Sunday, July 2, 2023

Howard Alden & Dan Barrett - Swing Street

Styles: Guitar and Trombone Jazz
Year: 1988
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:57
Size: 103,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:22)  1. Lullaby In Rhythm
(3:02)  2. Fun City Swinger
(5:53)  3. Black Sheep Blues
(3:28)  4. I May Be Wrong (But I Think Yo
(3:12)  5. Dawn On the Desert
(3:30)  6. Flying Home
(2:51)  7. Front and Center
(4:02)  8. Pannonica
(3:29)  9. Cherry Blossom
(3:58) 10. I Didn't Know About You
(4:34) 11. Stompin' At the Savoy
(3:30) 12. Cotton Tail

This is a remarkable record by the Howard Alden-Dan Barrett Quintet. Although the group has an instrumentation of guitarist Alden, trombonist Barrett, Chuck Wilson on alto and clarinet, bassist Frank Tate, and drummer Jackie Williams, its arrangements (some by Buck Clayton) often make the band sound a bit like the John Kirby Sextet, a classic unit comprised of trumpet, alto, clarinet, piano, bass, and drums. 

The delightful unit uplifts such tunes as "Lullaby in Rhythm," "I May Be Wrong," Charlie Shavers' "Dawn on the Desert," "Stompin' at the Savoy," and even Thelonious Monk's "Pannonica," revitalizing small-group swing. Highly recommended.By Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/swing-street-mw0000197085

Personnel: Howard Alden (guitar), Dan Barrett (trombone), Frank Tate (bass), Jackie Williams (drums), Chuck Wilson (alto saxophone, clarinet).

Swing Street  

Toots Thielemans - Brasil Project Vol. 2

Styles: Harmonica Jazz
Year: 1993
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:37
Size: 143,6 MB
Art: Front

(5:30)  1. Ce
(3:36)  2. Choro Bandido
(3:19)  3. Retrato em Branco e Preto
(3:34)  4. Obsession
(3:08)  5. Travessia
(4:25)  6. Flora
(5:17)  7. Unconditional Love
(2:59)  8. Papel Maché
(3:36)  9. O Futebol
(3:48) 10. Linda
(3:22) 11. Samba de Uma Nota Só
(5:21) 12. Oceano
(3:36) 13. Samba de Orfeu

Guitarist, harmonica player, and whistler Toots Thielemans' followup to the critically acclaimed Brasil Project doesn't stray far from its predecessor's path. There are 13 nice Afro-Latin selections with Thielemans backing such top Brazilian vocalists as Milton Nascimento, Gilberto Gil, Ivan Lins, Caetano Veloso, and Dori Caymmi, among others, and guitarists Oscar Castro-Nieves and Lee Ritenour assisting Thielemans with delicate shadings and accompaniment.By Ron Wynn
http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-brasil-project-vol-2-mw0000098552

Personnel includes: Toots Thielemans (harmonica); Edu Lobo, Milton Nascimento (vocals); John Clark (French horn, hornette); Eliane Elias (piano);  Mike Lang, Dave Grusin (keyboards); Ivan Lins (keyboards, vocals); Joao Bosco, Djavan, Dori Caymmi (guitar, vocals); Lee Ritenour, Oscar Castro-Neves, Luis Bonfa (guitar); Eugene Friesen (cello); Brian Bromberg, Marc Johnson, Jamil Joanes (bass); Steve Schaeffer, Teo Lima (drums); Cassio Duarte, Bira Hawal, Paulinho Da Costa (percussion).

Brasil Project Vol. 2

Oscar Castro-Neves - Oscar!

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:11
Size: 92.0 MB
Styles: Latin jazz
Year: 1987
Art: Front

[3:28] 1. Rancho Do Carioca
[3:44] 2. Rio Dawning
[4:07] 3. Song For Joyce
[2:48] 4. Summer Winds
[3:17] 5. Air On A 6 String
[3:16] 6. Onde Está Você
[3:04] 7. Saudade (Nostalgic Longing)
[2:41] 8. Bahia Calling
[3:03] 9. Forgotten Dreams
[4:19] 10. Luizana
[3:57] 11. Cat Song
[2:22] 12. Street Corner Samba

Oscar Castro-Neves, a Brazilian guitarist who was instrumental in the development of that country’s bossa nova style, died in Los Angeles on Sept. 27. He was 73 and the cause was cancer. Castro-Neves had lived permanently in the United States since 1971.

