Jim Hall - Textures

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 1996
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:33
Size: 118,3 MB
Art: Front

( 6:58) 1. Fanfare
( 9:46) 2. Ragman
( 6:44) 3. Reflections
( 4:46) 4. Quadrologue
(12:54) 5. Passacaglia
( 5:59) 6. Sazanami
( 4:23) 7. Circus Dance

Now this is really different. Without dropping his electric and acoustic guitars for a minute, Jim Hall reaches back to his early classical studies and joins the Third Stream. The result is an absorbing set of seven Hall compositions that reveal a hitherto unseen, serious, sometimes whimsical side of a musician we all thought we had pegged. A lot of this is rooted in 1950s classical/jazz fusions from Stan Kenton to Gunther Schuller, yet Hall thankfully makes even the most cerebral passages sound attractive, thanks in part to the delicate, still-soft timbres of his electric guitar. Each piece is quite different from that of its neighbor; two ("Fanfare," "Reflections") have surprisingly dense and dissonant writing for a brass septet, another ("Quadrologue") uses pizzicato strings plunking acerbically over a repeated ostinato, still another is an informal "Passacaglia" with isolated interludes for solo classical guitar. The splendidly nostalgic "Sazanami," with steel drum tappings over a Caribbean shaker rhythm, is the closest thing to a strictly jazz-oriented groove on the CD, and a mock "Circus Dance" for oompah-ing brass adds a touch of droll and morose humor at the end of the program.

The most original piece is probably "Ragman," with its contemporary string writing, Middle Eastern flavor, and Joe Lovano rattling around the percussive rhythms on soprano sax. Signing with Telarc allegedly a safe refuge for aging jazz stars seems to have brought out the daring explorer in Hall in this and his previous release, Dialogues. More power to him.~ Richard S. Ginell https://www.allmusic.com/album/textures-mw0000023650

Personnel: Guitar, Composed By, Arranged By – Jim Hall; Bass – Scott Colley; Drums – Terry Clarke; Flugelhorn – Claudio Roditi; Soprano Saxophone – Joe Lovano; Steel Drums – Derek DiCenzo; Trombone – Jim Pugh; Trumpet – Ryan Kisor

Textures

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Cecil L. Recchia - Songs of the Tree (A Tribute to Ahmad Jamal)

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:11
Size: 94,7 MB
Art: Front

(3:22)  1. Volga Boatmen
(5:08)  2. Naked City
(3:42)  3. Minor Moods
(2:50)  4. You're Blase
(2:43)  5. The Breeze and I
(3:53)  6. Time on My Hands
(4:27)  7. Autumn Leaves
(4:32)  8. Ahmad's Blues
(4:58)  9. The Party's Over
(5:32) 10. Poinciana

Following years of classical piano training and American literature studies at the Sorbonne, Cecil L. Recchia entered the world of jazz at the Paris CIM, institute for contemporary music and jazz. She then continued to develop her jazz acumen in master classes conducted by such jazz legends as Michelle Hendricks, Bob Stoloff, Barry Harris and Norma Winstone. Cecil created the Cid Azilis Project in 2007, a quartet in which she interprets an original repertory of personal compositions along with English and American poems by Shakespeare, Poe and Dickinson set to her own music. After making a splash with her quartet at the 2008 Sunset/Sunside Awards, Cecil L. Recchia has since become a regular on the Paris jazz scene. That same year, she performed live in “Jazz à la Récré” (EMI) for the release of the eponymous record also featuring Didier Lockwood and Hal Singer. 

This project was warmly received, particularly at the first edition of “Jazz for Kids” at the 2009 Villette Jazz Festival. It was followed by a second opus, “Noël en Jazz” in which Cecil is both lead vocalist and arranger. With « Songs of the Tree : a tribute to Ahmad Jamal » recorded with Vincent Bourgeyx, Manuel Marches and David Grebil, it offers a first successful opus, which quickly received a warm welcome from the public. Cecil continues to pursue a singing career in a variety of jazz and Brazilian music ensembles, alongside her ongoing activities as a vocal jazz coach. https://cecilrecchia.com/en/bio/

Songs of the Tree (A Tribute to Ahmad Jamal)

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