Pamela Hines - Moon Germs

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:30
Size: 146,3 MB
Art: Front

(6:10) 1. Let's Fall In Love
(6:47) 2. Itchy
(6:17) 3. Fools Rush In
(5:03) 4. Moon Germs
(7:45) 5. Lavender
(4:40) 6. Complications
(5:16) 7. Variations on Invitation
(6:08) 8. Show Type Tune
(2:59) 9. Zonegar
(5:55) 10. Christopher Street
(6:24) 11. Variations on Invitations (Alternate Version)

Recording the real first varied-style, high energy album of her career, pianist Pamela Hines unveils Moon Germs, titled after the Joe Farrell composition, with longtime band mates, bassist John Lockwood and drummer Bob Gullotti, on an eclectic blend of driving rhythms and freer interpretations of modern jazz. With this album, Hines attempts a different approach and a new twist to some familiar music. She wastes no time accepting the challenge, proceeding to play the opening "Let's Fall In Love" as an up-tempo piece in 5/4 time.

"Itchy" is the first of two pieces featuring trumpeter Darren Barrett and tenor saxophonist Greg Dudziensky as special guests, with an intricate melody that weaves between modern and a New Orleans groove. Hines' ballad "Lavender," is the only other quintet number, offering a warm melody and structure. Johnny Mercer's classic, "Fools Rush In," is the first tune taking the trio into cushy ballad territory, incorporating a series of sensitive piano lines behind Gullotti's delicate brush work.

Originally a funk-oriented blues, the title track is revamped and rearranged, leaving no trace of its funk origin and developing a more modern jazz texture, showcasing Gullotti 's rumbling drum solo. Speaking of revamping original compositions, the 1944 Bronislau Kaper jazz standard, "Invitation," is hardly recognizable in two versions called "Variations On Invitation," as Hines and crew recast the piece as a free jazz number, the album closer providing an alternate take.

Referred to as a trio in the Bill Evans tradition, Hines' group grinds out the piano legend's original, "Show Type Tune," in spectacularly high energy, bop-ish fashion, worthy of comparison. The brief "Zonegar" pays tribute to master saxophonist George Garzone, a founding member of the 1972 The Fringe trio, which also included Hines' band mates Lockwood and Gullotti.

An unconventional reading of modern jazz, Hines ventures into new and exciting territory, presenting a unique approach to a select number of jazz standards to accompany the vibrant originals included on Moon Germs a truly entertaining, accessible and challenging piece of work. By Edward Blanco
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/moon-germs-pamela-hines-self-produced-review-by-edward-blanco

Personnel: Pamela Hines: piano; John Lockwood: bass, Bob Gullotti: drums; Greg Dudziensky: tenor saxophone ( 2, 5 ); Darren Barrett: trumpet ( 2, 5 ).

Moon Germs

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Jimmy Greene - Brand New World

Styles: Saxophone And Flute Jazz 
Year: 1999
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:15
Size: 143,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:01)  1. Humpty Dumpty
(6:13)  2. Brand New World
(6:54)  3. Arise!
(8:29)  4. Renée
(6:39)  5. Mr. McLean
(6:48)  6. Never Let Me Go
(7:29)  7. Godsend
(8:10)  8. Dream, Little Boy, Dream
(7:29)  9. Darn That Dream

You may have caught some late night jazz at Small’s in New York’s Greenwich Village a few years ago and heard tenor saxophonist Jimmy Greene. You wondered who is this guy? Maybe you picked up the Live At Birdland disc last year to check out the new talent. Again Greene was front and center. I first heard rumor of the wonderkin, then was thrilled by him on trumpeter Darren Barrett’s First One Up (J Curve). The pair reminded me of early Wynton and Branford Marsalis band, which of course reminds us of the classic hard bop bands of Miles, Blakey, and Lee Morgan. Also released late last year was the surprisingly fresh Horace Silver disc Jazz Has A Sense Of Humor (Verve) where both Silver and Greene thrilled old time fans of the pianist. Greene, at the ripe age of 24 makes his debut as leader. His background and tutelage under Professor Jackie McLean since age 15 spawns more of that great Jackie Mac sound. In a solid first outing as leader, Greene surrounds himself with graduates of McLean’s bands Eric McPherson (drums) and Steve Davis (trombone) and his musical soulmate Darren Barrett (trumpet). The band opens with Chick Corea’s “Humpty Dumpty,” a burning bop classic, and besides two standards, all the compositions are Greene originals. For a debut, I cannot criticize his choice to follow a bop medium. After all, it was the most revolutionary movement in the short history of the genre. His concession to a “modern” sound was the limited inclusion of an electric Rhodes Synthesizer on “Arise!,” a throwback to the seventies sound of Freddie Hubbard and Joe Henderson. Greene handles a flute and Soprano saxophone with deft touch. I am anxious to follow this young and promising career. ~ Mark Corroto https://www.allaboutjazz.com/brand-new-world-jimmy-greene-rca-victor-review-by-mark-corroto.php

