Robert Hurst - Presents: Robert Hurst

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 1992
File: MP3@256K/s
Time: 67:09
Size: 123,2 MB
Art: Front

(6:20) 1. Down 4 the Cause
(6:28) 2. Detroit Red
(6:36) 3. Aycrigg
(4:41) 4. Joyce Faye
(1:23) 5. Incessant Lullaby
(7:53) 6. The Snake Charmer
(2:55) 7. Evidence
(5:54) 8. Walk of the Negress
(7:59) 9. Blue Freeze
(6:45) 10. Bert's Flirt
(7:24) 11. Devil's Night in Motown
(2:46) 12. Incessant Lullaby.... Bye

This set finds bassist Robert Hurst leading the Tonight Show All-Stars (with Branford Marsalis on various reeds and pianist Kenny Kirkland), plus trumpeter Marcus Belgrave and guest Ralph Miles Jones III (on bass clarinet and bassoon) through 11 of his originals and a solo bass version of Thelonious Monk's "Evidence." The music is complex and hard-driving, but the improvisations are rather cold and sometimes boring. Hurst, a superior bassist, is not a superior composer, and his compositions at best set moods. Of the supporting cast, the most distinctive voices are Belgrave and Jones; the latter has a colorful bass clarinet solo on "The Snake Charmer." This is a decent effort, but not all that essential.~Scott Yanowhttps://www.allmusic.com/album/robert-hurst-presents-robert-hurst-mw0000098147

Personnel: Bass – Robert Hurst; Bass Clarinet, Bassoon – Ralph Miles Jones III; Drums – Jeff "Tain" Watts; Piano – Kenny Kirkland; Sopranino Saxophone, Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet – Branford Marsalis; Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Marcus Belgrave

Robert Hurst Presents: Robert Hurst

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Kevin Eubanks - Opening Night

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 1984
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:43
Size: 92,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:02)  1. Opening Night
(5:03)  2. Shades Of Black
(4:45)  3. The Navigator
(4:06)  4. Thought About Thinking
(4:08)  5. In Flight From Omelas
(6:03)  6. A Place Before you've Been
(4:52)  7. Vera's Isle
(4:39)  8. To Be Continued

An adept guitarist with a bent toward contemporary jazz, Kevin Eubanks is best known for leading Jay Leno's Tonight Show Band. Born in 1957 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Eubanks grew up in a musical family along with his older brother, trombonist Robin, and younger brother, trumpeter Duane  his uncle is pianist Ray Bryant. A talented musician by his teens, Eubanks eventually studied music at Berklee College of Music in Boston. After graduating, he played with a bevy of name musicians including drummer Roy Haynes and saxophonist Sam Rivers; he was also a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers from 1980 to 1981. Eubanks made his solo recording debut with Guitarist on Elektra in 1982. He then signed with GRP and released seven albums, beginning with 1984's Sundance and ending with 1989's Promise of Tomorrow. Moving to Blue Note, Eubanks released several albums, including 1992's Turning Point, 1993's Spiritalk, 1994's Spiritalk 2, and 1994's Live at Bradley's. In 1992, he joined bandleader Branford Marsalis on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and in 1995, Eubanks took over the band when Marsalis left.

His friendly chemistry and humorous repartee with Leno quickly established the guitarist as a household name. While the Tonight Show band was his focus during this time, Eubanks did release several albums on his own Insoul label. In 2009, he moved with Leno to lead the Primetime Band on NBC's short-lived The Jay Leno Show. In 2010, Eubanks left The Tonight Show shortly after Leno returned to host it again. That same year, Eubanks delivered the album Zen Food on Mack Avenue Records, and in 2012, he returned with his second Mack Avenue release, the stylistically eclectic The Messenger. In 2015, Eubanks paired up with innovative fellow guitarist/pianist Stanley Jordan for the eclectic covers album Duets. ~ Matt Collar https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/opening-night/1311647726

Personnel:  Kevin Eubanks - Guitar (Acoustic), Producer, Bass, Guitar (Electric), Guitar;  Branford Marsalis - Sax (Tenor);  Buster Williams - Bass;  Kent Jordan - Flute (Alto);  Big Black - Bass, Tumba;  Tommy Campbell - Drums;  David Eubanks - Bass;  Kenny Kirkland - Piano;  Marvin "Smitty" Smith -  Drums

