Showing posts with label Paul Motian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Paul Motian. Show all posts

Friday, December 13, 2024

Keith Jarrett - The Old Country (Live at the Deer Head Inn)

Year: 2024
Time: 73:40
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 168,9 MB
Art: Front

( 8:14) 1. Everything I Love (Live)
( 9:54) 2. I Fall In Love Too Easily (Live)
( 8:51) 3. Straight No Chaser (Live)
( 9:50) 4. All of You (Live)
( 6:56) 5. Someday My Prince Will Come (Live)
(12:54) 6. The Old Country (Live)
( 8:25) 7. Golden Earrings (Live)
( 8:32) 8. How Long Has This Been Going On (Live)

Keith Jarrett remarked as he listened to a tape of the session: "I think that you can hear on this tape, what jazz is all about." What did he mean? Was he reacting to criticisms of his long-form improvisations? Was it because he was in a small venue that prioritized jazz?

Of course, you can hear "what jazz is all about." Major musicians accompanied him: bassist Gary Peacock, Paul Motian, a master drummer he had not played with for some time.

The first, earlier, album from Deer Head Inn has been acclaimed and admired. Some of the melodies were favored by Miles Davis. Jarrett's work, as before, is shaped by the contours of the songs and the chord structures. He is also challenged by reacting to a different drummer from his Standards Trio.

The venue was important to Jarrett. It was the scene of one of his first paid engagements. The club founded by a jazz-loving English teacher, Bob Lehr, had been recently taken over by Bob's daughter and Jarrett was anxious to be one of the first to play there as it was re- christened. Jarrett describes the intimate atmosphere: "a warm, humid, rainy, foggy autumn night in the Pocono Mountains. The room was full of people, and outside on the porch more people listened through the screen doors." The words have a nostalgic warmth that permeates the music.

Gary Peacock is usually referred to as a master bassist. His history via Albert Ayler, Lee Konitz, George Russell, Paul Bley and Bill Evans shows adventure and openness. His knowledge of mid- twentieth-century jazz is without equal. An extended time in Japan made him aware of another culture. In addition, Peacock was a man of deep insights who endeavored to understand himself and his relationship to music. He said: "There are two approaches to improvisation. The first approach, I would say, is the person, the self, playing the muse, playing the self. And the second one is the muse playing the self, playing the muse. In the first case, it starts with the player and ends with the player. In the second case, it begins with the muse and ends with the muse. It's the idea of allowing the music to take me over rather than me taking the music over."

At the time Peacock's daily mantra was a quote from his Zen teacher, John Daido Loori, Roshi. "I asked him one time, "What is Zen?" He said, "Just do what you're doing while you're doing it." It is so simple, but it is so hard! That's something about Keith. Whatever he's doing, he's doing it. In some ways, he's more Zen than anybody I've ever met."

The drummer from the classic Bill Evans trio, Paul Motian, was substituting this evening for Jack DeJohnette. It is interesting to compare the two drummers. Motian's more restrained, spacious playing contrasts with DeJohnette's more active, multi-layered approach in Jarrett's Standards Trio. There is a freer rhythm from Motian at Deer Head and he undoubtedly has a great influence on the music. He also knows when to do nothing.

Keith Jarrett believed, like Lester Young, that it was necessary to know the lyrics of a song. Knowing the lyric, he felt, makes the shape of his offering more organic, and deeper, the phrasing more elegant. The choice of pieces from this such as the complex lyric "How Long Has This Been Going On?," a subtle sophisticated song about innocence meeting experience. It is not really about betrayal but about the existential reaction to the wonder of a first real kiss. The tempo chosen by Jarrett is entirely appropriate.

An almost hymnlike opening to "I Fall In Love Too Easily" eventually has a world-weary roue feel to it as the interpretation is tinged with regret and self-awareness. Peacock and Jarrett seem lost in the melody with Motian hardly audible. The infectious swing of "Straight No Chaser" almost seems out of keeping with the mood of the rest of the album as it smooths out Thelonious Monk's idiosyncrasies.

Is it fanciful to say that Nat Adderley's "Old Country" has a similarity in mood to Jarrett's "Country"? Both are elegies to a vanished world; both are elegant melodies that linger in the mind.

