Monday, November 21, 2022

Kevin Hays - All Things Are

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2021
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:36
Size: 139,2 MB
Art: Front

( 7:45) 1. New Day
( 9:54) 2. Elegia
( 3:36) 3. Unscrappulous
(11:52) 4. For Heaven's Sake
( 9:35) 5. All Things Are
( 8:05) 6. Sweet Caroline
( 9:45) 7. Twilight

You can tell the heat of the trio by the laughter boiling over. Not in all cases, admittedly, but for this session, the exhortations and chuckles, picked up by the mic, drive drummer Billy Hart, bassist Ben Street, and pianist Kevin Hays with a gentle nudge here, a harder shove there to greater pleasures, in greater complexities, even as they start in simplicity.

Recorded live on the bandstand of a sans-audience Smoke Jazz Club, this date finds Hays and Hart switching posts between leader and led. The drummer can be a one-man solar system through his cymbals and dry snare, while the piano hops around the stereo spectrum, a fire sometimes banked as Hart muses, sometimes roaring ahead and around. I’m intrigued how Street keeps himself to one side, stereo and muse-wise. But from a little farther back he always comments, astutely, quietly, in wisdom.

Hays states that the virus gave him the chance to improve, practicing at home, but he worried about losing his ability to relate to others. Sounds like he needn’t have worried. Three tunes here stemmed directly from him; three others sprang up as contrafacts of standards. Reworking “All the Things You Are” into “All Things Are” gives you its hint from the new title: leaving things out to put most anything in, thus expanding possibilities from the already-rich cycle of fifths in the original. Street waits patiently for his chance, gets it, and explains everything the other two left out. I grow weary and numb and even cynical watching the news, feeling the grind through my bones; then I hear this, and our race seems worth saving.By By Andrew Hamlin
https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/kevin-hays-ben-street-billy-hart-all-things-are-smoke-sessions/

Personnel: Kevin Hays, piano; Ben Street, bass; Billy Hart, drums.

All Things Are

Sam Rivers Quartet - Undulation

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2021
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:06
Size: 165,7 MB
Art: Front

(11:18) 1. Tenor Saxophone Section I
( 4:27) 2. Tenor Saxophone Solo
( 5:38) 3. Tenor Saxophone Section II
( 7:14) 4. Drum Solo
( 5:52) 5. Piano Solo
( 4:22) 6. Piano Section I
( 6:19) 7. Piano Section II
( 5:24) 8. Guitar Solo
( 4:54) 9. Flute Section I
( 4:09) 10. Flute Solo
( 2:07) 11. Flute Section II
( 5:21) 12. Bass Solo
( 4:55) 13. Flute Section III

Undulation is the fifth volume of the NoBusiness label's impressive Sam Rivers Archive Project, following the trio on Emanation and the quintet on Zenith, both issued in 2019, the trio outing Ricochet and the quartet on Braids, both 2020. All volumes comprise previously unreleased live recordings, the first four dating from Boston 1971, Berlin 1977, San Francisco 1978, and Hamburg 1979. Undulations takes us into the '80s, having been recorded at an unknown venue in Florence on May 17th 1981; Rivers is joined by drummer Steve Ellington who first recorded with him in October 1966 for the album A New Conception (Blue Note, 1966) and by guitarist Jerry Byrd and bass guitarist Rael-Wesley Grant.

The album comprises thirteen tracks with a total running time of seventy-one-minutes. However, in reality, the music is continuous from start to finish, without any distinguishable gaps. The track titles describe the contents of the tracks themselves and will probably be most useful to listeners who are seeking out particular parts, Looking for the drum solo? Then play the fourth track. While such cherry-picking may suit some listeners, hearing the entire album from start to finish will prove to be a more rewarding experience.

As a cursory glance at the track listing reveals, the album is full of variety, with all four players having ample time to solo, their solos being integrated into the overall flow of the music, so never sounding bolted-on or routine. Inevitably, Rivers himself is featured extensively on tenor saxophone, flute and piano (but not, as Bill Shoemaker's sleeve notes highlight, on his customary soprano saxophone.) On all his instruments, he gives impassioned performances which showcase his prodigious talents; in amongst his flute section, he even slipped in some vocal interjections.
By John Eyles https://www.allaboutjazz.com/undulation-sam-rivers-quartet-nobusiness-records

Personnel: Sam Rivers: saxophone, tenor; Jerry Byrd: guitar; Rael-Wesley Byrd: bass, electric; Steve Ellington: drums.

