Teddy Edwards - Back to Avalon

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:21
Size: 100,6 MB
Art: Front

(2:53)  1. Avalon
(5:36)  2. The Cellar Dweller
(4:29)  3. You Don't Know What Love Is
(7:23)  4. Steppin' Lightly
(3:50)  5. Sweet Georgia Brown
(4:44)  6. Our Last Goodbye
(6:36)  7. Good Gravy
(5:19)  8. (Under) A Southern Moon and Sky
(2:28)  9. Avalon (Version 2)

The liner notes written by Kirk Silsbee tell a tale easily as intriguing as the fine music on this CD. Producer Lester Koenig asked Teddy Edwards to assemble a large ensemble of lesser known jazz musicians from Los Angeles to record originals and new arrangements of standards. Those players had difficulty with the somewhat tricky charts, and because they were not up to the highest standards, the project was mutually agreed upon to be scrapped. Nearly 35 years later, Ed Michel came upon the tapes, assessed that the feeling and spirit in them was good enough, and had them cleaned up by editing in alternate takes spliced by audio computer to enhance the originally imperfect sessions. After some fact checking, the alleged or disputed lineup was confirmed, and the result is solidly swinging,enjoyable music. It showcases the magic touch Edwards displayed in composition and arranging, his distinctive tenor sax, and the ability of these players, many who would later prove their own mettle removed from the obscurity of that time. And now, the rest of the story...this is a really good album! Edwards is well known for his classic, ahead of its time, original soul-jazz tune "Good Gravy," and it appears here for its first recording, the horns grooving together and strutting their stuff. While "The Cellar Dweller" is usually in reference to a perennial last place sports team, this one is for the listeners of The Jazz Cellar nightclub in San Francisco, naturally bluesy and easy swinging with Edwards as the front runner, and the horns following in varying levels of dynamics. "(Under) A Southern Moon & Sky" takes Edwards back to his Mississippi roots and love for Duke Ellington in an attractively exotic and sensual, riki-tiki calypso beat courtesy of Larance Marable cracking his sticks on drum rims. 

The swing standard "Avalon" bookends the session, one at medium tempo, the other faster, both with wonderful interplay and rich balance. A supercharged take of "Sweet Georgia Brown" has Edwards out of the gate flying, extending the second chorus with a witty extrapolation and during the jamming bridge, while the contrasting sad and bittersweet "You Don't Know What Love Is," with the plaintive second lead of trumpeter Nathaniel Meeks, and the especially downhearted "Our Last Goodbye" wrenches every ounce of emotion from a somber place where no one really wants to be. Trombonist Lester Robertson and alto saxophonist Jimmy Woods became major players in L.A. from this point onward, and deserve a close listen here, while baritone saxophonist Modesto Brisenio is heard to good effect, especially on the intro of the quick waltz "Steppin' Lightly," which also sports some compelling rhythm changes slowed to half time, sped up, and funkified. There are recordings that rank as underrated or under appreciated, but Back to Avalon should not merely be tagged as such. Thankfully through hindsight this recording was released in fully flowered form so all can realize what a marvelous all-around musician Teddy Edwards was. ~ Michael G.Nastos https://www.allmusic.com/album/back-to-avalon-mw0000645746

Personnel: Tenor Saxophone – Teddy Edwards; Alto Saxophone – Jimmy Woods; Baritone Saxophone – Modesto Brisenio; Bass – Roger Alderson; Drums – Larance Marable; Piano – Danny Horton ; Trombone – Lester Robertson; Trumpet – Nathaniel Meeks

Back to Avalon

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Kenny Drew - The Ideation Of Kenny Drew

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1954
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 25:10
Size: 58,2 MB
Art: Front

(3:15)  1. Four And Five
(4:18)  2. Polka Dots And Moonbeams
(6:00)  3. Kenny's Blues
(3:36)  4. Lo Flame
(3:24)  5. 52nd Street Theme
(4:34)  6. Chartreuse

A talented bop-based pianist (whose son has been one of the brightest pianists of the 1990s), Kenny Drew was somewhat underrated due to his decision to permanently move to Copenhagen in 1964. He made his recording debut in 1949 with Howard McGhee and in the 1950s was featured on sessions with a who's who of jazz, including Charlie Parker, Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, Milt Jackson, Buddy DeFranco's quartet, Dinah Washington, and Buddy Rich (1958). Drew led sessions for Blue Note, Norgran, Pacific Jazz, Riverside, and the obscure Judson label during 1953-1960; most of the sessions are available on CD. He moved to Paris in 1961 and relocated to Copenhagen in 1964 where he was co-owner of the Matrix label. He formed a duo with Niels-Henning Orsted Pederson and worked regularly at the Montmartre. Drew recorded many dates for SteepleChase in the 1970s and remained active up until his death. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/artist/kenny-drew-mn0000081841/biography

