Brian Lynch - Madera Latino: A Latin Jazz Perspective on the Music of Woody Shaw

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 109:28
Size: 251,3 MB
Art: Front

(10:25)  1. Zoltan
( 7:32)  2. Sweet Love of Mine
(11:17)  3. Time Is Right
( 8:28)  4. Just a Ballad for Woody
( 8:34)  5. In a Capricornian Way
( 9:08)  6. Blues for Woody and Khalid
( 9:06)  7. Tomorrow's Destiny
( 9:57)  8. Joshua C.
( 8:28)  9. On the New Ark
(11:11) 10. Song of Songs
(15:18) 11. Madera Latino Suite

The asymmetric rhythms belonging to the Afro-Cuban tradition substantiate this extraordinary double CD by Brian Lynch , who with Woody Shaw shares the sad destiny of being a great musician, but not very exposed to the light of the big stages. With the missing trumpet player, Lynch also shares a love for an all-round expressive dimension, capable of incorporating both a lyrical and nocturnal dimension, and a more energetic figure. The work in question is emblematic in this sense, which incorporates the polyrhythmic trend of Afro-Cuban percussion with the more canonical symmetric times of jazz. The result is a gripping work where everything works wonders and once again confirms the whole class of the leader. As a common denominator, Lynch's rare ability to infuse with his mobile solism what seems to be the essence of jazz: communicative, pathos, ability to transmit deep emotions contained in the unrepeatable and unique moment of jazz improvisation. His big band fully captures and manages to return all the expressive figure of Shaw, as oblique and irregular as lyric and peaceful. His compositions are here revisited with admirable intelligence and originality to give rise to a project of stringent consistency and rigor. An unmissable album that adequatamante pays homage to the masterful artistic figure of a complete and ductile musician, who made the most important business cards of refined refinement and technique. ~ Maurizio Zerbo https://www.allaboutjazz.com/a-latin-jazz-perspective-on-music-of-woody-shaw-bryan-lynch-hollistic-musicworks-review-by-maurizio-zerbo.php

Personnel: Brian Lynch, Sean Jones, Dave Douglas, Diego Urcola, Etienne Charles, Mike Rodriguez, Josh Evans, Philip Dizack, Bryan Davis: trumpet; Zaccai Curtis: piano; Luques Curtis: double bass; Obed Calvaire: battery; Pedrito Martinez, Little Johnny Rivero, Anthony Carrillo: percussion.

Madera Latino: A Latin Jazz Perspective on the Music of Woody Shaw

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Caribbean Jazz Project - Here And Now: Live In Concert (Disc 1) And (Disc 2)

Mallet man Dave Samuels' career has ranged from the experimental, ECM-ish vibe of his '70s Double Image group to an artistically questionable association with the commercially viable smooth jazz group Spyro Gyra. And while those who knew just how much Samuels was capable of were more than a little surprised to see him maintain a long-term relationship with such a lightweight group, he managed to remain credible, always being critically singled out, even as Spyro Gyra itself was often dismissed. But, while Samuels' years with Spyro Gyra might have confused his fans, as did a string of equally lightweight solo albums for MCA and GRP, he did succeed in attaining greater visibility than he would have, had he continued with his bolder work of the '70s and '80s. And so, when he formed the Caribbean Jazz Project in '01 with the debut release Paraiso, Samuels appeared to have, in embracing Afro-Cuban music, found the perfect middle ground: accessible enough to appeal to larger audiences, but adventurous enough, in its own way, to help re-establish some credibility with the cognoscenti. Fans of more oblique idioms may still find the Caribbean Jazz Project too lightweight, but the fact is that amongst the captivating rhythms and engaging melodies, there's more than meets the eye.

