Scott Robinson - Tenormore

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:25
Size: 157,8 MB
Art: Front

( 2:52)  1. And I Love Her
( 5:49)  2. Tenor Eleven
( 7:38)  3. Put On A Happy Face
( 6:08)  4. Morning Star
( 6:34)  5. The Good Life
( 7:46)  6. Tenor Twelve
( 5:21)  7. Rainy River
( 7:01)  8. The Weaver
( 6:53)  9. The Nearness Of You
(11:19) 10. Tenormore

When attempting to lend form to the term "rara avis" in jazz, Scott Robinson instantly appears in the mind's eye. He's most easily recognized these days as a horn heavy on the most standard of heavy horns, adding ballast and low-end individuality to the sound of Maria Schneider's orchestra with his baritone saxophone, but Robinson is also beyond proficient a virtuoso, in fact on numerous instruments that most people don't even know exist. His arsenal includes theremin, ophicleide, sarrusophone, alto clarinet, echo cornet, bass marimba, contrabass banjo, and a few hundred other rarities. Long before Robinson acquired his treasure trove of instrumental curiosities, his heart belonged to the second instrument he ever owned (behind a 1927 Conn alto saxophone from his grandfather) and the first instrument he actually purchased: a silver 1924 Conn tenor saxophone procured from a Maryland antique store in 1975. That tenor has been a constant for Robinson since it came into his life, so it's only fitting that the horn receives its due on what is, surprisingly, the multi-instrumentalist's first all-tenor date. In some respects, such a project seems limiting for a man who thrives on diversification. But the album itself makes an important point which counters that line of thinking: the man, not the vessel, is the music. The range of expression that Robinson is capable of eliciting from a single horn this single horn, for this affair is astounding. Opening on a stratospheric four-note motif that introduces a solo take of "And I Love Her," Robinson's vision proves rangy from the start. There is romance in the music for sure, but also a hint of feral snark. As the program plays on, Robinson works his tenor for all it's capable of while also thriving in the atmospheres he creates with his A-list bandmates pianist/organist Helen Sung, bassist Martin Wind, and drummer Dennis Mackrel. This quartet bumps and grinds its way through an eleven-bar blues aptly named "Tenor Eleven," turns "Put On A Happy Face" into a ballad that balances the scales of emotions with rueful revisionism, sets a cool-headed take on "The Good Life" into motion with some free improvisation, and visits church on Wind's soulful, organ-enhanced "Rainy River." Scott Robinson may typically take instrumental variegation to a level unsurpassed in this music, but that shouldn't diminish his position as a tenor saxophonist of note. In that most crowded of fields, he still stands out.  ~ Dan Bilawsky https://www.allaboutjazz.com/tenormore-scott-robinson-arbors-records-review-by-dan-bilawsky.php

Personnel: Scott Robinson: tenor saxophone; Helen Sung: piano, Hammond B3 organ (7, 9); Dennis Mackrel: drums; Martin Wind: bass, acoustic bass guitar (9, 10); Sharon Robinson: flute (8).

Tenormore

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Iris Ornig - No Restrictions

Styles: Contemporary Jazz
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:12
Size: 147,1 MB
Art: Front

(4:18) 1. Autumn Kiss
(6:56) 2. We Shall Meet Beyond the River
(6:37) 3. Venus as a Boy
(4:33) 4. No Restrictions
(6:21) 5. If Anything Goes Wrong
(5:55) 6. The Way You Make Me Feel
(7:27) 7. Gate 29
(5:46) 8. Spark of Light
(7:09) 9. No Restrictions Version II
(8:06) 10. Uptight

Intrepid bassist Iris Ornig's second release follows the thematic structure of her remarkable debut, New Ground (Self Produced, 2009), but is more polished and coherent, hence more engaging. This is a hard goal to achieve, as the first was a thoroughly enjoyable and stimulating album.

If New Ground was a collection of short stories sharing a common thesis then No Restrictions is a novel, exploring a similar leitmotif and expanding on it. The emphasis is more on original compositions, and even the two arranged covers do not come from the jazz canon but are of pop music origin.

On Björk's "Venus as a Boy," Ornig's melodic bass and Marcus Gilmore's percussive drums build a framework with vague rock sensibilities. On this, the inimitable Helen Sung channels a subtler inner Don Pullen with modal and circular piano lines. Kurt Rosenwinkel's psychedelic yet earthy guitar, continuing Sung's train of thought, weaves an absorbing tone poem.

