Sunday, March 5, 2023

Alex Sipiagin - Equilibrium

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:49
Size: 151,8 MB
Art: Front

( 7:28) 1. Mood 2
(10:58) 2. Equilibrium
( 7:29) 3. Evidence
( 9:02) 4. Sonhando Com O Meu Primeiro Amor
( 3:27) 5. Free 1
( 7:53) 6. High
( 7:26) 7. Good Morning
( 8:28) 8. Blues For Kids
( 3:34) 9. Free 2

Russian native Alex Sipiagin has been a first call trumpeter for several New York big bands for the past five years or so. A veteran of the Mingus Big Band, the Gil Evans Orchestra, and the Dave Holland Big Band, Sipiagin has been a favorite with critics but has yet to break though to the jazz public at large. Over the course of his three previous Criss Cross sides, the trumpeter has shown growth from a mainstream hard bop interpreter to an adventurous post bop progenitor.

Chock full of bristling improvisation, Equilibrium is arguably Sipiagin's best effort to date, and much of this is due to some fine writing no doubt influenced by Holland and a fantastic ensemble that includes saxophonist Chris Potter, pianist David Kikoski, and drummer Gene Jackson. Look no further than a run through Monk's "Evidence to hear that Sipiagin is not interested in run of the mill interpretations, but instead crafts arrangements and originals that are more about an elastic sense of time. Voicing the melody for two saxophones (Potter and David Binney) and his own muted trumpet, Sipiagin changes the rhythmic movement for a slightly off-kilter sound that suits the idiosyncratic nature of the piece to a tee.

Following the extroverted spirit of the opening "Mood 2, the title track, and the previously mentioned "Evidence, a dark and brooding "Sonhando Com O Meu Primeiro Amor by Brazilian heavyweight Toninho Horta finds Sipiagin at his lyrical best with a fat tone reminiscent of Freddie Hubbard. By contrast, the collective improvisation during two takes of "Free confirms that there are two sides to the trumpeter's personality and that he's not afraid to walk a musical tightrope without need for a safety net.

With a total being greater than the mere sum of its parts, Equilibrium serves as a complex and varied showcase for Alex Sipiagin and his top-notch crew of partners in crime. At the rate that he's going, there's no telling what even greater breakthroughs lie ahead for this forward-thinking musician. By C. Andrew Hovan
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/equilibrium-alex-sipiagin-criss-cross-review-by-c-andrew-hovan

Personnel: Alex Sipiagin (trumpet), Chris Potter (saxophones), David Binney (saxophones), David Kikoski (piano), Scott Colley (bass), Gene Jackson (drums)

Equilibrium

Royce Campbell - Roses & Wine

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:15
Size: 143,3 MB
Art: Front

(5:39) 1. Take A Train
(5:29) 2. Roses And Wine
(8:59) 3. Lover Guy
(5:56) 4. There's No Other You
(5:57) 5. G Jam Blues
(5:12) 6. All The Things
(7:51) 7. That's Not All
(5:34) 8. More Than Just Friends
(6:29) 9. Into Nowhere
(5:04) 10. D Jam Blues

Guitarist Royce Campbell has a liking for taking chord progressions from familiar standards and improvising new melodies with them. He thinks outside of the box while using material that comes from inside the box. He does so on his sophomore album Roses And Wine from Philology Records, opening with a rollicking jive-inspired tune “Take A Train” that conjures up the feeling of riding a steam locomotive across country. There is more to Campbell’s music than the melodic haikus of his guitar pizzicatos or andante strumming, for instance, the folksy-Hawaiian sizzle in the chord textures of the title track infuses a pacifying mood which features the bebop phrasing of Hod O’Brien’s piano keys. Also showcased on the recording are Pete Spaar and James King who share the bass duties.

Every track sounds like it is smiling at the listener thumping along the upbeat ruminations of the trio and the pliable chord coordinates of the melodic patterns. The smooth bluesy piping of “Lover Guy” pervades a sensual stroll in Campbell’s guitar riffs as the vigorous arcos of the bass in “There’s No Other You” are enhanced by add-ons of vaunting jetties in the piano phrases. The laid back chord expressions of “D. .Jam Blues” have a Louisiana sound that shifts into a cool bebop traction in “All The Things.” The leisurely gait of the piano keys in “That’s Not All” moves in harmony with the moonlight coloring of Campbell’s guitar chords as the comfy grooves of “More Than Just Friends” imbue the melody with a cheerful sprint. The bebop motifs strewn across “Into Nowhere:” and “D. Jam Blues” have a vintage Americana feel reminiscent to Chet Baker and props a happy tapping along the rhythmic beats.

