Kirk Lightsey & Harold Danko - Shorter by Two

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1983
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:40
Size: 127,8 MB
Art: Front

(9:30)  1. Ana Maria
(4:27)  2. Delores
(6:57)  3. Dance Cadaverous
(3:01)  4. Pinocchio
(4:10)  5. Marie Antoinette
(3:40)  6. Armageddon
(3:08)  7. Lester Left Town
(5:49)  8. Witch Hunt
(6:38)  9. Iris
(4:18) 10. El Gaucho
(3:56) 11. Nefertiti

This CD is an off-the-wall project that was a big success. Kirk Lightsey and Harold Danko perform duo piano versions of 11 Wayne Shorter compositions. They dig into such Shorter tunes as "Ana Maria," "Pinocchio," "Lester Left Town," "Nefertiti," and quite a few obscurities, bringing out unexpected beauty during their very different interpretations of the complex and often haunting material. Highly recommended. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/shorter-by-two-mw0000204209

Personnel: Harold Danko (piano); Kirk Lightsey (piano)

Shorter by Two

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Kirk Lightsey - Live at Smalls Jazz Club

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2022
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:32
Size: 129,8 MB
Art: Front

(10:01) 1. In Your Own Sweet Way
(12:01) 2. Bro. Rudolph
( 8:57) 3. Pee Wee
( 4:09) 4. Heaven Dance
(13:06) 5. Lament
( 8:17) 6. Blues On The Corner

The new SmallsLIVE Living Masters Series has issued Kirk Lightsey Live at Smalls Jazz Club, their second offering, following this past August’s release of vocalist Sheila Jordan’s Live at Mezzrow. As the series name implies, these recordings honor the best of iconic jazz musicians that are still with us. Detroit native and New York-based pianist Kirk Lightsey has been at his craft for over seventy years, having been born in 1937. For this date, we have Lightsey playing in his wonderful, inimitable style joined by his longtime bassist Santi Debriano, guitarist Mark Whitfield, and drummer Victor Lewis, from the live session on September 13, 2021.

Without delving into a lengthy history on Lightsey, suffice it to say that he cut his teeth with these musicians: Chet Baker, Kenny Burrell, Clifford Jordan, and Sonny Stitt, as well as on his countless ground-breaking recordings as a bandleader, many years of which when he was based in Paris, France. As it turns out, Lightsey, like contemporary Ron Carter at age 85, shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, Lightsey appears on guitarist Simon Belelty’s album Pee Wee, which was released just three weeks ago. So, this live recording enables us to hear Lightsey’s delicate, graceful touch, imaginative melodies, and yes, those lush voicings. Interestingly, these six selections contain only one Lightsey original, “Heaven Dance” although the aforementioned “Pee Wee,” penned by Tony Williams has long been a Lightsey staple that appears on almost every Lightsey project of recent vintage.

Much has been written and debated about the pairing of guitar and piano, but this writer is essentially done with debating the issue as there are so many fine examples of where it works brilliantly including here with Whitfield’s stunning melodicism. This pairing was a clear ‘meant to be.’ The program begins with Dave Brubeck’s “In Your Own Sweet Way” with Whitfield stepping forward immediately and trading lines with the pianist as Debriano and Lewis stir a subtle undercurrent. Jazz fans will recall that just last year Whitfield won a Grammy for his contributions to Christian McBride’s Big Band’s For Jimmy, Wes, and Oliver so his clean, Montgomery-like picking should come as no surprise. Debriano, a veteran of considerable duo work with the pianist, solos nimbly as well with Lewis trading fours on the way out.

The other composers covered, like Brubeck, are no longer with us. They are Eddie Harris, Tony Williams, J.J. Johnson, and McCoy Tyner. Lightsey’s vitality, best exemplified through his ever-vibrant right hand is a marvel as he brightens familiar fare such as “Freedom Jazz Dance” and “Blues on the Corner.” Whitfield is flying on the former and adds a distinctly bluesy tone to Tyner’s oft-covered tune, as the two lead voices lock-in, emitting enough power to light up a New City block. It all comes to hush as first Debriano and then Lightsey improvises lightly around the theme, gradually building it back to a full-throttle quartet explosive close.

As strong as those are, we’d be remiss to overlook Lightsey’s own “Heaven Dance,” first recorded in 1988 with Lightsey’s trio ‘The Leaders’ featuring Cecil McBee on bass and Don Moye on drums. Again, Whitfield adds a new dimension, pushing the tempo across subtle Latin rhythms as he and Lightsey each author brilliant turns with Lewis turning some of his sharpest kit work. As the title implies, J.J. Johnson’s “Lament” is the most tender reading in the set, a vivid portrait of Lightsey’s graceful touch, strengthened by Debriano’s arco technique and Whitfield’s collaborative role.