Opening Night

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Kenny Garrett - Black Hope

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1992
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:54
Size: 154,3 MB
Art: Front

( 6:08)  1. Tacit Dance
( 4:09)  2. Spanish Go-round
(10:04)  3. Computer G
( 7:39)  4. Van Goghs Left Ear
( 3:53)  5. Black Hope
( 7:01)  6. Jackie And The Bean Stalk
( 4:46)  7. Run Run Shaw
( 5:24)  8. 2 Step
( 4:53)  9. Bone Bob
( 4:42) 10. Books And Toys
( 5:34) 11. Bye Bye Blackbird
( 1:35) 12. Last Sax

Alto saxophonist Kenny Garrett hasn't been as heavily publicized as his fellow young lions, but he can play with as much authority, conviction, and sheer energy as anyone. Only some uneven material keeps his '92 album from being exceptional, and even on the weak songs, Garrett's playing forces you to pay attention. ~ Ron Wynn https://www.allmusic.com/album/black-hope-mw0000082568

Personnel:  Kenny Garrett: alto saxophone, soprano saxophone;  Joe Henderson: tenor saxophone;  Kenny Kirkland: piano, synthesizer;  Donald Brown: synthesizer;  Charnett Moffett: bass;  Brian Blade, Ricky Wellman: drums;  Don Alias: percussion

Black Hope

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Franco Ambrosetti - Gin and Pentatonic

Styles: Fluegelhorn, Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1985
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:19
Size: 156,8 MB
Art: Front

(10:44)  1. Miss, Your Quelque Chose
( 4:22)  2. More Wings for Wheelers
( 8:10)  3. Yes or No
(13:16)  4. Gin and Pentatonic
( 6:17)  5. Autumn Leaves
(10:54)  6. Ode to a Princess
(14:35)  7. Atisiul

Franco Ambrosetti has had dual careers as a very successful businessman, and as a fine trumpeter and flügelhornist inspired by Freddie Hubbard and Miles Davis. His father Flavio Ambrosetti was an excellent saxophonist. Franco had piano lessons for eight years but is self-taught on trumpet, which he did not take up until he was 17. In 1972, he was one of the founders of the George Gruntz Concert Jazz Band, and through the years he has recorded quite a few worthy hard bop-ish albums for Enja in addition to leading his own groups. ~ Scott Yanow https://itunes.apple.com/nz/album/gin-pentatonic-feat-michael-brecker-kenny-kirkland/1360388464

Personnel:  Franco Ambrostetti, Fluegelhorn, trumpet;  Michael Brecker, tenor sax;  John Clark, french horn;  Kenny Kirkland, piano;  Buster Williams, bass;  Daniel Humair, drums;  Lew Soloff, trumpet;  Michael Mossman, trumpet;  Steve Coleman, alt sax;  Alex Brofsky, french horn;   Howard Johnson, tuba, bariton sax, piano

Gin and Pentatonic

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Rodney Jones - Dreams And Stories

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:24
Size: 127,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:44)  1. Star Eyes
(4:36)  2. Leana's Song
(3:42)  3. Happy Blue
(4:52)  4. The Song Is You
(5:38)  5. Blue Days, Blue Dreams
(3:12)  6. Five For The Duck
(4:08)  7. While We Dream
(5:46)  8. Summertime
(5:57)  9. Serena
(5:34) 10. No Time For The Blues
(3:10) 11. Blues When You Need Them
(3:58) 12. Road Song

This excellent set, which features guitarist Rodney Jones on his melodic originals, blues, ballads, and a few standards, sounds as if it were recorded in 2005 except for one fact. Pianist Kenny Kirkland, who passed away prematurely in 1998, is in the quartet. Surprisingly no date is included in the liner notes, so the 1985 date given for the previously unreleased set is just an educated guess, since it is mentioned that bassist Marc Johnson was new in town at the time of the recording. It is a joy to hear some "new" Kirkland solos but the contributions of Jones, Johnson, and drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts (who is very subtle throughout) should not be overlooked either. Jones' songs are excellent, with "Blue Days, Blue Dreams" and "While We Dream" in particular being rewarding ballads that should be covered by others. Recommended.~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/dreams-and-stories-mw0000349061

Personnel: Rodney Jones (guitar); Marc Johnson (bass instrument); Kenny Kirkland (piano); Jeff "Tain" Watts (drums).

