Nick Colionne - Influences

Styles: Guitar, Smooth Jazz
Year: 2014
Time: 54:43
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 127,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:04) 1. Slammin'
(4:48) 2. Got To Keep It Moving
(4:36) 3. Nico's Ride
(5:25) 4. Whatcha Gonna Do
(4:06) 5. Born Again
(4:21) 6. When You Love Somebody
(3:50) 7. Here's To You
(3:51) 8. C-Ray
(5:22) 9. Whatta 'bout You
(5:01) 10. Sting Like A King B
(3:44) 11. Got To Keep It Moving (Short)
(4:29) 12. Got To Keep It Moving (Long)

Well into his third decade of making the strings sing with his very own sweet Chicago soul, guitarist Nick Colionne digs deep as he takes musical stock of the people and things that helped propel his career and fully establish his place as one of the real cats, a cat that finds connection with his audience in a way that not many can.

Influences is a musical journey of self re-discovery, offering a palate of moods and flavors born of life experiences, challenges and the effect of the people past and present that have helped shape and mold his sound. Music can be the ultimate healer not only for the creator but also those of us who seek the escapism. Nick gets this and you immediately feel him from the opening strains as he provides lift with this feel good collection of new sides. His chops have never been more exacting, his melodies more exhilarating, his hooks more infectious.

Collaborating again with the great James Lloyd on 'Pieces Of A Dream' and inviting Maysa on the journey gives 'Influences' just the right amount of spice and pop, but in the end it is all about Nick as he bears his soul though this collection of musical chapters in this his latest book, one written with his strings and sings of the places he s been and the places he still has to go.

The lead single Got To Keep It Moving is certain to fire up his legions of fans and find its rightful place atop the radio charts. Never one to take what he has for granted, Colionne knows he has been blessed with a great gift and he will continue to share it as he connects with his fans through live performance in 2014 and share Influences in a way that only he can.By Editorial Reviews https://www.amazon.com/Influences-Nick-Colionne/dp/B00I89Y330

Influences

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One For All - The Third Decade

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2016
Time: 65:50
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 152,9 MB
Art: Front

(5:16) 1. Easy
(5:59) 2. Buddy's
(6:20) 3. It's Easy To Remember
(7:36) 4. Daylight
(5:33) 5. Ghost Ride
(7:11) 6. For Curtis
(4:32) 7. Ruth
(4:29) 8. Babataytay
(6:38) 9. K Ray
(6:21) 10. Frenzy
(5:49) 11. Hey, Stevie D

Hard to believe it will be twenty years ago next year that the hard bop ensemble One For All debuted with Too Soon To Tell on the fledgling Sharp Nine label. Formed as a group that regularly played together at an uptown Broadway club called Augie's, each member was just at the start of their own budding careers. Even today, it continues to be a surprise that these gentlemen still find the time to assemble for the occasional record date or live appearance.

Much has transpired since 1997. Augie's was transformed into Smoke, the club that continues to thrive and provides the imprimatur for the record label documenting the set at hand. Fifteen albums are to be found in the band's oeuvre, including four on Sharp Nine, five for Criss Cross Jazz, four for the Japanese Venus label, and two live concert recordings. Indeed on the cusp of starting their third decade together as a band, this fittingly titled set brings into focus all of the best qualities of these gentlemen, including their composing talents and singular musical voices. It also happens to be their first new release in five years.

The proceedings open with the Steve Davis original "Easy." Those crisp snare hits from drummer Joe Farnsworth announce that we are indeed in for a pleasurable ride. The warm timbre of the three-piece horn section is a trademark of this unit and it's all here to enjoy from the very first note. The tempo picks up with David Hazeltine's "Buddy," a tribute to his mentor and fellow pianist Buddy Montgomery. The sprightly bossa tempo brings some joyous shouting from trumpet ace Jim Rotondi.

Hazeltine is also responsible for the cheery arrangement of "It's Easy to Remember" and another tribute in the guise of "K-Ray." Dedicated to recently deceased drummer Killer Ray Appelton, this one is a brisk and swinging ditty that finds Farnsworth in all his glory. Particular attention should be paid to the sound the drummer achieves. His toms are tuned high and his ride cymbal has a nice, dry ping, all of which are individualistic and very pleasing. His solo statements are articulate and engaging and never wear out their welcome.

