Joe Lovano - Flights of Fancy: Trio Fascination Edition Two

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2001
Time: 67:54
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 155,4 MB
Art: Front

(6:22) 1. Flights of Fancy
(3:31) 2. On April (I'll Remember April)
(4:36) 3. Amsterdam
(4:26) 4. Blue Mist
(4:01) 5. Off and Runnin'
(6:26) 6. Infant Eyes
(6:35) 7. 206
(8:00) 8. Bougainvillea
(4:52) 9. Windom Street
(4:42) 10. Hot Shot
(3:56) 11. Aisha
(3:09) 12. Amber
(5:46) 13. On Giant Steps
(1:26) 14. Flights of Fancy (Reprise)

The first edition of Joe Lovano's Trio Fascination featured Dave Holland on bass and Elvin Jones on drums. Following the album's release in 1998, however, Lovano's live shows featured the less famous but equally muscular bass/drum team of Cameron Brown and Idris Muhammad. On Trio Fascination, Vol. 2, the Lovano/Brown/Muhammad unit is only one of four trio configurations that the saxophonist employs. Taking the trio concept beyond the traditional confines of horn, bass, and drums, Lovano takes a left turn and colors this album with continually changing instrumentation.

Trio one is Lovano, Brown, and Muhammad. Trio two features the leader with Billy Drewes on soprano saxophone and alto flute and Joey Baron on drums; trio three with Toots Thielemans on harmonica and Kenny Werner on piano; and trio four with Dave Douglas on trumpet and Mark Dresser on bass. (The trios change unpredictably from track to track, sort of like a CD player in shuffle mode.) Varying the instrumentation even further, Lovano, like on volume one, switches from among his arsenal of horns: tenor, straight alto, soprano, and C-melody saxes, as well alto and bass clarinets.

On "206," he modifies trio four by playing drums behind Douglas and Dresser, and on "Blue Mist" he begins with gongs to supplement Muhammad's percussion textures. In two instances, the trios change during the very course of the tune. "Bougainvillea" (by Lovano's wife, vocalist Judi Silvano) starts with trio one and in the last two or so minutes segues to an impressionistic ending featuring trio three. "On Giant Steps," based on the groundbreaking Coltrane chord changes, proceeds in the opposite direction: Trio three solos freely and simultaneously, then passes the baton to trio one, which launches into a swing tempo far slower than is usual for the tune, but no less burning.

One of Lovano's first high-profile projects was an unorthodox trio with guitarist Bill Frisell and drummer Paul Motian. The saxophonist's association with Drewes and Baron dates back to the early '70s. So Lovano's "trio fascination" has deep roots, and the music on this record is a cumulative and probably near-exhaustive survey of his abilities within the form. One only need contrast "Hot Shot" or "Flights of Fancy" or the obscure McCoy Tyner ballad "Aisha" (all trio one) with modernist, offbeat abstractions like "Amber" and "Amsterdam" by trio four, or "Off and Runnin'" by trio two, to get an idea of Lovano's artistic range. Fans looking for more of the hard-driving, free-spirited swing of the first Trio Fascination record will find it here in smaller doses. And those who got their first taste of Lovano with 2000's neo-bop nonet record 52nd Street Themes ought to be prepared for something very different. By David R.Adler
https://www.allmusic.com/album/flights-of-fancy-trio-fascination-edition-2-mw0000105325

Personnel: Joe Lovano- tenor saxophone, straight alto saxophone, alto clarinet, soprano saxophone, bass clarinet, C-melody saxophone, gongs, drums, percussion; Billy Drewes- soprano saxophone, alto flute, percussion; Dave Douglas- trumpet; Toots Thielemans- harmonica; Kenny Werner- piano; Mark Dresser, Cameron Brown- bass; Idris Muhammad, Joey Baron- drums.

Flights of Fancy: Trio Fascination Edition Two

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Sinne Eeg - Dreams

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:57
Size: 108,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:42)  1. The Bitter End
(4:59)  2. Head Over High Heels
(3:38)  3. Love Song
(4:59)  4. What Is This Thing Called Love
(5:20)  5. Falling In Love With Love
(5:55)  6. Dreams
(4:49)  7. Aleppo
(4:31)  8. Time to Go
(4:35)  9. I’ll Remember April
(3:25) 10. Anything Goes

It has been a while since Danish singer, Sinne Eeg, joined Stunt Records' roster of artists with the album Face the Music (2014), but in a way, her latest album is a new beginning. All sails have been set to make Dreams (2017) the international breakthrough that the singer deserves. In fact, Eeg has already achieved quite a lot, winning prizes and toured internationally, but this album, a partnership between ArtistShare and Stunt Records, signals a rise in ambition. First of all, esteemed jazz writer Neil Tesser has been brought in to write the liner notes and in keeping with the genre, he does not hold back the praise, calling her "the real deal" as he notices her: "emerald tones both light and dark, sometimes throaty or bitingly clear." Tesser touches upon Eeg's biography and mentions her inspiration from church, her fascination with the Great American Songbook, her ability to write her own material and, not least, her pure musicality that comes through in a voice that is like an instrument. 

Her voice is allowed to shine in a band that includes her regular musical companion, pianist, Jacob Christoffersen, and an A-list band featuring the drum-whisperer Joey Baron, Larry Koonse's crisp guitar and not least the superb backing of bassist Scott Colley. Together they explore a repertoire that covers Eeg's self-penned songs, including the political ballad "Aleppo," dedicated to the children of Syria, and the ethereal word-less title track where Eeg sings lines in tandem with Koonse. She also shows her knack for writing a good ballad. "Time to Go" has something of the quality of "Waiting for Dawn," a jewel in Eeg's own catalog. There is also room for tried and true standards like "Anything Goes," "I'll Remember April," "Falling in Love with Love" and "What Is This Thing Called Love," which Eeg tackles with effortless musicality and class, and class is exactly the keyword that describes this album. It shows that Eeg is not only one of Denmark's finest jazz singers, but also a voice that should be able to court an international audience. ~ Jakob Baekgaard https://www.allaboutjazz.com/stunt-records-in-the-spotlight-enrico-pieranunzi-and-sinne-eeg-by-jakob-baekgaard.php

Personnel: Sinne Eeg: vocals; Jacob Christoffersen: piano; Larry Koonse: guitar; Joey Baron: drums; Scott Colley: bass; Warny Mandrup: backing vocals; Lasse Nilsson: backing vocals; Jenny Nilsson: backing vocals.

Dreams

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Bill O'Connell - Love For Sale

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1987
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:36
Size: 130,6 MB
Art: Front

(5:19)  1. Ping Pong
(6:25)  2. Have You Met Miss Jones?
(6:41)  3. Love Dance
(4:29)  4. Well You Needn't
(6:59)  5. Slow Motion
(4:31)  6. Casaba
(4:59)  7. Love For Sale
(5:52)  8. Old Folks
(5:07)  9. Sweet Love
(6:11) 10. Like Someone In Love

A veteran jazz pianist from New York City, Bill O'Connell is gifted soloist and bandleader known for his long-running Latin jazz big band. Born in New York City on August 22, 1953, O'Connell grew up in suburban Port Washington, Long Island. After high school, he studied classical piano at Oberlin College in Ohio but has lived in the New York area most of his life. O'Connell has not played Latin jazz exclusively and worked as a sideman with such luminaries as tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins and the late trumpeter Chet Baker. However, he does have his share of Latin credentials; along the way, he has played with New York trumpeter Jerry Gonzalez's Fort Apache Band and crossed paths with flutist Dave Valentin, Argentinean tenor saxophonist Gato Barbieri, and the late Cuban percussion master Mongo Santamaria. As a pianist, O'Connell is known for a lyrical approach that owes something to Keith Jarrett, Bill Evans, and Chick Corea as well as Herbie Hancock. But it should be stressed that O'Connell is not the sort of jazzman who only sees himself as a soloist; in fact, his albums have underscored his talents as an arranger, bandleader, and composer. O'Connell can as Duke Ellington often put it use his band as his instrument. Much of his bandleading/arranging inspiration comes from Latin greats like Mongo Santamaria, Tito Puente, Machito, Ray Barretto, and Eddie Palmieri (all of whom are identified with Afro-Cuban jazz as well as salsa). As a leader, O'Connell debuted in 1978 with an LP titled Searching for the small Inner City label He then joined longtime associate flutist Dave Valentin's band, touring and recording for several years before returning to his solo work with 1993's Lost Voices on Creed Taylor's CTI Records (with Taylor himself serving as producer). 

