Branford Marsalis Quartet - The Secret Between the Shadow and the Soul

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:20
Size: 143,3 MB
Art: Front

( 8:23)  1. Dance of the Evil Toys
( 8:46)  2. Conversation Among the Ruins
( 5:52)  3. Snake Hip Waltz
( 7:32)  4. Cianna
(10:15)  5. Nilaste
( 9:00)  6. Life Filtering from the Water Flowers
(12:30)  7. The Windup

Anyone who's seen the Branford Marsalis Quartet in concert is well aware of what high-flying improvisations the group can embark upon. But the foursome's abandoned approach hardly precludes due emphasis on structure how better to highlight it than leave it behind? which is also why this band makes studio albums as trenchant as The Secret Between the Shadow and the Soul. Yet the irony in this duality is that strong material is the foundation for concise, purposeful musicianship, whether within or without the confines of tunes, such as the bandleader's own "Life Filtering from the Water Flowers."

The spirituous-mystical implications of its title (and that of the album itself) are in keeping with the unusual changes of the composition and, not surprisingly, the ingenious instrumental interplay proceeding from it. This musicianship is so striking in part because it's filtered through the Quartet's extended tenure together, the years of which have honed both their individual and collective instincts. The progression from the floating opening horn tones to more playful intonations there is also fully in keeping with another number, bassist Eric Revis' "Dance of the Evil Toys," the gaiety in the very title resonating through the sound of pianist Joey Calderazzo's instrument. Recorded in Melbourne, Australia in the midst of an international tour in the Spring of 2018, the ensemble's first pure quartet effort since Four MFs Playin' Tunes (Marsalis Music, 2012) contains spare uncluttered arrangements, rendered without extraneous notes or rhythmic fillips, produced by Branford himself, recorded and mixed by Rob 'Wacko!" Hunter. Obviously performing at an extremely high-level at the time, it's to the foursome's credit they were wise enough to access the studio setting to capture their interactions both frenzied and delicate, as on "Nilaste." 

The aforementioned tune from Revis, one of two here along with Calderazzo's pair of contributions, (covers of Andrew Hill and Keith Jarrett appear as well), sounds as if recording began in the middle of a dense jam. A conversation ensues among the four players, including drummer Jason Faulkner's distinct echoing of his percussion mate, during which all the players exchange ideas and embroider upon them during the course of the track. Based on decades of playing together, the simpatico is as keen and well-defined as the recording quality throughout; no one man or his instrument takes precedence over the others, but Calderazzo's piano is prominent by dint of its bright tone, a marked contrast to the somber air of that tune of his that follows, "Conversation Among the Ruins."

Serious in both concept and execution, The Secret Between the Shadow and the Soul concludes with the direct and deliberate communication at which the Branford Marsalis Quartet excels throughout the record. Yet this seventh cut, "The Windup," overflows with the joy of a complete and utter romp no doubt envisioned by its author, Keith Jarrett, the piano icon of The Koln Concert (ECM, 1975). It is revelatory in making explicit just how much pleasure this group shares by playing together. By Doug Collete https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-secret-between-the-shadow-and-the-soul-the-branford-marsalis-quartet-okeh-review-by-doug-collette.php

Personnel: Branford Marsalis: saxophone; Joey Calderazzo: piano; Eric Revis: bass; Justin Faulkner: drums.

The Secret Between the Shadow and the Soul

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Kent Jordan - Essence

Styles: Flute Jazz
Year: 1988
File: MP3@160K/s
Time: 40:21
Size: 47,4 MB
Art: Front

(7:26) 1. Curtain Call
(5:01) 2. Essence
(5:27) 3. Rio
(4:33) 4. Well You Needn't
(4:51) 5. Moments Notice
(6:39) 6. Stella by Starlight
(6:21) 7. Stablemates

Flutist Kent Jordan's third Columbia set is far superior to his first two rather commercial efforts (No Question About It and Night Aire). Jordan is well-featured on four standards (including "Well You Needn't," which finds him switching effectively to piccolo, and "Moment's Notice"), two tunes by bassist Elton Heron, and Wayne Shorter's "Rio" in a variety of instrumental settings.

With such sidemen as pianists Kenny Barron and Billy Childs, guitarist Kevin Eubanks, bassists Dave Holland and Ron Carter, drummers Jack DeJohnette and Al Foster, and (on the opening "Curtain Call") trumpeter/brother Marlon Jordan and tenor saxophonist Branford Marsalis, among others, Jordan interacts with an all-star cast. Most of the music is fairly straight-ahead, and throughout, the flutist realizes some of the potential that was wasted on his first two recordings.~Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/essence-mw000019508

Personnel: Flute – Kent Jordan; Bass – Dave Holland, Elton Heron; Drums – Al Foster, Tommy Campbell; Piano – Billy Childs, Kenny Barron; Tenor Saxophone – Branford Marsalis; Trumpet – Marlon Jordan

Essence

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Robert Hurst - Presents: Robert Hurst

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 1992
File: MP3@256K/s
Time: 67:09
Size: 123,2 MB
Art: Front

(6:20) 1. Down 4 the Cause
(6:28) 2. Detroit Red
(6:36) 3. Aycrigg
(4:41) 4. Joyce Faye
(1:23) 5. Incessant Lullaby
(7:53) 6. The Snake Charmer
(2:55) 7. Evidence
(5:54) 8. Walk of the Negress
(7:59) 9. Blue Freeze
(6:45) 10. Bert's Flirt
(7:24) 11. Devil's Night in Motown
(2:46) 12. Incessant Lullaby.... Bye

This set finds bassist Robert Hurst leading the Tonight Show All-Stars (with Branford Marsalis on various reeds and pianist Kenny Kirkland), plus trumpeter Marcus Belgrave and guest Ralph Miles Jones III (on bass clarinet and bassoon) through 11 of his originals and a solo bass version of Thelonious Monk's "Evidence." The music is complex and hard-driving, but the improvisations are rather cold and sometimes boring. Hurst, a superior bassist, is not a superior composer, and his compositions at best set moods. Of the supporting cast, the most distinctive voices are Belgrave and Jones; the latter has a colorful bass clarinet solo on "The Snake Charmer." This is a decent effort, but not all that essential.~Scott Yanowhttps://www.allmusic.com/album/robert-hurst-presents-robert-hurst-mw0000098147

Personnel: Bass – Robert Hurst; Bass Clarinet, Bassoon – Ralph Miles Jones III; Drums – Jeff "Tain" Watts; Piano – Kenny Kirkland; Sopranino Saxophone, Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet – Branford Marsalis; Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Marcus Belgrave