Oscar Castro-Neves was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on May 15, 1940. He began playing guitar, specifically the Brazilian cavaquinho, a small Brazilian guitar, as a child and performed in local bands as a teen. He also learned piano but it was the guitar that brought him success, particularly after he became involved in formulating the emerging bossa nova sound, working with Jobim and others. While still living in Brazil, he recorded with major artists such as Vinicius de Moraes and Dorival Caymmi.

At 22, Castro-Neves performed at a bossa nova concert at Carnegie Hall and four years later he began working extensively in the States, eventually adding his guitar and vocals to recordings by Getz, Frank Sinatra, Elis Regina, Flora Purim, Joe Henderson, Michael Jackson, Barbra Streisand, Stevie Wonder, Eliane Elias, João Gilberto, Lee Ritenour, Airto Moreira, Diane Schuur, Herbie Hancock, Ella Fitzgerald, Ottmar Liebert and others. He arranged music for Quincy Jones, Flora Purim, Laurindo Almeida, Gilberto and others.

Oscar!

Eric Rasmussen - School Of Tristano 1, 2, 3

Album: School Of Tristano 1
Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:29
Size: 142,7 MB
Art: Front

(6:44) 1. Friendlee
(4:30) 2. I Can't Remember
(4:53) 3. Dixie's Dilemna
(6:58) 4. Backgroud Music
(4:38) 5. It's You
(6:18) 6. 317 E. 32nd Street
(5:52) 7. Marshmallow
(5:41) 8. Kary's Trance
(7:14) 9. Every Breath
(7:37) 10. Wow

Although he was far too young to have studied with Lennie Tristano, alto saxophonist Eric Rasmussen is a firm believer in the late pianist and teacher's approach to jazz, especially playing intricate reworkings of familiar chord changes. Guitarist Nate Radley is equally drenched in Tristano-school arrangements, so together with bassist Dave Ambrosio and in-demand drummer Matt Wilson (who seems like he takes part in hundreds of recording sessions every year), the group plays eight works created by Tristano and two of his earliest followers, Lee Konitz and Warne Marsh.

But the quartet takes the original recordings as a launching pad for improvisation, relishing the tricky unison lines and counterpoint of the creators while also putting their own stamp on them in the process. So attentive listeners are still able to pick out the songs which inspired each of these pieces, including Tristano's challenging "317 E. 32nd Street" (based on "Out of Nowhere"), Marsh's furious "Background Music" ("All of Me") and a spacy treatment of Konitz's "Kary's Trance" ("Angel Eyes"). Rasmussen reworked "I Remember You" into a new composition "I Can't Remember," while Bailey transforms rocker Sting's hit "Every Breath You Take" into a Tristano-flavored piece ("Every Breath") with great success.

While far too many people label Tristano's approach to jazz as "cold" and "unemotional" Rasmussen's quartet proves otherwise throughout this rewarding session, reviving the idea that musicians attentively listening to one another can produce more compelling results than simply playing it safe. By Ken Dryden
https://www.allmusic.com/album/school-of-tristano-mw0001906494

Personnel: Alto Saxophone – Eric Rasmussen; Bass – Dave Ambrosio; Drums – Matt Wilson; Guitar – Nate Radley

School Of Tristano 1

Album: School Of Tristano 2
Time: 57:49
Size: 133,3 MB

(4:06) 1. Earful
(6:00) 2. Sound Lee
(3:03) 3. Progression
(3:35) 4. Line Up
(5:27) 5. Victory Ball
(3:35) 6. April
(4:35) 7. Marionette
(6:02) 8. April Fool
(3:23) 9. Hi Beck
(5:04) 10. Tautology
(6:44) 11. Leave Me Alone
(6:07) 12. Smog Eyes

