Azar Lawrence - New Sky

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:33
Size: 132,6 MB
Art: Front

(6:11) 1. All in Love
(5:20) 2. Peace and Harmony
(5:18) 3. New Sky
(3:32) 4. Ain't No Doubt About It
(6:38) 5. Just Because of You
(6:16) 6. From the Point of Love
(5:48) 7. Birds Are Singing
(4:45) 8. I Really Love You
(5:41) 9. Let It Go
(8:00) 10. Revelation

The veteran saxophonist Azar Lawrence, whose musical credits include Miles Davis, McCoy Tyner, Marvin Gaye, Woody Shaw and The Earth, Wind & Fire, delves into a variety of material as he channels optimistic vibes into our troubled pandemic times. A deep connoisseur of tradition, Lawrence leads a combo of versatile players who provide him with excellent jazz, R&B and Brazilian-tinged backgrounds.

“All in Love” opens the way with warm colors and a properly defined structure that condensates portions of funk, reggae, post-bop, and a mix of Afro and Middle Eastern feels. Following the sagacious tenor statement, there’s an eruptive rock-inclined guitar solo that brings an extra flavor to the mixture.

Steeped in Brazilian funk, “New Sky” conjures up the energizing spiritual vibes of Kamasi Washington, presenting clever modulations while being brilliantly sung by Lynne Fiddmont. The spirit rejoices with hope, not only here but also on the Coltrane-influenced modal pieces “Birds Are Singing” and “Revelations”. Both are passionately carried out with elliptical soprano flights, but while the former is a newly composed waltz, the latter - thriving with Destiny Muhammad’s refreshing harp plucks, Nduduzo Makhathini’s poised piano playing, and Tony Austin’s syncopated cymbal crashes - is taken from the bandleader’s 2009 album Speak the World.

A different kind of emotion lies at the core of pieces such as “Ain’t No Doubt About It”, a R&B effort with inflectional hip-hop vocals by Bre-Z and expeditious tenor phrasing; “Just Because of You”, a classic soul jazz breeze that will make the fans of George Benson and The Earth,Wind & Fire equally happy; “I Really Love You”, in which a gospel melodic thread is appended to the crossover jazz; and the 1975-penned “From The Point of Love”, whose samba flavor is unequivocal. There’s also “Peace and Harmony”, which, featuring a resonant electric bass solo by Sekou Bunch, mixes Latin, R&B and post-bop essences.

The exciting thing about this album is how effortlessly Lawrence adapts to different styles with the same grandiose positivism. New Sky showcases the leader’s eclectic writing and provides a smooth, pleasant listening that comes right on time to appease minds and spirits. https://jazztrail.net/blog/azar-lawrence-new-sky-album-review

Personnel: Azar Lawrence: tenor and soprano saxophone; Lynne Fiddmont: vocals; Calesha “Bre-Z” Murray: vocals; Oren Waters; vocals; John Beasley: keyboards; Nduduzo Makhathini: keyboards; James Saez: guitar; Greg Poree: guitar; Gregory “G-Moe” Moore: guitar; Destiny Muhammad: harp; Sekou Bunch: bass; Tony Austin: drums; Munyungo Jackson: percussion.

New Sky

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Azar Lawrence, Al McLean - Frontiers

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:20
Size: 166,1 MB
Art: Front

( 9:06) 1. Mystic Journey
(16:21) 2. Lonnie's Lament
( 9:37) 3. Ruby My Dear
(12:07) 4. Spirit Night
(11:03) 5. Get Up
( 5:48) 6. Round Midnight
( 8:16) 7. Up Jumped Spring

One of Canada's finest saxophonists, Montreal based Al McLean showcases an early mentor on this thrilling recording. New York based Azar Lawrence joins McLean in an all-out, take-no-prisoners session, captured 'live off the floor'. The group seethes with energy and raw passion, and a vivid performance is captured entirely in almost one take. Azar Lawrence was once tapped to fill the shoes of John Coltrane in McCoy Tyner's early '70's quintet. Fiery, spiritual, and steeped in the language of Trane, Lawrence was just 19 years old when he left the tutelage of Elvin Jones, and joined Tyner on tour. Al McLean counts Lawrence as one of his early influences, having listened intently as a young player to Tyner's 1973 "Enlightenment", and Mile's Davis' 1974 "Dark Magus", both albums featuring Lawrence. To McLean's delight, the two met in 2012 at the now defunct Lennox Lounge in Harlem, New York. This fortuitous meeting kicked off one of the most musically rich cross-border collaborations Montreal Jazz fans have seen, opening the floodgates for the pair's torrid musical offerings.
https://mvdb2b.com/s/AzarLawrenceAlMcleanFrontiers/CL073116

Personnel: Tenor Saxophone – Al McLean, Azar Lawrence; Acoustic Bass – Adrian Vedady; Drums – Greg Ritchie; Piano – Paul Shrofel

Frontiers

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Azar Lawrence - The Seeker

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:12
Size: 146,0 MB
Art: Front

(10:27)  1. Gandhi
( 7:45)  2. Lost Tribes Of Lemuria
(12:04)  3. The Seeker
( 9:21)  4. One More Time
( 5:57)  5. Rain Ballad
(10:24)  6. Spirit Night
( 7:12)  7. Venus Rising

Azar Lawrence is fulfilling his musical quest with a most impressive live recording!  Sunnyside Records will drop an incredible live set recorded at the Jazz Standard. This all star collective features saxophonist Azar Lawrence, trumpet great Nicholas Payton, and a critically acclaimed rhythm section of Benito Gonzalez on piano, Essiet Okon Essiet on bass and the mighty Jeff "Tain" Watts on drums. The Seeker pays homage to those harmonic rebels that have forged their own path and this created and elevated the form and function of the improvisational music we have come to know as jazz. For the uninitiated, Lawrence has been cutting his own lyrical trail for the last four decades and has played with such luminaries as Freddie Hubbard and Earth Wind & Fire. 

