Chuck Redd - The Common Thread

Styles: Vibraphone Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:19
Size: 132,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:23)  1. I Hear Music
(5:16)  2. Moonlight in Vermont
(4:50)  3. The Common Thread
(4:26)  4. My One and Only
(5:27)  5. Purple Gazelle
(5:23)  6. Some Other Spring
(4:19)  7. Old Man Roker
(6:38)  8. Witchcraft
(4:52)  9. Beat's Up
(3:50) 10. The Shadow of Your Smile
(2:51) 11. All God's Children Got Rhythm
(4:59) 12. I Wish I Were Twins

Chuck Redd is a deft, subtle vibraphonist who surrounds himself with equally talented and experienced musicians. He’s the equivalent of a midlist author: no blockbuster but dependable and reassuring. The Common Thread is enjoyable for its skillful blend of imagination and modesty. Propelled by similarly light-fingered drummer Mickey Roker and the highly selective bassist Bob Cranshaw, Redd turns in standards spanning a luminous, watery “The Shadow of Your Smile” and a seductive “Moonlight in Vermont”; should-be standards like Ellington’s sultry “Purple Gazelle” and Tommy Flanagan’s breakneck “Beat’s Up” (cool pun), a showcase for the rhythm section, particularly the nicely florid pianist Rossano Sportiello; and revamps like “Old Man Roker,” Redd’s tribute to his drummer and “Ol’ Man River” scribe Jerome Kern. Soul saxman Houston Person lends earthiness and funk to four selections. Don’t call Redd a throwback, even though his music is accessible and largely familiar. His is the kind of group one hopes to stumble upon in a jazz club. Redd’s touch and fluid sense of harmony stand out, as does his choice of musicians; Redd can sure pick them, not surprising considering this D.C. jazzman has worked with everyone from Charlie Byrd to Dizzy Gillespie. The Common Thread is expert mainstream jazz designed to give pleasure rather than provoke-an album to visit again and again, discovering more wit and depth each time. ~ Carlo Wolff https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/chuck-redd-the-common-thread/

Musicians: Chuck Redd: vibes, drums (5, 9, 11); Mickey Roker: drums (1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 12); Bob Cranshaw: bass (except 4, 10, 11); Rossano Sportiello: piano; Houston Person: tenor sax (1, 2, 3, 12)

The Common Thread

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Chuck Redd - All This And Heaven Too

Styles: Vibraphone Jazz
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:40
Size: 144,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:31)  1. How About You'
(5:42)  2. More Than You KNow
(5:47)  3. They Say It's Wonderful
(7:10)  4. Indian Summer
(5:32)  5. Three In One
(5:51)  6. All This And Heaven Too
(5:13)  7. Speaking Of Sounds
(7:21)  8. Barbados
(4:39)  9. I Know Why
(4:51) 10. Bennie's Pennies
(5:59) 11. Once Is Not Enough

When one learns that vibraphonist Chuck Redd got his start as a drummer in the Charlie Byrd Trio, it's easy to understand where he began developing his taste. All This and Heaven Too, his second album as a leader, even resembles a particular Byrd album that he played on in 1998, Au Courant. Like that album, Redd has combined vibraphones with guitar and bass for an intimate but spunky sound. Four of the tracks are filled out a bit by Ken Peplowski on either tenor sax or clarinet. The album gets a bouncy start with "How About You?" before delving into the quieter "More Than You Know." Redd's solos are filled with melody and lovingly realized, while Gene Bertoncini, switching between the electric and acoustic guitar, injects his leads with rhythm and soul. George Mraz's bass holds it all together, offering a steady underpinning to the trio. While song choices like Irving Berlin's "They Say It's Wonderful" reveal the band's interest in traditional forms, the group also tackles Charlie Parker's "Barbados." It only made sense that once classic forms of jazz became established in the '80s and '90s, instruments assigned to the dustbin clarinets, acoustic guitars, and vibraphones would make a comeback. Chuck Redd and friends, however, accomplish much more than a rehashing of yesteryear on All This and Heaven Too. While fans of older jazz styles will enjoy the album, anyone interested in superbly executed music should give it a listen. ~ Ronnie D.Lankford Jr. https://www.allmusic.com/album/all-this-and-heaven-too-mw0000660148

Personnel: Chuck Redd - vibraphone;  Ken Peplowski - clarinet, tenor saxophone; Gene Bertoncini - guitar, acoustic guitar; George Mraz - bass

All This And Heaven Too

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Adrian Cunningham - Ain't That Right! The Music Of Neal Hefti

Styles: Flute, Clarinet And Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:28
Size: 143,7 MB
Art: Front

(6:36)  1. The Odd Couple
(3:06)  2. Scoot
(5:30)  3. Girl Talk
(5:25)  4. Barefoot In The Park
(5:24)  5. Shanghaied
(5:29)  6. Its Awfully Nice To Be With You
(5:16)  7. Ain't That Right
(3:51)  8. Li'l Darling
(4:30)  9. How To Murder Your Wife
(4:34) 10. Zankie
(4:22) 11. Suspicion
(3:51) 12. I've Got Love
(4:28) 13. Cute

