Ari Ambrose - Retrospect

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1996
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:12
Size: 156,5 MB
Art: Front

(11:03)  1. Last Stand
( 7:21)  2. Sophisticated Lady
( 8:13)  3. Back Road
(10:11)  4. Retrospect
(11:49)  5. Gone With The Wind
(10:00)  6. Escapade
( 9:32)  7. Just One Of Those Things

At just forty-two years of age, tenorist Ari Ambrose may seem a bit young to be releasing a record with the title Retrospect. The realization that it’s his fourteenth as a leader for Steeplechase applies credence to the logic of the choice. Ambrose came of age as a player under the Danish label’s loyal auspices, part of a peer group that includes Stephen Riley, Chris Byars, Jed Levy and slightly older saxophonists like Rich Perry and Greg Tardy. It’s collective fast company, but Ambrose has long aligned his activities with equity between history and interpretive industry. This session falls right in step with his abiding philosophy of embracing programs canted toward older tunes. Two originals join five standards, but there are also subtle deviations most prominently in how the leader approaches the material. Ambrose notes a longitudinal change in his thinking through interview snippets in the liners, zeroing in on the stylistic distinctions between Sonny Stitt and Gene Ammons and how his younger self was enamored by the fearless skill of the former. As an older player, it’s Ammons that now holds the edge in Ambrose’s estimation. In a simplified sense it’s an affirmation of the worth of presence and feeling over technical prowess.

The shift in emphasis is immediately evident in Ambrose’s rendering of the Ellington ballad “Sophisticated Lady”, his horn essaying the theme with an eloquence that’s rife with all sorts of subtle decisions in terms of inflection and tone. Trumpeter Alex Norris follows suit with a velvety brass sound that echoes the precedent of Kenny Dorham with a warm, translucent sound. No coincidence then that two of Dorham’s tunes show up in the set starting with the relatively obscure “Back Road”, a bright boppish line that shows off the winsome confluence in the frontline tandem. “Escapade”, also borrowed from the classic Joe Henderson album Our Thing (1964), speaks to the quintet’s strengths. Pianist Jeremy Manasia leads the rhythm section in ensuring that all the technical necessities are ably shored up. Bassist Jay Anderson and drummer Donald Edwards are the other architects in framing the formulations of the horns with thoughtful support. That heavy lifting accomplished, Ambrose and Norris are free to blow at length, shaping solos that blend melodic ingenuity with an ear toward graceful dramatic exposition. “Gone with the Wind” carries the pungent aroma of mothballs in nearly all of its modern iterations, but the quintet rises to a collective challenge in outfitting it with a fresh scent and largely succeeds. In heart and mind, the “new” Ambrose is the same as the old, but a deep maturity in his playing built on a discography now safely in the double digits suggests he still has much to say. ~ Derek Taylor

Personnel:  Ari Ambrose  (tenor saxophone, composer);  Alex Norris  (trumpet);  Jeremy Manasia  (piano);  Jay Anderson  (bass);  Donald Edwards  (drums).

Retrospect

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Ari Ambrose & Stephen Riley - Tenor Treats Two

