Jack Walrath - In Montana

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1995
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:15
Size: 150,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:49)  1. Lodgelian Mode
(3:26)  2. Ron's Blues
(8:07)  3. A Wolf Gang of Arabia
(3:47)  4. What a Thing
(4:58)  5. Where Have I Been
(3:40)  6. Grey and Blue
(5:37)  7. Blues in the Guts
(2:21)  8. Montana
(9:51)  9. Remembrance
(5:02) 10. Seper B
(5:00) 11. A Nod or a Wink
(6:09) 12. At Home in Rome
(2:23) 13. Reverend Red

Trumpeter Jack Walrath went back to Montana in January of 1980 to accomplish three things: visit his parents, burn down his old high school, and do a recording with a local quartet called interestingly enough Montana. Walrath never got around to torching his alma mater, but he did develop a working relationship with four talented musicians who were just as dedicated to stretching the envelope as he was. The result was In Montana, just re-released by Labor Records. Montana wasn't your average "flyover country pickup group. Chuck Florence had played saxophone with organist Jack MacDuff, as well as the Detroit Symphony, while drummer Jim Honaker had done time at New England Conservatory with tenor saxophonist Ricky Ford, Walrath's partner-in-crime in Charles Mingus' band. Pianist Bob Nell and Kelly Roberty on bass didn't possess the national credits their cohorts had, but the writing and playing they contributed to In Montana show they learned their lessons well, even this far off the beaten path. In fact, this band was pretty formidable without Walrath, as "Remembrance demonstrates. Recorded live two months after the In Montana session, Florence's composition swirls and roars like an angry winged lion; Florence threatens to break glass with the notes he squeezes out of his tenor sax, and Nell anchors the piece with passionate piano reminiscent of Herbie Hancock. So by itself, Montana acquits itself well. 

When Walrath steps into the mix though, the combination is positively explosive. "Lodgelian Mode sails headlong into post-bop swing, with Walrath and Florence harmonizing on the head like they've been working together for years. Walrath's trumpet is frenetic and aggressive, as is Florence's tenor solo. The piece never stops swinging, but there is just enough chaos and dissonance in the arrangement to tell you this is not a mainstream piece. Walrath brought a lot of Mingus with him to this date, and Montana is definitely down with the program. The Nell tune "Ron's Blues acts as a natural follow-up, with unexpected time changes and arrangements played over a swinging framework; Florence releases his inner Trane on a piercing in-the-clear soprano solo that turns into a boisterous duet with Walrath. On "Seper B the harmonies are almost shocking, as Nells links up with Walrath and Florence to create a powerful one-two-three punch. "A Wolf Gang of Arabia has Florence going Eastern on soprano while the rest of the band plays weirder and weirder percussion breaks. Walrath's plaintive "Where Have I Been is the polar opposite of "Wolf Gang, though the band does heat up as Walrath's solo shifts shape. In Montana would be a terrific disc without the back story. However, remember when this was recorded: the musical gold standard was Weather Report, Miles Davis was inching towards an electric comeback, and Wynton Marsalis was just another Jazz Messenger. We embrace the music of In Montana now, but in 1980, these tunes were coming from a time that was headed for the collective memory hole. Fortunately, performer and songwriter Peter Allen was correct Everything old is new again. ~ J Hunter https://www.allaboutjazz.com/in-montana-jack-walrath-labor-records-review-by-j-hunter.php

Personnel: Jack Walrath: trumpet, flugelhorn; Chuck Florence: tenor sax, soprano sax; Bob Nell: piano; Kelly Roberty: bass; Jim Honaker: drums.

