Steve Turre - Generations

Styles: Trombone Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 70:18
Size: 162,5 MB
Art: Front

(8:46) 1. Planting the Ceed
(6:58) 2. Dinner with Duke
(6:34) 3. Blue Smoke
(4:54) 4. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
(5:01) 5. Don D.
(8:30) 6. Pharoah's Dance
(8:29) 7. Flower Power
(6:54) 8. Good People
(6:04) 9. Sweet Dreams
(8:04) 10. Resistance

Steve Turre was passed the jazz torch early in his career by some of the music’s greatest masters Art Blakey, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Woody Shaw and Ray Charles, among others. In recent years he’s kindled the same flame in a younger crop of rising stars. On his new album, Generations, Turre brings the eras together, inviting still-vital legends to join a gifted band of rising starts to pay tribute to the elders who have helped shape his sound.

Generations features players including the trombonist’s own son, drummer Orion Turre, as well as trumpeter Wallace Roney Jr., whose late father was a close friend and collaborator of Turre’s. In addition, the youthful core band includes pianist Isaiah J. Thompson and bassist Corcoran Holt.

Over the course of the album this stellar group is joined by saxophonist James Carter, guitarists Ed Cherry and Andy Bassford, keyboardist Trevor Watkis, bassists Buster Williams and Derrick Barnett, drummers Lenny White and Karl Wright, and percussionist Pedrito Martinez.

“There's a balance between youth and age,” Turre says, “Age brings wisdom and knowledge, and youth brings enthusiasm and energy. Playing with each of them stretches me in a different way. The elders stretch me in ways of wisdom, but the youngsters fire it up. All of that is inspiring.”

That inspiration bears fruit in one of the most scintillating and eclectic recordings of Turre’s storied career. “I always like to play with musicians that challenge me,” Turre concludes. “So, coming up, I would usually play with people older than me. My challenge now comes from the youthful energy of the younger players. Jazz is not dead!”

Personnel: Steve Turre - trombone & shells (7); Wallace Roney Jr. - trumpet (1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10) flugel (8); Emilio Modeste - tenor & soprano sax (1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10); James Carter - tenor saxophone (9); Ed Cherry - guitar (3); Isaiah J. Thompson - piano; Corcoran Holt, bass (1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 10); Buster Williams, bass (3, 4, 8, 9); Orion Turre - drums (1, 2, 4, 6, 9, 10); Lenny White - drums (3, 7, 8); Pedrito Martinez, percussion (4, 6, 8); Andy Bassford, guitar (5); Trevor Watkis, Rhodes (5); Derek Barnett - electric bass (5); Karl Wright, drums (5)

Generations

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Herbie Hancock - Gershwin's World

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1998
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:39
Size: 155,2 MB
Art: Front

( 0:56)  1. Overture (Fascinating Rhythm)
( 4:48)  2. It Ain't Necessarily So
( 5:58)  3. The Man I Love
( 4:00)  4. Here Come De Honey Man
( 5:51)  5. St. Louis Blues
(11:05)  6. Lullaby
( 3:31)  7. Blueberry Rhyme
( 1:26)  8. It Ain't Necessarily So (Interlude)
( 4:45)  9. Cotton Tail
( 4:43) 10. Summertime
( 1:56) 11. My Man's Gone Now
( 4:44) 12. Prelude in C# Minor
( 9:13) 13. Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in G, 2nd Mvt
( 4:38) 14. Embraceable You

Gershwin's World is a tour de force for Herbie Hancock, transcending genre and label, and ranking among the finest recordings of his lengthy career. Released to coincide with the 100th anniversary of George Gershwin's birth, this disc features jazzman Hancock with a classy collection of special guests. The most surprising of Hancock's guest stars is Joni Mitchell, who delivers a gorgeously sensual vocal on "The Man I Love," then provides an airy, worldly take on "Summertime." On these two tracks, she shows she has come a long way from her folksinger beginnings to become a first-class jazz singer in her own right. Stevie Wonder's unmistakable harmonica complements Mitchell's singing on "Summertime" and shares lead instrument space with his own voice on the W.C. Handy classic "St. Louis Blues." Jazzman extraordinaire Wayne Shorter smokes a solo spot on Duke Ellington's "Cotton Tail" and carves out some space for his soprano saxophone in the midst of "Summertime." 

