Mark Colby - Reflections

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:33
Size: 130,0 MB
Art: Front

(6:59) 1. Close Enough For Love
(4:22) 2. Myth Mary's Blues
(6:13) 3. Reflections
(5:40) 4. Desafinado
(5:22) 5. Like Someone in Love
(6:11) 6. Blues Connotation
(6:26) 7. So in Love
(4:24) 8. Caroline's Romp
(5:45) 9. Somewhere Over the Rainbow
(5:08) 10. Squires Parlor

Reflections, the eighth CD as leader or co-leader by one of the Chicago area's most undervalued treasures, tenor saxophonist Mark Colby, is a tribute, he writes, to "the things that shaped and moved me when I was just a kid," as well as to friends, family and artists who nourished his growth and served as a catalyst for his becoming a musician. The studio date is dedicated to Colby's father, "who started me on my journey at age eight," and to one of Colby's earliest role models, tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin, who died on July 25, 2008.

"Desafinado" is addressed to another of Colby's original mentors, Stan Getz, who befriended a teenage Colby and helped shape his young friend's approach to the tenor while introducing him to Brazilian music. To this day, Colby's abstractions display an unmistakable Getzian character even though the sound is pure Colby. Besides Colby, the first-rank quartet on "Desafinado" consists of guitarist Mike Pinto, bassist Eric Hochberg and drummer Bob Rummage.

Elsewhere, Colby uses pianist Jeremy Kahn to round out the group, is accompanied only by Hochberg and Rummage on "Myth Mary's Blues," Johnny Burke/Jimmy van Heusen's "Like Someone in Love" and Harold Arlen/E.Y Harburg's "Over the Rainbow." Three special guests alto saxophonist Phil Woods, trumpeter Bob Lark and pianist Ron Perillo help brighten the easygoing finale, Woods's "Squires Parlor."

Besides "Myth Mary," written for his wife, Colby composed "Reflections" and "Caroline's Romp," the last presumably for a daughter (or granddaughter). Completing the program are Johnny Mandel's "Close Enough for Love," Ornette Coleman's capricious "Blues Connotation" and Cole Porter's enchanting ballad from the Broadway musical Kiss Me, Kate, "So in Love" (a second dedication to Colby's wife).

Kahn solos earnestly on "Reflections," "So in Love" and "Caroline's Romp," Pinto on "Desafinado" and "Blues Connotation" but none more so than Colby, who makes every note and phrase shimmer like sunlight on water. While he remains more or less unknown beyond his Chicago base, sooner or later the word on Colby is bound to spread, and that word is brilliant. By Jack Bowers
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/reflections-mark-colby-origin-records-review-by-jack-bowers

Personnel: Mark Colby: tenor sax; Jeremy Kahn: piano (1, 3, 7, 8); Ron Perillo: piano (10); Mike Pinto: guitar: (4, 6); Eric Hochberg: bass; Bob Rummage: drums; Bob Lark: flugelhorn (10); Phil Woods: alto sax (10).

Reflections

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Terri Lyne Carrington - New Standards Vol. 1

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:37
Size: 139,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:27) 1. Wind Flower
(6:01) 2. Circling
(6:46) 3. Uplifted Heart
(4:40) 4. Moments
(4:48) 5. Continental Cliff
(5:50) 6. Throw It Away
(5:28) 7. Respected Destroyer
(4:41) 8. Two Hearts (Lawns)
(4:19) 9. Unchanged
(5:29) 10. Ima
(8:02) 11. Rounds (Live)

Inter-disciplinary artist, activist and educator Terri Lyne Carrington has worked tirelessly over the last decade to advocate for inclusivity and raise the voice of women, trans and non-binary people in jazz.

New Standards, her ambitious new endeavour, was created to shine a light on women composers in historic new ways. New Standards will arrive this fall in the form of a groundbreaking lead sheet book of jazz compositions dedicated entirely to women composers, a newly recorded album of 11 selections from the songbook featuring an all-star band and superb line-up of special guests, and a dynamic multi-media exhibition at Detroit’s Carr Center.

On September 16th Carrington will release "new STANDARDS vol. 1" on the relaunched Candid Records label, featuring recordings of 11 selections from the New Standards lead sheets book (see below for more info).

