Joe Henderson - The Complete Blue Note Studio Sessions (5-Disc Set)

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2021
Time: 79:01
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 180,9 MB
Art: Front

(15:18) 1. Una Mas (One More Time)
( 8:58) 2. Straight Ahead
( 7:20) 3. Sao Paulo
( 5:08) 4. If Ever I Would Leave You
( 8:01) 5. Blue Bossa
( 9:09) 6. La Mesha
( 4:14) 7. Homestretch
( 6:02) 8. Recorda Me
( 7:23) 9. Jinrikisha
( 7:24) 10. Out of the Night

If an artist stamps his jazz passport with any one of these labels Blue Note, Verve, Milestone it's pretty much a guarantee that you've arrived in style. Tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson has traveled with all three and more. The 2021 reissue from the prestigious Mosaic Records focuses on Henderson's 1960s tenure with Blue Note offers a new opportunity to experience an abundance of rich and creative jazz from the decade.

Big band and bop were duking it out in the late 1940s, bebop gained a foothold in the 1950s and the 1960s saw some amazingly creative artists emerge as they conjured up even more jazz hybrids (straight jazz, Avant-Garde, fusion and more). Henderson began to come of age during the very late 1950s, the tail end of one of the most dynamic and creative decades for jazz. He then moved confidently into the 1960s and beyond. He began to gain momentum in the 1960s (sitting in with saxophone master Dexter Gordon early on), learned from listening to other sax giants including Charlie Parker and Sonny Rollins and soon teamed up with numerous A-list artists including trumpeter Kenny Dorham, a Blue Note co-artist. The spotlight shifted a bit during the seventies and eighties for Henderson but he was amazingly prolific in the 1990s. Verve championed him during that decade with a high profile 'come back' campaign and sessions such as Lush Life (1982) contained everything from the supple and smoky "Isfahan" and "Blood Count" to the soaring and spontaneous "Johnny Come Lately." Touring took him to various venues and in a talk backstage after a mid-1990s concert, Mr. Henderson was dapper and smartly dressed, low key, quiet and reserved. He was a joy to talk to. But his constant companion, a lit cigarette, was absent, probably due to venue restriction (chain smoking eventually took him down in 2001.)

Mosaic collected nearly fifty cuts on five CDs and captured a world of spontaneous creativity. In addition, a modest yet informative booklet is included. A book's worth of praise could follow, so let's look at a few tracks from each compact disc: Everything gets underway with the title cut from trumpeter Kenny Dorham's Una Mas (1963) album in which Henderson joins as a featured sideman. At over fifteen minutes, the opening track is a celebration of the then contemporary sounds of Bossa Nova, with hints of other styles including the blues. He may be the second billed musician on the disc, but Henderson's sax is supple, lush and creatively enticing as a close bond was being forged between the two men. Everyone swings, and they are upbeat on "Straight Ahead," one of the other standout tracks from the Dorham-lead sessions. (full review => https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-complete-joe-henderson-blue-note-studio-sessions-joe-henderson-mosaic-records)

Personnel: Joe Henderson: Saxophone; Kenny Dorham: Trranumpet; Herbie Hancock: Piano; Tony Williams: Drums; McCoy Tyner: Piano; Bob Cranshaw: Bass; Duke Pearson: Piano; Richard Davis: Bass, Acoustic; s: Drums; Tommy Flanagan: Piano; Ron Carter: Elvin Jones: Bass; Cedar Walton: Piano; Lee Morgan: Trumpet; Curtis Fuller: Trombone; Grant Green: Guitar; Bobby Hutcherson: Vibraphone; J.J. Johnson: Trombone; Al Harewood: Drums; Woody Shaw: Trumpet; Andrew Hill: Piano.

The Complete Blue Note Studio Sessions CD1

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Styles: Jazz
Year: 2021
Time: 76:41
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 175,6 MB
Art: Front

( 8:17) 1. La Mesha (alternate take)
( 7:38) 2. Homestretch (alternate take)
( 8:33) 3. Teeter Totter
(10:05) 4. Pedro's Time
( 5:38) 5. Our Thing
( 6:20) 6. Back Road
( 8:06) 7. Escapade
( 7:11) 8. Teeter Totter (alternate take)
( 5:31) 9. Our Thing (alternate take)
( 9:18) 10. In 'N Out (alternate take)

The Complete Blue Note Studio Sessions CD2

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Styles: Jazz
Year: 2021
Time: 76:45
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 175,7 MB
Art: Front

(10:25) 1. In 'N Out
( 9:09) 2. Punjab
( 6:17) 3. Serenity
( 7:11) 4. Short Story
( 6:25) 5. Brown's Town
(12:24) 6. Trompeta Toccata
( 5:46) 7. Night Watch
(11:05) 8. Mamacita
( 8:00) 9. The Fox

The Complete Blue Note Studio Sessions CD3

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Styles: Jazz
Year: 2021
Time: 78:40
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 180,1 MB
Art: Front

(11:58) 1. Inner Urge
( 9:16) 2. Isotope
( 7:14) 3. El Barrio
( 7:21) 4. You Know I Care
( 7:24) 5. Night and Day
( 8:14) 6. Hobo Joe
( 8:30) 7. Step Lightly
( 6:07) 8. The Kicker
( 5:46) 9. Mo' Joe
( 6:45) 10. If

The Complete Blue Note Studio Sessions CD4

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Styles: Jazz
Year: 2021
Time: 59:11
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 135,5 MB
Art: Front

