Chuck Loeb - Between Two Worlds

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:01
Size: 149,9 MB
Art: Front

(6:48)  1. Let's Go
(5:46)  2. Hiram
(6:43)  3. Mittens
(5:37)  4. Between Two Worlds
(4:22)  5. Oh No You Didn't
(5:19)  6. Let's Play
(4:21)  7. So Tinha De Ser Com Voce
(6:56)  8. The Great Hall
(7:10)  9. Mean Old Man
(5:40) 10. 360
(6:14) 11. Early Turns to Late

As its title suggests, Between 2 Worlds finds guitarist Chuck Loeb's sublimated split personality at last openly revealed. A household name in smooth jazz circles, the former Steps Ahead luminary this time throws the dice with a program heavier on the straight-ahead jazz component that composes the core of his musical upbringing. Does this project mark the dawn of a new beginning, a passage to this other world? Only time will tell. Customarily dressing the table with a set of his glossy, high-sheen wares, the second half of the program finds the agile guitarist delving into some more substantiated, post-bop-type purlieus, not without the same unbridled enthusiasm and passion that characterizes his pop-jazz work. That said, like those that preceded him in such indissoluble mixing of genres (and aesthetics) Lee Ritenour being a rather convenient comparison the final product unfortunately falls flat in the face of artistically more focused covenants. Too much of this, not enough of that, the apanage of the MOR modicum. From the funky, bluesy stroll of the Robben Ford-tinged "Oh No You Didn't" (featuring daughter Lizzy's soulful vocals) things take a radical turn as Dave Weckl's rollicking kit work introduces the supercharged, intervallic theme of "Let's Play."

A brisk minor blues with booming chordal interjections, the piece emphatically celebrates the precise, George Benson/Pat Martino/Mike Stern school of picking. Halting a brief moment for wife-vocalist Carmen Cuesta's grazing Tom Jobim's tranquil "So Tinha De Que Ser Com Voce," Loeb then launches into the open-strings voicings that open "The Great Hall," a luminous waltz recalling John Abercrombie's mid-70's to mid-80's work that most probably got its title after his former teacher, the great Jim Hall. Though the latter composition is rich enough to endure repeated listening, other tracks may, to some, defy the threshold of tolerance namely, "Hiram," a dedication to the late Hiram Bullock, the title track, and the closing sleeper, "Early Turns To Late." A deft technician with years studio experience behind him, Loeb demonstrates with Between 2 Worlds that his straight-ahead fretwork certainly needs to be reckon with, championed even. But, whether learned jazz listeners will buy into such disparate programming remains improbable. ~ Martin Gladu https://www.allaboutjazz.com/between-2-worlds-chuck-loeb-heads-up-international-review-by-martin-gladu.php

Personnel: Chuck Loeb: guitar; Carmen Cuesta: vocals (2, 4, 7); Lizzy Loeb: vocals (5); Eric Marienthal: saxophones, flute; Till Bronner: trumpet (3); Nathan Eklund: trumpet (1), trombone (1); Brian Culbertson: trombone solo (1); Pat Bergeson: harmonica (11); Will Lee: bass (1, 3, 5), fretless bass melody (2); Gerald Veasley: bass (2, 6); Dieter Ilg: bass (8-11); Dave Weckl: drums (1-3, 5-7); Wolfgang Haffner: drums (4, 8-11); Bashiri Johnson: percussion (1-3); David Charles: percussion (5, 7, 10, 11).

Between Two Worlds

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Bob Brookmeyer - Electricity

Styles: Trombone Jazz
Year: 1991
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:47
Size: 160,4 MB
Art: Front

(16:47)  1. Farewell, New York
(10:33)  2. Ugly Music
(11:40)  3. Wihite Blues
( 7:15)  4. Say Ah
(13:14)  5. No Song
(10:15)  6. The Crystal Palace