Robert Hurst Presents: Robert Hurst

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Roy Hargrove Quintet - The Vibe

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1992
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:12
Size: 141,7 MB
Art: Front

(6:32)  1. The Vibe
(7:02)  2. Caryisms
(5:02)  3. Where Were You?
(6:33)  4. Alter Ego
(5:07)  5. The Thang
(4:53)  6. Pinocchio
(6:03)  7. Milestones
(5:43)  8. Things We Did Last Summer
(6:27)  9. Blues For Booty Green's
(7:45) 10. Runnin' Out Of Time

The last of trumpeter Roy Hargrove's recordings to feature his longtime altoist Antonio Hart also includes pianist Marc Cary, bassist Rodney Whitaker, drummer Gregory Hutchinson and guest spots for the tenors of Branford Marsalis and David "Fathead" Newman, plus trombonist Frank Lacy and organist Jack McDuff. Hargrove (still just 22) was already on his way to being one of the better hard bop-based trumpeters in jazz, as he shows on group originals, James Williams' "Alter Ego," Wayne Shorter's "Pinocchio," "Milestones," and "The Things We Did Last Summer." A fine example of Hargrove's rapidly emerging style. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-vibe-mw0000071800

Personnel: Trumpet – Roy Hargrove; Alto Saxophone – Antonio Maurice Hart; Bass – Rodney Thomas Whitaker; Drums – Gregory Hutchinson; Organ [B3] – 'Cap'n' Jack McDuff; Piano – Marc Anthony Cary; Producer – Larry Clothier; Tenor Saxophone – Branford Marsalis, David "Fathead" Newman; Trombone – Ku-Umba Frank Lacy

The Vibe

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Harry Connick, Jr. - Occasion

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:04
Size: 150,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:40)  1. Brown World
(5:13)  2. Valentine's Day
(3:00)  3. Occasion
(5:56)  4. Spot
(5:05)  5. I Like Love More
(5:56)  6. All Things
(6:03)  7. Win
(4:10)  8. Virgoid
(7:07)  9. Remember The Tarpon
(5:50) 10. Lose
(3:15) 11. Steve Lacy
(2:16) 12. Chanson Du Vieux Carre
(6:25) 13. Good To Be Home

While singer/pianist Harry Connick Jr.'s opening performance at this year's Ottawa International Jazz Festival was entertaining in a lightweight kind of way, his two shows the following evening were the most revealing. On this world premiere, and two of only three live performances with his lifelong friend, saxophonist Branford Marsalis, Connick debuted material from Occasion: Connick on Piano 2, an even greater departure from his more widely-accepted crooner image than his '03 Marsalis Music release, Other Hours: Connick on Piano 1. Other Hours was a solid showcase for Connick as a pianist and composer in a group context, but Occasion puts him in the more inherently risky environment of the duo, where there's no safety net and both players are completely exposed. Recorded over three days earlier this year, it was originally intended to combine a handful of duet recordings with Marsalis with whom Connick has played on occasion over the years, most recently on Marsalis' Romare Bearden Revealed with a series of solo piano pieces. But the bond between the two players was so strong that Connick supplemented the pieces brought to the session with further writing done on the fly, and Marsalis ultimately contributed two pieces of his own the appropriately titled "Steve Lacy and the more traditionally-informed title track. 

It's often said that a player's personality is reflected in their music, and when I had the opportunity to see Connick in performance with Marsalis, his levity and often dry humour were in clear evidence throughout. Refreshingly, Connick's roots aren't in the post-Evans school of musical thought; rather, he comes directly and equally from the idiosyncratically irreverent Thelonious Monk and the behind-the-beat stride work of Erroll Garner. While Connick is capable of elegance and delicacy, as he demonstrates on the poignant "I Like Love More, a touch of classical influence on "Valentine's Day, and even a certain degree of abstraction on the dark-hued "Chanson Du Vieux Carre, he's generally more disposed towards a weightier but never overbearing touch. You can almost hear his New Orleans drawl on the bluesy "Good to Be Home and the modernized ragtime of "Spot. As in their live performance, the simpatico between Connick and Marsalis is palpable. Marsalis, always a versatile player, demonstrates a different side to his own roots on "Win and "Lose, which are two sides of the same coin sharing a theme but demonstrating just how far apart two takes on essentially the same piece can be. While Marsalis remains perhaps closer to the centre than in his own work, his ability to play tag team with Connick results in a surprising unpredictability throughout. During the first Ottawa show, Connick bemoaned how he's always wanted to be the pianist in Branford's band. Occasion may not make a strong case for him in that context, but it certainly presents a picture of him as a far more diversely capable player than fans of his crooner material and even his previous instrumental albums could possibly imagine. ~ John Kelman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/occasion-connick-on-piano-2-harry-connick-jr-marsalis-music-review-by-john-kelman.php

Personnel: Harry Connick Jr. (piano); Branford Marsalis (tenor and soprano saxophones)

Occasion

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Russell Gunn - Young Gunn Plus

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1998
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:41
Size: 165,3 MB
Art: Front

(6:07)  1. East St. Louis
(5:36)  2. Fly Me To The Moon
(7:03)  3. Wade In The Water
(2:38)  4. D.J.
(6:58)  5. You Don't Know What Love Is
(5:18)  6. The Concept
(6:40)  7. The Message
(4:30)  8. There Is No Greater Love
(8:55)  9. Blue Gene
(4:04) 10. Pannonica
(3:54) 11. The Beach
(2:27) 12. Bronwyn
(7:26) 13. Ginger Bread Boy

Recorded in 1994 when young lion Russell Gunn was a mere 23 years old, the Muse album Young Gunn is a quintet session with tenor saxophonist Sam Newsome, pianist John Hicks, bassist Peter Washington, and drummer Cecil Brooks III. This 32 Jazz reissue adds three tracks with a different quintet. Coming from a background that like that of many younger jazz artists, Russell Gunn learned the trumpet in elementary school, enjoyed and benefited from public school instrumental programs, and allowed his musical interests to range far and wide. That he attended the same high school as Miles Davis shows up in Gunn's pretty ballad tone. His experience includes avant-garde work with Oliver Lake, Wynton Marsalis' Blood On The Fields, and Branford Marsalis' Buckshot LeFonque. A more recent recording, Gunn Fu on the High Note label, teams the trumpeter with tenor saxophonist Greg Tardy and flutist Sherman Irby. The ballads "You Don't Know What Love Is," "There Is No Greater Love," and "Fly Me to the Moon" present straight-ahead mainstream jazz and feature Gunn's lyrical trumpet. "Pannonica," presented as a trumpet-piano duet, offers yet another opportunity to appreciate Gunn's sensitive trumpet tone and manner. The leader's compositions "East St. Louis" and "The Message" represent hard bop ideas with "outside" or avant-garde stretches. The quintet is tight and burns accordingly. "The Concept" invites guest rap artist Chef Word to relate the biographical tale of Russell Gunn's change in focus from everyone's music to jazz. The syncopated hip-hop lyrics include: "Son of a gun.Old socks, new shoes,Feels kinda like the bluesWith the fat groove.Runnin' the bustos, crush fo's,Chef Word and Russ-o, go with all the gusto.He used to be your MC before we ever played a keister,Got the love as he evolved musically.Straight-ahead, see, as we swing." Branford Marsalis replaces Sam Newsome on the final three tracks. Recorded in 1995, the additional pieces employ a different piano trio as well, but Gunn is in fine form. He and Marsalis present a fiery hard bop take of Jimmy Heath's "Ginger Bread Boy" that includes solos from all. Recommended. ~ Jim Santella https://www.allaboutjazz.com/young-gunn-plus-russell-gunn-32-records-review-by-jim-santella.php