(7:08) 1. A Shade of Jade
(8:03) 2. Mode for Joe
(6:53) 3. Black
(6:43) 4. Caribbean Fire Dance
(7:23) 5. Granted
(6:41) 6. Free Wheelin'
(9:28) 7. Mode for Joe (alternate take)
(6:49) 8. Black (alternate take)

The Complete Blue Note Studio Sessions CD5

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Muriel Grossmann - Elevation

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:40
Size: 105,5 MB
Art: Front

( 9:53) 1. Elevation
(12:44) 2. Rising
( 8:24) 3. Chant
( 6:00) 4. Your Pace
( 8:37) 5. Peace For All

In some ways, listening to a Muriel Grossmann album is like stepping back in time. Reflections of Coltrane, Dolphy and Sanders catch the light in my mind’s eye, dancing spirits infused with the power of discovery and inner healing. But it’s so much more than that. Embodying the borderless, fearless, pan-continental energies of contemporary modern jazz, Grossmann’s playing truly embodies the directness and eloquence of the older generation whilst capturing a new, fresh and inspiring virtuosity that leaves me breathless with admiration.

Born in Paris, raised in Vienna, resident in Ibiza, saxophonist and composer Muriel Grossmann has released a dozen albums as leader, going back to the early 2000s. Featuring sounds ranging from hard-swinging modernist jams to free improvisation, expansive spiritual work to rhythm-focussed Afrocentrism, there has always been a distinctive thread of pure and heartfelt spiritual music at the centre of her work. You can’t play this music successfully if you don’t mean it like the music of her contemporary Nat Birchall, Grossmann’s engagement with the Coltrane tradition is sincere and deep. Her music resonates within the tradition, adding her own innovative voice to the story of modal and spiritual jazz in Europe.

“Elevation” is a vinyl only release from Jazzman, and draws on a selection from her 2016 CD album Natural Time (‘Your Pace’, ‘Peace For All’) and from 2017’s CD Momentum (‘Elevation’, ‘Chant’ and ‘Rising’). I discovered Grossman’s music relatively recently, through her two more recent albums, Reverence, and Golden Rule, both released on the RR Gems label. I instantly fell in love with her sound. Featuring her regular quartet of Radomir Milojkovic (guitar) Uros Stamenkovic (drums) and Gina Schwarz (bass), the music chosen for this album has the same feel and vibe to it as her more recent releases, encompassing all that is bold and beautiful about the way she and her band bring together a captivating sense of intimacy, joy and freedom from the glorious music they are performing.

Side A kicks off with a sense of urgency. The retro-feel to Grossmann’s music just adds to the vitality of it all. Crisp, sparkling, melodic invention mixes seamlessly with the deep grooves that arrive quickly, staying present for the tune’s duration, allowing for the gloriously spontaneous soloing to drift in and out of the title track. ‘Rising’ continues in a similar vein, the quartet creating a luxurious atmosphere that floats and slowly spills its gifts of life into the welcoming consciousness. As with all of the tunes here, the solid link between drums and bass, and sax and guitar, leaves a lasting impression, not unlike a late ’60s early ’70s improvisational Jan Garbarek/Terje Rypdal Quartet. Side B has a slightly less raw edge to it, with the sublime ‘Chant’ speaking volumes in a subtle, unhurried way. Alluring and timeless, ‘Your Pace’ is soulful and beguiling, it’s meditative melody enriched by the undoubted connection this group of musicians share. The closing piece ‘Peace For All’ features Grossmann at her best, her sax soulful and contemplative, before reaching out and soaring like a beautiful eagle flying over the most incredibly stunning mountain scenery. Emotive and strikingly innovative, this music is just so inspiring.By Mike Gates https://ukvibe.org/album_reviews/muriel-grossmann-3/

Personnel: Bass – Gina Schwarz; Drums – Uros Stamenkovic; Guitar – Radomir Milojkovic; Tenor Saxophone [Tenor], Alto Saxophone – Muriel Grossmann

Elevation

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Bruce Barth - Dedication

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2022
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:00
Size: 101,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:00) 1. George’s Dance - for George Perry
(5:27) 2. Courage - for all of us
(3:53) 3. In Memoriam - for George Floyd & so many others
(7:29) 4. Let's Go - for McCoy Tyner
(5:38) 5. Better Days
(5:39) 6. Golden Glow
(6:17) 7. That’s How It Sometimes Goes - for Tommy Flanagan
(5:34) 8. Softly, in a Garden Path

So, what, or who, is the soulful pianist Bruce Barth dedicating this trio album to? In the liner notes, Barth mentions the memory of a dear friend Montez Coleman, but truth be told, with bassist Vincente Archer and drummer Montez Coleman, the sounds and styles are dedicated to a collection of inspirations.

Starting off is an upbeat tilt of the ivories to George Perry in "George's Dance" which has Barth and company tapping into their inner Three Sounds on a gospel strut. McCoy Tyner gets a tribute on the bold and dramatic modal "Let's Go" with Coleman snapping out the sticks, while "That's How It Sometimes Goes" is a classy dedication to the glassy Tommy Flanagan, with Barth glowing through the intro. The team gives a "poinciana" pulse to the spacious and hip "Better Days" and Archer is dreamy during "In Memoria" acknowledging George Floyd among others. Grace and lyricism prevail, with the album being an inspiration to being inspired itself.https://originarts.com/reviews/review.php?ReviewID=3335

Personnel: Bruce Barth - piano; Vicente Archer - bass; Montez Coleman - drums

Dedication

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