George Russell - Stratusphunk

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1995
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:24
Size: 99,6 MB
Art: Front

(6:08)  1. Stratusphunk
(8:25)  2. New Donna
(6:16)  3. Bent Eagle
(8:25)  4. Kentucky Oysters
(7:13)  5. Lambskins
(6:55)  6. Things New

Stratusphunk is an album by George Russell originally released on Riverside in 1960. The album contains performances by Russell with Al Kiger, David Baker, Dave Young, Chuck Israels and Joe Hunt. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratusphunk

Personnel:  George Russell: piano, arranger, conductor; Al Kiger: trumpet; David Baker: trombone; Dave Young: tenor saxophone; Chuck Israels: bass; Joe Hunt: drums

Stratusphunk

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George Russell - Ezz-thetics

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1961
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:02
Size: 98,7 MB
Art: Front

(8:59)  1. Ezz-thetic
(4:41)  2. Nardis
(8:07)  3. Lydiot
(5:36)  4. Thoughts
(9:04)  5. Honesty
(6:33)  6. 'Round Midnight

A post-war masterpiece, Ezz-Thetics is pianist/arranger George Russell's definitive 1961 sextet recording from the earliest phase of his multi-decade career. On par with such iconic albums as Oliver Nelson's Blues and the Abstract Truth (Impulse!, 1961), Mal Waldron's The Quest (Riverside, 1961) and Andrew Hill's Point of Departure (Blue Note, 1964), Ezz-Thetics traffics in the same advanced but accessible strain of avant-garde-influenced post-bop. Author of The Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization (pub. 1953), Russell's seminal concepts of improvisation, based on scales rather than chords, became the driving force behind the early modal explorations of Miles Davis and John Coltrane. This pioneering session offers a singular and visionary view of classic post-bop that is ageless in its perfection. Starring a phenomenal group of talent, Russell's sextet features multi-instrumentalist Eric Dolphy, trumpeter Don Ellis, trombonist Dave Baker, a young Steve Swallow on acoustic bass and drummer Joe Hunt. Undaunted by Russell's unorthodox arrangements and tricky, pan-tonal harmonic sensibility, these young firebrands tackle these knotty compositions with flawless technique and unbounded creativity. "Ezz-Thetic" opens the album with a bustling, circuitous theme that ripples with spiraling angularity. Inspiring a round of exhilarating statements from the horns, the tune breaks down into a sequence of recurrent call and response between the rhythm section and brass that eschews typical conventions of pattern and form. Supported by subtle counterpoint and an elegant arrangement, Miles Davis' exotic "Nardis" is given a haunting reading. The sly and unassuming "Lydiot" reveals Russell's minimalist angularity behind the piano, while Dolphy displays a keening, expressive aspect in contrast to Ellis' dulcet trumpet. Using the blues as a basic framework, Baker's contribution, "Thoughts," incorporates free-form sections at regular intervals, exposing the fine line between tradition and innovation. "Honesty" is a celebratory ode; a vibrant hybrid of classic swing and edgy futurism that contrasts bluesy lyricism with suspenseful, stop-time segments. 

A prescient rendition of Thelonious Monk's "'Round Midnight" acts as a showpiece for Dolphy. Opening with a free-form section of tiny instrumental sounds and highly vocalized brass effects, it pre-dates the work of the AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Music) by almost a decade. A brilliant study in dynamics and virtuosity, Dolphy's alto solo is legendary. Incorporating intervallic leaps and register changes with a highly vocalized tone and mellifluous phrasing, he offers a definitive statement on a hallowed theme. Two takes of the previously unissued "Kige's Tune" appear as bonus tracks. A driving bop-ish vehicle, it is a worthwhile addition, providing the perfect coda to a brilliant session. Cerebral and innovative, yet firmly grounded in tradition, Ezz-Thetics is essential listening and an absolute requirement for any comprehensive jazz collection. Russell's masterwork is beautiful, enthralling and adventurous, a perfect summation of all the innovations post-war jazz has to offer. ~ Troy Collins https://www.allaboutjazz.com/ezz-thetics-george-russell-riverside-review-by-troy-collins.php

Personnel: George Russell: piano, arranger; Don Ellis: trumpet; Dave Baker: trombone; Eric Dolphy: alto saxophone, bass clarinet (2, 4); Stephen Swallow: bass; Joe Hunt: drums.

Ezz-thetics

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George Russell - New York, New York

Styles: Big Band, Bop
Year: 1959
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:26
Size: 104,3 MB
Art: Front

(10:33)  1. Manhatten
(11:41)  2. Big City Blues
(10:10)  3. Manhatten - Rico
( 8:00)  4. East Side Medley
( 5:00)  5. A Helluva town

George Russell was one of the most forward-thinking composers and arrangers on the jazz scene during the 1950s, but his work was generally more appreciated by musicians than the jazz-buying public. New York, New York represents one of many high points in his career. He assembled an all-star orchestra, including pianist Bill Evans (a frequent participant on Russell's recordings), Art Farmer, Bob Brookmeyer, John Coltrane, and Milt Hinton, among others.

