Stefon Harris - Evolution

Styles: Vibraphone Jazz
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:18
Size: 154,8 MB
Art: Front

(5:54)  1. Nothing Personal
(6:20)  2. For Him, for Her
(6:21)  3. Until
(7:47)  4. Red-Bone Netti-Bone
(5:48)  5. A Touch of Grace
(7:17)  6. Summertime
(7:28)  7. Blackout
(6:07)  8. The Lost Ones
(6:36)  9. King Tut's Strut
(5:15) 10. Message to Mankind
(2:19) 11. Montara

It takes no time at all to get into Evolution , Stefon Harris’ fifth album for Blue Note, the young vibraphonist’s fourth as leader and his first with his new band. Immediately the music breaks into a sprint. And its appeal is equally as instantaneous. There is no acclimation period, no finger-drumming developmental warm-up, no amusing 30-second intro track. So it’s funny that this disc should bear the title Evolution , by all Darwinian or Lamarckian accounts an excruciatingly slow transformative process. But this, it seems, is the point Harris wants to make. Jazz music even his own has been swimming in the ooze of heady theory and generic territory-staking long enough. It’s high time an observable change took place. Blackout, Harris’ fresh line-up (named thus because they are “about blacking out the narrow views surrounding and constricting the definition of jazz”), is notably well suited to such a task. Don Grolnick’s “Nothing Personal” is transformed into a fleet-footed groove featuring Marc Cary’s soulful keyboard licks, which are at times reminiscent of Baby Face Willette. Harris contributes a radiant vibe line to match that of saxophonist Casey Benjamin. Darryl Hall raps out a tight, thumping funk on his acoustic bass. The energy is clearly that of classic hard bop, but the sound is utterly contemporary. The Gershwin standard “Summertime” is hazy, soporific, a bit like what you might expect from an electro-lounge DJ. In strictly jazz terms, it’s closer in execution to Charlie Parker’s lolling renditions than Trane’s skittish version of the same from My Favorite Things. Elsewhere we come to a lullaby cover of Sting’s “Until” a quiet declaration that everything from the popular to the esoteric is fair game in this evolutionary quest. 

Original compositions include the jaunty, freewheeling title track and “King Tut’s Strut,” something like a ride aboard an ancient Egyptian starship. Particularly striking is the exotic sway of “For Him, For Her,” during which Harris sounds out a slow-burning marimba romance atop the undulating rhythmic structure provided by drummer Terreon Gully and percussionist Pedro Martinez. Listeners may agree that Evolution is what Harris’ sprawling, overly ambitious The Grand Unification Theory (2003) was trying to be; or perhaps should have been. It’s more than just an issue of titular semantics. Evolution amalgamates a number of widely varying genres and performance styles, yet it sounds so seamless, cohesive and well, unified as to be cut from the same bolt of musical cloth. Using an instrumentation that is by no means unusual, it brings together the most distinctive and valuable characteristics found in the whole of jazz and beyond. This was precisely what its predecessor lacked. And if natural selection has its way, this disc will be one worth keeping for posterity. ~ Eric J. Iannelli https://www.allaboutjazz.com/evolution-stefon-harris-blue-note-records-review-by-eric-j-iannelli.php

Personnel: Stefon Harris: vibraphone, marimba; Casey Benjamin: alto saxophone (1, 2, 3-7, 9); Marc Cary: Fender Rhodes and keyboards (1, 2, 4-9); Darryl Hall: acoustic bass; Terreon Gully: drums; Anne Drummond: flute and alto flute, Xavier Davis: piano and Fender Rhodes (3, 10); Pedro Martinez: percussion, vocals (9).

Evolution

---

Patti LuPone - Far Away Places

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:07
Size: 141,2 MB
Art: Front

(2:52)  1. Gypsy In My Soul
(3:00)  2. Night Life
(0:57)  3. Back Then...
(4:54)  4. Bilbao Song
(4:11)  5. Far Away Places
(3:24)  6. Black Market
(5:29)  7. Come To The Supermarket In Old Peking
(1:28)  8. I Have Sicilian Blood
(3:21)  9. I Wanna Be Around
(0:50) 10. Ah The Sea Is Blue
(2:38) 11. I Cover The Waterfront
(4:19) 12. Pirate Jenny
(3:25) 13. By The Sea
(0:50) 14. I Do All Kinds Of Accents...Just Like Meryl
(2:34) 15. I Regret Everything
(3:07) 16. Hymn To Love
(4:33) 17. Travelin' Light
(0:53) 18. Give My Regards To Broadway
(3:53) 19. Nights On Broadway
(4:20) 20. September Song

[Patti] embodies decades of show business history. And her brilliant show, conceived and directed by her longtime collaborator, Scott Wittman, deserves many lives, perhaps even a Broadway run in an expanded edition. It certifies Ms. LuPone's place in the lineage of quirky international chanteuses like Lotte Lenya, Marlene Dietrich and Edith Piaf, who, like Ms. LuPone, conquered show business with forceful, outsize personalities while playing by their own musical rules. ~ New York Times