The other arrangement is Michael Jackson's "The Way You Make Me Feel," that gets a soulful groove with blue tinges and features trumpeter Mike Rodriguez's funky, Kenny Dorham-influenced sound. Ornig's own solo demonstrates her supreme lyricism and ingenuity as an improviser and an instrumentalist. Her complex embellishments not only bring the tune solidly into the jazz realm; they also demonstrate the full potential of an instrument that, even after a century of evolution, too often gets relegated to the role of a timekeeper.

The intricate and multilayered "Gate 29" is a gorgeous composition that features Rodriguez's burnished trumpet with the right amount of vibrato blowing a melancholic song. Like a modern day troubadour Rosenwinkel's romantic yet blistering tones maintains the wistful ambience. Sung's flowing but edgy pianism colors the piece with darker hues. Ornig's tight and deep vamps and Gilmore's keen and assertive polyphonics integrate the individual voices of the band members into a satisfying whole.

Not one to hog the spotlight Ornig relies on the intimate esprit du corps that permeates her quintet's ensemble work. The group creates a bittersweet ambience on the impressionistic ballad "We Shall Meet Beyond The River." Rodriguez's crepuscular and elegiac horn mixes well with Rosenwinkel's bluesy strings like a rain puddle shimmering in the setting sun. Ornig' resonant vibrations and Gilmore's sensitive brushes and sticks create a rhythmic structure that supports this elaborate interaction. Sung's keys sprinkle clusters of earthy notes like a gentle rain shower.

A consummate musician, Ornig demonstrates a combination of sophistication, maturity and originality with No Restrictions that is rarely present so early in someone's career. This unique elegance and worldliness will, hopefully, remain the trademark of her art for years to come.By Hrayr Attarian
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/no-restrictions-iris-ornig-self-produced-review-by-hrayr-attarian

Personnel: Iris Ornig: bass; Kurt Rosenwinkel: guitar; Michael Rodriguez: trumpet; Helen Sung: piano; Marcus Gilmore: drums.

No Restrictions

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Karrin Allyson Sextet - Shoulder to Shoulder: Centennial Tribute to Women’s Suffrage

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:57
Size: 117,8 MB
Art: Front

(1:58)  1. Preamble
(3:17)  2. The March of the Women
(4:40)  3. The Great Convention
(1:38)  4. Susan B. Anthony (1873)
(3:30)  5. I’ll Be No Submissive Wife
(1:34)  6. Frederick Douglass (1888)
(4:11)  7. Anti Suffrage Rose
(2:41)  8. She’s Good Enough To Be Your Baby’s Mother
(1:38)  9. Elihu Root (1894)
(3:48) 10. Columbia’s Daughters
(1:43) 11. Sojourner Truth (1851)
(3:49) 12. The Promised Land
(4:34) 13. Winning the Vote
(1:35) 14. Alice Paul (1921)
(4:18) 15. Way Down Below
(4:57) 16. Big Discount

The Karrin Allyson Sextet releases Shoulder to Shoulder: Centennial Tribute to Women’s Suffrage, a very special and timely album, today to celebrate the centennial of women’s voting rights. In addition to five-time Grammy nominee Karrin Allyson, the sextet also features Ingrid Jensen (trumpet),Mindi Abair (alto saxophone) Helen Sung (piano),Endea Owens (bass), and Allison Miller (drums). Shoulder to Shoulder seeks to re-create the multi-decade debate  warts and all that culminated in the enactment of t he nineteenth amendment. “We want to highlight this significant movement in American history. One that we shouldn’t forget and that is relevant today. It’s also one in which music played an important role,” said Karrin Allyson.

A remarkable artist, Allyson is also an activist who feels equally comfortable on the bandstand, as she does at the podium making the case for women’s rights. In fact, she has a history of writing songs (“Big Discount,” “Way Down Below”) that challenge conventional political wisdom and call for societal change. Most of t hese songs are propaganda. They were composed in the nineteenth or early twentieth century to advance or abridge women’s voting rights. In fact, the “suffrage” repertoire is made up of hundreds of songs, and Allyson and the productio n team selected ones that typified the back -and-f or th debate of t he struggle. That these songs can be re-imagined speaks not only to their timeless quality but the power of music in advancing social movements. The “war” over women’s rights was waged, in part, through and by music. And here these songs are made relevant again through modern jazz. Because of t he theme’s inclusive import, Allyson and the production team invited several notable guests to “lend their voices” to the debate. Adding copious artists can risk turning any project from a cohesive musical statement to a “gathering place.” Alas,Allyson’s powerful and profound vocals provide the through line and beginning-to-end narrative arc of the entire production. This album is very much a story. 