Personnel:  Tenor Saxophone, Flute, Soprano Saxophone – Jimmy Greene; Drums – Eric McPherson; Electric Bass, Acoustic Bass – Dwayne Burno; Percussion – Kahlil Kwame Bell; Piano, Synthesizer – Aaron Goldberg ; Trombone – Steve Davis ; Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Darren Barrett

Brand New World

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Darren Barrett - The Attack of Wren - Wrenaissance, Vol. 1

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:29
Size: 153,5 MB
Art: Front

(5:18)  1. Wren's Theme #1
(4:36)  2. Until I See You
(5:02)  3. Come on Let's Go
(6:33)  4. Time Alone with You
(5:28)  5. Portland & Hanover Vibration
(4:40)  6. The Way I Like to Do It
(6:13)  7. Drop It Don't Stop It
(5:50)  8. Forever with You
(5:46)  9. Ina It
(6:24) 10. Stay Focused
(5:14) 11. On This Special Day
(5:19) 12. Wren Plus Mywren

For anyone who listened to Darren Barrett's first two albums, Attack of Wren will come as a surprise, if not a shock. This isn't a bad thing. Barrett cut both First One Up and Deelings in the hard bop/post-bop mode, sometimes resembling the old Blue Note sound. On Attack of Wren, he abruptly switches directions, embracing a contemporary sound with an experimental edge. Citing Donald Byrd as his mentor, Barrett wanted to combine new technology  like an electronic valve instrument with studio techniques -- and play most of the instruments himself. The opener, "Wren's Theme #1," gives a sample of what one can expect on the remainder of the album. There's a thick rhythm section with an extra-heavy bass part and horns, in unison and solo, laid overtop. A voice calls out "wren" from time to time, adding one more element to this funky and intriguing mix. The "funky" strain runs through several of these songs ("Come on Let's Go," "The Way I Like to Do It,") reminding one of late-'60s to- early-'70s fusion. The horn work, however, by Barrett, tenor Walter Smith, and alto Joseph Omicil, has a more contemporary edge. The odd voice work, occasionally run through a processor or synthesizer, also emphasizes 2004 as opposed to 1974. While Barrett's old fans will probably be taken aback by this adventurous recording, it would be too bad if they passed it by. Attack of Wren shows how much fun a recording can be when an artist kicks back and cuts loose. ~ Ronnie D.Lankford, Jr. https://www.allmusic.com/album/attack-of-wren-wrenaissance-vol-1-mw0000152656

Personnel:  Darren Barrett (trumpet), Walter Smith (saxophone), Myron Walden (alto saxophone), Jospeh Omicil (alto saxophone), Tony Barrett (electric guitar), Wesley Wirth (electric bass), Collin Barrett (electric bass), Jeremiah Landess (electric bass), Darren Barrett (electronics)

The Attack of Wren - Wrenaissance, Vol. 1

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Darren Barrett - Deelings

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:54
Size: 134,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:47)  1. Creative Locomotion
(6:25)  2. Her Gentle Way
(6:45)  3. Eirlav
(4:06)  4. There Will Never Be Anouther You
(9:49)  5. C Minor Joint
(8:32)  6. Middle East
(7:27)  7. I'm Glad There Is You
(6:37)  8. I Sent the Fax
(2:23)  9. Dee's Theme

You don't have to be signed to Blue Note to embrace a Blue Note type of sound. Take Darren Barrett, for example. Deelings, the trumpeter's second album as a leader, was recorded for the Cincinnati-based J Curve label, not Blue Note. But it is impossible to listen to this post-bop/hard bop CD without thinking of the Blue Note sound of the late '50s and '60s. The writing has a strong Jazz Messengers influence, and Barrett's brassy, big-toned trumpet playing recalls such Clifford Brown-influenced Blue Note trumpeters as Freddie Hubbard and Lee Morgan. The strong Blue Note influence isn't all that surprising when you consider that Deelings was produced by Donald Byrd, who also recorded for Blue Note and was, like Hubbard and Morgan, a Jazz Messenger with a Brown-minded sound. Deelings is hardly groundbreaking, but while Barrett isn't the most original player in the world, the "Young Lion" deserves credit for playing as soulfully as he does. Obviously, the recordings of Brown, Hubbard, and Morgan have made him realize that feeling should be as important to an improviser as technique. Barrett also deserves credit for doing most of the writing himself; the only overdone standards that he embraces on this CD are "I'm Glad There Is You" and "There Will Never Be Another You." The latter has been heard countless times as a high-speed barnburner, but Barrett approaches it as a ballad. Deelings isn't a masterpiece, but it's an enjoyable, if derivative, example of how influential the classic Blue Note sound continues to be. 