In Montana

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Don Byron - A Fine Line: Arias And Lieder

Styles: Clarinet Jazz 
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:57
Size: 115,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:54)  1. Check Up
(2:52)  2. Zwielicht (Twilight)
(8:06)  3. Glitter And Be Gay
(5:06)  4. Basquiat
(2:43)  5. It's Over
(4:55)  6. Creepin'
(4:02)  7. Nessun Dorma
(3:51)  8. Soldier In The Rain
(4:52)  9. Reach Out I'll Be There
(6:16) 10. The Ladies Who Lunch
(2:15) 11. Larghetto

Don Byron continues to fascinate and puzzle jazz listeners with his refusal to be pigeonholed. Even as he completes one project, he's working on the next one, which inevitably will be a departure from all of the CDs that precede it. Yet, each of Byron's CD's enlarge not only the body of his work, but also the fullness of his musical perspective. Possessing interests in jazz, classical works, pop, klezmer, country/western, funk, theatrical repertoire, rap and Latin music, Byron's background is such that his curiosity about various forms can take any direction in future productions. While many jazz artists remain consistent and predictable, Byron naturally and without pretense investigates approaches that few other jazz musicians would attempt. Plus, Byron's dedication to the revival of the jazz clarinet remains admirable, extending the tradition through an original aesthetic, or perhaps a through an imaginative synthesis, that positions a clarinetist as the creative leader of advances in music, and indeed African-American culture.Thus, no one except perhaps Byron' producer Hans Wendl knows where Byron will go next. This unpredictability leads to one inevitability: that Byron'CD's always will present a thematic concept, complete with detailed musical proof of his hypotheses. Byron recorded the music of Mickey Katz not because it would become the flavor of the month, but because he believes in the excellence of the klezmer music that had been overlooked. He brought together modern poetry and rap on Nu Blaxploitation because it asserts a statement about African-American culture that mainstream culture didn't hear as did Tuskegee Experiments. Music For Six Musicians threw out the common view of Afro-Caribbean music as consisting of a regular beat more akin to jazz and introduced the more authentic clavé that Byron heard in his Bronx boyhood neighborhood and in Boston where he played in Latin bands while attending Berklee. Romance With The Unseen assumed an intellectual basis for the notion of "romance" and associated with it anger, longing and unity. So where is Don Byron going with A Fine Line: Arias & Lieder?  Byron'contention this time is that, even though modern music has advanced to the point of non-singability, African-influenced musical concepts have tethered songs to the tradition of the more classical arias of opera and lieder of composers like Schumann. 

Once again, Byron has recorded a thematic album that posits an idea and then makes his point through example. The listener, then, may be taken aback by the proximity of Bernstein's operatic aria of "Glitter And Be Gay" two tracks away from Roy Orbison's "It's Over." In fact, Byron'choice of singers (who have collaborated in the past with pianist Uri Caine as well) is apt. Patricia O'Callaghan seems to be a student not of genre, but of voice, as she exhibits chameleonic versatility by sounding like two distinctively different singers on her extroverted rendition of "Glitter And Be Gay" and then her soft and subtle performance of Stevie Wonder's "Creepin." Singer Mark Ledford proves to be just as versatile, wordlessly singing the melodic lines of Ornette Coleman's "Check Up" in unison with Byron and then lowering his voice an octave in a range closer to Byron's bass clarinet on "It's Over."The one track involving Cassandra Wilson, Stephen Sondheim's "The Ladies Who Lunch," is notable for the fact that it leads the listener to realize the natural next step in her career: the Broadway theater. She is unexpectedly effective in presenting the story-telling nature of the tune, complete with narrative, rhetorical questions, humor and anecdotal descriptions. So where does all of this leave Byron, the intellectual center of the album? Giving Henry Mancini due respect for his unparalleled talent for tunesmithing, Byron is reduced to playing above the background singers on "Soldier In The Rain" after introducing the melody. And how do you work a clarinet into the overwrought tune, "It's Over"? Rather than taking center stage in the vocal numbers, Byron alternates the sung "arias und lieder" with compare-and-contrast clarineting of classical compositions like Puccini's "Nessun Dorma" or Chopin's "Larghetto." Byron has composed one minor-keyed étude, "Basquiat," that he performs in duo with Caine. As usual, Don Byron is uncompromising, thought-provoking and controversial on A Fine Line: Arias & Lieder. Some listeners, especially those who have followed Caine's just-as-challenging work, will endorse it. Some, with demands for consistency and most easily digestible musical consumption, will argue against it. But once again, no one will be neutral about Don Byron's music. ~ AAJ Staff https://www.allaboutjazz.com/a-fine-line-arias-and-lieder-don-byron-blue-note-records-review-by-aaj-staff.php

Personnel: Don Byron: clarinet, bass clarinet; Uri Caine: piano; Jerome Harris: bass guitar, acoustic guitar; Paulo Braga: drums, percussion; Mark Ledford, Patricia O'Callaghan, Dean Bowman, Cassandra Wilson: vocals.