Several of O'Connell's big-band albums also appeared in the mid-'90s with Jazz Alive and Unfinished Business. O'Connell also continued working with Valentin, and played on albums by Charles Fambrough, Jon Lucien, and others. In the 2000's, O'Connell signed with the independent Random Chance Records (a small, New York-based label with a fondness for jazz and blues). Black Sand, O'Connell's first album for Random Chance, came out in 2001; that disc was followed by Latin Jazz Fantasy in 2004. Four years later, he returned with the trio album Triple Play, featuring Valentin and percussionist Richie Flores. Rhapsody in Blue followed in 2010. 

A year later, he delivered the follow-up to Triple Play, Triple Play Plus Three, which showcased a rotating lineup of guests including Valentin, clarinetist Paquito D'Rivera, vibraphonist Dave Samuels, and others. O'Connell then joined his Latin Jazz All-Stars for a series of albums including 2013's Zocalo, 2014's Imagine, and 2016's Heart Beat. In 2017, he delivered the intimate solo concert album, Monk's Cha Cha: Solo Piano Live. ~ Alex Henderson https://www.allmusic.com/artist/bill-oconnell-mn0000085005/biography

Personnel:  Bill O'Connell (Piano, Synthesizer); Joey Baron, Robert Amean (Drums); Lincoln Goines (Bass); Giovanni Hidalgo (Percussion); Dave Valentin (Flute); Alex Foster (Soprano Sax).

Love For Sale

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Steve Kuhn - At This Time

Styles: Piano Jazz 

Year: 2016

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 58:50

Size: 137,3 MB

Art: Front

(6:32)  1. My Shining Hour

(9:19)  2. Ah Moore

(6:10)  3. The Pawnbroker

(7:33)  4. All the Rest is the Same

(5:48)  5. The Feeling Within

(5:51)  6. Carousel

(5:47)  7. Lonely Town

(5:44)  8. This is New

(6:02)  9. I Waited for You

The wonderful and deeply satisfying At This Time... brings together pianist Steve Kuhn leading a trio comprised of electric bassist Steve Swallow and the ubiquitous (and always smiling drummer) Joey Baron. The immediate impulse for the recording was an extended set by this trio at Birdland, in New York City in 2015. Swallow and Kuhn go back forty years to Kuhn's ECM debut, Trance, with Kuhn knowing Baron for more than twenty years. This trio also recorded Kuhn's latest ECM release, Wisteria in 2012. The set list comes from the tunes played at the gig, and, even though these players all know each other very well, this very feeling of familiarity is enhanced by the fact that they had just played together. Granted, pros can be called together on short notice to play live or record and perform admirably, but there is an ineffable something about the atmosphere created by this album that gives it its special sound. The nine tracks are mostly in the six-minute range, with Kuhn's "All The Rest Is The Same" taking seven and a half minutes, and "Ah Moore" by Al Cohn reaching over nine minutes, so there is quite enough room for stretching out. However, the record feels as if it flies by, primarily because of the multitude of details that fit together perfectly and which flow ever forward. There is not a moment of fluff or indecision; each tracks sounds like first take, spontaneous creation with nothing to improve upon by trying again. This feeling of spontaneous perfection is only enhanced by the quality of the recording itself -the piano is crystalline (as is Kuhn's touch), Swallow's amazingly smooth electric bass sound is centered and full, but soft on the edges, while Baron knows exactly what to do and when to do it. The tunes themselves range from the well known opener, "My Shining Hour" to lesser known standards such as Kurt Weil's "This Is New," "Lonely Town" by Leonard Bernstein and Quincy Jones' "The Pawnbroker" among others. The Kuhn originals are placed in the middle of the set, with the perfect choice of "The Feeling Within" being performed solo, adding just the right touch of intensity. At This Time... will command attention without demanding it, and the attentive listener will find much in which to revel many times over. ~ Budd Kopman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/at-this-time-steve-kuhn-sunnyside-records-review-by-budd-kopman.php

Personnel: Steve Kuhn: piano; Steve Swallow: electric bass; Joey Baron: drums.

At This Time

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Steve Kuhn Trio - To And From The Heart

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:42
Size: 109,3 MB
Art: Front

( 7:49)  1. Thinking out Loud
( 6:15)  2. Pure Imagination
( 6:00)  3. Away
( 4:38)  4. Never Let Me Go
( 5:29)  5. Into the New World
(16:29)  6. Trance / Oceans in the Sky

Now an octogenarian, Steve Kuhn's career has in 2018 spanned nearly sixty years, never having a long lull of time without recording new music. It becomes something of a marvel then that after all this time, the pianist still finds something new to say; he is still able to surprise listeners with songs they don't expect and improvisations they don't anticipate. He continues with the same trio he used on his previous release, At This Time... (Sunnyside, 2016) It should surprise no one how well these three mesh, considering their history. Kuhn and bassist Steve Swallow have worked together as far back as the 1960s, when they recorded with trumpeter and flugelhornist Art Farmer, who had yet to help create the Flumpet. Joey Baron meanwhile, has played drums on four albums with Kuhn, dating as far back as 1995. The trio has To And From the Heart open with the radiant "Thinking Out Loud," an original composition by Swallow, before easing perfectly into a beautiful and instantly recognisable rendition of the now classic Charlie and the Chocolate Factory tune, "Pure Imagination." With it's warm, romantic tone the song conjures the images of a crisp, cool city night, strolling hand in hand past pool halls, restaurants, and towering hotels. Swallow's long electric bass solo is rained over by Baron's cymbals before Kuhn masterfully brings the melody around for a final pass. In both these first songs it becomes clear how perfectly complementary the members of this trio are to each other. 

It's a kind of chemistry often taken for granted, but which exists only within a group of musicians such as this one. "Pure Imagination" is followed by two tender ballads, "Away" and "Never Let Me Go," the former of which is the second Swallow original and a simple, romantic song that feels just at home on the album.  Baron's cymbals spur Kuhn forward on Michika Fukumori's mid-tempo "Into the New World" before descending into a 16-minute long convalescence of two of Kuhn's original compositions, titled "Trance/Oceans in the Sky." The lengthy, latter half of this musical concoction is a wonderful, emotional ride. At times ominous, at others hopeful, yet never jarring. It's this song that draws the listener in, demanding full and complete attention to the band's technical prowess. Baron's drums weave through speakers left and right while Kuhn's piano lays out a remarkable turn reminiscent of the spectacular finale to a fireworks show. It's not just the perfect ending to a thoughtful, emotional album, it's the song that makes the entire 50 minute ride memorable. Despite the relative age of the group, To and From the Heart never feels geriatric. Meting out innovation with the sort of self assured aplomb which comes from experience and long-honed talent, the Steve Kuhn Trio has yet another solid addition to their catalogue. ~ Peter Hoetjes https://www.allaboutjazz.com/to-and-from-the-heart-steve-kuhn-sunnyside-records-review-by-peter-hoetjes.php

Personnel: Steve Kuhn: piano; Steve Swallow: electric bass; Joey Baron: drums.