Styles: Saxophone Jazz

Year: 2009

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 66:09

Size: 152,1 MB

Art: Front

( 9:17)  1. Sandu

(13:12)  2. Wave

( 7:02)  3. Back Home In Indiana

( 7:24)  4. 502 Blues

( 9:49)  5. Scrapple From The Apple

( 7:49)  6. Darn That Dream

(11:32)  7. How High The Moon

Resuming right where its companion volume left off, this disc delivers another stimulating hour-plus colloquy between its co-leaders. Tenorist Ari Ambrose gets top billing on the tray card, but it’s very much an affair of equals, onset to finish. Stephen Riley is the more overtly mercurial and idiosyncratic of the two frontline partners. His lushly-conceived tone and phrasing are instantly recognizable, a post-millennial alloy of Lester Young disciples running from Don Byas through Teo Macero to Warne Marsh an on to Wayne Shorter and beyond. That hollowed-out huskiness frequently contrasts swimmingly with Ambrose’s often more straightforwardly athletic sound. On the previous volume, Ambrose playfully aped his partner at several junctures, adopting a grainy timbre and fluttery doppelganger inflection when voicing a line. He keeps that mimicry to a minimum here. This set also stands apart in the greater degree on interplay between the horns. Several of their spiraling chases recall the sort of near-telepathic harmonic congruity between the aforementioned Marsh and Lee Konitz. Solos are still the frequent conveyance for forward momentum, but the heightened willingness on the part of the principals to engage each other directly gives this volume a distinctive and definitive edge. There numerous are moments where their overlapping lines become an organized tangle of free-flowing counterpoint. Bassist Jay Anderson and drummer Matt Wilson aren’t simply window-dressing. Both men actively feed and respond to the tenors with shifting backdrops and move to the foreground for improvisations when situation permits. The tunes don’t offer much in the way of surface surprises, though it is a treat to see Jimmy Rowles “502 Blues” amongst the other bop and earlier familiars. It along with El Gaucho, Riley’s just-released quartet record (also on Steeplechase) are oblique hints to the saxophonist’s abiding affection for Shorter’s Adam’s Apple. A 13+ minute foray through Jobim’s “Wave” departs from the predictable through the tenors’ close dissection of the dog-eared bossa theme, itself a melody seemingly custom tailored to Riley’s romance-ready vernacular. Listeners with a yen for tandem tenor that treads reliably off the beaten track are strongly advised to check this and the earlier volume out without compunction.

Personnel:  Tenor Saxophone – Ari Ambrose; Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Stephen Riley;  Bass – Jay Anderson;  Drums – Matt Wilson

Tenor Treats Two

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Ari Ambrose - Chainsaw

Styles: Saxophone Jazz 
Year: 1999
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:15
Size: 163,3 MB
Art: Front

( 7:02)  1. Chainsaw
( 9:35)  2. Come Rain Or Come Shine
( 7:52)  3. Blues For Madlong
( 7:50)  4. Ghost Of A Chance
( 6:19)  5. Giant Steps
( 7:49)  6. Think Of One
( 7:21)  7. Zingaro
( 7:10)  8. Wheels
(10:13)  9. Cotton Tail

Ari Ambrose with this his third CD is no longer a new comer who need an introduction. Although he is still young (26) and relatively new on the scene, there is no doubt that here is an artist with tremendous potential. As his former teacher saxophonist Dick Oatts puts it, “ Of all the young talents, his is the one that has given me the most pleasure…a great player….He’s truly immersed himself in the music in the best possible way… ” “ In this impressive leader debut, tenor saxophonist Ari Ambrose steps to the fore as a fully formed stylist. …At 26, the brash New Yorker is a master of his horn …” (Chuck Berg, JazzTimes)

Personnel:  Tenor Saxophone – Ari Ambrose;  Bass – Carlo De Rosa;  Drums – Ari Hoeni;  Piano – Luis Perdomo

Chainsaw

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Ari Ambrose - Whatever Happens

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:37
Size: 164,6 MB
Art: Front

(8:16)  1. No More
(9:41)  2. More Than You Know
(7:59)  3. Whatever Happens
(6:48)  4. I'm Glad There Is You
(6:36)  5. Luna
(6:40)  6. Emily
(7:31)  7. Unknown Side
(8:51)  8. Don't Blame Me
(9:11)  9. Like Someone In Love

