Maria Mendes, Metropole Orkest & John Beasley - Saudade, Colour of Love

Styles: Vocal
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:48
Size: 137,4 MB
Art: Front

(8:43) 1. Com Que Voz
(6:58) 2. Tudo Isto É Fado
(7:49) 3. Verdes Anos
(5:24) 4. Foi Deus
(5:43) 5. Hermeto's Fado for Maria
(4:30) 6. E Se Nâo for Fado
(6:59) 7. Dança Do Amor
(8:06) 8. Quando Eu Era Pequenina
(5:32) 9. Meu Pobre Capitão

Saudade, Colour of Love isn’t so much a follow-up to Netherlands-based vocalist Maria Mendes’ 2019 album Close to Me, which won the Dutch equivalent of a jazz vocal Grammy Award. Rather, it’s a captivating elaboration featuring much the same material and the same cast of characters.

Like Close to Me, her third album, Saudade is a sumptuous collaboration with pianist John Beasley conducting the Metropole Orkest, a mainstay of the Dutch music scene since the end of World War II. But whereas the former release was a studio project, the new album is a concert recording that offers Mendes and some orchestra members a little more leeway to stretch out on a fado-centric program. Trained as an opera singer, the Portuguese-born Mendes veered off the conservatory path with her discovery of jazz, attaining real authority in the tradition after years of study.

Working with Beasley, who produced and orchestrated the Saudade arrangements they wrote together (part of a most impressive run for Beasley, with Saudade arriving the same year as his spectacular work on Chucho Valdés’ late-career masterwork La Creación), Mendes takes another step into a largely uncharted realm where jazz inflects the ritualistic laments of fado, a blues-like song form that evolved on Lisbon’s hard-scrabble waterfront. By Andrew Gilbert https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/maria-mendes-saudade-colour-of-love-challenge/

Saudade, Colour of Love

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John Beasley - Positootly!

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:16
Size: 113,3 MB
Art: Front

(5:04)  1. Caddo Bayou
(4:32)  2. Positootly!
(5:30)  3. Dindi
(6:40)  4. Black Thunder
(4:58)  5. Shatita Boom Boom
(5:28)  6. Tanguedia III
(4:53)  7. Elle
(4:45)  8. So Tired
(4:50)  9. The Eight Winds
(2:32) 10. Hope.. Arkansas

On Positootly!, pianist John Beasley explores a variety of styles for a thoroughly enjoyable and stimulating experience. Each track benefits immensely from the indelible touch of drumming great Jeff "Tain" Watts, in alliance here with percussionist Munyungo Jackson. Hailing from Louisiana, Beasley started playing in the late seventies, getting his seasoning with such jazz greats as Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard and Dianne Reeves. Lately, he has gravitated towards composing for film and television, but he continues to release new music and tour with his band. This recording follows-up Letter to Herbie (Resonance, 2008), in which Beasley presented an impressionistic take on Herbie Hancock's music. Besides Watts and Jackson on drums, the musicians participating here are bassist James Genus, along with the blistering front line of saxophonist Bennie Maupin and trumpeter Brian Lynch. Most numbers are Beasley originals with three notable exceptions. The standout is a knockout rendition of, Argentine composer Astor Piazzolla's tango "Tanguedia III." On most selections, Beasley plays piano, but here he uses Fender Rhodes and synthesizer to create bandoneon accordion effects essential to tango. It's uniquely tango-jazz all the way in 2/4 start-stop fashion, building to a dynamic climax.

Other selections range from funk and soul to bop and bossa nova. Staying in a South American vein, Beasley puts forth his take on Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Dindi." Genus' bass sets the tone for this soft reflective piece, with the piano delivering softly swaying interludes. Watts and Jackson, as expected, add complexity to the beat. A further highlight is Beasley's "Black Thunder," dedicated to the late drummer Elvin Jones, and featuring Watts as a positive dynamo with pounding sticks. Maupin and Lynch deliver stirring solos as well. On Beasley's vigorous "The Eight Winds," Lynch's muted trumpet effectively leads the pianist into a burning,double-time solo, again resolutely backed by the churning drum duo. For hard boppers, there is Beasley's opener, "Caddo Bayou," featuring the whole band in this energized tribute to the leader's hometown. For soulful funk there is Bobby Timmons "So Tired," with Beasley again On Fender Rhodes, framing Maupin's strong tenor solo. Since positivity is the theme of this CD, it is fitting that it ends with the piano solo piece "Hope, Arkansas," Beasley's stately ode to Obama's presidency. ~ Larry Taylor https://www.allaboutjazz.com/positootly-john-beasley-resonance-records-review-by-larry-taylor.php

Personnel: John Beasley: piano, Fender Rhodes, synthesizer; Bennie Maupin: tenor and soprano saxophones; Brian Lynch: trumpet; James Genus: bass; Jeff "Tain" Watts: drums; Munyungo Jackson: percussion.

