Kenny Barron, Joe Locke - But Beautiful

Styles: Piano And Vibraphone Jazz
Year: 1991
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:56
Size: 166,2 MB
Art: Front

(5:57)  1. On a Misty Night
(8:08)  2. You Don't Know What Love Is
(7:53)  3. Spring Is Here
(3:43)  4. Single Pedal of a Rose
(9:03)  5. But Beautiful
(7:04)  6. The Island
(6:26)  7. Nancy with the Laughing Face
(7:53)  8. I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face
(8:35)  9. My Foolish Heart
(7:09) 10. Stolen Moments

Vibraphonist Joe Locke's intention was to make an instrumental CD of ballads while maintaining "a vocal quality in the music," as he explains in his liner notes, whether or not the songs played actually have lyrics. It doesn't take long for the listener to affirm the results of his duo date with the consummate pianist Kenny Barron; this is a lively release where both musicians "sing" on their respective instruments. Their interpretations of classic jazz compositions begin with the opener, a jaunty, strutting take of Tadd Dameron's "On a Misty Night." The sensuous arrangement of Duke Ellington's "A Single Petal of a Rose" finds Barron holding the pedal a tad longer than usual to slow the decay of his chords as Locke slowly and softly interweaves his voicings into this magical piece. Oliver Nelson's "Stolen Moments" is not the type of work that one envisions hearing in a duo setting, but Locke and Barron fill the studio with a foot-tapping, blues-infected performance. 

Other tracks stick pretty much to ballads, including a slowly savored arrangement of the bittersweet "You Don't Know What Love Is," a majestic "Spring Is Here" that has a slightly Latin-tinged rhythm, and a breathtaking "But Beautiful." This strongly recommended CD should be considered a high-priority acquisition for fans of Joe Locke and/or Kenny Barron. ~ Ken Dryden https://www.allmusic.com/album/but-beautiful-mw0000231205

Personnel: Kenny Barron - piano; Joe Locke - vibraphone

But Beautiful

---

Sofia Rei Koutsovitis - Ojalá

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:29
Size: 114,9 MB
Art: Front

(2:49)  1. Ojala
(4:21)  2. Gatito E Las Penas
(4:37)  3. Gris
(4:32)  4. Dança Da Solidão
(4:20)  5. Silence 1
(3:51)  6. Silence 2
(5:49)  7. La Nostalgiosa
(3:07)  8. Alma Del Pueblo
(5:50)  9. El Suicida
(5:21) 10. You Don't Know What Love Is
(4:45) 11. El Silbador

On her debut recording Ojalá, Argentinean singer Sofia Koutsovitis fuses several Latin American rhythms with a post-bop aesthetic to create a fresh and innovative sound. Koutsovitis belongs to a new generation of Latin musicians who in the last fifteen years or so, have created diverse blends of jazz styles with several South American musicians  enriching their language as they integrate different musical traditions. Despite the long relationship between jazz and Latin music (some scholars trace the “Latin tinge to early expressions); Argentinean, Peruvian and other Latin rhythms are relatively new to the jazz vocabulary, since musicians have focused primarily on Afro-Caribbean and Brazilian styles.On this record, Koutsovitis, a skillful singer in Spanish, English, and Portuguese, is knowledgeable of many folkloric musical traditions as well as jazz and experimental music idioms. She presents a balanced feel and leads an octet that performs sophisticated arrangements of her own compositions and songs by Argentinean, Brazilian and Cuban composers.Eclectic, exciting, and aesthetically coherent, the recording shows the many faces of Koutsovitis’ influences. The opening track “Ojalá”, (a song by Cuban Nueva trova icon Silvio Rodriguez), features an arrangement with a Peruvian festejo rhythm. Other rhythms include “Gatito e la penas” (gato), and “Alma del pueblo” (chacarera) in duo with bassist Jorge Roeder, and “La Nostalgiosa”, which has a strong Argentinean feel. “Gris”, “Danca da Solidao”, “You Don’t Know What Love Is”, and “El Silbador” feature Koutsovitis as a more straight-ahead singer, with the swing incorporating ethnic rhythms. “Silence 1”, “Silence 2”, and “El Suicida” (based on the words by Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges) are more jazz oriented tracks featuring Koutsovitis as a more adventurous composer and singer playing with dissonances, rhythm changes, and her voice as an additional instrument of the ensemble. Ojalá exemplifies the recent trends in Latin Jazz and Latin American music in general, and proves why Sofia Koutsovitis is one of the most versatile and in-demand singers in the New York music scene. http://sofiamusic.com/2007/06/sofia-koutsovitis-ojala/