These are four musicians who never miss a step and seemingly never a note. Live performances don’t come any better. Admittedly, this writer bypassed Lightsey’s solo outing, 2021’s I Will Never Stop Loving You (Jojo) but am returning to it now. Lightsey’s piano playing is as bright as his legendary smile. https://glidemagazine.com/281997/legendary-jazz-pianist-kirk-lightsey-shines-leading-quartet-on-live-at-smalls-jazz-club-album-review/

Personnel: Kirk Lightsey - piano; Mark Whitfield - guitar; Santi DeBriano - bass; Victor Lewis - drums

Live at Smalls Jazz Club

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Kirk Lightsey - Everything Is Changed

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1986
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:19
Size: 154,3 MB
Art: Front

( 7:09)  1. Everything Is Change(d)
( 6:40)  2. Billie's Bounce
(11:35)  3. Estate
( 6:39)  4. Evidence
(11:24)  5. Nandi
( 7:25)  6. Alone Together
(11:02)  7. Lament
( 5:21)  8. Blues on the Corner

This excellent album finds pianist Kirk Lightsey exploring five standards and his bassist Santi Wilson Debriano's "Nandi" with a solid quartet. Drummer Eddie Gladden is an asset but trumpeter Jerry Gonzales (whose muted statements on four of the six selections recall the lyricism of Miles Davis) often comes close to stealing the show. Lightsey, who sounds particularly strong on the ballads, is the obvious leader and his tasteful yet swinging piano is a joy to hear.
~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/everything-is-changed-mw0000651194

Personnel: Kirk Lightsey (piano), Jerry Gonzalez (trumpet, flugelhorn, congas), Santi Debriano (acoustic bass), Eddie Gladden (drums), Chico Freeman, Don Moye (percussion on "Evidence").

Everything Is Changed

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Kirk Lightsey - Home Piano

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:29
Size: 107,8 MB
Art: Front

(7:50) 1. I Remember Clifford
(5:09) 2. Brother Rudolph
(5:34) 3. Four In One
(4:46) 4. Some Other Time
(6:22) 5. Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered
(4:41) 6. Blues On the Corner
(6:14) 7. Golden Legacy
(5:50) 8. The Obvious Blues

Kirk Lightsey; Home Piano (RR-22). Grabación inédita de piano solo, que captura al gran músico de Detroit en una tarde de noviembre de 2012, en Buenos Aires. La atmósfera íntima y relajada de la sesión, junto al majestuoso sonido del piano Fazioli F308, generan el marco propicio para que la música surja con agradable espontaneidad.

Kirk Lightsey, uno de los últimos pianistas de una época maravillosa; irrepetible. Ello, tanto por la calidad y cantidad de músicos que la protagonizaron, como por lo que el ambiente del jazz generaba y significaba (particularmente, quizás, para los músicos afroamericanos). Kirk fue integrante estable del cuarteto de Dexter Gordon, y ha tocado con TODOS: Chet Baker, Sonny Stitt, Kenny Burrell, Benny Golson, Woody Shaw, Harold Land, Blue Mitchell, Louis Hayes, Clifford Jordan, Don Moye, James Moody, David “Fathead” Newman, Jimmy Raney, David Murray, James Clay, Sonny Fortune, Chico Freeman, Billy Pierce, Ricky Ford, Harold Danko, Attila Zoller, Rufus Reid, Santi Debriano, Marcus Belgrave, Javon Jackson, Mark Whitfield, Steve Nelson……

Kirk Lightsey; Home Piano (RR-22). Previously unreleased solo piano recording, capturing the great Detroit musician on a November 2012 afternoon in Buenos Aires. The intimate and relaxed atmosphere of the session added to the majestic sound of the Fazioli F308 grand piano, generate the right frame for the music to emerge with pleasant spontaneity.

Kirk Lightsey, one of the last pianists of a wonderful, unrepeatable era; due both to the quality and quantity of the musicians involved, and what the jazz environment generated and meant (particularly, perhaps, for African-American musicians). Kirk served as stable member of Dexter Gordon's quartet, and has played with Everyone: Chet Baker, Sonny Stitt, Kenny Burrell, Benny Golson, Woody Shaw, Harold Land, Blue Mitchell, Louis Hayes, Clifford Jordan, Don Moye, James Moody, David “Fathead” Newman, Jimmy Raney, David Murray, James Clay, Sonny Fortune, Chico Freeman, Billy Pierce, Ricky Ford, Harold Danko, Attila Zoller, Rufus Reid, Santi Debriano, Marcus Belgrave, Javon Jackson, Mark Whitfield, Steve Nelson……

Personnel: Piano: Kirk Lightsey; Trumpet/Trompeta: Mariano Loiacono (Track 8)

