  9. My Funny Valentine
(7:34) 10. Turnstile /Utter Chaos
(4:42) 11. I May Be Wrong
(4:42) 12. Five Brothers
(6:28) 13. Gold Rush
(3:45) 14. Makin' Whoopee

Disc 2

Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:34
Size: 147,7 MB

(3:39)  1. Lady Is a Tramp
(4:16)  2. Laura
(4:48)  3. Soft Shoe/Utter Chaos
(4:56)  4. Five Brothers
(3:39)  5. Lullaby of the Leaves
(4:36)  6. The Nearness of You
(5:12)  7. Limelight
(4:06)  8. Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are
(2:51)  9. Makin' Whoopee
(4:26) 10. Love Me or Leave Me
(4:22) 11. Laura
(4:25) 12. Line for Lyons
(3:15) 13. Moonlight in Vermont
(5:57) 14. Motel/Utter Chaos

Formerly available in piecemeal fashion, this CD (and Vol. 2) has all of the music recorded at baritonist Gerry Mulligan's Paris concerts of June 1954. This particular unit (with valve trombonist Bob Brookmeyer, bassist Red Mitchell and drummer Frank Isola) was one of Jeru's finest for his own wit, swing and cool-toned creativity were matched by Brookmeyer. Highpoints include "Walkin' Shoes," "Love Me or Leave Me," "My Funny Valentine" and "Five Brothers" but every selection is quite enjoyable. The audience is rightfully enthusiastic. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/gerry-mulligan-in-paris-vol-1-mw0000176336

In June 1954, the Gerry Mulligan Quartet (with the leader/baritonist, valve trombonist Bob Brookmeyer, bassist Red Mitchell and drummer Frank Isola) performed at five all-star concerts, four of which were recorded. Only previously available in fragmented form, the very accessible yet chance-taking music has now been reissued in full on two CDs by the French Vogue label. 

The second volume is highlighted by "Laura," "Five Brothers," "Love Me or Leave Me," "Line for Lyons" and "Motel," but it is no exaggeration to say that every performance is well worth hearing. Both sets are highly recommended, for this cool-toned but witty and hard-swinging music is very enjoyable. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/gerry-mulligan-in-paris-vol-2-mw0000644409

Gerry Mulligan Quartet: Gerry Mulligan (baritone saxophone); Bob Brookmeyer (valve trombone); Red Mitchell (bass); Frank Isola (drums).

In Paris  Disc 1
In Paris  Disc 2

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Yusef Lateef - 10 Years Hence

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1974
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 79:12
Size: 181,5 MB
Art: Front

(22:15)  1. Samba de Amor (Fantasy): Samba de Amor (Part I)-Time Montage-Samba de Amor (Part II)
(18:02)  2. Yusef's Mood
(12:25)  3. But Beautiful
( 8:29)  4. A Flower
(17:59)  5. I Be Cold

This 2008 release of a live 1975 performance at San Francisco's Keystone Korner may appeal to Lateef completists, but those still new to him or curious about his fame might consider starting elsewhere. The first of Ten Years Hence's five long numbers is Bob Cunningham's three-part "Samba De Amor," which begins with the bassist bowing and plucking alongside the sound of cowbells, horns, whoops and other vocalizations, and Lateef on transverse flute. Fully five minutes on, a light but entertaining enough samba takes shape. The quiet middle section, "Time Montage," provides a puzzling pause with woodwinds and bells, although something onstage creates a buzz with the audience. The return to the samba quickly dies out, leaving the feeling of a 22-minute long, involved effort that never quite soared. "Yusef's Mood" follows: a rhythm-and-blues that might be fun from the Keystone's dance floor, but sounds conventional on disc. Pianist Kenneth (Kenny) Barron takes the lead, but despite his dexterity the runs sound labored and the boogie uninspired, never igniting the kind of R&B sparks that shimmered from the keyboards of artists including Leon Russell, Nicky Hopkins, Jaki Byard and Cedar Walton in the mid-'70s. Lateef's sax adds a broad-shouldered presence, but only a few licks and growls give account of his fame. But for the masterful attack, in a blind quiz few would blink on learning that any of a dozen promising turks was blowing.