Electricity is another one of an infrequent series of recordings by Bob Brookmeyer, who used to pop up all over the place throughout the 1950s and 1960s. While he's always been rooted firmly in the mainstream (Gerry Mulligan, the Concert Jazz Band, the Thad Jones / Mel Lewis Orchestra and his own records on Verve), Brookmeyer has also consistently approached creative music in unorthodox ways (his two-piano quartet with Bill Evans, and his trombone jazz samba records). His greatest gifts, though, are his contributions to orchestral jazz. His tonal palette has many more shades than one expects. As a result, his compositions and arrangements often require more than one listen. There's much to appreciate in his music's richness and depth. Even though in his notes to Electricity , Brookmeyer writes, "I think that I'm looking more for meaning and worrying less about coloring the orchestra," he manages to achieve both here. But Electricity , as its title may suggest, is by no means a look backwards. Many of Brookmeyer's six long tunes (ranging from seven to sixteen minutes each) are framed by John Abercrombie's thrashing electric guitar or cushioned by his tasteful guitar synth or other electronic keyboards. This March 1991 recording finds Brookmeyer fronting the excellent WDR Big Band (which also supports Mike Gibbs, Bernard Purdie and Eddie Harris on other recent Act Jazz releases). The German WDR Big Band, like the Dutch Metropole Orchestra, are all that remain of the great jazz orchestras many of which Brookmeyer has successfully contributed to since the early 1950s! 

All of these pieces have a progressive, story-like pattern to them, utilizing Abercrombie as the principal storyteller. "Farewell New York" is a 16-minute dirge that begins with Abercrombie's dissonant guitar-synth wail then progresses into march-like cadenzas to eventually find the guitarist in a more contemplative mood. Its intensity oddly recalls Elton John's "Funeral for A Friend." The album's strongest tracks, "Ugly Music" and "Say Ah" bring to mind those cool, jazzy soundtracks of Italian mystery films from the 1970s (i.e.: Deep Red ). Abercrombie is simply amazing throughout. He can mine the wealth of innovations from Hendrix and Montgomery to Farlow and Frisell and yet never lose his own multiply talented identities. One senses that Electricity more successfully achieves much of what Gil Evans was trying to accomplish in the late 1970s and 1980s with his own big bands. Aside from the lovely, almost simplistic harmonies and rhythmic patterns, Brookmeyer's choice of a main soloist with multiple talents (in this case, Abercrombie) is perfect. Some listeners may be discouraged that Brookmeyer didn't showcase his own beautiful and distinctive valve trombone (his only real features are brief ones in "No Song" and "The Crystal Place"). But that's a small gripe. Brookmeyer always reveals so much more as a musician in his orchestrations. For the small group fans, however, Challenge Records recently issued Brookmeyer's Paris Suite , a 1993-94 session which finds the valve trombonist leading a Dutch quartet. Electricity is highly recommended to those who appreciate the lost art of orchestral jazz in a contemporary setting and, most especially, to fans of John Abercrombie who is nothing short of brilliant in his varied roles here. ~ Douglas Payne https://www.allaboutjazz.com/electricity-bob-brookmeyer-act-music-review-by-douglas-payne.php

Personnel:  Valve Trombone, Composed By, Liner Notes, Mixed By [Remixed] – Bob Brookmeyer;  Bass – Dieter Ilg;  Drums – Danny Gottlieb;  Guitar – John Abercrombie;  Keyboards – Frank Chastenier, Rainer Brüninghaus;  Orchestra – WDR Big Band Köln;  Saxophone – Heiner Wiberny, Olivier Peters, Paul Peucker, Rolf Römer;  Trombone – Bernt Laukamp, Dave Horler , Roy Deuvall;  Trumpet – Andy Haderer, Klaus Osterloh, Rick Kiefer

Electricity

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Thomas Quasthoff - Nice 'N' Easy

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:57
Size: 135,7 MB
Art: Front

(3:36)  1. Nice 'N' Easy
(6:26)  2. Body and Soul
(5:42)  3. But Not for Me
(3:56)  4. Moonglow
(4:51)  5. Cry Me a River
(6:36)  6. Some Enchanted Evening
(6:08)  7. I Remember You
(3:30)  8. I've Got the World on a String
(3:47)  9. Stardust
(4:25) 10. Willow Weep for Me
(4:13) 11. Too Close for Comfort
(5:42) 12. Imagine