Home Piano

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Vanessa Rubin - Soul Eyes

Styles: Jazz, Vocal

Year: 1992

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 53:11

Size: 122,1 MB

Art: Front

(5:18)  1. I've Got The World On A String

(3:16)  2. When We Were One

(5:51)  3. Soul Eyes

(8:13)  4. Tenderly

(4:00)  5. Giant Steps

(4:47)  6. Autumn

(6:35)  7. Willow Weep For Me

(6:01)  8. Voyager II

(5:24)  9. Wait For Love

(3:42) 10. Dearly Beloved

Vanessa Rubin at the time of her Novus debut had been a high-school English teacher for seven years. This CD was a good start for her singing career although the results are a little mixed. Rubin displays an attractive voice (sounding great when holding long notes) but at this point in time ballads were not her strong point (on "When We Were One" she recalls Barbra Streisand). In addition, producer Onaje Allan Gumbs cannot resist gumming up the works in a few places with phony strings from his keyboards; he funks up what may be the initial vocal version of Mal Waldron's classic "Soul Eyes" along with a slower-than-usual "Giant Steps." On the plus side, Rubin's workout on a flagwaving "I've Got the World on a String" is enjoyable, the backup crew (which includes pianist Kirk Lightsey, trumpeter Eddie Allen and saxophonist Roger Byam) get occasional solos and the singer does a fine tribute to Sarah Vaughan on "Tenderly." This was a worthwhile debut but Vanessa Rubin's best work would be in the future. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/soul-eyes-mw0000273378

Personnel: Vanessa Rubin (Vocals); Eddie Allen Trumpet, Flugelhorn;  Roger Byam Sax (Alto), Sax (Soprano), Sax (Tenor);  Kirk Lightsey Piano;  Cecil McBee Bass;  Lewis Nash Drums

Soul Eyes  

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Kirk Lightsey Trio With Chet Baker - Everything Happens To Me

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1983
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:38
Size: 93,3 MB
Art: Front

( 4:52)  1. Rays Ideas
(10:45)  2. Everything Happens To Me
( 6:08)  3. Girl With The Purple Eyes
( 6:57)  4. Speak No Evil
( 5:00)  5. Inner Urge
( 6:54)  6. Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum

For some, the most important part about this recording will be the two tracks ("Ray's Ideas" and "Everything Happens to Me") on which Chet Baker blows trumpet and sings. While Baker is not in top form, he is a fine complement to the group sound. Lightsey's trio (with bassist David Eubanks and drummer Eddie Gladden) picks an interesting collection of pieces for the remainder of the program, with his well-known Wayne Shorter emphasis. A largely uneventful, if nonetheless relaxingly swinging set, Lightsey deftly walks through the chords with consummate skill. An underrated performer, the pianist is a skillful interpreter of American song, a performer who understands the meanings of tunes and infuses them with his own interpretations. Not terribly innovative, Lightsey is one of those few serious mainstream jazz piano soloists who pushes the edges ever so slightly but feels comfortable smack dab in the middle of traditional interplay. ~ Steve Loewy http://www.allmusic.com/album/everything-happens-to-me-mw0000877567

Personnel: Kirk Lightsey (piano); Chet Baker (vocals, trumpet); Eddie Gladden (drums).

Everything Happens To Me

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Kirk Lightsey - Le Corbu

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:14
Size: 137.9 MB
Styles: Contemporary jazz
Year: 2015
Art: Front

[2:11] 1. Prelude Ravel
[9:58] 2. You And The Night And The Music
[6:42] 3. Footprints
[6:44] 4. Heaven Dance
[3:49] 5. Le Corbu
[6:19] 6. Lament
[7:11] 7. I Wanna Be Kissed
[7:59] 8. Everyone In Uniso
[9:17] 9. A Child Is Born

Double Bass – Tibor Elekes; Drums, Percussion – Famoudou Don Moye; Piano, Flute – Kirk Lightsey.

Famoudou Don Moye (b. 1946) is an American avant-jazz percussionist and drummer, best known as a member of The Art Ensemble Of Chicago since 1969, and recognized as an extraordinary master of Afro-Caribbean percussion instruments and rhythmic techniques. Don Moye developed his own original 'sun percussion' style of performing, and led Sun Percussion Summit with Enoch Williamson, which is a group dedicated to exploring the traditions of African-American percussion music.

Kirkland Lightsey is an American jazz pianist, born 15 February 1937 in Detroit, Michigan, USA.

Tibor Elekes is a Hungarian / Swiss bassist, composer and engineer, born 3 May 1960.

Le Corbu

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Kirk Lightsey - Nights Of Bradley's

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:04
Size: 146.7 MB
Styles: Piano jazz
Year: 2004
Art: Front

[ 7:02] 1. I Told You So
[12:01] 2. Speak No Evil
[10:38] 3. A Time For Love
[ 4:20] 4. Giant Steps
[10:51] 5. From Dream To Dream
[13:28] 6. In Your Own Sweet Way
[ 5:41] 7. Oleo

Pianist Kirk Lightsey and bassist Rufus Reid first played together on a regular basis as members of Dexter Gordon's quartet in the 1980s. Their duo session is particularly special due to the tight musical communication between the two players, and the fact that it took place at Bradley's. Open for 25 years in New York and usually featuring piano/bass duos, Bradley's was one of the Big Apple's top after-hours clubs and a place for pianists to play before their peers. Lightsey and Reid (who is showcased on Benny Golson's "From Dream to Dream") explore seven sophisticated compositions, all but Johnny Mandel's "A Time for Love" originating in the jazz world. The two musicians are heard at the top of their game (which two decades later they happily still are) and come up with an endless series of fresh variations, including on Wayne Shorter's haunting "Speak No Evil" and a cooking rendition of "Oleo." ~Scott Yanow