The enchantment of jazz is that some nights have special, almost indefinable qualities; other nights are almost routine. Jarrett and Peacock have always striven to outlaw the commonplace nights. Here are the inspired variations, the technique under control, the avoidance of cliches, the teeming ideas, the adroit harmonies, the intense concentration and the graceful treatment of wonderful themes. Jarrett is right: this tape is what jazz is all about. By Jack Kenny
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-old-country-more-from-the-deer-head-inn-keith-jarrett-ecm-records__30760

Personnel: Keith Jarrett - piano; Gary Peacock - bass, acoustic; Paul Motian - drums

The Old Country (Live at the Deer Head Inn)

Monday, June 26, 2023

Bill Evans - Coffee and Cigarettes

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 78:17
Size: 180,0 MB
Art: Front

(5:00) 1. Some Other Time
(3:40) 2. Lucky to Be Me
(7:36) 3. Night and Day
(4:54) 4. What Is There to Say
(7:36) 5. Detour Ahead
(6:42) 6. Peace Piece
(4:41) 7. I Wish I Knew
(3:28) 8. Haunted Heart
(5:55) 9. Sweet and Lovely
(4:58) 10. My Foolish Heart
(7:12) 11. My Romance
(3:34) 12. Tenderly
(7:00) 13. Waltz for Debby
(5:54) 14. Young and Foolish

" I remember finding that somehow I had reached a new level of expression in my playing. It had come almost automatically, and I was very anxious about it, afraid I might lose it", Evans said.

One of the new pieces was Leonard Bernstein's "Some Other Time". Evans started to play an introduction using an ostinato figure. However the pianist spontaneously started to improvise over that harmonic frame, creating the recording that would be named "Peace Piece“.

According to Evans: "What happened was that I started to play the introduction, and it started to get so much of its own feeling and identity that I just figured, well, I'll keep going."

"Bill had this quiet fire that I loved on piano. The way he approached it, the sound he got was like crystal notes or sparkling water cascading down from some clear waterfall. I had to change the way the band sounded again for Bill's style by playing different tunes, softer ones at first.“~ Miles Davis

Personnel: Bill Evans - piano; Sam Jones - bass; Philly Joe Jones - drums; Paul Motian- drums

Coffee and Cigarettes

Wednesday, September 21, 2022

Martin Speake - Change Of Heart

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:50
Size: 121,3 MB
Art: Front

(6:53) 1. The Healing Power Of Intimacy
(4:43) 2. Change of Heart
(5:29) 3. Barefaced Thieves
(4:20) 4. Venn
(9:03) 5. Buried Somewhere
(5:16) 6. In The Moment
(8:21) 7. Three Hours
(8:40) 8. In Code

One of the more interesting extra-musical things to observe in jazz is how the connections between musicians happen, and then, of course, how those connections affect the music they produce.

In 1993, Martin Speake connected with Paul Motian, and they toured as a trio with bassist Mick Hutton, playing both Speake's and Motian's compositions. Fast forward seven years to 2000 and Speake added Bobo Stenson to the group, playing and composing music that was sensitive to both Motian's and Stenson's jazz conception. Stenson's Goodbye (ECM, 2005) is a direct result of Stenson and Motian playing together in Speake's band.

A delightful album, Change Of Heart has the perfect mix of understated playing and melodies that are direct, yet full of surprising turns of phrase and varied musical development. While it's entirely comprised of Speake compositions, it sounds at times very much like Motian's Garden of Eden (ECM, 2006) in the way the floating quality of Speake's phrasing is reinforced by Motian's drums and his very cool (meaning reserved, understated and thoughtful) sound, which evokes Chris Cheek's work on the Motian album.

Thus, Speake's response to Motian is clearly audible. Stenson is remarkably adept at fitting chameleon-like into any role, still being totally himself. While he might also be described as a cool player, the pianist always adds intensity to every note and phrase he plays.

Speake's alto tone is quite interesting, and if you close your eyes, it sounds at times like a trumpet with some kind of subtle mute. His phrasing has a strong vocal quality as he sings through his horn. The album's melodies take their time to unfold, and this quality is echoed in the way the tracks proceed and how each member of the group adds to the mix, yielding music with an organic wholeness.

For me, the essence of Change Of Heart is evident in the last track, "In Code." Introduced by Hutton alone on bass, an atmosphere of mystery and suspense is created, only to be intensified by the entrance of Motian and Stenson. As Speake plays the theme, supported mostly by a pedal tone, Stenson echoes and embellishes each phrase. The music washes upon the shores as Speake jumps into a higher range, as if to try to escape from the pedal anchor. Stenson replies with a magnificent solo that encapsulates his cool blue burning intensity and leads seamlessly to Speake's recap.Simple directness, overtly beautiful, cool and compact: just wonderful.
By Budd Kopman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/change-of-heart-martin-speake-ecm-records-review-by-budd-kopman

Personnel: Martin Speake: alto saxophone; Bobo Stenson: piano; Mick Hutton: bass; Paul Motian: drums.