A number of the young lions of jazz are featured on various cuts, and Herbie's old pal Chick Corea joins the leader for a piano duet of James P. Johnson's "Blueberry Rhyme." Gershwin's wonderful, extended "Lullaby" finds Hancock teamed with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, as does an attractive arrangement of a "Concerto for Piano and Orchestra" by Maurice Ravel, whose jazz influence can be heard on the piece. In addition, one of the most beautiful tracks on the album places star soprano Kathleen Battle's voice at the forefront of Gershwin's own "Prelude in C# Minor." Yet with all the fine performances by his guests, Gershwin's World remains Hancock's show, and he plays magnificently throughout. From beautiful to funky, percussive to melodic, improvisational to tightly arranged, Hancock and cohorts take a wondrous journey through the music and world of Gershwin. ~ Jim Newsom  http://www.allmusic.com/album/gershwins-world-mw0000038316

Personnel: Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea: Piano; Madou Dembelle: Djembe; Massamba Diop: Talking Drum; Cryo Baptista, Bireyma Guiye, Cheik Mbaye: Percussion; Eddie Henderson: Trumpet; Kenny Garrett: Alto Saxophone; James Carter: Tenor and Soprano Saxophones, Wayne Shorter: Tenor Saxophone; Bakithi Kumalo: Bass and Guitar; Ira Coleman: Bass; Terri-Lynn Carrington: Drums, Marlon Graves: Guitar, Robert Sadin: Percussion Programming; Stevie Wonder: Harmonica and Vocals; Charles Curtis: Cello, The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Kathleen Battle: Vocals, Joni Mitchell: Vocals.

Gershwin's World

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Kenny Werner & Roseanna Vitro - Delirium Blues Project: Serve or Suffer

Styles: Contemporary Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:26
Size: 139,2 MB
Art: Front

(5:59) 1. What Is Hip
(9:05) 2. Goodnight Nelda Grebe, the Telephone Company Has Cut Us Off
(7:40) 3. Blue
(4:24) 4. Be Cool
(8:07) 5. Half Moon
(5:13) 6. In the Dark
(4:45) 7. Cheater Man
(6:42) 8. Everybody's Cryin' Mercy
(8:26) 9. Don't Ever Let Nobody Drag Your Spirit Down

This all-star jazz-meets-R&B project, recorded live at the Blue Note in August '07 is orchestrated by vocalist Roseanna Vitro and pianist Kenny Werner who contributes several head-spinning arrangements of familiar blues, rhythm and blues, and not-quite-blues. The album certainly gets an "A" for effort. "I found the writing process fascinating. Some of the tunes were very familiar in their original recorded versions, but I still wanted to give them a new spin," enthuses Werner. "That required me to honor the essence of what made them work the first time around whether they were funky or nasty or rockin."Werner's opening rearrangement of the '70s R&B classic "What is Hip?" comes blasting out like a cannonball and smartly retains most of the original Tower of Power horn chart, which maximizes the considerable punch of the Delirium all-star horns: Ray Anderson (trombone), Randy Brecker (trumpet), James Carter (tenor sax) and Geoff Countryman (baritone sax, bass clarinet). "Cheater Man" similarly plays rough and tumble but with the big-band R&B meets blues sound of Roomful of Blues, especially when the horns play cat-and-mouse with Rocky Bryant's whippersnap snare in the bridge.

Joni Mitchell's "Be Cool" fits Vitro's voice and delivery best, with Werner's arrangement wafting comfortably in Mitchell's ethereal and floating jazz-pop fusion, bobbing like a balloon after air punches from its horn chart. Werner's take on "Blue," co-written by Jon Hendricks, echoes the classic "big band with vocalist" sound: Overlaying horns harmonize the introduction, then step aside for Vitro's dance with Werner's acoustic piano to time softly kept by brushes; Vitro steps aside in turn for James Carter's well-trimmed alto solo. Arranged to a rousing blend of classic blues styles the chugging locomotive of electric Chicago blues lugging a boxcar bursting with New Orleans brass "Don't Ever Let Nobody Drag Your Spirit Down" proves the perfect closer. Vitro tugs and pulls with all her might though she sometimes seems a bit overmatched if not by Werner's arrangements then by the material (Lil Green's "In the Dark," for example). Even so, Werner and guitarist Adam Rogers rip off electric blues solos almost as torrid as the call and response between Brecker and Anderson, who proceeds to blow out all the windows with his trombone solo rampage. ~ CHRIS M. SLAWECKI https://www.allaboutjazz.com/serve-or-suffer-delirium-blues-project-half-note-records-review-by-chris-m-slawecki.php

Personnel: Kenny Werner: keyboards, arrangements; Roseanna Vitro: vocals; Randy Brecker: trumpet; James Carter: tenor sax; Ray Anderson: trombone; Geoff Countryman: baritone sax; Adam Rogers: guitar; John Patitucci: acoustic bass, electric bass; Rocky Bryant: drums.