To And From The Heart

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Jim Hall & Joey Baron - Conversations

Styles: Guitar Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:59
Size: 114,7 MB
Art: Front

(2:05)  1. Bag's Groove
(1:20)  2. Reinhardt
(1:01)  3. Pollock
(4:55)  4. Conversations
(5:14)  5. Ballad Painting
(6:10)  6. What If?
(1:19)  7. In Repose
(0:47)  8. Uncle Ed
(4:55)  9. Safari
(0:59) 10. Monet
(9:09) 11. Travelogue
(1:52) 12. At Sea
(2:44) 13. St.Thomas
(1:51) 14. Pocketful of Change
(5:32) 15. Time (Bonus Track)

The art of the duo is nothing new to guitar legend Jim Hall. His one-on-one encounters with bassist Ron Carter have been wowing jazz fans for decades. More recent mano a mano musical encounters with equally sublime artists, like pianist Geoffrey Keezer, and guitarist Bill Frisell, have produced works that challenge but, ultimately, remain largely listenable. Conversations Hall's studio encounter with drummer Joey Baron ultimately, falls into the same general category. The fifteen tracks here are an odd, yet endearing, mishmash of musical material. The album opens with a sensational, and woefully short, take on "Bag's Groove." A deep, irrepressible rhythmic core is present and suggest what Jim Hall might sound like in a jam band setting. While both men could have churned out a whole album of material in this vein, the discussions get deeper and the groove is cast aside for a while. "Reinhardt" doesn't have any genuine gypsy leanings and the music is free, but rhythmically centered. Splashes of sound as opposed to paint are everywhere during "Pollock" and both men remain confident with their clatter. Hall alternates between brittle, auto-harp allusions and Frisell-ian lines at the outset of the title track.

Baron's melodic cymbal sounds and toms end up coalescing into a groove-making entity that evolves through the remainder of the song. "Ballad Painting" is all about Hall's explorations over a wide open vista, but the real ballad painting comes later in the album, with Baron's "Pocketful Of Change." "What If" begins as a series of freely executed solo segments. Baron's inner Elvin Jones comes out during his first statement, but he tempers his tone after Hall has his way. Eventually, both men meet and a noisy ruckus ensues. Hall's alternations between gorgeously strummed chords and single notes is the focus of "In Repose," and Baron provides some dark cymbal hues beneath the guitarist's patient strumming on "Monet." A steady, chugging drum presence and some countrified guitar come to the fore during the forty-seven second life span of "Uncle Ed," and this track signals the return of the groove. The exotica of "Safari" is bolstered by Baron's terrific tom work and his sixteenth note-based hi-hat work on "Travelogue" is central to that song's success. A short trek through "St. Thomas" features more of Baron's slapping, tapping and thwacking on toms, and a different side of this duo comes to light on the bonus track ("Time") that ends the album. "Time" begins in a sparse, tense zone, and it would be easy to imagine this music as an alternate soundtrack to a pre-gunfight scene in a Sergio Leone film. Ultimately, time takes over and a more ordered sense of rhythm and melody comes into play. Both Baron and Hall are restless explorers and musically sensitive painters. Conversations easily attests to these facts. ~ Dan Bilawsky https://www.allaboutjazz.com/conversations-jim-hall-artistshare-review-by-dan-bilawsky.php

Personnel: Jim Hall: guitar; Joey Baron: drums.

Conversations

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Jakob Bro, Thomas Morgan & Joey Baron - Streams

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:35
Size: 111,4 MB
Art: Front

( 4:40)  1. Opal
( 5:35)  2. Heroines
( 9:37)  3. PM Dream
(10:19)  4. Full Moon Europa
( 8:17)  5. Shell Pink
( 2:33)  6. Heroines (Variations)
( 7:30)  7. Sisimiut

"The music wants to go in its own direction," Jakob Bro declares, and "it's our job to follow it." If one central theme of jazz is "never the same way once," the Danish guitarist is someone who lives by it more than most. No two of his albums are made with the same cast and rarely do they repeat the same instrumental lineup. A given release may feature a quartet, nonet or fifteen-piece ensemble; there could be three horns or none, two extra guitars or just his own, occasionally no drums, or sometimes electronics and remixing. At other times a simple trio is all it takes. The music on Bro's second ECM Records outing wants to flow quietly and gently like its namesake. The pieces tend to stay as sparse as the lineup: the leader's compositions here are like the framework for a glass house with wide open windows, allowing lovely natural views and letting in a soothing breeze. He and his trio-mates are pleasantly relaxed and feel no undue pressure to fill the space. The rhythm section ambles with comfortable ease while the guitar's electric sheen lets unhurried notes ring in the air. As ample evidence for why he remains Bro's most frequent sideman, Thomas Morgan's double bass stays smooth and expressive in as few notes as necessary. The endlessly adaptable Joey Baron is taking this chair for the first time, but having played with Johns from Abercrombie to Zorn, of course he's eloquent enough to join the conversation and more than hold his own. He contributes mostly with light strokes or cymbal splashes, always showing a tasteful feel for just when to liven up more to match the others. Baron shines most in the disc's sole group improvisation as they pay tribute to the late Paul Motian (his frequent predecessor at the drum stool on past Bro recordings), beautifully simmering on the toms amid a cloud of tone haze and warmly plucked bass. Bro reaches for the distortion knob a bit more with "Full Moon Europa" and the gradual slow build of "Sisimiut," which respectively give the album's overall tone further subtle shadings of dark and light. They're balanced out in between with the prettiest melodic moment in "Shell Pink," followed by a stark guitar reprise of "Heroines" that offers the recording's surest embrace of emptiness. It all evokes the shifting and flowing its title suggests. Largely placid with the odd sharper current underneath, this Streams fluidly finds its path with understated beauty. ~ Geno Thackara https://www.allaboutjazz.com/streams-jakob-bro-ecm-records-review-by-geno-thackara.php

Personnel: Jakob Bro: guitar; Thomas Morgan: double bass; Joey Baron: drums.

Streams

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Don Byron - Bug Music

Styles: Clarinet And Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1996
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:06
Size: 119,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:18)  1. The Dicty Glide
(2:52)  2. Frasquita Serenade
(2:53)  3. St. Louis Blues
(2:52)  4. Wondering Where
(1:41)  5. Bounce of the Sugar Plum Fairies
(2:48)  6. Charley's Prelude
(1:54)  7. Royal Garden Blues
(2:52)  8. Siberian Sleighride
(2:50)  9. The Penguin
(2:51) 10. The Quintet Plays Carmen
(2:55) 11. Powerhouse
(2:36) 12. Tobacco Auctioneer
(2:36) 13. War Dance for Wooden Indians
(2:49) 14. Cotton Club Stomp
(3:25) 15. Blue Bubbles
(9:47) 16. SNIBOR

Bug Music is a tribute to the music of the Raymond Scott Quintette, the John Kirby Sextet and Duke Ellington, headed by the remarkably versatile clarinetist Don Byron. Raymond Scott's legendary compositions feature eccentric song titles (including, on this set, "Siberian Sleighride," "Tobacco Auctioneer" and "War Dance for Wooden Indians"), complex and thoroughly composed arrangements (all of which were originally memorized rather than being written out) and unique melodies. Kirby's brand of swing, which is quite complementary to Scott's novelties, often utilized themes from classical music and had solos, but were also tightly arranged (even "St. Louis Blues" and "Royal Garden Blues"). The CD begins and ends with four Ellington/Strayhorn pieces that fit well into the idiom (particularly "The Dicty Glide" and "Cotton Club Stomp"). In addition to Byron, the key players on the project include altoist Steve Wilson (one of the best of the younger swing stylists), trombonist Craig Harris and pianist Uri Caine, in addition to four other horns and several rhythm sections. Other than a silly rendition of Ellington's "Blue Bubbles" and an adventurous interpretation of "Snibor," the selections are played with respect and great understanding of the somewhat forgotten style. None of the modern musicians sound as if swing were only their second language, making the continually surprising set a major success. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/bug-music-mw0000078877

