Andrew Hill - Pax

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1965
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:53
Size: 116,0 MB
Art: Front

(10:42)  1. Eris
( 7:13)  2. Pax
(10:10)  3. Calliope
( 7:18)  4. Euterpe
( 4:01)  5. Erato
( 3:42)  6. Roots 'N' Herbs
( 6:45)  7. Euterpe (alternate take)

Pax is one of those seminal Andrew Hill albums that sat locked in Blue Note's vaults for a decade before the first five cuts here were finally released as part of a double-LP package in 1975 entitled One for One. The final pair, recorded at the same time, didn't see the light of day until they appeared on the limited-edition Mosaic Select Blue Note recordings a decade after that. The personnel on this disc is a dream band: Hill with Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard, Richard Davis, and Joe Chambers. All of the these players but Hubbard had played with Hill before, and the telepathy is simply synchronistic. The opening cut, "Eris," is a sprawling blues clocking in at nearly 11 minutes. Full of Hill's knotty harmonics, and truly fiery playing by Hill and Hubbard, it's one of Hill's finest moments on record from the mid-'60s. "Calliope" is an off-kilter, medium tempo swing jam. There is a sense of time being stretched here that is simply uncanny. Of the two final tracks, being heard here by the general populace for the first time -- though this too is a limited edition in the Connoisseur Series (so the label can make you buy it again later in some other form) -- one was recorded sans horns. "Roots 'N' Herbs," (not Wayne Shorter's ) and the Afro-Cuban percussion and hypnotic bassline make it a curious midtempo ballad even as its meter shifts and floats and then becomes free before it enters the more conventional rock & roll backbeat rhythm pattern that Hill picks up on and stretches to the breaking point before it exhausts itself. The final cut is an interesting alternate of "Euterpe," which is not al that different from the first. In all, however, this is a semi-rough and wonderfully rowdy Hill date that deserves serious aural exploration. ~ Thom Jurek https://www.allmusic.com/album/pax-mw0000555348

Personnel:  Andrew Hill - piano;  Freddie Hubbard - cornet (tracks 1-4 & 7);  Joe Henderson - tenor saxophone (tracks 1-4 & 7);  Richard Davis - bass;  Joe Chambers - drums

Pax

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Stephanie Nakasian, Harry Allen & Hod O'Brien - I Love You

Styles: Vocal And Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:39
Size: 137,5 MB
Art: Front

(2:51)  1. The Gypsy In My Soul
(3:16)  2. I Don't Mind
(4:22)  3. I Love You
(5:12)  4. Serenade In Blue
(3:30)  5. All the Things You Are
(5:07)  6. Blue Moon
(5:49)  7. So Many Stars
(4:45)  8. The Days of Wine and Roses
(3:56)  9. Someone to Watch Over Me
(4:28) 10. The Breeze and I
(3:43) 11. I'm In the Mood for Love
(6:18) 12. But Beautiful
(3:03) 13. I Can't Believe You're In Love With Me
(3:13) 14. You Must Believe In Spring

Jazz Vocalist Stephanie Nakasian has an active history over the past several decades, working with vocal jazz legend Jon Hendricks and Family in the mid-1980s. Around that time, I first saw Nakasian when she appeared with Phil Woods. Nowadays, Nakasian resides in Charlottesville, Virginia, where she has been recording and, with her pianist/partner, Hod O'Brien, has a daughter who sings and records under the name Veronica Swift. I Love You was released in Japan in 2006 and, unlike Thrush Hour (V.S.O.P. Records, 2007), allows her to present a group of songs from The Great American Songbook without having to reinterpret them in the guise of other jazz vocalists. I Love You finds Nakasian with an effective small combo featuring O'Brien along with saxophonist Harry Allen; bassist Neal Miner and drummer Jimmy Wormworth, interpreting fourteen tunes that occasionally extend into the latter part of the twentieth century, but largely reflect the earlier Golden Age of American popular music. Of the newer material, Nakasian offers effective takes on Alan and Marilyn Bergman's "You Must Believe In Spring, the Bergmans/Dori Caymmi/Nelson Matta tune "So Many Stars," and the popular Mercer/Mancini classic, "Days of Wine and Roses." "I Don't Mind," by Billy Strayhorn and Duke Ellington, is a good example of an obscure but very listenable tune for jazz enthusiasts. ~ Michael P.Gladstone https://www.allaboutjazz.com/i-love-you-stephanie-nakasian-spice-of-life-review-by-michael-p-gladstone.php

Personnel: Stephanie Nakasian: vocals; Harry Allen: tenor sax; Hod O'Brien: piano; Neal Miner: bass; Jimmy Wormworth: drums

