Benny Golson, Freddie Hubbard - Benny Golson With Freddie Hubbard

Styles: Saxophone And Trumpet Jazz

Year: 1987
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:05
Size: 153,8 MB
Art: Front

( 9:10)  1. Stardust
( 9:22)  2. Double Bass
( 4:42)  3. Gypsy Jingle Jangle
(12:14)  4. Povo
( 7:30)  5. Love is a Many Splendored Thing
(10:17)  6. Sad To Say
(13:47)  7. Far Away

Benny Golson is a talented composer/arranger whose tenor playing has continued to evolve with time. After attending Howard University (1947-1950) he worked in Philadelphia with Bull Moose Jackson's R&B band (1951) at a time when it included one of his writing influences, Tadd Dameron on piano. Golson played with Dameron for a period in 1953, followed by stints with Lionel Hampton (1953-1954), and Johnny Hodges and Earl Bostic (1954-1956). He came to prominence while with Dizzy Gillespie's globetrotting big band (1956-1958), as much for his writing as for his tenor playing (the latter was most influenced by Don Byas and Lucky Thompson). Golson wrote such standards as "I Remember Clifford" (for the late Clifford Brown), "Killer Joe," "Stablemates," "Whisper Not," "Along Came Betty," and "Blues March" during 1956-1960. His stay with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers (1958-1959) was significant, and during 1959-1962 he co-led the Jazztet with Art Farmer. From that point on Golson gradually drifted away from jazz and concentrated more on working in the studios and with orchestras including spending a couple of years in Europe (1964-1966). When Golson returned to active playing in 1977, his tone had hardened and sounded much closer to Archie Shepp than to Don Byas. Other than an unfortunate commercial effort for Columbia in 1977, Golson has recorded consistently rewarding albums (many for Japanese labels) since that time including a reunion with Art Farmer and Curtis Fuller in a new Jazztet. Through the years he has recorded as a leader for Contemporary, Riverside, United Artists, New Jazz, Argo, Mercury, and Dreyfus among others. Returning once again to the spirit of the original Jazztet, Golson released New Time, New 'Tet on Concord Records in 2009. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/artist/benny-golson-mn0000135391/biography

One of the great jazz trumpeters of all time, Freddie Hubbard formed his sound out of the Clifford Brown/Lee Morgan tradition, and by the early '70s was immediately distinctive and the pacesetter in jazz. However, a string of blatantly commercial albums later in the decade damaged his reputation and, just when Hubbard, in the early '90s (with the deaths of Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis), seemed perfectly suited for the role of veteran master, his chops started causing him serious troubles. Born and raised in Indianapolis, Hubbard played early on with Wes and Monk Montgomery. He moved to New York in 1958, roomed with Eric Dolphy (with whom he recorded in 1960), and was in the groups of Philly Joe Jones (1958-1959), Sonny Rollins, Slide Hampton, and J.J. Johnson, before touring Europe with Quincy Jones (1960-1961). He recorded with John Coltrane, participated in Ornette Coleman's Free Jazz (1960), was on Oliver Nelson's classic Blues and the Abstract Truth album (highlighted by "Stolen Moments"), and started recording as a leader for Blue Note that same year. Hubbard gained fame playing with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers (1961-1964) next to Wayne Shorter and Curtis Fuller. He recorded Ascension with Coltrane (1965), Out to Lunch (1964) with Eric Dolphy, and Maiden Voyage with Herbie Hancock, and, after a period with Max Roach (1965-1966), he led his own quintet, which at the time usually featured altoist James Spaulding. A blazing trumpeter with a beautiful tone on flügelhorn, Hubbard fared well in freer settings but was always essentially a hard bop stylist. In 1970, Freddie Hubbard recorded two of his finest albums (Red Clay and Straight Life) for CTI. 

The follow-up, First Light (1971), was actually his most popular date, featuring Don Sebesky arrangements. But after the glory of the CTI years (during which producer Creed Taylor did an expert job of balancing the artistic with the accessible), Hubbard made the mistake of signing with Columbia and recording one dud after another; Windjammer (1976) and Splash (a slightly later effort for Fantasy) are low points. However, in 1977, he toured with Herbie Hancock's acoustic V.S.O.P. Quintet and, in the 1980s, on recordings for Pablo, Blue Note, and Atlantic, he showed that he could reach his former heights (even if much of the jazz world had given up on him). But by the late '80s, Hubbard's "personal problems" and increasing unreliability (not showing up for gigs) started to really hurt him, and a few years later his once mighty technique started to seriously falter. In late 2008, Hubbard suffered a heart attack that left him hospitalized until his death at age 70 on December 29 of that year.Freddie Hubbard's fans can still certainly enjoy his many recordings for Blue Note, Impulse, Atlantic, CTI, Pablo, and his first Music Masters sets. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/artist/freddie-hubbard-mn0000798326/biography

