Wednesday, September 26, 2018

Andrew Hill - Time Lines

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:28
Size: 150,0 MB
Art: Front

(7:03)  1. Malachi
(9:02)  2. Time Lines
(9:00)  3. Ry Round 1
(9:40)  4. For Emilio
(8:59)  5. Whitsuntide
(8:14)  6. Smooth
(7:55)  7. Ry Round 2
(5:32)  8. Malachi (Solo Piano Version)

March was a month to celebrate. It saw the release of Andrew Hill's new album, Time Lines (for his alma mater, Blue Note), and found him leading a powerhouse quintet for four magical nights at Birdland. The visionary's legions of fans gave him a joyous reception in concert, and there is no end of buzz around his latest effort (many questioned the likelihood of his return to music after he was diagnosed with cancer in 2004). To be sure, Hill is back, with an album that deserves close attention, not for the simple fact that it documents the return of a jazz giant to the company that got him off the ground, but rather as an achievement by a man who continues to give wholly of himself in the pursuit of high art. Time Lines begins and ends with the ethereal ballad "Malachi, a piece written for the late Hill collaborator bassist Malachi Favors, setting the tone for the entire album. The rapport between the players is immediately evident on this track, and as the album progresses, the role of each becomes clearer in Hill's delicate musical scheme. Hill himself plays a relatively supportive role in the proceedings, providing the occasional angular interjection and often sitting out altogether, content to just take it all in. On the album and in person, the main protagonists are two relative youngsters, multi-reedist Greg Tardy and the incredibly versatile bassist John Hebert. Like the classic Andrew Hill albums of yesteryear, much of the musical propulsion that characterizes his unique sound emanates from the bass chair, and Hebert doesn't disappoint. 

His buoyant phrases and deeply rooted rhythmic sense, along with Eric McPherson's sensitive drumming, lay the foundation for Tardy to soar on pieces like "Ry Round 2 and "For Emilio and inspire the reemerging master trumpeter Charles Tolliver to recapture the fire that characterized his earlier efforts with Hill and as a leader in his own right. Throughout all this, the distinctive signature of Hill's sound, both as a pianist and writer, is always present, about which any listener will surely agree upon hearing the final solo piano track. Like the learned sage, Hill sat perched on his throne at Birdland last month as the fruits of his genius swirled in the air around him, smiling almost imperceptibly. Forty-plus years of music had come and gone, and the master could think of nothing more appropriate than to smile at the beauty he had created. ~ Matthew Miller https://www.allaboutjazz.com/timelines-andrew-hill-blue-note-records-review-by-matthew-miller.php

Personnel: Andrew Hill: piano; Greg Tardy: tenor saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet; Charles Tolliver: trumpet; John Hebert: bass; Eric McPherson: bass.

Time Lines

Steve Coleman - Invisible Paths: First Scattering

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:41
Size: 164,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:06)  1. Ascending Numeration: Reformed
(2:11)  2. Shift
(6:37)  3. Possession of Images
(4:45)  4. Negative Secondary
(5:26)  5. The Witness
(3:14)  6. Invisible Paths
(4:05)  7. Fundamental Disturbance I
(4:34)  8. Fecundation: 070118
(5:05)  9. Embodiment
(5:07) 10. Facing West
(7:30) 11. Clouds
(3:08) 12. Back at the Crib
(2:39) 13. Cardinal-Fixed-Mutable
(4:32) 14. Fundamental Disturbance II
(4:16) 15. Individualization
(4:19) 16. Fecundation: 070118 (Another View)

To admire the music of saxophonist Steve Coleman is, indeed to admire the man. From his origins as a Chicago musician to his current life full of exploration of philosophy, musicology, symbols, and language, he has kept a directness and lucidity about his musical presentation. Invisible Paths: First Scattering is his first solo session, coming twenty-some years after he co-founded the M-Base collective that included (among many others) Greg Osby, Ravi Coltrane, Robin Eubanks, and Jean-Paul Bourelly. 

He did record a hard-to-find duo once with bassist Dave Holland in 1991, Phase-Space (DIW, 1994. Like the duo, this disc presents Coleman up front and with a clear manifest. Then again, his voice is almost instantly recognizable on all his recordings. This ambitious solo effort doesn't rework standards of the familiar jazz canon as much as it presents Coleman's music stripped of that familiar odd metered drumming and rhythms. Those familiar with Coleman's work will "hear the rhythm section in these unaccompanied tracks. As he is known to do, he begins a track propelling the music; it's just that the rhythm section never steps in. You know (and feel) that his familiar time signatures are driving this music forward. He even accompanies a bit of clapping with wordless rhythm sound to open "Fecundation: 070118 and offers a spoken "bom-bom refrain to his horn on "Facing West. Elsewhere he offers a bit of meandering improvisation on "Embodiment, grabbing bit of ballads and tones to pave a roadmap. These sixteen tracks stay true to the music of Steve Coleman. His style, recognizably showcased here as the skeleton upon which he hangs the body of his ever expanding work. ~ Mark Corroto https://www.allaboutjazz.com/invisible-paths-first-scattering-steve-coleman-tzadik-review-by-mark-corroto.php

Personnel: Steve Coleman: alto saxophone.