Positootly!

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Bob Sheppard - Close Your Eyes

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:06
Size: 115,8 MB
Art: Front

(6:16)  1. Close Your Eyes
(6:29)  2. Surface Tension
(6:15)  3. Goodbye
(6:07)  4. Brain Fog
(4:36)  5. Fast Company
(6:29)  6. Phantoms
(4:43)  7. Lightness
(5:23)  8. Gazelle
(3:41)  9. All in a Row

The distinction between East Coast and West Coast jazz is probably an outdated oversimplification. Yet it is hard not to think of Close Your Eyes as quintessentially Californian. Its airiness and clarity insinuate ocean breezes and sunlight. Bob Sheppard of Los Angeles is one of the most skilled multireed players in jazz. He is a studio musician, professor, clinician and first-call sideman (Freddie Hubbard, Joni Mitchell, Steely Dan, James Taylor). Close Your Eyes is a rare project under his own name, and the most complete document to date of his art. It is polished, sophisticated, intricately organized music. Alan Pasqua or John Beasley play piano and B3. Gabe Noel/Antonio Sánchez/Walter Rodriguez are on bass/drums/percussion. Guitarist Larry Koonse and trumpeter Alex Sipiagen join on two numbers each. But it doesn’t sound like a small-group session because Sheppard, who usually solos on tenor saxophone, overdubs himself on six other woodwind instruments to create layered horn backgrounds. Every tune is arranged into a tight, multifaceted design. People (East Coast people?) who require lots of blood and guts in their jazz might find performances like “Surface Tension” and “Brain Fog” and “Fast Company” too intellectual. But even such charts, with their high degree of difficulty, their tricky meters and clever unisons, get down to business when the solos kick in. Sipiagen and Koonse and Pasqua wait for their moments, then kill. Every Sheppard improvisation is a unique revelation of unpredictable finesse. In a lucid tenor saxophone tone, he dances among ideas like Baryshnikov. Kenny Barron’s “Phantoms” is perfectly quiet and ominous, but the best track is “Goodbye.” Like every piece on this album, it is precisely calibrated, but only to set up Sheppard, whose smeary, floating solo is an elegant, passionate iteration of melancholy. ~ Thomas Conrad https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/bob-sheppard-close-your-eyes/

Personnel: Bob Sheppard - Saxophone; Antonio Sanchez -Drums; Alan Pasqua - Piano & Organ; John Beasley- Piano & Organ; Larry Koonse- Guitar; Alex Sipiagen- Trumpet & Flugelhorn; Gabe Noel - Bass; Walter Rodriguez- Percussion

Close Your Eyes

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Bob Sheppard - The Fine Line

Styles: Saxophone, Flute Jazz
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:54
Size: 126,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:44)  1. Edge of Trouble
(5:52)  2. Run Amok
(4:54)  3. The Fine Line
(5:08)  4. People Make the World Go 'Round
(7:20)  5. I Didn't Know What Time It Was
(5:36)  6. Maria's Tango
(5:38)  7. Above & Beyond
(4:11)  8. Joegenic
(4:24)  9. Thanks for the Memory
(7:02) 10. A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing

