Sunday, April 16, 2023

Wayne Escoffery - The Humble Warrior

Styles: Saxophone Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:10
Size: 145,6 MB
Art: Front

(6:46) 1. Chain Gang
(9:31) 2. Kyrie
(7:22) 3. Sanctus
(5:05) 4. Benedictus
(0:53) 5. Sanctus (Reprise)
(8:54) 6. The Humble Warrior
(7:00) 7. Quarter Moon
(6:34) 8. Undefined
(5:17) 9. AKA Reggie
(5:44) 10. Back to Square One

Saxophonist Wayne Escoffery is renowned for his fiery, muscular and virtuosic tenor playing, but his explosive sound is paired with a soft-spoken and thoughtful demeanor off the bandstand. In many cases both of those aspects of his personality can be credited to the same inspirations, giants of the music who paired estimable talents and imagination with rock-solid integrity.

On his latest album, The Humble Warrior, Escoffery pays homage to those figures with his most ambitious and wide-ranging set to date. While Escoffery himself strives to represents the tenets of a Humble Warrior, it would be easy for him to act otherwise given his stand-out career and ample accolades. A Grammy Award and DownBeat Critics Poll winner, he has performed with a who’s who of jazz including Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Abdullah Ibrahim, Al Foster, Billy Hart, Eddie Henderson, Wallace Roney and others. He has been a member of the Mingus Dynasty, Big Band and Orchestra since 2000 and toured and recorded with Tom Harrell for over a decade. In addition to his Quartet, Escoffery co-leads the Black Art Jazz Collective along with other leading voices of his generation and the next.

The Humble Warrior marks Escoffery’s leader debut for Smoke Sessions Records, where he’s previously recorded with the trombonist Steve Davis. The album features the return of Escoffery’s stellar quartet featuring pianist David Kikoski, bassist Ugonna Okegwo and drummer Ralph Peterson. Trumpet great Randy Brecker and guitarist David Gilmore supplement the band for Escoffery’s breathtaking arrangement of several parts of Benjamin Britten’s Missa Brevis in D. Vaughn Escoffery, Wayne’s son, also makes a powerful debut on the Benedictus.

“We lost a lot of really great musicians in 2018 and 2019,” he says. “People like Roy Hargrove, Harold Mabern, Larry Willis, Richard Wyands, Lawrence Leathers, and, most recently, Jimmy Heath. I would describe all of those musicians as “Humble Warriors.” I have a lot of admiration and respect for them; they were all great warriors of the music but always allowed the music to keep them humble. They all exemplified the utmost humility and integrity despite their superior abilities. I hope to maintain those same traits in my musical endeavors.”
https://smokesessionsrecords.com/shop/albums/the-humble-warrior/

Personnel: Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Wayne Escoffery; Guitar – David Gilmore (tracks: 3,4,5); Piano – David Kikoski; Acoustic Bass – Ugonna Okegwo; Co-producer – Damon Smith (6), Paul Stache; Drums – Ralph Peterson; Trumpet – Randy Brecker (tracks: 3,4,5,6); Vocals – Vaughn Escoffery (tracks: 5)

The Humble Warrior

Vicki Burns - Siren Song

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:22
Size: 125,1 MB
Art: Front

(4:30) 1. Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered
(4:31) 2. How Am I to Know
(2:56) 3. Autumn Leaves
(5:26) 4. You're My Thrill
(5:18) 5. So What
(7:29) 6. Siren Song
(4:14) 7. Contemplation The Ancestors
(5:00) 8. I Got It Bad
(4:11) 9. You Are My Sunshine
(5:14) 10. Late Again Heres Looking at You
(5:28) 11. Witchcraft

Vicki Burns is a jazz singer who has been delighting audiences in the Bay Area for the past ten years. A vocalist with impeccable taste, a sure sense of rhythm and a glorious tone, she infuses each song with heartfelt expression, digging into the lyrics and melody for their richest interpretation. No wonder the great jazz drummer; Max Roach once described Vicki's singing as 'a gold mine'! Others have variously described Vicki's vocals as 'spectacular, yet soothing' and 'smooth as silk'.

Originally from New England, she brings her unique song styling to clubs, concerts and special events throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Some of Vicki's past performing highlights include: singing with the great jazz drummer, Alan Dawson, for the Martin Luther King Jr. 'Journey into a Dream' Concert series in Boston in 1986 and opening for Billy Taylor and Max Roach the same year in the 'Bright Moments' Concert series in Amherst, MA. She performed regularly at these prominent Boston area jazz clubs throughout the 80's: Ryles, 1369 Club, the Starlight Roof and the Turtle Café.

In 1985 she was featured on 'Music America', a syndicated WGBH broadcast hosted by Ron D'Ella Chiesa. Since moving to the Bay Area in 1989, Vicki has performed at Garden City in San Jose, The San Jose Museum of Art's 'Women in Jazz' series, in a featured spot in the San Jose Jazz Festival in 1993, The Great American Music Hall with the Oakland Jazz Choir in 1996, Kimball's East in 1996 with Madeline Eastman and the Oakland Jazz Choir and 'The Jazz and All That' Festival on the Fillmore in July of 1996. From June to October of 1998, Vicki was featured at Sweet Jimmie's, a legendary jazz and blues club in Oakland, CA.