Delirium Blues Project: Serve or Suffer

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Christian McBride - Sci-Fi

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:45
Size: 165,8 MB
Art: Front

(6:49)  1. Aja
(6:20)  2. Uhuru's Moment Returned
(7:59)  3. Xerxes
(7:30)  4. Lullaby For A Ladybug
(6:52)  5. Science Fiction
(6:43)  6. Walking On The Moon
(7:13)  7. Havona
(6:11)  8. I Guess I'll Have To Forget
(6:44)  9. Butterfly Dreams
(8:05) 10. Via Mwandishi
(1:14) 11. The Sci-Fi Outro

Undeniably a great technician and one of the best jazz bassists of his generation, Christian McBride is so much in demand that he might safely be considered a Paul Chambers for the new millennium. But like many talented men who find themselves viable artists in the role of sidemen, McBride has been inconsistent in his efforts as the person in charge. Sci-Fi, his fourth set for Verve as a leader, is still meandering in spots but has a creative edge to it that finds McBride earning points in the resourcefulness category.The most captivating moments here come with McBride's reworking of such pop tunes as Steely Dan's "Aja" and Sting's "Walking on the Moon," the former taking pieces of the original form for its light swing and the latter possessing a brooding and languorous quality complete with James Carter's moody bass clarinet. A salute to bass masters Jaco Pastorius and Stanley Clarke makes for more highlights, with Pastorius" "Havona" turning into a heady romp, while Clarke's beautiful waltz "Butterfly Dreams" comes on with an impressive bit of bowed work from McBride.Mixing electric and acoustic elements, guitarist David Gilmore figures prominently into the mix. The other special guests are far less integral to the success of the whole, yet Hancock tears it up on "Xerxes." McBride's own writing is not as strong as his arranging, yet the overall mood hangs together and the presentation is somewhat in the vein of a modern update on early '70s fusion (the track "Via Mwandishi" should give the astute reader a signpost in the general direction). So even though the theme may lead a bit on the side of kitsch, Sci-Fi packs a visceral punch that's worth a listen. ~ C.Andrew Hovan https://www.allaboutjazz.com/sci-fi-christian-mcbride-verve-music-group-review-by-c-andrew-hovan.php

Personnel: Christian McBride- electric and acoustic bass; keyboards; Ron Blake- tenor and soprano saxophone; James Carter- bass clarinet (tracks 6 & 10 only); Shedrick Mitchell- piano and Fender Rhodes; Herbie Hancock- piano (track 3 & 4 only); Dianne Reeves- vocals (track 4 only); Toots Thielemans- harmonica (track 8 only); David Gilmore- guitars (tracks 1,5,6,and 10); Rodney Green- drums

Sci-Fi

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Regina Carter - Motor City Moments

Styles: Violin Jazz
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:48
Size: 116,9 MB
Art: Front

(5:17)  1. Don't Git Sassy
(6:17)  2. Don't Mess With Mr. T
(5:53)  3. For Someone I Love
(3:48)  4. Forever February
(6:56)  5. Higher Ground
(6:24)  6. Love Theme From Spartacus
(3:47)  7. Prey Loot
(4:56)  8. Fukai Aijo
(3:50)  9. Chattanooga Choo Choo
(3:36) 10. Up South

Two years after her stunning debut on Verve, violinist Regina Carter offers listeners her exceptional string virtuosity on ten great songs inspired by her hometown of Detroit, Michigan. Motor City Moments features a stellar collection of songs written by some of the best musicians from Detroit including Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Thad Jones, and Milt Jackson. Regina Carter applies her pure skill, pizzicato, and arco passages to "Don't Mess With Mr. T" and "Higher Ground" with impeccable tuning and multiple approaches. Her string virtuosity on Milt Jackson's "For Someone I Love," is a masterful performance backed adeptly by Mayra Casales on percussion and spotlights a brilliant piano solo by Werner "Vana" Gierig. Two originals, "Forever February" and "Up South," which was co-written with guitarist Russell Malone, provide an interesting contrast of the artist's use of reflective temperament and folk-ornamented cadences. Each song also emphasizes Carter's adept techniques with melodic phrasing and song forms. Accompanied by her touring band of Darryl Hall on bass, Alvester Garnett on drums, percussionist Mayra Casales, Marcus Belgrave on trumpet and flugelhorn, James Carter on bass clarinet and tenor sax, Barry Harris on piano, Lewis Nash, as well as several special guests, Regina Carter has rapidly become one of the most exciting and original violinists to arrive on the jazz scene. ~ Paula Edelstein https://www.allmusic.com/album/motor-city-moments-mw0000672434

Personnel: Regina Carter - violin; Marcus Belgrave -trumpet; James Carter - tenor saxophone, bass clarinet; Werner "Vana" Gierig - piano; Darryl Hall - bass; Alvester Garnett - drums; Barry Harris - piano; Russell Malone - guitar; Lewis Nash - drums.