The original compositions from Lawrence are diverse and visionary in their lyrical thought. Nicholas Payton shares the front line with Lawrence due largely in part to his exceptional conceptual feeling of just where Lawrence was heading on this most unique journey. Picking a highlight or two would be equivalent to asking a parent to pick their favorite child but I'll give it a whirl with "Rain Ballad" and "Spirit Night" topping the list. Both compositions are compelling lush ballad oriented tunes with a zen like serenity move slowly beneath the surface. Both tunes allow for dynamic interplay within the rhythm section with Essiet's bowed bass and Watts finesse on "Rain Ballad" while Gonzalez shines on "Spirit Night." The band finds their groove on the Gonzalez tune "One More Time" with a spirited exchange between Lawrence, Payton and of course Gonzalez.  Azar Lawrence may be a searching artist, the good artists are. The search for the listener can continue with one of the better live sets you will hear. Virtually flawless on all levels. http://www.criticaljazz.com/2014/06/azar-lawrence-seeker-sunnyside-2014.html

Personnel: Azar Lawrence (soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone); Nicholas Payton (trumpet); Benito Gonzalez (piano); Jeff "Tain" Watts (drums).

The Seeker

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Gene Harris - In A Special Way

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1976
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:33
Size: 94,0 MB
Art: Front

(6:35)  1. Theme For Relana
(3:58)  2. Rebop
(4:59)  3. Zulu
(4:31)  4. Always In My Mind
(4:48)  5. Love For Sale
(3:02)  6. It's Your Love
(2:30)  7. Soft Cycles
(3:44)  8. Five/Four
(6:21)  9. Naima

Gene Harris was always funky, right from the start of the Three Sounds until he began a belated solo career in the early '70s, but he never tried to come to terms with contemporary funk quite as explicitly as he did with In a Special Way. Teaming with a number of funk and fusion stars, including Earth, Wind & Fire's Philip Bailey and guitarist Lee Ritenour, Harris crafted a record that revels in contemporary soul trends from the mid-'70s lite funk in the vein of EWF, disco, Philly soul, and vapid fusion. The production is heavy-handed and glossy, filled with drippy strings, thumping beats, wordless backing vocals, and silly synthesized effects. Through it all, Harris plays exactly like he always does, as if he were oblivious to his surroundings. It makes for some truly bizarre moments: the disco interpretation of Cole Porter's "Love for Sale," the farting synth-bass meshing with disembodied vocals on "Five/Four," the completely botched fuzak and fuzz guitar take on Coltrane's "Naima." Occasionally, Harris plays quite nicely, as on "Rebop" or "Theme for Relana," but his solos just sink into the overproduced murk. There's really no explanation for the heavy-handed gloss of In a Special Way with Harris' piano mixed to the back, it sounds like the work of studio hacks, but there are enough glimpses of his unique musical personality to make it a wasted opportunity. And there's really no explanation for the cornucopia of children on the cover, either. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine https://www.allmusic.com/album/in-a-special-way-mw0000906376

Personnel:  Gene Harris - keyboards; George Bohanon - trombone; Sidney Muldrow, Marnie Robinson - french horn; Azar Lawrence - tenor saxophone; Ed Green - violin; Charlotte Politte - electric piano, synthesizer; Jerry Peters - electric piano, synthesizer, string ensemble, arranger, vocals; Lee Ritenour - guitar, electric guitar; Al McKay - electric guitar; John Rowin - electric guitar, arranger; Chuck Rainey, Verdine White - electric bass; James Gadson - drums; Harvey Mason - drums, percussion; Mayuto Correa - percussion; Phillip Bailey - percussion, vocals; Merry Clayton, Ann Esther Jessica, D.J. Rogers, Sigidi, Stephanie Spruill, Deniece Williams - vocals

In A Special Way

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Azar Lawrence Quartet - Speak The Word

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:38
Size: 109,9 MB
Art: Front

(6:30)  1. Revelations
(7:29)  2. L.A. Bosa
(6:17)  3. Luxury
(4:03)  4. You Make Me Feel Brand New
(5:49)  5. Speak The Word
(6:26)  6. Aisha
(6:07)  7. Vestida de Solea (Dressed In Solitude)
(4:54)  8. Vestida de Solea (Dressed In Solitude) Pt. 2

The comeback recording of Azar Lawrence in 2008, after many years away from the recording studio, bears mixed results. Playing the soprano saxophone in the main and a little tenor, Lawrence and his West Coast quartet play some of the vibrant modal jazz in which he staked his claim in the McCoy Tyner ensemble of the 1970s, remaining as a premier post-John Coltrane performer. There are commercial concessions and a Latin element that should not be totally unexpected for those who remember his previous efforts 30 years prior, making the recording as a whole uneven and in a way inconsistent. While his personal sound is fairly enjoyable, pushing the limits of his horn only slightly, it sounds as if Lawrence is again searching for his perfect muse. On "Revelations" there's no real melody line, just pure feeling in a modal, loping 3/4 time signature, while "L.A. Bosa" (spelled incorrectly?) has a Brazilian element sidled with a simple singsong style. "Speak the Word" is the signature piece for Lawrence and his ensemble, as modality is mixed with hard bop and a Middle Eastern flair. Pianist Nate Morgan, a veteran of modern California-based jazz and commercial funk (remember him in Rufus with Chaka Khan?) stands out as an inventive and lyrical player based in Tyner's precepts, but also steeped in the lore of Thelonious Monk and mentor Horace Tapscott. 

