Randy Brecker - 34th N Lex

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:57
Size: 131,4 MB
Art: Front

(6:29)  1. 34th N Lex
(4:21)  2. Streeange
(5:37)  3. Shanghigh
(3:36)  4. All 4 Love
(3:59)  5. Let It Go
(7:42)  6. Foregone Conclusion
(5:11)  7. Hula Dula
(5:33)  8. The Fisherman
(5:01)  9. Give It Up
(4:36) 10. Tokyo Freddie
(4:48) 11. The Castle Rocks

Randy Brecker's last release ( Hangin' in the City ) was one strange puppy, a handful of serviceable tunes wound tightly around the convoluted perversion of "Randroid," the trumpeter's streetwise cabbie alter-ego. Brecker wisely got back to the groove this time around, leaving this disc's few vocals to more capable hands. The result is a highly entertaining album showcasing his strong suits of trumpet playing and composition, yet still maintaining a 21st century sensibility. The ensembles range from quartet to octet in size, all sounding much more than their sum thanks to Brecker's arranging skills. His trumpet and flugelhorn are the centerpieces most of the time, with outstanding contributions from brother Michael, bassist Chris Minh Doky, Ronnie Cuber, David Sanborn, Fred Wesley and other compadres. The leader must be one of the hippest white guys in the business, having nailed various aspects of black popular music down pat. Hip-hop beats color "All 4 Love" without sounding generic; a muted Brecker recalls Miles around the time of Star People, while J Phoenix's layered vocals bring a more fashionable vibe. Makeeba Mooncycle paints vocal accents and scattered words onto the canvas of "Streeange," giving the impression, if nothing else, of a mere phone call in the background. Less stereotypical urban sounds are also explored. The intro to "Foregone Conclusion" briefly recalls "Somewhere Out There" but blessedly moves into more appealing territory. "Tokyo Freddie" is a breakneck slice of neo-bop; "The Fisherman" leans close to Weather Report; heavy percussion and George Whitty's electric piano contribute to the intense urgency of "Hula Dula." These rank among Brecker's best compositions and will hopefully stay in his repertoire for some time. Low points: the rather uninteresting "Give It Up," which would fare better were it not imbedded among so many stronger compositions, and the general sense of sameness among the many minor keys and dark moods. High marks to Adam Rogers' cookin' guitar on "Shanghigh," Ronnie Cuber on the title track, and the whole bloody band for negotiating the difficult rhythms of "Let It Go." One of Brecker's best releases in a career full of hills and valleys; bravo for a successful evaluation of the state of jazz today. ~ Todd S.Jenkins https://www.allaboutjazz.com/34th-n-lex-randy-brecker-esc-records-review-by-todd-s-jenkins.php?width=1920

Personnel: Randy Brecker: Trumpet & flugelhorn (6). Michael Brecker: Tenor Sax (1-3,5-11). David Sanborn: Alto sax (1,5,7,8). Ronnie Cuber: Baritone sax (1,5,7). Ada Roviatti: Tenor sax (11). Trombone: Fred Wesley (3,5,9,10) & Michael Davis. Guitar: Adam Rogers (1-3,5-9) & Chris Taylor (2). Bass: Chris Minh Doky (1,3,6,7,10). Bass, keyboards, guitar and percussion programming: Gary Haasse (2,4,9). Drums, keyboards, bass & percussion programming: George Whitty (1-3,5-8,10,11). Drums: Clarence Penn (3,6,10). Drum Programming: Zach Danziger (2,4,9). Voice: Makeeba Mooncycle (2). Vocals: J. Phoenix (4).