Personnel:  Russell Gunn: trumpet; Sam Newsome, Branford Marsalis: tenor sax; John Hicks, James Hurt: piano; Peter Washington, Eric Revis: bass; Cecil Brooks III, Ali Jackson: drums; Chef Word (Derek Washington): rap on "The Concept."

Young Gunn Plus

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Kevin Eubanks - Opening Night

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 1984
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:43
Size: 92,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:02)  1. Opening Night
(5:03)  2. Shades Of Black
(4:45)  3. The Navigator
(4:06)  4. Thought About Thinking
(4:08)  5. In Flight From Omelas
(6:03)  6. A Place Before you've Been
(4:52)  7. Vera's Isle
(4:39)  8. To Be Continued

An adept guitarist with a bent toward contemporary jazz, Kevin Eubanks is best known for leading Jay Leno's Tonight Show Band. Born in 1957 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Eubanks grew up in a musical family along with his older brother, trombonist Robin, and younger brother, trumpeter Duane  his uncle is pianist Ray Bryant. A talented musician by his teens, Eubanks eventually studied music at Berklee College of Music in Boston. After graduating, he played with a bevy of name musicians including drummer Roy Haynes and saxophonist Sam Rivers; he was also a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers from 1980 to 1981. Eubanks made his solo recording debut with Guitarist on Elektra in 1982. He then signed with GRP and released seven albums, beginning with 1984's Sundance and ending with 1989's Promise of Tomorrow. Moving to Blue Note, Eubanks released several albums, including 1992's Turning Point, 1993's Spiritalk, 1994's Spiritalk 2, and 1994's Live at Bradley's. In 1992, he joined bandleader Branford Marsalis on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and in 1995, Eubanks took over the band when Marsalis left.

His friendly chemistry and humorous repartee with Leno quickly established the guitarist as a household name. While the Tonight Show band was his focus during this time, Eubanks did release several albums on his own Insoul label. In 2009, he moved with Leno to lead the Primetime Band on NBC's short-lived The Jay Leno Show. In 2010, Eubanks left The Tonight Show shortly after Leno returned to host it again. That same year, Eubanks delivered the album Zen Food on Mack Avenue Records, and in 2012, he returned with his second Mack Avenue release, the stylistically eclectic The Messenger. In 2015, Eubanks paired up with innovative fellow guitarist/pianist Stanley Jordan for the eclectic covers album Duets. ~ Matt Collar https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/opening-night/1311647726

Personnel:  Kevin Eubanks - Guitar (Acoustic), Producer, Bass, Guitar (Electric), Guitar;  Branford Marsalis - Sax (Tenor);  Buster Williams - Bass;  Kent Jordan - Flute (Alto);  Big Black - Bass, Tumba;  Tommy Campbell - Drums;  David Eubanks - Bass;  Kenny Kirkland - Piano;  Marvin "Smitty" Smith -  Drums

Opening Night

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Kurt Elling - The Questions

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:13
Size: 149,9 MB
Art: Front

(8:05)  1. A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall
(3:46)  2. A Happy Thought
(6:12)  3. American Tune
(4:10)  4. Washing Of The Water
(6:18)  5. A Secret In Three Views
(6:54)  6. Lonely Town
(9:04)  7. Endless Lawns
(6:07)  8. I Have Dreamed
(6:24)  9. The Enchantress
(8:11) 10. Skylark

How does one grapple with existence and its juxtaposition against the present state of affairs? That's the question that hangs heaviest over The Questions. While vocalist Kurt Elling didn't come into this production with a theme in mind, he discovered a through line in the act of wrestling with difficulties and dreams in this age of marked unreason and unrest. With these ten songs he explores that topic to the fullest, coloring the music with his signature blend of authority and understanding.

 A mixture of tones inquiring and knowing sets this meditation on humanity and our times in motion with "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall." Bob Dylan's difficult truths by way of Elling's passionate delivery immediately become the cynosure of ears and minds, though co-producer Branford Marsalis's soprano solo and drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts' pelting finish certainly garner attention. What follows an examining and affirming smile at life in pianist Stu Mindeman's musical setting of poet Franz Wright's " A Happy Thought," a gorgeous treatment of "American Tune" that recasts the Paul Simon classic as a treatise on immigration wrapped in hope's light and trapped in fear's web, and a hymn-like interpretation of Peter Gabriel's "Washing Of The Water" that's as emotive as anything in Elling's discography greatly furthers the image of the artist playing with the powers of enlightenment and doubt.  Through the remainder of the album, Elling paints with the various shades of perception, poetry, and philosophy that he knows so well. The bluesy resonance of "A Secret In Three Views" belies the deep thinking behind his Rumi-inspired lyrics to Jaco Pastorius' "Three Views Of A Secret," "Lonely Town" utilizes lighthearted sounds to frame the topic of solitude, "Endless Lawns" uses pianist-composer Carla Bley's "Lawns" as the musical basis for an arc that includes turmoil and release, and "I Have Dreamed" speaks to a yearning for love to bloom. Then the album closes with "The Enchantress," a work nodding toward matriarchal figures both Marsalis' and Elling's and taking directional cues from poet Wallace Stevens' "The Idea Of Order At Key West," and a toned-down "Skylark," bringing the title of this album into lyrical consideration in a subdued light. The core band members and notable guests all make the weight of their contributions felt along the way here, but Elling manages to carry the weight of the world in his voice. He may not have the answer to all of the questions, but he certainly makes you think about them. ~ Dan Bilawsky https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-questions-kurt-elling-okeh-review-by-dan-bilawsky.php

Personnel: Kurt Elling: vocals; Stu Mindeman: piano, Hammond B-3 organ; Joey Calderazzo: piano (4, 6, 9); John McLean: acoustic guitar, electric guitar; Clark Sommers: bass; Branford Marsalis: saxophones; Marquis Hill: trumpet, flugelhorn; Jeff "Tain" Watts: drums.