He plays the prettiest during Tyner's "Aisha," buoying the fluid tenor sax of Lawrence on a 6/8 to 4/4 ballad for the ages. Veering into the slow pop arena, "You Make Me Feel Brand New" and the less obvious "Luxury" seem like unnecessary filler. Then there's the two-part "Vestida de Solea," replete with handclaps, acoustic guitar, and Spanish vocals from Cristobal Osorio in a flamenco stew of rich proportions that suggests a possible new direction for Lawrence but not fully realized here. It seems Lawrence is only scratching the surface with this hasty pudding of a recording, but there's so much potential to be realized, and should be in any follow-up project. ~ Michael G.Nastos https://www.allmusic.com/album/speak-the-word-mw0000809749

Personnel: Azar Lawrence: tenor and soprano saxophones; Nate Morgan: piano; Trevor Ware: bass; Fritz Wise: drums.

Speak The Word

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McCoy Tyner - Atlantis

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1974
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:45
Size: 165,0 MB
Art: Front

(17:56)  1. Atlantis
( 5:34)  2. In A Sentimental Mood
(13:02)  3. Makin' Out
( 9:56)  4. My One And Only Love
( 9:18)  5. Pursuit
(15:56)  6. Love Samba

This is the single-CD reissue of all of the music from a former two-LP set. Pianist McCoy Tyner's 1974 quintet consisted of the talented youngster Azar Lawrence on tenor and soprano, bassist Joony Booth, drummer Wilby Fletcher and percussionist Guilherme Franco. As is accurately stated in the new liner notes by Neil Tesser, Atlantis was the final recording from Tyner's last band to be based on the music of his former boss, John Coltrane. While Lawrence (who was only 20 at the time) derived his style partly from aspects of Coltrane and the rhythm section is fiery, Tyner creates some very powerful and highly original solos, really tearing into some of the more extended pieces. Recorded live at San Francisco's legendary Keystone Korner, this set has four of Tyner's modal originals played by the full group, a rendition of "My One and Only Love" performed by the leader, Lawrence and Franco as a trio, and a solo piano version of "In a Sentimental Mood." Essential music that still sounds fresh and adventurous. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/atlantis-mw0000263803

Personnel:  McCoy Tyner: piano, percussion; Azar Lawrence: tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone; Joony Booth: bass; Wilby Fletcher: drums; Guilherme Franco: percussion

Atlantis

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Azar Lawrence - People Moving

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1976
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:37
Size: 89,5 MB
Art: Front

(5:21)  1. Theme For A New Day
(6:46)  2. The Awakening
(6:45)  3. Kickin' Back
(5:50)  4. People Moving
(4:18)  5. Can't Hide Love
(4:54)  6. Canticle For The Universe
(4:39)  7. Gratitude

Azar Lawrence led a very musical childhood and began playing drums at the age of five and moved onto violin and piano under the direction of his mother Ima Lawrence. Ima, a gifted musician and teacher from whom Azar received his acute flair for all things music has shaped many successful musicians. Azar began playing with the USC JR Orchestra at the age of five. He played violin until the age of 8. He performed vocals accompanied by his mother during elementary school where she taught sixth grade and music. At age eleven he began hearing a different musical voice. He was an accomplished pianist, violinist and vocalist in his own right at the time. He thought it was time to learn viola. But something happened. Lonnie a long time friend of Mr. Lawrence, and of the family, who often brought his flute when he visited, came by for a swim, and brought his alto sax. Azar was not poolside but he had to see who was playing that cool sound. His father his biggest supporter and fan who had bought all of Azar’s instruments purchased him an alto sax, and Azar began taking instruction from Mr. Schumaker once a week. In high school Azar played with the Dorsey High Jazz Band, and played a jazz workshop with Herbert Baker, “one of the greatest pianist that ever lived and I feel blessed to have been in his presence.” Azar played everyday with Herbert Baker until a tragic car accident took his teacher and mentor’s life, Azar’s senior year in high school. “That event made me reach deeper and I knew I had to carry on what I had learned.”

Drummer, Reggie Golson, introduced Azar to “the music”, and that’s when he began to get into the creation. Nightly he went to Reggie’s house. Reggie had a room full of records, and he would play them all, over time. Coltrane, Miles, Monk, Shorter. “Reggie prepared me. “ After high school at the age of 19, Azar played with Candy Finch, Larry Gales, and Woody Shaw at a regular gig at a club on 54th St. in Los Angeles. Soon he would perform with Ike & Tina Turner, Watts 103rd St. band, and War. He then joined Elvin Jones for two years and after leaving Elvin, he joined McCoy Tyner’s group for five years and then back to Elvin for a year, and in the meantime recorded with Roberta Flack. “Miles Davis used to come and hear me when I played with McCoy Tyner in New York, as well as when I was with Elvin.” Miles approached Azar about joining his group, and he wasn’t ready to commit cause he wasn’t “feeling it.” Azar’s first performance with Miles was in DC and then they performed in New York at Carnegie Hall where Dark Magus was recorded. Azar Lawrence’s history has been impressive since the age of five, throughout his musical sojourn he’s played sax alongside names like Woody Shaw, Horace Tapscott, Ron Carter, McCoy Tyne, Elvin Jones, Henry Butler and Buddy Collette. Azar has been a force since he graduated from high school, releasing three albums of his own before the age of twenty-five, Bridge Into the New Age, People Moving People, and Summer Solstice. During the eighties he wrote and performed for Earth Wind & Fire, on one of their highly acclaimed releases Powerlight. He collaborated with Earth Wind & Fire’s leader Maurice White. Azar is known to bring jazz to popular music he can be heard on the late Frank Zappa’s music to Busta Rhymes.

