Showing posts with label New York Jazz. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New York Jazz. Show all posts

Monday, May 29, 2023

New York Jazz Lounge - Trio Masterpieces, Vol. 4

Styles: Jazz, Swing
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 78:21
Size: 180,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:57) 1. Round Midnight
(5:12) 2. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
(5:00) 3. Perdido
(7:44) 4. Star Dust
(4:34) 5. Corcovado
(4:02) 6. I Can't Get Started
(4:19) 7. Tea for Two
(5:23) 8. Just the Way You Are
(4:06) 9. One Note Samba
(4:00) 10. Cantaloupe Island
(5:10) 11. The Days of Wine and Roses
(4:27) 12. Michelle
(4:40) 13. The More I See You
(5:28) 14. All Blues
(4:16) 15. Maiden Voyage
(4:55) 16. Mercy, Mercy

Where would jazz be without New York’s “joints’ of the 1920’s – 1950’s? If Ellington hadn’t been hired to play the Cotton Club, what direction would his orchestra have taken? Without the Royal Roost, would Parker play with Miles and Max Roach, and would Miles have had a venue to perform “Birth of the Cool” in? And, where would Monk and Coltrane have played if not at the Five Spot?

I came upon this terrific history today, “Jazz Joints Through the Ages.” Written by noted jazz historian Ashley Kahn and originally published in Jazz Times in 2006, the feature provides short biographies of many of the most important clubs in jazz music’s past. It is an incredibly entertaining read…

Jazz joints come and jazz joints go especially in New York City. From tightly packed bars downtown to spacious dinner clubs uptown, it’s a historic lineage. Much has changed over the years (Birdland’s smoky elegance in the ’50s would be impossible with Mayor Bloomberg’s ban on indoor smoking) and much has not, like set lengths, drink minimums and the apparent majority view that jazz sounds best in New York City one floor below street level (Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola notwithstanding).

One jazz rule seems immutable: Before musicians can reach those grand uptown theaters or the big festival stages, they must first make it in the clubs of New York City. They are still the proving ground. It’s been that way since the ’20s. The nightclubs that follow are celebrated less for being the most popular in their day many were not and more for accurately representing the music and spirit of the time. Often they predicted sounds and societal shifts just around the corner.

It was a challenging process selecting one from each decade. Some eras, like the ’40s when 52nd Street was in full swing, offered far too many choices: Every club on “The Street” (Three Deuces, Onyx Club) and, of course, Minton’s Playhouse in Harlem held the seeds of modern jazz. Also, to which decade does the Village Vanguard belong? It has consistently presented visionary music during its 71-year history. And what about all those great neighborhood bars in Brooklyn? The list was limited to venues with a Manhattan address. Save for one, none remain standing in their original form.
https://jerryjazzmusician.com/short-history-new-yorks-iconic-jazz-clubs/

Trio Masterpieces, Vol. 4

Monday, July 5, 2021

New York Jazz Ensemble, Woody Allen - The Bunk Project

Styles: Jazz, Big Band
Year: 1993
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:34
Size: 143,2 MB
Art: Front

(3:25) 1. In The Sweet By'n'By
(3:47) 2. The Old Rugged Cross
(3:18) 3. Margie
(5:19) 4. Mecca Flats Blues
(5:55) 5. Over In The Gloryland
(3:14) 6. Algiers Strut
(6:04) 7. What A Friend We Have In Jesus
(4:27) 8. Sobbin' Blues
(3:05) 9. Bogalusa Strut
(4:05) 10. Black Cat Blues
(5:22) 11. Red Light Blues
(3:23) 12. All The Whores Like The Way I Ride
(5:06) 13. Burgundy Street Blues
(4:57) 14. Weary Blues

For a bunch of players from New York, this ad hoc group does a pretty solid job of assaying New Orleans jazz circa the 1920s especially the amateur clarinetist, a balding, bookish-looking guy with red hair and glasses. Actually, no matter how well they played, this record probably would never have been released were it not for the participation of Woody Allen, who’s been spending his Monday nights for the last couple of decades playing just this kind of stuff at Michael’s Pub in Manhattan. But it’s no ego-induced star turn--Allen really does function as just one member of this band assembled by banjo player Eddy Davis. The album gets its name from one of the great early New Orleans cornet players: Bunk Johnson. It was Johnson and his peers--players such as Sidney Bechet and George Lewis who inspired Allen to try his hand as a jazz man. It’s not technically complicated music, but it can be emotionally rich. To play it correctly requires more heart than chops, and in that department, Allen is well suited to the task