Thank You my Friend!

The Questions

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Akira Tana - Jazzanova

Size: 137,3 MB
Time: 58:55
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2018
Styles: Braizilian Jazz, Bossa Nova, Samba
Art: Front

01. Aguas De Março (Feat. Claudia Villela & Claudio Amaral) (4:13)
02. Love Dance (Feat. Carla Helmbrecht) (5:52)
03. Chega De Saudade (Feat. Maria Volonte & Jackie Ryan) (4:52)
04. Bilhete (Feat. Sandy Cressman) (4:12)
05. Corcovado (Feat. Carla Helmbrecht) (5:43)
06. Condename A Callar (Feat. Maria Volonte) (3:26)
07. Waiting For Angela (Feat. Branford Marsalis & Claudia Villela) (3:51)
08. Jangada (Feat. Claudia Villela) (5:33)
09. Caminhos Cruzados (Feat. Sandy Cressman) (4:51)
10. Aquele Frevo Axe (Feat. Claudio Amaral) (3:45)
11. Por Causa De Voce (Feat. Jackie Ryan) (3:45)
12. Diride (Feat. Claudia Villela & Ricardo Peixoto) (4:26)
13. La Gloria Eres Tu (Feat. Arturo Sandoval & Maria Volonte) (4:20)

With Special Guests Branford Marsalis and Arturo Sandoval and a Dazzling Cast Of Singers, Including Rio-Born Claudia Villela, Viva Brazil’s Claudio Amaral, Argentine Tango Master Maria Volonté, Mexican-American Jazz Diva Jackie Ryan, Thrice-Grammy Nominated Carla Helmbrecht, and Brazilian Jazz Specialist Sandy Cressman.

Akira Tana didn’t have to go looking for Brazilian music as a young musician. An elite jazz drummer since the mid-1970s, he’s been immersed in the verdant hothouse of Brazil’s surging rhythms and sensuous melodies his entire career. His new album JAZZaNOVA, which is slated for release by Vega on March 1, 2018, reflects an abiding passion kindled by his formative experiences with some of Brazilian jazz’s foundational figures. It’s a treasure trove of Brazilian riches, with beautifully crafted arrangements designed to shine a lustrous new light on classic material.

Featuring a cast of top-shelf Bay Area players, JAZZaNOVA was designed to showcase a superlative cast of singers and instrumentalist interpreting some of the Brazilian Songbook’s definitive standards and lesser known gems, with a couple of songs en Español included for good measure. While Tana is best known for the talent-proving band he co-led with bassist Rufus Reid, TanaReid, and as first call accompanist who toured and recorded with jazz legends such as James Moody, Zoot Sims, the Heath Brothers, Art Farmer and J.J. Johnson, he’s collaborated with Brazilian masters from the start of his career.

“It goes back to when I was in school in Boston,” Tana says. “Trumpeter Claudio Roditi was living there after studying at Berklee, and we’d play Brazilian jazz around Boston that sometimes included alto saxophonist and composer Victor Assis Brazil and trombonist Raul de Souza. I met Ricardo Peixoto when I was doing gigs in Nantucket during the summers. I followed his career and am fortunate that he ended up living in the San Francisco Bay Area and was able to be involved in this project.”

Rio-born Peixoto, a Bay Area mainstay who provides the essential pulse throughout the album, is a direct link between Tana’s early immersion in Brazilian music and JAZZaNOVA. Tana’s band also features Peter Horvath on piano and Fender Rhodes, Airto and Flora Purim collaborator Gary Brown on bass, and percussion master Michael Spiro. Saxophonist Branford Marsalis or Cuban-born trumpeter Arturo Sandoval contribute vivid solos on almost every track, providing incisive commentary for the six extraordinary vocalists. As Andrew Gilbert writes in the liner notes, “the album’s concept is based upon matching singers and songs…an eclectic cast united by the fact that each possesses an utterly personal sound and approach.”

The album opens with Peixoto’s playful arrangement pairing Claudio Amaral and Claudia Villela on “Águas de Março” (Waters of March), a loving hat tip to Jobim and Elis Regina duet on the classic 1974 album Elis & Tom. It’s a welcome spotlight for Amaral, who’s better known as a prolific composer and guitarist via collaborations with vocalist Mark Murphy and Brazilian stars Martinho da Vila, Joao Gilberto, and Airto Moreira. Villela, one of the world’s finest Brazilian jazz singers, also contributes two original pieces, the soaring, Joni Mitchell-esque “Jangaga” and “Diride,” which pairs her with her longtime creative partner Peixoto on acoustic guitar.

Vocalist Sandy Cressman steps forward on a gorgeous version of “Caminhos Cruzados” (Crossroads), one of five classic Jobim songs on the album. Known for her expansive repertoire of MPB (musica popular brasileira), she’s an ideal choice to interpret Ivan Lins and Vitor Martins’s popular ballad “Bilhete,” which features a startlingly beautiful Branford soprano sax solo. Carla Helmbrecht also puts her stamp on Jobim and Lins, delivering supple and emotionally resonant versions of “Corcovado” and “Love Dance” (Lins’s best known jazz standard).

While Helmbrecht isn’t usually associated with Brazilian music, Jackie Ryan has honed a polyglot repertoire encompassing numerous Brazilian standards, and her aching rendition of Jobim’s “Por Causa De Você” (Don’t Ever Go Away) taps into the same bottomless well of desperation that made Frank Sinatra’s collaboration with the composer so powerful. Ryan and the great Argentine vocalist Maria Volonte effectively team up on Peixoto’s sleek and buoyant multi-lingual arrangement of Jobim’s “Chega De Saudade” (No More Blues).

One of Argentina’s most celebrated tango singers, Volonté fits neatly into the JAZZANOVA fold. In addition to “Chega De Saudade,” she performs another duet, joining Sandoval on the album’s closer, the romantic ballad “La Gloria Eres Tu,” indelibly linked to Mexican superstar Luis Miguel. Volonté’s impassioned performance is no surprise, but Sandoval’s potent vocals offer another glimpse at his prodigious musical gifts.

Throughout the session, Tana renders the various grooves with taste and an unerring ear for textural support. As authoritative as he is behind the drum kit, he’s emerged in recent decades as a savvy producer who can turn a concept into a singular musical communion, such as 2011’s Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (Sons of Sound), a session exploring title themes from James Bond films, and 2013’s Otonawa, a strikingly beautiful project marrying traditional Japanese melodies with trenchant jazz improvisation.