~ Alex Henderson https://www.allmusic.com/album/deelings-mw0000587156

Personnel: Darren Barrett- trumpet; Jimmy Greene- tenor saxophone; Aaron Goldberg- piano; Reuben Rogers- bass; John Lankin- drums.

Deelings

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Darren Barrett - First One Up

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1999
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:30
Size: 152,0 MB
Art: Front

(5:44)  1. First One Up - Take 1
(5:33)  2. Word! Dr. Byrd
(7:59)  3. Impossible
(5:20)  4. 2 to 4
(6:29)  5. Grand Ravine
(6:45)  6. Up Down - Inside Out
(5:11)  7. Conceta Elfreda
(5:41)  8. A New Day Comes
(7:15)  9. Reflections
(6:45) 10. First One Up - Take 2
(2:42) 11. Dee's Theme

This is the debut recording by trumpeter Darren Barrett who in ’97 won the annual international Jazz competition sponsored by the Thelonious Monk Institute. The man clearly has exceptional chops and enthusiasm to match but he leaves an inescapable impression that what is being said has been recited many times before, often with deeper awareness and broader substance. In other words, purposeful as Barrett and his companions are, there’s nothing notably fresh or absorbing in their repertoire, which consists here of eight original compositions by Barrett (“First One Up” is performed twice) and one each by Steve Allen (“Impossible”) and Thelonious himself (“Reflections”). Barrett sounds much like several of his more recent predecessors (Roy Hargrove, Nicholas Payton, Marcus Printup, Terence Blanchard, Wallace Roney and others) with the obligatory nods toward Freddie Hubbard, Donald Byrd, Lee Morgan and other old line boppers. One of the drawbacks is that Barrett’s compositions, while earnest in their intent, haven’t much meat on their bones and thus serve mainly as routine springboards for improvisation. 

Another is that pianist Goldberg could use a more delicate touch to great advantage (and is that him or his piano making those strange noises while he solos?). Barrett’s front line partners, Greene (on eight tracks) and Garrett (on three), are quite capable but stylistically inseparable from many of their contemporaries. Make no mistake, Barrett shows great promise and gives an exceedingly good account of himself throughout, and First One Up may one day be seen in retrospect as the wellspring of an uncommonly productive career. For now, however, we must observe that “promising” is about as suitable a word as discretion will allow. The more acclamatory phrases may come later. ~ Jack Bowers https://www.allaboutjazz.com/first-one-up-darren-barrett-j-curve-records-review-by-jack-bowers.php

Personnel: Darren Barrett, trumpet; Aaron Goldberg, piano; Jimmy Greene, tenor, soprano sax; Kenny Garrett, alto sax (1, 6, 10); Reuben Rogers, bass; John Lamkin, drums.

First One Up

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Darren Barrett DB Quintet - Live And Direct 2014

Size: 139,6 MB
Time: 60:21
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz
Art: Front

01. True ( 9:01)
02. Announcements 1 ( 1:18)
03. Yes Oh Yes (11:08)
04. The King Is Among Us (12:37)
05. Straight Down The Middle (10:38)
06. Mi Les ( 5:13)
07. Announcements 2 ( 0:51)
08. Creative Locomotion ( 9:32)

Born in Canada to Jamaican parents, Barrett did his undergraduate work at the Berklee School in Boston and went to Queens College for his post-Grad years. He moved on to the Thelonious Monk Institute where he was a member of its first group of graduates - in fact, Mr. Barrett won the 1997 Monk International Jazz Competition. He's gone on to play with the Roy Hargrove Big Band, Herbie Hancock, Esperanza Spalding and many others. He's also issued 6 CDs as a leader, including 2 in 2014, "Energy in Motion: The Music of the Bee Gees" and "Live and Direct 2014" with his dB Band.

The latter recording features the same lineup that will grace The Side Door stage and they are Takeshi Ohbayashi (piano), the brothers Alexander L.J (bass) and Anthony A. Toth (drums - see below) plus the excellent saxophonist Myron Walden.

Live And Direct  

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