Motor City Moments

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Donald Byrd - Places And Spaces

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1975
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:48
Size: 83,0 MB
Art: Front

(5:08)  1. Change (Makes You Want To Hustle)
(6:10)  2. Wind Parade
(4:30)  3. (Fallin' Like) Dominoes
(6:17)  4. Places And Spaces
(5:22)  5. You And The Music
(3:43)  6. Night Whistler
(4:35)  7. Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)

Reuniting with Larry Mizell, the man behind his last three LPs, Donald Byrd continues to explore contemporary soul, funk, and R&B with Places and Spaces. In fact, the record sounds more urban than its predecessor, which often played like a Hollywood version of the inner city. Keeping the Isaac Hayes, Curtis Mayfield, and Sly Stone influences of Street Lady, Places and Spaces adds elements of Marvin Gaye, Earth, Wind & Fire, and Stevie Wonder, which immediately makes the album funkier and more soulful. Boasting sweeping string arrangements, sultry rhythm guitars, rubbery bass, murmuring flügelhorns, and punchy horn charts, the music falls halfway between the cinematic neo-funk of Street Lady and the proto-disco soul of Earth, Wind & Fire. Also, the title Places and Spaces does mean something there are more open spaces within the music, which automatically makes it funkier. Of course, it also means that there isn't much of interest on Places and Spaces for jazz purists, but the album would appeal to most fans of Philly soul, lite funk, and proto-disco. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine https://www.allmusic.com/album/places-and-spaces-mw0000616571

Personnel: Donald Byrd (vocals, trumpet, flugelhorn); Fonce Mizell (vocals, trumpet, Clavinet, clavichord); Larry Mizell (vocals, piano); Kay Haith (vocals); James Carter (whistling); Craig McMullen, John Rowin (guitar); Tyree Glenn (tenor saxophone); Ray Brown (trumpet); George Bohannon (trombone); Skip Scarborough (electric piano); Chuck Rainey (electric bass); Harvey Mason, Sr. (drums); Mayuto Correa (congas, percussion); King Errisson (congas).

Places And Spaces

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Steve Turre - The Spirits Up Above

Styles: Trombone Jazz
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:23
Size: 115,7 MB
Art: Front

(3:02)  1. Three for the Festival
(5:03)  2. One for Kirk
(9:22)  3. Medley: Serenade to a Cuckoo/Bright Moments
(4:43)  4. Stepping Into Beauty
(4:37)  5. The Spirits up Above
(4:48)  6. Hand Full of Five
(4:14)  7. E.D.
(5:58)  8. Dorthaan's Walk
(8:33)  9. Volunteered Slavery

You have to have a lot of nerve to pay homage to Rahsaan Roland Kirk. Soul-drenched, steeped in the blues yet progressive in ways that were not to be fully appreciated until after his untimely death in '77, Kirk's music managed to be a bundle of contradictions while, at the same time, a cohesive statement about the true jazz experience. And while more space was often devoted to his eccentricities playing multiple horns at once, dressing flamboyantly, as much a visual performer as a player the reality is that Kirk, whose capabilities ranged from Dixieland to free jazz and everything in between, was arguably one of the most creative musicians of his time. Trombonist Steve Turre not only met Kirk as a teenager, but ended up on the stage with him any time Kirk was in the Bay Area where Turre was growing up, and later again when Turre had relocated to New York. And so it is that Turre is in a unique position to re-evaluate the music and performances of Kirk, and deliver up The Spirits Up Above , as honest and heartfelt an homage as is possible.

With an all-star cast including saxophonists Vincent Herring and James Carter, found here in a setting that eschews his tendency to shtick in his own work, along with pianist Mulgrew Miller, bassist Buster Williams and drummer Winard Harper bolstering the rhythm section, Turre has formed a band that is completely capable of running the gamut of Kirk's material, from the up-tempo swinging blues of "Three for the Festival" to the tender balladry of "Stepping into Beauty," and from the soulful title track, complete with vocal chorus to the modal 5/4 romp "Hand Full of Five." With most pieces running in the four-to-five minute range, the arrangements are tight and the solos, while effusive, are kept short and to the point. In a setting where every player gets to shine, special mention needs to be made of Carter, whose brash tenor solo on "Hand Full of Five" comes closest to capturing the free spirit that was Kirk. But whereas his own work sometimes feels overly considered and contrived, it is clear that here he, like the rest of his bandmates, are just having a whole lot of fun. As entertaining as this record is, the group must be positively incendiary live. Kirk, as a performing musician, proved that there didn't have to be a gap between the audience and the players, that the experience was truly meant to be a shared one, rather than an elite meeting of musicians to which the audience was fortunate enough to be privy. 