The word retro is almost too new-school when dealing with the stylistic expressions of tenor saxophonist Ari Ambrose. His efforts on Whatever Happens reveal a throwback to the sounds of the tenor players of the ’30s and pre-bop era of the ’40s, when Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, Ben Webster, Chu Berry and Don Byas ruled the roost, mostly in the big bands of the time. Although largely bypassing references to bop, hard-bop, etc., Ambrose, on his eighth leader date for SteepleChase, has found a way to adapt his playing so it fits neatly with the more modern direction of his rhythm section: pianist George Colligan, bassist Ugonna Okegwo and drummer Billy Drummond. Opening with the Lucky Thompson tune “No More,” the tenorist offers a sensitive reading that holds some of the earmarks of the Thompson sound. The rest of the way through older standards, Johnny Mandel’s “Emily” and three Ambrose originals, the leader plays with a quality that will remind listeners of Bean, Ben and Lester. The smooth, relaxed feel of his tenor work, while perhaps old-school, shows plenty of technical skill and creative flair. He spices up his solos with occasional flurries of notes that aren’t exactly within his stylistic zone but somehow seem to fit nicely. Colligan doesn’t play with his usual adventurous edge but keeps everything together within the rhythm team. With so many of the young tenor voices continuing to follow John Coltrane or Sonny Rollins or turning toward free-form abstraction, it’s refreshing to find Ambrose employing the tradition, taking it back and bringing it forward. If nothing else, he, Mark Turner, Ned Goold, Chris Byars and even Scott Hamilton are offering something different in what often seems to be a world of clones. https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/ari-ambrose-whatever-happens/

Personnel:  Ari Ambrose, tenor sax; George Colligan, piano; Ugonna Okegwo, bass; Billy Drummond, drums.

Whatever Happens

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Ari Ambrose - Settling In

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:11
Size: 150,3 MB
Art: Front

(9:34)  1. Fun X 4
(9:18)  2. Country Living
(8:11)  3. How Deep is the Ocean
(9:03)  4. I Remember You
(7:08)  5. Hope and Cope
(8:52)  6. Midnight Moments
(5:44)  7. Polkadots And Moonbeams
(7:19)  8. Airegin

Ari Ambrose, since his recording debut as leader on SteepleChase's “Introducing Ari Ambrose” some 15 years ago, has maintained his musical perspectives of modernism on tradition and has polished them to perfection on this new album.

“…With so many 9of the young tenor voices continuing to follow John Coltrane or Sonny Rollins or turning toward free-form abstraction, it's refreshing to find Ambrose employing the tradition, taking it back and bringing it forward, … offering something different in what often seems to be a world of clones.” (Will Smith – JazzT9imes on Whatever Happens ) “Ari Ambrose's Waiting is totally lacking in pretension. An exceptional example of mainstream modern jazz,…” (David Franklin-JazzTimes)

Personnel:  Ari Ambrose (tenor saxophone);  Nir Felder (guitar);  Jay Anderson (bass);  Anthony Pinciotti  (drums)

Settling In

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Ari Ambrose - Talk of the Town

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:29
Size: 136,8 MB
Art: Front

(8:11)  1. I Don't Recall
(7:19)  2. I'll Be Seeing You
(6:29)  3. Goodbye
(8:22)  4. Pennies from Heaven
(7:55)  5. Mala
(8:16)  6. It's the Talk of the Town
(6:31)  7. Ditmas Avenue
(6:21)  8. Let's Call This

Saxophonists have long enjoyed the challenge of working alone with a piano-less rhythm section, as it gives them additional room to improvise. Tenor saxophonist Ari Ambrose has regularly recorded in a trio setting with just bass and drums, on this occasion with Ugonna Okegwo and Mark Ferber, two regular collaborators. He alternates between originals and standards, kicking off with his percolating, midtempo boppish blues "I Don't Recall," which features all three musicians in a good light. "Goodbye" is not the famous theme song played by Benny Goodman but a stunning, gut-wrenching original ballad that suggests a sad parting with a lover. His breezy "Ditmas Avenue" crackles with the energy of a busy urban thoroughfare in the midst of the day. In spite of its age,"Pennies from Heaven" remains one a favorite of modern jazz musicians; Ambrose's staccato phrasing keeps it fresh. His sassy take of Thelonious Monk's "Let's Call This" revives a piece that is generally overlooked in the late pianist's canon, playing it with a looseness that its composer would have likely enjoyed. This is another fine session by the rising young saxophonist. ~ Ken Dryden http://www.allmusic.com/album/talk-of-the-town-mw0001876280

Personnel: Ari Ambrose (tenor saxophone); Mark Ferber (drums); Ugonna Okegwo  (bass).