Born in San Jose in March 14, 1952 and raised in Palo Alto, Tana played in a rock band as a teenager, and become a devoted jazz convert after acquiring a used copy of Miles Davis’s classic 1966 album Miles Smiles. His father led various Buddhist congregations around the Bay Area and his mother played koto and piano. While majoring in East Asian Studies at Harvard, he continued to play jazz whenever he could. His friendship with budding jazz drum star Billy Hart led to an early epiphany when he had a chance to sit in with Herbie Hancock’s Mwandishi band in the early '70s. A protégé of the great drum teacher Alan Dawson (whose past students included Tony Williams and Clifford Jarvis), Tana decided to pursue music full time and enrolled at New England Conservatory, graduating with a degree in percussion, still finding time to do tours with Sonny Rollins, Hubert Laws, and the Paul Winter Consort.

Other extracurricular gigs with heavyweight jazz artists like Milt Jackson, Sonny Stitt and Helen Humes during his eight years in Boston helped pave the way for his move to New York in 1979. He made a name for himself as a leader with TanaReid, a band he co-founded and led with bassist Rufus Reid. During the course of the 90s the group toured internationally, released six CDs and helped boost the careers of brilliant young improvisers like pianist Rob Schneiderman, and tenor saxophonists Mark Turner and Ralph Moore. With JAZZaNOVA , he’s staked a rightful claim to the Brazilian jazz canon, joined by a cast of redoubtable cast of collaborators. ~Mouthpiece Music

Jazzanova

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Kenny Kirkland - Kenny Kirkland

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1991
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:37
Size: 143,6 MB
Art: Front

(8:07)  1. Mr. J.C.
(3:32)  2. Midnight Silence
(1:35)  3. El Rey
(6:02)  4. Steepian Faith
(6:49)  5. Celia
(6:01)  6. Chance
(5:39)  7. When Will the Blues Leave
(8:36)  8. Ana Maria
(7:48)  9. Revelations
(5:19) 10. Criss Cross
(3:04) 11. Blasphemy

Keyboardist Kenny Kirkland's long-overdue debut as a leader really stretches his talents and is occasionally unpredictable. Virtually each of the performances has its own personality and the personnel and instrumentation differ throughout the release. Among the highlights is "Mr. J.C." (which features some stormy Branford Marsalis tenor), an electric Latin but still boppish update of Bud Powell's "Celia" (taken as a duet with percussionist Don Alias), the struttin' "Steepian Faith," a driving rendition of Ornette Coleman's "When Will the Blues Leave" that has some free bop alto from Roderick Ward, and Latin versions (with percussionist Jerry Gonzalez) of two standards not normally thought of as belonging to that idiom: Wayne Shorter's "Ana Maria" and Thelonious Monk's "Criss Cross." This highly recommended CD has more than its share of brilliant moments. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/kenny-kirkland-mw0000676542

Personnel: Kenny Kirkland (piano, keyboards); Branford Marsalis (soprano & tenor saxophones); Charnett Moffet, Robert Hurst, Christian McBride (bass); Steve Berrios (drums, percussion); Jeff "Tain" Watts (drums); Don Alias (bongos, percussion); Jerry Gonzalez (congas, percussion).

Kenny Kirkland

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Billy Hart - Oshumare

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 1995
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:59
Size: 125,9 MB
Art: Front

( 6:17)  1. Duchess
( 7:44)  2. Waiting Inside
( 5:56)  3. Chance
( 7:27)  4. Lorca
( 4:45)  5. Cosmosis
(10:20)  6. Idgaf Suite
( 6:09)  7. May Dance
( 6:17)  8. Mad Monkey

Billy Hart is a perfect example of a drummer who has an impressively long list of sideman credits but has only recorded sporadically as a leader. One of the few sessions that he led in the 1980s was 1985's Oshumare, a Gramavision date that has one foot in fusion and the other in straight-ahead post-bop. Hart oversees an interesting blend of acoustic and electric instruments; Dave Holland is on upright bass, while the electric contributions come from Kenny Kirkland or Mark Gray on keyboards and Bill Frisell or Kevin Eubanks on electric guitar. Rounding out the cast which could almost be described an all-star cast are Branford Marsalis on tenor sax, Steve Coleman on alto sax, Didier Lockwood on violin, and Manolo Badrena on percussion. However, the use of the term all-star would be a slight exaggeration because not all of the musicians became major names in jazz although most of them did. But it is no exaggeration to say that Hart leads an impressive cast of players on this CD or that the material is generally solid; that is true of Hart's Latin-flavored "Lorca" as well as Frisell's mysterious "Waiting Outside" and Eubank's abstract "IDGAF Suite." Parts of Oshumare are essentially straight-ahead, especially Holland's fast-paced "Cosmosis." But this album cannot honestly be described as the work of a jazz purist. One minute Hart is straight-ahead, and the next he encourages Eubanks or Kirkland to take things in more of a fusion direction. And that speaks well of the drummer (who was 44 or 45 when this album was recorded), because it demonstrates that he is willing to listen to what younger musicians have to say. Oshumare makes listeners wish that Hart had recorded more albums as a leader in the 1980s. ~ Alex Henderson https://www.allmusic.com/album/oshumare-mw0000188147

Personnel includes: Billy Hart (drums); Branford Marsalis, Steve Coleman (saxophone); Didier Lockwood (violin); Bill Frisell (guitar); Dave Holland (bass); Kevin Eubanks, Kenny Kirkland (piano).

Oshumare

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Branford Marsalis - Random Abstract

Styles: Saxophone  Jazz
Year: 1988
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:09
Size: 170,3 MB
Art: Front

( 6:46)  1. Yes And No
(11:05)  2. Cresent City
( 9:57)  3. Broadway Fools
( 8:13)  4. LonJellis
( 5:42)  5. I Thought About You
(16:25)  6. Lonely Woman
( 0:34)  7. Steep's Theme
(11:03)  8. Yesterday's
( 4:20)  9. Crepuscule With Nellie

Branford Marsalis (on tenor and soprano) and his 1987 quartet (which also includes pianist Kenny Kirkland, bassist Delbert Felix and drummer Lewis Nash) stretch out on a wide repertoire during this generally fascinating set. Very much a chameleon for the date, Marsalis does close impressions of Wayne Shorter on "Yes and No," John Coltrane ("Crescent City"), Ben Webster (a warm version of "I Thought About You"), Ornette Coleman ("Broadway Falls") and even Jan Garbarek (on a long rendition of Coleman's "Lonely Woman"). Random Abstract also includes a jam on Kirkland's "LonJellis," a piece without chord changes. This is one of Branford Marsalis' most interesting (and somewhat unusual) recordings. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/random-abstract-mw0000195820

Personnel: Branford Marsalis (Saxophone); Kenny Kirkland (piano); Delbert Felix (bass); Lewis Nash (drums).           

