Sunday, September 27, 2020

Clare Fischer - First Time Out

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1962
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:22
Size: 95,5 MB
Art: Front

(7:10) 1. Nigerian Walk
(4:42) 2. Toddler
(4:03) 3. Stranger
(4:10) 4. Afterfact
(7:33) 5. Free Too Long
(3:15) 6. Piece For Scotty
(5:12) 7. Blues For Home
(5:15) 8. I Love You

First Time Out is the debut album by American composer/arranger/keyboardist Clare Fischer, recorded and released in 1962 by Pacific Jazz Records. Aside from the overwhelmingly positive response that greeted Fischer's debut, the most pervasive reaction was sheer surprise; indeed, Down Beat's 5-star review dubbed it "the biggest surprise of the year." As jazz historian and critic Martin Williams observes, writing in The Saturday Review: First Time Out is from a rather unexpected source: it is a recital by a piano trio, led by Clare Fischer, a man previously known for his arranging and composing. Fischer's piano is not 'interesting,' as an arranger's piano is apt to be. It is much more accomplished than that." While struggling to pinpoint Fischer's pianistic forebears, finding elements of both Bill Evans and Dodo Marmarosa, critic Leonard Feather echoes Williams' essential point, noting Fischer's "complete command of the keyboard; unlike Gil Evans, Tadd Dameron, and other arrangers who are secondarily pianists, he can be judged entirely by a pianistic yardstick."

Gramophone's review praises "this superlative album," in part for preventing Fischer from "becoming one of the most neglected figures in jazz."[5] The Atlanta Daily World's Albert Anderson stops short of such hyperbole, but does acknowledge his own surprise: I knew well before reviewing this record that Fischer was a composer of note. What I didn't know, though, was that he is such an outstanding pianist. However, after listening to these tracks (five of which are Fischer originals), I was tremendously impressed by his facility with a tune - He plays with mastery, melody and perhaps, too, with his audience in mind. The latter is suggested clearly in shifting moods and tempos; there is never a dull moment. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Time_Out_(album)

Personnel: Clare Fischer - piano, composer; Gary Peacock - bass; Gene Stone - drums

First Time Out

Diana Krall - This Dream Of You

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:49
Size: 117,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:50) 1. But Beautiful
(4:05) 2. That's All / Azure-Te
(5:19) 3. Autumn In New York
(3:40) 4. Almost Like Being In Love
(3:57) 5. More Than You Know
(2:25) 6. Just You, Just Me
(4:48) 7. There's No You
(3:17) 8. Don’t Smoke In Bed
(7:01) 9. This Dream Of You
(2:38) 10. I Wished On The Moon
(5:18) 11. How Deep Is The Ocean
(3:27) 12. Singing In The Rain

These 2016-2017 sessions were done around the same time as Turn Up the Quiet but left unfinished following the death of Diana Krall’s longtime collaborator and coproducer Tommy LiPuma. Taking over the production herself, Krall returned to the material and completed This Dream of You as a kind of posthumous LiPuma tribute, with the titular Bob Dylan cover as a centerpiece. Krall on piano, with that low and dusky voice and swinging delivery, mixes it up with a varied cast in different ensemble configurations, and the blend of personalities is rich. At the heart of it is Krall’s quartet with guitarist Anthony Wilson, bassist John Clayton, and drummer Jeff Hamilton. They’re heard with lush string ensemble backing (Alan Broadbent, arranger) on the leadoff “But Beautiful,” but also in a snappier small-group vein on “That’s All,” “Almost Like Being in Love,” and the closing “Singing in the Rain.” Similarly, Krall enlists bassist Christian McBride and guitarist Russell Malone for the string-enhanced “Autumn in New York” as well as the sparser trio ballad “There’s No You.” She yields the piano bench to Broadbent on the intimate piano/vocal duets “More Than You Know” and “Don’t Smoke in Bed” and joins bassist Clayton for the swinging duo romp “I Wished on the Moon.” The title track, the vintage uptempo swinger “Just You, Just Me,” and the dark bolero rendering of Irving Berlin’s “How Deep Is the Ocean” feature the album’s most strikingly heterogeneous lineup: modern fiddler Stuart Duncan, avant-jazz guitarist Marc Ribot, longtime Dylan bassist Tony Garnier, and jazz drummer/hip-hop producer Karriem Riggins. https://music.apple.com/us/album/this-dream-of-you/1525376067

Diana Krall reunited with Tommy LiPuma, the producer who worked with her for the first decade-and-a-half of her career, for Turn Up The Quiet, a 2017 album that found the pianist returning to the Great American Songbook interpretations that made her name. LiPuma died just before the release of Turn Up the Quiet, prompting Krall to fashion a quasi-tribute to her collaborator from the album's leftovers. The ensuing This Dream of You is hushed and reserved, a leisurely stroll through quite familiar standards augmented by a version of Bob Dylan's "This Dream of You," a deep cut from his 2009 album Together Through Life. Krall is supported by a rotating cast of all-star players Christian McBride and Russell Malone are on "Autumn in New York," Marc Ribot and Karriem Riggins are on "How Deep Is the Ocean" and the Dylan tune -- but the energy is so subdued, the shift in players is felt more than heard; the exception is the lively, swinging "Just You, Just Me," where fiddler Stuart Duncan makes his presence known. That mellowness is an attribute of This Dream of You, as it gives the album a distinctly relaxed, sophisticated vibe, but it's also a detriment because the record is so soft and slow it can veer into the sleepy. That wasn't a problem with Turn Up the Quiet, whose stillness was compelling, so This Dream of You winds up shining a light on the accomplishment of the final album Krall and LiPuma finished in his lifetime. Together, they knew which songs to select to create a complete listen. What remained behind is nice but not quite absorbing.~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine https://www.allmusic.com/album/this-dream-of-you-mw0003412229

Personnel: Diana Krall - Vocal; Alan Broadbent – piano; John Clayton – bass; Karriem Riggins – bass guitar; Christian McBride – contrabass; Russell Malon – contrabass; Jeff Hamilton – drum; Anthony Wilson – guitar; Marc Ribot – guitar; Stuart Duncan – guitar; Tony Garnier – rhythm guitar

This Dream Of You