Kenny Shanker - Vortex

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:53
Size: 128,4 MB
Art: Front

(5:47) 1. Vortex
(4:51) 2. Lulu's Back In Town
(5:33) 3. Winter Song
(5:57) 4. Hunter
(7:05) 5. Ramble
(5:45) 6. Nightfall
(5:06) 7. The Duke
(5:25) 8. Cinnamon
(5:32) 9. Midnight Snack
(4:47) 10. Autumn Leaves

Kenny Shanker returns with a new and exciting collection of music designed to pull the listener into a satisfying aural “vortex,” whether through original compositions or reinterpretations of well-worn standards. The acclaimed and eclectic saxophonist sounds at the top of his game on Vortex, his third full-length outing on Wise Cat Records. Brimming with creativity, expressivity and vitality, Shanker is joined on Vortex by a lineup of longtime collaborators, including guitarist Daisuke Abe, pianist Mike Eckroth, bassist Yoshi Waki and drummer Brian Fishler. Trumpeter Bill Mobley adds color and flair to three of the tracks on the record.

After a brief opening line, Eckroth, Shanker, Mobley and Abe all take solos on the swirling original title track, which opens the album (and that you can hear via the player below). Collectively, the sound offers a modern take on the fabled post-bop tradition but is also peppered with more than a pinch of Afro-Cuban influence. This deep cut, upbeat and joyful, is the perfect way to open an album that testifies to the eclectic experience gathered by Shanker over the years, both as a bandleader in his own right and as a collaborator with the New World Symphony, Richard Bona, David Benoit, Shelly Berg and Lage Lund, among many others.~ Matt Micucci https://www.jazziz.com/exclusive-track-kenny-shanker-vortex/

Personnel: Kenny Shanker - Alto Saxophone; Soprano Saxophone; Bill Mobley - Trumpet; Daisuke Abe - Guitar; Mike Eckroth - Piano; Yoshi Waki - Bass; Brian Fishler - Drums

Vortex

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Kenny Shanker - Steppin' Up

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:22
Size: 123,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:19) 1. Winter Rain
(5:31) 2. Fifth And Berry
(2:56) 3. Rhapsody
(6:06) 4. Quirk
(6:51) 5. E.J...
(5:28) 6. Sarah
(4:55) 7. Prowl
(5:53) 8. Saints
(6:34) 9. Home Sweet Home
(4:44) 10. Somewhere

Alto Saxophonist Kenny Shanker is proof that an artist's direction isn't always reflected in their tonal personality. Shanker possesses a sleek-and-sweet tone that has served him well on dates with big name ghost band, like the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra and the Nelson Riddle Orchestra, as well as smooth-leaning pianist David Benoit, but his own music operates outside of the "contemporary jazz" orbit.

Shanker occasionally hints at the simpler side of jazz, with an easily appealing, less-is-more melody ("Home Sweet Home") or a heart-wrenching ballad ("Sarah") that showcases his tender side, but he also puts his silky saxophone to good use in more striking fashion. He throws caution to the wind on the urgent "Fifth And Berry," which showcases a bevy of bravura solos from various band members, turns up the heat during his solo on "Quirk," and brings a sense of elation to "E.J."

While Shanker didn't invite any horn players to join him here, guitarist Lage Lund occasionally serves as his front line partner. Both men complement each other when working in tandem, but Lund's greater contributions come with his solos. He pushes at the boundaries of Shanker's songs in pleasurable ways and brings a thoroughly modern slant to this music. Pianist and label mate Art Hirahara also shares Lund's sense of adventure when soloing, and his comping pushes Shanker in some unexpected directions during the saxophonist's solo flights.

While Hirahara mans the keys for the majority of this music, Mike Eckroth takes over on three numbers, and his playing is in-line with Shanker in every way. His soloing on Leonard Bernstein's "Somewhere" is a sparkling example of measured contemplation and musicality, and completely captures the emotional essence of "Sarah."

It took Shanker eight post-college years to step out and record this debut, and the album aged on the shelves for another two-plus years, but it was worth the wait. Steppin' Up signals the arrival of another unique and promising saxophone personality in the ever-impressive Posi-Tone stable.~Dan Bilaswskyhttps://www.allaboutjazz.com/steppin-up-kenny-shanker-posi-tone-records-review-by-dan-bilawsky

Personnel: Kenny Shanker: alto saxophone; Art Hirahara: piano; Lage Lund: guitar; Yoshi Waki: bass; Brian Fishler: drums: Mike Eckroth: piano.

Steppin' Up

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Kenny Shanker - Beautiful Things

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:08
Size: 171,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:47) 1. Cool Mint
(3:35) 2. Prestissimo
(7:29) 3. It Never Entered My Mind
(5:33) 4. Mirth
(5:48) 5. L'Impossible
(7:54) 6. Orange and Gray
(8:40) 7. Without a Song
(6:55) 8. I'm Old Fashioned
(7:11) 9. Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise
(5:35) 10. Like Someone in Love
(4:56) 11. In Walked Bud
(5:40) 12. Beautiful Things

Kenny Shanker is back with an exciting program of original compositions and jazz standards for his second release on Wise Cat Records. The common element that appears throughout this diverse set is a search for beauty in all of its various forms. Some highlights include the blazingly fast “Prestissimo,” inspired by the early bebop recordings that Shanker grew up listening to, and the catchy, spirited original composition “Cool Mint.”

Other standouts include straight-ahead renditions of several jazz classics, the spontaneous freedom of “Orange and Gray,” and the classically influenced “Beautiful Things.” He is joined by his longtime rhythm section of Mike Eckroth, Daisuke Abe, Yoshi Waki, and Brian Fishler, along with Bill Mobley on Trumpet. https://kennyshanker.com/music

Personnel: Kenny Shanker - Alto Saxophone; Bill Mobley - Trumpet; Daisuke Abe - Guitar; Mike Eckroth - Piano; Yoshi Waki - Bass; Brian Fishler – Drums

Beautiful Things

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