And Allyson is its storyteller, with each guest thoughtfully featured to dramatize historical episodes in the women’s suffrage movement. Shoulder to Shoulder has an incredible array of featured artists. Guest appearances by Madeleine Peyroux (vocals),Kurt Elling (vocals),Regina Carter (violin),Denis e Donatelli (vocals), Veronica Swift (vocals), Rapsody (rap),Antonia Bennett (vocals),Emily Estefan (vocals),Pauline Jean (vocals),Olivia Culpo (cello) and a Choir of over forty Women's Rights Activists. There are several spoken word performances that re-create the debateover woman’s suffrage: Harry Belafonte performs a speech by Frederick Douglass, Rosanne Cash performs a speech by Susan B. Anthony, Julie Swidler performs a speech by Alice Paul,Lalah Hathaway performs a speech by Sojourner Truth, and Peter Eldridge performs a speech by Elihu Root. There is even a brief appearance by Roberta Flack on the album. Susan Morrison of The New Yorker serves as an Executive Producer of the project, which was produced by multi-Grammy winners Kabir Sehgal, John Daversa, and Doug Davis.more..... https://karrin.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/S2S-Press-Release.pdf

Shoulder to Shoulder: Centennial Tribute to Women’s Suffrage

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Lonnie Plaxico - Melange

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:54
Size: 140,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:44)  1. Squib Cakes
(4:57)  2. Melange
(5:09)  3. Darkness
(7:22)  4. Short Take
(5:28)  5. Miles II
(5:43)  6. Paella
(5:31)  7. Sunday Morning
(5:34)  8. Beloved
(6:37)  9. T.O.P.
(4:59) 10. Patois
(4:45) 11. Windy City

Lonnie Plaxico’s Blue Note debut is similar in thrust to last year’s Emergence (Savant). The emphasis is on funk, yet the frequent complexity of Plaxico’s writing harks back to his M-Base roots, especially on tunes like "Short Takes," "T.O.P.," "Patois," and the title track. Apparently the disc grew out of two different sessions the first with Tim Ries on sax and Lew Soloff on trumpet, the second with regular band members Marcus Strickland and Jeremy Pelt in their stead. George Colligan handles the main piano and keyboard duties, with Helen Sung contributing a couple of stunning solos along the way. Lionel Cordew and Jeffrey Haynes play drums and percussion, respectively, as they did on the previous record. As was the case with Emergence, Plaxico begins to repeat himself as the record wears on. And the opening cover of "Squib Cakes," by Tower of Power, seems insubstantial next to the original material. That said, the improvisation is often hair-raising, and the ballads, "Darkness" and "Beloved," are effective changes of pace. On the flip side, the speed-funk finale, "Windy City," is a blast. ~ David Adler https://www.allaboutjazz.com/melange-lonnie-plaxico-blue-note-records-review-by-david-adler.php

Personnel: Lonnie Plaxico- Bass, Lew Soloff- Trumpet (tracks 1-5), Jeremy Pelt- trumpet (tracks 6-11). Tim Ries- Saxophone (tracks 1-5), Marcus Strickland- Saxophone (tracks 6-11) George Colligan- piano, keyboards (except #5), Helen Sung- piano, keyboards (#2, 5, 6), Lionel Cordew- drums, Jeffrey Haynes- percussion.