Both Davis' "Daylight" and Eric Alexander's "Frenzy" are ebullient numbers that bristle with excitement. The former speaks with a jaunty Latin-esque voice while the latter is straight ahead swing buoyed by John Webber's rock solid bass lines. For Rotondi's contributions, there's the 16th note groove of "For Curtis" and the long-lined "Ruth," both of which settle into a pleasurable platform for soloing. Although it goes without saying, both Davis and Rotondi are chock full of great ideas and say much over the course of their many solos.

Alexander, Davis, Hazeltine, and Rotondi have largely served as the band's main arrangers/writers over the course of the band's history. It is then a pleasure to find that this date marks the first time all six members contribute to the program. Webber's "Babataya" recalls some of the funky gems from the Blue Note era, such as Lee Morgan's "Party Time." Farnsworth's "Hey,Stevie-D" makes for a fine shuffle that puts Alexander in the mood to strut his stuff. And speaking of Alexander, his gorgeous ballad "Ghost Ride" serves as moment of calm in an otherwise pretty upbeat session.

Over the course of The Third Decade's eleven generous tracks, we get to hear a well-honed machine operating at peak power. Even though distances often keep these six gentlemen apart, one can only hope their new home at Smoke Sessions will provide for further releases and the we won't have to wait another five years before the next one.By C. Andrew Hovan
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-third-decade-one-for-all-smoke-sessions-records-review-by-c-andrew-hovan

Personnel: Jim Rotondi: trumpet & flugelhorn; Eric Alexander: tenor saxophone; Steve Davis: trombone; David Hazeltine: piano; John Webber: bass; Joe Farnsworth: drums

The Third Decade

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Artistry Jazz Group - Tribute!

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz

Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 70:31
Size: 162,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:50)  1. Palo Alto
(4:04)  2. Shirley Steps Out
(5:14)  3. Last Night When We Were Young
(4:08)  4. Bijou
(3:02)  5. Up an' Atom
(6:08)  6. Lost in a Summer Night
(2:55)  7. The Bad and the Beautiful
(2:44)  8. Undercurrent Blues
(5:13)  9. The Man that Got Away
(3:57) 10. Fantasy
(6:34) 11. As You Are
(6:58) 12. The St. Vitus' Dance
(5:31) 13. Changing My Tune
(6:00) 14. Lotus Blossom
(4:06) 15. Boplicity

An absolute gem, featuring some of the best players in Scandinavia in an extremely well thought-out program of music, paying tribute to "musicians and artists who shaped new sounds and ideas." It's the brainchild of independent record producer Torgil Rosenberg and pianist Jan Lundgren. Three top Swedish musicians, Peter Asplund on trumpet, Klas Lindqvist on alto sax and clarinet, and Janne Bengtsson on flute, join Lundgren's already all-star Artistry group, filling out the sound on selected numbers. The choice of musicians and composers receiving tribute is highly eclectic, ranging from alto saxophonist Lee Konitz, pianist Horace Silver, trumpeter Miles Davis and big band leader Stan Kenton to singer June Christy, Swedish composer/pianist Nils Lindberg (paired with US bassist Red Mitchell, who lived in Sweden for many years) and composers George Gershwin and Billy Strayhorn. The album opens with reed multi-instrumentalist Jimmy Giuffre's arrangement of Lee Konitz's marvelous post bop piece, "Palo Alto," on which Lundgren solos superbly. It continues with Mel Powell's quirky "Shirley Steps Out," with reed man Klas Lindqvist taking solo honors.

Vocalist Vivian Buczek is a revelation, displaying full-fledged confidence and a maturity only hinted at in her previous recordings with the group. She performs great versions of Harold Arlen's bittersweet "Last Night When We Were Young" and George Gershwin's "Changing My Tune," switches with consummate ease from Queen of Cool June Christy to Judy Garland, albeit singing the best, bluesiest song in Garland's book, "The Man That Got Away," written by Harold Arlen and Ira Gershwin for the 1954 film A Star Is Born.  Buczek does her best with the rather dated "back to nature" lyrics of Lindberg and Mitchell's "As You Are" and turns in a fine wordless vocal on "Undercurrent Blues," by Chico O'Farrill whose arrangements ushered King of Swing Benny Goodman, somewhat unwillingly, into the bebop era.