Nights Of Bradley's

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Kirk Lightsey - Isotope

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1983
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:02
Size: 126,5 MB
Art: Front

( 7:00)  1. Isotope
( 5:03)  2. Oleo
( 9:51)  3. Pee Wee
( 8:03)  4. Witch Hunt
( 5:34)  5. A Monk's Dream
(12:49)  6. Little Daphne
( 6:40)  7. I'll Never Stop Loving You

Kirk Lightsey has long been an underrated modern mainstream pianist. He has a fine workout on this trio set with bassist Jesper Lundgaard and drummer Eddie Gladden from 1983. Of the six selections, Sonny Rollins' "Oleo" and Joe Henderson's "Isotope" are best known, but the other four tunes (by Johnny Griffin, Wayne Shorter, Tony Williams and the obscure Rudolph Johnson) are rarely performed. The strong interplay between the musicians and the interesting material uplift the set above the average trio date. 

~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/isotope-mw0000100262

Personnel: Kirk Lightsey (piano), Jesper Lundgaard (bass), Eddie Gladden (drums).

Isotope

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Miriam Klein, Kirk Lightsey - Ballads for Loving Kindness

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:31
Size: 132,4 MB
Art: Front

(6:22) 1. There Is Nothing Like the Feeling
(6:43) 2. Detour Ahead
(6:37) 3. A Time for Love
(5:20) 4. Easy Street
(7:07) 5. Deep in my Dreams
(6:20) 6. Love Is the Thing
(5:35) 7. Season
(6:08) 8. Mandy Is Two
(7:16) 9. Gloomy Monday

Miriam Klein (born March 27, 1937 in Basel) is a Swiss jazz singer. Miriam Klein first achieved notoriety when she performed in Paris with Pierre Michelot, Don Byas and Art Simmons in the 1950s. After training at the music school in Vienna, she returned to Switzerland and sang in the formations of her husband Oscar Klein since 1963.

In the 1960s and 1970s she became internationally known as a singer. She recorded an album with Bessie Smith tracks during this period; The international breakthrough came in 1973 with the album " Lady Like ", which was dedicated to Billie Holiday. She was accompanied by musicians such as Roy Eldridge, Dexter Gordon and Slide Hampton. She also recorded a record with Albert Nicholas.

In 1977 Klein worked with the Fritz Pauer Trio, in 1978 with Sir Roland Hanna and George Mraz on their album " By Myself ". At the Frankfurt Jazz Festival 1980 she was accompanied by Hans Kollers International Brass Company . In 1981/82 she went on tour with Kenny Clarke, Hanna and Isla Eckinger. In 2001 she was also involved in the recording of the album My Marilyn by David Klein, her son.

Her role model is Billie Holiday; she wanted to sing like Billie Holiday, but not copy it , said the singer. After making a record with Miriam Klein, Roy Eldridge said: Your voice would have been much more suitable for the film “Lady Sings the Blues” than Diana Ross's. https://peoplepill.com/people/miriam-klein

Personnel: Miriam Klein - Vocal; Kirk Lightsey - Piano.

Miriam: Ballads for Loving Kindness

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Marilena Paradisi, Kirk Lightsey - Some Place Called Where

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:49
Size: 103,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:10)  1. Portrait
(5:32)  2. Some Other Time
(7:06)  3. Like a Lover
(5:35)  4. Soul Eyes
(4:07)  5. Little Waltz
(6:28)  6. Some Place Called Where
(5:36)  7. Autumn Nocturne
(6:13)  8. Fresh Air

Bunny Mellon, America’s foremost arbiter of superior taste, lived by the motto “Nothing should be seen,” meaning that in order to achieve true aesthetic beauty, nothing must stand out. As a defining principle it perfectly describes octogenarian pianist Kirk Lightsey’s exquisite craftsmanship across each of these seven covers and one original. And Lightsey has found an ideally symbiotic partner in Italian vocalist Marilena Paradisi. On what is only her second album performed entirely in English, Paradisi demonstrates the same captivating ability to fully meld with the songs without dampening their distinct moods. The duo opens with Mingus’ contemplative “Portrait,” sketching deeply personal tonal “pictures” based on lifelong experiences and observations. The gorgeously bittersweet “Some Other Time” connects with a wistful “Autumn Nocturne,” the darkly revelatory “Soul Eyes” and the staccato roil of Ron Carter’s “Little Waltz,” steadily rising in intensity as it progresses from sweet joy to bruised dejection. Exploring more fulfilling romantic sentiments, they add a rapturous “Like a Lover” and a beatific rendering of the Wayne Shorter/Dianne Reeves title track. Paradisi and Lightsey (alternating between piano and flute) close with the co-written “Fresh Air,” a gently flowing venture “into the light,” traveling not to a heavenly reward but toward more earthly and sensual pleasures. ~  By Christopher Loudon  https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/marilena-paradisi-kirk-lightsey/