Melange

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Marcus Printup - Lost

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:01
Size: 147,5 MB
Art: Front

(7:21)  1. G Wiz
(7:12)  2. Hopscotch
(9:15)  3. Soul Street Parade
(8:34)  4. Lost
(6:16)  5. Black Bossa
(6:32)  6. Homey's Idea
(8:54)  7. What you Talkin Bout
(9:53)  8. To the Mountain Top

A talented trumpeter with a lot of potential, Marcus Printup was discovered by Marcus Roberts at the University of North Florida in 1991. Printup started on trumpet in the fifth grade, played funk as a teenager, and in college was part of a ten-piece band called Soul Reason for the Blues. Since that time, he has toured and recorded with Roberts, played with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, recorded with Carl Allen, performed with Betty Carter, and cut a number of excellent albums as a leader for Blue Note. ~ Scott Yanow https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/lost/id949976771

Personnel: Marcus Printup,trumpet; Shantawn Kendrick,tenor sax; Helen Sung,piano;   Ben Williams,bass; Ulysses Owens,drums

Lost

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Joe Chambers - Horace To Max

Styles: Jazz, Straight-ahead/Mainstream 
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:52
Size: 114,5 MB
Art: Front

(5:31)  1. Asiatic Raes
(8:08)  2. Ecaroh
(4:07)  3. Man From South Africa
(7:23)  4. Mendacity
(7:19)  5. Portia
(4:57)  6. Water Babies
(5:03)  7. Lonesome Lover
(3:42)  8. Evidence
(3:38)  9. Afreeka

In this follow up to the critically-acclaimed The Outlaw (Savant 2006) recording, Joe Chambers tips his hat to colleagues Horace Silver and Max Roach with Horace To Max, paying tribute to mentor Roach and recognizing Silver as one of the most important composers of the post-bop era of jazz. A highly-regarded session drummer of the '60s appearing on many of Blue Note's greatest jazz recordings, Chambers builds on the foundation of The Outlaw where he was featured prominently on mallet instruments as well as the drums performing here on the vibes and marimba. While featuring standards from Kenny Dorham, Wayne Shorter, Marcus Miller and Thelonious Monk the repertoire includes three charts from Roach and one from Silver covering the the theme of the album. Though technically not truly a "drummers" disc by being overly percussive in nature Chambers delivers his fair share of drum solos and includes Steve Berrios on percussion as part of the personnel. It is Berrios who introduces the opening "Asiatic Raes" on the congas accompanied by the drummer in what is in fact a dicey percussion-driven number. Exhibiting considerable chops on the vibes, Chambers crafts a warm and sensitive rendition of Silver's gorgeous "Ecaroh" featuring tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander and Xavier Davis on piano.

Vocalist Nicole Guiland appears on a couple of pieces beginning with "Mendacity," a tune associated with both Roach and Abbey Lincoln and then again on "Lonesome Lover" featuring a sparkling overdubbed performance on the vibes. Saxophonist Alexander is especially expressive on "Man From South Africa" and demonstrates why he is considered one of the finest reed man in the business with his take of Wayne Shorter's "Water Babies." Pianist Davis sets up Chamber's strong stick work on Monk's classic "Evidence" in a brisk but brief treatment of the standard and ends the album in percussive manner using Berrios on the drums and congas. The finale "Afreeka" enjoys another marked performance on the vibes with more overdubbed work on the marimba as a lasting reminder of this artist's versatility as a musician. 

An unquestioned talent who should not be defined by his mastery of the drums alone, Chambers cements his legacy as one of the most influential musicians of our time with a remarkable multi-instrumental performance on Horace To Max. Using a mainstream approach to an all around contemporary jazz sound, Joe Chambers manages to speak with different voices all saying the same thing: this is superb jazz the kind of music no doubt, Horace Silver and Max Roach would definitely be part of. ~ Edward Blanco https://www.allaboutjazz.com/horace-to-max-joe-chambers-savant-records-review-by-edward-blanco.php

Personnel: Joe Chambers: drums, vibes, marimba; Eric Alexander: tenor saxophone; Xavier Davis: piano; Dwayne Burno: bass; Steve Berrios: percussion, drums; Helen Sung: piano (7); Richie Goode: bass (7); Nicole Guiland: vocals (4, 7).

