David Hazeltine, George Mraz, Billy Drummond - Manhattan

Styles: Piano Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:53
Size: 152,0 MB
Art: Front

(7:53)  1. In Your Own Sweet Way
(7:15)  2. Imagination
(6:40)  3. Out Of This World
(5:16)  4. Theme For Ernie
(6:36)  5. Cinema Paradiso
(6:20)  6. Alone Together
(6:39)  7. Detour Ahead
(6:18)  8. Don't Walk Away
(6:11)  9. So In Love
(5:43) 10. Everything I Love

Familiarity is a plus on this 2005 studio session by pianist David Hazeltine with bassist George Mraz and drummer Billy Drummond. Drawing most of their program from familiar standards and popular jazz compositions, the three musicians make each of them sound fresh with their brilliant interplay.  The influence of Bill Evans is apparent in Hazeltine's approach to Dave Brubeck's "In Your Own Sweet Way, with Mraz's intricate bass line and Drummond's finesse on the brushes fueling the pianist's solo, though he leaves plenty of room in the spotlight for his partners. The opening rhythm of "Alone Together suggests that "A Night in Tunisia is about to get underway, though with the leader's entrance, they detour into a breezy, swinging performance. Cole Porter's "So in Love is taken at a medium waltz meter, showcasing Mraz extensively. Hazeltine penned the lovely ballad "Don't Walk Away, arranged as an easygoing samba. The intimate sound of this well-engineered Super Audio hybrid CD helps one to hear the nuances of the session. This rewarding release is best appreciated in a quiet room with one's full attention. ~ Ken Dryden https://www.allaboutjazz.com/manhattan-david-hazeltine-chesky-records-review-by-ken-dryden.php

Personnel: David Hazeltine: piano; George Mraz: bass; Billy Drummond: drums.

Manhattan

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Stephanie Nakasian - Lullaby in Rhythm: In Tribute to June Christy

Styles: Vocal 
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:51
Size: 167,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:44)  1. Come To The Party / I'll Take Romance
(4:54)  2. Interlude
(3:49)  3. Lullaby In Rhythm
(4:26)  4. Lost In A Summer Night
(4:09)  5. Gone For The Day
(5:32)  6. The Night We Called It A Day
(3:24)  7. It's A Pity To Say Goodnight
(6:41)  8. Midnight Sun
(2:34)  9. Kissin' Bug
(3:49) 10. Pete Kelly's Blues
(3:12) 11. This Time The Dream's On Me
(4:31) 12. Lonely Woman
(4:32) 13. I Told You I Love You Now Get Out
(4:18) 14. Who Cares About April
(5:40) 15. Baby, Baby All The Time
(4:35) 16. Something Cool
(2:54) 17. I Want To Be Happy

Stephanie Nakasian has long been a well-respected singer, but one who has not been given half the recognition that she deserves. However, this CD is quite definitive, a tribute to June Christy. Nakasian had been a major hit at a West Coast jazz convention/festival a few years earlier, singing songs associated with Christy and sometimes sounding remarkably close to her. The 17 selections on this CD include such June Christy classics as "Lullaby in Rhythm," "Gone for the Day," "Midnight Sun," "Lonely Woman," "I Want to Be Happy," and of course her trademark "Something Cool." Assisted by the Stan Getz-inspired tenor of Harry Allen, trombonist John Jensen, and either Hod O'Brien or Larry Eanet on piano, Stephanie Nakasian lets her own personality into the music while sounding eerily like Christy in spots. The arrangements are as inspired as the singing, making this set a classic of its kind. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/lullaby-in-rhythm-mw0000229635

Personnel:  Stephanie Nakasian - vocals;  Harry Allen - tenor saxophone;  Hod O'Brien - piano;  Steve Gilmore - bass;  John Jensen - trombone;  Larry Eanet - piano;  Chuck Riggs - drums

Lullaby in Rhythm

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Tom Tallitsch - Ride

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:41
Size: 136,1 MB
Art: Front

(4:58)  1. Ride
(3:19)  2. Life On Mars
(3:57)  3. Rubbernecker
(4:35)  4. Rain
(5:33)  5. The Giving Tree
(3:45)  6. Ten Years Gone
(6:16)  7. El Luchador
(7:19)  8. The Myth
(6:08)  9. Knuckle Dragger
(5:35) 10. The Path
(6:09) 11. Turtle