Alto saxophonist Eric Rasmussen recorded his first volume of compositions by Lennie Tristano and some of his most famous students in 2006. When producer Nils Winther discovered that this only represented a fraction of Rasmussen's repertoire of songs by Tristano and his disciples, he quickly suggested additional record dates. This volume, taped around the same time as volume three, features the same quartet with guitarist Nate Radley, bassist Dave Ambrosio, and the in-demand drummer Matt Wilson, all of whom excel in facing the challenges of the intricate reworking of familiar songs as envisioned by Tristano, Lee Konitz, Ronnie Ball, Billy Bauer, and Ted Brown.

Rasmussen avoided listening to the available recordings of the pieces the quartet performed, in order to guarantee fresh approaches to each song. As on the earlier session, the quartet dives headfirst into each of these demanding compositions, constantly challenging themselves as improvisers building upon the framework by their predecessors. Two of Tristano's pieces are based upon "I'll Remember April," "April," and "April Fool," though they are very different works. Rasmussen's unison playing with Radley in Konitz's fiendishly difficult "Sound Lee" is superb. Tristano fans will enjoy digging out the original recordings by the pianist, Konitz, Ball, Bauer, and Brown to compare them with the stunning interpretations on this highly recommended disc. By Ken Dryden
https://www.allmusic.com/album/school-of-tristano-2-mw0000793976

Personnel: Alto Saxophone – Eric Rasmussen; Bass – Dave Ambrosio; Drums – Matt Wilson; Guitar – Nate Radley

School Of Tristano 2

Album: School Of Tristano 3
Time: 57:13
Size: 132,1 MB

(4:02) 1. Sax Of A Kind
(9:15) 2. Leave Me Alone
(6:01) 3. Playa Del Ray
(7:34) 4. Requiem
(5:06) 5. Lennie-Bird
(4:14) 6. Just Way There You Are
(5:56) 7. Palo Alto
(2:27) 8. Lennie's Pennies
(5:20) 9. Sop Goes The Leasel
(3:35) 10. April (take1)
(3:39) 11. Line Up (take1)

Saxophonist/Composer Eric Rasmussen relocated to the Phoenix area in the summer of 2007. The California native spent the last ten years playing and teaching in New York City where he was a staple of the jazz community, performing regularly on the East Coast as well as throughout Europe. While in New York, he performed regularly with some of the most respected names in jazz and was the Director of Jazz Studies at the Center for Preparatory Studies in Music at Queens College.

Earning his Masters of Music degree in Jazz Performance at the New England Conservatory in Boston, Eric studied with Jerry Bergonzi, George Garzone, Danilo Perez and Paul Bley. He received his BFA in Jazz Performance from California Institute of the Arts in Los Angeles, where he studied with Charlie Haden, Joe Labarbera and Roscoe Mitchell. Eric leads the groups Guaranteed Swahili and the Eric Rasmussen Tristano Band, both of which have toured the United States on numerous occasions. Eric is an experienced educator and guest clinician with clinics at the University of Iowa, California Institute of the Arts, Wellesley College, Saddleback College, Arizona State University, Hartnell College, Portsmouth Music and Arts Center, as well as numerous high schools throughout the country and in the Phoenix area.

With his own groups, Eric has recorded for internationally acclaimed jazz labels Steeplechase and Fresh Sound Records. As a sideman, Eric has also recorded with Paul Bley, Danilo Perez, Billy Hart, Christophe Schweizer and the Jazz Composers Alliance Saxophone Quartet. He has played at some of the most prestigious venues in the Country including the Kennedy Center and a 2007 performance with the Lee Konitz Big Band as part of the JVC Jazz Festival at Carnegie Hall. Eric has served as adjunct faculty for Mesa Community College, Paradise Valley Community College and was the Music Director for Young Sounds of Arizona from 2010 – 2011. Currently, Eric is the Director of Instrumental Music at Scottsdale Community College.
https://directory.scottsdalecc.edu/rasmussen-eric

School Of Tristano 3