And while the three previous studio efforts have had charms to recommend, the new double live set, Here and Now - Live in Concert, may be the best of the bunch. Back from '02's The Gathering and '03's Birds of a Feather are pianist Dario Eskenazi and percussionist Roberto Quintero, who, along with Samuels, are beginning to forge a group identity that the more guest-laden studio releases lacked. Rounding out the sextet are percussionist Mark Walker, known for his work with the genre-busting Oregon, but proving to be a highly capable Latin drummer as well; bassist Oscar Stagnaro, who combines unerring groove with fleet-fingered virtuosity; and the outstanding Argentinean ex-pat trumpeter Diego Urcola. And while the playing is universally top notch, it's Urcola who stands out, no surprise to anyone who has heard his remarkable '03 release, Soundances, which blended newfound urban roots in New York City with his folkloric background. It is, in fact, the way that Samuels manages to blend his Afro-Cuban concerns with other styles that makes Caribbean Project so distinctive. While Samuels' own compositions range from the aptly titled 5/4 tribute "Five for Elvin to the more overt cha-cha of "Arthur's Dance, it's his clever arrangements of Oliver Nelson's "Stolen Moments, Coltrane's "Naima, and Monk's "Bemsha Swing that really show the height of his invention, making them fit seamlessly within the overall groove-centricity. And with the excitement of live performance making every track sparkle, Here and Now perfectly combines adventure with accessibility. It's hard not to like. It looks as though Samuels has finally found the perfect middle ground between reaching a wider audience and maintaining greater artistic integrity. ~ John Kelman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/here-and-now-live-in-concert-dave-samuels-concord-picante-review-by-john-kelman.php

Personnel: Dave Samuels (vibes, marimba), Diego Urcola (trumpet, flugelhorn), Dari Eskenazi (piano), Oscar Stagnaro (bass), Mark Walker (drums), Roberto Quintero (congas, percussion).

Album: Here And Now: Live In Concert (Disc 1)

Styles: Latin Jazz
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:51
Size: 145,9 MB
Art: Front

( 6:55)  1. Rendevouz
( 9:45)  2. Stolen Moments
(10:16)  3. Turnabout
( 8:03)  4. Arthur's Dance
( 8:29)  5. The Gathering
( 9:13)  6. Picture Frame
(10:07)  7. Bemsha Swing

Here And Now: Live In Concert (Disc 1)
Album: Here And Now: Live In Concert (Disc 2)

Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:47
Size: 161,7 MB

(11:18)  1. One Step Ahead
( 7:35)  2. Mariella's Dream
(10:49)  3. On The Road
( 6:26)  4. Five For Elvin
( 9:51)  5. Naima
( 9:52)  6. Night In Tunisia
(13:53)  7. Caravan (bonus track)

Here And Now: Live In Concert (Disc 2)

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Edward Simon, Scott Colley, Clarence Penn - A Master's Diary

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:15
Size: 120,0 MB
Art: Front

(6:02)  1. Eugenia's Theme
(7:36)  2. Passeggiata nel Parco
(5:53)  3. In Cerca di Cibo
(3:09)  4. Nel Parco
(3:36)  5. Diario di un Maestro
(5:23)  6. Valzer Lento
(6:20)  7. Eugenia's Theme
(6:34)  8. Passeggiata nel Parco (Reprise)
(3:41)  9. Diario di un Maestro
(3:56) 10. In Cerca di Cibo

Creative jazz pianist, composer, and bandleader Edward Simon was born in Punta, Cardón, Venezuela in 1969, first traveling to the United States in 1981 at 12 years of age and attending the Performing Arts School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After graduating at age 15, he studied classical piano and music performance under a scholarship at Philadelphia’s University of the Arts, then moved on to the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied jazz piano and music performance. By 1988 he was performing and recording professionally; Simon made his first recorded appearance on the 1988 Greg Osby album Mind Games, and the following year he joined saxophonist Bobby Watson's Horizon ensemble, remaining with the band until 1994 and appearing on such Watson albums as The Inventor (1990), Present Tense (1992), and Midwest Shuffle (1994). 

