Keith Jarrett - Always Let Me Go (Live In Tokyo) Disc 1, Disc 2

Album: Always Let Me Go (Live In Tokyo) Disc 1

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:06
Size: 140,2 MB
Art: Front

(32:12)  1. Hearts In Space
( 3:34)  2. The River
(16:18)  3. Tributaries
( 9:01)  4. Paradox

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Album: Always Let Me Go (Live In Tokyo) Disc 2

Time: 76:22

Size: 175,1 MB

(34:25)  1. Waves

(14:04)  2. Facing East

(14:51)  3. Tsunami

(13:00)  4. Relay

Recorded live in Tokyo in April 2001, Always Let Me Go is Keith Jarrett's 149th concert in Japan. Joined by his long-standing partners Gary Peacock and Jack DeJohnette, these performances are playful, explosive, somber, and completely improvised. After 20 years of working together, they trust each other (and the audience) enough to deliver over two hours of unscripted music. DeJohnette prowls through his drums like a restless cougar: he chatters, scuffles, and pounces on the skins with agility. Likewise, Peacock spoons out a concrete foundation of bass; one that bubbles as it spreads through the cracks in Jarrett's 88 keys (which serve the pianist so very well). For listeners familiar with the trio's Inside Out CD, here is the same idea further elaborated on. "Hearts in Space" spirals out of the starting gate with geometrical tremors, as three virtuosos all start their respective engines and read each other's pulses over the course of 32 minutes. The trio effortlessly glide from mood to mood in synchronization to deliver a ballad in the eye of a hurricane, then dismount into straight-ahead swing. "The River" is a stoic hymn, a richness of melancholy in deep scarlet blue. It is Jarrett's only solo here, as brief as it is rewarding. "Paradox" rides the crest of bebop in a simmering stew to close out the first disc with a punch that stops on a dime. There are enough recurring themes here to call it a standard of sorts, and the musicians quickly assume the proper formation as they've done thousands of times before. Disc two opens with "Waves," another half-hour marathon of moods that evolves seamlessly between chromatic stillness, manic fluttering, and gunpowder bop. DeJohnette clearly sets the tone for "Facing East" a syncopated clockwork of beat, as Jarrett pinwheels in like-minded percussives with Peacock flipping through volumes of frets. Next comes the aptly titled "Tsunami," which swells and bursts with power before finally subsiding to fractured stillness. It is the fire in the musicians' bellies perhaps the darkest and most ferocious passage of the album. As is often the case, Jarrett's distant vocals pinch the air from time to time. Although purists may wince at this additional layer of seasoning, there's no denying his expression comes out of the deepest level of commitment. It is this same commitment that fuels so much of the album. With the knowledge that Always Let Me Go is live and improvised, it adds a rewarding layer of understanding and appreciation, as few musicians can deliver such diamonds with so little structure in place. Song for song, the symbiosis is a marvel to behold and the audience knows it. These are gods at play, and the lightning bolts they toss around are awe-inspiring. ~ Glenn Swan https://www.allmusic.com/album/always-let-me-go-live-in-tokyo-mw0000662266

Personnel:  Keith Jarrett – piano; Gary Peacock - bass; Jack DeJohnette - drums

Always Let Me Go (Live In Tokyo)Disc 1, Disc 2

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Gonzalo Rubalcaba - Charlie

Size: 167,0 MB
Time: 72:39
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz: Latin Jazz, Afro-Cuban Jazz
Art: Front

01. First Song ( 5:58)
02. Sandino (11:48)
03. La Pasionaria ( 9:58)
04. Hermitage ( 9:20)
05. Bay City ( 8:55)
06. Blue In Green ( 4:36)
07. Nightfall ( 9:07)
08. Transparence ( 6:03)
09. Silence ( 6:51)

One of the most important figures to emerge from Afro-Cuban jazz in the '90s, Gonzalo Rubalcaba is an extraordinarily versatile pianist able to blend disparate strands of Cuban and American jazz tradition into a fresh, modern whole. Born into a musical family in Havana on May 27, 1963, Rubalcaba began studying classical piano at age eight, honing his technique in that area for the next 12 years while playing around Havana by night. In 1983, he toured France and Africa with Cuba's longstanding Orquesta Aragon, and formed his own band, Grupo Proyecto, in 1985, the same year he was discovered by Dizzy Gillespie. In 1986, Rubalcaba played the Havana Jazz Festival with the American rhythm section of Charlie Haden and Paul Motian, and with Haden's support soon appeared at major international festivals like Montreal and Montreux.