Talk of the Town

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Ari Ambrose - On Another Day

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2005
File: MP3@224K/s
Time: 68:52
Size: 110,4 MB
Art: Front

(7:23)  1. Bang
(7:53)  2. Who Can I Turn To?
(9:16)  3. Clueless
(7:45)  4. I Fall in Love Too Easily
(7:53)  5. Samsara
(5:47)  6. Never Let Me Go
(6:09)  7. Vai Chegar
(6:45)  8. On Another Day
(9:56)  9. If I Had You

Ari Ambrose ( 1974 ) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist and bandleader. Ambrose studied in Washington, DC and played there with local bands. From 1991 he continued his studies at the Manhattan School of Music and played with musicians like the trumpeter Ryan Kisor . At the end of the 1990s, he became known for his own band projects; The trio album " Introducing Ari Ambrose" was composed for SteepleChase Records with bassist Dennis Irwin and drummer Billy Hart in 1998. It is based on the trio session of Sonny Rollins (1957) or Joe Henderson's Village Vanguard concert in 1985 .  Subsequently, he presented five other albums for the label, created with musicians such as pianist George Colligan , bassist Jay Anderson, or drummer Billy Drummond .  According to the critic C. Hovan, Ambrose is based on models like Ben Webster , Sonny Rollins, Archie Shepp and Joe Henderson. 

Personnel:  Ari Ambrose (tenor sax);  Joe Magnarelli (trumpet);  Gary Versace (Hammond B-3 organ);  Mark Ferber (drums).

On An Other Day

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Ari Ambrose - Early Song

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1999
File: MP3@256K/s
Time: 62:28
Size: 114,5 MB
Art: Front

( 9:02)  1. Waiting
(10:38)  2. What Is the Meaning of This
( 8:05)  3. Useless Landscape
( 7:56)  4. The Song Is You
( 5:49)  5. Venus
(10:28)  6. Early Song
(10:27)  7. Twins

On his fourth CD for Steeplechase, tenor saxophonist Ari Ambrose who was just 27 years old at the time of the sessions displays a surprising maturity as both a player and composer. Ambrose is joined by pianist George Colligan, bassist Joe Martin, and drummer Rick Montalbano, and the musicians play with the finesse of a regular working band while tackling an ambitious program. The saxophonist really wails in his striking opener, the twisting yet hard-driving "Waiting." Colligan's atonal "What Is the Meaning of This" keeps the musicians on their toes as they navigate this difficult post-bop chart. Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Useless Landscape" is hardly one of the Brazilian master's better-known compositions, yet this young quartet devours it, even adding a touch of boogaloo. Their brisk rendition of Jerome Kern's "The Song Is You" suggests the influence of Dexter Gordon and Sonny Rollins. "Early Song" is another original by Ambrose, a cheerful number with a bit of a Latin feeling. It gets tiresome to say, but European jazz labels (along with small American independents) seem far more interested in discovering talented artists like Ari Ambrose and George Colligan; the majors in the U.S. seem to remain clueless. Highly recommended. ~ Ken Dryden http://www.allmusic.com/album/early-song-mw0000968468

Personnel: Ari Ambrose (saxophone); George Colligan (piano).