Tenor saxophonist Tom Tallitsch has been on a roll lately. He’s been writing some of the most memorable tunes in jazz over the last couple of years. His latest album, Ride, is streaming at Spotify; tomorrow night, Feb 20 he’s at the Garage (99 7th Ave. South, 1 to Christopher St/Sheridan Square). for happy hour starting at 6 PM, leading a quartet with Jordan Piper on piano, Ariel De La Portilla on bass and Paul Wells on drums. Then next month, on March 27 at 8 PM Tallitsch leads a monstrously good sextet including Mike DiRubbo, David Gibson, Brian Charette, Peter Brendler and Mark Ferber at Victor Baker Guitars, 38-01 23rd Ave, Astoria (N/Q to Ditmars) for a live youtube broadcast. The band on the album is just as good. Art Hirahara is one of the most instantly recognizable pianists in jazz right now, drawing on styles as diverse as the neoromantics, Asian folk and funk. Bassist Peter Brendler continues to build a resume of some of the best recording dates and groups in New York in recent years. Trombonist Michael Dease is another in-demand guy, with nuance to match raw power; drummer Rudy Royston has finally been getting long-deserved critical props, and pushes this date along with characteristic wit and thrill-ride intensity. The album’s title track kicks it off, a brisk, edgy Frank Foster-esque shuffle with some tumbling around from the rhythm section, an expansively uneasy Tallitsch solo echoed by Hirahara followed by a machinegunning Royston Rumble. Rubbernecker, a caffeinated highway theme with subtle tempo shifts, moves up to a spiral staircase sprint from Hirahara. Rain, a plaintive pastoral jazz waltz, is anchored by Hirahara’s sober gospel chords and Royston’s stern cymbals. The Giving Tree, another brisk shuffle, works a vampy, nebulously funk-influenced tune a lot of 70s and 80s fusion bands were shooting for something like this but couldn’t stay within themselves enough to pull it off. The Myth, a rippling, lickety-split piano-fueled shuffle, is sort of a more uneasy, modal take on a similar theme. El Luchador, a wry, tongue-in-cheek Mexican cha-cha, gets some surprisingly pensive rapidfiring sax that Dease follows with a hair-trigger response once he’s finally given the chance.  Dease fuels the droll Knuckle Dragger with an infusion of wide-eyed cat-ate-the-canary blues. The somewhat ironically titled The Path is the album’s most challenging, labyrinthine track, but Royston keeps it on the rails. The album winds up with Turtle and its kinetically romping mashup of latin-inflected drive and moody modalities. There are also two stunningly successful rock instrumentals here. The band does Life On Mars as straight-up, no-BS art-rock anthem Tallitsch’s wistful timbre nails the bittersweetness of the Bowie original. Led Zep’s Ten Years Gone rises with majestic twin horn harmonies from Tallitsch and Dease while the rhythm is totally straight-up, it’s closer to jazz than the Bowie cover. https://newyorkmusicdaily.wordpress.com/tag/tom-tallitsch-ride/

Personnel:  Tom Tallitsch - tenor sax;  Michael Dease - trombone;  Art Hirahara - piano;  Peter Brendler - bass;  Rudy Royston - drums

Ride

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Brandon Wright - Journeyman

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:09
Size: 140,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:49)  1. Shapeshifter
(6:32)  2. Better Man
(5:59)  3. Walk Of Shame
(3:43)  4. Illusions Of Light
(5:57)  5. Big Bully
(6:08)  6. Choices
(6:29)  7. Search For Truth
(8:19)  8. Wonderwall
(8:03)  9. The Nearness Of You
(5:05) 10. He'll Make Me Happy

Beware of album titles that seem to damn with faint praise. Although saxophonist Brandon Wright takes inspiration for the title of his second album from the words of novelist Cormac McCarthy, Journeyman is a term that usually conjures up an image of a reliable, hard-working, solid but uninspiring type of person. All admirable qualities, of course, but hardly earth shattering or applicable to the playing talent of the New York based musician. It's clear from Wright's opening phrase on "Shapeshifter" that he's much, much, more than a reliable worker. Wright's playing is strong, fluid and melodic from the start. His long, flowing tenor lines are a pleasure to hear. His debut, Boiling Point (Posi-Tone, 2010), featured trumpeter Alex Sipiagin alongside Wright. On Journeyman, Wright is out front on his own, but he shoulders the extra sonic responsibility with verve and confidence. "Shapeshifter" establishes not only Wright's chops, but also the strength of the rhythm section. Donald Edwards' driving percussion gives the entire quartet an energy and dynamism. Boris Kozlov's bass stays low in the mix but matches Edwards' swing and power. Pianist David Kikoski who also appears on Boiling Point combines stabbing, rich, left-hand chords with intricate single note runs. Wright's original compositions are engaging. His description of "Walk Of Shame" as a "funky blues" sums it up neatly: straightforward, immediate and fun. "Illusions Of Light" shows that he can also write a soulful ballad and deliver an equally soulful saxophone part while the more aggressive hard bop of "Big Bully" finds Wright and Kikoski producing excellent up-tempo solos underpinned by Koslov and Edwards' rock solid, driving rhythm. Boiling Point featured Wright's take on the Stone Temple Pilots' rock classic "Interstate Love Song." On Journeyman, he follows with interpretations of two other rock tunes. Oasis' Brit Pop standard, "Wonderwall," gets a swinging, straight-ahead treatment though the original song leant so much on the vocal that an instrumental version lacks a clear focus despite Wright's tense, upper-register solo. Pearl Jam's "Better Man," written by Eddie Vedder, proves to be a more inspired choice. Wright takes the original's slightly bitter tone and replaces it with a more regretful mood, established by Kikoski's piano as well as his own tenor saxophone. A lack of familiarity with McCarthy's romanticized image might just make some fans wonder whether this album is worth exploring. That would be a mistake. Wright is an imaginative and hard-blowing saxophonist and a creative composer. This Journeyman inspires, and more. ~ Bruce Lindsay https://www.allaboutjazz.com/journeyman-brandon-wright-posi-tone-records-review-by-bruce-lindsay.php

