The Anthony Wilson Trio - Jack of Hearts

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:08
Size: 134,6 MB
Art: Front

(3:45)  1. Mezcal
(5:47)  2. Jack of Hearts
(5:44)  3. Hawkeyes
(7:43)  4. Carnegie Blues
(8:10)  5. Theme from Chinatown
(4:24)  6. Vida Perdida Acabou
(4:58)  7. Orange Crate Art
(4:09)  8. Harajuku
(7:36)  9. Zweet Zurzday
(5:49) 10. Homecoming

Jack of Hearts isn't the first Anthony Wilson album to feature an organist extensively; for example, he worked with the Los Angeles-based organist Joe Bagg on his 2005 release Savivity. But the guitarist has worked with acoustic pianists more often than organists (at least as of 2009), and Jack of Hearts is unusual in that it finds Wilson not using a pianist at all. On this early 2009 session, Wilson forms an intimate trio with Larry Goldings on organ and Jeff Hamilton or Jim Keltner on drums. 

In the '90s and 2000s, Goldings was one of the leading proponents of a post-Jimmy Smith aesthetic on the Hammond B-3. Goldings has been greatly influenced by the late Larry Young, who started out as a Smith disciple but evolved into an innovative, distinctive post-bop/modal player and went down in history as "The John Coltrane of the Organ." Of course, Goldings is not a clone of Young; he is most certainly his own person, but he shares Young's love of post-bop. So it isn't surprising that Goldings does a lot to shape the post-bop perspective that dominates Jack of Hearts. 

His presence is a major plus on material that was composed by Goldings and/or Wilson, and it is a major plus on memorable arrangements of Coleman Hawkins' "Hawkeyes" and two of Duke Ellington's lesser-known pieces ("Zweet Zursday" and "Carnegie Blues"). The fact that neither of those Ellington tunes is a standard speaks well of Wilson, who is smart enough to realize that one of the joys of the vast Ellington songbook is hearing all of the worthwhile Ellington compositions that didn't become standards. Jack of Hearts is a consistently engaging addition to Wilson's catalog. ~ Alex Henderson http://www.allmusic.com/album/jack-of-hearts-mw0000821393

Personnel: Anthony Wilson (guitar); Larry Goldings (celesta); Jeff Hamilton , Jim Keltner (drums).

Jack of Hearts

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Prince Lasha - The Cry!

Styles: Flute Jazz
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:00
Size: 99,2 MB
Art: Front

(5:07) 1. Congo Call
(7:01) 2. Bojangles
(4:55) 3. Green and Gold
(5:03) 4. Ghost of the Past
(5:07) 5. Red's Mood
(5:36) 6. Juanita
(5:18) 7. Lost Generation
(4:48) 8. A.Y
.

Give a quick listen to this CD and you might be tempted to write off Prince Lasha and Sonny Simmons as Ornette Coleman knockoffs, albeit good ones. The reality is that Lasha had been playing with Coleman since high school, swapping ideas and looking for fellow players in a world that wasn’t quite ready for what they had to offer. Coleman broke through first, and finally people were ready for Lasha; The Cry, one of Lasha and Simmons’ only appearances on record, present them as a fine working unit that never quite garnered that much attention. Both Coleman and Lasha have similar approaches, yet Lasha’s compositions are more accessible than Coleman’s. Unlike Haden and Higgins, the rhythm section is content to follow a very consistent pulse (unusual for Peacock), providing a firm base that allows the two horns to explore all sorts of terrain. The heads (such as they are) are practically hummable and almost pretty. Simmons sounds quite a bit like a Coleman with more precision, and in fact may be using a plastic alto; Lasha prefers a wooden flute, which gives his passages a dark, earthy tone that contrasts well with the bitter, vibratoless sax. One can be forgiven for thinking that this is Simmon’s date; he gets two songs all to himself without Lasha, both of which show that he could have been a major player in the free jazz area if the cards were dealt differently. These guys probably don’t understand harmolodics any more than you do, but are still capable of creating fine free jazz that succeeds at being adventurous without being demanding. ~ David Rickert https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-cry-prince-lasha-fantasy-jazz-review-by-david-rickert.php

Personnel: Prince Lasha-flute, Sonny Simmons-alto sax, Gary Peacock, Mark Proctor-bass, Gene Stone-drums.

The Cry!

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