Jesper Thilo - Strike Ap The Band

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:22
Size: 152,4 MB
Art: Front

(5:13)  1. Spotlite
(6:16)  2. Old Folks
(8:13)  3. Oh, Lady Be Good
(7:20)  4. There's No You
(7:42)  5. Get Happy
(7:18)  6. Someday You'll Be Sorry
(5:06)  7. Willow Weep For Me
(4:45)  8. After You've Gone
(7:35)  9. Topsy
(6:49) 10. Strike Up The Band

The title of this album is a bit off the mark, implying that the session will be pretty much devoted to up-tempo traditional jazz. Not so. While there are barnburners, they are balanced with very good melodic ballad renderings. Even the up-tempo material has character and substance, not at all like the mindless blowing that one finds too often in CD bins these days. Jesper Thilo is Denmark's most famous sax man, and one of its most prominent jazz players irrespective of instrument. Living in Denmark, he's had the opportunity to perform with many top-flight jazz musicians. With its traditional support of jazz, that country has always been a favorite spot for top American musicians to visit and, for several, to settle in. Basically, Thilo is from the same Lester Young school for tenors as Brew Moore, who was a resident of Copenhagen during the last years of his life. But Thilo's playing also acknowledges the influences of Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Ben Webster, and Johnny Hodges. His Hodges-like rendition of "Old Folks" is one of Strike Up the Band's highlights. Thilo's work on this album is masterful and inventive throughout. His "Willow Weep for Me" is tender and expressive as he blows new life into Ann Ronell's classic.

Thilo is fortunate to have the services of equally outstanding and experienced players who possess more than their share of improvisational talent. The group has a lot of fun with the melody line of "Strike Up the Band." The blues tune "Topsy" is played at medium tempo, recalling the version by Ike Quebec's Swing Seven in 1945. Australian Bob Barnard shows that he is as skillful on cornet as on trumpet, as amply demonstrated on "After You've Gone" and "Someday You'll Be Sorry." The inestimable Swiss piano player Henri Chaix provides some special solo moments and also sets the pace for the ensemble.

His intro to "There's No You" shows how much can be said in a scant few bars. This session must have been one of Chaix' last prior to his death in 1999. The other two members of the rhythm section, Stephen Kurmann on bass and Romano Cavicchiolo on drums, perform their duties with distinction. Encouraged by an enthusiastic and delighted audience in Baden, Switzerland, the players extend themselves with a program of solid straight-ahead jazz done with feeling and humor. The tradition of those great tenor sax players who understood the importance of swing and melody is alive and well with Jesper Thilo. Recommended. ~ Dave Nathan https://www.allmusic.com/album/strike-up-the-band-mw0000065095               

Personnel: Jesper Thilo (tenor saxophone); Bob Barnard (cornet); Henri Chaix (piano); Stephan Kurmann (bass); Romano Cavicchiolo (drums).

Strike Ap The Band

---

Stuff Smith With The Henri Chaix Trio - Late Woman Blues

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:03
Size: 142.1 MB
Styles: Violin jazz
Year: 2001
Art: Front

[5:31] 1. C Jam Blues
[6:47] 2. Perdido
[6:06] 3. Late Woman Blues [blues In B Flat]
[6:35] 4. How High The Moon
[5:36] 5. On The Sunny Side Of The Street
[8:05] 6. Take The A Train
[4:39] 7. Body And Soul
[7:19] 8. After You've Gone
[6:22] 9. Oh, Lady Be Good
[4:59] 10. Rosetta

Stuff Smith spent the final two years of his life performing in Europe; this previously unreleased Swiss concert from 1965 was finally released some 36 years later. The violinist is accompanied by stride pianist Henri Chaix, young bassist Michel Guillemin, and fellow American expatriate Wallace Bishop (who had resided in Europe since 1950) on drums. Smith is in top form, though the inexperience of the bassist is rather obvious during the awkward introduction to "Perdido"; fortunately, things improve rapidly afterwards. In addition to his swinging fiddle, Smith's hoarse vocals are a riot in his "Late Woman Blues" (also known as "Blues in B Flat"), while he breaks up one of his sidemen with his singing of "On the Sunny Side of the Street." The instrumentals are mostly familiar to Smith's fans, including "Take the 'A' Train" and "How High the Moon," though it is the adventurous and occasionally dissonant take of "Body and Soul," a standard rarely played by the violinist, that takes top honors. The sound is very good for such a vintage recording. Swing fans will consider this long-hidden treasure to be an essential CD. ~Ken Dryden

Late Woman Blues

---

Benny Carter, Bill Coleman, Henri Chaix Orchestra & Quintet - The Three C's

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 72:23

Size: 165.7 MB

Styles: Swing, Saxophone jazz, Piano jazz

Year: 2003

Art: Front

[5:06] 1. Swingin' In November

[6:54] 2. Easy Money

[7:04] 3. I Can't Get Started

[5:53] 4. Titmouse

[6:10] 5. Body And Soul

[8:05] 6. 's Wonderful

[3:46] 7. March Wind

[4:31] 8. Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams

[3:45] 9. N'embrassez Pas Ma Femme

[3:11] 10. Idaho

[3:43] 11. Blue Turning Grey Over You

[3:30] 12. Caravan

[3:03] 13. When My Sugar Walks Down The Street

[3:35] 14. Honeysuckle Rose

[4:00] 15. I've Found A New Baby

Musical archeology is fascinating, especially if you dig what's dug from long-forgotten archives. Thanks to Canadian label Sackville, three sessions that took place in Switzerland in the '50s and '60s shed some enjoyable light on world traveler Benny Carter, expatriate Bill Coleman and Swiss native Henri Chaix (pronounced "shecks"), a first-rate stride pianist who obviously idolized Fats Waller. Behold The Three C's, nearly 73 minutes of nostalgic swing, divided evenly between the two Americans: Chaix's nine-piece band backing Carter's alto sax and Chaix's quintet supporting Coleman's trumpet and vocals.

Notes are sparse and vignettes are few. Considering the material at hand, the album literally cries out for more historical background. Not surprisingly, Carter is the elegant standout in four originals and three standards, the highlight being "'S Wonderful," not only for Chaix's paean to Fats with a wonderful solo, but the organic way an "arrangement" takes shape after Carter exchanges fours with (apparently) tenor Michel Pilet. Coleman flexes his chops (muted trumpet and vocal) most effectively on "Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams" and "I've Found a New Baby." ~Harvey Siders

The Three C's

---