Personnel:  Piano – Kenny Drew;  Bass – Eugene Wright; Drums – Lawrence Marable

The Ideation Of Kenny Drew

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Don Grusin - Piano In Venice

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:04
Size: 129,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:37)  1. Rose & Main
(5:18)  2. Washington Way
(4:34)  3. Abbot Kinney Blvd
(4:58)  4. Pacific Av
(3:56)  5. Electric Av
(3:05)  6. California Ct
(3:53)  7. Amoroso Pl
(3:01)  8. Lincoln Blvd
(4:35)  9. Ozone Ct
(6:18) 10. Speedway
(2:50) 11. San Juan Av
(4:13) 12. Venice Blvd
(4:40) 13. Oakwood Av

I moved to Venice in August 2007 to compose and record a piano album using the many loops and samples that I’ve collected over the past few years as my accompanying rhythm track partner. The electronica you’ll hear are grooves from every musical genre, guitar licks, voices, dancers, people clapping and singing, birds, animals, traditional percussion instruments from everywhere in the world. One of my favorite samples is the Paolo Soleri bell which was the doorbell of my recording studio-livingroom in the little house I rented on Crestmoore Place near the French Market. You’ll hear the Soleri bell on tk 11, san juan av.  My inspiration for melodies, moods, grooves came from throughout that beautiful ocean community... the beach, the carnival boardwalk atmosphere, the best air in LA, the hang with the people in local bars and restaurants and coffee shops, the neighborhood birds, dogs and cats, and in particular the contrasting personalities of the local streets for which I named the tracks. If you click on each of the titles you can read the inspiration for the music and the grooves. https://music.dongrusin.com/album/piano-in-venice

Personnel: Don Grusin (piano, keyboards & programming)

Piano In Venice

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Jimmy Smith - Softly As A Summer Breeze: The Incredible Jimmy Smith

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:58
Size: 115,5 MB
Art: Front

(5:30)  1. These Foolish Things
(6:00)  2. Hackensack
(6:18)  3. It Could Happen To You
(8:23)  4. Sometimes I'm Happy
(6:32)  5. Someone To Watch Over Me
(4:49)  6. Ode To Philly Joe
(3:26)  7. Willow Weep For Me
(2:41)  8. Ain't No Use
(3:28)  9. Angel Eyes
(2:48) 10. Ain't That Love

An oddity and supporting cast player in the Jimmy Smith canon, Softly As A Summer Breeze is nonetheless a welcome addition to Blue Note's Rudy Van Gelder remasters programme, bringing together three distinct sessions with partially overlapping personnel. All the evidence suggests the first four tracks were originally recorded for a Kenny Burrell album which was never released, and the next two for a Jimmy Smith set which likewise didn't materialise. The final four tracks, featuring vocalist Bill Henderson, were originally released on a pair of jukebox-targeted 45 rpm singles and were included as bonus tracks on the album's first CD issue ten years ago. Tracks 1-6 were recorded in February 1958, the day after Burrell had contributed to the sessions for Smith's House Party and The Sermon. They stayed on the shelf until 1965, either because they didn't include one of Smith's trademark soul-jazz shouters or, as seems more likely, because they were simply overtaken by new material recorded by the prolific organist and guitarist. All the signs are of a compilation of Burrell and Smith sessions that were paired up for joint release as a late afterthought. Burrell states the themes and takes most of the opening solos on "These Foolish Things," "Hackensack," "It Could Happen To You" and "Sometimes I'm Happy." The first two tunes ride at a furious gallop, with Burrell and Smith each taking rapid-fire, long-line, mainly single-note, bop-based solos. Smith gets a shade more raucous and funky on "Sometimes I'm Happy," but the rest of time he plays close to the top lines and remains relatively well behaved. (As does Philly Joe Jones, who, apart from trading fours on "Hackensack," stays in a crisp accompanying role.) Though he made his mainstream reputation with sweating, shouting soul-jazz and screaming big band set pieces, it's sometimes forgotten that Smith started out a performer of standards, albeit phattened ones. His 1956 Blue Note debuts A New Sound... A New Star, Vols 1-3 did indeed include the monumental funktifications of Horace Silver's "The Preacher" and Dizzy Gillespie's "The Champ," but most of the material consisted of standards and showtunes. Smith liked to soup them up, sometimes to the point of florid three-ring-circus cheesiness, but he relished pretty tunes and his naif performances of them, on those debut albums and this one from a couple of years later, are as irresistible as they are flamboyant. The least successful tracks are the last four, featuring vocalist Bill Henderson and averaging three minutes in length. The spotlight is naturally enough on Henderson, whose routine and anonymous readings haven't travelled well. But hey, you can always hit the search button. The rest of the music is busting. ~ Chris May https://www.allaboutjazz.com/softly-as-a-summer-breeze-jimmy-smith-blue-note-records-review-by-chris-may.php

Personnel: Jimmy Smith: organ; Kenny Burrell (1-4), Eddie McFadden (5,6), Ray Crawford (7-10): guitar; Philly Joe Jones (1-4), Donald Bailey (5-10): drums; Bill Henderson (7-10): vocals.