Horace To Max

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Helen Sung - Helenistique

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:00
Size: 129,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:03)  1. H-Town
(4:19)  2. Lover
(6:22)  3. Sweet and Lovely
(7:11)  4. Voyage
(4:56)  5. Willow Weep For Me
(4:40)  6. Where or When
(6:06)  7. Black Narcissus
(5:50)  8. Bye Ya
(3:07)  9. Cottontail
(3:12) 10. Carolina Shout
(4:01) 11. Alphabet Street
(2:08) 12. H*Town [reprise]

The clean, uncluttered sound of the piano trio gets a refreshing workout on Helenistique, Helen Sung's tribute to the jazz standard. For her second recording, Sung works with drummer Lewis Nash and bassist Derrick Hodge. A classically trained pianist, Sung leads her trio well: she solos with authority, intelligence and grit, especially on Rodgers and Hart's "Lover" and above the stuttering rhythms of Thelonious Monk's "Bye Ya," but she knows when to retreat and let Nash and Hodge sparkle. Hodge has played with hip-hop stars like Mos Def and Q-Tip, as well as a host of jazz luminaries, among them Terrence Blanchard, Mulgrew Miller and Clark Terry. His warm bowed solo on Rodgers and Hart's "Where or When" reveals the song's inner melancholy. Nash's hi-hat adds a cushion of subtle rhythm.

The album's strongest feature is the musicians' shared sense of celebration. Not only does the trio's sound project great affection for this music, but the performers demonstrate a ready affinity for each other's contributions. The band churns through Kenny Barron's "Voyage," one of the most harmonically rich numbers on the album. The sound is suffused with a sense of exploration, and each player digs deep during solos. Sung's left hand drives the music as surely as Nash's crisp precision on the snare or Hodge's percolating bass. Joe Henderson's "Black Narcissus" offers some of the album's brightest moments, from Sung's quietly astonishing piano playing to Hodge's searching bass and Nash's kaleidoscopic yet restrained drumming. Sung's chords are lush, her arpeggios and trills feathery. Her ability to corral the tune after her bandmates' brief excursions reveals her poise and flexibility. The album includes one of Sung's own compositions, the funk-infused "H*Town," and Prince's "Alphabet Street." They aren't exactly standards, but they show off the trio's versatility. 

Her solo tribute to James P. Johnson on his "Carolina Shout" bounces with fervor and wholesomeness. Duke Ellington's "Cottontail," Ann Ronell's "Willow Weep For Me," and Arnheim, Tobias and Daniels' "Sweet and Lovely" round out the album. Sung arranged every piece. Sung graduated from the inaugural class at the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance at the New England Conservatory of Music in 1997. Since then, she has played with Terry, Wynton Marsalis and the late Jackie McLean, among others, and toured with Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter. She is a musician of serious promise.     ~ John Fidler   http://www.allaboutjazz.com/helenistique-helen-sung-fresh-sound-new-talent-review-by-john-fidler.php#.U35ZWyioqdk

Personnel: Helen Sung: piano; Derrick Hodge: bass; Lewis Nash: drums.

Helenistique

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Helen Sung - Going Express

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2010
File: MP3@256K/s
Time: 56:25
Size: 106,4 MB
Art: Front

(8:16)  1. Going Express
(4:18)  2. Bitter
(6:02)  3. Love For Sale
(7:44)  4. Hope Springs Eternally
(7:27)  5. In Walked Bud
(7:55)  6. Eronel
(8:47)  7. Bittersweet
(5:53)  8. Lotus Blossum

Whether an artist is performing in a play or playing music, doing so live onstage is one of the most challenging acts. Every nuance is captured by an eager audience and, in the case of Going Express, a sensitive sound engineer. There is no room for error; every slip can be fatal. Pianist Helen Sung makes short work of these concerns, however, navigating the music in spritely fashion and with the delicate touch of slender fingers like feathers on the weighted keyboard. Going Express is a dramatic turnout, and features a fine ensemble that includes bassist Lonnie Plaxico, drummer Eric Harland and saxophonist Seamus Blake. So spectacular are the musicians' responses to the music that there are surprises at every turn: Plaxico with his masterful, groaning arco playing when least expected, Harland with his delicate brushes and rumbling mallets that suddenly turn the heat on from a cool break in the music, and the wail of Blake's soprano saxophone every so often, to inform short memories of his astounding manipulation of the reed in his mouthpiece. However, it is ultimately Sung who takes the breath away with her prodigious talent as an instrumentalist, interpreter of music and composer in her own right. The Texas-born, globetrotting Sung has deep roots in fields of the dreamy idioms of classical and jazz. She can sound a blue note with such elemental sadness that her art seems to spring from her very soul. 

