Paul Desmond & Jim Hall - Bossa Antigua

Styles: Saxophone And Guitar Jazz
Year: 1964
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:27
Size: 137,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:47)  1. Bossa Antigua
(5:07)  2. Night Has A Thousand Eyes
(4:37)  3. O Gato
(5:41)  4. Samba Cantina
(4:34)  5. Curação Doloroso
(6:22)  6. Ship Without A Sail
(4:33)  7. Aliança
(6:17)  8. Girl From East 9th Street
(7:21)  9. Night Has A Thousand Eyes (alt tk)
(5:09) 10. Samba Cepeda
(4:54) 11. O Gato (alt tk)

Bossa Antigua picks up the samba-based rim shots of drummer Connie Kay on Take Ten and tries to make a whole new record out of them. While the title track duplicates the original percolating groove of "El Prince," other tracks like "Samba Cantina" revert to a typical bossa nova rhythm of the period, which leads one to conclude that "bossa antigua" is merely whatever Desmond says it is. Of the album's two non-originals, "The Night Has a Thousand Eyes," of course, is made-to-order for Desmond's wistful, sophisticated temperament, and he delivers exactly what a Desmond devotee would expect and love; and "A Ship Without a Sail" has some memorable off-the-cuff solo ideas. Jim Hall is around again to lend subtle rhythm support and low-key savvy in his solos, and like many Desmond companions of this period, he makes a fine sparring partner in the contrapuntal exchanges. The Brubeck Quartet's Gene Wright again lends a sturdy hand on bass. The playing is wonderful throughout, though just missing the full-throttle inspiration of Take Ten. ~ Richard S.Ginell https://www.allmusic.com/album/bossa-antigua-mw0000238995

Personnel:  Paul Desmond – alto saxophone; Jim Hall – guitar; Gene Cherico (track 8), Eugene Wright (tracks 1-7 & 9-11) – bass; Connie Kay – drums

Bossa Antigua

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Avi Rothbard, Wayne Escoffery - Standard Solo and Duet Sketches

Styles: Guitar And Saxophone Jazz 
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:59
Size: 142,9 MB
Art: Front

(6:14)  1. Sweet Blue
(4:03)  2. How Long Has This Been Going On?
(5:49)  3. Let's Call This
(5:26)  4. The Shadow of Your Smile
(5:41)  5. Satellite
(6:50)  6. Confessin'
(4:59)  7. Alone Together
(4:19)  8. Old Devil Moon
(4:45)  9. Ugly Beauty
(3:27) 10. What Is This Thing Called Love?
(4:43) 11. Inutil Paisagem
(5:37) 12. The End of a Love Affair

Guitarist and composer Avi Rothbard is one of New York’s prominent jazz guitarists and a jazz clinician. Born and raised in Kibbutz Gan Shmuel, Israel, Avi Rothbard has moved to Boston Mass in the summer of 1995, after receiving a scholarship to attend Berklee College of Music. During his Berklee years, Mr. Rothbard has received The Jimmy Hendrix Award, Boston Jazz Society Award, Guitar Dpt. Achievement Award and The William Leavitt Award. Mr. Rothbard holds a Masters degree in jazz studies from the City College of New York and is also a 2013 recipient of the Bronx Council on The Arts award(BRIO) in the instrumental music category. A prolific composer, Rothbard’s compositions are featured in several recordings of his peers. In 2014 , Avi Rothbard has won the John Lennon Award for the jazz category. Since residing in New York City in 1999, Avi Rothbard has led and co-led ensembles in some of the major jazz venues around the world. Mr. Rothbard has worked with jazz veterans, as well as the new generation of jazz masters such as Ben Riley, Jeremy Pelt, Freddy Cole, Wayne Escoffery, Gregory Porter, Ray Drummond, Alex Blake, Mike Clark and Jay Leonhart, to name just a few.  Avi Rothbard’s name is included in Scott Yanow’s book: “The Great Jazz Guitarists: The Ultimate Guide” "Young Lions" is a term that jazz journalists have been using to describe the long list of straight-ahead, acoustic-oriented jazz improvisers who were born in the '60s, '70s, and '80s, and London native Wayne Escoffery is among the many Young Lions who started building his catalog in the early 2000s. Escoffery, who plays post-bop and hard bop, is a tenor saxophonist with a big, full tone; his influences on the tenor have included, among others, John Coltrane, Wayne Shorter, Dexter Gordon, Joe Henderson, and Sonny Rollins. Escoffery plays the soprano sax as a second instrument, and his most obvious inspirations on the soprano include Coltrane and Shorter. But whether he is on the tenor or the soprano, Escoffery has maintained a decidedly straight-ahead perspective that is quite faithful to the spirit of the Young Lion movement. Notes by Alex Henderson https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/avirothbard4

