Roy Brooks and the Artistic Truth - Ethnic Expressions

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 1973
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:45
Size: 112,4 MB
Art: Front

(16:03)  1. M'Jumbe
( 8:13)  2. The Last Prophet
( 5:53)  3. The Smart Set
( 5:33)  4. Eboness
(13:00)  5. Eboness (Kwanza)

Ethnic Expressions by Roy Brooks & the Artistic Truth is one of two recordings drum master Roy Brooks cut for the tiny Afrocentric New York imprint Im-Hotep. Released in 1973, it has been one of the most sought-after "Holy Grail" recordings on the collector's market, with copies selling at auction for over $1,200. The reason is not merely its rarity, but the stellar quality of its music and the focus of its vision reinventing the unity of African-American self-determination through music. Recording at Small's Paradise in Harlem on the tenth anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy, this large collective of musicians created a positive, musically sophisticated, emotionally powerful performance that epitomized 1970s jazz as it incorporated the free, progressive, and spiritual jazz elements of the 1960s in a setting that also included soul and blues expression. The personnel includes Brooks on drums and percussion; Olu Dara and Cecil Bridgewater on trumpets and flügelhorn; Hamiet Bluiett, Sonny Fortune, and John Stubblefield on saxophones, flute, and bass clarinets; pianists Joe Bonner (acoustic) and Hilton Ruiz (Rhodes); bassist Reggie Workman; and Richard Landrum and Lawrence Williams on African percussion. Vocalist Eddie Jefferson also appears on the "The Smart Set" and "Eboness," at his most expressive and soulful. The album's five tracks include two longer pieces in "M'Jumbe" (whose arrangement reflects the time Brooks spent with Charles Mingus a year earlier) and the closing "Eboness (Kwanza)," as well as three middle-length pieces  The 16-minute "M'Jumbe" begins in a free call and response between trumpet, percussion, and bowed bass, gradually adding more instruments until its groove emerges at two minutes and its melody unfolds near the three-minute mark. Even as the horn sections quote the theme, improvisation moves in and out, funky themes are introduced with another melodic statement, and brief moments of free playing slip through before formal solos are taken. 

The tune is always circular due to its impeccably preeminent rhythmic elements. "The Last Prophet" showcases the band's groove side with stellar piano work from Bonner and a horn section in full swagger. The interplay between Workman and Brooks is magical. Jefferson's hip R&B roots are brought into play on the finger-popping "The Smart Set" and his blues authority on "Eboness," with some deep soul work from Workman and Ruiz as well as a fine flute solo from Fortune. On "Eboness (Kwanza)," the vocalist referred to as "Black Rose" is Dee Dee Bridgewater. This is a bona fide jazz classic; its importance as an example of the best that jazz had to offer in the 1970s cannot be overstated. [Ethnic Expressions slipped out of print in 1975, and remained out of print until Japan's P-Vine made it available for a limited time on CD in 2009. In 2010, however, Great Britain's Jazzman was able to license and reissue it on both CD and LP, making it widely available and affordable worldwide.] ~ Thom Jurek https://www.allmusic.com/album/ethnic-expressions-mw0001746882

Personnel:  Roy Brooks – drums & various percussion instruments;  Olu Dara – trumpet & E-flat horn;  Hamiet Bluiett – baritone sax & clarinet;  Reggie Workman - bass;  Joseph Bonner - piano; Black Rose – ethnic expressionist;  Eddie Jefferson – vocalist;  Cecil Bridgewater – trumpet & flugelhorn;  Sonny Fortune – alto sax & flute;  John Stubblefield – tenor sax, flute & bass clarinet; Hilton Ruiz – piano (Fender Rhodes);    Richard Landrum – African percussion;  Lawrence Williams – African percussion

Ethnic Expressions

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Rondi Charleston - Who Knows Where The Time Goes

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:16
Size: 117,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:16)  1. Who Knows Where The Time Goes
(4:30)  2. Overjoyed
(4:31)  3. Wave
(4:47)  4. Your Spirit Lingers
(4:13)  5. I Hear Music
(3:24)  6. Everything You Were Meant To Be
(4:25)  7. This Nearly Was Mine
(3:01)  8. Please Send Me Someone To Love
(4:20)  9. Dance Of Time
(5:27) 10. Land Of Galilee
(2:26) 11. Song For The Ages
(4:49) 12. Freedom Is A Voice

Rondi Charleston knows the importance of a story well told.  This talent, which served her well as an Emmy and Peabody award-winning producer at ABC News, has continued to blossom over the years.  Charleston is a jazz vocalist who matches superior musicianship with a unique ability to craft resonant narratives.  “I feel that the artist’s job is not only to capture what’s going on in the world around her, but to reflect on what’s going on; to try to make sense out of chaos, so to speak.  Hopefully, I can also entertain, inspire, and leave audiences with a feeling of hope for the future,” she insists.  “My challenge is to write music and lyrics that do all three.”  She has been meeting the challenge since 2009 in a series of impressive releases on the Motema Music label, and reveals new depths as a vocalist, composer and bandleader on Resilience, her newest release. Along the way, she has collaborated with some of the jazz world’s most highly respected musicians.  With pianist Fred Hersch, she co-wrote the song, “The Cave Knows” for the film No Place On Earth, which had worldwide theatrical release with Magnolia Pictures.  