There has been much speculation that Azar disappeared off the jazz scene, quite the contrary, although he wasn’t in the limelight, his credits are numerous one being the highly acclaimed, Grammy award winning album, Marvin Gaye’s, Hear My Dear. “After my biggest supporter passed, it was as if I passed with him.” Azar’s biggest fan and supporter was Azel Lawrence, his father. He would travel to gigs, he went to see Azar in Detroit when he was playing with McCoy and also to the Houston Astrodome. He needed to feel it like the first time when Lonnie played poolside at the house where he grew up. In the eighties and nineties, Azar began searching for a sound of his own, and began to write songs even more seriously than when preparing for his first three projects while recording for Fantasy records. He began working with Chuck Jackson who is known in part for his role as producer for all of Natalie Coles hit recordings. They co wrote twenty songs all of which were placed on projects such as Stanley Turentine’s, Coming Home. He formed a band, called Chameleon which recorded for Electra Records. Patrice Banks, Chocolate, of Grande Central Station was a member of that team. Currently, Azar is in residence at The World Stage, also known as the house of Billy Higgins who he recorded and performed many times with the great until his death. He is a member of The World Stage Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra, which was under the direction of the great Horace Tapscott until his death in the late nineties. Being successful at such a young age has can have draw backs. His musical career was meteoric to say the least. 

Azar had performed on six continents before the age of 21. “You could say my life was fast and furious I had forgotten what I was taught, by my great teachers, my mother being the first, and she’s still teaching me in her 90’s.” “Music is your voice, keep it pure and share your gift not for the fame or fortune, but for the creator, as it was given to you by him at no cost. If you should make a living from your gift then that’s just gravy.” “If hadn’t run out of it, (manna) I would have died.” Playing for his mind, body and soul, and for self.  https://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/azarlawrence

People Moving

---

Azar Lawrence - Summer Solstice

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1975
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:31
Size: 93,6 MB
Art: Front

(7:52)  1. From The Point Of Love
(6:39)  2. Novo Ano
(6:52)  3. From The Point Of Light
(9:24)  4. Summer Solstice
(9:42)  5. Highway

Azar Lawrence (born November 3, 1952) is an American jazz saxophonist, known for his contributions as sideman to McCoy Tyner, Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, and Woody Shaw. Lawrence was the tenor saxophonist Tyner used following John Coltrane's death.Lawrence released Summer Solstice on Prestige Records in 1975, produced by Orrin Keepnews. It featured Raul de Souza, Gerald Hayes, Amaury Tristão, Dom Salvador, Ron Carter, Guilherme Franco on the songs "Novo Ano" and "Highway" which were composed by Amaury Tristão, and Lawrence, Souza, Albert Dailey, Carter and Billy Hart on all other selections.Bridge Into The New Age featured Jean Carn, Woody Shaw, Ray Straughter, Woody Murray, Clint Houston, Billy Hart, Guillerme Franco, Julian Priester, Hadley Caliman, Black Arthur, Joe Bonner, John Heard, Leon "Ndugu" Chancler, Mtume and Kenneth Nash. People Moving featured Patrice Rushen, Jerry Peters, Michael Stanton, John Rowin, Lee Ritenour, Paul Jackson, Jr., Harvey Mason, Ernest Straughter. Musician and screenwriter Herbert Baker taught music and mentored Lawrence, who recalled Baker as "one of the greatest pianists who ever lived." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azar_Lawrence

Personnel:  Azar Lawrence - saxophone;  Raul de Souza - trombone;  Albert Dailey - piano;  Ron Carter - bass;  Billy Hart drums.

Summer Solstice

---

Azar Lawrence - Shadow Dancing

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1985
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:04
Size: 88,3 MB
Art: Front

(3:58)  1. Magic in the night
(5:47)  2. Shadow dancing
(2:54)  3. Inside stuff
(7:58)  4. One more time
(3:49)  5. Your love is keeping me alive
(5:17)  6. Keep it hot
(5:19)  7. Singapore nights
(3:02)  8. Interlude

Azar Lawrence led a very musical childhood and began playing drums at the age of five and moved onto violin and piano under the direction of his mother Ima Lawrence. Ima, a gifted musician and teacher from whom Azar received his acute flair for all things music has shaped many successful musicians. Azar began playing with the USC JR Orchestra at the age of five. He played violin until the age of 8. He performed vocals accompanied by his mother during elementary school where she taught sixth grade and music.  At age eleven he began hearing a different musical voice.He was an accomplished pianist, violinist and vocalist in his own right at the time. He thought it was time to learn viola. But something happened. Lonnie a long time friend of Mr. Lawrence, and of the family, who often brought his flute when he visited, came by for a swim, and brought his alto sax. Azar was not poolside but he had to see who was playing that cool sound. His father his biggest supporter and fan who had bought all of Azar’s instruments purchased him an alto sax, and Azar began taking instruction from Mr. Schumaker once a week. In high school Azar played with the Dorsey High Jazz Band, and played a jazz workshop with Herbert Baker, “one of the greatest pianist that ever lived and I feel blessed to have been in his presence.”Azar played everyday with Herbert Baker until a tragic car accident took his teacher and mentor’s life, Azar’s senior year in high school. “That event made me reach deeper and I knew I had to carry on what I had learned.”