Personnel:  Clarinet, Baritone Saxophone – Don Byron (tracks: 1, 14);  Alto Saxophone – Steve Wilson (2) (tracks: 1 to 7, 14);  Banjo – Paul Meyers (3) (tracks: 1, 14);  Bass – Kenny Davis (tracks: 1 to 14, 16);  Drums – Billy Hart (tracks: 2 to 7, 16), Joey Baron (tracks: 8 to 13), Pheeroan akLaff (tracks: 1, 14);  Guitar – David Gilmore (tracks: 16);  Piano, Vocals – Uri Craine (tracks: 4);  Tenor Saxophone – Robert DeBellis  (tracks: 1, 8 to 14);  Trombone – Craig Harris (3) (tracks: 1, 14);  Trumpet – Charles Lewis (2) (tracks: 1 to 3, 5, 6, 8 to 14), James Zollar (tracks: 1, 14), Steve Bernstein (tracks: 1 to 4, 7, 14);  Vocals – Dean Bowman (tracks: 14), Don Byron (tracks: 4)

Bug Music

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Jakob Bro - Bay Of Rainbows

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:11
Size: 110,2 MB
Art: Front

( 8:42)  1. Mild
( 8:35)  2. Red Hook
( 5:16)  3. Copenhagen
( 8:29)  4. Dug
( 4:51)  5. Evening Song
(11:17)  6. Mild  (Var.)

Danish guitarist Jakob Bro returns with another album made by his working trio with double bassist Thomas Morgan and drummer Joey Baron, previously heard on Streams (ECM, 2016). Recorded live at Jazz Standard in New York in July, 2017, it is also Bro's first live recording for the label. The repertoire mainly documents Bro originals that the trio has been playing for years, most of them predating his ECM albums as leader. Opener "Mild" was first recorded on Bro/Knak (Loveland Records, 2012). Bro begins it with gentle fingerstyle rubato playing, appropriate for the title. Bass and drums enter gradually, and the arrangement builds to looped guitar halfway through. It may be mild, but it crackles with creative energy, and the sound of a band with experience and chemistry. "Red Hook" was titled "Red Hook Railroad" when Bro recorded it on Pearl River (Loveland Records, 2007). One of his earliest compositions, it is named for the Red Hook section of Brooklyn where he shared an apartment during his time in New York. Baron's melodic tom-toms open the tune, and he takes an active role in the free for all of the climax. "Copenhagen" is reprised from Gefion (ECM, 2015), Bro's ECM debut as a leader, with Morgan and drummer Jon Christensen. It features a beautiful unaccompanied bass solo which ends the performance. "Dug" (the only track with no prior recording history) continues with bass (and drums). Bro goes for a big reverberant sound, with energetic overdriven guitar taking the energy level up to maximum. "Evening Song" comes from Balladeering (Loveland Records, 2009), perhaps the best known of his pre-ECM recordings. "Mild (var.)" is a very different version of the opening tune, demonstrating the open approach taken by the trio. If anything it is even more rubato and slower building, and Morgan's bass takes a more prominent role. Bay of Rainbows is a fine addition to Bro's already extensive discography. His ECM albums have featured a classic production sound, everything taking place in a large, reverberant virtual space. It is satisfying to hear this music played in a club, coming to life in front of an audience and a potent demonstration of this trio's experienced, inspired music-making. ~ Mark Sullivan https://www.allaboutjazz.com/bay-of-rainbows-jakob-bro-ecm-records-review-by-mark-sullivan.php

Personnel: Jakob Bro: guitar; Thomas Morgan: double bass; Joey Baron: drums.

Bay Of Rainbows

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Joe Lovano & Dave Douglas Sound Prints - Scandal

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:36
Size: 154,2 MB
Art: Front

(5:34)  1. Dream State
(5:06)  2. Full Sun
(6:03)  3. Fee Fi Fo Fum
(6:57)  4. Ups and Downs
(6:50)  5. The Corner Tavern
(5:51)  6. Scandal
(9:05)  7. Juju
(6:18)  8. Mission Creep
(8:06)  9. Full Moon
(2:26) 10. High Noon
(4:16) 11. Libra

Scandal marks the first time that trumpeter Dave Douglas and saxophonist Joe Lovano have recorded a full studio album of material together, revealing a passionately adventurous band for whom no territory is off-limits. As on their live debut recording, Sound Prints features pianist Lawrence Fields, bassist Linda May Han Oh, and drummer Joey Baron. The super group heads off into swinging, heartfelt and sophisticated new territory inspired by saxophonist giant Wayne Shorter. 

Two of Shorter's pieces receive special treatment. A truly fantastic and original group playing new originals and music by Shorter. ~ Editorial Reviews https://www.amazon.com/Scandal-Lovano-Douglas-Sound-Prints/dp/B079JGMNMG              

Personnel:  Joe Lovano (tenor & G mezzo soprano saxophones), Dave Douglas (trumpet), Lawrence Fields (piano), Linda May Han Oh (bass) and Joey Baron (drums).

Scandal

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Gary Peacock Trio - Now This

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:54
Size: 133,0 MB
Art: Front

(6:41)  1. Gaia
(5:02)  2. Shadows
(5:44)  3. This
(4:34)  4. And Now
(6:16)  5. Esprit de Muse
(5:17)  6. Moor
(5:48)  7. Noh Blues
(4:44)  8. Christa
(4:56)  9. Vignette
(3:59) 10. Gloria's Step
(4:47) 11. Requiem

Some of bassist Gary Peacock's earliest musical associations speak to a career that has been nurtured by unusually well-rounded experiences. Subbing for Ron Carter in gigs with Miles Davis, playing with the Bill Evans Trio and pianist Paul Bley and a stay with saxophonist Albert Ayler provided Peacock with foundations that ran the gamut from main-stream balladry, to conceptually modern jazz to the most unrestricted free jazz. All of which led up to the three-decades long relationship with Keith Jarrett and drummer Jack DeJohnette for which he is best known and where his finely developed skills lend themselves to that highly innovative group. With a very different trio, Now This is often darkly lyrical with a quiet dignity. Drummer Joey Baron who often draws comparisons to Paul Motian has never sounded more like the late drummer with a masterfully subtle touch. Pianist Marc Copland has worked with Peacock in various settings for three decades and is a master of harmonics. His work with guitarist John Abercrombie, saxophonist Greg Osby and bassist Drew Gress have earned high praise while Copland has remained puzzlingly under-recognized as one of the finest pianists and composers on the scene.

"Gaia" and "Shadows" the first to pieces on Now This are brooding and unhurried but are followed by "This" where a bit more dissonance is propelled by Baron's refined but forceful playing. Copland pushes that avant-garde essence as he guides the trio through "And Now," "Esprit de muse" and "Moor" the latter two being faster-paced and more complex numbers. Copland's fascinating composition, "Noh Blues," only hints at blues while providing a perfect backdrop for solos and interesting group interchanges. Throughout the pieces Peacock explores the full range of the bass pushing and pulling the music with him through unexpected turns. There is not a wasted note to be found on Now This where the compositions some re-worked, others, new strongly suggest a portentous air. Peacock, Copland and Baron expertly develop the pieces in that light so that, despite the overriding thoughtfulness, it is never certain in which direction the journey is moving. Now This is an thought-provoking collection rendered by brilliant performers.