Personnel:  Brandon Wright: tenor saxophone;  David Kikoski: piano;  Boris Kozlov: bass;  Donald Edwards: drums.

Journeyman

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Ken Fowser - Don't Look Down

Styles: Saxophone Jazz 
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:11
Size: 122,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:15)  1. Maker's Marc
(5:20)  2. Coming Up Shorter
(4:41)  3. You're Better Than That
(5:25)  4. Fall Back
(3:38)  5. Don't Look Down
(4:59)  6. Divided State
(5:15)  7. I'll Take It From Here
(5:06)  8. Queens
(5:54)  9. Top To Bottom
(3:53) 10. Inversions
(4:40) 11. From Six To Midnight

Ken Fowser arrived in New York City in 2005 after being raised in the rhythmic legacy of arrived in New York City in 2005 after being raised in the rhythmic legacy of the Philly sound. Playing with a deep harmonic sensibility, often sidestepping traditional harmony, Fowser has since created a sound that bears the pure physicality of the Philadelphia tradition refined by his experience in Gotham. His sound conjures audible images of George Coleman, as much as Philly legends Benny Golson and Jimmy Heath. His creative drive inspired by these pure jazz legacies has been in plain view in sessions at Small's and Smoke in Manhattan for the past decade.  On a national scale, many jazz fans know Fowser through his recordings in partnership with brilliant vibraphonist Ben Gillece that began with the post bop session Full View (Posi-Tone, 2009). He has released a well received solo effort as well, Standing Tall (Posi-Tone, 2016). On his latest Posi-Tone release, Don't Look Down, Fowser takes us for a hard/post bop journey through 11 originals, leading a quintet of top tier New York players including up and coming trumpeter, Joshua Bruneau. The opening piece, "Maker's Marc," personifies the session, and in large, the entire Posi-Tone mission. The label is committed to music that lives on the edge of the hard bop/post bop frontier, upheld by superb musicianship and creative composition. There is a consistency to the brand, sometimes maddenly so. However, the overwhelming majority of the time, the music supports the philosophy and the result has been a catalog of top notch recordings worthy of the attention of the elite jazz audience.  "Fall Back" is just a full-on hard bop romp, driven by the exquisite work of drummer Joe Strasser. His connection and interaction with bassist Paul Gill is evident from start to finish. Veteran pianist Rick Germanson creates the harmonic foundation of this piece, and the entire session, with elegance and ease. Trumpeter Bruneau always seems to be on the brink of something, leaving the audience a bit on the edge of their seats. His evolution over the next few years will be something to watch on the national scene.  The title track eases things down a bit, and perhaps best displays the working chemistry of this quintet. Fowser strays a bit from the common center in his solo, in a dulcet tonality. The melody line and associated harmony is rich and full of color, a trait that is reflected in all 11 compositions. There is a vivid sensibility that is engaging and leads to a pure, melodic approach to improvisation.  

Fowser cites the great American poet, and beat generation icon, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, in the liner notes with his quote, "Think Long Thoughts in Short Sentences." There is a real correlation between Ferlinghetti's poetic vision and that of the art of improvisation. On Don't Look Down, Fowser offers the poetry of sound, the prose of the art of jazz. 

~ Paul Rauch https://www.allaboutjazz.com/dont-look-down-ken-fowser-posi-tone-records-review-by-paul-rauch.php

Personnel: Ken Fowler: tenor saxophone; Josh Bruneau: trumpet; Rick Germanson: piano; Paul Gill: bass; Joe Strasser: drums.

Don't Look Down

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