Steve Davis, Eric Alexander, Mike DiRubbo, Harold Mabern, Nat Reeves, Joe Farnsworth - Crossfire

Styles: Trombone Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:55
Size: 135,5 MB
Art: Front

(8:19) 1. Then and Now
(7:36) 2. From the Inside Out
(6:39) 3. Peacekeeper
(9:54) 4. Old Folks
(7:06) 5. Cousin Mary
(6:19) 6. Falling in Love with Love
(7:19) 7. This Nearly Was Mine
(5:39) 8. Con Alma

Steve Davis is one of the breed of young boppers whom have mastered the idiom. Here, the trombonist leads a group mostly culled from One for All, a conglomeration of extraordinary musicians who perform regularly together in the Big Apple. Veteran pianist Harold Mabern joins them, adding experience and depth. Davis plays a mean 'bone, strongly indebted to Curtis Fuller.

Like Fuller, he sticks to the middle range of the horn, boasts a somewhat nasal tone, and plays smoothly at almost any tempo. He is also a good, if cautious, composer. Tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander continues to grow both in stature and skill, and contributes solidly with strong solos. While there is nothing revolutionary or new in the group's playing, there is a strong sense of camaraderie and precision that lifts this performance to a higher level. By Steve Loewy https://www.allmusic.com/album/crossfire-mw0000600873

Musicians: Steve Davis – trombone; Eric Alexander – tenor sax; Mike DiRubbo – alto sax; Harold Mabern – piano; Nat Reeves – bass; Joe Farnsworth – drums

Crossfire

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Sandra Marlowe - The Heart Always Remembers

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:27
Size: 166,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:47) 1. Fascinating rhythm
(5:34) 2. When did you leave heaven
(4:56) 3. Practical arrangement
(4:27) 4. In my arms
(4:37) 5. Too much heaven
(8:24) 6. Corner store blues
(5:28) 7. A sweet wind
(4:14) 8. Nice weather for ducks
(6:53) 9. Whistling away the dark - Anyone can whistle
(5:01) 10. The heart always remembers
(7:25) 11. Trav'lin' all alone - Travelin' light
(5:10) 12. So quiet is the night
(5:24) 13. Let the music take you

The heart always remembers, but so too do the ears. Vocalist Sandra Marlowe, probably aware of that fact, quickly grabs attention by demonstrating a real métier for metric play and gymnastics on pianist Larry Dunlap's witty, album-opening arrangement of "Fascinating Rhythm." Once that focus is on her work, Marlowe doesn't let up. In short order there's a balladic "When Did You Leave Heaven?" which dials things down (and offers some space to bassist Dan Robbins), a waltzing take on Sting's "Practical Arrangement" showcasing the singer's well-paced emotional arc(s), and a full-on embrace of touching and tender jazz-pop with Robin Hambey's "In My Arms." By the time the program arrives at Dunlap's Brazilian-influenced look at the Bee Gees' "Too Much Heaven," it's clear that Marlowe knows how to hold her own in plenty of spaces.

Originals and clever medleys make up most of the balance of the program, with Fran Landesman and Tommy Wolf's snazzy yet light-hearted "Nice Weather For Ducks" acting as the only performance which doesn't slot into any of those categories. Marlowe offers three self-penned selections, sending out the fiery and down-home "Corner Store Blues," the calming bossa-based "A Sweet Wind" and the moving title track; Dunlap delivers two for the road, contributing his intimate "So Quiet Is The Night" and upbeat, samba-strutting "Let The Music Take You" at the album's end; and compositional mergers make for good bedfellows in different places, made clear through the flowing-turned-sunny "Whistling Away The Dark/Anyone Can Whistle" and sly "Trav'lin All Alone/Travelin' Light." Cooking up a baker's dozen of treats with help from Dunlap, Robbins, drummer Jason Lewis and a few one-time guests, Marlowe truly makes her voice carry. By Dan Bilawsky https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-heart-always-remembers-sandra-marlowe-lovedog-media

Personnel: Sandra Marlowe: voice / vocals; Larry Dunlap: piano; Dan Robbins: bass; Jason Lewis: drums.

The Heart Always Remembers

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Lee Konitz, Alan Broadbent - More Live-Lee

Styles: Saxophone And Piano Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:06
Size: 151,9 MB
Art: Front

(7:34) 1. Invitation
(6:21) 2. Body and Soul
(6:47) 3. Thingin'
(5:40) 4. You Stepped Out Of A Dream
(4:10) 5. Nothin'
(8:03) 6. I Can't Get Started
(6:53) 7. Lennie's
(7:18) 8. How Deep Is The Ocean?
(4:31) 9. You Go To My Head
(2:55) 10. Bending Broadly
(5:52) 11. Just Friends

Tristano disciples Lee Konitz and Alan Broadbent paired together back in 2000 at the Jazz Bakery for two nights of improvisational wizardry. Their first release, Live-Lee, was of such high quality that the remaining tracks have been assembled on the encore release. If anyone knows anything about these two souls, there is no such thing as a "leftover" performance; each song has here has the same merits and magic as the initial Live-Lee.