Some Place Called Where

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Kirk Lightsey - Estate

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:41
Size: 146,4 MB
Art: Front

(8:35)  1. Estate
(7:23)  2. You and the Night
(9:32)  3. Heaven Dance
(8:32)  4. Infant Eyes
(4:29)  5. One Finger Snap
(8:57)  6. Goodbye Mr.Evans
(8:15)  7. Kutala
(7:54)  8. Vapallia

Three great, different, musical personalities sign this beautiful album, interacting freely on two main grounds of choice: the fervent inventiveness and an extremely mimetic approach, which leads the three musicians to regain possession of the sensibility as well as the formal principles most dear to fellow travelers. Here is Don Moye sinuously bending to the persuasive, soft harmonies of "Estate" with a subtle and refined drumming, full of precious found on the metric and beat plane. His soloism is always full of sudden and multidirectional solutions, in varying the post-baptism trend of the themes signed by the pianist.

All supported by incisive and broken plots, in the name of an equal dialogical comparison. Eccentric wheelies; free forms; elegant and refined atmospheres; rich and varied sounds. These are some of the trump cards of this trio, which thanks to the class of individual musicians succeeds in the difficult intent of making the most diverse improvisational and compositional traditions interact: Africa; cultured citations of academic language; the practice of the mainstream. On excellent levels the test of the chameleon-like Lightsey, in the continuous search for abstract and suspended notes, to better support the oblique and cultured solutions of the magnificent double-bass player Tibor Elekes. His is once again one of the most superb pianisms of the entire contemporary jazz scene, to incorporate two distinct trends in a wise harmonic thought: soft and cantabile sounds, reinvigorated by the angular and fragmented lines of the African-American piano heritage. But all three musicians are equally responsible for this extremely successful and composite journey, which the Italian label Itinera did well to promote and document.~ AAJ Italy Staff https://www.allaboutjazz.com/estate-kirk-lightsey-balance-point-acoustics-review-by-aaji-staff.php

Personnel: Kirk Lightsey (piano); Famodou Don Moye (battery); Tibor Elekes (double bass).

Estate

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Kirk Lightsey Trio - From Kirk To Nat

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1991
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:36
Size: 125,7 MB
Art: Front

(6:10)  1. You And The Night And The Music
(7:40)  2. Sweet Lorraine
(4:44)  3. Never let me go
(5:34)  4. Bop Kick
(8:03)  5. Sophisticated lady
(6:22)  6. The Best is yet to come
(4:30)  7. Close enough for love
(5:55)  8. Little Old Lady
(5:35)  9. Kirk's blues

One of the main reasons why this tribute to the Nat King Cole Trio by Kirk Lightsey is a success is that Lightsey (who is from a much later bop-influenced generation) sounds nothing like Cole. Featured in a trio with guitarist Kevin Eubanks and bassist Rufus Reid, Lightsey performs a set of music reminiscent of Cole but several of the songs (including his original "Kirk's Blues," "Never Let Me Go" and "Close Enough for Love") were never actually recorded by Cole; Lightsey takes surprisingly effective vocals on the latter two songs. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/from-kirk-to-nat-mw0000678415

Personnel:  Kirk Lightsey - piano; Kevin Eubanks - guitar; Rufus Reid - bass

From Kirk To Nat

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Kenny Burrell - Stormy Monday Blues

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:33
Size: 160,6 MB
Art: Front

( 5:37)  1. Stormy Monday Blues
( 6:57)  2. Azure Te (Paris Blues)
( 5:41) 3. One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)
( 5:59)  4. (I'm Afraid) The Masquerade Is Over
( 1:55)  5. Why Did I Choose You?
( 9:46)  6. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)
( 7:39)  7. Three Thousand Miles Back Home
(10:12)  8. Kim-den Strut
( 8:19)  9. Habiba
( 7:23) 10. Quiet Lady

Over the years Kenny Burrell has largely remained true to his roots. Ranked among the most revered jazz artists of his generation he’s waxed a wealth of sessions both as leader and sideman that approaches the countless. The two dates combined on this two-fer visit him in the lean years of the Seventies and suggest that even a bop disciple of Burrell’s relative purity was susceptible to encroaching trends and influences. Stormy Monday, the first in the pair of records reissued herein, hearkens back to Burrell’s Blue Note days with only Heard’s amplified bass tipping off its later vintage. The crisp cerulean single note lines remain intact and Burrell’s emotive blues-based figures make routine forays around the melodic signposts of the standards on hand. Wyand’s sensitive comping and the light traps reinforcement of McBrowne (and Goldberg on a pair of cuts) completes the portrait of jazz men in their element spinning off riffs like smoke rings from a leisurely lit cigarette. There’s not much room for chance-taking in the arrangements, but the players seem at ease with cultivating a mood than testing the boundaries of their adopted repertoire. Burrell recognizes the date as an ensemble affair and as such his sidemen garner substantial solo space as well. 