Personnel: Marc Copland: piano; Gary Peacock: double bass; Joey Baron: drums.

Now This

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Gary Peacock Trio - Tangents

Styles: Jazz, Post-Bop 
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:11
Size: 129,7 MB
Art: Front

(6:39)  1. Contact
(4:50)  2. December Greenwings
(4:10)  3. Tempei Tempo
(2:29)  4. Cauldron
(5:10)  5. Spartacus
(7:11)  6. Empty Forest
(4:42)  7. Blue In Green
(4:07)  8. Rumblin'
(4:04)  9. Talkin' Blues
(2:53) 10. In and Out
(6:50) 11. Tangents

Considering his nearly sixty-five years of recording, Gary Peacock has been relatively selective in his choice of leader projects. His association with luminaries Albert Ayler, Paul Bley, Bill Evans and Keith Jarrett have put him in the company of jazz history makers. When Jarrett's Standards Trio, with Peacock and drummer Jack DeJohnette, disbanded in 2014 after over twenty recordings, Peacock launched his own piano trio with pianist Marc Copland and drummer Joey Baron. Tangents is the follow-up to Now This (ECM, 2015). Not surprisingly, given their long careers, these musicians have crossed paths before the trio was formed. Baron and Copland most recently played together on John Abercrombie's Up and Coming (ECM, 2017), while Copland and Peacock have collaborated on a number of the pianist's trio releases on the Pirouet label, including Modinha NY Trios Vol. 1 (2006), with drummer Bill Stewart and Voices NY Trios Vol. 2 (2007), with Paul Motian. Peacock contributes five of the eleven compositions on Tangents, with Baron and Copland contributing two and one, respectively. The album also includes the Miles Davis (and/or Bill Evans) standard, "Blue in Green"; a striking version of Alex North's "Spartacus"; and one group composition. "Spartacus," in contrast to the collectively free-improvised "Empty Forest," makes for an effective snapshot of the diversity of styles covered. Beyond that, there is the not-quite-pastoral resourcefulness of "December Greenwings" and the sharply executed, bleeding- edge energy of "Tempei Tempo," with great improvisations from all. At eighty-two years of age, one need only listen to "Rumblin'" to hear Peacock solo like the ageless wonder that he is. In the Tangents liner notes, he embraces a forward-thinking approach to composing at this late stage of his career. Rather than finding a comfortable position, Peacock is much more inclined to experiment with freer forms. He has found empathic partners in Baron and Copland, who he senses as "having the same experience in the moment, feeling the music together." Tangents has to be considered a highlight in the careers of all three artists, as the too-often hyperbole of creative improvisation is exchanged for masterful and unequaled demonstrations of the art and one of the best piano trio albums in some time. ~ Karl Ackermann https://www.allaboutjazz.com/tangents-gary-peacock-ecm-records-review-by-karl-ackermann.php

Personnel: Gary Peacock: double-bass; Marc Copland: piano; Joey Baron: drums.

Tangents

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Irene Schweizer, Joey Baron - Live!

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:57
Size: 117,0 MB
Art: Front

( 7:59)  1. Free for All (Irene Schweizer)
(12:22)  2. Up the Ladder (Joey Baron)
( 7:59)  3. String Fever (Irene Schweizer)
(10:49)  4. Jungle Beat II (Irene Schweizer)
( 4:14)  5. Saturdays (Joey Baron)
( 3:34)  6. Blues for Crelier (Irene Schweizer)
( 3:57)  7. The Open Window (Joey Baron)

A fantastic combination of players both musicians who have an incredible ability to be all over their instruments at once, yet always somehow sound completely in control! Drummer Joey Baron's demonstrated this ability for years, but maybe not as strongly as on this recent album with pianist Irene Schweizer a set that has him matching all the wonderfully dynamic energy we've always loved on her albums for Intakt sounds that are almost a small separate branch of the European improvising world, because they've got a quality that's so individual and distinct! Irene can keep things surprisingly tuneful, even when free and Baron opens up the most tuneful side of his percussion talents, really at home in the territory. Titles include "String Fever", "Up The Ladder", "The Open Window", "Saturdays", and "Jungle Beat II". © 1996-2017, Dusty Groove, Inc. https://www.dustygroove.com/item/858865?cat=jazz

Personnel:  Irène Schweizer – Piano; Joey Baron – Drums

Live!

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John Abercrombie Quartet - 39 Steps

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:41
Size: 136,9 MB
Art: Front

(6:21)  1. Vertigo
(6:51)  2. LST
(7:21)  3. Bacharach
(6:15)  4. Greenstreet
(4:08)  5. As It Stands
(6:53)  6. Spellbound
(5:22)  7. Another Ralph’s
(3:12)  8. Shadow Of A Doubt
(8:36)  9. 39 Steps
(4:37) 10. Melancholy Baby

John Abercrombie has rarely played with pianists, at least in his own groups and throughout his extensive discography as a leader for ECM Records that began with the immediate classic, 1975's Timeless. Other than a brief reunion with that record's group for 1984's Night, the veteran guitarist has, in fact, only recorded with one other piano-based group, the quartet responsible for Arcade (1979), Abercrombie Quartet (1980) and M (1981) all featuring another intrepid improviser, Richie Beirach, and slated for released in 2014 as an Old & New Masters Edition box that will finally see all three in print on CD (two for the first time). Meanwhile, 39 Steps is, then, Abercrombie's first recording as a leader with a pianist since Night, though it's far from a first encounter. 39 Steps may be pianist Marc Copland's long overdue ECM debut a post-Bill Evans pianist whose attention to touch and space have long made him a worthy candidate for the label's pristine sonic approach but this group, with the exception of drummer Joey Baron, who replaces original drummer Billy Hart, has been working together, on occasion, since Second Look (Savoy Jazz, 1996), reuniting in 2007 for Another Place (Pirouet, 2008). But if both dates featured Copland as ostensible leader, they were all rather egalitarian when it came to compositional contributions, split fairly evenly between the pianist and Abercrombie.

39 Steps represents a couple of significant differences, beyond Baron's recruitment. First, the lion's share of the compositions belong to Abercrombie, who rightfully assumes leader credit here, with Copland contributing only two of the set's ten pieces, along with one group-credited free improv and an indirect closing nod to tradition with a reading of "Melancholy Baby" that still fits within the quartet's overall sphere of approach; freely interpreted, in this case with no time and no discernible changes, its melody remains recognizable amidst the freewheeling yet carefully controlled freedom and interaction within which this group operates. The other important change is, for the first time, having an external producer in this case, ECM label head Manfred Eicher. As good as Copland's two previous recordings sound, there's a notable and tremendous difference in how this date sounds: more delicate, more rarefied, with every note discernible right down to its final decay and even the most delicate touch of a cymbal occupying its rightful place in the overall soundscape. From the first notes of Abercrombie's opening "Vertigo," with Copland's repeated single-note motif supported by both his left hand and Abercrombie's careful voicing one of the guitarist's strengths always being his intrinsic ability to work with other chordal instruments without either ever getting in the way of them it's clear just how transparent everything is, allowing the music to breathe in ways that previous collaborations with Abercrombie, Copland and Gress have not.