Personnel:  Guitar, Producer – Avi Rothbard; Tenor Saxophone – Wayne Escoffery (tracks: 1, 3,5, 6, 8, 9, 12)

Standard Solo and Duet Sketches (feat. Wayne Escoffery)

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Booker Little - Out Front

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1989
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:03
Size: 101,8 MB
Art: Front

(6:46)  1. We Speak
(6:17)  2. Strength And Sanity
(8:10)  3. Quiet Please
(5:44)  4. Moods In Free Time
(4:51)  5. Man Of Words
(6:41)  6. Hazy Blues
(5:31)  7. A New Day

Booker Little was the first trumpet soloist to emerge in jazz after the death of Clifford Brown to have his own sound. His tragically brief life (he died at age 23 later in 1961) cut short what would have certainly been a major career. Little, on this sextet date with multi-reedist Eric Dolphy, trombonist Julian Priester, and drummer Max Roach, shows that his playing was really beyond bebop. His seven now-obscure originals (several of which deserve to be revived) are challenging for the soloists and there are many strong moments during these consistently challenging and satisfying performances. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/out-front-mw0000197893

Personnel: Booker Little - trumpet; Julian Priester - trombone; Eric Dolphy - alto saxophone, bass clarinet, flute; Don Friedman - piano; Art Davis (tracks 1, 3 & 7), Ron Carter (tracks 2 & 4-6) - bass; Max Roach - drums, timpani, vibraphone

Out Front

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Chie Imaizumi - Unfailing Kindness

Styles: Post Bop, Big Band
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:06
Size: 129,4 MB
Art: Front

( 9:05)  1. A Change for the Better
( 5:50)  2. The More the Merrier
( 9:47)  3. Unfailing Kindness
( 6:30)  4. Lonley...
( 7:56)  5. Round and Round
(10:40)  6. Adversity
( 6:16)  7. Another Day

To all but the most jaded of cynics, Chie Imaizumi's Unfailing Kindness is sure to provide many hours of comfort for the soul as this extremely accessible and yet deeply rewarding music washes away all that might ail it. Imaizumi is letting us see her up close and personal as each tune translates her emotional being at various times in her recent life into music. The fact that this music is for large forces (ten players most of the time) makes it all the more remarkable, since it is light and limber with intricate arrangements that do not, however, sound congested or overburdened. There is much room for soloing, and when they get the chance to fly, the soloists make the most of it. The feeling that leads to the solo is one, though, of the underlying music pushing the performer out front, or lifting them above the others, rather than someone just stepping out and wailing. Imaizumi received her original musical training on the electric organ before she switched to piano, winning awards and beginning to record in Japan. The fact that she does not play on this record might seem strange but it is, in reality, part of the emotional roller coaster that the music represents. Among other issues in her life at the time, Imaizumi was afflicted with tenosynovitis, a painful repetitive stress injury, which forced her to stop playing. Anyone who has been through this kind of thing, especially a musician, knows how devastating not being able to function can be. However, Imaizumi turned adversity into opportunity. Indeed, the sixth and longest track is named "Adversity" and is the most interesting musically as it moves through many different moods and emotions. Turning her talents away from the playing and toward composing and arranging, she now builds worlds of sound with the help of other musicians. 

The album starts off with a bang with three very up tunes "A Change for the Better," with its Caribbean rhythms, "The More the Merrier," which kicks back with a New Orleans backbeat, and "Unfailing Kindness," with its meter switching between 5/4 and 4/4. Things take a needed rest with "Lonely," in which Imaizumi remembers how a three month tour felt, but rebounds with the driving changes tune "Round and Round," before getting to the aforementioned "Adversity." 

There are many subtleties in constant change throughout each tune, and an attentive listener will be rewarded many times over. The word is that actually attending an Imaizumi performance and watching her conduct her music is something else altogether. Many jazz fans find music to be highly emotional, and Imaizumi's music exudes both optimism and overcoming difficult times, but mostly the joy of creating and being able to share it. Highly recommended. ~ Budd Kopman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/unfailing-kindness-chie-imaizumi-review-by-budd-kopman.php

Personnel: Greg Gisbert: trumpet, flugelhorn; Ron Miles: trumpet, flugelhorn; John Gunther: alto and soprano saxophones, flute, clarinet; Gary Smulyan: baritone saxophone, bass clarinet; Alex Heitlinger: trombone; Mike Abbott: guitar; Jeff Jenkins: piano, Hammond B3; Mark Simon: bass; Paul Romaine: drums; Manavihare

Unfailing Kindness

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