34th N Lex

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Kirk Whalum - Colors

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1997
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:33
Size: 113,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:34)  1. Cannonnesque
(4:53)  2. All I Need
(4:19)  3. Daddy Loves You
(4:15)  4. Strength In You
(4:38)  5. If Only For One Night
(6:55)  6. Escolhido (Chosen)
(4:17)  7. Open My Eyes
(4:35)  8. After All This Time
(6:26)  9. Natchez
(3:37) 10. The Back Porch

In the liner notes to his 1996 Warner Bros.solo debut, Colors, saxophonist Kirk Whalum explained why the rhythms of "Escolido" carried him away. "I believe that heaven will be a place where all cultures and all types of music will be celebrated and enjoyed," he wrote. "But if I could choose one genre of music for my mansion there, it would be Brazilian." It's not heaven on earth yet, but at the dawning of the 21st century, musical influences from around the world are infusing jazz with new life. Here, on tunes like "Escolido," Whalum leans on the long, happy marriage of styles fostered by Stan Getz and others and displays how much promise it holds for contemporary jazz. ~ JAZZIZ Magazine Copyright © 2000, Milor Entertainment, Inc. ~ From Jazziz - Editorial Reviews https://www.amazon.com/Colors-Kirk-Whalum/dp/B000002NIV

Personnel:  Kirk Whalum (tenor saxophone, keyboards, programming); Vanesse Thomas, Curtis King, Kevin Whalum, Lynn Fiddmont-Linsey, Allison Krauss, Michael McDonald, Howard Hewett (vocals); Justo Almario (soprano saxophone); Gerald Albright (alto saxophone, bass); Stuart Duncan (violin, mandolin); Leon Pendarvis, Marc Harris (Hammond B-3 organ); Oji Pierce, Dan Shea, Philippe Saisse (keyboards, programming); Bill Cantos (keyboards); Marc Antoine, Chris Rodriguez (acoustic guitar); Nick Moroch (electric guitar); Paul Jackson Jr., Sheldon Reynolds, Mark Baldwin, Dwight Sills (guitar); Chris Minh Doky (acoustic bass); Tommy Simms (bass, keyboard programming); Abraham Laboriel, Ron Jenkins, Dwayne "Smitty" Smith (bass); Bill Maxwell, Sean McCurley, Chester Thompson (drums); Luis Conte (percussion); Paul Brown (programming).

Colors

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Niels Lan Doky, Daniel Humair, Chris Minh Doky, Randy Brecker - Paris by Night

Styles: Piano, Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 1993
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:37
Size: 171,7 MB
Art: Front

(11:37)  1. Invitation
( 7:29)  2. Blue 'n' Boogie
( 8:34)  3. Lover Man
(13:13)  4. Sonnymoon for Two
(10:52)  5. Dreams
(12:16)  6. Secret Love
(10:33)  7. Someday My Prince Will Come

While this is ostensibly a shared session, with pianisron  Niels Lan Doky, drummer Daniel Humair, bassist Chris Minh Doky and trumpeter Randy Brecker equal participants, it's Brecker's mix of mellow solos, bent notes, slurs and superb statements that dominate the date. While the others play nicely, Brecker's melodic and harmonic inventiveness dominates such songs as "Invitation," "Lover Man" and "Sonnymoon For Two." It's been many years since he's demonstrated such facility and command in a straight jazz setting, and those times he lays out the energy level dips considerably. The results are outstanding when Brecker's featured, and otherwise interesting, but subdued. ~ Ron Wynn http://www.allmusic.com/album/paris-by-night-mw0000623104

Personnel: Neils Lan Doky (piano); Daniel Humair (drums); Chris Minh Doky (bass); Randy Brecker (trumpet).

Paris by Night

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Chris Minh Doky - Cinematique

Styles:  Jazz, Contemporary Jazz
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:42
Size: 123,3 MB
Art: Front

(6:45)  1. James Bond
(4:48)  2. Goldfinger
(6:12)  3. Nothing to lose
(4:32)  4. Tossed salad & scrambled eggs
(7:40)  5. Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence
(6:16)  6. My favorite things
(6:21)  7. Sleepless dream
(5:02)  8. Rue Hautefeuille
(6:02)  9. Godfather

