Sunday, November 25, 2018

Five Play - Live At the Deer Head Inn

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop 
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:30
Size: 141,6 MB
Art: Front

( 7:13)  1. Que Sera, Sera
( 6:55)  2. Struttin' With Some Barbeque
( 7:51)  3. I'm in the Mood for Love
( 7:29)  4. Beo Dat May Troi
( 7:30)  5. Seesaw
( 5:26)  6. La Americana
(11:25)  7. Shenandoah
( 7:38)  8. Organ Grinder's Swing

I haven't been to the Delaware Water Gap in Pennsylvania in years. But if I make it there, I hope to time my visit to coincide with Five Play at theDeer Head Inn, which bills itself as the "oldest continuously running jazz club in the country." Long may it prosper, for there are good musical things happening there. Big bands and their leaders have always had small groups:from Benny Goodman to Stan Kenton, and Woody Herman and Tommy Dorsey inclued. This is the first time I've heard Five Play in this configuration. I was pleasantly surprised. They give you a lot of looks, some Blakeyish, some Ornette, and some distinctively themselves. The can bop, swing and bossa, sometimes in disconcerting juxtaposition.And they do their share of originals. Nothing staid about their repertoire. The live set opens with that famous jazz standard "Que sera,sera." I'm being facetious. It's been a few years since I heard it, and certainly not the arch reading that Fiveplay gives it. There are romping solos by Tomoko Ohno and Noriko Ueda, two thirds of a seriously cooking rhythm section. Janelle Reichman , who doubles on clarinet and tenor sax makes a nice statement. Reichman's clarinet playing is, to say the least, technically assured, but it can be quite beautiful and thoughtful as well, as her solo on "I'm in the Mood for Love" shows. She takes a long solo on "Struttin' With Some Barbecue" as does Jami Dauber who plays very nice and extremely tasteful jazz. 

Her trumpet lead gives the group a much bigger sound and presence than I would've expected. As to adventuresomeness, the originals by Ohno and Ueda are supplemented by "Bao Dat May Troi," a Vietnamese folk song that works very well. There is the traditional Shenandoah, beautifully played too. I will never accuse Maricle of sticking to the tried and true with Diva, her big band, again. As for Sherrie, well, Sherrie plays like Sherrie. For someone ostensibly inspired by Buddy Rich, she is awfully musical. She really plays the drums, including the bass drum, in a way that I'd associate more with Mel Lewis. Her brushwork is inspired and occasionally, her time just seems to float. But she has help. Dauber plays a wonderfully reflective muted solo on "I'm in the Mood for Love" that put me in mind of Warren Vache not that she needs anyone's endorsement. You want up-tempo shouting? The session closes out with "Organ Grinder's Swing" which really gets rolling, propelled by hot choruses by Dauber and Reichman. Everyone gets into the act. So there's a lot of good stuff going on in the recording, and it opens up to further thought as you listen over again, always the mark of something special. These are remarkably talented musicians, and to put it in Maricle's terms, they swing hard, but make it sound easy. I have only one question. What if the group is short Dauber or Reichman some night? What do you call the quartet? Let me guess. ~ Richard J.Salvucci https://www.allaboutjazz.com/live-at-the-deer-head-inn-five-play-deer-head-records-review-by-richard-j-salvucci.php

Personnel: Sherrie Maricle (D); Jami Dauber (TPT); Janelle Riechman (T Sax/CL); Tomoko Ohno (P); Noriko Ueda (B)

Live At the Deer Head Inn

Carolyn Leonhart - Carolyn Leonhart

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1992
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:04
Size: 137,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:46)  1. I Saw You in Sofi
(2:59)  2. Come Rain or Come Shine
(4:56)  3. Whisky
(4:43)  4. The Way You Look Tonight
(4:21)  5. Manhattan Lullaby
(2:45)  6. Teach Me Tonight
(5:49)  7. There Used to Be Colors
(6:14)  8. Bei Mir Bist Du Schon
(6:40)  9. The Island
(3:46) 10. Autumn Leaves
(9:44) 11. All Blues
(3:16) 12. My Funny Valentine

Carolyn Leonhart is a jazz singer with one foot firmly planted in the rock/pop universe. She is the daughter of veteran bassist Jay Leonhart, so her jazz sensibilities flow from her upbringing. Yet she gained wide exposure during the '90s as a backup vocalist for the reunited Steely Dan. Her jazz style is tinged with the edginess of a soul or R&B singer. Her first U.S. album, an inspired collaboration with pianist/songwriter Rob Bargad titled Steal the Moon, was released in 2000. ~ David R.Adler https://www.allmusic.com/artist/carolyn-leonhart-mn0000183584/biography

Carolyn Leonhart

The John Wright Trio - Nice 'N' Tasty

Styles: Piano Jazz 
Year: 1960
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:38
Size: 93,2 MB
Art: Front

(3:47)  1. Things Are Getting Better
(6:16)  2. The Very Thought of You
(5:28)  3. Witchcraft
(5:08)  4. Pie Face
(5:42)  5. You Do It
(5:47)  6. Darn That Dream
(4:03)  7. The Wright Way
(4:22)  8. Yes I Know

John Wright was born in Louisville, Kentucky in 1934 and moved to Chicago with his family two years later. As a child, he was immersed in the gospel music of his mother’s church; he learned jazz piano while stationed in Germany in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, where he also met Dizzy Gillespie and Dexter Gordon. His first recording in 1960, with the John Wright Trio, was entitled South Side Soul, a phrase that became his nickname. Over a lengthy musical career, and work as a librarian in the Cook County Department of Corrections, he has also had many political involvements. In 2008, he was inducted into the Wendell Phillips High School Hall of Fame, and in 2009 he was awarded the Walter Dyett Lifetime Achievement Award by the Jazz Institute of Chicago. ...Read More.. https://never-the-same.org/interviews/john-wright/