Here’s a great idea done right. Woodwinder Adrian Cunningham brings his breathy tenor, fluid clarinet and cirrus sounding flute along with the mix of Wycliffe Gordon/tb, Dan Nimmer/p Corcoran Holt/b and Chuck Redd/dr for an anthology of tunes from the penmeister and arranger Neal Hefti. Hefti made his name writing scores for Count Basie and then made a few bucks doing films like “Barefoot in the Park” and TV themes like “The Odd Couple.” He even married the babe Francis Wayne-whatta guy. Alas, I digress. Anyway…Gordon shows up with his trombone on a handful of the tracks, adding some nice texture to the strutting “Odd Couple” theme and adding fun ‘boney effects here and there while Cunningham’s tenor oozes warmth. Some blues strutting on “Shanghaid” has Gordon soloing with ferver, and the two horns hold back gloriously on the gentle blues “Li’l Darlin’”. Cunningham’s licorice stick is playful on the bopping “Scoot” and sleek on “Barefoot In The Park” while a gospel-grooved “I’ve Got Love” has him cruising over a testifying rhythm section. The latinish “Suspicion” features a gracious flute, and Nimmer is nimble and quick on the dreamy “It’s Awfully Nice To Be With You.” This session’s a winner! ~ George W. Harris https://www.jazzweekly.com/2014/09/adrian-cunningham-aint-that-right-the-music-of-neal-hefti/

Personnel:  Adrian Cunningham - flute, clarinet, tenor saxophone; Wycliffe Gordon - trombone; Chuck Redd - drums; Dan Nimmer - piano

Ain't That Right! The Music Of Neal Hefti

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Royce Campbell, Gene Bertoncini - A Tribute To Charlie Byrd

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:41
Size: 136.6 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz
Year: 2003
Art: Front

[6:21] 1. Shiny Stockings
[4:48] 2. Meditation
[5:50] 3. The Days Of Wine And Roses
[3:26] 4. Mood Indigo
[5:52] 5. How Insensitive
[5:09] 6. Zing Went The Strings Of My Heart
[4:49] 7. Desafinado
[7:08] 8. In A Mellow Tone
[4:26] 9. Prelude To A Kiss
[5:11] 10. One Note Samba
[6:35] 11. Blues For Charlie

Royce Campbell, electric guitar, Gene Bertoncini, acoustic guitar, Chuck Redd, drums, Keter Betts, bass.

Sharing a rare commitment to the mastery of their instrument, jazz guitarists have a strong bond to an axe which – despite huge popularity in other genres – has by and large, seemed to elude jazz throughout the music’s history. When thinking of true non-crossover jazz guitarists, only a handful come to mind: Django Reinhardt, Charlie Christian, Wes Montgomery, Freddie Green (only in terms of longevity, not originality), and Grant Green. George Benson’s roots were in straight-ahead but he eventually sold out to the tasteless modern aesthetic of smooth jazz. And then there was Charlie Byrd. In terms of legends, that’s really it!

In a century when guitar became the most widely heard and played instrument in the world, namely in non-jazz settings, jazz guitarists’ dedication to their trade is admirable since they represent a handful of instrumentalists that dared to delve head-on into the jazz idiom. If you think about it, the aforementioned can only truly be called jazz legends, compared to the throngs of saxophonists, trumpeters, pianists, bassists, and drummers out there credited for great contributions to the music’s development.

Germany's Jardis label prides itself on producing the finest in today’s jazz guitar. Following his critically acclaimed Trioing with drummer Bill Goodwin and fellow DC native bassist Paul Langosch (long a collaborator with crooner Tony Bennett), the mostly unknown guitarist Royce Campbell released his second effort for Jardis, A Tribute to Charlie Byrd. Campbell’s professional connection to Byrd originated in 1998, when the two and veteran Gene Bertoncini, another regional name, collaborated for a tribute to another six string master, Joe Pass. When asked to do the tribute album, Campbell thought it fitting that Bertoncini be on the project. Having worked closely with the man who had greatly influenced the introduction and acceptance of the Brazilian bossa nova and samba within the jazz world, Campbell appropriately chose to do mostly bossa nova works by Jobim and songs out of the Duke Ellington songbook: tunes that had been close to Byrd’s heart.

While the session is highly predictable and laid back, the solo work is magnificent and the overall artistry of the musicians is masterful. Filling out the quartet is a “who’s who” of DC’s thriving jazz scene. Drummer and vibraphonist Chuck Redd (also of the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra) displays tasteful stick and brushwork, very reminiscent of the Charlie Byrd “feel” – not surprising since Redd had been Byrd’s own drummer for 19 years. And finally, one of DC’s living jazz legends, Keter Betts fills in on bass. You might recognize Betts’ name from several years as bassist for both Byrd and “First Lady of Song” Ella Fitzgerald. Highly recommended. ~Matt Merewitz

A Tribute To Charlie Byrd mc
A Tribute To Charlie Byrd zippy

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Charlie Byrd Trio - Isn't It Romantic

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:31
Size: 106.5 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz
Year: 1984/1992
Art: Front

[3:30] 1. Isn't It Romantic
[3:02] 2. I Could Write A Book
[4:29] 3. Cheek To Cheek
[3:23] 4. The Very Thought Of You
[2:49] 5. Thou Swell
[4:05] 6. I Guess I'll Have To Change My Plan
[4:01] 7. He Loves And She Loves
[3:45] 8. Last Night When We Were Young
[3:03] 9. One Morning In May
[3:51] 10. I Didn't Know What Time It Was
[3:02] 11. There's A Small Hotel
[3:48] 12. Someone To Watch Over Me
[3:38] 13. I Thought About You

Bass – Joe Byrd; Drums – Chuck Redd; Guitar – Charlie Byrd.

On this enjoyable set, Charlie Byrd's trio performs five classics by Rodgers & Hart and numbers by Ray Noble, Irving Berlin, Hoagy Carmichael, George Gershwin, and Jimmy Van Heusen. All of the songs are quite familiar, but Byrd (along with his brother Joe on bass and drummer Chuck Riggs) makes such potential warhorses as "Cheek to Cheek," "Thou Swell," and "I Thought About You" sound fresh and alive. Byrd's solo guitar interpretation of "Someone to Watch Over Me" is a highlight. ~Scott Yanow

Isn't It Romantic mc
Isn't It Romantic zippy

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