Jimmy Bruno - Like That

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:50
Size: 139.3 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz
Year: 1996
Art: Front

[4:40] 1. E.V
[5:05] 2. Raezer's Edge
[5:43] 3. Waltz For Nancy
[6:13] 4. There Is No Greater Love
[4:26] 5. The Iguana's Uncle
[5:24] 6. Pat's House
[6:17] 7. Night Dreamer
[6:26] 8. The Way You Look Tonight
[4:49] 9. Like That
[3:28] 10. Stars Fell On Alabama
[8:15] 11. Unit Seven

Acoustic Bass, Electric Bass – Craig Thomas; Drums – Steve Holloway; Guitar – Jimmy Bruno; Organ – Joey DeFrancesco; Trumpet – Joey DeFrancesco. Recorded August 30, 1995 - August 31, 1995.

An aptly titled album if there ever was one, "Like That" is a tour de force in hard bop jazz, featuring the talents of guitarist Jimmy Bruno, who can burn and still balance his chops with very tasteful licks, and tone things down when it's the right time to do it. Joining him on this 1996 album is organist Joey Defrancesco, as hot on the B-3 as anybody who ever played one. Plus, he excels at trumpet and plays it on a couple of cuts. The year of this release is important to me, because just a scant two years prior Defrancesco partnered with the late legendary Danny Gatton on the last studio album Danny would make before tragically committing suicide in October of 1994. "Relentless" was and is a modern jazz masterpiece, an absolute must have for any jazz and jazz guitar fan reading this review.

So while Joey is the guest on this album, he is given equal time, and the whole ensemble just cooks. There can never be a replacement for Danny Gatton, but Jimmy Bruno is a superb player who stays pretty close to his jazz roots, whereas Gatton was famous or infamous if you're a guitarist who knows when your musical ass has been thoroughly kicked, for being a living encyclopedia of American music, and played whatever style he felt like better than anybody else. But this isn't a Gatton review. Bruno has made his mark and that is one of superb dexterity, beautiful tone, and most importantly, a very strong melodic sense that makes his solos integral to the music, not just icing on a cake that is no good without it. Asking Defrancesco to team up with him is a great idea. I want to point out that amazon.com has for some weird reason itemized a couple of tracks that say "featuring Joey Defrancesco", which is wrong, as Joey plays on the entire album.

"There Is No Greater Love" features Joey on trumpet that is as good as anything Miles Davis ever did. One or two songs are so furiously paced you'd think your player may spontaneously combust. Wes Montgomery fans, and I'm a huge fan, will be interested to see there is a version here of the standard "Unit 7" to close the album. Bruno and Defrancesco turn in a great performance, and Bruno makes sure to throw a few Montgomery trademark octave sweeps. While I will always consider the version of "Unit 7" on Montgomery's legendary live album "Live At The Half Note" untouchable, the song is certainly not treated poorly here. "Like That" is a great album, and after purchasing this and the Bruno/Joe Beck album "Polarity", I'll be checking out more of his CD's. ~Scott Hedegard

Like That mc
Like That zippy

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Jimmy Bruno - Burnin'

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:38
Size: 143.4 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz
Year: 1994
Art: Front

[5:42] 1. The Eternal Triangle
[5:09] 2. Pastel
[4:45] 3. One For Amos
[5:01] 4. Love Is Here To Stay
[4:34] 5. Burnin'
[8:12] 6. Moonlight In Vermont
[1:57] 7. Central Park West
[5:39] 8. Giant Steps
[4:35] 9. Witch Craft
[5:01] 10. On The Sunny Side Of The Street
[4:36] 11. A Rose For Peg
[7:21] 12. That's All

Bass – Craig Thomas; Drums – Steve Holloway; Guitar – Jimmy Bruno.