Roses and Wine is feel good music from beginning to end and displays the trio’s ability to play like a well-oiled machine. Campbell has a lengthy recording history that includes working on tribute albums for Wes Montgomery and Henri Mancici, in addition to being a sideman on other artists records as well as making albums in his own right. The authenticity in Campbell’s playing breeds sunshine and joy in the seams of the transitional phrases and chord progressions making music that gravitates to going up the shafts. https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/royce-campbell-trio-roses-wine/

Personnel: Guitar, Composed By, Producer – Royce Campbell; Bass – James King (tracks: 2 to 4, 7 to 10), Pete Spaar (tracks: 1, 5, 6); Piano – Hod O'Brien

Roses & Wine

Thelonious Monk - The Complete London Collection (Vol 1), (Vol 2), (Vol 3)

Album: The Complete London Collection (Vol 1)

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1999
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:52
Size: 110,9 MB
Art: Front

(7:28)  1. Trinkle Tinkle (Take 3)
(2:23)  2. Crepuscule with Nellie (Take 2)
(5:52)  3. Darn That Dream
(4:08)  4. Little Rootie Tootie
(3:18)  5. Meet Me Tonight in Dreamland
(5:17)  6. Nice Work If You Can Get It
(5:13)  7. My Melancholy Baby
(3:30)  8. Jackieng
(7:16)  9. Loverman
(2:23) 10. Blue Sphere


Album: The Complete London Collection (Vol 2)

Time: 44:49
Size: 105,7 MB

(5:28)  1. Evidence [Take 2]
(6:28)  2. Misterioso
(2:25)  3. Crepuscule With Nellie [Take 4]
(7:47)  4. I Mean You
(3:46)  5. Criss Cross
(6:10)  6. Ruby My Dear
(4:47)  7. Nutty [Take 2]
(7:55)  8. Hackensack


Album: The Complete London Collection (Vol 3)

Time: 60:53
Size: 143,2 MB

(6:04)  1. Trinkle Tinkle (Take 2)
(5:19)  2. The Man I Love
(6:41)  3. Something In Blue
(1:15)  4. Introspection (Take 1)
(5:48)  5. Trinkle Tinkle (Take 1)
(2:21)  6. Crepuscule With Nellie (Take 3)
(4:18)  7. Nutty (Take 1)
(3:05)  8. Introspection (Take 3)
(9:04)  9. Hackensack (Take 1)
(7:14) 10. Evidence (Take 1)
(9:40) 11. Chordially (Improvisation)

This attractive box houses three previously released Black Lion CDs recorded at pianist/composer Thelonious Monk's final sessions as a leader; only a few dates with the Giants of Jazz were left in the future for Monk, who would soon retire altogether. Heard in unaccompanied piano solos and in a trio with bassist Al McKibbon and drummer Art Blakey, Monk is in surprisingly exuberant form, still very much at the peak of his powers. Although most of this music was last available in a "complete" Mosaic LP box set, there are actually three additional alternate takes included in the very enjoyable and somewhat definitive set. Highlights include "Little Rootie Tootie," "Meet Me Tonight in Dreamland," "Blue Sphere," "Criss Cross," "The Man I Love" and "Evidence," but all 29 selections are well worth hearing. This is essential music for all serious Thelonious Monk collections; the solo performances in particular are quite memorable.By Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-complete-london-collection-mw0000184702

Personnel: Piano – Thelonious Monk; Double Bass – Al McKibbon,  Drums – Art Blakey 


Miles Davis Quintet - Live At The Oriental Theatre 1966 (CD1) And (CD2)

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:08 (CD 1)
Size: 97,3 MB (CD 1)
Time: 48:38 (CD 2)
Size: 112,3 MB (CD 2)
Art: Front

(CD 1)

( 0:40) 1. Announcement
( 9:49) 2. Autumn Leaves
( 9:22) 3. Agitation
(10:31) 4. Stella By Starlight
(11:44) 5. Gingerbread Boy

(CD 2)
( 9:30) 1. The Theme
( 9:32) 2. All Blues
( 8:51) 3. Who Can I Turn To?
( 9:06) 4. So What
(11:38) 5. My Funny Valentine

This release contains a complete previously unissued concert by the 1966 Miles Davis Quintet. Recorded at the impressing Oriental Theatre in Portland shortly before it was demolished, it presents the only existing testimony of bassist Richard Davis playing with Miles. Among its many highlights are many great trumpet solos by Miles, including his only existing version of "Who Can I Turn To ?" a free jazzoriented So What, and a beautiful reading of My Funny Valentine.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Oriental-Theatre-1966-2CD/dp/B004M3NKBC

Personnel: Miles Davis - tp; Wayne Shorter - ts; Herbie Hancock - p; Richard Davis - b; Tony Williams - d

Live At The Oriental Theatre 1966 (CD1)(CD2)