Hers is a decidedly feminine voice, given to softness as well as a breathless excitement when she discovers something that wows her. Her feelings spring forth for all to feel and hear, as she lets fly with a generous ebullience that also puts warmth and childlike wonder in her playing. Sung experiences music in her heart and informs musicians and audiences of this with pulsations and fibrillations that are so real that sighs, gasps and breaths must be held or else emotions will be overwhelmed with utter splendor. Her phrases are short and sometimes she repeats them with dampers on. She plays these as if she were taking a breath, sighing, or jabbering excitedly. Yet she can sustain longer lines too, with leonine grace, stretching and relaxing just as if she were informing the lines with an interminable exhalation. Sung says that "Going Express" is typical of her character a racy sense of wanting to swallow the moment whole. However she can also be pensive as her thoughts unfold on "Hope Springs Eternally." Her interpretations of Thelonious Monk's "In Walked Bud" and "Eronel" are spectacular. Sung never tries to play Monk as Monk, but draws the emotions out of the music, making it her own, before she again pirouettes through it. On this album, however, her finest moments could well be in the manner in which she plays Meshell Ndegeocello's marvelous chart, "Bitter," which is so filled with pathos that its drama makes Sung's music something to die for every time she plays. ~ Raul D’Gama Rose   http://www.allaboutjazz.com/going-express-helen-sung-sunnyside-records-review-by-raul-dgama-rose.php#.U2XJR1eS-PM
 

Personnel: Helen Sung: piano; Seamus Blake: tenor and soprano saxophones; Lonnie Plaxico: bass; Eric Harland: drums.

Going Express

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Helen Sung - Sungbird

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:38
Size: 98,7 MB
Art: Front

(1:50)  1. Prelude
(2:23)  2. Tango
(1:12)  3. Preamble
(6:29)  4. Shall We Tango
(2:10)  5. Malaguena Miniatura
(3:16)  6. Malaguena
(3:42)  7. Serenata
(6:10)  8. Sungbird
(3:35)  9. Capricho Catalan
(3:28) 10. Capricho American
(5:50) 11. Free Fusion
(2:27) 12. Encore - Zortzico

Pianist/composer Helen Sung could have played it safe. After offering up two fine straight ahead jazz outings  Push (Blue Moon, 2004) and Helenistique, (Fresh Sound New Talent, 2006), the expectation was "more of the same." And that would not have been a disappointment. Though the New York based artist came to jazz late during her college years, after early studies in classical music she came out swinging sweet and lovely on those first two discs. With Sungbird (After Albeniz), the artist takes off on a different tangent, returning, to an extent, to her classical roots. Sung performs Spanish pianist/composer Isaac Albeniz' six piece work for solo piano, Espana, along with her own loose interpretations of the work in six original compositions employing a sax and rhythm section jazz quartet and added percussionist.

Sung describes Espana as: "...beautifully-written pieces that were distinctive, simple yet profound, concise and with room for adaptation." They are all of that; and so are her compositions. Her six pieces tint the jazz sound with a classical hue. The title tune has a light, airy swing Marcus Strickland, on soprano sax, is awesome here, with a sweet, delicate strength to his tone and "Capricho American," following Albeniz' "Capricho Catalan," is arranged with a string quartet steeped-in-the-blues feeling check out Reuben Roger's bass moving back and forth from bowed to plucked, with Strickland's tenor sax floating over the top.

"Shall We Tango" has a gentle momentum, a light bounce in its step, with Sung splashing gorgeously in front of drummer Nasheet Waits' soft, insistent rumble, while "Free Fusion" begins with Sung soloing in an abstract mode before the quartet joins her and finds a groove. The Albeniz/Sung, classical/jazz tunes are interwoven, highlighting the differences and similarities of the sounds. Sung says: "Jazz certainly uses elements of classical music, but it definitely is its own thang," (she's from Houston). And then she goes and marries the two forms into a beautiful union. ~ Dan McClenaghan   http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=26737#.U0Xw9ldSvro

Personnel: Helen Sung: piano; Marcus Strickland: tenor and soprano saxophones; Reuben Rogers: bass; Nasheet Waits: drums; Samuel Torres: percussion.