Personnel: Sofia Koutsovitis: vocals, arranger; Jason Palmer: trumper; Adam Schneit: alto saxophone, clarinet; Daniel Blake: tenor,soprano saxophone; Leo Genovese: piano; Jorge Roeder: bass; Richie Barshay: drums; Jorge Perez Albela: percussion; guests: Jamey Haddad: percussion; Reynaldo de Jesus: percussion; Felipe Salles: soprano saxophone.

Ojalá

---

Stanley Cowell - Back To The Beautiful

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1989
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:48
Size: 153,3 MB
Art: Front

(7:04)  1. Theme For Ernie
(6:23)  2. Wail
(4:59)  3. It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)
(6:26)  4. But Beautiful
(5:55)  5. Sylvia's Place
(9:07)  6. Come Sunday
(6:45)  7. Carnegie Six
(5:15)  8. St. Croix
(9:06)  9. Prayer For Peace
(5:44) 10. A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square

Pianist Stanley Cowell displays some of his versatility on this Concord CD, performing pieces that range from "It Don't Mean Aa Thing" and Bud Powell's boppish "Wail" to four of his own inventive originals. Most of the tunes are performed in a trio with bassist Santi Debriano and drummer Joe Chambers while guest Steve Coleman (on alto and soprano) helps out on three songs, sounding quite effective on "Sylvia's Place" and "Come Sunday."~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/back-to-the-beautiful-mw0000207035

Personnel:  Stanley Cowell – piano; Steve Coleman – alto saxophone, soprano saxophone (tracks 5, 6); Santi Debriano – bass (tracks 1-9); Joe Chambers – drums (tracks 1-9)

Back To The Beautiful

---

Tom Grant - Mystified

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1976
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:06
Size: 90,7 MB
Art: Front

(6:01)  1. No Me Esqueca
(5:13)  2. Peddie Has A Point
(4:31)  3. Gazelle
(4:52)  4. Caribean Firedance
(7:35)  5. Mystified
(5:03)  6. Pannonica
(5:48)  7. Turtle Soup

Tom Grant, who has impressive technique and a likable style, has spent most of his recording career making music that purposely appeals to a wide crossover audience, combining jazz with pop and R&B. His father was a tap dancer who owned a record store and his older brother Mike played piano. When he was four, Grant began playing piano and drums. He graduated from the University of Oregon and then went to New York with Jim Pepper's Pow Wow band. He earned a masters degree in education and was teaching high-school social studies in Portland when Woody Shaw heard him playing at a weekend after-hours gig. Shaw offered Grant a job with his group and the experience soon led to more extensive work with Joe Henderson, Dexter Gordon, Charles Lloyd, and Tony Williams (1979-1981). Grant cut his first solo record in 1976 for Timeless and in 1979 he formed his own band, which was open to the pop music that the keyboardist loved. Starting in 1983 and continuing into the new millennium, Grant has recorded a lengthy series of poppish jazz-influenced dates (for labels including Chase, Verve Forecast, Shanachie, Double Play, and Nu-Wrinkle) that have variously fallen into the categories of new adult contemporary, quiet storm, contemporary jazz, and smooth jazz; all have been best-sellers in the jazz-lite market. In addition, Tom Grant has composed music for TV and radio. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/artist/tom-grant-mn0000604650/biography

Personnel:  Piano – Tom Grant ;  Saxophone – Joe Henderson; Bass – Rick Laird; Drums – Ron Steen

Mystified

---