Random Abstract

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Wynton Marsalis - Black Codes

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1985
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:54
Size: 135,6 MB
Art: Front

(9:32)  1. Black Codes
(9:08)  2. For Wee Folks
(6:47)  3. Delfeayo's Dilemma
(6:45)  4. Phryzzinian Man
(5:36)  5. Aural Oasis
(7:40)  6. Chambers of Tain
(5:23)  7. Blues

This is probably the best Wynton Marsalis recording from his Miles Davis period. With his brother Branford (who doubles here on tenor and soprano) often closely emulating Wayne Shorter and the rhythm section (pianist Kenny Kirkland, bassist Charnett Moffett, and drummer Jeff Watts) sounding a bit like the famous Herbie Hancock-Ron Carter-Tony Williams trio, Wynton is heard at the head of what was essentially an updated version of the mid- to late-'60s Miles Davis Quintet (despite Stanley Crouch's pronouncements in his typically absurd liner notes about Marsalis' individuality). The music is brilliantly played and displays what the "Young Lions" movement was really about: young musicians choosing to explore acoustic jazz and to extend the innovations of the pre-fusion modern mainstream style. Marsalis would develop his own sound a few years later, but even at age 23 he had few close competitors. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/black-codes-from-the-underground-mw0000188478

Personnel : Wynton Marsalis (trumpet);  Branford Marsalis (tenor saxophone);  Kenny Kirkland (piano);  Ron Carter, Charnett Moffett (bass);  Jeff "Tain" Watts (drums).

Black Codes

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Makoto Ozone - Pandora

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:46
Size: 154,0 MB
Art: Front

( 5:15)  1. You Never Tell Me Anything!
( 5:24)  2. Lullaby for Rabbit
( 5:47)  3. Reunion
( 5:10)  4. Sofi
( 6:13)  5. If I Had Known...
( 6:50)  6. Brazilian Sketch
( 6:34)  7. Pennillium
( 6:41)  8. Blessing the World
(10:17)  9. Pandora
( 4:06) 10. Tiffany's Waltz
( 4:24) 11. Around the Corner

Makoto Ozone and the Trio is joined by the award-winning saxophonist Branford Marsalis on Pandora. His trio Clarence Penn on drums and James Genus on bass who has replaced Kiyoshi Kitagawa plays 11 original compositions written by either Ozone or Penn. Of particular interest is Ozone's performance on "Pennillium," which displays his strong musical personality with excellent piano artistry: arpeggios, authentic cadences, and chord stylings. While Penn's expertise and sensitive brushwork highlights the harmony of "Sofi," Genus still has some work to do as far as applying his bass colors to Ozone's piano stylings with the right contrast. However, this can certainly be attributed to his newness with the group. Overall, Pandora is very good due to Marsalis' excellence on "Reunion" and the title track, as well as the songwriting skills of both Penn and Ozone. ~ Paula Edelstein http://www.allmusic.com/album/pandora-mw0000587251

Personnel:  Makoto Ozone (piano);  Branford Marsalis (soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone);  Clarence Penn (drums).

Pandora

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Delfeayo Marsalis - Sweet Thunder

Styles: Trombone Jazz
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:28
Size: 164,2 MB
Art: Front

(6:07)  1. Such Sweet Thunder
(2:38)  2. Sonnet for Sister Kate
(4:48)  3. Sonnet to Hank Cinq
(9:24)  4. Half the Fun
(3:09)  5. Up & Down, Up & Down
(5:07)  6. Madness in Great Ones
(6:30)  7. Star-Crossed Lovers
(8:11)  8. Sonnet in Search of a Moor
(5:37)  9. The Telecasters
(7:53) 10. Sonnet for Caesar
(3:39) 11. Lady Mac
(8:19) 12. Circle of Fourths

Acclaimed trombonist and member of the first family of jazz, Delfeayo Marsalis launches Sweet Thunder: Duke & Shak, an original theatrical jazz production culled from live performances in thirty-six locations across the country. The play was born from Marsalis' affinity for the music of Duke Ellington and the poetry of Shakespeare: first brought to the musical stage in the 1957 production of Such Sweet Thunder at the Shakespeare Festival I Stratford, Canada. Both Ellington and Billy Strayhorn were invited to compose music in tribute to The Bard, and came up with 15 compositions for that date. Sweet Thunder streamlines Ellington and Strayhorn's original charts into a 12-movement suite, bringing an all-star list of players, including brothers Branford Marsalis and Jason Marsalis. for the recording. Staying true to Ellington's original compositions for an octet, the majority of the pieces employ an eight-man ensemble, featuring a solid horn section including soprano saxophonist Victor Goines (when Branford is not playing), altoist Mark Gross, trumpeter Tiger Okoshi, and baritone saxophonist Jason W. Marshall. When Jason Marsalis is not doing the honors, renowned drummer Winard Harper steps in, while piano great Mulgrew Miller rounds out the rhythm section.

The disc is a departure from the original Such Sweet Thunder in that Marsalis, the arranger, adds his own personal touch to the original music, injecting New Orlean-style melodic alterations along with some elements of blues, and the inclusion of poignant ballads like "Star-Crossed Lovers," "Sonnet for Caesar" and "Lady Mac." The opening title track come across a bit bluesy, with Branford leading the way on a sultry soprano march, as Delfeayo joins in with a little thunder of his own. "Sonnet to Hank Cinq" features swinging solos from each member of the horn section, providing the repertoire's first up-tempo burner. With Jason on percussions and Harper on drums, "Half the Fun" kicks in with percussive flair, as Okoshi and Branford drive music reminiscent of a snake charmer's chant. Sounding more like a traditional big band chart à la Ellington, "Sonnet In Search of A Moor" is perhaps the only classical big band pieces here, with Jason weighing in with a furious performance. A touch of New Orleans can be heard tracks including "The Telecasters" and "Up & Down, Up & Down," while the boppish, straight-ahead closer, "Circle of Fourths," highlights sizzling solos from both the Delfeayo and tenor saxophonist Mark Shim, with pianist Victor "Red" Atkins adding a closing statement to this remarkable session. The music of Sweet Thunder may not conjure up memorable phrases from the body of William Shakespeare's work, but the words "poetry in motion," seems more than adequate in describing the swing and power Delfeayo Marsalis provides, in this interpretation of a historic musical moment. 