Drummer, Reggie Golson, introduced Azar to “the music”, and that’s when he began to get into the creation. Nightly he went to Reggie’s house. Reggie had a room full of records, and he would play them all, over time. Coltrane, Miles, Monk, Shorter. “Reggie prepared me. “After high school at the age of 19, Azar played with Candy Finch, Larry Gales, and Woody Shaw at a regular gig at a club on 54th St. in Los Angeles.Soon he would perform with Ike & Tina Turner, Watts 103rd St. band, and War. He then joined Elvin Jones for two years and after leaving Elvin, he joined McCoy Tyner’s group for five years and then back to Elvin for a year, and in the meantime recorded with Roberta Flack.“Miles Davis used to come and hear me when I played with McCoy Tyner in New York, as well as when I was with Elvin.” Miles approached Azar about joining his group, and he wasn’t ready to commit cause he wasn’t “feeling it.” Azar’s first performance with Miles was in DC and then they performed in New York at Carnegie Hall where Dark Magus was recorded. Azar Lawrence’s history has been impressive since the age of five, throughout his musical sojourn he’s played sax alongside names like Woody Shaw, Horace Tapscott, Ron Carter, McCoy Tyner, Elvin Jones, Henry Butler and Buddy Collette. Azar has been a force since he graduated from high school, releasing three albums of his own before the age of twenty-five, Bridge Into the New Age, People Moving People, and Summer Solstice. During the eighties he wrote and performed for Earth Wind & Fire, on one of their highly acclaimed releases Powerlight. He collaborated with Earth Wind & Fire’s leader Maurice White.

Azar is known to bring jazz to popular music he can be heard on the late Frank Zappa’s music to Busta Rhymes.There has been much speculation that Azar disappeared off the jazz scene, quite the contrary, although he wasn’t in the limelight, his credits are numerous one being the highly acclaimed, Grammy award winning album, Marvin Gaye’s, Hear My Dear. “After my biggest supporter passed, it was as if I passed with him.” Azar’s biggest fan and supporter was Azel Lawrence, his father. He would travel to gigs, he went to see Azar in Detroit when he was playing with McCoy and also to the Houston Astrodome. He needed to feel it like the first time when Lonnie played poolside at the house where he grew up. In the eighties and nineties, Azar began searching for a sound of his own, and began to write songs even more seriously than when preparing for his first three projects while recording for Fantasy records. He began working with Chuck Jackson who is known in part for his role as producer for all of Natalie Coles hit recordings. They co wrote twenty songs all of which were placed on projects such as Stanley Turentine’s, Coming Home. He formed a band, called Chameleon which recorded for Electra Records. Patrice Banks, Chocolate, of Grande Central Station was a member of that team.

Currently, Azar is in residence at The World Stage, also known as the house of Billy Higgins who he recorded and performed many times with the great until his death. He is a member of The World Stage Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra, which was under the direction of the great Horace Tapscott until his death in the late nineties. Being successful at such a young age has can have draw backs. His musical career was meteoric to say the least. Azar had performed on six continents before the age of 21. “You could say my life was fast and furious I had forgotten what I was taught, by my great teachers, my mother being the first, and she’s still teaching me in her 90’s.” “Music is your voice, keep it pure and share your gift not for the fame or fortune, but for the creator, as it was given to you by him at no cost. 

If you should make a living from your gift then that’s just gravy.” “If hadn’t run out of it, (manna) I would have died.” Playing for his mind, body and soul, and for self. https://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/azarlawrence 

Shadow Dancing

---

Azar Lawrence - Mystic Journey

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:01
Size: 146,9 MB
Art: Front

( 8:20)  1. Mystic Journey
( 7:09)  2. Summer Solstice
( 8:13)  3. Quest
(10:00)  4. Walk Spirit, Talk Spirit
( 7:50)  5. Say It Over Again
( 5:39)  6. Adrees
( 6:54)  7. Journey's End
( 8:53)  8. Starting Point

Elvin Jones, pianist McCoy Tyner and trumpeter Miles Davis. During this period in the 1970s, Lawrence also released several critically acclaimed recordings, including Bridge Into The New Age (Prestige, 1974) and Summer Solstice (Prestige, 1975). So rapid an ascent to the peak of the jazz world may, at times, have led Lawrence to wonder how he could be playing with these giants. But teaching and instilling confidence in youth is the role of the elders in any true community, and so one day Tyner reassured Lawrence: he told the young man that he belonged in such company because he could not only play the hell out of the horn, but because he "felt the same way about the music as John (Coltrane) did."  In 2010, some 30 years after he last took his own jazz band into the studio, Lawrence is making up for lost time. He announced his return with Speak The Word (Zarman Productions, 2008), his first studio recording as a leader since 1976. Next, he offered his profoundly felt thanks to those spirits who came before him with Prayer To My Ancestors (Furthermore Recordings, 2009). Now, Mystic Journey finds Lawrence looking back to the future, as he reunites with several old friends while simultaneously moving forward with the addition of two members of his current East Coast band. Deserving of special mention is the illustrious, Philadelphia-born drummer Rashied Ali, who passed away not long after the completion of this recording. Ali, known primarily as a free jazz player from his collaborations with saxophonist John Coltrane during the mid 1960s, reveals just how hard he can swing as he propels the band with fiery rhythms.  Joining Lawrence in the horn section are two more old friends trumpeter Dr. Eddie Henderson, who brings his vibrant and explosive sound to the recording, and alto saxophonist Gerald Hayes, brother of jazz drummer Louis Hayes, who Lawrence first met while still in High School in Los Angeles. Their relationship bore fruit when Hayes, on flute, performed on Lawrence's Summer Solstice, 35 years ago.