Personnel:  Tenor Saxophone – Benny Golson; Trumpet – Freddie Hubbard; Bass – Ron Carter; Drums – Smitty; Piano – Mulgrew Miller

Benny Golson With Freddie Hubbard

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Melissa Errico - Lullabies & Wildflowers

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:52
Size: 106,2 MB
Art: Front

(2:56)  1. Mockingbird
(3:04)  2. Hushabye
(3:14)  3. Since You Asked
(3:42)  4. The Wind Says Shhh
(3:30)  5. Gentle Child
(4:18)  6. Someone To Watch Over Me
(3:27)  7. Gartan Mother's Lullaby
(3:33)  8. Rockabye Baby
(3:12)  9. Wildflowers
(3:25) 10. A Child Is Born
(4:18) 11. Tiny Sparrow
(4:00) 12. Goodnight
(3:07) 13. Walking Happy

For what was intended to be her second solo album following the 2003 collection Blue Like That, Broadway star Melissa Errico reportedly teamed with composer Michel Legrand (having earned a Tony Award nomination for her performance in his 2002 musical Amour) and producer Phil Ramone in 2005. But that disc apparently was put aside, perhaps due to the singer's pregnancy; she gave birth to a daughter in 2006. The experience influenced her to take a new tack in assembling a sophomore effort, and instead she returns to solo recording with Lullabies and Wildflowers, a thematic album of songs about mothers and children. Since the children's music genre is such a well-established one, it should be stated at the outset that this is not an album of songs intended to amuse children, although, as the word "lullabies" in the title suggests, it may be useful in putting them to sleep; the arrangements, dominated by piano and acoustic guitar are calm, and should be calming. That said, Errico is mostly concerned about reflecting on a mother's (especially a new mother's) perspective on her child. At times, she tries to re-contextualize the songs she chooses to support that perspective. In terms of this album, for example, the listener is expected to suppose that the Gershwins' "Someone to Watch Over Me" is actually being sung by a child in search of a parent, which is not what Ira Gershwin had in mind, and Errico edits Judy Collins' "Since You Asked" slightly to give the impression it is being sung by a mother to a child. Such revisionism isn't entirely successful, but Errico sings the songs so feelingly that neither Gershwin nor Collins would be likely to mind. The choice of a Collins' song points up one of the singer's chief vocal influences. 

An even stronger one, accentuated by the jazz/folk/pop arrangements provided by producer Rob Mathes, is another Melissa, Melissa Manchester. At times (such as in "A Child Is Born"), Errico sounds so much like the young Manchester of albums like Bright Eyes that even Manchester fans might be fooled. Again, though, it's hard to complain about the similarity, which is largely a matter of timbre. Errico makes her debut as a songwriter with an excellent contribution, "Gentle Child," and as usual gives a nod to her brother Mike Errico, covering his "The Wind Says Shhh." The real end of the album comes with its penultimate track, the Beatles' "Goodnight," but then, after a pause, there's a playful coda, as what sounds like a scratchy old 78 begins to play at a low volume, and Errico goes into a light version of the old show tune "Walking Happy." It puts a pleasant capper on a lovely album, giving a mother something to tiptoe out of the room to after her child has been lulled to sleep. ~ William Rulhmann https://www.allmusic.com/album/lullabies-wildflowers-mw0000784779

Lullabies & Wildflowers

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Jon Larsen, Pascal De Loutchek - The Russian Guitars

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:43
Size: 120,2 MB
Art: Front

(2:20)  1. Moltchanie
(3:25)  2. Pouro Rom
(2:16)  3. Chlepsydre
(4:11)  4. Le Fenêtre de Moscou
(3:53)  5. L'Accordeon
(2:47)  6. Yukon
(2:48)  7. Pascal
(4:10)  8. Olga
(4:03)  9. Jimmy The Kid
(3:32) 10. First Song
(1:59) 11. Dream A Lot
(3:36) 12. Guitaresque
(2:50) 13. Out Of The Blue
(3:32) 14. Quiet Evening
(3:05) 15. Parapluie A Moscou
(3:08) 16. Beltz