Change Of Heart

Saturday, July 31, 2021

Bill Evans - Everybody Still Digs Bill Evans Disc 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Album: Everybody Still Digs Bill Evans Disc 1
Styles: Piano Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 76:16
Size: 175,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:02) 1. Five
(4:13) 2. Woody'N You (Take 2)
(5:53) 3. Young And Foolish
(5:59) 4. Autumn Leaves
(3:35) 5. How Deep Is The Ocean
(5:54) 6. Sweet And Lovely
(5:24) 7. Blue In Green
(4:58) 8. How My Heart Sings
(5:47) 9. Re: Person I Knew
(4:57) 10. My Foolish Heart (Live At The Village Vanguard / 1961)
(6:57) 11. Waltz For Debby (Live At The Village Vanguard / 1961)
(6:10) 12. Gloria's Step (Live At The Village Vanguard / 1961)
(6:25) 13. My Man's Gone Now (Live At The Village Vanguard / 1961)
(5:54) 14. Swedish Pastry (Live At Shelly's Manne-Hole / 1963)

Album: Everybody Still Digs Bill Evans Disc 2
Time: 73:33
Size: 168,7 MB

(4:50) 1. Israel
(6:05) 2. The Peacocks
(5:54) 3. I Believe In You (feat.Shelly Manne)
(4:26) 4. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
(3:30) 5. I Will Say Goodbye
(5:51) 6. Turn Out The Stars (Live At The Village Vanguard, 1967)
(3:37) 7. Walkin' Up (Live At The Montreux Jazz Festival, 1968)
(5:44) 8. Very Early (Live At Camp Fortune / 1974)
(3:48) 9. Minha (All Mine) (Live At The Wisconsin Union Theater / 1976)
(9:17) 10. My Romance (Live At L'Espace Cardin, Paris / 1979)
(7:33) 11. Days Of Wine And Roses (Live At The Village Vanguard / 1980)
(5:31) 12. The Touch Of Your Lips (Live At The Keystone Korner / 1980)
(7:20) 13. Someday My Prince Will Come (Live At The Keystone Korner / 1980)

Everybody Still Digs Bill Evans Disc 1, Disc 2

Album: Everybody Still Digs Bill Evans Disc 3
Time: 67:34
Size: 155,0 MB

( 6:43) 1. Peace Piece
(10:40) 2. Danny Boy
( 7:12) 3. Make Someone Happy
( 5:07) 4. A Time For Love
( 1:37) 5. Waltz For Debby
( 2:20) 6. The Bad And The Beautiful
( 5:39) 7. N.Y.C.'s No Lark
( 4:56) 8. Emily
( 4:30) 9. Remembering The Rain
( 7:04) 10. I Loves You Porgy (Live At L'Espace Cardin / 1979)
( 4:52) 11. Letter To Evan (Live At L'Espace Cardin / 1979)
( 6:48) 12. Nardis (Live At The Keystone Korner / 1980)

Album: Everybody Still Digs Bill Evans Disc 4
Time: 77:13
Size: 177,1 MB

(5:23) 1. My Funny Valentine
(5:37) 2. A Face Without A Name
(3:57) 3. The Touch Of Your Lips (Vocal Version)
(3:48) 4. I Love You
(6:37) 5. Up With The Lark (Live At L'Espace Cardin / 1979)
(6:29) 6. Funkallero (Live In Antwerp / 1974)
(5:57) 7. Who Cares?
(6:21) 8. Body And Soul
(7:04) 9. You And The Night And The Music
(6:03) 10. Time Remembered
(6:07) 11. Night And Day
(7:34) 12. A Child Is Born
(6:09) 13. Peri's Scope