Heard’s corpulent walking improvisation on “Azure Te” is but one instance where the leader’s faith is repaid. Burrell’s Ellington appreciation, which was to become even more pronounced in later recordings, is accorded space in the choice of a lengthy take on “I Got It Bad” as a closer. As the companion date Sky Street is quite different both in terms of content and attitude. Trafficking in torpid grooves via Gilbert’s punchy bass lines and Marshall’s gentle syncopations the session is very much embroiled in fusion-tinged impulses. Burrell’s usually clean chords are dressed up in often largely submerged in Lightsey’s electric piano. Richardson, who was easily capable of injecting fervent emotion into his improvisations sounds in other settings sounds much of the time like he’s treating things as a by the numbers studio date. Despite these demerits on the jazz score card, the quintet still manages to rack up moments of musical intrigue as on the closing minutes of “Three Thousand Miles Back Home” where Richardson’s plaintive flute weaves with Burrell’s melancholy counterpoint. Lightsey’s opening on the Latin-flavored “Habiba” is likewise effective, but the piece eventually devolves into showy noodling on the part of the leader and overheated soprano excess on the part of Richardson. “Kim-Den Strut” attempts a balance between sections of contemplative reverie and fatback funk, but ultimately ends up crumpling under the collision of disparate elements. The two sessions together offer up Burrell both in his element and in the less flattering environs of more commercial fusion, but overall the music is strong enough to support recommendation.~  Derek Taylor https://www.allaboutjazz.com/stormy-monday-blues-kenny-burrell-fantasy-jazz-review-by-derek-taylor.php

Personnel: Kenny Burrell- guitar; Richard Wyands- piano; John Heard- bass; Lenny McBrowne- drums; Richie Goldberg- drums; Jerome Richardson- tenor & soprano saxophones, flute; Kirk Lightsey- acoustic & electric piano; Stanley Gilbert- acoustic & electric bass; Eddie Marshall- drums.

Stormy Monday Blues

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David Murray Quartet - Black & Black

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1992
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:14
Size: 128,9 MB
Art: Front

(10:12)  1. Anti - Calypso
(11:16)  2. Duke's Place
(11:13)  3. Cool
(10:47)  4. Black And Black
(12:45)  5. Head Out

In general, tenor saxophonist David Murray's Red Baron recordings are not on the same level of his Black Saints albums; the settings tended to be more conservative and the material not as strong. This outing with pianist Kirk Lightsey, bassist Santi Debriano, drummer Roy Haynes and trumpeter Marcus Belgrave is better than most of his Red Baron releases. The material is fairly basic (including "Duke's Place" and the two-note "C Jam Blues" theme, which is listed as being composed by four people), Murray tends to play fairly freely despite the boppish rhythm section, and the closing "Head Out" (the longest of the five lengthy jams) has plenty of fiery intensity. Not essential but worth picking up by David Murray fans. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/black-and-black-mw0000073349 

Personnel:  David Murray - tenor saxophone;  Marcus Belgrave - trumpet;  Kirk Lightsey - piano;  Santi Debriano - bass;  Roy Haynes - drums.

Black & Black

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Brian Lynch - Peer Pressure

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1986
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:55
Size: 123,7 MB
Art: Front

(10:11)  1. Thomasville
( 8:44)  2. Park Avenue Petite
( 6:01)  3. Peer Pressure
( 7:00)  4. The Outlaw
( 9:00)  5. Change of Plan
( 4:59)  6. 'Nother Never
( 7:57)  7. I Concentrate on You

Lynch wrote three of the seven tracks, while Horace Silver, Benny Golson, Tommy Turrentine and Cole Porter penned one apiece. His trumpet sound definitely borrows from previous modern masters Freddie Hubbard, Lee Morgan & Bill Hardman, and the influence of Silver, Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and those of the hard/post bop movement cannot be denied. The latin tinge is also prevalent on the Brazilian bossa inflected "Change Of Plan" and Silver's Afro-Cuban tinged classic "The Outlaw." These two selections serve Lynch well for future excursions away from strict mainstream jazz. A rock solid date from a promising musician whose star is on the rise. ~ Michael G.Nastos https://www.allmusic.com/album/peer-pressure-mw0000410785

Brian Lynch Sextet: Brian Lynch (trumpet, flugelhorn); Jim Snidero (alto saxophone); Ralph Moore (tenor saxophone); Kirk Lightsey (piano); Jay Anderson (bass); Victor Lewis (drums).

Peer Pressure

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Kirk Lightsey - Kirk Lightsey 1

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1982
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:38
Size: 89,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:40)  1. Fee Fi Fo Fum
(5:29)  2. Habiba
(5:52)  3. Trinkle Tinkle
(3:51)  4. Moon Ra
(6:18)  5. Fresh Air
(7:05)  6. Wild Flower
(5:20)  7. Never Let Me Go

Long a top interpreter of modern mainstream jazz, pianist Kirk Lightsey was well recorded by the new Sunnyside label in the early 1980s. This solo date features Lightsey (who plays a little bit of flute on "Fresh Air") playing two originals, a pair of songs by Wayne Shorter (including "Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum"), Thelonious Monk's tricky "Trinkle Tinkle," an obscurity, and "Never Let Me Go." The pianist is in top form throughout the well-paced program. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/lightsey-1-mw0000109671

Personnel: Kirk Lightsey (piano).