Jon Larsen (born 7 January 1959) is a gypsy jazz guitarist, record producer, painter, and amateur scientific researcher. He is the founder of the group Hot Club de Norvège. In 2007 he received the Buddy Award for his lifelong contribution to jazz. When he was in his early teens, he learned rock and soul songs on an acoustic steel-string guitar. Through friends, he learned about blues, jazz, flamenco, and classical guitar. After he heard "Tears" by Django Reinhardt on the radio, he decided that this is how he wanted his guitar to sound. At seventeen he formed a string trio and had his first professional job.  In the 1970s, Larsen worked mainly as a painter. He started the Hot Club de Norvege in 1980 with guitarists Per Frydenlund and bassist Svein Aarbostad. They had a hit record when they performed with pop singer Lillebjørn Nilsen. Larsen started the label Zonic Entertainment to record musicians who have been influenced by Frank Zappa. He has worked with Chet Baker, Philip Catherine, Stéphane Grappelli, Warne Marsh, Biréli Lagrène, Babik Reinhardt and Jimmy Rosenberg. He has produced more than 450 jazz records for the label he founded, Hot Club Records. He has led a group of musicians who played with Zappa, including Arthur Barrow, Jimmy Carl Black, Bruce Fowler, Bunk Gardner, Tommy Mars, and Don Preston. They recorded the album Strange News from Mars. Symphonic Django was released in 2008 by Storm Films, which also produced a documentary about Larsen and guitar virtuoso Jimmy Rosenberg titled Jon & Jimmy. In 2012, the documentary won the Dutch Edison Award.  After eight years of research, his book on cosmic dust in urban environments  In Search of Stardust: Amazing Micro-Meteorites and Their Terrestrial Imposters  was published in 2017. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Larsen

The Russian Guitars

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Jared Gold - Reemergence

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:19
Size: 118,0 MB
Art: Front

(5:53)  1. Reemergence
(5:27)  2. It Ain't Necessarily So
(5:59)  3. Looking for Another Pure Love
(4:59)  4. She's Leaving Home
(5:30)  5. One for John A
(6:25)  6. How Long Has This Been Going On
(5:07)  7. Blues Connotation
(4:37)  8. Sweet Spirit
(7:19)  9. Nomad

The title of organist Jared Gold's newest release seems to suggest that he is returning to the fold after being away for a time. In actuality, he has been a mainstay on the New York scene for some time now and can boast eight previous albums as a leader dating back to 2008's Solids and Stripes. More likely is that the title alludes to the fact that Gold's discography appears exclusively on the Posi-Tone label, an imprimatur known for short, radio-friendly tracks that don't always allow for much development. So indeed, Reemergence seems like a fresh start for Gold as it permits him a better opportunity to fully display his wares. From the moment trumpeter Jeremy Pelt's clarion call ushers in the title track, it's clear that Gold and company are headed down an open path boasting all kinds of surprises along the way. Gold's bass lines are full and supportive, and drummer Billy Hart brings his own share of creative notions. Hart's solo here is a lesson in musicality, not to mention the wide stereo spread provided by engineer Chris Sulit. The waltz tempo of "It Ain't Necessarily So" keeps the pots on with guitarist and producer Dave Stryker stretching out for the first solo spot. Gold's own statement is a model of his imaginative improvisational vigor. As things start to simmer, he includes a quote of "Little B's Poem" and then goes on to smash chords and furl out 16th notes runs before literally pulling out all the stops at the tune's conclusion. 

Think a combination of the foundational bass lines of Richard "Groove" Holmes mixed with the intricate runs of Larry Young and you get an idea of Gold's modus operandi. Two pop numbers of note, Stevie Wonder's' "Looking for Another Pure Love" and The Beatles' "She's Leaving Home," get updated treatments, much like the type of thing Stryker himself has been doing lately for his own 8-Track projects. Both versions offer proof of the substance and fodder available in some of the great pop tunes of our time.  A warhorse that has been done too many times to expect any kind of welcome, "How Long Has This Been Going On," manages to rise above the usual in an airy bossa nova version by Gold and company. The polar opposite in terms of intensity, Ornette's clever "Blues Connotation" is ripe for exploration as Gold spins a dark tale filled with brilliant uses of shading and rhythm. Stryker offers up an equally stunning solo followed by Hart's matchless riffing and cymbal splashing. From start to finish, it is perfectly clear that Gold has found the perfect forum for showing off all the sides of his resourceful personality. He certainly couldn't have picked a better crew of like-minded musicians to aid him in his task or a better producer. Here's hoping the alliance with Strikezone continues; it fits Gold to a tee. ~ C.Andrew Hovan https://www.allaboutjazz.com/reemergence-jared-gold-strikezone-records-review-by-c-andrew-hovan.php

Personnel: Jared Gold: organ; Dave Stryker: guitar; Billy Hart: drums; Jeremy Pelt: trumpet (tracks 1, 3, 5).

Reemergence

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