Early Song

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Ari Ambrose - Cyclic Episode

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1998
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:58
Size: 160,5 MB
Art: Front

( 9:31)  1. Gingerbread Boy
( 9:17)  2. Mirror Mirror
( 9:22)  3. Early Minor
(12:03)  4. Cyclic Episode
(10:38)  5. Goodbye to Childhood
( 9:11)  6. Roses Poses
( 9:53)  7. Remember

That astute follower of new talent, Nils Winther, introduced us to up and coming tenor saxophonist Ari Ambrose in 1998 with a trio date sans piano that was as remarkable in its daring as it was in its pronouncement of a great new talent on the scene. Now comes along Cyclic Episode and we hear Ambrose in a more conventional line-up, but that electrifying sense of abandon and joie de vivre is still there, making this set another triumph.  Going for a collection of seldom-done pieces, Ambrose proves to be a shrewd judge of great music. Sam Rivers wrote the title track, Joe Zawinul’s “Early Minor” comes from the neglected Nat Adderley album You, Baby, and “Goodbye To Childhood” is a shinning jewel from Herbie Hancock’s transcendent Speak Like a Child. A take on Berlin’s “Remember” also suggests that Ambrose has done his homework by checking out Hank Mobley’s version from the classic Soul Station. 

As a tenor stylist, Ambrose possesses a tone that’s full-bodied, but just a little rough at the edges. His fluidity is obvious over the course of the many choruses he spins during the opening “Gingerbread Boy.” Ballad work is a sign of maturity and Ambrose passes the test on “Early Minor” and “Goodbye to Childhood,” with a nod to Sonny Rollins obvious in the latter performance. The rest of the ensemble is also of the highest rank, Colligan and Drummond continuing to impress this reviewer as just about the most exciting thing since sliced bread. So the saying goes, they don’t make ‘em like they used to, but if you’re looking for the kind of spirited jams that used to come with those old Blue Notes and Prestiges, then look no further than Cyclic Episode. ~ C.Andrew Hovan https://www.allaboutjazz.com/cyclic-episode-ari-ambrose-steeplechase-records-review-by-c-andrew-hovan.php

Personnel: Ari Ambrose- tenor saxophone, George Colligan- piano and Fender Rhodes, Joe Martin- bass, Billy Drummond- drums

Cyclic Episode

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Ari Ambrose - Jazmin

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:00
Size: 145,5 MB
Art: Front

( 8:41)  1. Jazmin
( 7:10)  2. When Your Lover Has Gone
(10:27)  3. Ila
(12:06)  4. Along Came Betty
( 4:25)  5. Dollar Shot
( 9:19)  6. Bubbles, Bangles and Beads
( 8:49)  7. Who Know

So-called Young Lions seem pretty toothless these days. Wynton’s playing sideman gigs at the Village Vanguard, a venue he once lorded over (see the exemplary box set on Columbia), and cats like Nicholas Payton and Joshua Redman have largely fallen off the radar of public consciousness. The Zeitgeist seems ripe for new contenders and tenor player Ari Ambrose just might lead the pack. Rather than traffic in hard bop retreads, the saxophonist sets his sights higher. A reverence for the glories of the past tempers an insightful ear cocked toward future challenges to conquer. One element essential to this sort of strategy is a like-minded band. Ambrose has his bets covered in this regard with Michael Leonhart, Joe Martin and Rick Montalbano. Even with several records under their collective belt this is still a relatively young ensemble, and that freshness feeds directly into the music. Vestiges of Byas and Webster crop up in his tone and phrasing, but there’s also an edge of unpredictability to his sound. Sliding into near micro tonality on the velvet ballad changes of “When Your Lover Has Gone” Ambrose’s tenor adopts a ghostly translucent cast. Leonhart’s lovingly muted brass smears out a gentle counterpoint and Martin’s ensuing bass solo builds at a beautifully sculpted pace. Everything about the track registers as a model of grace and measured poise.