Ironically, probably the only reason that Bob Sheppard isn't a household name (other than in jazz households) is because he's such an in-demand sideman. Splitting his time between Los Angeles, and New York he also teaches jazz at The University of Southern California Thornton School of Music. But he's worked, amongst many others, with such jazz luminaries as Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Peter Erskine and from the popular music world, Joni Mitchell, Steely Dan and Stevie Wonder. This also explains why recordings under his own name are so relatively infrequent. His previous album, Close Your Eyes (Challenge, 2011) featuring, amongst others, drummer Antonio Sanchez, was highly lauded and rightly so. The Fine Line came about through Sheppard's chance meeting with Dutch bassist Jasper Somsen at the 2013 Jazzahead Network Event in Bremen, Germany. The two hit it off immediately and resolved to work together. However, due to their mutually busy schedules it took almost two years before they were able to share a stage in The Netherlands for a full week of concerts, followed by masterclasses and radio appearances. Shortly afterwards, Anne de Jong, General Director of Challenge Records offered Somsen the opportunity to work on several projects, and happily this album was one of them. To complete the line-up Sheppard shrewdly recruited keyboardist John Beasley, who appeared on Sheppard's previous album, plus virtuoso drummer Kendrick Scott.  Sheppard's fast-paced opener, "Edge Of Trouble," sees the sax maestro establishing a serpentine hook on soprano saxophone. 

There's also a florid solo from guest vibraphonist Simon Moullier, who later makes essential contributions to "Maria's Tango" and "Joegenic." All the while Scott propels the piece along with his crackling drums. "Run Amok" with Sheppard on tenor, has a Brecker Brothers feel courtesy of Benjamin Shepherd on electric bass and some Miles-ian harmon-muted trumpet from Mike Cottone. Billy Strayhorn "A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing" is given a sumptuous treatment by Sheppard and the Rodgers, and Hart standard "I Didn't Know What Time It Was" sees Sheppard soloing on soaring soprano. One oddity, rarely heard in a jazz context, but nonetheless a winning version here, is Ralph Rainger's "Thanks For The Memory," which became Bob Hope's signature tune on which Sheppard imparts some evocatively glissando-rich slinky tenor with Somsen delivering a fluid pizzicato bass solo. Sheppard's languid Latine-esque title track benefits from some subtly dulcet wordless vocals from Maria Puga Lareo. With The Fine Line Sheppard has succeeded once more in producing an album populated by vibrant, memorable tunes that invite constant and frequent replays. ~ Roger Farbey https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-fine-line-bob-sheppard-challenge-records-review-by-roger-farbey.php

Personnel: Bob Sheppard: tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute, alto flute; John Beasley: piano; Jasper Somsen: double bass; Kendrick Scott: drums. Plus guests: Mike Cottone (2): trumpet; Simon Moullier (1,6,8): vibraphone; Maria Puga Lareo (3): vocals; Benjamin Shepherd (2,4): electric bass; Aaron Safarty (3,6): shaker.

The Fine Line

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John Patitucci - Mistura Fina

Styles: Jazz Fusion, Post Bop 
Year: 1995
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:00
Size: 141,0 MB
Art: Front

(5:34)  1. Mistura Fina
(3:59)  2. Bate Balaio (Rockson Do Pandeiro)
(4:33)  3. Puccini
(5:43)  4. Samba Novo
(4:05)  5. The Four Loves
(6:47)  6. Assim Nao Da
(5:54)  7. Joys And Sorrows
(4:03)  8. Agua Mae Agua (Water Mother Water)
(5:42)  9. Soul Song
(3:05) 10. Varadero
(4:19) 11. Long Story
(5:07) 12. Barra Da Tijuca (Tijuca Bay)
(2:01) 13. Samba School

John Patitucci, a brilliant bassist best known for his fusion playing with Chick Corea's Elektric Band, leans strongly in the direction of Brazilian pop music on this CD. Most of the selections have vocals, and although Patitucci takes a lot of excellent acoustic bass solos (and there are occasional solo spots for keyboardist John Beasley and saxophonist Steve Tavaglione), this CD is more in the world music than fusion vein. 

The vocalists include Joao Bosco, Dori Caymmi, Kleber Jorge, Ivan Lins, Cathy Brandolino and Kevyn Lettau. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/mistura-fina-mw0000123551

Personnel:  Electric Bass [J.P. Yamaha Six String Bass], Vocals – John Patitucci; Drums, Percussion [Additional] – Michael Shapiro; Percussion – Alex Acuña; Piano, Synthesizer – John Beasley; Tenor Saxophone – Steve Tavaglione; Vocals – Bill Cantos, Cathy Brandolino, Kevyn Lettau, Kleber Jorge, Lou Pardini, Scott Mayo

Mistura Fina

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Hubert Laws - My Time Will Come

Styles: Flute Jazz
Year: 1993
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:01
Size: 126,7 MB
Art: Front

