Joanne Brackeen - Breath Of Brazil

Styles: Piano Jazz, Brazilian Jazz
Year: 1991
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:04
Size: 154,0 MB
Art: Front

(6:38)  1. Madalena
(5:52)  2. Velas
(6:15)  3. Aquas De Março
(3:39)  4. Guessing Game
(4:38)  5. Breath Of Brazil
(7:12)  6. Sue Encanto
(4:27)  7. Loro
(5:33)  8. So Many Stars
(5:40)  9. Anos Dourados
(6:29) 10. Brasileiro Escondido
(5:14) 11. Flora
(5:20) 12. Samba Do Soho

Pianist Joanne Brackeen is one of the best non-Brazilian interpreters of Brazilian music on the scene today. For many years a sideman in a wide variety of jazz combos, Brackeen has a natural flair for Brazilian and Latin rhythms as it quite clear from her brilliant album Breath of Brazil that features the works of a number of composers including Ivan Lins, Antonio Carlos Jobim and Sergio Mendes. “Madalena” and “Velas” are two songs by Ivan Lins that have become standards. Brackeen’s interpretation of “Velas” is particularly satisfying and is a model of the deceptively smooth laid-back performance style of the bossa nova that masks an underlying rhythmic intensity.  A very interesting work is “Guessing Game” with its angular modal melody and rhythmic tricks. Brackeen features her supporting musicians to great advantage, especially bassist Eddie Gomez who figures prominently in “Breath of Brasil” and in Sergio Mendes’ “So Many Stars.” Having “So Many Stars” begin with the melody in the bass is an interesting and unexpected twist.  No Brazilian album would be complete without Jobim, and Brackeen selects two of the master’s best songs, “Aguas de Marcos” and “Anos Dourados.” Jobim considered “Aguas de Marcos” to be his masterpiece and most performers have agreed with his self-assessment. The versatility of the song is remarkable and it has been interpreted in a variety of ways, from Elis Regina’s playful way with the song’s text in her famous duet with Jobim himself to hard-driving instrumental versions such as the one offered here by Brackeen. Joanne Brackeen is an excellent jazz pianist who deserves much wider recognition. Breath of Brasil is a good introduction to this fine performer, and if you’re already a fan it’s another “must have” for the cd collection.~William Grim https://www.allaboutjazz.com/breath-of-brazil-joanne-brackeen-concord-music-group-review-by-william-grim.php
 

Personnel: Joanne Brackeen: piano; Eddie Gomez: bass; Duduka Da Fonseca: drums; Waltinho Anastacio: percussion.

Breath Of Brazil

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Ivo Perelman - Man of the Forest

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1995
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:15
Size: 106,8 MB
Art: Front

(12:28)  1. Man of the Forest
( 5:47)   2. Cantiga Caicó
(11:05)  3. Valeiro
( 5:24)   4. Rasga o Coraçao
(11:29)  5. Prelude No. 1

Ivo Perelman, who has been thought of as a Brazilian Albert Ayler (although that is a simplification and a denial of his originality), fuses together Brazilian music (the playing of his percussionists) with creative jazz in this unusual tribute to the compositions of the Brazilian classical composer Heitor Villa-Lobos. Actually Perelman just uses Villa-Lobos's motifs as a point of departure but one could call the results world fusion since Perelman's mixture creates some startling jazz. Pianist Joanne Brackeen makes her presence felt during her three appearances (including the modal waltz "Veleiro" and the ballad "Rasga O Coracao") while the interaction between the tenor, the accordion of Dom Salvador and the percussionists on "Cantiga Caico" is delightful. Ivo Perelman has an intense sound, complete control of his instrument and an emotional style a little like Archie Shepp in his prime. His passionate music deserves close attention. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/man-of-the-forest-mw0000126576

