Mike Moreno - Three for Three

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:43
Size: 128,8 MB
Art: Front

(6:54)  1. The Big Push
(6:27)  2. For Those Who Do
(7:10)  3. You Must Believe in Spring
(5:37)  4. Clube da Esquina No. 1
(9:24)  5. April in Paris
(8:15)  6. A Time for Love
(6:35)  7. Perhaps
(5:19)  8. Glass Eyes

Jazz guitarist and composer Mike Moreno started his musial journey at the age of 15 at the “High School for the Performing and Visual Arts” High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston from where some of the great jazz musicians of our times like Robert Glasper, Jason Moran, Kendrick Scott, Eric Harland, Helen Sung were graduated. At 18, moved to New York and he is actively one of the prominent contemporary jazz guitarists of the 21st century since then. The Joshua Redman Elastic Band, Lizz Wright Band, Nicholas Payton Quartet, Stefon Harris Sonic Creed, Me’Shell N’Degeocello, Jason Moran, Terence Blanchard, Robert Glasper, Ambrose Akinmusire, Gretchen Parlato, Aaron Parks, Claudia Acuña, Greg Osby 4, Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Jeremy Pelt, John Ellis, Myron Walden, Kenny Garrett, Yosvany Terry, Ralph Bowen, Will Vinson are some of the musicians that Moreno has worked with. He released “Between the Lines”, his debut album as a a leader in 2007. Instead of interpreting the well-known standards, he came up with totally original compositions in the first album. His easily recognizable unique lyrical style, mature compositions, the notes he play and didn’t play made his difference amongst his peers since the very first album till the last one. His second album “Third Wish” comes up next on 2008. Besides his own compositions, there were a couple of standards in this album like the very vivid version of Herbie Hancock’s “I Have a Dream” with a creatively striking intro. In 2011 comes the third album “First in Mind” where I have many favorite songs like Joshua Redman’s “Soul Dance” where we can see Moreno’s fluency in acoustic guitar also.  Sonny Rollins’ “Airegin” with a memorable 5/4 intro and a verw well-know jazz ballad “But Beautiful” played in an ethereal way, are to name a few. In 2012 “Another Way” comes next as guitarist’s 4th release as another way to show his masterful compositional abilities. This album for me is the depiction of a science fictional atmosphere as in Luc Besson’s “Fifth Element”. 

Maybe that’s because of Moreno’s composition with the same name in the album, who knows? I think Mike Moreno is highly qualified in creating that sci-fi atmosphere with his playing throughtout all of his his albums. In 2015 the guitarist comes with “Lotus” that starts with a beautiful acoustic guitar “Intro” which is my wake up alarm song for more than a year now so I probably know the song better than anybody else in this space. That ”Intro” leads smoothly to “The Hills of Kykuit”. Again in this album we see the beautiful collaboration of Aaron Parks on piano and Mike Moreno on guitar. In October 2017 comes finally “Three for Three”, Moreno’s 6th album as a leader. This album is the third release (after “Third Wish” and “First in Mind”) from Criss Cross Records, a record company in Netherlands with a variety of modern jazz works. It is a trio album, the smallest group Moreno has ever recorded as a leader, with long term collaborators Doug Weiss on bass and Kendrick Scott on drums. And it is the only album where there isn’t any Mike Moreno composition in it. The album starts with the striking version of Wayne Shorter’s underrated composition “The Big Push” which is my favorite in the album. My other favorite is Michel Legrand’s “You Must Believe in Spring”. I must say that it is the best version of this song I’ve heard since Bill Evans. The beautiful Radiohed song “Glass Eyes” cover was a big surprise for me when I first heard. The song has already a misty and cloudy nature and Moreno played it in the best way one can play with again creating his outer space atmosphere. Furthermore, I also must say it is a challenge to choose Charlie Parker’s world-renowned “Perhaps” probably becuase it was one of Charlie Parker’s most known and played compositions. But again with his modern version, it is far different from the mainstream versions we’ve listened millions of times. Mike Moreno is one of the leading modern jazz guitarists of this century with a great technical ability, lyrical one of a kind approach with strong sense of time and rhythm, and always a very melodic player especially seen on the ballads. Not only into jazz but he is also very much into Brazilian music which makes his sound more lyrical maybe. After listening his latest album and hoping that he’ll come again to our country on tour to play, here are some questions about his latest album “Three for Three” with Mike Moreno on guitar, Doug Weiss on bass and Kendrick Scott on drums. http://www.jazzdergisi.com/en/mike-moreno-three-for-three/

Personnel: Guitar – Mike Moreno;  Bass – Doug Weiss; Drums – Kendrick Scott

Three for Three

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