In 1999, she performed regularly at Dillard's, also in Oakland. Currently, Vicki sings at Anna's in Berkeley, CA and at Hotel Donatello, Bistro Yoffi, the Cosmopolitan Cafe and L'Amour Dans Le Four in San Francisco. Siren Song is Burns' first CD,which features original music, lyrics and arrangements of both familiar and unusual standards. It is produced by Vicki and the acclaimed flugal hornist, Dmitri Matheny, who also arranges some of the material. Dmitri describes Vicki's voice as a ' wonderful, rich instrument' and says that it was a 'pleasure to work with her on this project'. Jazz critic Dan Ouelette says of Vicki's debut recording that she 'succeeds with rapturous, mystical beauty
https://www.amazon.ca/Siren-Song-Vicki-Burns/dp/B000BKP5NQ

Siren Song

Nick Finzer - Dreams Visions Illusions

Styles: Trombone Jazz
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:06
Size: 139,1 MB
Art: Front

(5:01) 1. To Dream a Bigger Dream
(5:52) 2. Aspirations and Convictions
(2:06) 3. Intro To Follow Your Heart
(4:33) 4. Follow Your Heart
(7:26) 5. I Thought I Took The Road Less Traveled
(6:52) 6. But I Did What They Said
(6:43) 7. To The "Top"
(5:07) 8. Visions or Mirage
(8:36) 9. Waking Up
(3:47) 10. Now, Then and When

Nick Finzer returns with 10 challenging original compositions on Dreams, Visions, Illusions, made possible with support from Chamber Music America’s New Jazz Works program.

The trombonist, band leader and composer kept busy during the pandemic by composing an album which is on par with 2019’s stellar Cast of Characters. On this album, Finzer engages his own usual cast of characters Alex Wintz on guitar, Lucas Pino on bass clarinet and tenor sax, Jimmy Macbride on the drums, Dave Baron on bass, and Glenn Zaleski on piano.

Their collaborations on Dreams, Visions, Illusions sound like the work of a band that has been playing together forever. (In reality, it’s been more than 10 years.) Each of its three segments is a powerful statement which adds to the cohesiveness of the project.

The Dreams section starts with “To Dream a Bigger Dream,” which finds Finzer’s trombone and Pino’s tenor taking impressive turns. The main theme is supported by the energetic rhythm backing of Macbride and Baron. The album is at cruising speed by the time we get to the ballad “Aspirations and Convictions,” which continues the Dreams theme and contains a gorgeous bass solo by Dave Baron and delicate ride cymbal work from MacBride.

“Follow Your Heart” ends the first portion of the album with renewed vigor. Glenn Zaleski attacks the piano while Nick Finzer and Pino provide melodic leads, before Finzer steps out with an outstanding solo. Wintz and Zaleski also get to shine in their respective solo sections.

The middle segment of Dreams, Visions, Illusions features the dynamic “I Thought I Took the Road Less Traveled.” The song is expansive, with a mystical charm created by the interaction of Nick Finzer’s trombone lines with Lucas Pino. Alex Wintz’s clean tones and evocative style are featured in the middle of this shuffle, as the rhythm section builds the tension before Finzer settles the matter with his solo.

The near-epic “Waking Up” is the climax of the final section, Illusions. The song features a nuanced trombone and bass opening, which builds in power. Pino quickly enters the melodic stew and Zaleski offers fine piano riffs which dance confidently with Wintz’s guitar. Pino offers a fine bass clarinet section to change the sonic texture of the track, while Jimmy Macbride gets to stretch at the climax.

“Waking Up” would have been a great ending to this LP but there’s more, as “Now, Then and When” provides icing on top of this already delicious cake. Recorded in just one day in July 2022, Dreams, Visions, Illusions is on my must-have list for the year. It’s available via Bandcamp and at nickfinzermusic.com.
https://somethingelsereviews.com/2023/04/11/nick-finzer-dreams-visions-illusions/

Dreams Visions Illusions

Scott Hamilton - At PizzaExpress Live - In London 2023

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 91:24
Size: 216,3 MB
Art: Front

( 8:52) 1. The Breeze & I
( 9:22) 2. Black Velvet
(12:47) 3. Poinciana
(12:19) 4. Blue 'n' Boogie
(11:30) 5. The Girl From Ipanema
( 5:14) 6. Pure Imagination
( 7:29) 7. The Summer Wind
(10:19) 8. The More I See You
(13:28) 9. Tin Tin Deo

Marking 40 years since his first appearance at PizzaExpress Live in London, the revered US saxophonist Scott Hamilton is to release a new live album, the first release on the newly formed PizzaExpress label PX Records.

Having appeared at the club in Dean Street, Soho, across six different decades, Hamilton is very much part of the fabric of PizzaExpress Live and this new live album, which features Scott's UK-based quartet of John Pearce (piano), Dave Green (bass) and Steve Brown (drums), captures a 7-track set featuring an array of classic standards including The Girl From Ipanema and Pure Imagination.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/PizzaExpress-Live-Scott-Hamilton-Quartet/dp/B0BXHKTQFV

Personnel: Scott Hamilton (saxophone), John Pearce (piano), Dave Green (bass) and n Steve Brow(drums)

At PizzaExpress Live - In London