“Ila” radiates avant-garde overtones while still adhering to a solid structural base. Martin’s dour bass bowing weaves with Montalbano’s atmospheric cymbals and malleted toms, prefacing Ambrose’s own somber entrance. The tenor’s solo loses steam after a strong opening section, segueing into a spate of pitch-pointed cries and flutters. But succor comes in the form of Martin’s busy fingers, which pluck out a vacillating harmonic backdrop alongside Montalbano’s traps and Ambrose regains focus through the coalescing momentum. Rollinsesque ingenuity saturates the playing of both horns, with each man reeling off his share of melodic quotes and Leonhart also trading in legato trills. Benny Golson’s “Along Came Betty,” rendered at a languorous tempo and elongated duration, allows the band even more room for spacious interplay. Ambrose steps forward first, flanked by Leonhart’s lubricious counterpoint and the roles smoothly transpose during the trumpeter’s own solo. Further interjections from the horns punctuate pauses in Martin’s solo, but his fingers plough right on through with an ergonomically sound excursion across his strings. Montalbano gets room to move through a series of highly attentive drum breaks. Leonhart’s “Dollar Shot” bounces along on an infectious highlife-flavored groove, while the venerable standard “Baubles, Bangles and Beads” furthers the mood of accessible exploratory élan. A rousing reading of Monk’s questionary “Who Knows” closes things out and the quartet demonstrates a convincing affinity for the composer’s angular harmonic antics. Ambrose and his colleagues probably won’t register in the minds of many jazz listeners, but engaging discs like this one suggest that their relative anonymity is almost certainly a temporary ailment.~ Derek Taylor https://www.allaboutjazz.com/jazmin-ari-ambrose-steeplechase-records-review-by-derek-taylor.php

Personnel:  Ari Ambrose- tenor saxophone;  Michael Leonhart- trumpet;  Joe Martin- bass;  Rick Montalbano- drums.

Jazmin

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Ari Ambrose - Introducing Ari Ambrose

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:31
Size: 145,7 MB
Art: Front

( 5:54)  1. Just for the love
( 6:53)  2. Ugly beauty
( 5:15)  3. Far away blues
( 8:51)  4. I wish i knew
( 4:59)  5. Esorbma
( 8:29)  6. Love letters
( 6:01)  7. Something to live for
(10:33)  8. Olvidandos
( 6:32)  9. West

It takes guts to devote your life to playing jazz, not to mention the tenacity to make a living of it in the hustle and bustle of New York City. Obviously 26-year- old tenor saxophonist Ari Ambrose has more than enough gumption to give it a try, while also making his debut disc anything but the expected and ordinary. For starters, Ambrose, who has recently been seen gigging with Ryan Kisor, George Colligan, and the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, keeps fast company in the likes of bassist Dennis Irwin and drummer Billy Hart and then he opts for a piano-less trio date that leaves him out in the open as the main voice and soloist. Ambrose is largely successful with his maiden voyage, choosing wisely from some standards and throwing in four of his own tunes to boot. 

Since his style is still in the evolution stage, some of his influences can be detected, such as the breathy Ben Webster voice he brings to "Something to Live For," the cascading arpeggios a la Rollins from "Just For the Love," and the guttural squawks and moans on "Olvidandos" that suggest both Archie Shepp and Joe Henderson. In fact, it would come as no surprise to hear that Ambrose has a fondness for the live trio sides cut at the Vanguard by both Henderson and Rollins. Of course, this is not to propose that Ambrose merely runs down old solos by rote; his command of the instrument and advanced improvisational skills make for an engaging listen. Since recording this set in April of 1998, Ambrose has made a few more SteepleChase sides that have yet to make it to the States. As a way to trace his development, they are sure to be rewarding because this introductory piece suggests that Ambrose is a star on the rise. ~ C.Andrew Hovan https://www.allaboutjazz.com/introducing-ari-ambrose-ari-ambrose-steeplechase-records-review-by-c-andrew-hovan.php
 

Personnel: Ari Ambrose- tenor saxophone, Dennis Irwin- bass, Billy Hart- drums

Introducing Ari Ambrose

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