Kirk Lightsey 1

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Kirk Lightsey Quartet - First Affairs

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1986
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:33
Size: 99,5 MB
Art: Front

(5:52)  1. Eighty One
(5:12)  2. From Dream To Dream
(9:58)  3. Habiba
(6:00)  4. Blues On The Corner
(3:10)  5. One Finger Snap
(4:53)  6. Up Jumped Spring
(7:24)  7. For Albert

A pianist who is not a trendsetter but is consistently excellent, Kirk Lightsey long ago developed his own sound within the hard bop tradition. He started playing piano when he was five, although he also played clarinet while in high school. Lightsey worked in Detroit and California in the early '60s, often accompanying singers. He gained some attention in 1965 when he recorded with Sonny Stitt and was on five Prestige records with Chet Baker. However, Lightsey mostly had low-profile gigs until he toured with Dexter Gordon (1979-1983) and became part of the Leaders (starting in the late '80s). Kirk Lightsey has recorded with Jimmy Raney, Clifford Jordan, Woody Shaw, David Murray, and Harold Land, among others, and has led his own sessions for Criss Cross and Sunnyside, including piano duets with Harold Danko. He released the duo album, The Nights of Bradleys with bassist Rufus Reid on Sunnyside in 2004. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/artist/kirk-lightsey-mn0000101038/biography

Personnel:  Kirk Lightsey – piano;  Santi Debriano – bass;  Eddie Gladden – drums;  Jerry Gonzalez - congas

First Affairs

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Chet Baker - Boppin'

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1965
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:09
Size: 92,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:11)  1. Go-Go
(6:59)  2. Lament For The Living
(8:16)  3. Pot Luck
(6:16)  4. Bud's Blues
(6:50)  5. Romas
(7:34)  6. On A Misty Night

Chet Baker was a primary exponent of the West Coast school of cool jazz in the early and mid-'50s. As a trumpeter, he had a generally restrained, intimate playing style and he attracted attention beyond jazz for his photogenic looks and singing. But his career was marred by drug addiction. Baker's father, Chesney Henry Baker,Sr., was a guitarist who was forced to turn to other work during the Depression; his mother, Vera (Moser) Baker, worked in a perfumery. The family moved from Oklahoma to Glendale, CA, in 1940. As a child, Baker sang at amateur competitions and in a church choir. Before his adolescence, his father brought home a trombone for him, then replaced it with a trumpet when the larger instrument proved too much for him. He had his first formal training in music in junior high and later at Glendale High School, but would play largely by ear for the rest of his life. In 1946, when he was only 16 years old, he dropped out of high school and his parents signed papers allowing him to enlist in the army; he was sent to Berlin, Germany, where he played in the 298th Army Band. After his discharge in 1948, he enrolled at El Camino College in Los Angeles, where he studied theory and harmony while playing in jazz clubs, but he quit college in the middle of his second year. He re-enlisted in the army in 1950 and became a member of the Sixth Army Band at the Presidio in San Francisco. But he also began sitting in at clubs in the city and he finally obtained a second discharge to become a professional jazz musician. Baker initially played in Vido Musso's band, then with Stan Getz. (The first recording featuring Baker is a performance of "Out of Nowhere" that comes from a tape of a jam session made on March 24, 1952, and was released on the Fresh Sound Records LP Live at the Trade Winds.) His break came quickly, when, in the spring of 1952, he was chosen at an audition to play a series of West Coast dates with Charlie Parker, making his debut with the famed saxophonist at the Tiffany Club in Los Angeles on May 29, 1952. That summer, he began playing in the Gerry Mulligan Quartet, a group featuring only baritone sax, trumpet, bass, and drums no piano that attracted attention during an engagement at the Haig nightclub and through recordings on the newly formed Pacific Jazz Records (later known as World Pacific Records), beginning with the 10" LP Gerry Mulligan Quartet, which featured Baker's famous rendition of "My Funny Valentine."