Burnin' is a most appropriate title for Jimmy Bruno's second album because much of the time, the guitarist is doing exactly that. A hard bopper with superb chops, Bruno loves to swing hard and fast, and he takes no prisoners on bop standards like Sonny Stitt's "Eternal Triangle" and John Coltrane's "Giant Steps." Known for its insanely difficult chord changes, the latter has long been considered a test piece for jazz musicians; Bruno sails right through the tune at maximum speed without even blinking an eye. But while his technique is impressive, it wouldn't mean as much if Bruno (who forms a trio with bassist Craig Thomas and drummer Steve Holloway) didn't have so much soul to go with his massive chops. As intensely as he plays on the fast numbers, Bruno has no problem turning around and showing his lyrical side on Trane's "Central Park West" and the standard "That's All." Burnin' was recorded at Philly's legendary Sigma Sound, where so many great R&B sessions were done in the '70s. ~Alex Henderson

Burnin'

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Jimmy Bruno - Solo

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:46
Size: 120.8 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz
Year: 2004
Art: Front

[3:47] 1. Have You Met Miss Jones
[4:42] 2. I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face
[2:42] 3. Joy Spring
[3:48] 4. Satin Doll
[5:08] 5. Darn That Dream
[2:36] 6. Just Friends
[6:43] 7. Misty
[4:44] 8. I'm In The Mood For Love
[4:21] 9. The Toffelmire Band
[4:25] 10. Benny's Tune
[3:52] 11. Stella By Starlight
[3:59] 12. Night And Day
[1:52] 13. Giant Steps

A lot of musicians first learn their craft through the various method books produced by Mel Bay Publications. And so it is within reason to expect outstanding technique on the recordings recorded by Mel Bay Records.

Solo , guitarist Jimmy Bruno's first album for the fledgling label, doesn't disappoint on that score. It's a fiercely swung set of standards and originals featuring walking bass lines, sweep-picked arpeggios, and whole tone scales imaginatively deployed on solo guitar. There's even a rendition of John Coltrane's "Giant Steps." Bruno not only improvises melodically and soulfully over the tune's labyrinthine chord progression, he also does it while playing at light speed. ~Alex K. Fong

Solo

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Jimmy Bruno, Joe Beck - Polarity

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:33
Size: 134.1 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz
Year: 2000
Art: Front

[4:31] 1. How Long Has This Been Going On
[4:29] 2. Lazy Afternoon
[4:05] 3. Polarity
[4:08] 4. I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face
[5:09] 5. Eleanor Rigby
[5:55] 6. Estate
[3:43] 7. Summertime
[4:16] 8. Tenderly
[4:45] 9. Carioca Blue
[4:03] 10. Emily
[4:12] 11. I Don't Stand A Gost Of A Chance With You
[4:10] 12. Cherokee
[5:00] 13. Poem For #15

Veteran guitarists Joe Beck and Jimmy Bruno work well together and share an appreciation of beautiful sound as applied to jazz's mainstream. Most of the feature work is from Bruno, 46, who plays a seven-string guitar. Beck, 54, plays an instrument of his own creation. His alto guitar is tuned down a fifth and offers the artist a means for providing both bass line and accompaniment. Tone quality remains of paramount importance throughout the duo session.

"Summertime" moves at a lively tempo and becomes a fast-fingered clinic for Bruno's dexterous hands. Unfortunately, the flying fingers and urgent mood have eroded the piece's sentimental spirit. While his interpretation is unique, the standard "Summertime" carries its own set of familiar elements. The duo's arrangement takes some getting used to. Similarly, "Emily" loses much of its familiar lingering lyricism as the duo takes it up-tempo with a bouncing rhythm.

Beck has created harmonic bossa arrangements for most of the album's selections. They're lively and serve to demonstrate Bruno's superb technique. "Cherokee," accustomed to this kind of blazing-fast tempo, appears here as an up-tempo waltz. It's quite appropriate, and both guitarists seem quite comfortable with the situation. Joe Beck has one solo feature, "Tenderly." On it, he caresses the lyrical melody with slow, well-thought-out chords that preserve the ballad's original meaning. His one solo interlude, also chorded, appears during the romantic "Estate'" with a fresh improvised twist on a lovely tune.

Limiting the selections to under five minutes in the context of blazing-fast Jimmy Bruno guitar epithets, Polarity brings the listener variety and good, clean guitar adventures. ~Jim Santella

Polarity

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