Carrington on drums is joined by a core band of Kris Davis (piano), Linda May Han Oh (bass), Nicholas Payton (trumpet), and Matthew Stevens (guitar and co-producer) and welcomes special guests Ambrose Akinmusire, Melanie Charles, Ravi Coltrane, Val Jeanty, Samara Joy, Julian Lage, Michael Mayo, Elena Pinderhughes, Dianne Reeves, Negah Santos and Somi. The selections include harpist Brandee Younger’s 'Respected Destroyer,' clarinetist Anat Cohen’s 'Ima,' vocalist Abbey Lincoln’s 'Throw It Away'as well as pieces by Gretchen Parlato, Carla Bley and more. The recordings - which range from vocal ballads to contemporary creative music are inspired and adventurous and explore the limitless universe of jazz.https://www.frontview-magazine.be/en/news/terri-lyne-carrington-to-release-album-new-standards-vol-1-shining-bright-light-on-women

New Standards Vol. 1

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Barb Jungr - My Marquee

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:05
Size: 105,2 MB
Art: Front

(5:21) 1. Immigrant Song
(6:29) 2. Sunshine of Your Love
(6:40) 3. Yardbirds Medley (Heart Full of Soul/Shapes of Things/For Your Love)
(4:33) 4. Paper Sun
(3:51) 5. Sparrow
(6:57) 6. Medley (Flowers in the Rain/Hole in My Shoe/Itchycoo Park)
(5:07) 7. Substitute
(6:05) 8. No Regrets

It’s an old chestnut that if you can remember the Sixties, you weren’t there, man. I can remember the sounds of the Sixties extremely well, and right enough, I wasn’t really there until the very end. I completely missed out on the Summer of Love in 1967, though I was desperate to try the marijuana and LSD that everyone was talking about. Barb Jungr confessed to a similar experience of not quite being there, not at first anyway, in her introduction to Paper Sun by Traffic. But having an almost total recall of the words and the music that got inside my head during that far distant era certainly enhanced my appreciation of the wonderful music I heard at the well-known cabaret venue of Crazy Coqs last night.

Not being a regular on the cabaret scene, I had not actually heard of Barb Jungr, and was not expecting anything special, except a drubbing of the ears when I found myself seated in front of the drum kit. How wrong I was! This was a very special show, and I really enjoyed the drumming as much as anything else. Barb’s wide vocal range has the backing of a superb Trio comprising piano, bass and drums while her comments and anecdotes between the songs establish a great rapport with the audience.

The show is based upon an album due out in August entitled My Marquee, after the famous music club in Soho through which so many bands passed in the Sixties on their way to stardom. Miss Jungr has selected some of their best numbers and reinterpreted them in a jazz style. Really to appreciate what she has done, it helps to be familiar with the originals. Generation Z, I fear, would not have that advantage, and indeed I didn’t spot any of that generation among the audience. The clarity of Miss Jungr’s diction enabled me to catch some of the words for the first time, which I didn’t get when listening to the records, e.g. Jethro Tull’s Living in the Past. But for anyone at all familiar with the originals, comparing and contrasting the two versions would have given pleasure throughout the show.

There were some surprises. Miss Jungr kicked off with Led Zeppelin’s The Immigrant’s Song, and turned out to be a good substitute for Robert Plant. In Substitute by The Who, Barb sounded much angrier than Roger Daltry, explaining that the song was a scathing attack on the English class system. I actually learned quite a lot about the songs. For another example, I didn’t know that This Wheel’s On Fire was written by Bob Dylan. Psychedelia was well represented by acid-fuelled numbers like Flowers in the Rain, Hole in my Shoe and Itchycoo Park. But hey, I mustn’t turn this review into a discography. Let’s just say that it was “all too beautiful …”!

There are sure to be further performances based on the My Marquee album this summer. Be sure to catch one!
https://playstosee.com/my-marquee-barb-jungr-and-her-trio/

My Marquee

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Frank Zappa - Funky Nothingness Disc 1, Disc 2, Disc 3

Album: Funky Nothingness Disc 1
Styles: Jazz Funk
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:56
Size: 174,5 MB
Art: Front

( 1:48) 1. Funky Nothingness
( 0:44) 2. Tommy/Vincent Duo I
( 2:46) 3. Love Will Make Your Mind Go Wild
(12:19) 4. I'm a Rollin' Stone
( 9:21) 5. Chunga's Revenge (Basement Version)
( 6:27) 6. Basement Jam
( 2:48) 7. Work with Me Annie / Annie Had a Baby
( 6:41) 8. Tommy/Vincent Duo II
(12:14) 9. Sharleena (1970 Record Plant Mix)
( 8:08) 10. Khaki Sack
(11:34) 11. Twinkle Tits

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Album: Funky Nothingness Disc 2
Time: 70:58
Size: 164,4 MB