Every now and again there comes an experience that you immediately know you will always remember. That happened for me at Patti LuPone's cabaret evening 'Far Away Places,' christening the snazzy new nightclub 54 Below, which occupies the basement of Studio 54. LuPone levitated the audience of Broadway insiders in the intimate room, compellingly designed by John Lee Beatty in the style of a 1920s speakeasy, as effortlessly as she might flash one of her sly smiles. It was, simply, magic. ~ Backstage https://www.amazon.com/Far-Away-Places-Live-BELOW/dp/B009OYOVLW

Far Away Places

---

Booker Ervin - Cookin'

Styles: Saxophone Jazz 
Year: 1960
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:22
Size: 101,7 MB
Art: Front

(7:32)  1. Dee Da Do
(5:18)  2. Mr. Wiggles
(7:25)  3. You Don't Know What Love Is
(6:13)  4. Down In The Dumps
(9:52)  5. Well, Well
(7:00)  6. Autumn Leaves

A very distinctive tenor with a hard, passionate tone and an emotional style that was still tied to chordal improvisation, Booker Ervin was a true original. He was originally a trombonist, but taught himself tenor while in the Air Force (1950-1953). After studying music in Boston for two years, he made his recording debut with Ernie Fields' R&B band (1956). Ervin gained fame while playing with Charles Mingus (off and on during 1956-1962), holding his own with the volatile bassist and Eric Dolphy. He also led his own quartet, worked with Randy Weston on a few occasions in the '60s, and spent much of 1964-1966 in Europe before dying much too young from kidney disease. Ervin, who is on several notable Charles Mingus records, made dates of his own for Bethlehem, Savoy, and Candid during 1960-1961, along with later sets for Pacific Jazz and Blue Note. His nine Prestige sessions of 1963-1966 (including The Freedom Book, The Song Book, The Blues Book, and The Space Book) are among the high points of his career. https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/cookin/3907000

Personnel:  Booker Ervin - tenor saxophone;  Richard Williams - trumpet;  Horace Parlan - piano;  George Tucker - bass;  Dannie Richmond - drums.

Cookin'

---

Chuck Deardorf - Transparence

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:50
Size: 154,1 MB
Art: Front

(5:43)  1. Collage
(7:20)  2. Alone Together
(7:55)  3. Dear Prudence
(6:24)  4. Bruzette
(5:56)  5. Moon and Sand
(6:17)  6. De Mansinho
(3:45)  7. Sweet Lorraine
(7:45)  8. Zingaro
(6:18)  9. Creatinine
(9:22) 10. The Peacocks

An excellent outing to showcase the Northwest sound in jazz, Transparence features an outstanding ensemble of players from the region. Plus, the arrangements highlight the ability of the bass, in Chuck Deardorf's hands, to fit a variety of styles, all with the laid-back yet structured approach that is at the heart of Seattle's sound. Deardorf moves between a series of basses over the course of the album, each fitting a different sonic element. He uses a fairly standard bass for much of the proceedings, adapting it to bebop ideas or to modern jazz wanderings with equal ease. He switches to a fretless bass for a surprisingly sitar-like sound in a cover of "Dear Prudence." For a Brazilian piece, he moves to a Jaco Pastorius-like approach on an acoustic guitar-bass (essentially a massive guitar rather than a double bass), a difficult instrument to adapt to strong melodies. Surrounded by excellent players from around the Seattle scene, Deardorf manages to bring the bass to the forefront of the proceedings, but in a casual way it's never forced upon the listener, but he does enough interesting work with it that it catches the ear naturally. In other ensembles, Deardorf provides an excellent, stable bassline. Leading his own group, Deardorf brings an amazing touch and sensitivity to the sounds he can create, and puts that sensitivity to use in an excellent showcase of style and structure working together. ~ Adam Greenberg https://www.allmusic.com/album/transparence-mw0002112047    

Transparence

---

Dan Siegel - Colors Of The Land Autumn Leaves

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:39
Size: 114,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:50)  1. Amber Waves
(3:45)  2. A Winding Lane
(3:26)  3. In The Stillness
(5:26)  4. Dancing In The Moonlight
(3:43)  5. Silver And Gold
(4:37)  6. Secret Path
(3:02)  7. First Snow
(3:53)  8. Each Passing Day
(3:36)  9. Falling Leaves
(4:17) 10. Yesterday's Memories
(3:59) 11. Elegy
(5:00) 12. As The Sun Sets

For the discerning adult looking for a moment of rest and relaxation, Autumn Leaves is the third in a series of new age/instrumental music inspired by nature. The album contains all original compositions by pianist Dan Siegel and features Charlie Bisharat (violin), Allen Hinds (guitar), and Mark Hollingsworth (flutes). Perfect for a fall afternoon! ~ Editorial Reviews https://www.amazon.com/Autumn-Leaves-Colors-Land/dp/B000AE8FV2

Personnel:  Dan Siegel (keyboards, programming);  Allen Hinds (guitar); Charlie Bisharat (violin); Mark Hollingsworth (flute, soprano saxophone).

Colors Of The Land Autumn Leaves

---