I Love You

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Brian Bromberg - Wood

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:21
Size: 119,9 MB
Art: Front

(6:15)  1. The Saga of Harrison Crabfeathers
(7:18)  2. Dolphin Dance
(5:21)  3. Come Together
(4:01)  4. Goodbye (For My Father)
(4:53)  5. Speak Low
(3:26)  6. Freedom Jazz Dance
(5:27)  7. I Love You
(3:35)  8. Straight No Chaser
(5:24)  9. All Blues
(4:32) 10. The Days of Wine and Roses
(2:04) 11. Star Spangled Banner

Wood is Brian Bromberg's debut for the A440 Music Group, and it is a very strong example of his extraordinary straight-ahead jazz skills as presented in three exciting formats. In addition to the six tracks he performs in a trio setting with drummer David Bromberg and pianist Randy Waldman, Brian Bromberg duets with Waldman on the inimitable "Days of Wine and Roses" and the beautiful tribute "Goodbye (For My Father)," which was previously released on You Know That Feeling. Two amazing solo performances "Come Together" and "Star Spangled Banner"  add further credence to Bromberg's technical and creative virtuosity as one of the premier jazz bassists of his generation. This set is also remarkable because Brian Bromberg is playing the same upright acoustic bass a 300-year-old Matteo Guersam, crafted in Milan in the 18th century  that he used for his professional debut with saxophone legend Stan Getz. Despite its age, the wood (hence the title) emanates rich, mellow sounds that perfectly complement such jazz gems as Miles Davis' "All Blues," Herbie Hancock's "Dolphin Dance," and Thelonious Monk's "Straight No Chaser." Bromberg's tapping method on "Come Together" provides clear and convincing evidence of his mastery of this technique, while his awesome pizzicato chops are burnin' on "Speak Low." Wood is a radical departure from Bromberg's world-renowned smooth jazz releases New Day, Magic Rain, BASSically Speaking, and You Know That Feeling but nevertheless showcases the exceptional bass techniques that garnered him critical acclaim as one of the 100 best bassists of the 20th century. A definite must have. ~Paula Edelstein  https://www.allmusic.com/album/wood-mw0000659096

Personnel:  Brian Bromberg - acoustic bass;  David Bromberg - drums;  Randy Waldman - piano.

Wood

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Kenny Wheeler - Kayak

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1992
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:18
Size: 129,2 MB
Art: Front

( 7:21)  1. 5 4 6
(11:03)  2. Gentle Piece - Old Ballad
( 9:16)  3. Kayak
( 6:09)  4. Sea Horse
( 6:01)  5. Sea Lady
(10:29)  6. C Man
( 5:55)  7. C.C. Signor!

Jazz trumpeter and flügelhornist Kenny Wheeler was one of the most advanced voices on his instrument. Blessed with a full, lovely tone and an astounding range, Wheeler sounded equally at home in fiery free jazz explorations or softer, more lyrical post-bop meditations. Wheeler was born in 1930 in Toronto, Ontario, and began playing trumpet at age 12. After studying at Toronto's Royal Conservatory, he moved to London in 1952, where he gigged with swing and dance bands. He appeared with John Dankworth's orchestra at the 1959 Newport Festival and remained with that group until 1965. In 1966, Wheeler discovered free jazz, and, fascinated, joined John Stevens' Spontaneous Music Ensemble for the next four years. In addition, he played jazz-rock fusion with the Mike Gibbs Orchestra from 1969-1975, and joined Tony Oxley's sextet (along with free jazz giants like Derek Bailey and Evan Parker) from 1969-1972. Through the latter, Wheeler was invited to join German pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach's groundbreaking free jazz big band the Globe Unity Orchestra in 1970, an association Wheeler maintained for years to come. During the first half of the '70s, Wheeler played with Anthony Braxton, which became his primary focus. In 1975, he signed with the ECM label and recorded the well-received Gnu High, which established him as a solo artist of note; the following year, he left Braxton and joined the trio Azimuth. Wheeler turned out a series of excellent ECM albums, including 1977's Deer Wan and 1983's Double, Double You (that year, Wheeler also began a four-year run with the Dave Holland Quintet). Several more generally fine outings followed in the '90s, including the ECM dates Music for Large and Small Ensembles and The Widow in the Window (both recorded in 1990), plus other recordings for Justin Time and Soul Note later in the decade. During the 2000s and 2010s, he recorded several dates for CAM Jazz, including 2008's Other People with the Hugo Wolf String Quartet and 2011's One of Many with Steve Swallow. Wheeler died on September 18, 2014 after a brief illness. His final studio session, the Manfred Eicher-produced Songs for Quintet, was released in 2015 on what would have been Wheeler's 85th birthday. ~ Steve Huey https://www.allmusic.com/artist/kenny-wheeler-mn0000767652/biography