Personnel: Tenor Saxophone, Arranged By, Adapted By – Ivo Perelman; Accordion – Dom Salvador; Bass – Mark Helias; Caxixi, Bells, Other [Shells], Voice – Nana Vasconcelos; Caxixi, Triangle, Wood Block [Wood Blocks] – Duduka Da Fonseca; Cuica, Drum [Timba], Congas, Pandeiro, Drum [Zabumba], Bells – Guilherme Franco; Drums – Billy Hart; Pandeiro, Cuica, Triangle [Triangulo], Gong [Gongs], Caxixi, Drum [Ceramic Drum], Bells – Cyro Baptista; Piano – Joanne Brackeen 

Man of the Forest

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Buddy Terry - Pure Dynamite

Styles: Saxophone And Flute Jazz
Year: 1972
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:41
Size: 104,7 MB
Art: Front

(10:11)  1. Quiet Afternoon
(10:49)  2. Paranoia
(17:32)  3. Baba Hengates
( 7:07)  4. Miscegenation

Edlin "Buddy" Terry (born January 30, 1941) is an American jazz musician and alto/tenor sax player. He was born in Newark, New Jersey. In the 1960s and 1970s Terry made albums for Prestige Records and Mainstream Records. He played with the group Swingadelic from 2000 to 2010. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddy_Terry

Personnel:  Buddy Terry - tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute;  Woody Shaw - trumpet;  Eddie Henderson - trumpet, flugelhorn;  Kenny Barron - piano;  Joanne Brackeen - piano, electric piano;  Stanley Clarke, Mchezaji - bass;  Billy Hart, Lenny White - drums;  Airto Moreira - percussion;  Mtumé - African percussion

Pure Dynamite

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John McNeil - Clean Sweep

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1981
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:48
Size: 134,9 MB
Art: Front

( 7:02)  1. Early Flight
( 8:49)  2. Zephyr
( 7:54)  3. Tiffany
( 9:46)  4. Just Around the Corner
( 4:35)  5. Clean Sweep
( 9:38)  6. Where's Rialto?
(11:01)  7. Zephyr

John McNeil grew up in Yreka, CA. The little town off of I-5 wasn't exactly brimming with musical knowledge, but the tenacious McNeil still taught himself trumpet and learned to read music on his own. By his late teens the young trumpeter was playing in combos throughout Northern California; by the mid-'70s he was freelancing in New York City and gaining a reputation as an innovative, lyrical player. He performed with the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra at the Village Vanguard, and led his own groups at various area clubs. By the latter part of the decade, McNeil had joined the Horace Silver Quartet and secured a solo contract with SteepleChase. The label issued a flurry of McNeil releases, including 1978's Embarkation and The Glass Room, Faun, and (with Tom Harrell) Look to the Sky in 1979. In the 1980s, the trumpeter continued to work as both a sideman and leader. He appeared as a soloist with Gerry Mulligan's band, and formed the John McNeil Trio/Quartet for 1983's I've Got the World on a String. He toured internationally, and was recognized by the contemporary jazz community as a go-to writer, arranger, and producer. McNeil went on to issue a series of critically acclaimed albums, including the Kenny Burger collaborations Hip Deep (1996, Brownstone) and Brooklyn Ritual (1998, Synergy). Released in 2001, Fortuity featured a few pop-inspired numbers, like a Latin-flavored interpretation of the Beatles' "I Will." The Latin influence continued with 2003's This Way Out (Omnitone), which McNeil recorded in Barcelona with tenor saxophonist Gorka Benitez and bassist Giulia Valle. The record was breezy, bold, and curious, and proved that McNeil's hunger for music hadn't diminished an iota from those days learning trumpet in the fields of Yreka. Since then, McNeil has kept busy releasing Sleep Won't Come in 2004, East Coast Cool in 2006, and Rediscovery in 2008. ~ Johnny Loftus https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/john-mcneil/id23880907#fullText

Personnel:  John McNeil (trumpet);  Billy Hart (drums);  Dave Liebman (tenor sax, soprano sax);  Rufus Reid (bass);  Joanne Brackeen (piano)

