Showing posts with label James Weidman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label James Weidman. Show all posts

Saturday, January 20, 2024

T.K. Blue, James Weidman - The Tide Of Love

Styles: Saxophone And Flute Jazz
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:56
Size: 129,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:46) 1. When Sunny Gets Blue
(5:30) 2. The Peacocks
(6:42) 3. The Tide Of Love (Radio version)
(3:26) 4. Eu Sei Que Vou Te Amar (guitar)
(5:32) 5. Never Felt This Way
(6:35) 6. Luiza
(5:08) 7. That's All
(5:24) 8. A Prayer For Us (Radio version)
(3:28) 9. A Quiet Place
(4:46) 10. To Mend A Broken Heart
(4:33) 11. So Many Stars (Radio version)

T.K. Blue is an artist who is proficient on both the alto saxophone and flute; he has released a striking album entitled The Tide of Love that offers a diverse and engaging musical journey through various genres of the jazz spectrum. In this session, he is accompanied by several superb musicians, including Grammy-nominated Stefon Harris on vibes, along with pianist James Weidman, bassist Gavin Fallow, drummer Lenny Robinson and guitarist Ron Jackson. The group recorded an album of creativity, originality, and emotional impact in this eleven-track outing.

The opening track is "When Sunny Gets Blue." With a creative mode of expression, Blue offers an interesting take on the number under a cloak of restraint. The following cut is a beautiful Jimmy Rowles original called "The Peacocks." Performed as a duo with Blue and pianist James Weidman, it harkens back to the initial 1975 release of the song on an album by the composer and tenor saxophonist Stan Getz. Blue's tone has a beauty all its own, while Weidman shows a crystalline precision of each note.

The title track, "The Tide of Love," is a Blue original composition, one of several that appear on the release. Taken at a languid tempo, this emotive number has an elliptical sense of phrase with Blue, Harris, Weidman and Jackson playing notes and figures that keep the composition moving forward. Bossa master Antonio Carlos Jobim contributes two pieces to the outing; the first is " Eu Sei Que Vou Te Amar," followed by "Luiza." On the former, through overdubbing, Blue is heard on both alto sax and flute to provide an empathetic interplay with Jackson on acoustic guitar. Although subtle, the bossa effect is more pronounced on the latter.

In addition to Blue, both Weidman and Jackson, again on acoustic guitar, are very effective in their solo interventions. The popular standard "That's All" is covered with Blue, concisely stating the melody with a reflective feel. Weidman's support is sensitive to the dynamics of the number and enhances Blue's relaxed inventions. The closing track is "So Many Stars" the well-known bossa nova by Sergio Mendes and Alan & Marilyn Bergman. In this rendition, Blue confirms his ability to navigate and blend this genre to provide an expressive and sentimental side of jazz. The album shows T.K. Blue's skill, passion, and commitment to musical diversity.By Pierre Giroux
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-tide-of-love-tk-blue-arkadia-records

Line-up/Musicians: T.K. Blue: alto sax and alto flute, arranger, leader; Stefon Harris: vibraphone, marimba; James Weidman: piano; Gavin Fallow: bass; Lenny Robinso: drums; Ron Jackson: guitar.

The Tide Of Love

Monday, November 21, 2022

Arkadia Jazz All-Stars - It's About Love

Styles: Jazz Contemporary
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:43
Size: 160,8 MB
Art: Front

(6:44) 1. Mood Indigo
(5:48) 2. A Summer Affair
(4:38) 3. My Cherie Amour
(8:37) 4. My Funny Valentine
(5:06) 5. Round Midnight
(4:27) 6. It's Really All About Love
(5:18) 7. The More I See You
(6:02) 8. Interlude
(5:53) 9. Passionata
(6:28) 10. Ask Me Now
(4:51) 11. I Want to Talk About You
(5:46) 12. A Perfect Couple

It could be said that jazz is really the musical language of Love. Like any quest, you have to seek jazz out, it never comes to you, and it may take a long time to truly understand its message but as soon as you hear it, you know you’ve found love. Jazz, like all personal relationships, has so many moods that it may confound you at first, but once you get to know it, there’s no turning back. Much of the repertoire of jazz has been dedicated to love and Arkadia Jazz All-Stars have recorded an album that celebrates the romantic, intimate side of jazz, and musically explores the unanswerable question: What is Love?