Lawrence's connection with the rest of the rhythm section may be of a more recent vintage, yet musically, it is just as intimate and potent. He first heard and played with Benito Gonzalez, the young and ascendant Venezuelan pianist, when he jammed with him a few years ago at a Kenny Garrett gig in Los Angeles. Months later, the two met again in New York and Gonzalez came aboard for Lawrence's East Coast gigs. In addition to his fiery piano work, Gonzalez's horn arrangements prove invaluable to the session, to which he also brought three tunes. Finally, Essiet Essiet, an in-demand bassist on the New York jazz scene, joined up with Lawrence and, like Gonzalez, has become a regular member of his quartet.  Mystic Journey opens with the title tune, a Lawrence original. Playing ferocious tenor from the first note, the saxophonist establishes the recording's hard-driving, riveting intensity. Ali, holding nothing back, drives the band like a train conductor high ballin' it out of the yard. Gonzalez's thick chords and pulsating rhythms reveal a distinctly Tyneresque influence on the music. Gonzalez also adds a little Latin flavor to "Summer Solstice," the title tune from Lawrence's second recording. After a brief bass intro, the horns enter, stating the melody in unison and delivering that big sextet sound. In this solar celebration, all the horns solo. Lawrence leads the way, again on tenor, while Henderson paints his solo with the brighter hues of his musical palette. Altoist Hayes, playing with burning passion and invention, amplifies the tune's upbeat spirit. All the while, the rhythm section is swinging its collective butt off.

Lawrence plays soprano on Gonzalez's "Quest," the instrument's exotic sound perfectly suited to evoke the mystery and enchantment of this spiritual exploration. Henderson, on flugelhorn, blows gentle, playful tones suggesting these weary travelers may, at last, have found respite in a desert oasis. Paying tribute to John Coltrane's influence on his musical development, Lawrence back on tenor and with just the rhythm section blows warm, lush tones on Jimmy McHugh's ballad, "Say It Over And Over," recorded so memorably by Coltrane on Ballads (Impulse!, 1962).

The band gets to really stretch out on McCoy Tyner's "Walk Spirit, Talk Spirit," a modal classic Lawrence often performed as a member of the pianist's band. Ali's "Adrees" surprises with a waltz tempo, though it swings harder than any tune penned by the waltz king, Johann Strauss. The CD closes with "Starting Point," another burning, straight-ahead tune by Gonzalez. The pianist's insistent line opens the tune, answered in unison by the horns before Lawrence comes roaring in triumphantly on tenor. Henderson  confident, precise and hip as ever takes the next solo. Gonzalez dances his fingers over the ivories, Essiet plucks the bass strings relentlessly and Ali cooks, before the horns return to take the tune out.

The band gets to really stretch out on McCoy Tyner's "Walk Spirit, Talk Spirit," a modal classic Lawrence often performed as a member of the pianist's band. Ali's "Adrees" surprises with a waltz tempo, though it swings harder than any tune penned by the waltz king, Johann Strauss. The CD closes with "Starting Point," another burning, straight-ahead tune by Gonzalez. The pianist's insistent line opens the tune, answered in unison by the horns before Lawrence comes roaring in triumphantly on tenor. Henderson  confident, precise and hip as ever takes the next solo. Gonzalez dances his fingers over the ivories, Essiet plucks the bass strings relentlessly and Ali cooks, before the horns return to take the tune out. The return of Azar Lawrence to the mainstream jazz scene is one of the most gratifying developments in recent jazz history. His rededication to his musical gift, evidenced by the seven- hour days he apparently devotes to practicing scales and playing long tones, has not only allowed him to resume the journey towards his destiny, it has given the jazz world what, in a way, is a "new" master of the saxophone. His compelling sound and volcanic performance, so poignantly captured on Mystic Journey, reveals an artist at the peak of his musical powers. 

~ Chuck Koton https://www.allaboutjazz.com/azar-lawrence-mystic-journey-by-chuck-koton.php

Personnel: Azar Lawrence: tenor and soprano saxophones; Eddie Henderson: trumpet, flugelhorn; Gerald Hayes: alto saxophone; Benito Gonzalez: piano; Essiet Essiet: bass; Rashied Ali: drums.