Sungbird

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Helen Sung - Push

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2003
File: MP3@256K/s
Time: 55:34
Size: 102,2 MB
Art: Front + Back

(4:46)  1. Conundrum
(5:37)  2. One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
(4:50)  3. On A Clear Day
(7:00)  4. Push
(5:46)  5. Beauty For Ashes
(6:47)  6. The Fourth Maria
(5:31)  7. Bittersweet
(5:01)  8. Speak Low
(5:20)  9. The Waiting Game
(4:50) 10. Ugly Beauty

It's always a good sign when the opening cut has you snapping your fingers about fifteen seconds in. Push is pianist Helen Sung's debut effort. The song that elicited the fingersnaps is "Conundrum," a swinger that features some clean-lined tenor sax work by Marcus Strickland. It hits a groove early, and a couple of minutes in Sung sparkles into an effervescent solo. The pianist who semi-finaled in the 1999 Thelonious Monk Jazz Piano Competition exhibits some sharp angularities again when the sax blows back in.  "Vivacity" is the word that keeps coming to mind as I listen to Ms. Sung's music. Her approach brims with life, solid compositions and fine playing. "One Step Forward, Two Steps Back," sans sax with percussionist Jeffrey Haynes joining the pianist,along with drummer Brian Blade and bassist Richie Goods bubbles and jumps. 

Helen Sung is it's obvious having a helluva good time as her imagination soars. The disc's title tune features a marvelously imaginative Sung solo and some of Strickland's finest blowing on the set. Sung has a way of keeping the listener on her/his toes as the rhythm guys settle into a groove behind her while she takes the melody on some surprising twists and turns. The set is a nicely arranged mix of trio/quartet, up-tempo/ballad offerings, and Marcus Strickland switches from tenor to soprano to keep the sound interesting. The song "Bittersweet" sounds just like its title, with the soprano and piano playing the opposing emotions. "The Waiting Game" sounds Monk-ish, and the record closes on a perfect note with Thelonious's "Ugly Beauty," a pensive little solo gem in the hands of Helen Sung. ~ Dan McClenaghan   http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=13045#.Uz3zDldSvro

Personnel: Helen Sung—piano; Marcus Strickland—tenor and soprano saxophones; Richie Goods—bass; Brian Blade—drums; Jeffrey Haynes—percussion

Push

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Helen Sung Trio - (Re)Conception

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2011
File: MP3@256K/s
Time: 57:10
Size: 105,3 MB
Art: Front

(5:53)  1. (Re)Conception
(6:48)  2. I Believe In You
(4:45)  3. Far From The Home I Love
(7:16)  4. Duplicity
(8:02)  5. C Jam Blues
(5:37)  6. Wives And Lovers
(7:37)  7. Crazy, He Calls Me
(5:06)  8. Teo
(6:03)  9. Everything But You

Pianist Helen Sung has got the swing thing down. A graduate of the inaugural class of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance, Sung has put out a series of increasingly distinctive CDs, from her ear-grabbing debut, Push (Blue Moon, 2004), to the classical leaning Sungbird (After Albeniz) (Sunnyside, 2007), through to 2010's quintet outing, Going Express (Sunnyside), with a trio stop for the outstanding Helenistque (Fresh Sound New Talent, 2006). A classically-trained pianist who didn't discover jazz until her college years, Sung's conversion to improvisation and swing must certainly have required enormous drive and effort, but it has paid great artistic dividends. On (re)Conception, her fifth CD as a leader, the pianist revisits the trio format, bringing her own original voice into a finer focus on a set of jazz standards, an engaging Burt Bacharach tune, and one first-rate original. The recording date was called on short notice, which can mean a disaster or a sound full of freshness and spontaneity. Sung's sense of wonder and adventure, in conjunction with an excellent choice of trio mates drummer Lewis Nash and bassist Peter Washington strikes a winning note straight through. The title tune, a re-stylizing of pianist George Shearing's 1949-penned "Conception," opens the disc swinging. Sung is virtuosic and full of surprises and the Nash/Washington team supplies an ebullient groove. 

