Friday, March 1, 2019

Sean Jones - Kaleidoscope

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 73:31
Size: 171,1 MB
Art: Front

(6:48)  1. Allison
(5:19)  2. Journey
(4:48)  3. Never Let Me Go
(6:28)  4. I Come To Thee
(5:54)  5. So Wonderful
(6:13)  6. Esperanto
(0:50)  7. It's Just A Matter Of Time (intro)
(6:18)  8. It's Just A Matter Of Time
(5:56)  9. Say Brah
(6:33) 10. Blak Music
(5:03) 11. Kaleidoscope
(6:40) 12. The Sluice
(6:34) 13. You're The Reason

Trumpeter Sean Jones emphasizes various vocalist friends for his fourth recording as a leader. His previous CDs have leaned toward a more produced pop-oriented approach within a definite modern jazz framework, and this effort leans toward a balance of combining those elements without being overtly commercialized. The first eight cuts all feature the singers, the most effective being rising star Gretchen Parlato. Her beautiful voice levitates Kendrick Scott's ballad composition "Journey," done on his debut CD, receiving a different, less expansive treatment, while the sunny swing waltz "It's Just a Matter of Time" has Parlato and Sachal Vasandani swapping opposing transposed crowded vocal lines. Parlato is special; please pay attention to her in the future. Even more impressive are two spiritualistic pieces, reminiscent of the recent work by pianist Robert Glasper. The opener, "Allison," drips with emotion, informed by the lovely piano playing of Orrin Evans, slight Latin spice, and the wordless vocals of J.D. Walter, while "Esperanto" (not sung in Esperanto) has Carolyn Perteete's siren-song singing, pristine as morning dew. 

At this point one barely notices the trumpet player, until you hear four consecutive instrumentals. "Say Brah" is a cooking typical neo-bopper, "Blak Music" a less clichéd hard bopper, the title track a more modern near-fusion Fender Rhodes-infused piece, and "The Sluice" revealing Jones as a singsongy Lee Morgan/Freddie Hubbard-influenced Young Lion. The pacing and programming of this recording could have been more effectively revisited; it feels like block formatting. It is another fine, not yet definitive musical effort from Jones, easily a Top Ten rising star of contemporary jazz trumpet. ~ Michael G.Nastos https://www.allmusic.com/album/kaleidoscope-mw0000577971

Kaleidoscope

Karin Krog, Bengt Hallberg - Two of a Kind

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 1982
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:33
Size: 111,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:33)  1. My Man
(2:36)  2. Jeepers Creepers
(3:57)  3. You Must Believe in Spring
(2:16)  4. The Touch of Your Lips
(2:29)  5. The End of the Day Song
(4:12)  6. I Ain't Here
(3:40)  7. Like That
(2:39)  8. Halleluja I Love Him So
(3:47)  9. Spring in Manhattan
(2:01) 10. Love Valk In
(2:40) 11. Dear Bix
(2:01) 12. I'm Coming Virginia
(3:43) 13. Ain't Nobody's Business
(4:03) 14. Cabin in the Sky
(2:48) 15. A Child Is Born

An adventurous singer who is quite versatile, Karin Krog is able to sing anything from standards to fairly free improvisations. She made her recording debut in 1964, appeared at many jazz festivals in Europe in the mid-’60s, and in 1967, came to the U.S., performing and recording with the Don Ellis Orchestra and Clare Fischer’s trio. A world traveler based in Europe, Krog has recorded fairly steadily through the years, using such sidemen as Kenny Drew, Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen, Jan Garbarek, Ted Curson, Dexter Gordon, Palle Mikkelborg, Steve Kuhn, Steve Swallow, Archie Shepp, Bengt Hallberg, and John Surman; she has made records for Philips, Sonet, Polydor, and other European labels.

Personnel: Karin Krog - vocals, producer; Bengt Hallberg - piano

Two of a Kind

Lalo Schifrin - There's A Whole Lalo Schifrin Goin' On

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1968
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 28:50
Size: 68,5 MB
Art: Front

(2:27)  1. Secret Code
(2:29)  2. Dissolving
(2:41)  3. Machinations
(2:35)  4. Bride of the Wind
(2:07)  5. Life Insurance
(2:59)  6. How to Open at Will
(2:12)  7. Vaccinated Mushrooms
(2:41)  8. Two Petals a Flower and a Young Girl
(2:42)  9. Wheat Germ Landscapes
(3:29) 10. Gentle Earthquake
(2:25) 11. Hawks vs. Doves

Though it may seem unlikely that Frank Zappa had much of an influence on the work of Lalo Schifrin, one can detect some cultural crossover on There's a Whole Lalo Schifrin Goin' On. Schifrin was as much a jazz-pop genius as ever, but on this album rock rhythms, musical satire, sound effects, and exotica are all used as camp in a way that is eerily reminiscent of Zappa's more thoughtful efforts. Schifrin being Schifrin, every cut has a distinct and catchy melody, but there are whimsical and satirical themes embedded in the music. Nowhere is this more obvious than in "Hawks Vs. Doves," in which a cheery carnival-like theme is played in counterpoint to a martial air, each interfering with the other. Elsewhere, Schifrin uses unusual percussion, dissonance, and tense, sonically fragmented piano to create soundscapes that are unlike most of the rest of his work. "Secret Code" integrates tabla drums, not a common instrument in American jazz of the time, with a cold, flute-like synthesizer  probably the first time those two instruments were used together. 