Starting off with Benny Golson’s sublime reading of Duke Ellington’s Mood Indigo, the stage is set for romance. The nylon strings of Nigel Clark are featured next in the breezy A Summer Affair, capturing the smoldering flame of passion. Joanne Brackeen performs Stevie Wonder’s pop standard My Cherie Amour in her own dynamic and totally individual way, and Randy Brecker’s Grammy Nominated performance on My Funny Valentine is a moment of real beauty. Both artists bring new depth to several of the all time great love songs. Paul Tobey’s sensitive and insightful rendition of Monk’s Round Midnight is rhapsodic, using subtle dissonances to create tension, released by his flowing lines.

T.K. Blue’s original composition, It’s Really All About Love features the flute, an instrument often tied with romanticism. The More I See You by Mary Pearson expresses the sentiment of undying love that we all long to have, as does the masterful ballad Interlude by the Billy Taylor Trio. Passionata was an unfinished composition by Kenny Drew Sr. that was completed and recorded by his son, Kenny Drew Jr., and is a testament to familial love. Eric Reed’s rendition of Monk’s Ask Me Now is a sparse, yet tender and eloquent doctrine on the state of love. David Liebman and Vic Juris show their gentle sides on the sparkling I Want To Talk About You, while pianist Uli Lenz’s mesmerizing A Perfect Couple brings this recording to a romantic close and is the perfect denouement for this CD, “It’s About Love.”

What happens to us when we fall in love, and when we hear or see something that kindles our passions? Our outlook on life becomes filled with possibilities. Jazz mirrors our life experiences, and we should try to remember that in our collective consciousness. As in our personal relationships, jazz is about the joy and creation of beauty and human emotion in real time. Share this music with someone; it has something to do with discovery and hope. It has something to do with love.

Whether looking surround yourself with beautiful ballads, or to set the mood for a romantic evening, or simply looking for a special Valentines Day gift all year round, “It’s About Love” is a wonderful collection that provides both the romantic atmosphere and world class music from some of the most influential sounds in Jazz.
https://arkadiajazzallstars.com/product/arkadia-jazz-all-stars-its-about-love/

Personnel: Carl Allen: Drums; James Weidman: Piano; Santi Debriano: Bass; Kenny Drew Jr.: Piano; Eric Reed: Piano; Peter Washington: Bass; Lewis Nash: Drums; Rodney Whitaker: Bass; Dave Liebman: Soprano sax; Vic Juris: Guitar; Dean Johnson: Bass; Ron Vincent: Drums;

It's About Love

Thursday, November 27, 2014

James Weidman - October Feeling

Size: 144,3 MB
Time: 62:08
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz: Piano Jazz
Art: Front

01. I Hear A Rhapsody (5:34)
02. Three Questions (4:33)
03. The Wanderer (7:00)
04. The Mind Is The Universe (6:15)
05. Upper Manhattan Medical Group (5:11)
06. Straight Ahead (7:30)
07. Spring Is Here (6:57)
08. It's There For You To See (7:38)
09. October Feeling (5:50)
10. The Best Thing For You (Would Be Me ) (5:37)

Really nice solo piano set from Weidman, who mixes things up with tunes from the GAS, a few from jazz giants and some of his own originals. He gets an intimate, warm sound from his instrument, which is why the songs reveal a depth and substance even when he’s playing it straight and casual. For this session, Weidman set out to use a Fazioli rather than a typical Steinway piano. The Fazioli is made from the same wood as the Stradivarius, and notes tend to sustain a bit longer. Between that and his smart play, it’s why this album resonates as strongly as it does. ~Dave Sumner

October Feeling