Copland's delicate touch at times, seeming to barely brush the keys, as on Abercrombie's balladic "As It Stands" is definitive, as is the relentlessly reliable support coming from Gress and Baron, whether swinging elegantly on the pianist's brighter, appealingly lyrical "LST" or the guitarist's slower-tempo'd "Bacharach," the pair shifting feels so seamlessly as to be almost unnoticeable ... almost. The interaction, in particular between Abercrombie and Copland, is as deep as decades playing together would suggest, and if this program of largely new composition feels both fresh and familiar to fans of both players, there's one tune that is particularly so: "Another Ralph's," an update or, perhaps, sequel to Abercrombie's "Ralph's Piano Waltz," originally written for guitarist/pianist and duo mate Ralph Towner, first heard on Timeless but which has become, along with that album's title tracks, one of Abercrombie's most often-played tunes, having been recorded by everyone from Towner himself on Solo Concert (ECM, 1980) to Abercrombie, who revisited the tune on Current Events (1986), with his then-trio of Marc Johnson and Peter Erskine. Eicher often encourages artists to engage in free improvisation at his sessions, and while neither Abercrombie nor Copland are strangers to such unfettered contexts, "Shadow of a Doubt" is the first recorded instance of the two engaging in such completely unplanned spontaneity. Between Gress' soft arco, Copland's harp-like, sustain pedal-driven sweeps and Baron's textural cymbal work, it slowly coalesces into form as Abercrombie joins in with volume pedal-swelled lines, angular in nature but somehow soft and rounded in timbre, even as the quartet gradually turns to more oblique territory as the three-minute improvisation nears its end. As good as their previous recordings together have been, 39 Steps represents a major leap forward for Abercrombie and Copland's relationship, even as the guitarist returns to the piano-based configuration that was his first touring context, back in the late '70s. With Copland a welcome addition to the ECM roster and Eicher paying so much attention to music coming out of the New York City area these last couple of years notable (and diverse) examples being Tim Berne's Shadow Man, Craig Taborn's Chants and Chris Potter's The Sirens, all 2013 releases here's hoping that this quartet will continue, and that Copland will ultimately be afforded the opportunity to record more for the label...perhaps, even, a solo piano session, whose potential would be most intriguing with Eicher in the producer's chair, and with the lucent sonics of the label that Abercrombie has called home for nearly forty years. ~ John Kelman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/john-abercrombie-quartet-39-steps-by-john-kelman.php

Personnel: John Abercrombie (guitar); Marc Copland (piano); Drew Gress (double bass); Joey Baron (drums).

R.I.P.

39 Steps

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Joey Baron - We'll Soon Find Out

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:10
Size: 124,9 MB
Art: Front

(6:09)  1. Slow Charleston
(7:49)  2. Closer Than You Think
(5:52)  3. Junior
(6:25)  4. Time To Cry
(5:43)  5. Wisely
(3:35)  6. Bit O' Water
(7:04)  7. M
(4:22)  8. Equaled
(7:05)  9. Contact

Perhaps the core, and highly noticeable component here, is that traditional groove oriented, R&B induced music, while in the hands of musicians who respectively possess a distinctive voice enables the tried and true to be elevated to a higher plane. With drummer Joey Baron’s second “Songline/Tone Field” release titled We’ll Soon Find Out, these characteristics provide the winning edge, in an often huge way!  The opener, a composition titled “ Slow Charleston”, is indicative of what looms ahead. Here, alto saxophonist Arthur Blythe’s searing vibrato and soul drenched lines surge onward while bassist Ron Carter and Baron implement slow fours with coy understatement amid a loose vibe. On “Junior”, Baron is a one-man percussion band as he employs complex Afro-Cuban rhythms in support of Blythe’s quite ferocity, linear themes and melodic interludes as guitarist Bill Frisell converges with funkified chords and unison lines. Whereas, “Widely” is a moving ballad of perhaps transcendental proportions as Frisell delves into some airy chord structures along with his now infamous injections of C&W style twang and poignant single note leads. Basically, We’ll Soon Find Out offers breezy passages, finger snapping rhythms, strong yet unobtrusive and quite thoughtful soloing in accordance with Baron’s conspicuous compositional pen. Yet within the hands of ordinary souls, the music and overall format might signify more of the norm; however, Baron, Frisell, Blythe and Carter shine forth with a candid demeanor while also providing a clinic of sorts - on the art of making good music that certainly strikes a memorable chord. ~ Glenn Astarita https://www.allaboutjazz.com/well-soon-find-out-joey-baron-songlines-recordings-review-by-glenn-astarita__4893.php
 

Personnel: Arthur Blythe: alto saxophone; Bill Frisell: guitars; Ron Carter: bass; Joey Baron: drums.

We'll Soon Find Out

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Bill Frisell - Where In The World?

Styles: Guitar Jazz, Fusion
Year: 1991
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:31
Size: 127,6 MB
Art: Front

(5:12)  1. Unsung Heroes
(6:59)  2. Rob Roy
(7:01)  3. Spell
(6:00)  4. Child At Heart
(3:26)  5. Beautiful E.
(6:38)  6. Again
(2:36)  7. Smilin' Jones
(5:30)  8. Where in the World?
(5:02)  9. Worry Doll
(6:02) 10. Let Me In

Bill Frisell has long been recognized as possessing one of the most unique voices in jazz guitar. On Where in the World?, he is joined by his frequent compatriots Joey Baron and Kermit Driscoll, as well as cellist Hank Roberts, for ten compositions that catch Frisell right on the cusp of his earlier days and his later, more melody-driven, work. As expected, the supporting cast is excellent, with Joey Baron especially making notable contributions. His solo on "Child at Heart" is a perfect analog to the spirit of Frisell's music, pairing the completely expected with the completely unexpected. A pervading sense of melancholy and unrest runs through Where in the World?, creating tension even when the music is at its quietest. Some of this music is downright spooky. "Unsung Heroes," for example, opens with an ominous drum groove from Baron before introducing a wailing theme doubled by Roberts and Frisell over a twisted, almost bluesy, bass ostinato. This tendency to pair beautiful melodies with dense, introspective harmony works better on Where in the World? than anywhere else in Frisell's extremely strong catalog. As for the guitarist's own playing, it is as beautiful as always. He floats ethereal melodies seemingly with the same ease (and, more importantly, from the same coherent musical mindset) as he lets loose feedback-drenched wails. One of the high points of '90s jazz guitar, Where in the World? is essential for fans of modern jazz. ~ Daniel Gioffre http://www.allmusic.com/album/where-in-the-world-mw0000273736

Personnel: Bill Frisell (guitar, ukulele); Hank Roberts (fiddle, cello); Joey Baron (drums).

Where In The World?

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John Abercrombie Quartet - Up And Coming

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:15
Size: 109,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:12)  1. Joy
(2:53)  2. Flipside
(7:18)  3. Sunday School
(5:51)  4. Up And Coming
(7:34)  5. Tears
(7:06)  6. Silver Circle
(6:21)  7. Nardis
(5:57)  8. Jumbles

Starting the new year with, if not precisely a bang, a nevertheless unforgettable record whose strength lies in pristine lyricism, nuanced group interplay and writing that capitalizes on the entire quartet's appreciation of subtlety over gymnastics and refined lyricism over angularity, John Abercrombie's Up and Coming ECM's first release of the year is also founded strongly on the concept of relationship. The guitarist has been playing with Marc Copland since the pianist's days in the early '70s as a saxophonist before deserting it entirely for a career and discography that's as rich and rewarding as Abercrombie's. And the two have continued working together regularly since Copland's switch to piano: before coming to ECM on Abercrombie's critically acclaimed 39 Steps (2013), the pair had recorded in a group under Copland's name, first for Savoy Jazz with 1996's Second Look, then Hatology for 2003's Marc Copland And..., and finally with Pirouet on 2008's Another Place. And that excludes other projects, such as their 2010 quintet recording with Dave Liebman as Contact, Five on One (Pirouet), a 2011 duo recording, Speak to Me (Pirouet) and two trio recordings with the late Kenny Wheeler, including Brand New (Challenge, 2005). But the relationship doesn't end there. Bassist Drew Gress' far-reaching ubiquity is only matched by his ability bring a personal sound to everything from the more avant-leaning The Claudia Quintet and Dave Douglas to contemporary mainstream spaces with artists including pianist Fred Hersch and Tim Hagans not to mention a small but strong discography of his own, including 2013's The Sky Inside (Pirouet). He is not only a charter member of the same Abercrombie (or Copland, depending on the date) quartet, beginning with Second Look; he has a longstanding relationship with the pianist in other contexts, including 2009's New York Trio Recordings, Vol. 3: Night Whispers (Pirouet) and 2005's Some Love Songs (Pirouret), while joining the guitarist on a rare saxophone-infused date, Within a Song (ECM, 2012).

