Showing posts with label Dick Sisto. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dick Sisto. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 18, 2022

Dick Sisto, Fred Hersch - Duo Live

Styles: Vibraphone And Piano Jazz
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:31
Size: 130,3 MB
Art: Front

(6:51)  1. Theme for Ernie
(6:18)  2. Francisca
(7:38)  3. I Think of You
(3:18)  4. The Chase
(5:09)  5. Maurice
(7:18)  6. Only Trust Your Heart
(6:56)  7. Infant Eyes
(6:47)  8. Evidence
(6:13)  9. Blue Monk

While vibist Dick Sisto has been compared to both Gary Burton and Milt Jackson, his own lyrical style manages to synthesize both without ever succumbing to imitation. Sisto began playing vibes in grade school and continued studying through college, eventually playing in groups that included future luminaries Maurice White and David Sanborn. After relocating to California in the early '70s, Sisto became involved in a number of projects, both within and outside of traditional jazz contexts, from backing Swami Kriyananda and poet Gary Snyder to participating in Thomas Buckner's Ghost Opera Company. Eventually establishing a base in the Midwest, Sisto added teaching to his resumé with a three-year stint at the Univeristy of Kentuky, followed by numerous clinics and educational concerts. All of this has coincided with international touring and recordings with, among others, Fred Hersch, Kenny Werner, and Barry Ries. ~ Wade Kergan https://www.allmusic.com/artist/dick-sisto-mn0000215042

Personnel:  Dick Sisto - vibraphone;  Fred Hersch - piano

Duo Live

Monday, January 17, 2022

Dick Sisto, Fred Hersch - American Love Song

Styles: Vibraphone Jazz
Year: 1995
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:21
Size: 153,0 MB
Art: Front

(5:04)  1. Falling in Love with Love
(5:13)  2. Everytime We Say Goodbye
(7:53)  3. My One and Only Love
(5:34)  4. Doxy
(5:30)  5. Little Dancer
(4:35)  6. Moments Notice
(6:11)  7. Beautiful Love
(8:00)  8. Monks Dream
(4:54)  9. Summer's Gone
(6:17) 10. If I Should Lose You
(7:05) 11. Some Other Time

Vibraphonist Dick Sisto has spent much of his adult life away from the recognized jazz centers, but his swinging approach with the Fred Hersch Trio belies this fact. This private issue covers great standards by classic songwriters, including "Falling In Love With Love" and "Beautiful Love." Sisto also successfully explores jazz compositions by John Coltrane ("Moment's Notice"), Tom Harrell ("Little Dancer"), and Sonny Rollins ("Doxy"). His soft ballad "Summer's Gone" fits right in with this enjoyable outting. ~ Ken Dryden https://www.allmusic.com/album/american-love-song-mw0000925464

Personnel: Vibraphone – Dick Sisto; Bass – Drew Gress; Drums – Tom Rainey; Piano – Fred Hersch

American Love Song

Sunday, May 5, 2019

Dick Sisto, Kenny Werner - Engaging Compassion: A Musical Meditation

Styles: Vibraphone And Piano 
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:39
Size: 96,8 MB
Art: Front

(5:55)  1. Save Tibet
(5:30)  2. Compensation
(4:50)  3. Endless
(6:17)  4. Shivaya
(5:11)  5. What We Have
(9:19)  6. Guru
(4:34)  7. Remembering the Rain

Dick Sisto has embraced Tibetan Buddhism as part of his life’s spiritual journey for more than four decades, and so was a natural to essentially be the Dalai Lama’s opening act when His Holiness appeared at the KFC Yum! Center on May 19.The Dalai Lama’s talk was also titled “Engaging Compassion,” and the jazz that vibraphonist Sisto and pianist Kenny Werner recorded that day reflects a sense of empathy, joy and hope. A wistful quality seeps into a few songs, but “Engaging Compassion” doesn’t dwell on what’s been lost but on, as one song is titled, “What We Have. Sisto, who has graced clubs and concert stages in Louisville for many years, trades songs with Werner, and the duo’s chemistry is palpable. 

Sisto brings out a talking drum for brief appearances, giving some songs an exotic flourish, but the record is largely a straight-ahead conversation between two old friends with a mutual interest in beautiful music and a better world. Proceeds from sales of “Engaging Compassion” will benefit Louisville’s Drepung Gomang Institute Tibetan Buddhist Center and Tibetan Refuge. ~  Jeffrey Lee Puckett, The Courier-Journal https://www.courier-journal.com/story/entertainment/music/2013/09/25/album-review-dick-sisto-and-kenny-werner-engaging-compassion-a-musical-meditation/2867727/

Engaging Compassion: A Musical Meditation

Thursday, April 25, 2019

Dick Sisto - Spirit of Life

Styles: Vibraphone Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:28
Size: 144,6 MB
Art: Front