One of the most admired Lieder and concert singers of his generation, Bass-Baritone Thomas Quasthoff returns to the studio with his first solo album since 2010. Thomas Quasthoff is approaching standards such as Nice and Easy or Cry Me A River with new arrangements by Jörg Achim Keller. The results: exciting new versions of familiar jazz-classics. This release finds the singer partnering again with German trumpeter Till Brönner - featuring a solo and his Trio Partners Frank Chastenier, Dieter Ilg and Wolfgang Haffner as well as the unique NDR Bigband - The Hamburg Radio Jazz Orchestra. ~ Editorial Reviews https://www.amazon.com/Nice-N-Easy-Thomas-Quasthoff/dp/B079VQ4T7P   

Personnel: Vocals – Thomas Quasthoff;  Bass – Dieter Ilg;  Conductor [NDR Bigband] – Frank Engel, Jörg Achim Keller;  Drums – Jörg Achim Keller, Wolfgang Haffner;  Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Till Brönner;  Piano – Frank Chastenier

Nice 'N' Easy

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Till Brönner & Dieter Ilg - Nightfall

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:07
Size: 118,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:40)  1. A Thousand Kisses Deep
(4:51)  2. The Fifth of Beethoven
(3:19)  3. Nightfall
(5:46)  4. Nobody Else But Me
(6:10)  5. Air
(3:23)  6. Scream & Shout
(2:56)  7. Wetterstein
(3:23)  8. Eleanor Rigby
(3:35)  9. Peng! Peng!
(5:11) 10. Body & Soul
(6:49) 11. Ach, bleib mit Deiner Gnade

Some musical constellations are so obvious that the question arises why they hadn’t become reality long ago. And when they finally do see the light of day, they appear so familiar to us as if we’d known them for ages. One of these constellations is the duo formed by the trumpeter Till Brönner and the bass player Dieter Ilg. They are, in the full sense, soul-mates, no matter how threadbare the term might sound. They often seek to do the very same thing on their antithetical instruments, even if they express it in quite different ways. As a result, they fit each other to a tee. This osmosis is now plain to hear on their joint début album, Nightfall. The choice of pieces is sufficient proof that the musicians did not want to pin themselves down to a fixed classification or pigeonhole. If jazz was ever an expression of individual liberty, then this independence is manifest here, devoid of myths, in their approach to the material and their spontaneous treatment of it. Anything can be done if you only want to do it, and Brönner and Ilg certainly do. Songs by Leonard Cohen, the Beatles and Britney Spears, pieces by Jerome Kern, Johnny Green and Ornette Coleman, compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach and Melchior Vulpius, even a few creations of their own: the range of intentions and influences on display is almost unparalleled. In each song the two men find inventive new angles and perspectives. There aren’t any solos in the classical jazz sense. As in any good conversation that unfolds naturally, the lines of argument fall now on one side, now on the other. The flow of thoughts is completely free. It’s pressed here into a narrow riverbed only to expand a moment later into a broad delta. Nightfall is many things at once. It’s a début album and, at the same time, the fruit of a long and intensive collaboration between two great storytellers. It’s at once a consummation, a stocktaking and a promise for the future. It’s a resolute dismissal of entrenched prejudices and a passionate affirmation of the freedom and miracle of jazz. The organic blend of willful abandon and understatement celebrated on this album is anything but run-of-the-mill. Not least of all, the album is a refreshing counterfoil in the age of perfectionism. It projects the cathartic discovery that no matter how much one has achieved in life, it’s always worth starting from scratch, over and over again. And if proof is needed, here it is! 