(10:11)  1. Malaguena
( 5:16)  2. My Time Will Come
( 5:03)  3. It's So Crazy
( 6:54)  4. Shades of Light
(10:57)  5. Valse
( 8:45)  6. Make It Last
( 7:52)  7. Moonlight Sonata

This is a streaky affair, Hubert Laws's first recording as a leader in quite a few years. The great flutist has a reunion with Don Sebesky on a version of "Malaguena" that becomes an imitation of Chick Corea's "Spain," a few of the selections are forgettable funk and "Moonlight Sonata" is ruined by an unbearable rhythm. However there are some fine performances that feature excellent soloing by Laws and pianist John Beasley. Still, only Hubert Laws's most loyal fans will want this release. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/my-time-will-come-mw0000095582

Personnel:  Piccolo Flute – Hubert Laws; Bass – Gary Willis, John Patitucci , Mike Richmond; Congas – Terry Santiel; Drums – Clayton Cameron, Dan Gotlieb, Leon "Ndugu" Chancelor, Ralph Penland; Flute – Hubert Laws ; Keyboards – George Duke, Joe Sample, John Beasley; Percussion – Sue Evans, Terry Santiel; Piano – Mark Gray;  Soprano Saxophone – Ronnie Laws;  Vocals – Joan LaBarbara

My Time Will Come

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Peter Erskine & The Dr. Um Band - On Call

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 79:04
Size: 181,8 MB
Art: Front

( 4:52)  1. For The Time Being
( 5:25)  2. Might As Well Be
( 6:09)  3. If So Then
( 6:26)  4. Uncle Don
( 6:59)  5. Silver Linings
( 4:26)  6. Two Paths
( 7:03)  7. Hipnotherapy 

( 6:58)  8. Hawaii Bathing Suit
( 9:18)  9. Dreamsville
(11:12) 10. Eleven Eleven
(10:12) 11. Northern Cross

Consummate drummer Peter Erskine, a former Weather Report member, has always shown an inclination for electric jazz fusion. Commanding The Dr. Um Band with metrical depth and angular vision, he releases On Call, a new double album on his own music label, Fuzzy Music.The disc one includes brand new material recorded in the studio whereas disc two encapsulates previously recorded tunes performed live in Occhiobello, Italy. All the members of the quartet - saxophonist Bob Sheppard, keyboardist John Beasley, and electric bassist Benjamin Shepherd penned compositions for the studio session, which opens with Erskine’s “For The Time Being”. Initially enigmatic, the piece veers to a daring, dark-toned jazz funk, with the band keeping the groovy pose on Sheppard’s “Might As Well Be”, a crossover fantasy that salutes saxophonist Jerry Bergonzi. The versatility of Beasley is perceptible through attractive attacks and strange sounds. The keyboardist contributes to the song lineup with a pair of compositions - “If So Then”, inspired by the Miles Davis Quintet, is boosted by an adventurous piano solo and exceptional collective interplay; “Silver Linings” is a respectful homage to Horace Silver whose borrowed moods adapt to the band’s style.

Penned by the bandleader, “Uncle Don” displays a ceremonious organ as the introduction and a scratching backbeat in an early stage. Afterward, the band places cool harmonic progressions on top of rock-steeped rhythms, having funky bass lines running along.The live session, filled with enthusiasm and excitement, opens with a couple of tunes by Erskine: the cerebral, blues-based “Hipnotherapy” and the funk-inflected “Hawaii Bathing Suit”. The former thrives with woody bass grooves decorated with wha-wha effects and concordant drumming, while the latter is a playful avant fusion that captivates through gorgeous unisons, apt improvisations, and an effusive drumming with strong Latin accents. After the soaringly atmospheric first section, Henry Mancini’s “Dreamville” combines bossa nova rhythms with balladic tones, whose silky textures result from mixing light funk, smooth jazz, and malleable R&B elements. The tune was retrieved from the album Second Opinion (Fuzzy Music, 2016), just like “Eleven Eleven”, a frenetic steeplechase with rock-solid rhythmic passages and powerful wha-wha bass lines. Although not too temperamental, the soloists opt for dazzling, straightforward approaches to express their lines of thought. Erskine’s mutable “Northern Cross” is not a softer either, displaying influences of American music while bridging the worlds of funk, jazz, and rock. This could be a possible outcome of having Joshua Redman playing with Return To Forever. With the live recording surpassing the studio session, On Call sparks with tremendous rhythmic engagement as it shows Erskine’s productive modus operandi.