Softly As A Summer Breeze

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Lauren White - Life in the Modern World

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:41
Size: 115,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:21)  1. Life in the Modern World
(3:54)  2. Till I Get It Right
(4:54)  3. Signing Off
(4:51)  4. How Little We Know
(4:03)  5. Monk's New Tune
(5:48)  6. Coffee
(4:38)  7. Midnight Sun
(4:21)  8. Ellington's Sound of Love
(4:07)  9. Slowdown
(4:34) 10. In a New York Minute
(4:12) 11. American Tune

Los Angeles-based vocalist Lauren White teams with the superb vocalist and in-demand producer Mark Winkler for her third album, the eclectic storytelling Life in the Modern World, a collection of rarely covered standards from classic writers and interpretations of tunes from more contemporary ones. These tunes span almost 80 years of music. Her track list consists of tunes from Lionel Hampton, Ella Fitzgerald and Hoagy Carmichael to the modern writers Winkler, Kathryn Bostic and Ron Boustead. White delivers these in her warm smoky voice with clear articulation and elegance. White has found success as a singer but doesn’t have to quit her “day job” as producer of the hit HBO show Homeland either. She’s fortunate to be able to do both. Her TV role has her traveling between both coasts and that too is fortuitous, as she’s able to play in clubs and tap some of the best musicians from both New York and Los Angeles, arguably our two biggest jazz cities. You’ve likely seen some of these musicians grace several albums Kevin Axt and David Finck on bass, Marvin “Smitty” Smith and Chris Wabich on drums, Kevin Winard on drums and percussion, Grant Geissman on guitar, Alex Budman on horns, Francisco Torres on trombone, Tatum Greenblatt and Michael Stever on trumpet along with her collaborative partners Winkler on vocals and pianist Quinn Johnson. Johnson was the music director/pianist for Steve Tyrell for 16 years and has a staggering pedigree that includes Tom Scott, Flora Purim, Rod Stewart, Diana Ross, and Rita Coolidge. Johnson also arranged and accompanied White on her Experiment release, Winkler, who has been on these pages several times, has 16 CDs as a leader and has had over 250 of his songs performed or recorded by other artists. Winkler also produced White’s most recent project, Out of the Past, Jazz & Noir. White opens with the title track, a rarely heard song originally performed by the Crusaders, followed by the swinging “’Til I Get It Right,” co-written by Winkler and performed with him as a duet. “Signing Off” is a little known Ella Fitzgerald tune that dates to 1961, where Ella wrote the lyrics. A better known standard comes from Hoagy Carmichael and Johnny Mercer in “How Little We Know,” written for the 1944 film To Have and Have Not, where Johnson has some fun with the arrangement, adding a cha-cha element. 

Another oft-covered tune is “Midnight Sun” from Lionel Hampton and Johnny Mercer. Eli Brueggemann, musical director of Saturday Night Live, provides a funky arrangement that has White’s vocal gliding smoothly over percolating rhythms.“Coffee’ is an LA inspired tune written by fellow vocalist Ron Boustead and Ken Kresge while “Slow Down” owes to Kathyrn Bostic, who is a composer, singer, and songwriter known for her work on film, TV, and live theater. This featues a lively three horn arrangement. Others include Michael Frank’s “Monk’s New Tune,” also with three horns and Charles Mingus’s “Ellington’s Sound of Love,” where White is backed by a piano trio. “In a New York Minute” is another bold, brassy tune with Winkler and White doing background vocals in addition to White’s lead. Rather incredibly, Johnson had never heard White’s choice for the closer, Paul Simon’s “American Tune.” So, perhaps advantageously, he brought a fresh perspective to the arrangement, which features Geismann’s guitar and Winard’s percussion. They slow down the tempo, showcasing the nuances in White’s emotive, warm delivery.  As with previous efforts from the three main collaborators, White, Winkler and Johnson, this is as elegant as vocal jazz gets. White brings maturity, sass, style and a natural effervescent charm that proves irresistible. ~ Jim Hynes https://www.makingascene.org/lauren-white-life-in-the-modern-world/

Personnel:  Chris Wabich - drums, Kevin Winard - drums & percussion, Grant Geissman - guitar, Alex Budman - horns, Francisco Torres - trombone, Tatum Greenblatt and Michael Stever – trumpet, Quinn Johnson – piano, Mark Winkler - producer/vocalist/lyricist.

Life in the Modern World

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