Toots Thielemans - The Brasil Project

Styles: Guitar And Harmonica Jazz
Year: 1992
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:51
Size: 128,9 MB
Art: Front

(3:57)  1. Começar de Novo
(4:23)  2. Obi
(3:00)  3. Felicia And Bianca
(4:10)  4. O Cantador
(2:57)  5. Joanna Francesa
(4:26)  6. Coisa Feita
(3:18)  7. Preciso Aprender a Ser Só
(5:41)  8. Fruta Boa
(4:29)  9. Coração Vagabundo
(3:29) 10. Manhã de Carnaval
(3:39) 11. Casa Fortes
(2:35) 12. Moments
(9:41) 13. Blusette

This popular set matches the brilliant harmonica player Toots Thielemans with such top Brazilian performers as Ivan Lins, Djavan, Oscar Castro-Neves, Dori Caymmi, Ricardo Silveira, João Bosco, Gilberto Gil, Milton Nascimento, Caetano Veloso, Luiz Bonfá, Edu Lobo and Eliane Elias, in addition to bassist Brian Bromberg, keyboardist Michael Lang, trumpeter Mark Isham and Dave Grusin. Thielemans is often in a supportive role behind the many soothing Brazilian singers and performers. The atmospheric date surprisingly does not have any Antonio Carlos Jobim songs, instead emphasizing lesser-known tunes (other than Toots' greatest hit "Bluesette"). Easily recommended to fans of Brazilian pop and jazz, this CD was soon followed by a second (and equally rewarding) set featuring many of the same performers. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-brasil-project-mw0000081385

Personnel: Toots Thielemans (harmonica, guitar, whistle); Milton Nascimento, Chico Buarque (vocals); Djavan, Joao Bosco, Dori Cayammi, Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, Edu Lobo, Luis Bonfa (guitar, vocals); Lee Ritenour, Oscar Castro-Neves, Ricardo Silveira (guitar); Mark Isham (trumpet); Dave Grusin, Eliane Elias (piano); Gilson Peranzzetta, Mike Lang (keyboards); Ivan Lins (keyboards, vocals); Brian Bromberg, Jamil Joanes, Nico Assumpcao, Marc Johnson (bass); Teo Lima (drums); Cassio Duarte, Bira Hawai, Jose Roberto, Paulinho Da Costa (percussion).

The Brasil Project

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Oscar Castro-Neves - Brazilian Scandals

Styles: Latin
Year: 1987
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:14
Size: 127,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:32)  1. Brazilian Scandals
(4:42)  2. Pensando
(4:04)  3. Romancing Lorry
(3:51)  4. Sugarloaf Skyride
(2:49)  5. Cafe Copacabana
(4:44)  6. Return to Rio
(3:46)  7. Your Eyes
(3:05)  8. Carioca Rap
(4:31)  9. Ocean Drive
(4:32) 10. Tropical Dream
(4:35) 11. Ipanema Afternoon

Oscar Castro-Neves is a fine Brazilian guitarist who is equally talented in organizing projects. Unfortunately this particular set is quite commercial, rather weak in spots, and thoroughly forgettable. The main liability is the material, the arrangements, and the use of five vocalists. Despite a few decent solos (including from Ernie Watts on alto), this set of Brazilian-flavored pop is a misfire. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/brazilian-scandals-mw0000652235

Personnel : Oscar Castro-Neves (synthesizer, acoustic guitar, percussion, background vocals); Gary Herbig (soprano & tenor saxophones); Ernie Watts (alto saxophone); Glen Garret (tenor saxophone, flute, piccolo); Malta (alto saxophone); Jerry Hey, Chuck Findley (trumpet, flugelhorn); Bill Reichenbach (trombone, bass trombone, valve trombone); Phillip Ayling (flute, piccolo, oboe); Gilson Peranzzetta (piano); Mitch Holder (electric guitar); Luizao Maia (electric bass); Teo Lima (drums); Paulinho Da Costa (percussion); Sonia Ferreira, Cyva Leite, Pedro Paulo Castro-Neves, Myriam Peracchi (background vocals).

Brazilian Scandals

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George Coleman - Live at Smalls Jazz Club

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:02
Size: 163,3 MB
Art: Front

(11:26) 1. Four
( 6:27) 2. At Last
( 9:34) 3. My Funny Valentine
( 8:39) 4. Meditation
( 8:08) 5. Blues for Smalls
(11:17) 6. Nearness of You
( 7:10) 7. New York, New York
( 8:17) 8. When Sunny Gets Blue

If you are an aficionado of tenor saxophonists with a big, bold, biting tone who can run changes in the blink of an eye, then George Coleman is your man. Now in his 88th year, over the course of his long career, he has had a gamut of experiences including B.B. King (1952/1955-56), Max Roach (1958-59), Slide Hampton (1959-61) and Miles Davis (1963-64). His discography both as a leader/co-leader as well as a sideman covers a panoply of well-known jazz names, but recently the archivist label Reel To Real, under the guidance of saxophonist/producer Cory Weeds, uncovered a couple of unreleased 1970s Coleman sessions. Firstly, in 2020, The George Coleman Quintet in Baltimore (recorded in 1971), and in 2023 Shirley Scott Queen Bee: Live at the Left Bank (recorded in 1972) with Coleman on tenor sax.