Turre and his group manage to capture that same spirit of collaboration. The best music is meant to be a true symbiosis, and The Spirits Up Above goes a long way to breaking down any invisible barriers between those who play and those who listen.  Chorus on "The Spirits Up Above" and "Volunteered Slavery": Andromeda Turre, Akua Dixon, Michael Hill, Whitney Marchell Jackson, Joe Dixon, Steve Turre ~ John Kelman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-spirits-up-above-steve-turre-highnote-records-review-by-john-kelman.php

Personnel: Steve Turre (trombone), James Carter (tenor saxophone, flute on "Stepping into Beauty"), Vincent Herring (alto and soprano saxophones), Dave Valentin (flute on "Medley: Serenade to a Cuckoo/Brighter Moments"), Mulgrew Miller (piano), Buster Williams (bass), Winard Harper (drums)

The Spirits Up Above

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Rodney Whitaker - Hidden Kingdom

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop 
Year: 1997
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:09
Size: 154,9 MB
Art: Front

(8:14)  1. Childhood
(9:45)  2. Blues in the Closet
(5:34)  3. Repentance
(7:18)  4. Mastery Through Love
(3:42)  5. Pilgrim Progress
(6:40)  6. First Impressions
(7:21)  7. The Child in the Womb
(6:46)  8. Hidden Kingdom
(9:19)  9. Open Hit (D. W.)
(2:26) 10. The Promise of You

On his second CD as a leader, Rodney Whittaker is joined by a rotating cast of Detroit's best jazz players and other guests for a program of original compositions by the group's members and one jazz classic, with Whittaker's big-toned bass anchoring the proceedings. Sax superstar James Carter guest stars on five of the ten selections, with his swing-based tone and cutting edge tendencies, although he is more restrained here than on his own recordings. Favorites include Whittaker's "Childhood," a multi-tempo composition that features an excellent alto sax solo by Cassius Richmond and an exciting trumpet-tenor duel between Dwight Adams and Ron Blake; a joyous romp on Oscar Pettiford's "Blues in the Closet"; Richmond's multi-themed and multi-tempo "First Impressions"; and Whittaker's lovely ballad "The Child in the Womb." Whittaker's bass playing and composing establish him as one to watch in the future.~ Greg Turner http://www.allmusic.com/album/hidden-kingdom-mw0000032518

Personnel:  Dwight Adams – Trumpet (1, 5, 7, 8, 10);  Marcus Belgrave – Trumpet (2, 3, 4, 6);  Cassius Richmond – Flute, Alto Sax (1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10);  Ron Blake – Soprano, Tenor (1, 5, 7, 8, 10);  James Carter – Soprano, Tenor Sax (2, 3, 4, 6, 9);  Mark Hynes – Soprano Sax (4);  Peter Martin – Piano (1, 5, 7, 8, 10);  J. D. – Piano (2, 3, 6, 9);  Rick Roe – Piano (4);  Rodney Whitaker – Bass;  Gerald W. Cleaver - Drums (1, 5, 7, 8, 10);  Gregory Hutchinson – Drums (3, 9);  Kariem Riggins – Drums (2, 4, 6);  Leonard King – Vocal (10)

Hidden Kingdom

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Flip Phillips - Swing Is The Thing!

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:03
Size: 162.6 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 2000
Art: Front

[2:18] 1. The Mark Of Zorro (Intro)
[6:05] 2. I Hadn't Anyone Till You
[4:12] 3. Everything I Have Is Yours
[4:59] 4. Where Or When
[3:39] 5. In A Mellow Tone
[3:59] 6. Exactly Like Us
[6:37] 7. Music, Maestro, Please!
[8:28] 8. Swing Is The Thing
[6:28] 9. For All We Know
[5:02] 10. Flip The Whip
[6:51] 11. Susan's Dream
[6:08] 12. This Is All I Ask
[3:26] 13. Grand Rose
[2:45] 14. The Mark Of Zorro (Outro)

Amazingly enough, this is 85-year-old Flip Phillips' first major-label recording as a leader, as well as one of the few albums he's ever released as a leader. You'd have to say that the old man still has plenty of wind in him, because this is a blowing session from start to finish, especially on tracks like "The Mark of Zorro" (versions of which open and close the album), "Where or When," and "Flip the Whip," when Phillips is joined by one or both of two fellow tenor men, James Carter and Joe Lovano. The rest of the time, he sticks with a rhythm section consisting of Howard Alden, Benny Green, Christian McBride, and Kenny Washington, though Duke Ellington's "In a Mellow Tune" is a duet with bassist McBride and "This Is All I Ask" pairs him with guitarist Alden. Alden especially also gets plenty of solo time in on what are really group performances. But that takes nothing away from the spry leader, who can roar on such numbers as the title tune and whisper with a husky tone on slow burners like "For All We Know." His playing is an inspiration. ~William Ruhlmann

Swing Is The Thing!

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James Carter - Present Tense

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:58
Size: 144.2 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 2008
Art: Front

[7:29] 1. Rapid Shave
[7:15] 2. Bro. Dolphy
[5:04] 3. Pour Que Ma Vie Demeure
[6:03] 4. Sussa Nita
[5:11] 5. Song Of Delilah
[6:02] 6. Dodo's Bounce
[8:27] 7. Shadowy Sands
[4:23] 8. Hymn Of The Orient
[4:44] 9. Bossa J.C
[8:14] 10. Tenderly

James Carter’s first outing for EmArcy is an unselfconscious mix of influences, more three-dimensional than his various tribute discs and the recent organ-trio blowouts Live at Baker’s and Out of Nowhere. The saxophonist fronts a versatile, hard-swinging band with Dwight Adams on trumpet, D.D. Jackson on piano, James Genus on bass and Victor Lewis on drums. Percussionist Eli Fountain and guitarist Rodney Jones add flavor on three tracks each. Carter, as always, plays multiple horns, but his improvising gains force at the high- and low-register extremes, on flute, baritone sax and bass clarinet.