She also chooses the closer, going for Miles Davis' "Boplicity" and handling Ray Passman and Holli Ross' high-speed "Bebop Lives" lyrics with great aplomb. Hollywood composer David Raskin's "The Bad And The Beautiful" is one of two outstanding solo outings by Lundgren. The other is a lovely, lingering interpretation of Billy Strayhorn's "Lotus Blossom."  Guitarist Jacob Fischer's solo does wonders for "Fantasy" by Prince of Pretension Stan Kenton (based on a piece by classical composer Maurice Ravel), while Hans Backenroth plays some terrific bass on Horace Silver's "The St. Vitus' Dance." Only rarely do albums come any better than this.By Chris Mosey http://www.allaboutjazz.com/tribute-jan-lundgren-volenza-review-by-chris-mosey.php

Personnel: Jan Lundgren: piano;  Vivian Buczek: vocal;  Jacob Fischer: guitar;  Hans Backenroth: bass;  Johan Löfcrantz Ramsay: drums;  Peter Asplund: trumpet, flugelhorn;  Klas Lindqvist: alto sax, clarinet;  Janne Bengtsson: flute.

Tribute!

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Jon De Lucia - The Brubeck Octet Project

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2024
Time: 49:29
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 114,4 MB
Art: Front

(0:38) 1. Curtain Music
(4:17) 2. Love Walked In
(4:05) 3. Fugue on Bop Themes
(4:29) 4. Let's Fall In Love
(5:58) 5. IPCA
(6:20) 6. September in the Rain
(5:17) 7. I Hear A Rhapsody
(2:57) 8. The Way You Look Tonight
(4:39) 9. Prelude
(4:12) 10. What Is This Thing Called Love
(5:54) 11. Love Me or Leave Me
(0:37) 12. Closing Theme

Synchronicity is a wondrous thing. Item: At around the same time that Albert Ayler was developing his sound in the U.S.A., the Ethiopian tenor saxophonist Getatchew Mekurya was forging a strikingly similar one in Addis Ababa. Neither player had heard the other, and Mekurya had never heard any jazz at all. Feel the Force?

Rewind a decade or so and we encounter another space/time portal, this one connecting the U.S.A.'s East Coast and West Coast. In New York, in 1949-50, Miles Davis was fronting a nonet whose 78rpm singles were later compiled on the album Birth Of The Cool (Capitol, 1957). In Oakland, in 1948-49, Dave Brubeck was leading an octet whose 78rpm singles were later compiled on the album Dave Brubeck Octet (Fantasy, 1956).

The Davis and Brubeck bands were both exploring an approach to jazz that eschewed the heated intensity of bop. Both were experimenting with new, classically influenced harmonies and ensemble voicings. There was one significant difference between them: Davis' band, in the main, played original compositions, and Brubeck's, in the main, played covers, albeit harmonically, and often rhythmically, reimagined. (The Davis/Brubeck and Ayler/Mekurya parallels are not analogous in another way, since Davis and Brubeck would have known through the grapevine what each other was up to and must almost certainly have heard at least some of each other's recordings. But feel the Force or what?)

Fast forward seven decades, and the alto saxophonist Jon De Lucia has put together another octet, with Brubeck's instrumentation, this time on the East Coast. The band revisits twelve of Brubeck's scores. De Lucia has expanded Brubeck's original arrangements while retaining their spirit and he has done a beautiful job. The Brubeck Octet Project retains the vibe of the original recordings, being deliciously anachronistic while simultaneously modern (or perhaps that should be timeless), and the players (see Personnel) are on a par with the 1948-49 lineups.

Audio quality is far richer and has considerably more presence than the indifferent sound of Brubeck's original tracks (check the YouTube below). The Brubeck Octet Project by no means cancels out Dave Brubeck Octet, but it seems probable that anyone who enjoys the earlier album will enjoy this 2024 salute.By Chris May
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-brubeck-octet-project-jon-de-lucia-museum-clausum

Personnel: Jon De Lucia - Alto Saxophone, Leader; Brandon Lee - Trumpet; Scott Robinson - Tenor Saxophone; Becca Patterson - Trombone; Jay Rattman - Baritone Saxophone and Clarinet; Glenn Zaleski - Piano; Daniel Duke - Bass; Keith Balla - Drums

The Brubeck Octet Project

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