Frank Loesser's "I Believe in You" sparkles into a jaunty momentum, with the trio locked into a collective jubilance, while the group's take on Jerry Bock's "Far From Home" shifts gears; a tune that sounds like heartbreak, featuring Sung's intricate and gentle touch and Washington and Nash's understated accompaniment. The only Sung original, "Duplicity," captures the mood of stealthy deception to perfection, with a prowling rhythm, and a forlorn and sometimes confused feeling from the piano melody. Sung visits composer/bandleader Duke Ellington's music on the often-recorded "C Jam Blues," with a strutting bounce in its step, and the less familiar but easily swinging "Everything But You." Between those tunes, Sung offers up Bacharach's "Wives and Lovers," treating the pretty melody reverently at first, before stretching out into a vibrant improvisational foray that includes some nice comping behind Nash's energetic bass solo. "Crazy, He Calls Me," a vehicle for vocalist Billie Holiday, has an inward mood, with Sung splashing some new colors on its beautiful melody. It wouldn't be a Sung standards date without some Thelonious Monk. Whether she is playing the bebop legend's idiosyncratic music in concert or in the studio, Sung always seems to find new angles and bright spots. "Teo" sounds wound tight at first here, like a stretched rubber band, before it flies free with a headlong freedom.  A superb jazz musician, no matter what the ensemble configuration, Sung seems to shine brightest and swing most mightily in the trio format, as she does on (re)Conception. ~ Dan McClenaghan   http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=40512#.UzscsVdSvro

Personnel: Helen Sung: piano; Peter Washington: bass; Lewis Nash: drums

(Re)Conception

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Helen Sung - Anthem for a New Day

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:41
Size: 118,8 MB
Art: Front

(5:37)  1. Brother Thelonious
(4:37)  2. Armando's Rhumba
(5:48)  3. Hidden
(4:11)  4. It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)
(5:33)  5. Hope Springs Eternally
(5:44)  6. Anthem for a New Day
(7:18)  7. Never Let Me Go
(5:04)  8. Chaos Theory
(5:30)  9. Epistrophy
(2:16) 10. Equipoise

There's a bit of the iconoclast in pianist Helen Sung. Her musical journey began in the classical world, and didn't take its rebellious tangent into jazz until her college years, after a chance encounter with a Harry Connick, Jr. concert, in a "bang on the piano" solo interlude. And then there was pianist Tommy Flanagan's solo on saxophonist Charlie Parker "Confirmation," and Sung was jazz bitten, in the best way. Anthem for a New Day, Sung's sixth album her first on Concord Records represents a full blossoming of Sung's talents as a pianist, band leader, arranger and writer. Not that Sung has turned her back on her classical experience. You can hear it in her take on Duke Ellington's "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing,)" which doesn't swing much, but does indeed showcase her classically tinged technique. And the album's opener, "Brother Thelonious" written on commission as a theme song for a Belgian ale of the same name  features a crisp Sung piano solo that revs into high gear for some "piano banging" of the highest and most technically-proficient order. This is mostly a sextet outing, with Sung employing a trumpeter (the always marvelous Ingrid Jensen) for the first time on one of her discs. 

Jensen's front line playing with saxophonist Seamus Blake opens "Brother Thelonious," leading into her searing trumpet solo that gives way to Blake's robustly smoldering bluster that Sung fans into high flames on her solo. Sung brings in some guests. Clarinetist Paquito D'Rivera joins the pianist in an ebullient duet (with accompanying palmas) on Chick Corea's "Armundo's Rhumba," and violinist Regina Carter sits in on "Hidden," a pensive Sung original, and on a very distinctively-arranged Great American Songbook tune, "Never Let Me Go." "Chaos Theory," another Sung-penned tune, takes things into freer territory, with the piano slipping into an exquisite rapid- fire mode. Sung adds another color to her palette on the disc's title tune, with bass clarinetist John Ellis sitting in. Beginning as a dark-hued tone poem, with Sung shining on Fender Rhodes, the sound shifts to a proud and bold proclamation, a neo-funk/free flying "Here I Am!" anthem that has Sung, Jensen and Blake playing off each other in what sounds like a choreographed street fight, jazz style. And what has Helen Sung done to Thelonious Monk's "Epistrophy?" The sextet sounds like a big band; Monk's quirky angularity is translated into an anthem, that leads into the set's closer, a Sung piano solo that represents, it seems a centered-ness, a confident calm from the always evolving Helen Sung. ~ Dan McClenaghan   

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=46238#.Uznhq1dSvro
 

Personnel: Helen Sung: piano, Fender Rhodes; Seamus Blake: tenor and soprano saxophones; Ingrid Jensen: trumpet; Reuben Rogers: bass; Obed Calvaire: drums; Samuel Torres: percussion; John Ellis: bass clarinet (6); Regina Carter: violin (3, 7); Paquito D'Rivera: clarinet (2).

Anthem for a New Day

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