Jackson asserts his Don Pullen influence from the gate on Dave Burns’ “Rapid Shave,” which opens the album in crisp 24-bar modified blues mode. Carter’s “Bro. Dolphy,” with its spiraling bass clarinet line, seems to maintain the same pace but just as soon morphs into an elegant ballad, until the out chorus. “Shadowy Sands,” another bass clarinet standout, has Carter channeling Harry Carney (the tune’s original interpreter) while the band shifts from sultry bolero to deep swing. There are nods to Clifford Brown as well: a funky “Song of Delilah” and an extremely fast “Hymn of the Orient,” which has its excitement but tends to blur the curious harmony of the bridge. Jones plays taut bebop on “Dodo’s Bounce” (Carter’s flute feature) and enticing acoustic guitar on two Latin-tinged numbers. One of these, the rowdy “Bossa J.C.,” would seem the perfect sendoff, but Carter ends instead with an eight-minute “Tenderly.” Nicely played, but anticlimactic. ~David Adler

Present Tense

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James Carter - Chasin' The Gypsy

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 54:13

Size: 124.1 MB

Styles: Post bop, Saxophone jazz, Gypsy jazz

Year: 2000

Art: Front

[5:36] 1. Nuages

[6:33] 2. La Derniére Bergére (The Last Shepherdess)

[7:27] 3. Manoir De Mes Reves Django's Castle

[6:52] 4. Artillerie Lourde (Heavy Artillery)

[3:59] 5. Chasin' The Gypsy

[8:01] 6. Oriental Shuffle

[7:15] 7. I'll Never Be The Same

[4:37] 8. Avalon

[3:49] 9. Imari's Lullaby

Just when you had him pegged as a rip-snorting tenor and bari monster with a wicked penchant for ferocious overblowing, he comes across as a shameless romantic on Chasin' the Gypsy, his lovely ode to Django. Still, Carter's characteristic bravado, tenor squeals, trills and remarkable displays of multiphonics are still intact here, even in the lush setting of "The Last Shepherdess" and "Django's Castle." Carter nicely grafts his own sense of swagger onto Django's swing-era aesthetic on "Heavy Artillery," which features some very frisky exchanges between Regina Carter's Joe Venuti/Stuff Smith-styled violinand Carter's blowtorch bass sax. The two also joyously unite on the lithe title track, a giddy homage that has Carter soaring effortlessly on soprano sax while Jay Berliner and Romero Lubambo chunk appropriately behind him on guitars.

Django's melancholy "Oriental Shuffle" is a showcase for Carter's F-mezzo soprano sax, while Regina Carter flashes her considerable chops and musicality on a tender reading of "I'll Never Be the Same." Then the sparks fly on a spirited Hot Clubish rendition of "Avalon," with the two Carters engaging in some explosive violin and tenor sax call-and-response as the tune heats up.Carter is given brilliant support throughout by bassist Steve Kirby and drummer Joey Baron, whose instincts are always right on, whether he's swinging fervently with sticks or conjuring up an alluring mood with brushes. Accordionist Charlie Giordano adds coloristic touches throughout, and Lubambo helps convey a tasteful Brazilian vibe with his soothing nylon-string guitar work. Lubambo's moving duet with Carter on the lovely closer "Imari's Lullaby" is a lyrical highlight. ~Bill Milkowski

Chasin' The Gypsy

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Junko Onishi - Baroque

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:48
Size: 171,7 MB
Art: Front

( 9:04)  1. Tutti
( 5:51)  2. The Mother's (Where Johnny Is)
(19:41)  3. The Threepenny Opera
( 4:47)  4. Stardust
(10:45)  5. Meditations for a Pair of Wire Cutters
( 9:48)  6. Flamingo
(10:24)  7. The Street Beat/52nd Street Theme
( 4:26)  8. Memories of You

The world has been a slightly less happy place since Junko Onishi's last record. After establishing herself as one of the finest young jazz pianists around with her debut, Wow (EMI, 1993), Onishi released a string of fine Blue Note recordings: Live At The Village Vanguard Volume 1 and Volume 2 (both 1994); the superb Cruisin' (1994), featuring her majestic "Eulogia"; and Piano Quintet Suite (1995).