(5:04)  1. Angelica
(3:53)  2. Heavan
(4:04)  3. Rain Check
(5:12)  4. Lotus Blossom
(3:38)  5. Don't You Know I Care
(3:58)  6. Ninety-Nine Per Cent
(8:04)  7. Wise One
(5:55)  8. Dear Lord
(6:10)  9. After the Rain
(4:47) 10. Equinox
(6:37) 11. Acknowledgment
(5:00) 12. Resolution

Dick began studying the vibes in Grammar school with marimba master Jose Bethancourt of the Chicago Symphony. He attended Notre Dame H.S., which also produced pianists Jim McNeely, Al Pheeney and trombonist James Pankow. While there he was awarded "best soloist" at the state competition. He attended North Texas State Univ. for one year and took a quartet to the Collegiate Jazz Festival where he was judged, "an excellent player" by Julian "Cannonball" Adderley.( see Press Clips ) The following year he attended Northwestern Univ. playing in the lab band as a soloist along side David Sanborn. He left Northwestern to form The Quartet Four with drummer Maurice White, who later founded Earth, Wind and Fire. After moving to northern California in the 70's Sisto recorded with guitarist Jerry Hahn, drummer George Marsh, saxophonist Rich Fudoli, and pianist composer Bill 'Allaudin' Mathieu on Tom Buckner's ground breaking album entitled Ghost Opera. He receieved a California Arts Council Grant, composing and performing music for the poetry of Gary Snyder and Lawrence Ferlinghetti. He relocated to Louisville Kentucky and played clubs and festivals throughout the midwest including The Jazz Showcase and the Green Mill in Chicago as well as The Jazz Kitchen In Indianapolis and the Blue Wisp in Cincinnatti . He has toured Great Britain five times, where he played prominent venues including the Pizza Express in London, where he received rave reviews. A few of the musicians he performed at Jazz Festivals with are Milt Hinton, David "Fathead' Newman, Willie Pickens, Ira Sullivan, Fred Hersch and Barry Ries. As music director of the famous Seelbach Hotel (as seen in films The Hustler and The Insider), Sisto's trio worked with numerous players including Joe Morello, Joe and Pat Labarbera, Kevin Mahagony. 

Bobby Shew, Fred Hersch, Drew Gress, Barry Ries, Bob Shephard, David Hazeltine, Rufus Reid, Bobby Broom, Dave Samuels, Rich Perry, Andy LaVerne, Walt Weiskoff and many others including gigs with guitarists Larry Koonse in LA and Ben Monder in NYC. Sisto has given clinics and master classes throughout the U.S. including the Univ. of N. Texas, Queens College in N.Y. and at Leigh Howard Stephen's World Vibe Congress in Asbury Pk. New Jersey. He is the author of the popular Jazz Vibraphone Book, which is used as a text in many schools and has been the Vibraphone teacher at the Jamey Aebersold Summer Jazz Workshops for many years. He is a Musser vibraphone artist and has two Signature mallet models with Mike Balter Mallets. As the host of two long-running Public Radio shows for the Louisville Public Media NPR affiliate station, Sisto has interviewed and performed with Phil Woods, Toots Thielmans, Fred Hersch, Kenny Werner , Don Braden, Barry Ries, Rufus Reid, Bob Bodley and many of the others mentioned in other contexts. He has recorded four CD's with Fred Hersch, Drew Gress, Tom Rainey, Kenny Werner, Barry Ries, Bobby Broom, Dennis Irwin, Jim Anderson and Mike Hyman. All the releases received heavy national airplay and were "charted". After releasing American Love Song he was signed with Atlantic Records just before their demise. Sisto appears as a sideman on several albums including Mark Colby's tribute to Stan Getz. The original music on the CD Soul Searching was used as the sound track for the DVD documentary of the same name about the life of the monk, writer Thomas Merton, whom Sisto knew in the 60's. The DVD has been aired several times on PBS. His wife Penny is the internationally acclaimed fabric artist and son Jeremy is the accomplished actor of stage and screen. http://www.dicksisto.com/bio.asp

Spirit of Life

Thursday, April 18, 2019

Dick Sisto - Earth Tones

Styles: Vibraphone Jazz 
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:09
Size: 116,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:15)  1. For the Little Ones
(6:22)  2. Zebra Dreams
(4:37)  3. Blue Planet
(5:44)  4. Conversation with Bill
(7:38)  5. No Time Like Now
(5:01)  6. Only Child
(6:08)  7. Retroactive
(5:04)  8. Silver Cloud
(5:17)  9. Free Bird

