Herbie Mann - Eastern European Roots

Styles: Flute Jazz
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:12
Size: 148,7 MB
Art: Front

( 1:24)  1. Ayla
( 7:02)  2. Gypsy Jazz
( 6:08)  3. Gelem Gelem
( 8:09)  4. Balalaika Love Song
( 4:05)  5. A Dance At The Rise Of The Moon
(10:31)  6. Jelek
( 5:12)  7. Bucavina
( 5:59)  8. Passing Through
( 1:40)  9. Foreign Village
( 7:40) 10. Magyar Dreams
( 6:19) 11. Sera

The legendary flutist has traversed a lot of unique musical terrain in his lifetime, from Brazilian and Latin to Japanese, jazz, and soul. Yet until now he never explored the deeper roots of his heritage, which his liner notes explain are Eastern European and Jewish. He says that some previous attempts to convey the essence of those beginnings have resulted in dark and heavy "suffering" pieces, but here he finds the joys amidst the pain. He mixes six originals with many traditional songs. "Gypsy Jazz" explores a little mysticism with its steady marching drumbeat, some Middle Eastern percussion elements, and an explosive improvisational conversation between his lively flute and Gil Goldstein's accordion. "Balalaika Love Song" is equally mystical, with the distant mandolin of Geoff Mann echoing a darker flute and acoustic guitar meditation. Geoff Mann composed the lively jig-like "A Dance at the Rise of the Moon," which celebrates life rather than focusing on some of the darker elements of life for the Jews of that region. Essentially, it's a collection of mood swings reflecting various elements that can apply to all cultures. For years, his legacy has been doing that for every culture but his own, and now the journey comes beautifully full circle. ~ Jonathan Widran https://www.allmusic.com/album/eastern-european-roots-mw0000660508
 

Personnel:   Herbie Mann - alto flute, c flute, flute;   Bruce Dunlap - guitar;   Alexander Fedoriouk - cimbalom;   Gil Goldstein - accordion;  Geoff Mann - drums, percussion, mandolin;  Paul Socolow - bass

Eastern European Roots

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Ralph Towner - City of Eyes

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 1989
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:29
Size: 163,1 MB
Art: Front

(4:15)  1. Jamaica Stopover
(6:51)  2. Cascades
(6:14)  3. Les Douzilles
(4:14)  4. City of Eyes
(2:36)  5. Sipping the past
(4:26)  6. Far Cry
(3:24)  7. Janet
(5:06)  8. Sustained Release
(4:43)  9. Tundra
(5:36) 10. Blue Gown

Ralph Towner breaks out in more ways than one on City of Eyes. Despite his band Oregon's lagging creative slump and his own obsession with a synthesizer he is only beginning to learn how to "play," Towner cuts some new grooves on this set with an all-star cast. New to Towner's musical universe is drummer/percussionist Jerry Granelli and brass auteur Markus Stockhausen. Even Paul McCandless who has spent the better part of the '80s making new age albums doesn't muck things up this time out. The opener, "Jamaica Stopover," is Towner's freshest solo guitar piece in ages. It's slippery, has a groove, and is actually rooted in both the blues and gypsy swing. The first ensemble piece, "Cascades," sounds a little florid at the outset, but Granelli's percussive ambience is a cure for the rococo melody (it again reeks of Offramp-period Pat Metheny-ism). Towner kicks it into classical gear on "Les Douzilles," before moving into a hot improv duet with Gary Peacock, who believe it plays his bass like a guitarist. The fretwork by Towner and the pizzicato by Peacock are among the most intricate, complex, and purely "musical" duets in recent history between the two instruments. This is where Towner shines, when challenged by a musician equal to, or greater than, his own abilities. The entire ensemble plays together on only three selections, the aforementioned "Cascades," the title track, and "Tundra." On the title track the music shifts modally from one series of chamber jazz timbres to another; mood and tempo relentless move throughout the piece's first five minutes, giving a feeling as if it is a free improv piece one moment and something strictly composed for rhythm and meter the next. Harmonically, Towner pianistically creates intervals that offer shades and colors of ambient-like texture. He extends the musical reach of Peacock's bass role by making it of primary importance to the work's lyrical line and its role in the "free" sections. On "Tundra," the focus is on Towner as musical interloper, connecting each player's lines with his riveting 12-string work. The melody comes from minor, augmented chords. Granelli stays in the pocket, painting over the guitar with bells and chimes, but the others engage Towner separately. Stockhausen's contribution is especially noteworthy, as he punctuates each short guitar line with a long, beautiful phrase that is an extended tonality from that of the guitar. In essence, City of Eyes shows Ralph Towner as a musical explorer again, a composer and instrumentalist who can persuasively create aural travelogues through time, space, and terrain. ~ Thom Jurek https://www.allmusic.com/album/city-of-eyes-mw0000200227

Personnel:  Ralph Towner — twelve-string guitar, classical guitar, piano, synthesizer;  Markus Stockhausen — trumpet, piccolo trumpet, fluegelhorn;  Paul McCandless — oboe, English horn;  Gary Peacock — bass;  Jerry Granelli — drums, electronic drums

City of Eyes

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Roland Hanna - Duke Ellington Piano Solos

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1991
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:31
Size: 107,0 MB
Art: Front

(5:12)  1. In My Solitude
(4:49)  2. Something to Live For
(3:44)  3. In a Sentimental Mood
(2:48)  4. Portrait of Bert Williams
(5:19)  5. Warm Valley
(2:02)  6. Isfahan
(4:41)  7. Single Petal of a Rose
(7:04)  8. I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
(4:08)  9. Reflections in D
(2:30) 10. Come Sunday
(4:10) 11. Caravan

For lovers of solo jazz piano, this Roland Hanna disc offers one of the most consistently enjoyable 46 minutes of music to be heard. Over the ten Ellington selections here (with the addition of Billy Strayhorn's "Isfahan"), Hanna finely works the subtle phrasing and singing tone he once plied in Mingus' band and perfected on many solo outings during the '70s and '80s. An appropriately introspective version of "In My Solitude" opens the program, setting the tone for this intimate and, at times, meditative consideration of some Ellington's finest pieces. Other ballad highlights include a hushed and melancholic "In a Sentimental Mood," as well as delicate and spacious readings of "Single Petal of a Rose" and "Isfahan." Hanna enlivens the mood a bit on choice, medium-tempo renditions of "Portrait of Bert Williams" and the Ellington/Strayhorn collaboration "Something to Live For," demonstrating his easygoing, stride-piano technique in the process. In somewhat stark contrast to the rest of the set, Hanna also includes an engagingly abstract rendition of "I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good," rendering the familiar, blues-tinged theme almost unrecognizable. Hanna ends the set in upbeat fashion with a bravura performance of "Caravan." Bolstered by excellent sound, this top-notch set is a must for Hanna enthusiasts and highly recommended to all fans of straight-ahead jazz. ~ Stephen Cook https://www.allmusic.com/album/duke-ellington-piano-solos-mw0000262780

Duke Ellington Piano Solos

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