Live at Smalls Jazz Club is a quartet session in which Coleman is supported by pianist Spike Wilner, bassist Peter Washington and the always swinging drummer Joe Farnsworth. The eight-tune track list consists of well recognized creations that have been associated with Coleman throughout his professional life starting with the Miles Davis composition "Four." Coleman opens the number with a sly introduction, after which he rips into a long solo with his usual energetic dashing style. The rhythm section is all in and full of propellant swing. The other Davis associated tune is Richard Rodgers' "My Funny Valentine." Coleman's interpretation is full of structural logic and artful restraint. Washington's bass is big and clear throughout.

The blues have been part of Coleman's repetoire since his early years with blues bands, and thus it is no surprise that his own composition "Blues For Smalls" is included in this session. And a rollicking blues it is, filled with Coleman's long, looping runs. Wilner fills his lengthy solo with surging energy, Farnsworth's slick drumming thrusts the number forward, while Washington is his usual clever self with his interjections. The final three tracks"The Nearness Of You," "New York, NewYork" and "When Sunny Gets Blue" continue with the stellar performances that Coleman and his cohorts laid down in the previous cuts. There is no diminution in Coleman's big saxophone sound and his improvisations continue to be crafty and expansive. By Pierre Giroux
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/live-at-smalls-jazz-club-george-coleman-george-coleman-cellar-music-group

Personnel: George Coleman: saxophone, tenor; Spike Wilner: piano; Peter Washington: bass; Joe Farnsworth: drums.

Live at Smalls Jazz Club

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Sylvie Courvoisier & Cory Smythe - The Rite of Spring

Styles: Piano
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:35
Size: 145,7 MB
Art: Front

(15:45) 1. The Rite of Spring, Pt. 1: The Adoration of the Earth
(18:33) 2. The Rite of Spring, Pt. 2: The Sacrifice
(29:15) 3. The Rite of Spring

Two daring jazz improvisers take on a cherished hundred-year-old classical ballet masterpiece with radical roots on The Rite of Spring: Spectre d'un songe. Igor Stravinsky was fresh off the success of his 1911 "Petrushka," which radiated with the artistic atmosphere of his Russia, when in 1913 he premiered "The Rite of Spring" at the opening of the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées. The audience was divided into the Parisian elite in the boxes and the "bohemian" aesthetes scattered about the theater. Stravinsky's music contradicted every norm of the time; originality equaled shock. Vaslav Nijinsky, already controversial, was the choreographer.

The dancers performed as if robots, in a ritual that concluded with the portrayal of the human sacrifice of a dancer. Urban legend has the audience factions screaming praise, or insults, at the performers, and physically pummeling each other in a near riot. The composition has been elevated considerably, but the music remains complex and sometimes uncomfortable. It is a fitting vehicle for the singular talents of pianists Sylvie Courvoisier and Cory Smythe. The piano duo brings us a fascinating interpretation of Stravinsky's magnum opus followed by a Courvoisier composition.

Courvoisier approached Stravinsky's work as a potential project in the past but the Russian composer's family was not open to an improvised arrangement of his composition. Time has changed that. Smythe is known for his improvised music as a leader, two recordings with Ingrid Laubrock and as a member of Tyshawn Sorey's Trio. His classical associations include work with the International Contemporary Ensemble, and the Lincoln Center's Mostly Mozart festival. Smythe and violin virtuoso Hilary Hahn earned a Grammy award for their duo album In 27 Pieces: the Hilary Hahn Encores (Deutsche Grammophon, 2013).

In the first of two original ballet movements, "Le Sacre du Printemps, Pt.1," Stravinsky's personal notes describe a people divided into two groups in opposition to each other, beginning a "ritual of the rival tribes." Courvoisier and Smythe take a nuanced approach, both to their improvising and their interactions. The tension, while in plain sight, is open to a give-and-take as both pianists shift their positions amid structure and invention. "Le Sacre du Printemps, Pt.2," was considered so difficult for the orchestra to play, that musicians would break out in nervous laughter during Stravinsky's rehearsals. Without sacrificing the spirit of the original or their own resourcefulness, Courvoisier and Smythe deftly navigate the unrelenting rhythms, and episodes of mysteriously verbalized, and vehement intonations. Courvoisier's "Spectre d'un songe" (Ghost of a dream) is a half-hour paean that complements Stravinsky's work seamlessly, feeling like an undiscovered third movement.

Parts of Stravinsky's score for "The Rite of Spring" have been incorporated in the recordings of Ornette Coleman, Charlie Parker, The Bad Plus, and other jazz artists. The best-known interpretation was that of Hubert Laws. Despite an all-star ensemble including Ron Carter, and Jack DeJohnette, that recording lacks any visceral sensation. It is that challenge that Courvoisier and Smythe meet and surpass in every moment of this excellent recording.By Karl Ackermann
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-rite-of-spring-spectre-dun-songe-sylvie-courvoisier-cory-smythe-pyroclastic-records

Personnel: Sylvie Courvoisier: piano; Cory Smythe: piano.

The Rite of Spring

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