Album: Everybody Still Digs Bill Evans Disc 5
Time: 60:36
Size: 139,0 MB

( 6:54) 1. Sareen Jurer (Live At Oil Can Harry's / 1975)
( 7:04) 2. Sugar Plum (Live At Oil Can Harry's / 1975)
( 7:43) 3. The Two Lonely People (Live At Oil Can Harry's / 1975)
( 5:10) 4. T.T.T. (Twelve Tone Tune) (Live At Oil Can Harry's / 1975)
( 5:19) 5. Quiet Now (Live At Oil Can Harry's / 1975)
( 6:20) 6. Up With The Lark (Live At Oil Can Harry's / 1975)
( 5:53) 7. How Deep Is The Ocean (Live At Oil Can Harry's / 1975)
( 5:26) 8. Blue Serge (Live At Oil Can Harry's / 1975)
(10:44) 9. Nardis (Live At Oil Can Harry's / 1975)

Only occasionally do classy looking limited-edition box sets prove to be a triumph of style and substance. Too often they are undermined by cheapskate packaging, over elaborate design, poorly written and researched booklets, inadequate session details or, most egregiously, bizarre (in a bad way) track selections. So it is a more than pleasant surprise when something comes along which succeeds, and succeeds magnificently, on all those fronts. Such an item is Concord Records' Craft imprint's Everybody Still Digs Bill Evans: A Career Retrospective (1956—1980).

The 5-CD set comes in a seriously heavyweight, hard bound, velour wrapped, 12" x 10" portfolio style book with a foil-stamped cover. Inside are the discs and a stitched-in 48-page book. There are some great photographs, but the main event is an essay by the Chicago-based writer and Bill Evans connoisseur Neil Tesser. That is followed by complete session details. The whole shebang was produced Nick Phillips (check the YouTube clip below). The music itself has been newly remastered by Paul Blakemore, and immaculately so: the audio quality is off-the-scale superb.

The first four discs total playing time just under five hours cherry pick some of the greatest work Evans released on Riverside, Milestone, Verve, Warner Bros., Fantasy, Elektra/Musician, The Jazz Alliance, United Artists and Nova Discs. Discs One and Two (Trialogues Vol. 1 and Vol. 2) cover his trio recordings from 1956 to 1980. Disc Three (Monologues) surveys his solo recordings from 1958 to 1980. Disc Four (Dialogues & Confluences) takes in some of his co-headlining and sideperson work from 1962 to 1979. It is here that the only significant omission occurs: there is nothing from Miles Davis' Kind Of Blue (Columbia, 1959). Licensing difficulties, presumably.

Disc Five is the icing on the cake. It contains a recently discovered, previously unreleased, live recording of an hour-long performance Evans gave at the long since defunct Oil Can Harry's, Vancouver in June 1975, with bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Eliot Zigmund. The recording appears to have been broadcast once on local radio and then put away in the station's tape archive. The performance contains no previously unrecorded material but most of it was in 1975 quite recently arrived in the set list. Evans had first recorded the opener, Earl Zindars' "Sareen Jurer," in 1974; his own "Sugar Plum," "The Two Lonely People" and "T.T.T." in 1971; and Jerome Kern's "Up With The Lark" in 1972. The other four tunes were familiar Evans fare: Denny Zeitlin's "Quiet Now," Irving Berlin's "How Deep Is The Ocean," Mercer Ellington's "Blue Serge" and, at almost eleven minutes the longest track, Miles Davis' "Nardis," the closer. The group is in terrific form and the sound quality is excellent (take a bow audio restorers Jamie Howarth, John Chester and the aforementioned Paul Blakemore). The performance is also being released on two 180-gram vinyl LPs as On A Friday Evening.Listening to the complete box set, one is reminded that Evans reached his peak of perfection, in a trio format anyway, between 1959 and 1961 with bassist Scott LaFaro and drummer Paul Motian. But that peak was so lofty that even Evans' lower slopes are heavenly and this well compiled collection contains no lower slopes, only peaks and upper slopes.~ Chris May https://www.allaboutjazz.com/everybody-still-digs-bill-evans-a-career-retrospective-1956-1980-bill-evans-craft-recordings

Personnel: Bill Evans: piano; Teddy Kotick: bass; Paul Chambers: bass, acoustic; Sam Jones: bass; Scott LaFaro: bass; Chuck Israels: bass, acoustic; Eddie Gomez: bass; Gary Peacock: bass, acoustic; Marc Johnson: bass; Paul Motian: drums; Philly Joe Jones: drums; Larry Bunker: drums; Shelly Manne: drums; Jack DeJohnette: drums; Marty Morell: drums; Joe La Barbera: drums.