Invisible Paths: First Scattering

Sofi Hellborg - To Give Is to Get

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:37
Size: 114,1 MB
Art: Front

(4:38)  1. Wouldn't That Be Fun
(4:55)  2. My Dream
(5:18)  3. To Give Is to Get
(4:22)  4. Har Du Hort
(5:33)  5. If You Ever
(5:45)  6. Jungle in My Livingroom
(4:30)  7. Bring It on Through
(5:00)  8. The Light
(3:37)  9. My Heart Is My Home
(5:54) 10. We Want No More War

Not new, but new to us. Debut CD from this Swedish sax player and vocalist. "To Give Is To Get" blends smooth late night jazzy grooves and some great grooves with some great Afro influences, with legendary drummer Tony Allen helping the African rhythms flow on this stellar outing.

Personnel:  Saxophone [Alto], Saxophone [Soprano], Flute, Vocals, Percussion [Small], Composed By, Producer – Sofi Hellborg;  Bass, Backing Vocals – Mats Ingvarsson;  Congas – Sal Dibba (tracks: 1, 7, 10);  Drums – Jean-Francois Ludovicus (tracks: 2, 5, 6, 8-10), Tony Allen (tracks: 1, 3, 4, 7);  Drums [Djembe] – Sal Dibba (tracks: 8);  Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes], Keyboards, Backing Vocals – Ola Hendén;  Guitar, Backing Vocals – Elias Källvik;  Organ, Mixed By, Producer – Jens Lodén (tracks: 7);  Percussion [Cucia] – Mats Ingvarsson (tracks: 2);  Percussion [Handclap] – Erik Alheim (tracks: 10), Mattias Alheim (tracks: 10);  Saxophone [Baritone] – Sven Andersson (3) (tracks: 1, 7);  Trombone, Backing Vocals – Ola Åkerman;  Vocals – Timbuktu;  Vocals [Rap] – Timbuktu (tracks: 4)

To Give Is to Get

Yusef Lateef - In A Temple Garden

Styles: Saxophone And Flute Jazz
Year: 1979
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:06
Size: 91,5 MB
Art: Front

(5:18)  1. In A Temple Garden
(4:06)  2. Bismillah
(6:52)  3. Confirmation
(3:04)  4. Nayaz
(6:28)  5. Jeremiah
(3:55)  6. Honky Tonk
(3:57)  7. How I Loved You
(4:22)  8. Morocco

Yusef Lateef long had an inquisitive spirit and he was never just a bop or hard bop soloist. Lateef, who did not care much for the term "jazz," consistently created music that stretched (and even broke through) boundaries. A superior tenor saxophonist with a soulful sound and impressive technique, by the 1950s Lateef was one of the top flutists around. He also developed into the best jazz soloist to date on oboe, was an occasional bassoonist, and introduced such instruments as the argol (a double clarinet that resembles a bassoon), shanai (a type of oboe), and different types of flutes. Lateef played "world music" before it had a name and his output was much more creative than much of the pop and folk music that passed under that label in the '90s. Yusef Lateef grew up in Detroit and began on tenor when he was 17. He played with Lucky Millinder (1946), Hot Lips Page, Roy Eldridge, and Dizzy Gillespie's big band (1949-1950). He was a fixture on the Detroit jazz scene of the '50s where he studied flute at Wayne State University. Lateef began recording as a leader in 1955 for Savoy (and later Riverside and Prestige) although he did not move to New York until 1959. By then he already had a strong reputation for his versatility and for his willingness to utilize "miscellaneous instruments." Lateef played with Charles Mingus in 1960, gigged with Donald Byrd, and was well-featured with the Cannonball Adderley Sextet (1962-1964). As a leader, his string of Impulse! recordings (1963-1966) was among the finest of his career, although Lateef's varied Atlantic sessions (1967-1976) also had some strong moments. 

He spent some time in the '80s teaching in Nigeria. His Atlantic records of the late '80s were closer to mood music (or new age) than jazz, but in the '90s (for his own YAL label) Lateef recorded a wide variety of music (all originals) including some strong improvised music with the likes of Ricky Ford, Archie Shepp, and Von Freeman. Lateef remained active as a composer, improviser, and educator (teaching at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst) into the 21st century, performing and recording as a leader and collaborator on such noteworthy recordings as Towards the Unknown with composer/percussionist Adam Rudolph (released in 2010, the same year Lateef was recognized as a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts). Yusef Lateef died at his home in Shutesbury, Massachusetts in December 2013; he was 93 years old. 
~ Scott Yanow https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/in-a-temple-garden/1182630776

Personnel:   Yusef Lateef - tenor saxophone, flute;   Randy Brecker - trumpet;  Jim Pugh - trombone, bass trombone;  Jerry Dodgion - alto saxophone;  Michael Brecker - tenor saxophone;   Tom Schuman - piano, electric piano, synthesizer;   Jeremy Wall - keyboards, percussion;  Suzanne Ciani - synthesizer, programming;   Eric Gale - guitar;   Steve Gadd - drums;   Jimmy Madison - drums.

In A Temple Garden