Ralph Peterson and The Messenger Legacy - Legacy Alive, Vol. 6 at the Side Door

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop, Hard Bop
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 105:10
Size: 241,7 MB
Art: Front

(11:01) 1. A La Mode
(10:11) 2. Wheel Within a Wheel
( 7:45) 3. The Core
( 9:07) 4. My One and Only Love
( 8:38) 5. 3 Blind Mice
(11:49) 6. Blues March
(10:07) 7. In Case You Missed It
( 7:54) 8. Along Came Betty
( 6:53) 9. Children of the Night
( 8:51) 10. That Old Feeling
(12:49) 11. Caravan

Recorded loud and live at the Side Door Jazz Club in Old Lyme, CT, Ralph Peterson the last drummer to play side-by-side with the incomparable Art Blakey delivers an unstoppable two-disc hyperdrive swing-fest celebration of his mentor with Legacy Alive, Volume 6 at the Side Door. It's no deep state secret that Blakey, with his effortless and effusive glee, seamlessly bridged all of jazz's thrilling variants: '40's swing and blues; the nascent bop and hard bop of the '50s to the soaring, exploratory avant-garde of the '60's. Fletcher Henderson, Chick Webb and Mary Lou Williams to Thelonious Monk and McCoy Tyner, Blakey drove them all with his relentless spirit and snapping snare. So, to mark Blakey's centennial year and his own 57th, Peterson, his rhythmic intuitions and understandings of Blakey fully engaged, presents his frothy sextet: saxophonists Bill Pierce on tenor and Bobby Watson on alto, trumpeter Brian Lynch, bassist Essiet Essiet, and pianist Geoffrey Keezer and a raucous, eleven-song set of smoking tunes long associated with Blakey and any version of his Jazz Messengers. Peterson, Keezer, and Essiet blow the Side Door open with "A La Mode," and the momentum fiery, free, frenetic never lets up. Watson, himself a Blakey alum, contributes "Wheel Within A Wheel," a rolling hard-bop blazer that sets the stage for Freddie Hubbard's "The Core," a real showcase for the horns. And the hits keep coming! Rollicking takes of "3 Blind Mice," Benny Golson's signature "Blues March" and "Along Came Betty," Wayne Shorter's fervent "Children of the Night" and a set-closing jump-romp of Duke Ellington's "Caravan" serve to prove the fact that, on any given night, in any given club with the right combo, greatness can be heard.~ Mike Jurkovic https://www.allaboutjazz.com/legacy-alive-volume-6-at-the-side-door-ralph-peterson-onyx-music-label-review-by-mike-jurkovic.php

Personnel: Ralph Peterson: drums; Bobby Watson: saxophone; Bill Pierce: saxophone, Brian Lynch: trumpet; Geoffrey Keezer: piano; Essiet Essiet: bass.

R.I.P.
Born: May 20, 1962, Pleasantville, New Jersey, United States
Died: March 1, 2021

Legacy Alive, Vol. 6 at the Side Door

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Dave Blenkhorn, Harry Allen - Under a Blanket of Blue

Styles: Saxophone And Guitar Jazz
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:08
Size: 108,8 MB
Art: Front

(5:05) 1. There's a Small Hotel
(5:17) 2. We'll Be Together Again
(4:23) 3. Dindi
(4:53) 4. Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered
(4:01) 5. Under a Blanket of Blue
(6:31) 6. Street of Dreams
(4:22) 7. La Mer
(4:13) 8. Imagination
(3:49) 9. The Bloody Happy Song
(4:29) 10. Solitude

Conceived from the same stressors catalyzing The Bloody Happy Song, Under A Blanket Of Blue added an additional level of complexity and challenge to the new COVID conception-production paradigm. In this case, Allen had been touring Europe with France-based, Australian guitarist Dave Blenkhorn in March 2020, when Allen received a telephone call from his wife, summoning him home due to the COVID travel ban to be instituted two days hence. Allen went home with a conversation he had with the guitarist in mind regarding recording at home ringing in his ears. So, with both musicians secure in their respective homes in New York City and Bordeaux, France, they recorded a collection of nine standards and one original (Allen's "The Bloody Happy Song" from the previous review) over a two-month period, working on one or two songs per week.

The two artists took a queue from classical music period performance specialists, deciding to go old school instrument and recording-wise. Allen recorded performing on a 1938 Selmer Balanced Action tenor saxophone captured through a Royer R10 ribbon microphone, while Blenkhorn used a 1958 Gibson 175 model guitar. A Django Reinhardt enthusiast, Blenkhorn brought a 1920 "Hot Club" vintage sound to the performances while maintaining Joe Pass-inspired walking-bass figures interspersed among his tasteful chording. That guitar environment proved to be money for Allen, who played at the top of his form.. Novel conception and recording method apart, the musical duet is the most intimate performance setting. It requires that two individuals cooperate and coalesce artistically, creating something not heard before. Sure, all of the songs in this recital have been performed and recorded every which way, some many times, before. But these songs as presented by Harry Allen and Dave Blenkhorn re freshly minted That alone makes them special, unique. Casual and close, the two musicians bring music together from across an open.

The repertoire is tried and true, with the closing songs defining the collection: Victor Young's 1932 "Street of Dreams" receives a breezy introduction from Blenkhorn before assimilating a first timid Allen into its confines. The song gathers swing density ending on a well conceived coda. Charles Trenet's "La Mer" (Columbia, 1946) bounces with tuneful glee, with Allen gently coaxing the melody through the harmonic underpinning provided by Blenkhorn's guitar. Jimmy Van Heusen's "Imagination" rubs its baladic backside against Allen's original "The Bloody Happy Song" reprised here from the same-titled recording above. The two end with an introverted performance of Duke Ellington "Solitude," proving again that the Great American Songbook continue tp provide an endless source of inspiration.~ C.Michael Bailey https://www.allaboutjazz.com/harry-allen-tenor-saxophone-in-the-time-of-covid-harry-allen

Personnel: Harry Allen (ts), Dave Blenkhorn (g)

Under a Blanket of Blue

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