Undulation

Lee Konitz - The Lee Konitz Nonet

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1977
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:33
Size: 142,0 MB
Art: Front

( 0:41)  1. Fanfare
(10:55)  2. Chi-Chi
( 5:04)  3. If You Could See Me Now
( 3:19)  4. Sometimes I'm Happy
( 5:26)  5. Giant Steps
( 4:46)  6. April/April Too
( 7:25)  7. Who You
( 5:00)  8. Stryker's Dues
( 3:42)  9. Fourth Dimension
( 4:43) 10. Struttin' with Some Barbecue
( 0:50) 11. Hymn Too
( 9:35) 12. Jazzspeak

The Lee Konitz Nonet never really prospered, but they recorded several excellent albums. With such top players as flügelhornist John Eckert, trombonist Jimmy Knepper, and baritonist Ronnie Cuber in the group, and colorful arrangements provided by Sy Johnson, this band's repertoire was as wide as one would expect from a Konitz band. Whether it be the Louis Armstrong-associated "Struttin' with Some Barbeque," a Lester Young-inspired "Sometimes I'm Happy," Charlie Parker's "Chi-Chi," "Giant Steps," or some newer originals, the results are frequently superb.
By Scott Yanow; https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-lee-konitz-nonet-mw0000597017

Personnel: Lee Konitz – alto saxophone, arranger; Burt Collins – trumpet, flugelhorn, piccolo trumpet; John Eckert – flugelhorn; Jimmy Knepper – trombone; Sam Burtis – bass trombone, tuba; Ronnie Cuber – baritone saxophone; Ben Aronov – piano; Knobby Totah – bass; Kenny Washington – drums; Sy Johnson – arranger

The Lee Konitz Nonet

Arkadia Jazz All-Stars - It's About Love

Styles: Jazz Contemporary
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:43
Size: 160,8 MB
Art: Front

(6:44) 1. Mood Indigo
(5:48) 2. A Summer Affair
(4:38) 3. My Cherie Amour
(8:37) 4. My Funny Valentine
(5:06) 5. Round Midnight
(4:27) 6. It's Really All About Love
(5:18) 7. The More I See You
(6:02) 8. Interlude
(5:53) 9. Passionata
(6:28) 10. Ask Me Now
(4:51) 11. I Want to Talk About You
(5:46) 12. A Perfect Couple

It could be said that jazz is really the musical language of Love. Like any quest, you have to seek jazz out, it never comes to you, and it may take a long time to truly understand its message but as soon as you hear it, you know you’ve found love. Jazz, like all personal relationships, has so many moods that it may confound you at first, but once you get to know it, there’s no turning back. Much of the repertoire of jazz has been dedicated to love and Arkadia Jazz All-Stars have recorded an album that celebrates the romantic, intimate side of jazz, and musically explores the unanswerable question: What is Love?

Starting off with Benny Golson’s sublime reading of Duke Ellington’s Mood Indigo, the stage is set for romance. The nylon strings of Nigel Clark are featured next in the breezy A Summer Affair, capturing the smoldering flame of passion. Joanne Brackeen performs Stevie Wonder’s pop standard My Cherie Amour in her own dynamic and totally individual way, and Randy Brecker’s Grammy Nominated performance on My Funny Valentine is a moment of real beauty. Both artists bring new depth to several of the all time great love songs. Paul Tobey’s sensitive and insightful rendition of Monk’s Round Midnight is rhapsodic, using subtle dissonances to create tension, released by his flowing lines.

T.K. Blue’s original composition, It’s Really All About Love features the flute, an instrument often tied with romanticism. The More I See You by Mary Pearson expresses the sentiment of undying love that we all long to have, as does the masterful ballad Interlude by the Billy Taylor Trio. Passionata was an unfinished composition by Kenny Drew Sr. that was completed and recorded by his son, Kenny Drew Jr., and is a testament to familial love. Eric Reed’s rendition of Monk’s Ask Me Now is a sparse, yet tender and eloquent doctrine on the state of love. David Liebman and Vic Juris show their gentle sides on the sparkling I Want To Talk About You, while pianist Uli Lenz’s mesmerizing A Perfect Couple brings this recording to a romantic close and is the perfect denouement for this CD, “It’s About Love.”

What happens to us when we fall in love, and when we hear or see something that kindles our passions? Our outlook on life becomes filled with possibilities. Jazz mirrors our life experiences, and we should try to remember that in our collective consciousness. As in our personal relationships, jazz is about the joy and creation of beauty and human emotion in real time. Share this music with someone; it has something to do with discovery and hope. It has something to do with love.

Whether looking surround yourself with beautiful ballads, or to set the mood for a romantic evening, or simply looking for a special Valentines Day gift all year round, “It’s About Love” is a wonderful collection that provides both the romantic atmosphere and world class music from some of the most influential sounds in Jazz.
https://arkadiajazzallstars.com/product/arkadia-jazz-all-stars-its-about-love/

Personnel: Carl Allen: Drums; James Weidman: Piano; Santi Debriano: Bass; Kenny Drew Jr.: Piano; Eric Reed: Piano; Peter Washington: Bass; Lewis Nash: Drums; Rodney Whitaker: Bass; Dave Liebman: Soprano sax; Vic Juris: Guitar; Dean Johnson: Bass; Ron Vincent: Drums;

It's About Love