~ Edward Blanco https://www.allaboutjazz.com/sweet-thunder-delfeayo-marsalis-troubadour-jass-review-by-edward-blanco.php

Personnel: Delfeayo Marsalis: trombone; Branford Marsalis: soprano saxophone; Jason Marsalis: drums (2, 6, 8-10, 12); Winard Harper: drums (1, 3-5, 7, 11); Tiger Okoshi: trumpet (1, 3, 5, 6, 10,11); Mark Gross: alto saxophone, tenor saxophone; Victor Goines: soprano saxophone (2, 5, 6, 8, 11,); Mark Shim: tenor saxophone (3,12); Jason Marshal: baritone saxophone; Mulgrew Miller: piano (1, 7, 9); Victor "Red" Atkins: piano (3-6, 8, 11, 12); Reginal Veal: bass (1); David Pulphus: bass (3, 4, 7, 9, 10); Charnett Moffet: bass (5, 6, 8, 11, 12).

Sweet Thunder

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Delfeayo Marsalis - Minions Dominion

Styles: Trombone Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:10
Size: 145,5 MB
Art: Front

( 7:33)  1. Brer Rabbit
(11:15)  2. Lone Warrior
( 9:11)  3. If You Only Knew
( 8:49)  4. Minions Dominion
( 9:27)  5. Just Squeeze Me
( 6:46)  6. Weaver Of Dreams
(10:05)  7. Lost In The Crescent

What does the term "mainstream" mean to you? In jazz, the label is applied to music which has time-tested, codified rhythm and structure. After that, it can get more mainstream if the melody and harmony are easily understood. This is not a value judgment about good or bad music, but rather a way of placing the music within a framework of expectation. However, that expectation can be quite different depending on one's individual experience and personality. Some listeners enjoy having such expectations fulfilled, while others revel in being set up and fooled. Many people with wide listening habits are on the lookout for music that manages to hold together without doing the expected, and actually relish feeling the musical ground constantly shifting under their feet.  Trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis' Minions Dominion is absolute dead-center mainstream music for people who like well-played jazz that is just thorny enough to elicit a smile (or grimace, as the case may be). However, this music will not have that "sound of surprise" enjoyed by more adventurous listeners, which draws them to jazz in the first place. They will be able to pull out Blue Note reissues that have almost the same feel. Moreover, mainstream does not have to mean music which sounds old. Two recent, and quite different, albums, David Braid's Zhen and Andrew Rathbun's Shadow Forms, both sit in the mainstream camp, but they also bend the rules and thwart expectations enough to be quite surprising and memorable.

The liner notes for Minions Dominion actually anticipate this whole issue. The 2002 session is special in that it was the great Elvin Jones' last studio session. Marsalis had an ongoing apprenticeship with the drummer, and at one point asked him whether his playing would benefit from "less tradition and more avant-garde?" Some might think that asking such a question might indicate that Marsalis was missing the point. You cannot just decide to "play avant-garde." A real avant-garde player feels that style as deeply within himself as does the traditional player his own. Jones, perhaps sensing this whole conundrum, and being a trailblazer himself, answered perfectly, saying that if Marsalis continued studying and playing, in a few years he should "understand the tradition well enough that you can take it into whatever direction you'd like." Given all of this philosophy, the record does swing like hell in the expected way for sure, but it is nonetheless very deep and irresistible. The bass players, Robert Hurst III and Edwin Livingston, along with Jones (of course) should get much of the credit for this. Also, pianist Mulgrew Miller, as a member of the rhythm section, plays in a very wide and deep pocket; there is no question of his feel for this style. He also plays outstanding accompaniment: one can hear him listening to and echoing the soloists, providing just the right touch whenever he plays.

Jones himself is in fine form and in general pushes the proceedings, adding intensity to the session, including the famous polyrhythms of his John Coltrane years' lore, as in the evocative "Lone Warrior." He can also just flat out swing as in "Brer Rabbit," which is a good track to show why this record falls flat. The bass starts the tune with a walking line that sounds at first like an ear-catching mistake but is not, but then the piano has trouble synching up with him, as do the drums with the other two. Eventually, they all get hooked up and build a head of steam, but this beginning screams "studio recording," with the musicians interacting through headphones and not by really being there. Saxophonists Branford Marsalis and Donald Harrison provide most of the fireworks, which to these ears sound forced within the context of the rest of the playing and could almost be the expected "avant-ness."  The leader's trombone tone is quite clean, warm and inviting. He certainly likes to throw a quote in during his soloing, but it is not subtle at all. The high point of the record for me is his sumptuous playing on the ballad "If You Only Knew."  All in all, the music sounds trapped in the past, especially "Lost In The Crescent," which just reeks of the Marsalis jazz-through-slavery prism refracted through Coltrane. ~ Budd Kopman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/delfeayo-marsalis-minions-dominion-by-budd-kopman.php

Personnel: Delfeayo Marsalis: trombone; Donald Harrison: alto saxophone; Branford Marsalis: tenor and soprano saxophones; Mulgrew Miller: piano; Sergio Salvatore: piano; Robert Hurst III: bass; Edwin Livingston: bass; Eric Revis: bass; Elvin Jones: drums.

Minions Dominion

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Sonny Rollins - Falling In Love With Jazz

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1990
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:57
Size: 108,9 MB
Art: Front

(7:42)  1. For All We Know
(6:18)  2. Tennessee Waltz
(7:41)  3. Little Girl Blue
(4:49)  4. Falling In Love With Love
(7:33)  5. I Should Care
(7:03)  6. Sister
(5:47)  7. Amanda

This average effort from Sonny Rollins and his regular sextet is most notable for two numbers ("For All We Know" and "I Should Care") that find Branford Marsalis joining Rollins in a quintet with pianist Tommy Flanagan. Unfortunately Marsalis makes the fatal error of trying to imitate Rollins (instead of playing in his own musical personality) and he gets slaughtered. Much better are Rollins's romps on "Tennessee Waltz" and "Falling in Love with Love."~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/falling-in-love-with-jazz-mw0000653871

Personnel: Sonny Rollins (tenor saxophone); Jerome Harris (electric guitar, electric bass); Branford Marsalis (tenor saxophone); Clifton Anderson (trombone); Mark Siskin, Mark Soskin, Tommy Flanagan (piano); Bob Cranshaw (electric bass); Jack DeJohnette, Jeff "Tain" Watts (drums).

