Bob Mintzer & The Horn Man Big Band - Papa Lips

Styles: Saxophone, Flute and Clarinet Jazz
Year: 1983
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:17
Size: 97,9 MB
Art: Front

(6:33)  1. Papa Lips
(9:30)  2. Lazy Day
(4:14)  3. I Hear A Rhapsody
(7:59)  4. Latin Dance
(7:18)  5. Truth
(6:42)  6. Mr. Fonebone

Recorded in 1983 and previously only released in Japan on Cheetah, Papa Lips is Bob Mintzer's third album as a leader. A step ahead of the rather sterile production of his previous album for the label Source (both are now available in the U.S. on CD courtesy of the Elore Records imprint), Papa Lips features a stellar band playing a program comprised almost entirely of Mintzer tunes, the lone exception is the standard "I Hear a Rhapsody." The band here is stellar and includes in various places Michael and Randy Brecker, Lew Soloff, Don Grolnick, David Sanborn, Will Lee, Peter Erskine and Marvin Stamm, among others. The material is more Latin in flavor, and the arrangements are less funk-oriented than its predecessor's. The sound is still quite slick, but the material is stronger and there are no vocal performances this time out. The remarkable thing here is that the Michael and Randy Brecker and David Sanborn were not particularly well known as big band players at this time, but their execution of these often complex charts is remarkable check the title cut that opens the set with a fine Randy Brecker solo; it's knotty and multi-textured with colors coming from all over the tonal spectrum. "Lazy Day," a gospel flavored soul tune for big band is reminiscent of Thad Jones' and Mel Lewis' orchestra, with fine solo s from Mintzer on tenor and Grolnick on piano. Other standouts include "Latin Dance," with a great Sanborn flight on alto, and the remake of "Mr. Fonebone." It appeared on Source as well, but is much faster and more aggressive here, and Lee is less busy than Jaco Pastorius was. "I Hear a Rhapsody" contains an excellent, deeply emotional solo by Michael Brecker, though the tune itself is a bit flowery for this recording. In sum, however, Papa Lips is a fine record; it is still slick but that's how they made jazz records in the '80s but it's sheer musicality, muscle, and sophistication make it an excellent listen. ~ Thom Jurek http://www.allmusic.com/album/papa-lips-mw0000778998

Personnel: Marvin Stamm, Lew Soloff, Randy Brecker, Laurie Frink (Trumpet); David Sanborn (Soprano saxophone, alto saxophone); Michael Brecker (Tenor saxophone, flute); Pete Yellin (Alto saxophone, flute); Lawrence Feldman (Tenor saxophone, flute, piccolo); Roger Rosenberg (Baritone saxophone, flute); Bob Mintzer (Tenor saxophone, flute, piccolo, clarinet); Dave Bargeron, Bob Smith, Keith O'Quinn (Trombone); Dave Taylor (Bass trombone on 1,2,4,5,6); George Moran (Bass trombone on 3); Don Grolnick (Piano); Will Lee, Tom Barney (Bass); Peter Erskine (Drums); Frankie Malabe (Congas); Carla Poole (Fluteon 6).

Papa Lips

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Cal Tjader Quartet - Jazz At The Blackhawk

Styles: Vibraphone Jazz 
Year: 1957
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:04
Size: 103,0 MB
Art: Front

(6:56)  1. Bill B.
(4:06)  2. Land's End
(6:15)  3. I'll Remember April
(4:42)  4. Blues In The Night
(3:43)  5. Thinking Of You, MJQ
(3:39)  6. I've Never Been In Love Before
(5:15)  7. Two For Blues Suite
(4:55)  8. When The Sun Comes Out
(4:29)  9. Lover, Come Back To Me

Latin jazz collectors note: the title emphatically is Jazz at the Blackhawk, and even the most determined listener will not find an iota of Cal Tjader's explorations of Latin rhythms here. In its place, we get a sturdy set of bop-flavored workouts by Tjader's expert quartet, recorded live in San Francisco's famous long-defunct nightspot. Tjader himself often sounds like Milt Jackson as he handles the mallets fluidly through a set of standards, a pair of originals by himself and his wife, and appropriately enough a witty Baroque-like tune by his pianist Vince Guaraldi called "Thinking of You, MJQ." Eugene "The Senator" Wright (bass) and Al Torre (piano) make up the bop rhythm section, and as long as you know what you're getting, a good time can be had. ~ Richard S.Ginell http://www.allmusic.com/album/jazz-at-the-blackhawk-mw0000203638

Personnel: Cal Tjader (vibraphone); Vince Guaraldi (piano); Gene Wright (bass); Al Torre (drums).

Jazz At The Blackhawk

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Steely Dan - Doing It In California: The 1974 Broadcast Collection

Styles: Vocal And Guitar Jazz
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 80:39
Size: 185,7 MB
Art: Front

(8:10)  1. Do It Again (Live)
(4:43)  2. Rikki Don't Lose That Number (Live)
(5:08)  3. King Of The World (Live)
(3:23)  4. Any Major Dude (Live)
(4:41)  5. Barrytown (Live)
(5:30)  6. My Old School (Live)
(5:41)  7. Pretzel Logic (Live)
(4:45)  8. Reelin' In The Years (Live)
(3:55)  9. This Is All Too Mobile Home (Live)
(5:19) 10. Bodhisattva (Live)
(7:02) 11. The Boston Rag (Live)
(4:14) 12. Brooklyn (Owes The Charmer Under Me) (Live)
(0:58) 13. Funky Scare Tactic Orchestra Blues (Live)
(3:58) 14. Dirty Work (Live)
(1:29) 15. Your Gold Teeth Ii (Live)
(7:04) 16. Show Biz Kids (Live)
(4:30) 17. Do It Again (The Midnight Special, April 13th 1973) (Live)