A Fine Line: Arias And Lieder

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Don Sebesky - A Jazz Portrait of Charlie Mariano

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:33
Size: 92,0 MB
Art: Front

(2:58)  1. I Feel Pretty
(4:14)  2. The Wind
(7:30)  3. To Taiho
(4:29)  4. Goodbye
(2:52)  5. The Shout
(5:24)  6. Portrait of an Artist
(3:19)  7. Deep in a Dream
(5:37)  8. Pretty Little Nieda
(3:05)  9. The Song Is You

"There is so much taht could be said about this album, but until the record companies consider using larger jackets, I shall be obliged to hold my enthusiasm in check. I must mention Jim Hall's masterful playing is something we have all come to expect from him. Phil Bodner, whose complete mastery of all the redd instruments makes him a one man section, and as such, he is an invaluable asset. Mel Lewis' consistently fine musicianship and his fiery propulsion to the big band tracks is more thanworthy of comment Charlie's gospel-tinged THE SHOUT, the Sebesky title tune of the album, amd Rolf Ericson's delightful jazz waltz, Pretty Little Nieda, coupled with the standards, make for above average programming, something of a novelty in a business that has become mired in anonymity. Regiona Records should feel very proud of yhis contribution, and I repeat if this album doesn't scare a lot of people there is definitely something wrong with the music business." ~ Mort Fega, liner-notes from the original LP on Regina Records https://www.freshsoundrecords.com/charlie-mariano-albums/4076-a-jazz-portrait-of-charlie-mariano.html

Personnel: Charlie Mariano (as), Jim Hall (g), Mel Lewis (d), Bob Brookmeyer (v-tb), Marvin Stamm (tp), Roger Kellaway, Jaki Byard (p), Richard Davis, Art Davis (b), Albert 'Tootie' Heath (d)

A Jazz Portrait of Charlie Mariano

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Robin Eubanks and Mental Images - Get 2 It

Styles: Trombone Jazz
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 73:30
Size: 169,7 MB
Art: Front

(8:02)  1. Metamorphos
(5:32)  2. Get 2 It
(5:23)  3. Essi
(2:16)  4. REM State
(6:38)  5. Blues for Jimi
(8:36)  6. Cross Currents
(5:57)  7. RNB-First Take
(6:26)  8. Sabanna
(8:53)  9. House of Jade
(5:13) 10. Reunion
(5:57) 11. Indo
(4:31) 12. AudioNotes

Robin Eubanks' electronic trombone is something else. Horn players have been trying for decades to create a vocal-like sound on their instruments. The plunger mute helped brass players when jazz was young. The electronic saxophone and EWI have allowed reed players to play harmony and create inspiring effects; yet, neither instrument has allowed sufficiently for vocal effects. Instead, flute players achieve their vocal effects through ' well ' vocalizing. Over the years, creative artists such as Lester Bowie have experimented with natural-sounding vocal sounds expressed through a horn. Eubanks' session comes a long way from early tailgate trombone and the timeless junior high school antics of creating kissing sounds or a horse's holiday neigh through the trumpet. Combining hard core electronic experimentation with down-to-earth trombone artistry, Eubanks brings his latest album to a wider audience. Singing the blues, he works the electronic trombone through "Blues for Jimi," resembling the wordless vocals of scat singing. The fascinating sounds, while somewhat eerie at times, are placed in a tasteful jazz environment. A blues organ trio supports Eubanks as it would any emotional singer. Only the title track contains actual vocal expression. The other vocal-like exhibitions are through the electronic trombone. Several selections place Eubanks' trombone in a sextet format with modern mainstream originals. His brother, Duane, joins on trumpet for some hard bop hitting. A propelling rhythm section drives both brothers forcefully. Samples of two of the album's tracks are available at the trombonist's mp3 site . Showing his true potential, Eubanks performs "Essie," a lovely trombone ballad, with Kevin Eubanks' acoustic guitar accompanying. Having recorded six CDs as a leader, Robin Eubanks has proven that he has an unyielding respect for jazz's traditions. Placed in this context, his highly individualized, singing, electronic trombone makes a warm addition to the jazz world and should encourage others to explore similar new avenues for expression. 