(16:15) 1. Chunga's Revenge (Take 5)
( 3:16) 2. Love Will Make Your Mind Go Wild (Take 4)
(18:12) 3. Transylvania Boogie (Unedited Master)
(14:55) 4. Sharleena (Unedited Master)
( 4:28) 5. Work with Me Annie / Annie Had a Baby (Alternate Edit)
( 0:47) 6. Twinkle Tits (Take 1, False Start)
(13:00) 7. Twinkle Tits (Take 2)

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Album: Funky Nothingness Disc 3
Time: 64:57
Size: 150,6 MB

(11:28) 1. The Clap (Unedited Master - Pt. I)
( 4:37) 2. The Clap (Unedited Master - Pt. II)
(21:52) 3. Tommy/Vincent Duo
(19:47) 4. Chunga's Revenge (Take 8)
( 3:02) 5. Halos and Arrows
( 3:22) 6. Moldred (Take 8)
( 0:45) 7. Fast Funky Nothingness

Long after his death at the age of 52 in December 1993, Frank Zappa remains one of the most fascinating musicians and composers of his generation. Zappa was a rare individual who was equally skilled playing and writing in a number of different genres and styles, Funky Nothingness represents the brief era of a band which deserved to last longer than it did. Early on, Zappa realized the importance of recording whenever possible, as an impromptu studio jam or concert highlight might otherwise be lost for good.

Especially after he dissolved his original Mothers of Invention band in 1969, Zappa sought out the best musicians possible. By the time of his death he had amassed a sizable library of unissued studio and concert performances. With the time Zappa spent composing, rehearsing bands and going on the road, it is little wonder that there was insufficient time for him to go through his entire archive to locate hidden treasures for release.

Posthumous releases of Zappa's music have been a mixed bag, ranging from band rehearsals with less than high fidelity sound, expanded reissues which include works in progress prior to overdubbing and editing, expanded versions of previously issued albums and CDs or CD sets of completely unreleased (or mostly so) music. This collection falls into the latter category and is a release which long-time Zappa fans have dreamed of being discovered.

With the success of his 1969 LP Hot Rats, Zappa continued to explore mostly instrumental blues, utilizing a core band which appeared on that LP, including keyboardist, multi-reed player and rhythm guitarist Ian Underwood, violinist, organist and vocalist Don "Sugar Cane" Harris, Wrecking Crew bassist Max Bennett and drummer Aynsley Dunbar. Aside from the title track, which is heard in two versions with other musicians recorded in 1967 during the making of Uncle Meat, this is the group heard throughout the rest of the 3CD set, although the 2 LP edition simultaneously released with it omit some of the tracks found in this set.

It is difficult to tell how long this band was rehearsing and recording, though at least two concerts took place, one in the San Diego Sports Arena on February 8th, then another on March 7th at the Grand Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles, part of which appeared on the bootleg Hot Rats -Live at the Olympic, an audience recording. The studio sessions took place in early 1970, but the band clearly had a grip on Zappa's new compositions and arrangements, playing them with the intensity of a live set of regular repertoire. In this period of his career, Zappa enjoyed leading extended jams in the studio, even if the final result was too long to release on LP. He was a creative tape editor who could distill the best segments from a long performance into an effective shorter track.

The two 1967 tracks are miniatures entitled "Funky Nothingness," a slow blues with acoustic guitar, bass and a mostly wordless vocal, along with the electric "Fast Funky Nothingness," which is somewhat reminiscent of Zappa's composition "Speed Freak Boogie," though it is quickly faded out.

Among Zappa's many interests were vintage R&B songs from the '50s. The playful medley of two hits by Hank Ballard. "Work With Me Annie" and "Annie Had A Baby" features Harris' strong vocal and intense violin, with Zappa's unique guitar as seasoning. "Love Will Make Your Mind Go Wild" is another terrific Harris vocal feature, although the introduction is reminiscent of an unissued version of Zappa's "My Guitar Wants To Kill Your Mama" which ended up on bootleg LPs in the early '70s. A huge surprise is Zappa's lead vocal in an extended workout of bluesman Lightnin' Slim's "I'm A Rollin' Stone," this twelve-plus-minute workout never loses steam with Zappa's guitar taking center stage, though Harris and Underwood (on organ) shine, with the playing of Bennett and Dunbar adding the perfect backdrop.