With pianist Lynne Arriale, she co-wrote “A Song For The Ages” for the 2008 presidential inauguration of Barack Obama which was featured on Entertainment Tonight.   She has been featured at the Women In Jazz Festival at Jazz at Lincoln Center,  Birdland, Blue Note, Joe’s Pub, and Lyrics and Lyricists in New York, and around the country at Yoshi’s, Dakota Jazz, Catalina’s, and Mayne Stage in Chicago. “I’ve had several chapters in my life.  I’ve gone from being an actor and opera singer at Juilliard, to the world of investigative journalism at ABC News, and now, back to my first love, which is traditional and contemporary jazz,” Charleston explains.  “There’s a lot more uniting all these things than meets the eye.  In each case, you’re telling a story and in it, hopefully, revealing a powerful truth, whether it’s a corporate cover-up or a deep, hidden emotion. “ Music has surrounded Rondi Charleston her entire life.  Her father, an English professor, at the University of Chicago, was a jazz fan who took the then six-year-old and her brother, Erik (now a renowned New York percussionist) to hear Duke Ellington, her mother, a singer and voice teacher specializing in contemporary classical music.  Admitted to Juilliard as an acting student, Charleston also studied classical music.  After graduation, early years singing opera led to frustration and a change of careers. “Being small, I was always cast as the maid, never the countess,” she notes, “it was frustrating not to ever get the meaty parts, so I decided to shift gears, and learn to be a cultural reporter like my idol, the late Charles Kuralt.”  She was admitted to the NYU Masters program, where she won an award for an investigative report that led to a job at ABC News.  Beginning as a researcher, Charleston ultimately became a field producer, winning Emmy and Peabody awards in that capacity for her work with Diane Sawyer. Yet Charleston had hardly abandoned music.  During lunch breaks, she took voice lessons from Peter Eldridge of New York Voices, and at night she played cabaret gigs in the village.

“I put jazz singers on the highest pedestal, and never thought of myself that way at the time,” she admits, “but Peter saw that I had something special, I guess, and could swing, and he really helped make the transition organic.”   In fact, Eldridge ended up producing Charleston’s first jazz album, Love Is the Thing, on the LML Label.  When her daughter, Emma, was born, Charleston realized that she didn’t want her life controlled by the demands of her job. “So,” she explains, “I decided to focus on motherhood, return to my first love  music, and see what would happen.” What has happened is a series of increasingly ambitious and powerful albums In My Life, Who Knows Where The Time Goes?  and Signs of Life featuring what has become a working ensemble of unique sensitivity and range.  “I consider myself extremely fortunate to be able to create exciting new music with such incredible musicians and human beings,” Charleston says of pianist Brandon McCune, bassist Ed Howard, drummer McClenty Hunter and percussionist Mayra Casales, and “being on the road has only deepened the whole experience on and off the bandstand.”  She reserves special praise for guitarist, co-composer and musical director Dave Stryker. “Dave is my musical alter-ego, mind-reader and sage advisor.  He brings a deep well of jazz knowledge, musical sensitivity, creative juice and endless patience to the table.” In addition to recording and touring, Rondi has recently co-created Resilience Music Alliance, a mission-driven record label, with her husband, political/social activist and arts patron,  Steve Ruchefsky.   RMA is dedicated to empowering artists who celebrate and challenge the human condition of Resilience.  To this end, Rondi is conducting a series of webcast interviews, “The Resilience Conversations” which explore the theme of resilience with visionaries such as Deepak Chopra, Cory Booker and others.  “It’s thrilling  to have the chance to talk with such deep thinkers, and I look forward to sharing their insights with our community of like minded people.” http://rondicharleston.com/biography-rondi-charleston/

Who Knows Where The Time Goes

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Ray Conniff - Always in My Heart

Styles: Vocal, Trumpet

Year: 1988
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 28:28
Size: 66,2 MB
Art: Front

(2:10)  1. Maria Elena (Always in My Heart)
(3:04)  2. Ramona
(3:20)  3. Don't Cry for Me Argentina (From "Evita")
(2:33)  4. La Violetera (Who Will Buy My Violets)
(3:27)  5. La Vie En Rose
(3:26)  6. Fernando
(2:12)  7. Theme from "A Summer Place" (A Tribute to Percy Faith)
(2:47)  8. Valencia
(2:44)  9. Blowin' in the Wind
(2:39) 10. Adios Muchachos

The kitsch enthusiast or novelty seeker will get a kick out of Ray Conniff's 1988 album Always in My Heart. Known primarily for orchestral versions of contemporary pop songs, his recordings during the late-1960s and early 1970s as Ray Conniff and the Singers included many straightforward recordings of current pop hits. 