Partly because of Donald Fagen's reluctance to sing onstage, partly due to he and Walter Becker's perfectionism, and partly because the pairs' compositions and arrangements were so complex - requiring all manner of studio hardware to reproduce Steely Dan played very few live concerts during their early career, indeed by the middle of 1974 they had given up touring entirely. The one album they did promote on the road however was their third masterpiece, the enigmatically titles 'Pretzel Logic', released in the USA on February 20th 1974. The tour started on March 9th, and this CD features the complete second show played by the group, at the University Of California the following night. The gigs would continue until July 1974 - after which Steely Dan would not play live again until they reunited in 1992. This excellent live broadcast recording is, therefore, quite a rarity; not only does it showcase the very best of the songs from Steely Dan's first three albums, it also features This All Too Mobile Home, a number that was never recorded in the studio. Furthermore, the remarkable version of Your Gold Teeth II included here is wholly different to the song of that name later released on the album 'Katy Lied' Bonus cuts here are taken from Dan's gig at the Ellis Auditorium in Memphis on the April 30th '74, plus a version of Do It Again recorded for the long running TV series 'Midnight Special' on which Steely Dan had been special guests a year earlier, in April 1973. ~ Editorial Reviews https://www.amazon.com/Doing-California-Steely-Dan/dp/B014MGPI2W

Doing It In California: The 1974 Broadcast Collection

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Jack DeJohnette - Hudson

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:01
Size: 168,9 MB
Art: Front

(10:57)  1. Hudson
( 5:30)  2. El Swing
( 8:16)  3. Lay Lady Lay
( 6:01)  4. Woodstock
( 9:14)  5. A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall
( 5:29)  6. Wait Until Tomorrow
( 8:36)  7. Song for World Forgiveness
( 3:58)  8. Dirty Ground
( 5:04)  9. Tony Then Jack
( 5:36) 10. Up on Cripple Creek
( 3:15) 11. Great Spirit Peace Chant

Rightly vaunted as a 'supergroup,' specifically in the Tony Williams Lifetime mold, this eponymously titled band really does qualify as a super quartet, so much so that any background information on these four protagonists would seem superfluous. However it should be noted that John Scofield and John Medeski have teamed-up on occasion with Medeski, Martin & Wood and Scofield and Jack DeJohnette first played together forty years ago and more recently in their Trio Beyond with organist Larry Goldings.  What is perhaps different with this album is around half the tracks are popular numbers from the greats days of the Woodstock and beyond. The remaining half comprises originals. Fittingly, the group first played a gig together at the 2014 Woodstock Jazz Festival and the vibe that they experienced then encouraged them to pursue the project, culminating in this record. The quartet's name is inspired by the beauty of the Hudson River from which Woodstock is but a few miles away, indeed virtuoso bassist Larry Grenadier is himself a resident of the Hudson Valley. The opening, groove-laden title track certainly displays influences of Lifetime and early Seventies electric-period Miles Davis too. The longest track at nearly eleven minutes, it offers kaleidoscopically mesmeric performances with Scofield even inserting a cheeky quote from "The Peanut Vendor." Things settle down a little with Scofield's "El Swing," the Iberian-influenced head leading into the guitarist evincing some biting, fluid soloing. The covers of Bob Dylan's "Lay Lady Lay" and Joni Mitchell's "Woodstock" are given respectful treatments, the former with Scofield carving out the melody with bright-toned guitar, the latter, emotionally-charged and instantly reminiscent of the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young version.

At nearly ten minutes, Dylan's "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" undergoes a transformation. The melody is dispensed with early on although briefly repeated at the end. In between is a melee of spacey sound, dominated by Medeski's Hammond B-3 channelling the late Larry Young. On "Wait Until Tomorrow" from Axis: Bold As Love, Scofield absolutely cracks Hendrix's tone and attack. DeJohnette's elegiac "Song For World Forgiveness" conjures-up the spirit of Woodstock, abounding with Scofield's glissando-rich guitar. DeJohnette provides the vocals to "Dirty Ground," the song he co-wrote with Bruce Hornsby and which appeared on his 2012 album Sound Travels. Scofield's straight ahead "Tony Then Jack" is a paean to the late Tony Williams, its title carrying the implicit message that DeJohnette is the natural successor to Williams. Robbie Robertson's "Up On Cripple Creek" is given a laid-back, homespun feel, Scofield's guitar nonchalantly tearing-up the melody. The final number, replete with wooden flutes, tom-tom and chanting vocals, is DeJohnette's "Great Spirit Peace Chant" recalling the saxophonist Jim Pepper's Native American-influenced music. Indeed, DeJohnette can be seen performing Pepper's famous "Witchitai-To" on YouTube. This immediately accessible album is undoubtedly going to make waves and make jazz a lot of friends even outside of the jazz fraternity. The quartet combines unique skills and powers of invention to create over seventy minutes of fascinating interpretations and solid originals. As a group, they sound like they've been playing together forever and the music just seems to flow effortlessly, just like the Hudson. ~ Roger Farbey https://www.allaboutjazz.com/hudson-review-by-roger-farbey.php

Personnel: John Scofield: guitar, wooden flute; John Medeski: piano, rhodes, Hammond B-3 organ, wooden flute, vocals; Larry Grenadier: acoustic bass, vocals; Jack DeJohnette: drums, tom-tom, wooden flute, vocals.

Hudson

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