Broadbent and Konitz paint quite the picture as they cruise around and under the melody. Broadbent, with his spacious support, lays a gentle foundation for Konitz' airy tone to float over. Broadbent also knows when to swing and push, as demonstrated on the assertive and fiendishly arranged "Bending Broadly." Rhythm is always implied and well stated on the pieces like the supple "Thingin'" and "You Stepped Out of a Dream." Broadbent is even allowed to demonstrate his prowess and reception of the Bill Evans baton on the effusive "You Go to My Head."

The focus of More Live-Lee, however, is Konitz, who seems to shine in settings with minimal accompaniment. His treatment of "I Can't Get Started" is as definitive as Lester Young's and just as mournful, wistful and yearning. His dry tone is immediately identifiable and elicits emotional and visceral reactions like few musicians can. As a music teacher once said, "If you have a good tone, your audience will hang in with you wherever you take them." Konitz and Broadbent have added another path for us to follow.By AAJ Staff https://www.allaboutjazz.com/more-live-lee-lee-konitz-review-by-aaj-staff

Personnel: Lee Konitz- alto sax; Alan Broadbent- piano.

More Live-Lee

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Chick Corea - The Montreux Years

Styles: Piano Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 84:26
Size: 193,9 MB
Art: Front

( 7:51) 1. Fingerprints
(13:41) 2. Bud Powell
(11:46) 3. Quartet No. 2 (Pt. 1)
( 4:31) 4. Interlude
( 4:41) 5. Who’s Inside the Piano
( 7:14) 6. Dignity
(10:07) 7. America (Continents Pt. 4)
(14:10) 8. New Waltz
(10:19) 9. Trinkle Tinkle

If there is anything more ambitious than curating an extensive, comprehensive collection covering the history of an artist, it is collating selected works which vividly outline a particular timeline or theme. Chick Corea's The Montreux Years is a fine example of the latter; this seventh edition in the archive series devoted to the iconic festival not only reflects the late composer and pianist's technical skills, but also his eclectic stylistic tastes. And that is not to mention his fondness for collaborations in all manner of settings.

Eight cuts from six performances, with a running time of about seventy-four minutes, somewhat belies the twelve year chronology of The Montreaux Years. The late esteemed musician first appeared at the iconic festival in 1972, then almost two dozen times thereafter, an extended sequence of events which lent itself to exactly the kind of rotating presentations of which this set is a microcosm.

Corea's inimitable combination of formality and playfulness is potent throughout. And it is not just readily on the Akoustic Band's "Quartet #2 (Pt. 1)," but also (literally) at the opposite end of the musical spectrum on "Interlude;" unfortunately, this overlong audience call-and-response, in the company of the Elektric Band, illustrates the man's penchant for crowd-pleasing as an end in itself. As throughout this CD, on "America (Continents Pt.4)" the sound of the recording has all the realism of the room in which the musicians are playing, no doubt due to the MOA process used in the restoration and mastering of the audio by Tony Cousins.

That latter cut is the closest this anthology gets to a solo piano piece here but, fortunately, a snippet of the man alone at the ivories at the outset of "Dignity" mitigates the absence of such a track. On this dedication to the author's mother, the invigorating interplay with drummer Jeff Ballard and bassist Avishai Cohen balances the tranquility of the leader's interval, while saxophonist Bob Berg's high-flying interlude during the final track, just over fourteen minutes of "New Waltz," also makes for a fittingly rousing close.

The liner notes for The Montreaux Years could have been better conceived and executed to more fully align with the music to which they are devoted. Rather than filling many of the fourteen pages inside the hardbound covers with sentimental reminiscences, more pertinent details about the respective timelines of the groups that appear in the set (and perhaps even some discographical info) would accurately place the ensembles within the chronology of Corea's career; such scholarly information would have been more in line with the borderline deluxe design of the package with its 3D lettering on the outer front cover alongside Joe Weghon's colorful art (which also appears on the compact disc itself).

Fortunately, such academic criticism becomes moot when listening to the likes of the easy-going shuffle of The Freedom Band's take on "Bud Powell," especially as it so dramatically contrasts the New Trio's rollicking opening of "Fingerprints." The Montreux Years is a suitably celebratory historical homage to one of the most iconic jazz musicians of our time. By Doug Collette https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-montreux-years-chick-corea-bmg/

Personnel: Chick Corea: piano; Frank Gambale: guitar; Eric Marienthal: saxophone, soprano; Bob Berg: saxophone; Kenny Garrett: saxophone, alto; Tim Garland: saxophone; Hans Glawischnig: bass; Christian McBride: bass; John Patitucci: bass, acoustic; Avishai Cohen: bass; Marcus Gilmore: drums; Dave Weckl: drums; Roy Haynes: drums; Jeff Ballard: drums; Tom Brechtlein: drums; Gary Novak: drums.

The Montreux Years

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