Upon departing Watson's group, Simon became a member of trumpeter Terence Blanchard's band between 1994 and 2002; the pianist can be heard on a number of Blanchard albums, including Romantic Defiance and the score to the Spike Lee-directed movie Clockers (both 1995), The Heart Speaks (1996), the score to the Kasi Lemmons film Eve's Bayou (1997), and Let's Get Lost (2001). During these years, Simon also appeared on recordings by the likes of guitarist Kevin Eubanks, alto saxophonist Dave Binney, flutist Herbie Mann, and tenor saxophonist Mark Turner. Simon's debut as a leader arrived in 1994 with Beauty Within on the Audioquest label; the album also introduced listeners to the Edward Simon Group, a trio featuring the pianist accompanied by electric bassist Anthony Jackson and drummer Horacio "El Negro" Hernández. The following year found Simon recording and releasing an eponymous sophomore album with a new trio featuring bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Adam Cruz, along with occasional support from Turner on tenor saxophone and Milton Cardona on percussion. Simon expanded his ensemble beyond the post-bop piano trio format for 1998's La Bikina, including both Turner and Binney on saxophones and Diego Urcola on trumpet in addition to drummer/percussionist Cruz, bassist Ben Street, percussionist Pernel Saturnino, and Cardona contributing vocals. 

However, the ensuing years would see Simon continue to explore the possibilities of the piano-bass-drums trio with a series of recordings including 2003's The Process (with bassist John Patitucci and drummer Eric Harland); 2004's Simplicitas (with bassist Avishai Cohen and drummer Adam Cruz); and 2006's Unicity, 2009's Poesía, and 2013's Trio Live in New York at Jazz Standard (all with Patitucci and drummer Brian Blade). Meanwhile, Simon and Binney co-founded the collaborative creative jazz quartet Afinidad in 2000; the band (with bassist Scott Colley and drummer Brian Blade) released an eponymous debut in 2001 and Océanos in 2007. In 2003 Simon founded Ensemble Venezuela, an ambitious project melding creative jazz with the traditional musics of his home country, and in 2005 he received a Chamber Music America commission to compose Venezuelan Suite for the ensemble. Simon assembled ten musicians (including saxophonist Turner and drummer Cruz) from the United States, Venezuela, and Colombia to record the suite at Brooklyn's Systems Two studio in 2012; the album Venezuelan Suite was released by the Sunnyside label in January 2014. Simon is also a member of the SF Jazz Collective. ~ Dave Lynch https://itunes.apple.com/ph/artist/edward-simon/id7370451#fullText

Personnel: Edward Simon ( Piano );  Clarence Penn ( Drums );  Diego Urcola ( Trumpet, Flugelhorn );  Scott Colley ( Bass )

A Master's Diary

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Diego Urcola - Viva

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:04
Size: 158,5 MB
Art: Front

(6:51)  1. Tango Azul
(7:32)  2. Viva
(5:40)  3. Afroraffo
(8:11)  4. El Camino
(7:06)  5. Blues For Jimmy
(6:42)  6. 40/40
(6:55)  7. Sound for Sore Ears
(7:39)  8. Adios nonino
(7:35)  9. Gringo dance
(4:49) 10. Emilia

American jazz fans sometimes neglect talented instrumentalists from other countries, and with Viva, trumpeter Diego Urcola reminds us that there are other Argentine horn players besides Gato Barbieri.

Born in Buenos Aires, Diego Urcola began studying music at age nine, eventually earning degrees from Argentina's Conservatorio Nacional de Música, Berklee College of Music, and the City University of New York. His big break came when legendary Latin jazz maestro Paquito D'Rivera needed a replacement for trumpeter Claudio Roditi. A faculty member at Berklee recommended Urcola, who has now been with D'Rivera for fifteen years. Urcola has also performed with numerous other luminaries. Recorded in November 2005, Viva is Urcola's third album as a leader, and he refers to the lineup on this session as his "dream band." His sidemen are well-established players and bandleaders in their own right, particularly pianist Edward Simon and bassist Avishai Cohen. Several big names appear as guests, notably Jimmy Heath, Urcola's academic advisor while he was working on his Master's Degree at CUNY. D'Rivera plays alto sax and clarinet on three tracks. Urcola makes no bones about his indebtedness to this mentor, asserting "I wouldn't be here if it weren't for Paquito."