Chris comments: "After playing with my acoustic funk band for several year, I missed playing in a more open and loose situation. I wanted to take a break from the funk band. When I joined Michael Brecker's band in 2001, it was not only a huge pleasure playing with these guys, but it also made me realize how much I missed playing straight-ahead. I started doing gigs with the trio again and it was clear from jump that my next album (this one) was going to be a jazz trio album. We began recording this album, the day after getting off the road with Joey and Tain. It was so much fun hanging out with my old friends and it was so easy. Almost all takes are first takes..." Chris offers on Cinematique special brilliant interpretations of film melodies like James Bond and Nothing To Loose. Mesmerizing and captivating is Toots, Joey and Chris intimate revival of Goldfinger. Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence originally composed by Ryuichi Sakamoto is a further highlight of this album. Cinematique is an album especially for all lovers of acoustic bass.  http://www.smooth-jazz.de/starportrait/Doky/Retrospective.htm

Personnel:  Chris Minh Doky - Acoustic Bass;  Bireli Lagrene – Guitar;  Larry Goldings – Piano;  Joey Calderazzo – Piano;  Makoto Ozone – Piano;  Bill Stewart – Drums;  Jeff "Tain" Watts – Drums;  Clarence Penn – Drums;  Toots Thielemans - Harmonica

Cinematique

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Chris Minh Doky - Minh

Styles: Jazz, Contemporary Jazz
Year: 1998
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:25
Size: 120,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:29)  1. I Told You So
(4:09)  2. Every Breath You Take
(0:12)  3. Welcome
(2:49)  4. Waiting On You (jungle vibe)
(5:06)  5. Sleepless Dream
(0:04)  6. Chhaya
(5:39)  7. Lean On Me
(4:56)  8. I Just Wanna Stop
(4:52)  9. A New Day
(0:09) 10. Ken & Mai
(5:39) 11. It Once Was
(3:44) 12. Mardi Chez Lionel
(0:28) 13. Messages
(5:42) 14. Home Sweet Home
(0:19) 15. New York City
(5:02) 16. Dont Get Funny With My Money

One can call Chris Min Doky an international musician. Born in Denmark as the son of a Danish pop singer and a Vietnamese guitarist he got his talent on a natural way. In 1989 at age 18 he moved to New York, where he soon had the opportunity to start his career as bassist and to record his debut album Appreciation followed by The Sequel (1990) and Letters (1991) on Storyville Records. His specialty was mixing jazz and rock. Signed by Blue Note Records he released Doky Brothers (1995), Doky Brothers 2 (1996), with his elder brother, the jazz pianist Niels Lan Doky, and Minh (1998). Chris comments about Minh: "I wanted to do something totally different than what I had been doing with Doky Brothers. I was ready to do something more funky, more edgy, less polite. 

I wanted to record an album that told the story of who, and where, I was at the time. What better way to do that, than invite all your friends an have a party?" Guest musicians on Minh are the Brecker Brothers, David Sanborn, Mike Stern, Lenny White and many more celebrities.  Minh offers a great variety of styles from jazz to Pop and R&B. Fusion jazz on I Told You So and Waiting On You is searching the musical borders of all musicians. You find delighting songs like Every Breath You Take and Lean On Me interpreted by Lalah Hathaway. In spite of the fact that merging of fusion jazz and R&B on the same album is a risky endeavor Chris finds the right balance between the genres. This album was released in 1998, a time when smooth jazz in USA had its first ascendancy. http://www.smooth-jazz.de/starportrait/Doky/Retrospective.htm

Personnel:  Chris Minh Doky (Bass);  Michael Brecker (Tenor Saxophone);   David Sanborn (Alto Saxophone);  Randy Brecker (Trumpet);  Ricky Peterson, Joey Calderazzo, Chris Parks, Larry Goldings, Lasse Janson, Jim Beard (keyboards, Piano);  Paul Peterson, Louis Winsberg, Chris Parks,Joe Caro, Mike Stern, David Gilmore, Hiram Bullock (Guitars);  Michael Bland, Paul Peterson, Lenny White, Adam Nussbaum, Alex Riel (Drums);  Dianne Reeves, Vivian Sessoms, Lalah Hathaway,Randy Brecker (Lead Vocals);  Kayoko Suzuki Lange (Voice)

Minh

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