Clean Sweep

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John Mcneil - Embarkation

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1995
File: MP3@224K/s
Time: 47:35
Size: 76,3 MB
Art: Front

( 9:41)  1. Greenwich
(10:36)  2. Out
( 7:55)  3. Blue Samba
( 6:35)  4. But Now...
( 6:33)  5. Sea Breeze
( 6:14)  6. Everything I Love

John McNeil grew up in Yreka, CA. The little town off of I-5 wasn't exactly brimming with musical knowledge, but the tenacious McNeil still taught himself trumpet and learned to read music on his own. By his late teens the young trumpeter was playing in combos throughout Northern California; by the mid-'70s he was freelancing in New York City and gaining a reputation as an innovative, lyrical player. He performed with the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra at the Village Vanguard, and led his own groups at various area clubs. By the latter part of the decade, McNeil had joined the Horace Silver Quartet and secured a solo contract with SteepleChase. The label issued a flurry of McNeil releases, including 1978's Embarkation and The Glass Room, Faun, and (with Tom Harrell) Look to the Sky in 1979. In the 1980s, the trumpeter continued to work as both a sideman and leader. He appeared as a soloist with Gerry Mulligan's band, and formed the John McNeil Trio/Quartet for 1983's I've Got the World on a String. He toured internationally, and was recognized by the contemporary jazz community as a go-to writer, arranger, and producer. McNeil went on to issue a series of critically acclaimed albums, including the Kenny Burger collaborations Hip Deep (1996, Brownstone) and Brooklyn Ritual (1998, Synergy). Released in 2001, Fortuity featured a few pop-inspired numbers, like a Latin-flavored interpretation of the Beatles' "I Will." The Latin influence continued with 2003's This Way Out (Omnitone), which McNeil recorded in Barcelona with tenor saxophonist Gorka Benitez and bassist Giulia Valle. The record was breezy, bold, and curious, and proved that McNeil's hunger for music hadn't diminished an iota from those days learning trumpet in the fields of Yreka. Since then, McNeil has kept busy releasing Sleep Won't Come in 2004, East Coast Cool in 2006, and Rediscovery in 2008. ~ Johnny Loftus https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/john-mcneil/id23880907#fullText

Personnel:  Bass – Rufus Reid;  Drums – Billy Hart;  Piano – Joanne Brackeen;  Tenor Saxophone – Bob Berg;  Trumpet, Flugelhorn – John McNeil

Embarkation

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Joanne Brackeen & Ryo Kawasaki - Trinkets And Things

Styles: Piano and Guitar Jazz
Year: 1978
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:37
Size: 97,9 MB
Art: Front

(5:08)  1. Trinkets And Things
(6:04)  2. Shadowbrook Air
(5:09)  3. Winnie And Woodstock
(4:43)  4. Fair Weather
(6:42)  5. Whim Within
(7:31)  6. Spring Of Things
(7:20)  7. Haiti B

A wonderful little record from pianist Joanne Brackeen unlike anything the artist ever recorded, as it's just a set of duets with guitarist Ryo Kawasaki, who brings in some really beautiful elements to the mix! Ryo plays an acoustic nylon string guitar, but with a dexterity that most other players would use on electric and the balance of his instrument with Brackeen's piano is sublime full of colors and imaginative tones, but also a fair degree of rhythmic impulses too which guide the duo in ways that are completely refreshing throughout! 

And yes, Ryo could be slick on other records, but he's definitely not here and instead finds a special space alongside those choppy blocks of sound that Joanne plays so well. Titles include a great reading of Kawasaki's "Trinkets & Things" plus "Shadowbrook Air", "Spring Of Things", "Fair Weather", "Whim Within", and "Winnie & Woodstock". © 1996-2016, Dusty Groove, Inc.https://www.dustygroove.com/item/764023

Personnel:  Guitar – Ryo Kawasaki ;  Piano – Joanne Brackeen

Trinkets And Things

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