Falling In Love With Jazz

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Ellis Marsalis, Makoto Ozone - Pure Pleasure For The Piano

Styles: Piano Jazz 
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:46
Size: 107,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:49)  1. Confusing Blues
(7:19) 2. Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans?
(4:40)  3. Sweet Georgia Brown
(4:23)  4. A Moment Alone
(6:45)  5. Emily
(7:41)  6. Longing For The Past
(6:03)  7. What Is This Thing Called Love
(5:03)  8. Struttin' With Some Barbecue

It is a bit ironic that Ellis Marsalis had to wait for sons Wynton and Branford to get famous before he was able to record on a regular basis, but Ellis finally received his long-overdue recognition. The father of six sons (including Wynton, Branford, Delfeayo, and Jason), Ellis Marsalis' main importance to jazz may very well be as a jazz educator; his former pupils (in addition to his sons) include Terence Blanchard, Donald Harrison, Harry Connick, Jr., Nicholas Payton, and Kent and Marlon Jordan, among others. He started out as a tenor saxophonist, switching to piano while in high school. Marsalis was one of the few New Orleans musicians of the era who did not specialize in Dixieland or rhythm & blues. He played with fellow modernists (including Ed Blackwell) in the late '50s with AFO, recorded with Cannonball and Nat Adderley in the 1960s, played with Al Hirt (1967-1970), and was busy as a teacher. Marsalis freelanced in New Orleans during the 1970s and taught at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts. He recorded with Wynton and Branford on Father and Sons in 1982, an album that they shared with Chico and Von Freeman. After that, Marsalis recorded for ELM, Spindletop (a duet session with Eddie Harris), Rounder, Blue Note, and Columbia, issuing Twelve's It on the latter in 1998. Duke in Blue followed a year later. Since that time, Marsalis has kept busy releasing Afternoon Session, An Open Letter to Thelonious, and Ruminations. ~ Scott Yanow https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/ellis-marsalis/id503569#fullText

Personnel:  Alto Saxophone – Branford Marsalis (tracks: 8);  Piano – Ellis Marsalis, Makoto Ozone

Pure Pleasure For The Piano

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Sting - The Dream Of The Blue Turtles

Styles: Vocal, Guitar, Pop/Rock
Year: 1985
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:40
Size: 102,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:16)  1. If You Love Somebody Set Them Free
(3:32)  2. Love Is The Seventh Wave
(3:58)  3. Russians
(5:02)  4. Children's Crusade
(4:50)  5. Shadows In The Rain
(5:42)  6. We Work The Black Seam
(4:20)  7. Consider Me Gone
(1:17)  8. The Dream Of The Blue Turtles
(4:00)  9. Moon Over Bourbon Street
(4:39) 10. Fortress Around Your Heart

The Police never really broke up, they just stopped working together largely because they just couldn't stand playing together anymore and partially because Sting was itching to establish himself as a serious musician/songwriter on his own terms. Anxious to shed the mantle of pop star, he camped out at Eddy Grant's studio, picked up the guitar, and raided Wynton Marsalis' band for his new combo thereby instantly consigning his solo debut, The Dream of the Blue Turtles, to the critical shorthand of Sting's jazz record. Which is partially true (that's probably the best name for the meandering instrumental title track), but that gives the impression that this is really risky music, when he did, after all, rely on musicians who, at that stage, were revivalists just developing their own style, and then had them jam on mock-jazz grooves or, in the case of Branford Marsalis, layer soprano sax lines on top of pop songs. This, however, is just the beginning of the pretensions layered throughout The Dream of the Blue Turtles. Only twice does he delve into straightforward love songs the lovely measured "Consider Me Gone" and the mournful closer, "Fortress Around Your Heart" preferring to consider love in the abstract ("If You Love Somebody Set Them Free," one of his greatest solo singles, and the childish, faux-reggae singalong "Love Is the Seventh Wave"), write about children in war and in coal mines, revive a Police tune about heroin, ponder whether "Russians love their children too," and wander the streets of New Orleans as the vampire Lestat. 

This is a serious-minded album, but it's undercut by its very approach the glossy fusion that coats the entire album, the occasional grabs at worldbeat, and studious lyrics seem less pretentious largely because they're overshadowed by such bewilderingly showy moves as adapting Prokofiev for "Russians" and calling upon Anne Rice for inspiration. And that's the problem with the record: with every measure, every verse, Sting cries out for the respect of a composer, not a pop star, and it gets to be a little overwhelming when taken as a whole. As a handful of individual cuts "Fortress," "Consider Me Gone," "If You Love Somebody," "Children's Crusade" he proves that he's subtler and craftier than his peers, but only when he reins in his desire to show the class how much he's learned. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-dream-of-the-blue-turtles-mw0000201855

Personnel: Sting (vocals, guitar, bass); Branford Marsalis (saxophone, percussion); Frank Opolko (trombone); Kenny Kirkland (keyboards); Danny Quatrochi (Synclavier synthesizer, background vocals); Darryl Jones (bass); Omar Hakim (drums); Eddy Grant (congas); Dolette McDonald, Janice Pendarvis, Pete Smith, Elliot Jones, Jane Alexander, Vic Garbarini, The Nannies Chorus, Rosemary Purt, Stephanie Crewson, Joe Sumner, Kate Sumner, Michael Sumner (background vocals).

The Dream Of The Blue Turtles

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Branford Marsalis - Scenes In The City

Styles: Saxophone Jazz

Year: 1984

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 41:04

Size: 95,5 MB

Art: Front

(6:48)  1. No Backstage Pass

(5:51)  2. Scenes In The City

(8:56)  3. Solstice

(6:50)  4. Waiting For Tain

(7:00)  5. No Sidestepping

(5:36)  6. Parable

Branford Marsalis's debut as a leader is ambitious yet consistently successful. On "Scenes of the City," his narrative is in the same spirit of some of Charles Mingus's recordings of the 1950s. Otherwise the music is in the modern mainstream vein with Marsalis (on tenor and soprano) hinting strongly at Wayne Shorter and John Coltrane, along with a touch of Sonny Rollins. The backup crew includes such notable young lions as pianist Mulgrew Miller and Kenny Kirkland, bassist Charnett Moffett, and drummers Jeff "Tain" Watts and Marvin "Smitty" Smith in addition to bassist Ron Carter. It's an impressive start to a notable career. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/scenes-in-the-city-mw0000188339

Personnel: Branford Marsalis (soprano & tenor saxophones); John Longo (trumpet); Robin Eubanks (trombone); Mulgrew Miller, Kenny Kirkland (piano); Ron Carter, Ray Drummond, Charnett Moffett, Phil Bowler (bass); Marvin Smith, Jeffrey Watts (drums).

Scenes In The City

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