With Fragile (Blue Note, 1999) a virtual rock covers album that took on Jimi Hendrix, Cream and The Righteous Brothers Onishi's recorded output all but vanished in the U.S., while the pianist reportedly released a number of CDs in Japan. Now on Verve, Onishi is back with another unpredictable but typically excellent effort. A more lavish-sounding record than the rock n' raw Fragile, Baroque gives Onishi the opportunity to showcase her formidable compositional and arranging skills. Working with durable and longtime band members Rodney Whitaker and Reginald Veal, (bass), Wycliffe Gordon (trombone), and fellow former Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra band mate Herlin Riley (drums) along with stellar guests Nicholas Payton (trumpet) and woodwind/reed phenom James Carter Baroque is Onishi's show, yet every musician shines brightly. Riley and Gordon solo engagingly in avant-garde fashion on the album's obvious highlight, "The Three Penny Opera," which, according to the liners, features a piano solo based a musical score by Onishi's mentor and friend, the great Jaki Byard. This Onishi original is both a surprise and a revelation, with all the musicians allowed to stretch more than on her previous recordings. 

As evidenced by the album's opener, "Tutti," Onishi's style has now allowed for a more improvisational approach. In some of her earlier records, her classical training sometimes kept things rather tight. But on numbers like bassist Charles Mingus' notoriously difficult "Meditations for a Pair of Wire Cutters," the pianist seems to have taken a page from the composer's book, allowing her seasoned fellow musicians room to interpret more freely. Onishi gives herself two beautiful unaccompanied piano showcases on Baroque: Hoagy Carmichael's "Stardust" and Eubie Blake's "Memories of You." Both are fresh takes, technically impressive, and inventive without fussiness. Baroque's expansiveness and variety make for what could be Onishi's most purely entertaining CD to date. ~ Keith Henry Brown  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/baroque-junko-onishi-verve-music-group-review-by-keith-henry-brown.php

Personnel: Junko Onishi : piano; Rodney Whitaker: bass; Reginald Veal: bass; Wycliffe Gordon: trombone; Herlin Riley: drums; Nicholas Payton: trumpet; James Carter: tenor and soprano saxophones, bass clarinet, flute; Roland Guerrero: congas.

Baroque

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Cyrus Chestnut - Cyrus Chestnut

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1998
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:47
Size: 137,2 MB
Art: Front

(5:02)  1. Miss Thing (feat. James Carter)
(7:55)  2. Strolling In Central Park
(8:36)  3. Sharp (feat. James Carter & Joe Lovano)
(4:22)  4. Summertime (feat. Anita Baker)
(6:38)  5. The Journey (feat. James Carter)
(4:42)  6. Elegant Flower
(3:36)  7. Nutman's Invention #2
(3:40)  8. My Favorite Things (feat. Anita Baker)
(6:25)  9. Any Way You Can (feat. Joe Lovano)
(5:00) 10. Mother's Blues
(3:45) 11. Great Is Thy Faithfulness

Joined by several important guests, Cyrus Chestnut proves once again that he is among the brightest, post-bop players of his generation. For this effort, his trio includes legends Ron Carter on bass and Billy Higgins on drums. Joining them are all-stars Lewis Nash (drums on two tracks), James Carter (alto on three tracks), Joe Lovano (tenor sax on two tracks), and two significant appearances by vocalist Anita Baker. This album is very good as well as very solid, with no tracks that clearly stand above the rest. Nash and Baker appear together on the album's only two standards: the slow, sexy "Summertime" and the bright, scat-filled "My Favorite Things." Carter's virtuoso brilliance dominates "Miss Thing" and "The Journey." Lovano contributes his unique intensity to "Any Way You Can" and joins Carter for the impressive two-horned workout "Sharp." 

As for the leader, he continues to demonstrate the rare ability to generate soul from the percussive piano. Though his versatility and technical facility is plainly evident, it is this emotional gift which sets him apart. He can play loud and fast; he has developed a lighter, more delicate touch on the ballads; he imparts elements of both blues and gospel in his sound; and he writes his own music. Cyrus Chestnut is recommended the album and the musician. ~ Brian Bartolini  http://www.allmusic.com/album/cyrus-chestnut-mw0000042218

Personnel: Cyrus Chestnut (piano, Fender Rhodes piano); Anita Baker (vocals); James Carter (alto saxophone); Joe Lovano (tenor saxophone); Ron Carter (bass); Billy Higgins, Lewis Nash (drums).