There are no fewer than three versions of "Chunga's Revenge," the first being a nine-plus minute basement jam from his Laurel Canyon home which sounds like an early rehearsal with slightly less fidelity than the two studio takes. Both Take 5 and Take 8 feature Ian Underwood playing electric alto saxophone with a wah-wah pedal and "Sugar Cane" Harris on organ, with superb support from Bennett and Dunbar. Underwood simulates an electric guitar with his brilliant, intricate solos, though in both takes, strong solos by Zappa, Harris and Dunbar are featured as well.

Zappa's "The Clap" was a percussion solo he played on the album Chunga's Revenge, though the two versions here reveal his fascination with polyrhythms and finding unique effects. Part I is over eleven minutes, while Part II is just over four minutes, both considerably longer than the originally issued track which was edited down from them. It isn't surprising to hear Zappa on drums, since he first played them before switching to guitar and he joined Ruth Underwood on stage to play percussion during early '70s concerts. However, the biggest treasure is the discovery of two complete takes, plus a false start, of the little known composition "Twinkle Tits," an outstanding instrumental jam which fuses several different genres into a explosive force.

Take 5 is sixteen minutes long and the best of the three, with terrific solos all around, with its exotic Middle Eastern-influenced introduction which includes a bit of honky-tonk piano, acoustic bass, marimba and a guitar which could only be Zappa. Yet, as the tempo increases, the bluesy element takes prominence, while Harris shares solo honors with Zappa for his high energy. Take 8 is nearly twenty minutes long and features a blistering Zappa guitar solo, though the overall take doesn't quite reach the heights of the shorter version.

The false start of under a minute is included for historic interest, as Zappa usually bypassed including partial takes unless he found them amusing. Another find is an eighteen-minute unedited master of Zappa's masterpiece, "Transylvania Boogie," which sounds quite different from the version issued on the album Chunga's Revenge, though the last five-and-a-half minutes of it sound like this segment was used for the basic track on the original LP. Zappa steals the show with his lengthy improvisation, while the rhythm section keeps the fire going throughout the jam, with Underwood's sublime, bluesy organ solo adding to its value.

The two versions of "Sharleena" contrast with the performance heard on Chunga's Revenge, as Harris had left Zappa by the time it was recorded and bassist Jeff Simmons joined Zappa for the lead vocals with backing vocals by Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman. These two takes feature Harris with Zappa on lead vocals, buoyed by Harris' bluesy violin and Zappa's piercing guitar, both of which are far more interesting than the issued version. Bonus discoveries include "Halos And Arrows," a fascinating instrumental with two separate guitars, rhythm guitar and bass, along with the breezy, soulful instrumental "Khaki Sack."

Not long after these Hot Rats sessions were completed, Zappa's focus turned to completing his orchestral work "200 Motels," which was premiered with Zubin Mehta and the Los Angeles Philharmonic at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion on May 15, 1970, with a newly assembled group of Mothers, including Underwood and Dunbar. The suite was rewritten prior to making the film and soundtrack the following year. It is unclear whether Zappa disbanding Hot Rats or the departure of "Sugar Cane" Harris to record as a solo artist resulted in the demise of the band. Vocalists Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman attended his UCLA concert and Zappa soon after launched a new edition of The Mothers which included them, creating a new repertoire of works which were a hybrid of comedy, skits and suggestive lyrics, with the occasional instrumental. As Zappa said in a 1989 phone interview, "It wasn't really a great band, but we had a lot of laughs."

This release is available as a 2 LP set, though the best option, which is also the most complete, is the expanded 3 CD set, which also contains a 28 page booklet with session photoswhile the download also includes all tracks. Disc 1 of the 3 CD deluxe set contains the material which Zappa selected and put together, while discs 2 and 3 in the expanded set have the alternate takes and edits and other unissued material. Both vintage Zappa mixes and recent mixes by Craig Parker Adams are utilized, with top notch mastering by John Polito.

This historic discovery of unissued studio performances by Frank Zappa will be on many critics' top ten lists for 2023 and it is highly recommended for anyone who owns Zappa's landmark Hot Rats album. The uncovering of more treasures is eagerly awaited, especially if the vault meisters can uncover a soundboard recording of the 1970 bootleg LP by Zappa & Hot Rats. By Ken Dryden
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/funky-nothingness-frank-zappa-zappa-records

Personnel: Frank Zappa: guitar, electric; Don "Sugarcane" Harris: violin; Ian Underwood: organ, Hammond B3; Max Bennett: bass; Aynsley Dunbar: drums.

Additional Instrumentation: Frank Zappa: vocals, drums, percussion; Sugarcane Harris: organ, vocals; Ian Underwood: woodwinds, piano, rhythm guitar.

Funky Nothingness Disc1, Disc 2, Disc 3

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