~ Jim Santella https://www.allaboutjazz.com/get-2-it-robin-eubanks-rem-review-by-jim-santella.php

Personnel: Robin Eubanks (trombone & electric trombone); Duane Eubanks (trumpet); Kevin Eubanks (acoustic guitar); Maya Azucena (vocals); George Colligan, Michael Cain (keyboards); Lonnie Plaxico, Dave Holland (bass); Billy Kilson, Gene Jackson (drums); Mino Cinelu (percussion)

Get 2 It

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Kristen Lee Sergeant - Smolder

Styles: Vocal 
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:04
Size: 110,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:50)  1. True
(5:17)  2. Balm / Burn
(5:50)  3. Afterglow
(4:16)  4. I'm Beginning to See the Light
(5:36)  5. Midnight Sun
(4:38)  6. It's All Right with Me
(3:58)  7. Show Me
(5:08)  8. Sconsolato
(4:59)  9. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes (These Foolish Things)
(3:28) 10. The Best Is yet to Come

Sometimes it takes an entire album, or even a few, to appreciate an artist's depth. But in the case of vocalist Kristen Lee Sergeant, you can get there in a song. Her morphing take on '80s new wave outfit Spandau Ballet's "True," revealing a theatrical streak and some pure and pliable pipes, does the job and then some. As an arranger Sergeant paints with beauty and perspective there, matching Ted Nash's alto flute to Jeb Patton's piano and making artful use of Jody Redhage Ferber's cello; and as a singer she balances passion and poise in her uncovering of the song's hidden angles and inner truths. It's a real achievement, and the first of many smart performances on Smolder. Regardless of what material she's working with, Sergeant makes her mark by molding a song and owning its intentions with wisdom and clarity. On "Balm/Burn" she works a seam that soothes and seduces all at once. Through "Afterglow" she explores post-romance in ruminative fashion, with Nash's alto saxophone shadowing her mood and upping the ante. During "I'm Beginning To See The Light" she shows a lighter side and more flexible phrasing, connecting with bassist Cameron Brown's supportive lines. And during the reduced-gravity introduction of "Midnight Sun," her vocal certainty in the face of the unknown helps to light the way. With the exception of Jimmy Woode's bossa-ballad "Sconsolato," the second half of the album focuses on classics that should be largely familiar to jazz-loving ears. But familiarity breeds a stretch here, as Sergeant expertly toys with form and flow. "It's All Right With Me" changes tempos and makes some sharp turns, with drummer Jay Sawyer steering with style and Sergeant stopping and shifting on a dime. And "Show Me" is twisted and tweaked, too. A shifting of gears and a play on moods carries the song to unexpected places. The parting selections further illustrate Sergeant's vision of personalized narrative embedded within known quantities. Binding "These Foolish Things" and "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes," she creates an unbroken ideal laced with cello charms. And adding Afro-Cuban sway to "The Best Is Yet To Come," she raises a glass to optimism on her way out. With insightful offerings and stylish arrangements, Smolder truly stands apart. Kristen Lee Sergeant is most certainly deserving of greater recognition. ~ Dan Bilawsky https://www.allaboutjazz.com/smolder-kristen-lee-sergeant-plastic-sax-records-review-by-dan-bilawsky.php

Personnel: Kristen Lee Sergeant: vocals, arrangements; Jeb Patton: piano; Cameron Brown: bass; Jay Sawyer: drums; Ted Nash: alto flute/alto saxophone; Jody Redhage Ferber: cello; Rogerio Boccato: percussion.

Smolder

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