While Earth Tones is the first album credited to the Dick Sisto/Steve Allee Quartet, it's not this foursome's first rodeo. This group has been at it as a working band for quite a while now, and it previously released Spirit of Life (Jazzen, 2013)a date under Sisto's name that concentrates on the work of John Coltrane, Duke Ellington, and Billy Strayhorn. This follow-up focuses on originals, as all but one of the nine tracks come from Sisto or Allee, and it's a friendly date that lives up to its title's promise by focusing on warm and rich colors in a variety of settings. Everything here falls under the straight-ahead category, but not everything falls into the same stylistic bag. There are relaxed swingers, balladic sounds, cheery escapades, Latin-to-swing vehicles, and more. Sisto's vibraphone and Allee's piano serve as the primary voices throughout, but the cooperative nature of this combo is evident in the interactions of the quartet and in the way solo space is doled out. The conversation is never forced and everybody gets to shine. This album sets sail with some lyricism and cool-blooded swing in the form of Sisto's "For The Little Ones," and it docks with his angular, bop-influenced "Free Bird." There's no shortage of inspired sounds in those tracks and in the journey that takes place in between them. This quartet courts the sounds of Brazil on Allee's "Zebra Dreams," shifts rhythmic gears on Sisto's "No Time Like Now," and downshifts Bill Evans' "Only Child" into a dreamier-than-normal realm. All the while these four manage to stress a collective belief in the art of direct communication. Those looking for high-level soloing will find it bassist Jeremy Allen's stand on "Retroactive," drummer Jason Tiemann's trading on "Silver Cloud," any number of strong showings from the co-leaders but individual heroics are only part of the package. The songs and the frank approach with which they're presented are just as important as any solo statements on the easy-to-enjoy Earth Tones. ~ Dan Bilawsky https://www.allaboutjazz.com/earth-tones-dick-sisto-self-produced-review-by-dan-bilawsky.php

Personnel: Dick Sisto: vibraphone; Steve Allee: piano; Jeremy Allen: acoustic bass; Jason Tiemann: drums.

Earth Tones

Friday, April 12, 2019

Dick Sisto - End of Time

Styles: Vibraphone Jazz
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:58
Size: 124,8 MB
Art: Front

( 8:08)  1. End of Time
( 5:52)  2. Rhythm Thing
( 6:33)  3. You Must Believe in Spring
( 7:57)  4. Two Five City
(10:25)  5. Nature Boy
( 6:00)  6. Nobody Else but Me
( 5:42)  7. Insider
( 3:18)  8. Back to Nature

Vibraphonist Dick Sisto's follow up to his earlier independently produced CD, American Love Song, is worth seeking. He's backed by a strong rhythm section, including pianist Kenny Werner, bassist Drew Gress, and either Steve Davis or Barry Ries on drums. His "End of Time" was written for the funeral of a good friend, but there's nothing maudlin about the tune; it is a driving yet reflective number. "Rhythm Thing" is another fine original by the leader, an uptempo bop chart that features Barry Ries on flügelhorn; Sisto also composed "Two Five City," a strutting hard bop vehicle. 

His interpretations of standards are also inspired. "You Must Believe in Spring" is played with a samba feeling, "Nature Boy" has a more exotic air than usual due to Sisto's use of a talking drum in addition to vibes. Ries also plays talking drum on several selections, including his composition "Insider," which has a captivating theme that is hard to predict. The closer, "Back to Nature," is a group improvisation by Sisto, Werner, and Ries that moves easily into free jazz. ~ Ken Dryden https://www.allmusic.com/album/end-of-time-mw0000006131

Personnel:  Dick Sisto - Vibraphone; Barry Ries - Trumpet/Flugelhorn; Kenny Werner - Piano; Drew Gress - Bass; Steve Davis - Drums

End of Time

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Dick Sisto - Soul Searching

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:44
Size: 125.3 MB
Styles: Vibraphone jazz
Year: 2007
Art: Front

[4:29] 1. Boppy
[5:10] 2. Like A Mist
[6:22] 3. Earth Lament
[4:21] 4. 12 Steps
[1:53] 5. The Path
[6:57] 6. La Mesha
[4:48] 7. Love Grows Deep
[3:19] 8. Summer Of Love
[6:38] 9. Work
[3:40] 10. Protest Four Freedom
[2:45] 11. Chance
[4:18] 12. New Water

Dick Sisto - Vibraphone; Bobby Broom - Guitar on Trks. 1,2,3,4,6,7,9; Barry Ries - Trumpet on Trks. 5,8,10,12; Dennis Irwin - Bass on Trks. 1,2,3,4,6,7,9,11; Jim Anderson - Bass on Trks. 8,10,12; Mike Hyman - Drums on Trks. 1,2,3,4,6,7,8,9,10,12.

"Soul Searching" is an extremely well conceived and performed CD, marked by an interesting set of compositions that merit close attention. It is an excellent showcase for Sisto's sensitivity and harmonic awareness. Solos are flawlessly paced, and delivered without a hint of waste. A spirited and remarkably inventive unit." ~Dick La Palm (The Jazz Lobbyist)

Soul Searching