JC Stylles - Blakey Grease

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:18
Size: 106,9 MB
Art: Front

(6:41)  1. Hammerhead
(6:12)  2. Ping Pong
(6:51)  3. Yama
(5:04)  4. United
(6:11)  5. Hipsippy Blues
(4:16)  6. Stretching
(5:10)  7. Pensativa
(5:50)  8. One by One

The photos that adorn the cover and back panel of guitarist JC Stylles Exhilaration And Other States make Stylles look like a cross between a '50s rockabilly musician and a Brian Setzer wannabe, but his music has nothing to do with either one. The Australian-born and New York-based guitarist deals in burning organ trio swing, with a few ballads and some other seasonings thrown in for good measure, as he tackles standards and a few surprises from outside the jazz canon. Both Stylles' biography and his music betray a fondness for George Benson's playing, but not the Benson that sets off fusion fireworks or deals in smooth grooves. Stylles' style usually veers closer to the Benson that took the baton from Wes Montgomery and ran with it. While Stylles is clearly the star of this show, his trio mates are superb supporting players that help to drive this music along. Organist Pat Bianchi brings his bright and cutting sound to bear on a large number of these pieces, but he also proves to be a sensitive accompanist, capable of dialing things down when the music calls for it ("Don't Explain"). His solos on the livelier material can be exciting and unpredictable, as demonstrated with some sprays of notes on "Tune For Roger," or straightforward in a pleasing manner. As per most organ group recordings, the drummer Lawrence Leathers gets little space to solo, but Leathers' swinging drumming is the heartbeat of this music. Stylles' choice of repertoire is as eclectic as can be, covering everybody from Cole Porter and Billie Holiday to Stevie Wonder and R. Kelly, but he manages to find a common thread in most of the material. He lights up the faster numbers with his articulate single note lines and his solo trading with Bianchi, and he takes complete control on the ballads, which can be haunting ("Don't Explain") or heavenly ("I Want To Talk About You"). Stylles isn't afraid to detour into slick, R&B territory (R. Kelly's "It Seems Like You're Ready"), but the guitarist sounds best on material that moves at a sprinter's pace, as demonstrated by his searing solo work on Wayne Shorter's "Pinnochio." While the music on Exhilaration And Other States may cover a wide range of emotions, it seems like everything that Stylles' delivers is capable of evoking a state of euphoria. ~ Dan Bilawsky https://www.allaboutjazz.com/exhilaration-and-other-states-jc-stylles-motema-music-review-by-dan-bilawsky.php

Personnel: JC Stylles: guitar; Pat Bianchi: organ; Lawrence Leathers: drums.

Blakey Grease

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JC Stylles - Blakey Grease

Bitrate: 320K/s

Time: 46:18

Size: 106.0 MB

Styles: Guitar jazz

Year: 2014

Art: Front

[6:41] 1. Hammerhead

[6:12] 2. Ping Pong

[6:51] 3. Yama

[5:04] 4. United

[6:11] 5. Hipsippy Blues

[4:16] 6. Stretching

[5:10] 7. Pensativa

[5:50] 8. One by One

New York based Jazz Guitarist JC Stylles (aka Jason Campbell) first touched a guitar around 7 years of age, and was introduced to the world of jazz in the most unlikely of places, that being in the rainforests of Kuranda, a tiny, predominantly aboriginal town in the tropics of Far North Queensland Australia, via his stepfather's jazz record collection. At 16 years of age he left the rainforests for Sydney where significantly in his development, he had the opportunity to attend 2 shows a night for nearly a week in front row seats of the touring jazz guitar great George Benson. This sponge-like absorption at such a close range left an indelible mark in his development long term as a guitarist. He also had the opportunity simultaneously to study with an incredible array of touring jazz giants at the time that included John Scofield, Steve Erquiaga, Miroslav Vitous, Woody Shaw, Johnny Griffin and others. Having initially immigrated to New York in 1992, he continued studies with the likes of Pat Martino, Tal Farlow, Rodney Jones, John Abercombie and Barry Harris and further developed his skills in clubs like Visione’s before returning to Australia in the mid-nineties for personal matters.

JC Stylles relocated permanently back to New York in 2005 where he released the recordings “Chillin’ at Home” and “Live and Unveiled” of which both are in the guitar/organ trio format, where he has staked his claim. He also concentrated on performing with the best Jazz Organists in the business including, Jimmy McGriff, Dr Lonnie Smith, Tony Monaco, Pat Bianchi, Seleno Clarke, Jimmy “Preacher” Robbins, Melvin Davis, Nathan Lucas, Akiko Tsuruga and others.

His previous recording “Ex-hil-a-ra-tion and other states” for Motema Music, featuring Pat Bianchi on organ, Lawrence Leathers on drums, and produced by the Grammy award winning producer Jack Kreisberg, received rave reviews from those in the know. C Stylles' Libran commitment to ensuring the balance of the important musical elements that makes for great jazz experiences for listeners, are what sets him apart from many others in the field today.

With his most current release in 2014 being "Blakey Grease", he teams up again with Grammy winning producer Jack Kreisberg for an exclusive project on American Showplace Music, featuring a quintet line-up delivering an "all Art Blakey"repertoire in an organ combo setting for the first time in recorded history!

Blakey Grease 

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