Mystic Journey

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Azar Lawrence - Bridge Into The New Age

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1974
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:45
Size: 86,8 MB
Art:

( 6:46)  1. Bridge Into The New Age
( 4:07)  2. Fatisha
( 8:03)  3. Warriors Of Peace
( 8:40)  4. Forces Of Nature
(10:07)  5. The Beautiful And Omnipresent Love

An absolute masterwork from Azar Lawrence (tenor sax) recorded during a fertile period for adventurous jazz, Bridge Into The New Age is an expansive, forward-leaning, spiritual-tinged outlier in the Prestige Records catalog for its ambitious embrace of a large lineup, including heavyweights Julian Priester (tb), Woody Shaw (trumpet), Ray Straughter and Hadley Caliman (flute), Arthur Blythe (alto sax), Joe Bonner (piano), Clint Houston and John Heard (bass), Billy Hart (drums), Leon 'Ndugu' Chancler, Mtume, Guillerme Franco, and Kenneth Nash (percussion), Woody Murray (vibraphone), and the inimitable Jean Carn (vocals). Sonically the sound is close to a recording from the Black Jazz label richly textured, conversational, and powerfully intimate, with knotty unison lines bending and twisting around Carn's supple yet strident delivery, especially on the title track. Elsewhere, the group stretches out and explores the ethereal, free-flowing world of 'The Beautiful and Omnipresent Love,' and propels itself mightily through the modal-funk burner, 'Forces of Nature.' Long out of print, this landmark statement by saxophonist Azar Lawrence recorded in 1974 at Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, CA, proudly displays its ancestral roots as a forbearer of the current jazz revival as embodied by Kamasi Washington and the West Coast Get Down.

Featuring 180-gram vinyl pressed at Quality Record Pressings (QRP) from lacquers cut by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio from the original master tapes and housed in a one-pocket old-school style tip-on jacket, this is the first-ever vinyl reissue of Azar Lawrence's masterful statement, Bridge Into The New Age. An essential addition to any jazz collection, this landmark recording proudly displays its ancestral roots as a forbearer of the current jazz revival as embodied by Kamasi Washington and the West Coast Get Down. A transcendent and powerful statement. ~ Editorial Reviews https://www.amazon.com/Bridge-Into-New-Age-LP/dp/B075MNTM62

Personnel:  Azar Lawrence – soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone;  Woody Shaw – trumpet (tracks 1 & 5);  Julian Priester – trombone (track 4);  Black Arthur – alto saxophone (tracks 3 & 4);  Hadley Caliman – flute (track 4);  Ray Straughter – wood flute (track 5);  Joe Bonner – piano (tracks 2-4);  Woody Murray – vibraphone (tracks 1 & 5);  John Heard (tracks 3 & 4), Clint Houston (tracks 1 & 5) – bass;  Billy Hart (tracks 1 & 5), Ndugu (tracks 3 & 4) – drums;  Mtume – congas, percussion (tracks 3 & 4);  Guilherme Franco (tracks 1 & 5), Kenneth Nash (tracks 2 & 5) – percussion;  Jean Carn – vocals (tracks 1 & 5)

Bridge Into The New Age

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Azar Lawrence - Elementals

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:14
Size: 146,5 MB
Art: Front

(7:44)  1. La Bossa
(8:08)  2. Eye Of The Needle
(5:34)  3. Elementals
(8:06)  4. Brazilian Girls
(4:56)  5. Solar Winds
(6:14)  6. Koko
(6:20)  7. African Chant
(6:45)  8. Sing To The World
(7:46)  9. It's Easy To Remember
(1:37) 10. Karma Sutra

It will come as no surprise to fans of Lawrence that his life's work is to bridge the gap between his listeners and the Elementals. For over four decades he has unstintingly explored music as a healing force, and the mystical connections between past and future, myth and fact, the physical world and that which is beyond. Lawrence hopes that in a holistic sense, Elementals encourages a spiritual awakening. “All of this music is healing music; that's our whole concept is to heal and uplift,” he explains. “If it's delivered and received on the right level, it will raise our own vibrations and bring us in touch with those higher spirits that respond when the music is pure with love and joy.”

Personnel:  Azar Lawrence, soprano & tenor saxophones;  Benito Gonzales, keyboards, Jeff Littleton, bass;  Marvin “Smitty” Smith, drums;  Munyungo Jackson, percussion

Elementals

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McCoy Tyner - Paris Bossa

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1970
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:06
Size: 91,9 MB
Art: Front

(21:37)  1. Atlantis
(18:29)  2. Sahara Love Bossa

This concert in Paris features the pianist with saxophonist Azar Lawrence, bassist Joony Booth, drummer Wilby Fletcher, and percussionist Guilhermo Franco, probably recorded around the same time as Atlantis instead of the 1970 date given on the CD jacket. It consists of two long numbers: the rather mystical "Atlantis," which sounds like something Sun Ra could have composed, and a rapid-fire take of Tyner's "Love Samba," which is mislabeled "Sahara Love Bossa," implying this release is a bootleg. Although the sound is good in places, the poor mix (which is far too percussive and often relegates Tyner's thunderous piano to the background) makes this release one for completists, with the CD Atlantis recommended in its place. ~ Ken Dryden https://www.allmusic.com/album/paris-bossa-mw0000618225 

Personnel: Piano – McCoy Tyner; Bass – Judy Booth; Drums – Wilby Blaine Fletcher; Percussion – Antonio Guilhermo De Sousa Franco;  Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Azar Lawrence

Paris Bossa

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Azar Lawrence - Prayer for My Ancestors

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:53
Size: 121,5 MB
Art: Front

(9:06)  1. Open Sesame
(7:38)  2. Under Tanzanian Skies
(5:27)  3. Thokole
(5:08)  4. Prayer for My Ancestors
(8:01)  5. The Baker's Daughter
(5:41)  6. Swinging in Exile
(6:14)  7. Ode to Pharoah
(5:36)  8. Linda G.