Rubalcaba's early dates for Blue Note -- 1990's Discovery: Live at Montreux and the following year's The Blessing -- were instant classics, breaking him among American jazz audiences and showcasing his virtuosic technique and dense improvisations. Rubalcaba was finally able to play for American audiences beginning in 1993, including a star-making appearance at Lincoln Center, and soon emigrated from Cuba (though not to the U.S. right away; he eventually settled in South Florida in 1996). Rubalcaba recorded for several labels, including Blue Note, which was home to much of his best later work, including 1999's introspective Inner Voyage, 2001's Grammy-winning Supernova, 2004's Paseo, which offered new interpretations of old songs, and 2005's aptly named Solo. In 2002 Rubalcaba shared the title of Artist in Residence at the Montreal Jazz Festival with fellow pianist Chucho Valdés, and in 2003, as part of the Bele Bele Jazz Club series, issued Straight Ahead, re-releases of three separate recording sessions between 1986 and 1987. ~by Steve Huey

Charlie

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Doug Webb - The Message

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:12
Size: 142,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:55) 1. Caught In The Webb
(5:17) 2. Nekide
(5:28) 3. The Message
(4:49) 4. I Was Doing Alright
(4:59) 5. Frustration
(4:26) 6. Doug's Dilemma
(4:53) 7. Keeping Up With The Joneses
(6:14) 8. New Beginning
(4:36) 9. Baubles, Bangles & Beads
(8:35) 10. Where Did You Come From?
(6:54) 11. Bonnie Lass

Tenor saxophonist Doug Webb may have played more gigs than anyone, claiming to never have turned one down. He continues to be the go-to saxophonist on the Los Angeles film and television scene with over 30 years in the business, and over 500 recordings. (One publication claims that he has appeared on over one thousand records). He’s also one of the longest-tenured artists on the Posi-Tone label, retuning with The Message, his eleventh album. While most of his recordings are in a quartet configuration, here he returns to the triple saxophone lineup of his acclaimed 2015 Triple Play, albeit with a mostly different lineup which includes Greg Osby on alto, Bob Reynolds on tenor, Charles Ruggiero on drums, and returning anchor Brian Charette on organ.

While the lineup would at first glance suggest an all-out blowing session, the date is centered in a more disciplined way around the compositions, bringing more ensemble passages like a big band than a series of lengthy solos or heated exchanges. That’s not to say there isn’t plenty of spirit at play in these mostly up-tempo renderings of mostly original material. In fact, while Webb contributes just one, Reynolds offers two with Osby and Charette contributing one each, as well as Webb’s frequent collaborator, Randy Aldcroft, who doesn’t play on the album, authoring three. That leaves just three covers, the title track, Gershwin’s “I Was Doing Alright,” and “Baubles, Bangles, and Beads.” The session invariably swings into hard bop and slight hints of soul-jazz with Charette being the linchpin on bass pedals, textured and nuance comping, concise chords to push the soloists, and his own economical statements.

They open with Webb’s “Caught in the Web” with the three saxophonists making rapid, rousing runs in just a few choruses each. There’s a clear emphasis on getting in out strong entries, focused improvisations, and precise handoffs to the next. Osby’s’ mid-tempo “Nekide” has the composer blowing fiercely before while the other group members join intermittently just to encourage him to go further. Eventually, the tenors get their say, joining in for an eventual explosive climax. The melodic title track follows as the horns mix ensemble parts with energetic individual statements. Charette’s organ and Ruggiero’s pulsating drumming steer the group deftly through changes like those heard on the title track. Charette sets up the mid-tempo Gershwin swinger “I Was Doing Alright” with Webb leading first to snappy snare work from Ruggiero and Osby and Reynolds follow as does Charette with his first solo opportunity.

We next have four consecutive originals, beginning with Reynolds’ “Frustration,” which opens at a blistering pace, settling in somewhat for his tenor solo before passing the baton to Osby’s frenetic cluster of notes and finally to Webb, who like, Reynolds settles it somewhat until Charrette takes up a notch in this turn as all go out with choruses of drum rolls on the eights. “Doug’s Dilemma” is the first of the three Aldcroft compositions, and we can breathe a little as Webb and company deliver the first ballad. The sound of the tenor and organ in unison on the melody is an interesting touch, just another example of how Webb deftly navigates various tempos and brings fresh perspectives to the material. “Keeping Up with the Joneses’ is taken at a steady pace although the title may suggest a brisker one. It’s another swinger. Charrette seems anxious to move into the soul-jazz mode, taking that tact with his solo and carrying the latter half of the tune in that direction. Finally, the highly melodic “New Beginning” is another mid-tempo swinger with concise statements from each front liner and Charette.

“Baubles, Bangles & Beads” is from the 1953 musical Kismet and is most often associated with Frank Sinatra. The quintet puts plenty of juice into this rendition, a feature for Charette, with each stating the theme beautifully to the abrupt close. Reynolds’ “Where Did You Come From” weighs in as the longest rack at eight and half minutes, giving each a chance to stretch at a relaxed pace. As he consistently does, Osby bursts in with a flurry of energy that lifts up the subsequent flights of each soloist. When one threatens to go to stratospheric levels, it almost seems like Webb acts as a conductor, cutting off ideas then offering something else, without any hint of disengagement or loss of continuity. Charette has the closer, “Bonnie’s Lass,” so organ centric that it conjures slight strains of soul-jazz but blossoms into one where the horns take their customary inspired flights.

One gets the impression that Webb could play virtually anything. His career reflects it and this album echoes strains that we’ve heard in jazz for the past six decades or more. These players know how to get in and get out, holding little back, saying tons with just a few impassioned choruses on most of the tracks in this joyous session. https://glidemagazine.com/273671/veteran-saxophonist-doug-webb-goes-all-out-with-bop-soul-jazz-mission-via-the-message-album-review%EF%BF%BC/

Personnel: Doug Webb - tenor saxophone; Greg Osby - alto saxophone; Bob Reynolds - tenor saxophone; Brian Charette - organ; Charles Ruggiero - drums

The Message

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