Personnel:  Peter Erskine: drums; Bob Sheppard: saxophone; John Beasley: keyboards; Benjamin Shepherd: electric bass;

On Call

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John Beasley - MONK'estra, Vol. 2

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:21
Size: 134,1 MB
Art: Front

(7:05)  1. Brake's Sake feat. Dontae Winslow
(3:54)  2. Played Twice
(4:30)  3. Crepuscule With Nellie
(7:20)  4. Evidence
(5:18)  5. Ugly Beauty/Pannonica
(6:22)  6. I Mean You
(5:24)  7. Light Blue
(6:10)  8. Dear Ruby
(6:20)  9. Criss Cross
(5:53) 10. Work

GRAMMY®- and Emmy-nominated recording artist John Beasley leads a smashing big band project MONK’estra. The feel and sound of MONK’estra captures the spirit of Thelonious Monk’s singular style with its off-beat melodies, humor, strange beauty and unbounded swing in fresh arrangements flavored with hints of New Orleans, hip-hop, Afro-Cuban, contemporary and atmospheric rhythms and colors. “Some of the most mesmerizing big band music of recent memory.” Beasley a far-ranging pianist, composer, and arranger who has performed with Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, Dianne Reeves, Steely Dan, Marcus Miller, Christian McBride is easily one of the most versatile musicians in jazz. He leads a sparkling career as a bandleader, a first-call keyboardist, composer and arranger for bands and film and television projects. He is the Music Director for the Thelonious Monk Institute, International Jazz Day concerts. In 2016, he earned an Emmy nomination for “Jazz at the White House” for Best Musical Direction on ABC TV. MONK’estra Vol. 2 was released in Sep 2017 to immediate critical acclaim earning 4.5/5 stars in DownBeat. Vol 1 was Beasley’s 11th recording which earned two 2017 GRAMMY nominations for Best Large Jazz Ensemble and Best Arrangement for “Ask Me Now”. MONK’estra re-imagines Monk’s compositions with an eye to the future with a killer contemporary big band that pays loving tribute to the master’s music while infusing it with contemporary harmonies, unstoppable grooves, and a contagious sense of fun. http://johnbeasleymusic.com/monkestra/

Personnel:  Conductor, Piano, Synthesizer – John Beasley;  Acoustic Bass, Electric Bass – Ben Shepherd;  Drums – Gene Coye, Terreon Gully;  Trombone – Francisco Torres ;  Trumpet – Bijon Watson , Brian Swartz , James Ford , Jamie Hovorka?;  Woodwind – Bob Sheppard, Danny Janklow, Tom Luer          

MONK'estra, Vol. 2

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John Beasley - MONK'estra, Vol. 1

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:16
Size: 125,5 MB
Art: Front

(6:21)  1. Epistrophy
(8:03)  2. Skippy
(8:16)  3. Oska T
(2:50)  4. Monk's Processional (Medley)
(3:43)  5. 'Round Midnight
(6:46)  6. Ask Me Now
(3:14)  7. Gallop's Gallop
(9:13)  8. Little Rootie Tootie
(5:47)  9. Coming on the Hudson

Since the 1950s, composer-arrangers have made orchestral versions of Thelonious Monk’s music. I have so far heard none that have been quite so bold as John Beasley in recasting what he calls the “architecture” of these dauntingly angular piano pieces for a jazz orchestra. He lifts Monk’s melodies away from their native idiom of bebop and replants them in the musically cosmopolitan 21st century. Monk’s insistent, almost manic worrying at single phrases is replaced by sudden surprises and changes of direction. The variety of orchestral textures seems endless too. There’s a lot to take in, and a lot of conventional ideas to set aside, but through it all Monk’s themes emerge as strong as ever. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/aug/21/john-beasley-monkestra-vol-1-review-thelonious-monk

Personnel:  Piano – John Beasley;  Vibraphone – Gary Burton;  Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Bob Sheppard, Danny Janklow, Tom Luer;  Trumpet – Bijon Watson, Brian Swartz;  Trombone – Francisco Torres ;  Trumpet – Brian Swartz, Gabriel Johnson;  Drums – Terreon Gully;  Bass Clarinet – Tom Peterson;  Trombone – Ryan Dragon

MONK'estra, Vol. 1

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