Additional Instrumentation: Jim Hall: guitar; Eliot Zigmund: drums; Tony Bennett: vocal; Marian McPartland; piano; Stan Getz: tenor saxophone; Cannonball Adderley: alto saxophone; Percy Heath: bass; Connie Kay: drums; Freddie Hubbard: trumpet; Zoot Sims: tenor saxophone; Ron Carter: bass; Lee Konitz: alto saxophone; Warne Marsh: tenor saxophone; Harold Land: tenor saxophone; Kenny Burrell: guitar; Ray Brown: bass; Tom Harrell: trumpet; Larry Schneider: tenor saxophone.

Everybody Still Digs Bill Evans Disc 3,4,5

Wednesday, June 16, 2021

Enrico Pieranunzi, Marc Johnson, Paul Motian - The Copenhagen Concert

Styles: Piano Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:18
Size: 141,1 MB
Art: Front

(10:06) 1. Abacus
( 7:02) 2. The Night Gone By
( 8:53) 3. Invitation
(16:18) 4. Medley: Body & Soul / If I Should Lose you
(12:19) 5. Everything I Love
( 6:37) 6. Pannonica

Enrico Pieranunzi has been a popular guest in Copenhagen for over 30 years, where he has played with elite Danish musicians like Mads Vinding, Alex Riel and Jesper Lundgaard. In recent years he has collaborated closely in a duo context with the phenomenal bassist Thomas Fonnesbæk and the two, together, were soon able to achieve new heights of creativity. Pieranunzi is an exceptional pianist, whether he’s playing solo, duo or trio. Melodically, harmonically, and not least of all rhythmically, he is “out of this world”. He has something you simply don’t hear with other musicians. Part of the explanation is likely due to a unique combination of influences, from his deep roots in classical and Italian music to his collaboration with iconic film composer Ennio Morricone and jazz giants like Chet Baker and Art Farmer. The rest and most importantly is due to Enrico himself.

On this recording, from December 1996 at the legendary and now closed Copenhagen Jazzhouse, he is joined by two masters in their own right; Marc Johnson on bass and Paul Motian on drums. This trio plays with virtuosity and force that shines through on every note and beat.

The album opens with the tempo filled track Abacus, written by Motian. A track that has a playfulness and displays the three musicians’ genuine interaction and functions as a conversation between the piano and bass. Both the technique as well as feel is top-level as the musical resources are in free flow. The Night Gone By, written by Pieranunzie, starts with more of a ballad feel before a bass solo transcends the track into a higher tempo midway lead by the piano, before coming back to its initial softer feel at the end.

Album closer Pannonica, a Thelonius Monk penned classic, has more of a swing feel to it, has more of a swing feel to it and closes the album in style. Pieranunzi, the Italian piano master, is recognized as one of the best European jazz pianists and as a pianist, composer and arranger he has recorded more than 70 albums.https://storyvillerecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-copenhagen-concert

Personnel: Enrico Pieranunzi - Piano; Marc Johnson - Bass; Paul Motian - Drums

The Copenhagen Concert

Tuesday, December 1, 2020

Lee Konitz - At the Half Note Disc 1 And Disc 2

Album: At the Half Note Disc 1
Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1959/2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:52
Size: 112,3 MB
Art: Front

(9:16) 1. Palo Alto
(9:17) 2. How About You?
(6:56) 3. My Melancholy Baby
(7:55) 4. Scrapple from the Apple
(7:41) 5. You Stepped out of a Dream
(7:44) 6. 317 E 32nd

Album: At the Half Note Disc 2
Time: 47:39
Size: 109,5 MB

(8:46) 1. April
(8:11) 2. It’S You or No One
(5:43) 3. Just Friends
(8:33) 4. Baby, Baby All the Time
(8:41) 5. Lennie-Bird
(7:41) 6. Subconscious-Lee

The music on this two-CD set has a strange history. Pianist Lennie Tristano had a rare reunion with altoist Lee Konitz and tenor saxophonist Warne Marsh (his two greatest "students") during an extended stay at the Half Note in 1959. Tristano took Tuesday nights off to teach and Bill Evans was his substitute, but the pianist had a couple of those performances recorded for posterity. While listening to his tapes years later, he was so impressed with Marsh's playing that he sent edited versions (comprised entirely of the tenor man's solos) to Marsh, and somehow they ended up being released in that form by the Revelation label. In 1994, the unedited music was finally issued by Verve; the consistently exciting playing by Konitz, Marsh, and Evans (with backup by bassist Jimmy Garrison and drummer Paul Motian) makes one wonder what took so long. They perform a dozen extended standards (or "originals" based on the chord changes of familiar tunes) with creativity and inspiration. In fact, of all the Konitz-Marsh recordings, this set ranks near the top. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/live-at-the-half-note-mw0000626075