Personnel:  Kenny Wheeler: trumpet and flugelhorn;  John Rook: french horn;  Stan Sulzmann: soprano and tenor saxophones, flute;  Julian Argüelles: soprano and tenor saxophones;  Dave Horler: trombone;  Chris Pyne: trombone;  Dave Stewart: bass trombone and tuba;  John Taylor: piano;  John Horler: piano;  Chris Laurence: bass;  Peter Erskine: drums

Kayak

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Rod Stewart - Still the Same... Great Rock Classics of Our Time

Styles: Vocal, Soul
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:40
Size: 113,1 MB
Art: Front

(3:12)  1. Have You Ever Seen the Rain
(3:48)  2. Fooled Around and Fell in Love
(4:29)  3. I'll Stand by You
(3:38)  4. Still the Same
(3:33)  5. It's a Heartache
(3:07)  6. Day After Day
(4:18)  7. Missing You
(3:36)  8. Father and Son
(3:44)  9. The Best of My Love
(3:36) 10. If Not for You
(3:47) 11. Love Hurts
(3:06) 12. Everything I Own
(2:42) 13. Crazy Love

Early on in his career Rod Stewart established himself as one of rock's great interpretive vocalists, which made the flatness of his Great American Songbook series a bit puzzling. If any classic rock veteran of the '60s should have been able to offer new spins on old standards, it should have been Rod the Mod, who was turning Elvis' "All Shook Up" inside out on Jeff Beck's Truth and turned the Rolling Stones' defiant "Street Fighting Man" into a folk-rock lament, all before "Maggie May" turned Rod into a star. But none of the Great American Songbook volumes strayed from the tried and true, which may have been part of the reason they were big hits after all, familiar songs are always warmly received when they're performed in a familiar fashion but they were filled with undistinguished performances that bordered on laziness. It was possible to make excuses for his performances, chief among them that Stewart was simply not rooted in this material, so he simply chose the easiest route out of the song, but it didn't change the fact that all three records were deadly dull, even if they were enormous successes one and all. It's hard to give up that success, particularly for a veteran who was so desperate for a hit a few years back, he foolishly attempted the clunky modern R&B album Human, so it's not surprising that when he moved on from the Great American Songbook, he chose a related project: Great Rock Classics of Our Time, which is the subtitle of 2006's Still the Same, his first new record since GAS, and one that shares the aesthetic of that respectful and commercial trawl through the past. Still the Same finds Rod singing 13 songs that more or less could be called rock standards, every one of them hits since Stewart himself was a hitmaker, most of them dating from the '70s, when he was a superstar (roughly ten, if you count "Love Hurts" as a hit for Nazareth, which in this context you should). 

Not a bad idea at all, at least on paper, since this would seem to return Rod to his strengths: singing rock & roll and pop, influenced by soul and a little bit of country and folk. This theory has a bit of a problem, however. It's made under the assumption that it would be the Rod of the '70s singing songs from the '70s instead of the Rod of the new millennium singing songs of the '70s and the latter, of course, is what is featured on Still the Same. That means instead of Rod the Interpreter you get Rod the Karaoke Star, singing over arrangements that aren't merely familiar, but nearly exact replicas of the original hits. This isn't far removed from The Great American Songbook, which never offered a surprise, but those at least had the excellent work of Richard Perry, who was faithful without being slavish. Here, almost without exception, the arrangements deliberately recall the original hits, right down to grace notes and throwaway fills. This doesn't necessarily make for a lousy record, since Rod does indeed sound more comfortable fronting a rock band than he did singing with a big band, but Stewart makes no attempt to stamp these tunes with his own personality. Nowhere is that truer than on "It's a Heartache." Bonnie Tyler's delivery on the original was a downright homage to Rod, so close to his raspy phrasing that it was (and is) often mistaken for Rod himself. So what does he do on his version? He copies it, right down to the inflections. It's not bad; it's just pointless, because Tyler's original sounds more like classic Rod than Rod's does here. And while that sentiment may hold true for only "It's a Heartache," the rest of the album follows suit. The title Still the Same is all too true: these are the same versions of the same old songs you know and love, only they're now sleepily sung by Stewart. It's not the worst album he's done, and it's an improvement over The Great American Songbook if only because it plays to his strengths, but it aspires to be nothing more than pleasant and it achieves nothing so much as being just that. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine https://www.allmusic.com/album/still-the-same-great-rock-classics-of-our-time-mw0000557398

Still the Same... Great Rock Classics of Our Time

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