Elvin Jones, Jimmy Garrison Sextet, McCoy Tyner - Illumination!

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 1998
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 31:04
Size: 71,9 MB
Art: Front

(5:33) 1. Nuttin' Out Jones
(3:46) 2. Oriental Flower
(6:25) 3. Half And Half
(4:09) 4. Aborigines Dance In Scotland
(5:12) 5. Gettin' On Way
(5:57) 6. Just Us Blues

Until it was reissued in 1998, this was one of the more elusive Impulse sets of the 1960s. Recorded in 1963 and co-led by John Coltrane's drummer and bassist (Elvin Jones and Jimmy Garrison), the music is most significant for introducing Sonny Simmons (alto and English horn) and Prince Lasha (flute and clarinet), who are joined in the sextet by underrated baritonist Charles Davis and Trane's pianist McCoy Tyner.

Each of the musicians except Jones contributed an original (there are two by Davis); the music ranges from advanced hard bop to freer sounds that still swing. While Garrison's contributions are conventional (this was his only opportunity to lead or co-lead a date), Jones is quite powerful. However, it is the playing of both Simmons, who tears it apart on English horn during "Nuttin' Out Jones," and Lasha (when is he going to be rediscovered and recorded again?) that make this early "New Thing" date of greatest interest.~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/illumination%21-mw0000033695

Personnel: Drums – Elvin Jones; Alto Saxophone, English Horn – Sonny Simmons; Baritone Saxophone – Charles Davis; Bass – Jimmy Garrison; Clarinet, Flute – Prince Lasha; Piano – McCoy Tyner

Illumination!

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Kristin Korb - What If?

Styles: Vocal
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:25
Size: 84,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:30) 1. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
(5:46) 2. Copacabana
(5:45) 3. Overjoyed
(4:51) 4. The Power of Love
(5:28) 5. This Is My Life
(5:24) 6. Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight
(4:38) 7. Can't Buy Me Love

American double bassist and vocalist Kristin Korb was primarily based in LA until moving to Denmark about 10 years ago, where she continues to impress audiences with her nonchalant, no-nonsense look at jazz. Her laid-back personality resonates through her music she has a way of taking anything and making it sound cool. This is evident in Korb’s newest release, What If?, where she has rearranged some very recognisable pop songs into trendy jazz numbers. In opening track Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious a song rooted in childhood nonsense from the classic film Mary Poppins Korb has played with mixed metre and pushed the scansion of the lyrics into something musically interesting and even sophisticated. Snorre Kirk on drums is a staple in her band and the two mesh together so well; Korb’s writing is obviously drawn to featuring bass grooves and rhythmic elements and Kirk ties everything together seamlessly.

An admirable trait, in this listener’s opinion, of Korb’s taste in music is that she never shies away from a bit of ‘cheese’, but instead finds a way to turn it into a delicacy thus palatable by pop fans and Michelin star music fans alike. Copacabana is definitely one of Barry Manilow’s most famous hits, and seeing the title on the album jacket may incite an involuntary little cringe. But no need, this arrangement has taken the exotic 70s disco hit and given it a more modal feel with a captivating urgency that wasn’t present in the original. There is something delightful in recognising a piece of music hearing something familiar, realising what it is, and then hearing it in a whole new light. Sometimes simple adjustments, or just an artist putting their own spin on something so famous can be touching. Overjoyed was already a delicate Stevie Wonder song, but here it is soft and twinkly, with the soulful beat removed (it’s a bit of a squidgy synth sound, if you recall), and the passion in Korb’s voice is featured more prominently as a result.

The Power of Love was one track that has changed in style enough that I had to remind myself how the original went. This Huey Lewis and the News song has had such a clever treatment adding more feeling to the lyrics (which are quite an apt message in our divisive world at the moment). The solo by award-winning Danish harmonica player Mathias Heise is bluesy and intricate just what the song needed to tie it together. This Is My Life is from a Shirley Bassey album from the sixties of the same title. This version is poignant and thought-provoking after a year frozen in time and full of reflection. It’s like a celebration of music, our careers and our creativity, and how they are integral to living fulfilled lives. It starts soft, but the trombone solo by Steen Nikolaj Hansen brings a warmth to the tune. By Magnus Hjorth‘s piano solo, the celebration is in full swing. The final chorus with intermingling lines from Korb, Hjorth and Hansen is beautiful and free.

James Taylor’s classic Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight showcases a lightness to Korb’s voice and a bass solo with a richness to balance. Tenor sax solo by Karl-Martin Almqvist may be short but he packs a punch, reminiscent of a Celine Dion power-ballad before Korb brings it back in for a romantic, altered ending. The record ends with another harmonica feature for Heise on a Beatles standard Can’t Buy Me Love. Elements of a New Orleans second line sneak in here and there, with funky punches too, but it swings somethin’ fierce which is just what was needed.~ Lauren Bush https://londonjazznews.com/2021/04/12/kristin-korb-what-if/

What If?

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