Another longtime friend on this session is Conrad Herwig, a former band mate in the United Nations Orchestra. Calling him a "trombone god," Urcola recounts that while in Argentina with D'Rivera, Herwig met a woman whom he subsequently married. Now fluent in Spanish, Herwig has become "half Argentinian," declares Urcola. Vibraphonist Dave Samuels, who has worked with Urcola in the Caribbean Jazz Project, appears on two tracks. Samuels points out that while they "all knew each other and some ... had already played together, this particular combination was new, different and fresh." The result is a relaxed atmosphere that nonetheless has a comfortably charged energy familiar without being rote, experimental yet assured. Like Barbieri, Urcola integrates the loping, slightly asymmetrical rhythms of the tango into the jazz idiom. 

All but one of the album's ten cuts (including three by Urcola) were written by Argentine composers: Guillermo Klein, Juan Raffo and Astor Piazzolla. A Latinized version of Heath's "Sound for Sore Ears" partakes in this overall spirit. "I like to bring ... my country into the mix," says Urcola, patriotic while never parochial, "but foremost I'm a jazz musician." The album opens with Urcola's "Tango Azul." An opening bass vamp with a pleasant 7/4 hiccup leads into a modal vehicle that evokes Kind of Blue. 

Appropriately, the tune's highlight is a solo by Herwig, known for exploring Miles' Latin side. Another subtle rhythmic experiment is Raffo's "Gringo Dance," a tricky 3/4 piece "with all kinds of different bars added in," according to Urcola. "Blues for Jimmy" features Heath's urbane tenor, and D'Rivera provides two delightful reacquaintances with the clarinet on "40/40" and "Emilia." Reflective ballads like "El Camino" and "Adios Nonino" nicely balance the up-tempo cuts on this well-produced, interestingly eclectic offering. ~ Victor Verney  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/viva-diego-urcola-cam-jazz-review-by-victor-verney.php

Personnel: Diego Urcola: trumpet, flugelhorn; Edward Simon: piano; Avishai Cohen: bass; Antonio Sanchez: drums; Pernell Saturnino: percussion; Jimmy Heath: tenor saxophone (5,7); Paquito D'Rivera: alto saxophone, clarinet (3,6,10); Conrad Herwig: trombone (1,4,5,9); Dave Samuels: marimba, vibes (3,8).

Viva

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Diego Urcola Quartet - Appreciation

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 53:59
Size: 123.6 MB
Styles: Trumpet jazz
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[5:29] 1. The Natural (To Freddie Hubbard)
[5:42] 2. El Brujo (To Hermeto Pascoal)
[4:58] 3. Milonga Para Paquito (To Paquito D'rivera)
[4:56] 4. Super Mario Forever (To Mario Rivera)
[7:17] 5. Guachos (To Guillermo Klein & Los Gauchos)
[7:35] 6. Deep (To Astor Piazzolla & Miles Davis)
[4:55] 7. Senhor Wayne (To Wayne Shorter)
[4:31] 8. Woody 'n Diz (To Woody Shaw & Dizzy Gillespie)
[8:32] 9. Camila (To John Coltrane)

Trumpeter Diego Urcola's is a voice that has remained somewhat hidden—certainly tucked away—for two decades in Paquito D'Rivera's quintet. And then there is the subdued role he has played in Guillermo Klein's fabulous larger ensemble, Los Guachos. However, the graceful candor of his voice is irrepressible, and it was only a matter of time before he would be heard for what he really is and plays. Urcola is distinct and a singular artist in the manner of his more famous countryman, Gato Barbieri, playing with sensuous swagger and digging deep into his own soul for even the slightest note. This mortal risk-taking is something for which Barbieri is well-known, and with his own immaculate sense of grace, absolutely bereft of inhibition Urcola begs favorable comparisons with the much older tenor saxophonist.

The trumpet resides in a cluttered world and not even its softer relative, the flugelhorn, can serve to set horn men who favor this burnished brass instrument apart from the pack that always seems to advance like the frontline of an ancient army. Still, someone like Charles Mingus was able to pick Thad Jones, and more significantly, the mysterious, Clarence Shaw from out of the clutter. Jones, he called "Bartok with valves," and Shaw's language and phrasing left him breathless. Then there is Wallace Roney, and Arturo Sandoval. To these, the name of Diego Urcola must be added; to understand why, it pays to peruse Urcola's Appreciation. ~Raul D'Gama Rose

Appreciation

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