This album was ahead of its time in terms of instrumentation, but was a product of its time in that established ways of doing things were being challenged. Fans of Lalo Schifrin's work will find this to rank with his best, and those not familiar with anything but the Mission Impossible theme will be drawn in further by the eccentric genius displayed here. Note: Like many of Schifrin's albums of the period, there is no listing of musicians on the album cover, so it is difficult to know who is responsible for the marvelous performances here, except for Schifrin's own contributions. ~ Richard Foss https://www.allmusic.com/album/theres-a-whole-lalo-schifrin-goin-on-mw0000771728

Personnel:  Lalo Schifrin - piano, synthesizer, arranger, conductor; Tony Terran, John Audino - trumpet; Lloyd Ulyate, Barrett O'Hara - trombone; John Johnson - tuba; Vincent DeRosa - horn; Bud Shank, Ronnie Lang, Sam Most - reeds; Arnold Kobentz - oboe, English horn; Ralph Grierson, Artie Kane, Roger Kellaway, Mike Lang - keyboards; Paul Beaver - keyboards, synthesizer, stereo harp; Carl Fortina - accordion; Howard Roberts, Dennis Budimer, Bill Pitman, Louis Morell - guitar; James Bond, Ray Brown - bass; Carol Kaye, Max Bennett - electric bass; Shelly Manne - drums, percussion; Earl Palmer, Ken Watson, Joe Porcaro, Emil Richards - percussion; Milt Holland - tabla; Bonnie Douglas, Sam Freed, Anatol Kaminsky, Nathan Kaproff, George Kast, Marvin Limonick, Erno Neufeld, Paul Shure - violin; Myra Kestenbaum, Allan Harshman, Robert Ostrowsky, Virginia Majewski - viola; Raphael Kramer, Edgar Lustgarten, Eleanor Slatkin - cello; Catherine Gotthoffer - harp; Robert Helfer - orchestra manager

There's A Whole Lalo Schifrin Goin' On

Jamie Saft - Solo a Genova

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:58
Size: 148,7 MB
Art: Front

( 3:36)  1. The Makings of You
( 4:41)  2. Human / Gates
( 5:42)  3. Naima
( 7:10)  4. Sharp Dressed Man
( 4:35)  5. Overjoyed
( 4:05)  6. Po'Boy
(12:43)  7. The New Standard / Pinkus
( 6:10)  8. Blue Motel Room
( 4:09)  9. The Housatonic at Stockbridge
( 3:33) 10. Blue in Green
( 7:30) 11. Restless Farewell

Pianist Jamie Saft's Solo A Genova is a revelation. It is, in an extensive discography, his only alone-in-the-piano-chair outing. Saft has made a wide-ranging mark in collaborations with Slobber Pup, Metallic Taste of Blood, The Spanish Donkey and Berserk! These group names don't say it all, but do probably say something (Brash? Unconventional? Loud?) about the sounds they make. But for the jazz fan of the more purist persuasion, his piano trio discs are probably the ones that find their way to the stereos: Asorath: Book of Angels, Vol 1 (Tzadik, 2005), The New Standard (Rare Noise, 2014), and the terrific Loneliness Road (Rare Noise, 2017). These trio sets feature commanding instrumentalists in the bass and drum chairs, making for a satisfyingly egalitarian approach to the craft. Jamie Saft solo is different. Absent the driving rhythms of the trio sets, he proves himself strikingly virtuosic, lushly harmonic, and beautifully fluid. Solo A Genova, as the title suggests, was recorded live in Genova, Italy, but it seems a celebration of America. The pianist covers tunes by quintessentially American artists (with a Canadian, Joni Mitchell slipped in), and he doesn't limit himself to Jazz Standards. 

Compositions by Curtis Mayfield, Bob Dylan, Miles Davis/Bill Evans, Stevie Wonder and Charles Ives are played out with playfulness (Dylan's "Po' Boy), doom (ZZ Top's Sharp Dressed Man); life affirmation (Stevie Wonder's "Overjoyed") and solemn majesty (Ives' "Housatonic At Stockbridge). While Saft's previously mentioned trio discs are uniformly excellent, playing the show alone seems to have freed his artistry. Solo A Genova showcases his uplifting, steeped-in-the-American-sound soul, closing with a gorgeous, got-religion take on Dylan's "Restless Farewell."  As a whole, the reverent nod to America serves as a balm for pains that come from our country's troubled times. ~ Dan McClenaghan https://www.allaboutjazz.com/solo-a-genoa-jamie-saft-rarenoiserecords-review-by-dan-mcclenaghan.php

Personnel: Jamie Saft: piano.

Solo a genova