Joey Baron whose joyous approach and willingness to try anything has turned him into a similarly in-demand musician may be the relative youngster to this collective relationship, but he's far from new. He not only replaced original quartet drummer Billy Hart on Another Place and 39 Steps; his relationship with Abercrombie goes even farther back to the guitarist's four string-heavy recordings with violinist Mark Feldman, from 2002's Cat 'n' Mouse (ECM) through to 2009's Wait Till You See Her (ECM). But as strong as relationships can be in building a group chemistry as potent as that found on Up and Coming, there has to be more to it. Guitar and piano do not always make for comfortable bedfellows, as the potential for stepping on each other's toes, harmonically speaking, is always a risk; but one of Abercrombie and Copland's greatest combined strengths is their ability to listen and intuit...there are never any of the "train wrecks" that so often run the risk of scuttling multiple harmonic instruments brought together. Instead, the pair seems to effortlessly complement one another with an appealing harmonic ambiguity that has become one of the group's touchstones; its open-ears approach extending, of course, to Gress and Baron, who manage to bring both sinewy strength and elegant understatement to this quartet's music. From Up and Coming's relatively brief, introspective opener, the guitarist's curiously titled "Joy," the quartet combines elegant interpretation of a less-than-common yet still eminently singable theme with Abercrombie and Copland mere nanoseconds apart, creating a delicious sense of tension and release, to brief but eminently lyrical solos from the pair the pianist, in particular, bolstered by the empathic Gress and Baron, builds this rubato tone poem to its clear climax...and suggests another definer of this wonderful quartet: its capacity for evoking broad dynamic contrasts with, sometimes, the subtlest of gestures.

Copland's delicate touch and use of his instrument's pedals to create even more expansive harmonies has long been a measure of his best work; a touchstone that fits, hand-in-glove, with Abercrombie's similarly less-traveled voicings and soft attack, the latter stemming from his move, in the mid-'90s, from plectrum to his thumb's yielding flesh. Together, the pair evoke remarkable strength without ever resorting to the obvious; both have managed to create instantly recognizable yet never predictable approaches that rely on a deeper melodic and harmonic language rather than more obvious signatures. But as soft and lush as their collaborative sound is and as much as it sometimes feels necessary to almost lean forward to fully capture their work that shouldn't suggest that Abercrombie's quartet lacks muscle. The guitarist's more buoyant "Flipside" another miniature that doesn't even break the three-minute mark swings with powerful fluidity, its theme once again iterated in ever-so-slightly staggered fashion by the guitarist and pianist before Gress and Baron enter, the bassist walking hard and Baron delicately driving the brief solos with a persistent quarter-note cymbal pulse...but punctuated, on his snare and toms, as empathically as they are joy-filled. Anyone who has seen Baron in performance knows that a smile and sometimes flat-out laughter never seems to leave his face, as he approaches whatever music he's playing with a kind of reckless exhilaration, flexible interpretation and sheer joy that's rarely so visible in concert...and is, indeed, absolutely audible on record as well.

In an LP-length program that brings together five Abercrombie compositions with two contributions from Copland, it's particularly gratifying to hear this quartet approach Miles Davis' classic "Nardis" a song that the guitarist has played often but never recorded under his own name. It is, perhaps, the best example of how inimitably Abercrombie, Copland, Gress and Baron collaborate; following a rubato intro, even when the group begins to play in tempo and irrespective of this often-played song's melody the quartet's loose, open-ended and surprise-laden approach renders this most familiar of compositions as unpredictable as anything else to be found on the record. Yes, the changes are always there: sometimes more direct, other times so subtly intimated as to be barely recognizable; and yet, when Abercrombie, Copland and Baron solo, their allegiance to the song's heart is paradoxically crystal clear while, at the same time, being somehow opaque. All of these qualities characterize Up and Coming's entire 48-minutes duration, from Abercrombie's abstract yet melody-rich "Jumbles," waltz-time "Sunday School" and ambling title track to Copland's darker, more dramatic "Tears" (featuring a particularly memorable solo from Gress) and "Silver Circle" the album's most unfettered and impressive example of everything that makes this group so special. Beginning with an open vamp, largely driven by Gress, it ultimately resolves into another singable but uncommon melody, setting up modal-based and motif-driven opportunities for both Abercrombie who lends Up and Coming its only hint of grit with some slight overdrive and Copland, who demonstrates that a soft touch can, indeed, possess plenty of inner strength.

All told, it may be Abercrombie's shortest album since his 1990 trio with Vince Mendoza and Jon Christensen, Animato; but like that often (and unfairly) overlooked album, Up and Coming's brief duration only renders it more appealing, like the perfect live performance that leaves an audience sated but, at the same time, hungry for more. That Copland has finally, in the past few years, found his way to ECM in addition to Abercrombie, with bassist Gary Peacock, whose Now This (ECM, 2015), also featuring Baron, was one of the year's best recordings seems, in retrospect, not only inevitable but overdue. The quartet Abercrombie has shared with Copland and Gress for over two decades, irrespective of who is listed as the leader, is finally being recorded with the clarity and transparency it deserves, while the creative input provided by label head/producer Manfred Eicher drives the music in directions it might not otherwise go.
All of which make Up and Coming, ECM's first record of 2017, a success on all fronts. This is a group whose collaborative capabilities have only strengthened over the years, growing deeper and more telepathic. Of the tradition while, at the same time, challenging it with a unique and instantly recognizable combination of grace-filled subtlety, rich melodism, improvisational élan, mitochondrial chemistry and a profound harmonic language, Up and Coming starts 2017 with an album that is already a strong contender for its year-end best-of lists. ~ John Kelman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/john-abercrombie-quartet-up-and-coming-by-john-kelman.php
 

Personnel: John Abercrombie: guitar; Marc Copland: piano; Drew Gress: double bass; Joey Baron: drums.