"But Beautiful" is the only standard, and Lateef plays it with smoky abandon, clearly in his element. Barron comps with Monk-ish splashes and jabs, and the group cooks up a well-spent 12 minutes of jazz. Lateef closes by invoking a slow, supremely confident solo that earns the audience's warmest applause. But Barron's candidly sentimental "A Flower" comes next, and here Lateef plays his flute with earnest tremolo while the pianist paints on ornamentation worthy of Liberace. The closing number is "I Be Cold" an inventive piece of considerable charm. Lateef sticks to rapping a soulful moan about how he "be cooold," periodically letting out an odd, humorous bark with the sealhorns. A well-arranged chorus and subdued instrumentation provide loose support for the rap, bass, piano, and those sporadic burps. Despite its spare, repetitive means, this funky 18-minute groove resonates as the album's best-developed original. Along with "But Beautiful," it's a definite candidate for anthologizing. If only the whole session were at this inspired level. The cover replicates a contact sheet presumably no picture had the right impact for cover art. The liner notes are almost microscopically small, hampering readability that might clarify Lateef's part, if any, in this release, and the title's meaning. This is a very eclectic session covering several musical forms, and unlikely to suit every taste. Quite possibly not for purist jazz-lovers, Lateef completists might well enjoy Ten Years Hence's various rewards. ~ Bert Bailey https://www.allaboutjazz.com/ten-years-hence-yusef-lateef-wounded-bird-records-review-by-bert-bailey.php

Personnel: Yusef Lateef: tenor saxophone, c-flute, sealhorns, shanie, oboe, below yellow shell flute, African thumb piano and percussion; Kenneth Barron: piano and cowbell; Bob Cunningham: bass and African leg bells; Albert 'Kuumba Heath: Druands, Chinese shanie, percussion metal cones and Northern Indian flute; Bill Salter: bass (5).

10 Years Hence

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Stephen Riley - Hart-Beat

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:13
Size: 138,1 MB
Art: Front

(4:01)  1. Just You Just Me
(5:43)  2. Isotope
(9:33)  3. Lonnie's Lament
(5:21)  4. When It's Sleepy Time Down South
(7:27)  5. Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are
(9:23)  6. The End Of A Love Affair
(6:04)  7. Mr. Sandman
(8:08)  8. Black Narcissus
(4:29)  9. All Go'd Chillun Got Rhythm

The tenor saxophone trio is one of the great, if somewhat underutilized lineups in jazz. Stephen Riley has made a study of the format and delivers a fine addition to a limited canon with Hart-beat. Eschewing piano and leaving the horn to carry the musical weight all by itself is an idea that was recorded by the great Sonny Rollins as early as Way Out West (Contemporary, 1957). That record set a very high standard that is rarely met, let alone exceeded. It is the Godfather of the format. One later effort that does come close is Joe Henderson's State of the Tenor (Blue Note 1985), a live recording from New York's Village Vanguard that delivered one of the definitive tenor performances of its decade. Where the Rollins date is snappy and melodic, Henderson's performance is looser, wandering a little more with his improvisations, leaving plenty of room for the bassist Ron Carter and drummer Al Foster.  Hart-beat follows in the footsteps of the Henderson record, with loose, breathy interpretations of standards by pianist Thelonious Monk, saxophonist John Coltrane and, yes, Joe Henderson. Riley's sound is a little understated, relying on good construction and control, without ever screaming his horn. On this date it would be fair to call him a quiet, if energetic player. "Isotope" gets a quick statement of the melody before Neal Cane joins the fray with clean forward bass line. Riley takes his improvisations up a notch with each chorus, building a wonderfully sophisticated solo before laying out for the bass to take a turn.

A less frequently played Monk classic, "Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are," gets a similarly wandering treatment with equally good results. In deciphering Monk, Riley makes the critically important choice to internalize the melody into his improvisation instead of just playing over it. This kind of depth is the difference between an okay Monk interpretation and a really good one; this is a really good one. Special mention should be made of drummer Billy Hart, the most seasoned musician on the date. A veteran of Miles Davis' On the Corner (Columbia, 1972), Hart provides subtle, graceful rhythm with Riley's understated playing. Like everything else on this date, the drumming is very sophisticated. The other Henderson tune, "Black Narcissus" has Hart splashing his cymbals out behind the bass and horn, initially providing less beat and more aural soundscape before he picks up the rhythm on the ride with a rim tap. It's very sweet, delicate drumming. So does Hart-beat live up to the standards set by Henderson and Rollins? That's a tough call, given the iconic status of those efforts. In all fairness, those are almost impossibly high standards to meet. Hart- beat is, however, a really solid recording, with some noteworthy playing making it a worthy successor in a lineage of great tenor saxophone trio records. ~ Greg Simmons https://www.allaboutjazz.com/hart-beat-stephen-riley-steeplechase-records-review-by-greg-simmons.php
 

Personnel: Stephen Riley: tenor saxophone; Neal Cane: bass; Billy Hart: drums.

Hart-Beat

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