Cyrus Chestnut

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James Carter Organ Trio - At The Crossroads

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:44
Size: 171,9 MB
Art: Front

(6:49)  1. Oh Gee
(3:19)  2. JC Off The Set
(5:26)  3. Aged Pain
(5:21)  4. The Walking Blues
(7:04)  5. My Whole Life Through
(7:23)  6. Walking The Dog
(7:00)  7. Lettuce Toss Yo' Salad
(5:09)  8. Misterio
(4:19)  9. Ramblin' Blues
(7:34) 10. Come Sunday
(5:21) 11. Tis The Old Ship of Zion
(9:52) 12. The Hard Blues

Jazz has many faces. Some are searching and expansive, like those of alto saxophonists Ornette Coleman and John Coltrane, seeking the outer edges of the music. Some are reverent and deferential, like the Modern Jazz Quartet and trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, trying to lend respectability to the music borne in the whore houses of New Orleans' Storyville district. But like every family, there are the black sheep, the ones that want to stay out all night long, drinking and smoking pursuing all manner of pleasures of the flesh. That is what the soul jazz genre of the organ trio is. Conceived in an alley behind a delta juke joint on the Southern chitlin circuit, the jazz organ trio reminds jazz of its gravid, earthy origins, reminding alto saxophonist Charlie Parker and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie know that Kansas City and New York City are not that far from Memphis, Tennessee, as the crow flies. But organ jazz cleans up pretty well and, midnight Faustian bargains made on delta roads notwithstanding, saxophonist James Carter and his organ trio (augmented by horns on some tracks) evidence this on At The Crossroads, illustrating what happens when the blues put on a new suit and move uptown to the ritzy place where everyone drinks champagne rather than beer. But the blues can never shed, nor should want to, its humble beginnings, always acknowledging its origins in the rural cotton field, clapboard church and roadhouse. It is here that Carter takes advantage of the music, exploring all of its facets in his exceptional organ trio format. 

No stone is left unturned, no influence unaknowledged. Taking nothing for granted, Carter opens with an modern up-tempo jump blues, trombonist Matthew Gee's "Oh Gee," complemented by Bruce Edwards on guitar. Carter's core trio, which has been in existence since 2005 and the release of Out of Nowhere (Halfnote Records), contains organist Gerard Gibbs and drummer Leonard King, Jr., who round out the performance. The opening piece is tightly displayed with effortless swing. Carter reveals amply that he is both a student and master of reeds, bar blowing and wailing in the same breath. Carter is most potent as a blues player on those pieces that he doubles on tenor and baritone saxophones. "The Walking Blues" features vocalist Miche Braden and is a Louis Jordan-juke blues with a dense bottom and broad baritone solo-vamp that promotes Carter as a leading baritone player. Braden's scatting is bright and assertive over Gibbs' choppy organ. Braden returns on Maybelle Smith's "Ramblin Blues" (loosely based on Big Bill Broonzy's "Key to the Highway"), and Carter and guitarist Brandon Ross bring the blues way low-down. Trumpeter Kenyon Harold solos gutbucket, hitting every flatted fifth, followed by trombonist Vincent Chandler channelling Al Grey. Ronald Shannon Jackson's "Aged Pain" is all rhythm and blues made real with Edward's soulful guitar filigree. But it is Carter, singularly on baritone, who proves best since Gerry Mulligan that the big saxophone can serve as a dandy solo instrument. His solo is probing and inquisitive, well-balanced dramatically. Carter pulls out the alto saxophone on a couple of selections. The Leonard King original "Lettuce Toss Yo Salad" is a contemporary chitlin circuit bar-walker. Carter's facility on the alto is equal to that on the other reeds: he is very much the full service reedist. 

Carter provides the same vibe on Jack McDuff's "Walkin' the Dog." Gibbs is churchy in his organ introduction, flavoring the cooker with gospel notes. The disc ends on two superb alto saxophone driven pieces: the traditional "Tis This Old Ship of Zion" and the progressive Julius Hemphill composition "The Hard Blues." On "Tis This Old Ship of Zion" Braden sings her best on the disc, the same way all involved play, all summoning the Holy Spirit. Gibbs is 100% beside the pulpit with Carter centrally positioned to show the gospel power in his playing. It is easy to forget that this is a jazz organ trio playing, amen. Hemphill's "The Hard Blues" is the most provocative piece on the disc. A summation composition that weaves various blues styles together, Carter uses his performance as an integrating survey of the music in all of its hues. It is a filthy grinding groove laid down by Gibbs and King for Carter and Ross to probe and poke. And probe they do. Alternating through a bluesman John Lee Hooker dirge through an outer- space Coltrane romp, Carter and Ross spar and dance, summoning all of the spirits at bay. It is a Shakespearean ending to a hugely satisfying recording. ~ C.Michael Bailey   http://www.allaboutjazz.com/james-carter-organ-trio-at-the-crossroads-by-c-michael-bailey.php#.U3lZiCi9a5w

Personnel: James Carter: saxophones; Leonard King Jr.: drums, vocals (10); Gerard Gibbs: organ; Miche Braden: vocals (4, 11); Brandon Ross: guitar (4, 12); Bruce Edwards: guitar (1, 3, 6) Keyon Harrold: trumpet (4, 10); Vincent Chandler: trombone (4, 10); Eli Fountain: tambourines (10).

At The Crossroads

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