Up And Coming

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Enrico Pieranunzi, Marc Johnson, Joey Baron - As Never Before

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:33
Size: 135,5 MB
Art: Front

(6:52)  1. Soundings
(3:16)  2. Improheart
(6:45)  3. A Nameless Gate
(7:50)  4. As Never Before
(9:12)  5. Many Moons Ago
(3:18)  6. Impromind
(6:52)  7. Song For Kenny
(7:03)  8. Time's Passage
(7:20)  9. Winter Moon

Pianist Enrico Pieranunzi isn't the only artist influenced by Kenny Wheeler's classic Gnu High. It's a safe bet that the trumpeter's 1976 debut as a leader for ECM, featuring the perfect line-up of pianist Keith Jarrett, bassist Dave Holland and drummer Jack DeJohnette, has been one of small group jazz's most influential albums of the past thirty years; as remarkable for Wheeler's inimitable writing as its unparalleled performances. Few, however, get the opportunity to recruit Wheeler in the same quartet context for an album perhaps lacking the "classic" stamp of Gnu High, but coming darn close. With seven Pieranunzi compositions and two group improvisations of complete spontaneity but equally immediate compositional focus, the pianist augments his existing trio of bassist Marc Johnson and drummer Joey Baron with Wheeler, making As Never Before an appropriately titled disc that actually manages to surpass Pieranunzi's career-defining Live in Japan (Cam Jazz, 2007).  Pieranunzi, Johnson and Baron may not have the cachet of Jarrett, Holland and DeJohnette. Still, over the past quarter century they've established themselves individually as comfortable in a variety of environments and, now early into its third decade, a trio capable of musical empathy akin to that Johnson experienced with his first major employer, the late legend Bill Evans. Pieranunzi, like most modern pianists, owes much to Evans, but he's long since transcended Evans as an overt reference point. If there's any pianist with whom he shares much these days it's John Taylor, who has worked regularly with Wheeler for five decades, making the Pieranunzi/Wheeler pairing an equally winning combination. Nor is this Pieranunzi's first recorded encounter with Wheeler. FelliniJazz (Cam Jazz, 2004) also brought the two together, but on a set of music culled largely from soundtracks to films of the great Frederico Fellini, and with a line-up possessing its own strength but lacking the simpatico inherent in a group that's worked together for twenty-five years. 

FelliniJazz's strength was in how its players found common ground to interpret non-original music with their own voices; written with this line-up in mind, As Never Before even more successfully speaks to the players' individual strengths. And what strengths. Baron, beginning as a vivacious and raucous player on the downtown New York scene, has evolved into a drummer of great nuance, swinging lightly alongside Johnson on "Time's Passage" while energetically punctuating without losing sight of the song's evocative resonance. Johnson, a most elegant and lyrical bassist, is the litmus test for perfection in instantaneous choice, balancing rhythm section responsibilities with a conversational approach that feeds Pieranunzi's own thematic disposition to solo building. And what of Wheeler? Approaching eighty, his peerless technique shows no signs of weakening, with every solo combining his unmistakable melancholy melodism with a nearly unequaled ability to deliver perfection, take after take. Quintessential modern mainstream jazz, As Never Before blends traditional elements with European classicism and, like its players, is as unassuming as it is stellar; as honest, committed and selfless as intimate, small group jazz gets. ~ John Kelman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/as-never-before-enrico-pieranunzi-cam-jazz-review-by-john-kelman.php

Personnel: Enrico Pieranunzi: piano; Marc Johnson: bass: Joey Baron: drums; Kenny Wheeler: trumpet, flugelhorn.

As Never Before

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Joe Lovano, Dave Douglas - Sound Prints

Styles: Saxophone and Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:54
Size: 119,6 MB
Art: Front

( 4:38)  1. Sound Prints
(13:58)  2. Sprints
( 8:32)  3. Destination Unknown
(10:25)  4. To Sail Beyond The Sunset
( 1:34)  5. Weatherman
(12:45)  6. Power Ranger

Named after Wayne Shorter's classic composition "Footprints," the Joe Lovano and Dave Douglas quintet Sound Prints is a collaborative ensemble born out of the duo's involvement in the 2008 SFJAZZ Collective's tribute concert to legendary jazz saxophonist Shorter. Inspired to continue the creative spark they ignited at that event, saxophonist Lovano and trumpeter Douglas conceived of a group that would play original compositions, as well as new material from Shorter. The group's 2015 concert album, Sound Prints: Live at Monterey Jazz Festival, showcases their debut appearance at the famed jazz event. Joining Lovano and Douglas here are pianist Lawrence Fields, bassist Linda Oh, and drummer Joey Baron. That each of these musicians could easily lead their own band only adds to Sound Prints' depth as an ensemble. However, rather than coming off as a jazz supergroup, Sound Prints feel like an organic unit of like-minded individuals working toward creating something new. Along with the palpable Shorter influence, they also recall the ruminative experimentalism of the late trumpeter Kenny Wheeler and his 5tet from the early '90s. To these ends, cuts like the fractured title track and the rambunctious, stream of conscious "Weatherman," combine the free bop of Ornette Coleman's '60s quartet with the expressive earthiness of Douglas' own work with his Tiny Bell Trio. Similarly, the evocative, bluesy "Spirits" brings to mind late-'60s Miles Davis, while the Latin-esque "Power Ranger" recalls latter-day John Coltrane. Elsewhere, Douglas and Lovano deliver two previously unheard Shorter pieces with the sultry, introspective "To Sail Beyond the Sunset" and the languid "Destination Unknown." Ultimately, Sound Prints walk the line between muscular, tangible post-bop and free-flowing, avant-garde playing; a tantalizing dance that never fails to leave an impression. ~ Matt Collar http://www.allmusic.com/album/sound-prints-live-at-monterey-jazz-festival-mw0002824082

Personnel: Joe Lovano (saxophone, tenor saxophone); Dave Douglas (trumpet); Lawrence Fields (piano); Joey Baron (drums).

Sound Prints

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Joey Baron - Down Home

Styles: Jazz, Avant-Garde Jazz
Year: 1997
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:27
Size: 104,4 MB
Art: Front

(5:18)  1. Mighty Fine
(8:53)  2. Little Boy
(8:35)  3. Wide Load
(5:07)  4. The Crock Pot
(8:00)  5. What
(1:47)  6. Listen to the Woman
(6:41)  7. Aren't We All
(1:04)  8. Supposing

Befitting its title, Down Home is a surprisingly soulful set by four pros who live up to their promising intrigue as an all-star quartet. Arthur Blythe, Bill Frisell, Ron Carter and leader Baron combine forces and the result is not what you'd expect. Such a quartet may suggest a hip trip through the downtown avant-garde, with Carter, whose playing has tended more toward classical these days, something of an afterthought. But all four have exceptional musical versatility, so any preconceptions are unwise. Smart and sassy soul is what's on the menu here. There's the gut-bucket R&B of old Prestige records ("Mighty Fine"), the Meters beat of "Wide Load" (featuring a gem of a Carter solo), the James Brown funk of "What" (with the funkiest Frisell solo ever) and the lively bar band blues of "The Crock Pot" (showcasing Baron himself). 

The tunes, all Baron originals, seem to pay homage to the other players as well; especially Baron's former boss, Frisell. There's the Frisell-like ballad of "Little Boy," the all-too brief guitar-bass duo of "Listen To The Woman" (which, surprisingly, suggests Gabor Szabo) and "Supposing," a short recollection of Jerry Granelli's A Song I Thought I Heard Buddy Sing (another Frisell project). "Aren't We All" is prototypical Arthur Blythe. And "Wide Load" is reminiscent of Carter's CTI days. The spotlight, however, shines on Blythe and Frisell. Blythe whose style is never less than distinctively his own strikes a balance somewhere between David Sanborn and Hank Crawford in these environs.

And Frisell, who sticks to his electric guitar throughout (no synth), is outstanding; giving at least two solos ("Mighty Fine" and "Wide Load") that are worth the price of admission. Unfortunately, I'm not familiar with Baron's previous solo work with unusual trios like Baron Down. But anyone who's seen Baron in performance (with Frisell or John Zorn) knows the drummer likes to have fun when he plays. Here, the listener joins the joyride too. Down Home, despite its brief 45-minute running time is, indeed, mighty fine; a hearty menu with plenty of meaty playing. ~ Douglas Payne  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/down-home-joey-baron-intuition-review-by-douglas-payne.php

Personnel:  Arthur Blythe: alto sax;  Bill Frisell: guitar;  Ron Carter: bass;  Joey Baron: drums.

Down Home

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