In Rodgers & Hart's "Manhattan," Russell has the soloists playing over the orchestra's vamp, while he also creates an imaginative "East Side Medley" combining the standards "Autumn in New York" and "How About You." His original material is just as striking as his arrangements, while vocalist Jon Hendricks serves as narrator between orchestra segments. While this release has been reissued several times, it rarely remains in print for long, so don't miss the opportunity to acquire this elusive CD. ~ Ken Dryden https://www.allmusic.com/album/new-york-ny-mw0000309054 

Personnel: George Russell (leader, arranger, chromatic drums); Jon Hendricks (spoken vocals); Hal McKusick, Phil Woods (alto saxophone, flute, clarinet); John Coltrane, Benny Golson, Al Cohn (tenor saxophone); Gene Allen, Sol Schlinger (baritone saxophone); Art Farmer, Doc Severinsen, Ernie Royal, Joe Wilder, Joe Ferrante (trumpet); Bob Brookmeyer, Frank Rehak, Tom Mitchell, Jimmy Cleveland (trombone); Bill Evans (piano); Barry Galbraith (guitar); Milt Hinton, George Duvivier (bass); Charlie Persip, Max Roach, Don Lamond (drums); Al Epstein (bongos).             

New York, New York

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Helen Merrill - The Nearness Of You/You've Got A Date With The Blues

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 73:54

Size: 169.2 MB

Styles: Jazz vocals

Year: 2009

Art: Front

[2:54] 1. Bye Bye Blackbird

[4:45] 2. When The Sun Comes Out

[2:07] 3. I Remember You

[3:17] 4. Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise

[2:04] 5. Dearly Beloved

[3:25] 6. Summertime

[3:30] 7. All Of You

[2:37] 8. I See Your Face Before Me

[2:46] 9. Let Me Love You

[4:01] 10. The Nearness Of You

[2:18] 11. This Time The Dream's On Me

[3:20] 12. Just Imagine

[5:21] 13. The Blues (From Black, Brown & Beige)

[3:31] 14. Am I Blue

[3:17] 15. Blue Gardenia

[3:28] 16. You've Got A Date With The Blues

[3:34] 17. The Thrill Is Gone

[3:08] 18. When The World Was Young

[3:36] 19. Blues In My Heart

[3:22] 20. Vous M'eblouissez [you Got To My Head]

[2:45] 21. Lorsque Tu M'embrasses

[3:05] 22. The Meaning Of The Blues

[1:32] 23. Signing Off

Helen Merrill (vcl), Kenny Dorham (tp), Bobby Jaspar (fl), Jerome Richardson or Frank Wess (fl, ts), Bill Evans, Jimmy Jones (p), George Russell, Barry Galbraith (g), Milt Hinton, Oscar Pettiford, Johnny Frigo (b), Jo Jones (d).

This release contains the complete original albums "The Nearness of You" (Emarcy) and "Youve Got a Date with the Blues" (Metro Jazz). These two LPs present Merrill in splendid form backed by swinging combos featuring stars like Bill Evans, Kenny Dorham, Bobby Jaspar, Oscar Pettiford, Milt Hinton and Jo Jones.

Although she was well-known among fellow musicians, Helen Merrill was not a star like Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald or even Dinah Washington at the time these two albums were made. She only gained greater fame after she started touring Europe shortly after the two albums compiled here were made.

The Nearness Of You/You've Got A Date With The Blues 

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George Russell - New York Big Band

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 50:53

Size: 116.5 MB

Styles: Bop, Big band

Year: 1982/2010

Art: Front

[10:50] 1. Living Time, Event V

[ 9:25] 2. Big City Blues

[ 4:36] 3. Listen To The Silence, Pt. 1

[10:31] 4. Cubano Be, Cubano Bop

[ 6:02] 5. Mystic Voices

[ 5:28] 6. God Bless The Child

[ 3:59] 7. Listen To The Silence, Pt. 2

Alto Saxophone – Arne Domnérus, Ian Uling, Marty Ehrlich; Baritone Saxophone – Erik Nilsson; Baritone Saxophone, Bass Clarinet – Carl Atkins; Bass – Cameron Brown, Lars-Urban Helje; Bass Trombone – Dave Taylor, Sven Larsson; Congas – Babafumi Akunyon (tracks: 1 to 3, 5 to 7)Congas, Vocals – Sabu Martinez; Drums – Lars Beijbon, Warren Smith; Electric Piano, Organ – Ricky Martinez; French Horn – John Clark; Guitar – Mark Slifstein, Rune Gustafsson; Piano [Acoustic] – Goetz Tangerding; Piano [Acoustic], Electric Piano – Vlodek Gulgowski; Tenor Saxophone – Bernt Rosengren, Lennart Åberg, Ricky Ford, Roger Rosenberg; Trombone – Bengt Edvarsson, Gary Valente, Jörgen Johansson, Lars Olofsson; Trumpet – Americo Bellotto, Bertil Lövgren (tracks: 4), Håken Nyquist, Jan Allan, Stanton Davis. Recorded August 16, 1978, New York, except track 4, recorded live in Estrad, Sodertalje, Sweden, March 10, 1977.

George Allen Russell (1923 - ), American jazz pianist, composer and theorist, is considered one of the first jazz musicians to contribute to general music theory with a theory of harmony based on Jazz rather than European music, in his 1953 book, The Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization which paved the way for the modal revolutions of Miles Davis and John Coltrane. Russell's stylistic reach in his own compositions eventually became omnivorous, embracing bop, gospel, blues, rock, funk, contemporary classical elements, electronic music and African rhythms in his recent, ambitious extended works most apparent in his large-scale 1983 suite for an enlarged big band, The African Game. Like his colleague Gil Evans, Russell never stopped growing, but his work is not nearly as well-known that that of Evans, being more difficult to grasp and, in any case, not as well-documented by U.S. record labels. We try to remedy this here with this magnificent 1978 session when Russell led a 19-piece big band at New York's Village Vanguard for six weeks, in a tremendously diverse performance displaying the many facets of his art  including his first famous composition, the two-part "Cubano Be, Cubano Bop" written in 1947 for the Dizzy Gillespie Orchestra that served as a solid vehicle of that band's pioneering experiments in fusing bebop and Cuban jazz elements, enjoy.

New York Big Band

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