Azar Lawrence is a man on a mission. His task: to express beautiful, healing music. At a young age, Lawrence was already touring and recording with jazz legends like Elvin Jones, McCoy Tyner and Miles Davis. Then, after recording several successful albums, including Bridge into a New Age (Prestige 1974) and Summer Solstice (Prestige 1975), decades inexplicably passed before he would lead another studio session. Lawrence still played and recorded with a wide array of great artists like Stanley Turrentine, Woody Shaw, Earth, Wind and Fire, and Marvin Gaye. However, he didn't take his own bands into the recording studio. Thankfully, Azar Lawrence is back and blowing his tenor and soprano saxophones. Prayer for My Ancestors, on the relatively new Furthermore Recordings label, is a collaborative labor of love made with the help of many friends, both old and new. The quartet consists of Los Angeles piano great, Nate Morgan, Henry "the Skipper" Franklin on bass, an old friend from their years in Horace Tapscott's Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra, and former colleague in McCoy Tyner's band of the mid-70s, and Alphonse Mouzon on drums. Lawrence's opener, "Open Sesame," begins with his tenor sax blowing a solemn incantation, as if summoning the eternal spirits to join him in joyous musical celebration. Then, Mouzon's shimmering cymbals and crashing drums and Morgan's palpitating piano enter the ceremony. Suddenly, the band takes off on an up-tempo journey to a magical place. On another original, "Thokole," native Senegalese musicians Ibrahim Ba (vocals, guitar), kora (21-string lute) master Amadu Fall and the band create a gentle groove that conjures visions of majestic ibex and impala roaming the savannah. Enter Lawrence, who then breathes mystical magic from his soprano sax on this serene journey to the Motherland. On the title tune, the rhythm section builds slowly rising waves of aural beauty, particularly Franklin's bowed bass, that washes over like the mighty falls of Victoria. Lawrence, on tenor, then pours forth a profoundly soulful expression of gratitude to the land and the people of Mother Africa. Morgan's "Swinging in Exile" is a powerful, rhythmic, hard-bop tune that burns hot as North Africa's sirocco winds. Guest Roy McCurdy's relentless drums and Morgan's roiling piano runs propel the band to a frenzy. Meanwhile, Lawrence blows with an urgency and insistence that commands attention to his swinging message.The always eloquent and insightful reed master John Stoddart was once quoted as saying, with great enthusiasm, that saxophonist Bill Evans (saxophone) was "playin' a lot of shit." Well, it's clear from one listen to this CD that Azar Lawrence is also "blowin' a lot of shit." Whether playing a languid ballad or a hard boppin' blues, Lawrence pours every ounce of his body and soul into the music. With all the sadness and loss the jazz community experiences, it is a medicinal injection of peace and joy to hear Azar Lawrence burning it up again. ~ Chuck Kotom https://www.allaboutjazz.com/prayer-for-my-ancestors-azar-lawrence-furthermore-recordings-review-by-chuck-koton.php

Personnel: Azar Lawrence: tenor and soprano saxophones; Nate Morgan: piano; Henry "the Skipper" Franklin: bass; Alphonse Mouzon: drums; Ibrahim Ba: vocals,guitar; Amadu Fall: Kora; Nolan Shaheed: trumpet; Tony Dumas: bass; Roy McCurdy: drums.

Prayer for My Ancestors

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Azar Lawrence - Legacy And Music Of John Coltrane

Styles: Saxophone Jazz 
Year: 2007
File: MP3@256K/s
Time: 70:21
Size: 129,1 MB
Art: Front

(13:54)  1. I Want to Talk About You
(16:17)  2. Mr. P.C.
(27:31)  3. Impressions
(12:37)  4. My Favorite Things

Does the world really need another John Coltrane tribute album? It gets exhausting to choose among the multitudes that already exist. However, if even half of them were as vital and powerful as tenor saxophonist Azar Lawrence’s Legacy and Music of John Coltrane, there’d be no need for jadedness. Despite being a marginal name in post-’60s hard-bop and avant-jazz, Lawrence paid his dues in McCoy Tyner’s ’70s band and appeared on some of the era’s seminal albums, including Miles Davis’ Dark Magus and Woody Shaw’s The Moontrane. He even recorded three fairly well-received albums for Prestige from 1974-76. Lawrence is as good a candidate as any for a Coltrane tribute, and his lower-profile status over the past three decades makes the concept more intriguing. For this live date, recorded at Cincinnati’s Hyatt Regency, Lawrence is augmented by tenor saxophonist Edwin Bayard’s Quartet, rounded out by pianist William Mennefield, bassist Dean Hulett and drummer Mark Lomax II. Choosing two standards (Billy Eckstine’s “I Want to Talk About You” and Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “My Favorite Things”) and two Coltrane originals (“Mr. P.C.” and “Impressions”), the ensemble really nails the Coltrane sound of 1963-1965. Lawrence leads the set with a solo prefacing “I Want to Talk About You,” expertly navigating the chord changes with robust tone. Throughout the recording he proves readily schooled in Coltrane’s “sheets of sound” approach, avoiding the screeching multiphonics of post-1965 Trane. Undoubtedly the highlight, “Impressions” reveals Bayard as Eric Dolphy to Lawrence’s Trane, the two trading off on modal solos with boundless energy, conviction and astonishing sympathy. The rhythm section of Hulett and Lomax cook throughout, especially the latter, whose forceful drumming would have made Elvin Jones proud. Overall, this is a tribute well worth any Coltrane fan’s time. 

~ Scott Verrastro https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/azar-lawrence-edwin-bayard-quartet-legacy-and-music-of-john-coltrane/

Personnel:  Azar Lawrence - tenor sax;  Edwin Bayard - tenor sax;  William Mennefield - piano;  Dean Hulett - bass;  Mark Lomax II - drums

Legacy And Music Of John Coltrane

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