Nightfall

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Dieter Ilg - Parsifal

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:08
Size: 129,4 MB
Art: Front

(5:15)  1. Zum Raum wird hier die Zeit
(3:56)  2. Glocken
(4:18)  3. Parsifal
(4:36)  4. Morgengebet
(4:49)  5. Ich bin ein reiner Tor
(6:32)  6. Zaubergarten
(4:34)  7. Amfortas
(4:01)  8. Unerhortes
(0:44)  9. Herzeleid
(4:23) 10. Kundry
(5:38) 11. Von Welt zu Welt
(3:33) 12. Klageruf
(3:44) 13. Sehnsucht

The monumental becomes sensual and the sensual monumental in this astonishing chamber/jazz reinterpretation of Richard Wagner's opulent Parsifal by Germany's leading bass player, Dieter Ilg. As Wagner is known to have been a passionate admirer of Beethoven, the disc ends with a reinterpretation of that other famous German composer: an almost breathy version of the Ode to Joy. ~ Editorial Reviews https://www.amazon.com/Parsifal-Dieter-Ilg/dp/B00A44KF1Q

Personnel: Dieter Ilg (Bass);  Rainer Böhm (piano); Patrice Héral (drums).

Parsifal

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Dieter Ilg - Summerhill

Styles: Jazz Fusion
Year: 1992
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:39
Size: 102,5 MB
Art: Front

(6:27)  1. It's getting better
(5:48)  2. Springfever
(7:33)  3. The shadows of the fall
(9:14)  4. Summerhill
(5:54)  5. All childrens love song
(4:04)  6. Somersault
(5:36)  7. Under the skin of the earth

Bassist Dieter ILG is the nominal leader on this '91 session, but it is guitarist Mike Stern and tenor saxophonist Bob Berg who are in the forefront. ILG has a firm, solid tone, plays nice accompaniment and takes an occasional well-constructed solo, but is not the kind of dashing or virtuoso player who makes hearing unaccompanied bass something out of the ordinary. 

The title track ranks as the best musical workout and is the only one where the ensemble and individual sections are equally accomplished. Otherwise, you get either fine playing on humdrum writing or good arrangements and less than exemplary execution. ~ Ron Wynn http://www.allmusic.com/album/summerhill-mw0000095371

Personnel: Dieter Ilg (bass), Bob Berg (saxophone), Randy Brecker (trumpet), Jim Beard (keyboards), Mike Stern (guitar), Peter Erskine (drums).

Summerhill

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Dieter Ilg Trio - Folk Songs

Styles: Jazz, Jazz Fusion
Year: 1997
File: MP3@224K/s
Time: 54:47
Size: 88,4 MB
Art: Front

(5:32)  1. Guter Mond Du Gehst So Stille
(4:59)  2. Es Tagt Der Sonne Morgenstrahl
(5:11)  3. Frère Jaques
(4:01)  4. Arirang
(3:47)  5. Wann Ich Des Morgens Frueh Aufsteh'
(3:53)  6. Im Maerzen Der Bauer
(6:48)  7. Alles Schweiget
(5:52)  8. Maienzeit Bannet Leid
(4:55)  9. In Stiller Nacht
(4:44) 10. So Sei Gegruesst Viel Tausendmal
(5:02) 11. Der Mond Ist Aufgegangen

Bassist Dieter Ilg is well-featured on two different trio dates. Folk Songs buy CD music Five songs have Benoît Delbecq on keyboards and drummer Steve Arguelles, while Ilg and Arguelles are joined on the remaining six numbers by guitarist Wolfgang Muthspiel. Folk Songs songs The songs are all traditional European folk melodies but are given very different treatments, from swinging sections to introspective ballads and quiet sound explorations. Folk Songs album for sale Although Delbecq and Muthspiel have their spots, Ilg has the lion's share of the solo space and the emphasis is more on the atmospheric ensembles than individual solos. Folk Songs CD music Although the musicianship is high, it is difficult to concentrate too closely on this often dreamy music without drifting off. Folk Songs buy CD music Perhaps if there were a bit more fire, this would have been a stronger outing. Folk Songs songs As it is, it manages to be well-intentioned, quite musical, and somewhat forgettable. https://itunes.apple.com/nz/album/folk-songs/id386923813

Personnel: Dieter Ilg (Bass);  Wolfgang Muthspiel (guitar); Benoît Delbecq (piano, keyboards); Steve Arguelles (drums).

Folk Songs

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