As a soloist, he’s less assertive to the point of sounding timid occasionally than the other front-line players, trumpeters Simon Wettenhall and Peter Ecklund and trombonists Dan Barrett and Graham Stewart. But he has the right sound: his clarinet playing teeters on that edge between a cry and a squawk as the band moves from dirges to hymns to street-parade rave-ups. When I saw Allen play at Michael’s several years ago, I wondered how he could look so pained while playing music that’s so joyful. Here, only in the final cut, “Weary Blues,” does Allen sound like he’s given himself over to the spirit of the music. Then again, that state of musical nirvana is something that amateur and professional alike struggle to achieve. As for the sonic quality, the sessions were recorded in what must have been a cavernous room at the Harkness House in New York with what sounds like a single microphone placed, at times, at the far end of that room. In other words, no audiophiles allowed. Like the music itself, it all but shouts: “Strictly for fun.”By Randy Lewis https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-08-05-ol-20439-story.html

The Bunk Project

Friday, November 20, 2015

New York Jazz Quartet - Oasis

Styles: Post-Bop, Hard Bop
Year: 1981
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:38
Size: 86,4 MB
Art: Front

( 5:23)  1. Don't Come, Don't Call
( 4:26)  2. It's Just A Social Gathering
( 4:25)  3. Funk House
( 5:43)  4. Cram It Damn It
(13:21)  5. The Patient Prince
( 4:16)  6. Oasis

A little more throttle would have been welcome on New York Jazz Quartet's cruising-paced Oasis set from 1981. As it is, Roland Hanna on piano, Frank Wess on tenor sax and flute, George Mraz on bass, and Ben Riley on drums take a low-key approach to two Wess originals and four from Hanna. It's a pleasant session, but not one that lives up to the potential of its lineup. 

The material is respectable and the quartet knows it well enough, but perhaps not sufficiently to transform written parts into a dynamic group effort. Mraz is the standout performer. He is in command of a ready flow of ideas and is captured with a rich, full sound. His duet with Hanna on the pianist's blues "Funk House" is a highlight that finds the pair expertly working the spaces they give each other. Elsewhere, though, Hanna, a pianist who can summon fire, passion, and drama from his instrument, is quite restrained, seemingly content to focus on his writing, rather than stimulating group interplay. Wess, too, does not take many chances or seize the opportunity to stretch out. The one sequence where he does open up is the third section of his 13-minute suite, "The Patient Prince," where he unleashes an impressive series of unrestrained choruses on tenor sax. 

If the goal of this quartet was to create relaxed, subdued performances, then Oasis can be considered a success. Otherwise, except for the bassist, the set does not fully exploit the potential of the music or the capabilities of these leading players. ~ Jim Todd  http://www.allmusic.com/album/oasis-mw0000091042

New York Jazz Quartet: Frank Wess (tenor saxophone, flute); Roland Hanna (piano); George Mraz (bass); Ben Riley (drums).

Oasis

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

New York Jazz Quartet - Blues For Sarka

Styles: Post-Bop, Hard Bop
Year: 1978
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:13
Size: 103,8 MB
Art: Front

(15:29)  1. All Blues
( 5:44)  2. Rodney Round Robin
( 7:14)  3. I'll Tell You Tonite
( 7:11)  4. Blues For Sarka
( 9:33)  5. Smelly Jelly Belly

The New York Jazz Quartet, an excellent though overlooked band which was active in the 1970s and 1980s, is heard live at Jazzclub Domicile in Munich on this Inner City album. Pianist Roland Hanna, the founder of the group, is accompanied by tenor saxophonist Frank Wess, bassist George Mraz, and drummer Grady Tate, who had just replaced Richard Pratt. Aside from an extended workout of Miles Davis' "All Blues," which centers on Wess' soulful tenor sax, the remainder of this performance consists of originals each by Hanna or Mraz. The pianist's exciting "Rodney Round Robin," which he had debuted only two years earlier while recording a studio date under Red Rodney's leadership, contrasts strikingly with his dark, funky "Smelly Jelly Belly." The bassist's contributions are also laudable. The feverish "I'll Tell You Tonight" is like a roller coaster with plenty of hairpin turns, while his "Blues for Sarka" isn't actually a blues at all but a heartfelt ballad. Issued by both Inner City and Enja, this now out of print disc is easily one of the best releases by The New York Jazz Quartet. ~ Ken Dryden  http://www.allmusic.com/album/blues-for-sarka-mw0000600525

New York Jazz Quartet: Frank Wess (tenor saxophone, flute); Roland Hanna (piano); George Mraz (bass); Grady Tate (drums).

Blues For Sarka