Dreams And Stories

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Kenny Kirkland - Kenny Kirkland

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1991
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:37
Size: 143,6 MB
Art: Front

(8:07)  1. Mr. J.C.
(3:32)  2. Midnight Silence
(1:35)  3. El Rey
(6:02)  4. Steepian Faith
(6:49)  5. Celia
(6:01)  6. Chance
(5:39)  7. When Will the Blues Leave
(8:36)  8. Ana Maria
(7:48)  9. Revelations
(5:19) 10. Criss Cross
(3:04) 11. Blasphemy

Keyboardist Kenny Kirkland's long-overdue debut as a leader really stretches his talents and is occasionally unpredictable. Virtually each of the performances has its own personality and the personnel and instrumentation differ throughout the release. Among the highlights is "Mr. J.C." (which features some stormy Branford Marsalis tenor), an electric Latin but still boppish update of Bud Powell's "Celia" (taken as a duet with percussionist Don Alias), the struttin' "Steepian Faith," a driving rendition of Ornette Coleman's "When Will the Blues Leave" that has some free bop alto from Roderick Ward, and Latin versions (with percussionist Jerry Gonzalez) of two standards not normally thought of as belonging to that idiom: Wayne Shorter's "Ana Maria" and Thelonious Monk's "Criss Cross." This highly recommended CD has more than its share of brilliant moments. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/kenny-kirkland-mw0000676542

Personnel: Kenny Kirkland (piano, keyboards); Branford Marsalis (soprano & tenor saxophones); Charnett Moffet, Robert Hurst, Christian McBride (bass); Steve Berrios (drums, percussion); Jeff "Tain" Watts (drums); Don Alias (bongos, percussion); Jerry Gonzalez (congas, percussion).

Kenny Kirkland

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Billy Hart - Oshumare

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 1995
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:59
Size: 125,9 MB
Art: Front

( 6:17)  1. Duchess
( 7:44)  2. Waiting Inside
( 5:56)  3. Chance
( 7:27)  4. Lorca
( 4:45)  5. Cosmosis
(10:20)  6. Idgaf Suite
( 6:09)  7. May Dance
( 6:17)  8. Mad Monkey

Billy Hart is a perfect example of a drummer who has an impressively long list of sideman credits but has only recorded sporadically as a leader. One of the few sessions that he led in the 1980s was 1985's Oshumare, a Gramavision date that has one foot in fusion and the other in straight-ahead post-bop. Hart oversees an interesting blend of acoustic and electric instruments; Dave Holland is on upright bass, while the electric contributions come from Kenny Kirkland or Mark Gray on keyboards and Bill Frisell or Kevin Eubanks on electric guitar. Rounding out the cast which could almost be described an all-star cast are Branford Marsalis on tenor sax, Steve Coleman on alto sax, Didier Lockwood on violin, and Manolo Badrena on percussion. However, the use of the term all-star would be a slight exaggeration because not all of the musicians became major names in jazz although most of them did. But it is no exaggeration to say that Hart leads an impressive cast of players on this CD or that the material is generally solid; that is true of Hart's Latin-flavored "Lorca" as well as Frisell's mysterious "Waiting Outside" and Eubank's abstract "IDGAF Suite." Parts of Oshumare are essentially straight-ahead, especially Holland's fast-paced "Cosmosis." But this album cannot honestly be described as the work of a jazz purist. One minute Hart is straight-ahead, and the next he encourages Eubanks or Kirkland to take things in more of a fusion direction. And that speaks well of the drummer (who was 44 or 45 when this album was recorded), because it demonstrates that he is willing to listen to what younger musicians have to say. Oshumare makes listeners wish that Hart had recorded more albums as a leader in the 1980s. ~ Alex Henderson https://www.allmusic.com/album/oshumare-mw0000188147

Personnel includes: Billy Hart (drums); Branford Marsalis, Steve Coleman (saxophone); Didier Lockwood (violin); Bill Frisell (guitar); Dave Holland (bass); Kevin Eubanks, Kenny Kirkland (piano).

Oshumare

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