The Gerry Mulligan Quartet lasted for less than a year, folding when its leader went to jail on a drug charge in June 1953. Baker went solo, forming his own quartet, which initially featured Russ Freeman on piano, Red Mitchell on bass, and Bobby White on drums, and making his first recording as leader for Pacific Jazz on July 24, 1953. Baker was hailed by fans and critics and he won a number of polls in the next few years. In 1954, Pacific Jazz released Chet Baker Sings, an album that increased his popularity but alienated traditional jazz fans; he would continue to sing for the rest of his career. Acknowledging his chiseled good looks, nearby Hollywood came calling and he made his acting debut in the film Hell's Horizon, released in the fall of 1955. But he declined an offer of a studio contract and toured Europe from September 1955 to April 1956. When he returned to the U.S., he formed a quintet that featured saxophonist Phil Urso and pianist Bobby Timmons. Contrary to his reputation for relaxed, laid-back playing, Baker turned to more of a bop style with this group, which recorded the album Chet Baker & Crew for Pacific Jazz in July 1956. Baker toured the U.S. in February 1957 with the Birdland All-Stars and took a group to Europe later that year. He returned to Europe to stay in 1959, settling in Italy, where he acted in the film Urlatori Alla Sbarra. Hollywood, meanwhile, had not entirely given up on him, at least as a source of inspiration, and in 1960, a fictionalized film biography of his life, All the Fine Young Cannibals, appeared with Robert Wagner in the starring role of Chad Bixby. Baker had become addicted to heroin in the 1950s and had been incarcerated briefly on several occasions, but his drug habit only began to interfere with his career significantly in the 1960s. He was arrested in Italy in the summer of 1960 and spent almost a year and a half in jail. He celebrated his release by recording Chet Is Back! for RCA in February 1962. (It has since been reissued as The Italian Sessions and as Somewhere Over the Rainbow.) Later in the year, he was arrested in West Germany and expelled to Switzerland, then France, later moving to England in August 1962 to appear as himself in the film The Stolen Hours, which was released in 1963. He was deported from England to France because of a drug offense in March 1963. He lived in Paris and performed there and in Spain over the next year, but after being arrested again in West Germany, he was deported back to the U.S. He returned to America after five years in Europe on March 3, 1964, and played primarily in New York and Los Angeles during the mid-'60s, having switched temporarily from trumpet to flügelhorn. In the summer of 1966, he suffered a severe beating in San Francisco that was related to his drug addiction. The incident is usually misdated and frequently exaggerated in accounts of his life, often due to his own unreliable testimony. It is said, for example, that all his teeth were knocked out, which is not the case, though one tooth was broken and the general deterioration of his teeth led to his being fitted with dentures in the late '60s, forcing him to retrain his embouchure. The beating was not the cause of the decline in his career during this period, but it is emblematic of that decline. By the end of the '60s, he was recording and performing only infrequently and he stopped playing completely in the early '70s. Regaining some control over his life by taking methadone to control his heroin addiction (though he remained an addict), Baker eventually mounted a comeback that culminated in a prominent New York club engagement in November 1973 and a reunion concert with Gerry Mulligan at Carnegie Hall in November 1974 that was recorded and released by Epic Records. By the mid-'70s, Baker was able to return to Europe and he spent the rest of his life performing there primarily, with occasional trips to Japan and periods back in the U.S., though he had no permanent residence. 

He attracted the attention of rock musicians, with whom he occasionally performed, for example adding trumpet to Elvis Costello's recording of his anti-Falklands War song "Shipbuilding" in 1983. In 1987, photographer and filmmaker Bruce Weber undertook a documentary film about Baker. The following year, Baker died in a fall from a hotel window in Amsterdam after taking heroin and cocaine. Weber's film, Let's Get Lost, premiered in September 1988 to critical acclaim and earned an Academy Award nomination. In 1997, Baker's unfinished autobiography was published under the title As Though I Had Wings: The Lost Memoir and the book was optioned by Miramax for a film adaptation. Baker's drug addiction caused him to lead a disorganized and peripatetic life, his constant need for cash requiring him to accept many ill-advised recording offers, while his undependability prevented him from making long-term commitments to record labels. As a result, his discography is extensive and wildly uneven. ~ William Ruhlmann http://www.allmusic.com/artist/chet-baker-mn0000094210/biography

Personnel:  Chet Baker – flugelhorn;  George Coleman – tenor saxophone;  Kirk Lightsey – piano;  Herman Wright – bass;  Roy Brooks – drums

Boppin'

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Kirk Lightsey Trio & Freddie Hubbard - Temptation

Styles: Piano And Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1987
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:16
Size: 117,6 MB
Art: Front

(10:29)  1. Gibraltar
( 7:23)  2. Evidence
( 7:59)  3. Society Red
(11:06)  4. Temptation
( 8:13)  5. Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing
( 6:04)  6. Brigitte

A pianist who is not a trendsetter but is consistently excellent, Kirk Lightsey long ago developed his own sound within the hard bop tradition. He started playing piano when he was five, although he also played clarinet while in high school. Lightsey worked in Detroit and California in the early '60s, often accompanying singers. He gained some attention in 1965 when he recorded with Sonny Stitt and was on five Prestige records with Chet Baker. However, Lightsey mostly had low-profile gigs until he toured with Dexter Gordon (1979-1983) and became part of the Leaders (starting in the late '80s). Kirk Lightsey has recorded with Jimmy Raney, Clifford Jordan, Woody Shaw, David Murray, and Harold Land, among others, and has led his own sessions for Criss Cross and Sunnyside, including piano duets with Harold Danko. He released the duo album, The Nights of Bradleys with bassist Rufus Reid on Sunnyside in 2004. https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/kirk-lightsey-trio/id293375220#fullText

Personnel: Kirk Lightsey (piano), Freddie Hubbard (trumpet), Santi Debriano (bass), Eddie Gladden (drums), Jerry Gonzalez (percussion).

Temptation

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