Nice 'N' Tasty

Horace Parlan - Up & Down

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1961
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:58
Size: 103,3 MB
Art: Front

( 9:49)  1. The Book's Beat
( 6:10)  2. Up And Down
( 7:08)  3. Fugee
(11:41)  4. The Other Part Of Town
( 4:06)  5. Lonely Blues
( 6:02)  6. Light Blue

I have a new hero: Pianist Horace Parlan. Until recently, I had heard of Parlan, but never really heard him. I certainly never knew his back story. It's inspirational and his music is pretty damn good, too. Parlan had a handicap. As a child, he lost some function in his right hand due to polio. Various bios disagree on the extent of the loss. Some say two fingers, others three. Either way, it's the kind of injury that makes a career as a pianist sound impossible. Yet Parlan found a way to compensate something to do with developing a powerful left hand. In any event, he had a long, successful career as a bop pianist. Of course the music stands on its own, regardless of how it's made. Handicap or no handicap, if the music weren't terrific, there would be nothing to talk about. And it is terrific. (For example, catch him on Charles Mingus' 1959 classic Mingus Ah Um.)  Up and Down, a 1961 bop-and-blues album, is the perfect introduction to Horace Parlan. It features three remarkable solists: Parlan on piano, Booker Ervin on tenor, and Grant Green on guitar. Together, they make wonderful, swinging music that borders on soul-jazz.  While some pianists made their names with jaw-dropping speed and technique think Art Tatum or Oscar Peterson  Parlan (by necessity or choice) goes the other way. He is wonderfully inventive. At times, he sounds almost Monk-ish, choosing unusual chords and odd notes. On every tune, without exception he is soulful and bluesy. Grant Green, of course, is tasteful, as always. Like Parlan, Green does not amaze with lightning-fast runs. Instead, he wrings the blues for every drop of emotion he can find, including the quiet spaces between notes. He is the perfect complement for Parlan.  Finally, there's Booker Ervin. Unlike Parlan and Green, Ervin can shred with the best. On Up and Down, he turns it on and off. On the opener, "Books Beat," Ervin is sassy and aggressive. On the ballad "Lonely One," he is all swirling smoke. And on the closer, "Light Blue," Ervin shows off his technique a toe-tapping, happy blues that sends the listener off with a smile. Up and Down is a great ensemble album. It's full of clever, swinging music. I could listen to it all day. And while you don't need know anything about Parlan's bum right hand to appreciate the music, it helps. The man is an inspiration.

Personnel:  Horace Parlan - piano;  Booker Ervin - tenor saxophone;  Grant Green - guitar;  George Tucker - bass;  Al Harewood - drums

Up & Down

Giacomo Gates - G8S EP

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 16:46
Size: 38,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:55)  1. A Different Thing
(5:12)  2. Why Try to Change Me Now
(3:36)  3. Come Along with Me
(4:02)  4. Hungry Man

2018 worldwide news reports have detailed all sorts of technologically-assisted archaeological finds. In the US, a previously unreleased John Coltrane album and other musical discoveries have popped up. And whaddya know? here is an unreleased and enhanced set of tracks from the Hipster to the Hip, Giacomo Gates. And it is a helluva find, you dig? G8S, originally laid down in 2005, is a short-form release of four tunes performed by Gates and a hip vibes and rhythm quartet. It is yet another in a series of fine recordings which affirms why Gates retains the vocalese Heavyweight Crown.  Jay Hoggard's vibes sets the hard bop ambiance on Gates' original, "A Different Thing," before His Hipness bops into things swing. The tune is a stone cooker. Tony Lombardozzi, long a Gates sidekick, and Hoggard offer neat solos over Rick Petrone's bass and Joe Corsello's drums. If you hear "Paper Moon" on Hoggard's intro on the swinging "Come Along with Me" (itself a take on 50s "space race" mania) you've got ears. Gates covers Eddie Jefferson's vocalese which itself parrots Lester Young's "Paper Moon" solo. On this session and on all of his performances, Gates demos a marvelous sense of rhythm and hard swing. Notes are placed precisely into swing-syllables with ultimate flair. The guy just never misses. His baritone is robust, but never a bust. He's a jazz Everyman and as genuine as it gets. Gates covers Bobby Troup's gastronomically tinged "Hungry Man" in a tasty, swing groove. (He later re-recorded the tune on his 2008 recording Luminosity on Double Dave Records). The dining here is cool and swinging. This type of tune is a Gates speciality he can make lyrics pop and swing his plates off the table. His sassy scat leads into Hoggard's fine vibe solo. Lend an ear to Petrone's drive here. "Why Try to Change Me Now" is the gorgeous ballad feature. It is another of those great tunes that seem to get unfairly neglected. Balladic and soulful, Giacomo's baritone adds such genuineness to the story. Catch Gates' rhythm interpretation here. His triplets are hiplets, for sure. Kudos to all Gates' rhythm mates here. They lay things out perfectly throughout. Also to Christian O'Dowd for the discovery of the tape and to engineer/producer Rob Fraboni, who used his technical wizardry to give us a nice vinylized feel here. One has to wonder what other gems are hidden in recording studio racks or folks' garages. Surely, there are going to be other finds down the line. G8S sets the quality bar high. ~ Nicholas F.Mondello https://www.allaboutjazz.com/g8s-giacomo-gates-9th-note-records-review-by-nicholas-f-mondello.php

Personnel: Giacomo Gates: vocals; Jay Hoggard: vibraphone; Tony Lombardozzi: guitar; Rick Petrone: bass; Joe Corsello: drums.

G8S