This 1988 collection, sans singers, includes songs by Edith Piaf, Bob Dylan, Percy Faith, and from Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's Evita! This fun easy listening album has decent track listing, but, at barely over 20 minutes, will be worthwhile only if you want to hear a specific song in the set. ~ JT Griffith https://www.allmusic.com/album/always-in-my-heart-mw0000198812

Personnel:  Ray Conniff - vocals, trumpet; Pete Jolly - piano, electric piano; Gene Merlino - vocals; Zeke Zarchy - trumpet

Always in My Heart

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Mike Mainieri - Love Play

Styles: Vibraphone Jazz
Year: 1977
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:02
Size: 98,9 MB
Art: Front

(5:23)  1. High Life
(4:25)  2. Magic Carpet
(3:30)  3. Latin Lover
(6:17)  4. I'm Sorry
(4:24)  5. Silkworm
(5:14)  6. Easy To Please
(4:51)  7. Sara Smile
(8:54)  8. Love Play

Mike Mainieri, a talented and distinctive vibraphonist, has had a productive and diverse career. He first played vibes professionally when he was 14, touring with Paul Whiteman in a jazz trio called Two Kings & a Queen. He played with Buddy Rich's bands for a long period (1956-1963) and then became a busy studio musician, appearing on many pop records. Mainieri had opportunities to work with Benny Goodman, Coleman Hawkins, and Wes Montgomery (1967-1968), among many others, and played in the early fusion band Jeremy & the Satyrs. During 1969-1972, he led a 20-piece rehearsal group called White Elephant that included the Brecker Brothers and other studio players. In 1979, he formed Steps (which later became Steps Ahead), an all-star jazz-oriented R&B/fusion band that included such players as Mike Brecker, Don Grolnick, Eddie Gomez, and Steve Gadd in its original lineup. Mainieri has revived the group several times since, with such musicians as saxophonist Bendik, Warren Bernhardt, Eliane Elias, Rachel Z, Mike Stern, Tony Levin, Victor Bailey, Peter Erskine, and Steve Smith making strong contributions. In 1992, Mainieri founded the NYC label and recorded the adventurous An American Diary. Prior to NYC, Mike Mainieri had recorded as a leader for such labels as Argo (1962), Solid State, Arista, Artists House, Warner Bros., and Elektra. ~ Scott Yanow https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/love-play/372869030

Personnel:  Mike Mainieri - vibraphone, producer, arranger, marimba, cowbell, kalimba, vocals, percussion, synthesizer, Mellotron, bells, gong, zither, writer

Love Play

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Jane Bunnett - In Dew Time

Styles: Flute, Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1988
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:28
Size: 104,3 MB
Art: Front

(5:27)  1. Big Alice
(8:38)  2. The Wanderer
(8:49)  3. Limbo
(6:34)  4. Utviklingssang
(6:26)  5. In Dew Time
(9:32)  6. Five/As Long as There's Music

Jane Bunnett's debut album uses different personnel on every selection. She starts out quite strong (playing flute in a duet with pianist Don Pullen on his catchy "Big Alice") and continues the momentum throughout a set that includes two of her originals, an obscure Carla Bley song, the title cut (written by her husband-trumpeter Larry Cramer) and a medley of her "Five" and the standard "As Long As There Is Music." At that point in her career, Bunnett was a little more original on flute than on soprano but already quite talented on both. In addition to members of her Canadian group (Cramer, pianist Brian Dickenson, bassist Scott Alexander and drummer Claude Ranger), Bunnett welcomes Don Pullen, tenor great Dewey Redman and the french horn of Vincent Chancey on some of the selections. The inside/outside music is quite colorful, unpredictable and ultimately logical. A very impressive debut. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/in-dew-time-mw0000910546

Personnel:  Jane Bunnett, flute, soprano saxophone;  Scott Alexander, bass;  Claude Ranger, drums;  Vincent Chancey, french horn;  Brian Dickenson, piano;  Don Pullen, piano;  Dewey Redman, tenor saxophone;  Larry Cramer, trumpet

In Dew Time

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