Personnel: Lee Konitz – alto saxophone; Warne Marsh – tenor saxophone; Bill Evans – piano; Jimmy Garrison – bass; Paul Motian – drums

At the Half Note

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Paul Bley - When Will The Blues Leave

Styles: Piano Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:13
Size: 129,5 MB
Art: Front

(11:35)  1. Mazatlan
( 5:37)  2. Flame
( 9:48)  3. Told You So
( 7:14)  4. Moor
( 5:33)  5. Longer
( 6:01)  6. Dialogue Amour
( 5:26)  7. When Will The Blues Leave
( 4:56)  8. I Loves You Porgy

Had Paul Bley, Gary Peacock and Paul Motian recorded together more consistently, they would have been considered among the best piano trios in modern jazz history. The three first recorded on the ECM collection Paul Bley with Gary Peacock (1970), a compilation from the 1960s where three of the eight tracks had Billy Elgart on drums. It would be decades before the trio reunited in the studio, and again, ECM captured the session, Not Two, Not One (1998). When Will The Blues Leave, from that same period of time, was recorded live in 1999, at Lugano's Aula Magna in 1999 at the Great Hall of University of Lugano, Italy. When Will The Blues Leave is the first posthumous release of new Bley material since his passing in 2016. The Canadian-born pianist/composer is considered by some to be one of the most important innovators in jazz music. His musical associations date to work in the 1950s with Ornette Coleman and Charles Mingus. He was a pioneer in the fusion of jazz and electronics, a tireless explorer of new music, technique, and an educator and mentor. There are none of the typical parameters with a rhythm section of Peacock and Motian; they were, by this time, highly regarded composers and leaders whose individual ideas were incorporated into any setting in which they worked. Peacock, most famous for the Keith Jarrett trio, has worked with many legendary pianists including Bill Evans, Mal Waldron, Marilyn Crispell and Marc Copland. Motian had worked in those same circles, at times, with Peacock. The trio reaches back to the 1960s for the opener, "Mazatlan," which first appeared on Bley's Ramblin' (BYG, 1969). 

At more than eleven-minutes, it's a deep dive into Bley's early avant-garde phase. There are slower paced tunes such as "Flame" and "Told You So" from Bley's solo albums Tears (Owl, 1984) and Basics (Justin Time, 2001), and the Peacock/Bley composition "Dialogue Amour" from Not Two, Not One. The sophistication and creative skills of Peacock and Motian are on full display in these pieces as they establish interchanges, break off, and return with new ideas. Ornette Coleman's title track is an astoundingly knotty and energetic lead up to the closing tune, a beautifully quirky "I Loves You, Porgy."  It's difficult for piano trios to distinguish themselves in that most common of jazz formations, but When Will The Blues Leave could have been a defining moment for this unit. Their juxtaposition of lyricism and free improvisation within single pieces, and in real time, is challenging listening, but this elite group of artists have left us with a scrapbook of stunning ideas. ~ Karl Ackermann https://www.allaboutjazz.com/when-will-the-blues-leave-paul-bley-ecm-records-review-by-karl-ackermann.php

Personnel: Paul Bley: piano; Gary Peacock: double bass; Paul Motian: drums.

When Will The Blues Leave

Tuesday, March 5, 2019

Keith Jarrett - The Mourning of a Star

Styles: Piano, Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1971
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:52
Size: 102,0 MB
Art: Front

(6:12)  1. Follow the Crooked Path (Though It Be Longer)
(1:17)  2. Interlude No. 3
(3:20)  3. Standing Outside
(2:13)  4. Everything That Lives Laments
(1:37)  5. Interlude No. 1
(6:56)  6. Trust
(2:18)  7. All I Want
(5:06)  8. Traces of You
(9:21)  9. The Mourning of a Star
(0:52) 10. Interlude No. 2
(4:35) 11. Sympathy

This album gives one an interesting look at the early Keith Jarrett, who was already performing on an album of the Charles Lloyd Quartet and Miles Davis' early fusion band. He had not yet fully developed his style, but he was clearly on his way. These trio performances (with bassist Charlie Haden and drummer Paul Motian) are impressive for the period, but the best was yet to come. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-mourning-of-a-star-mw0000111796

Personnel: Piano, Recorder [Tenor], Soprano Saxophone, Drums [Steel] – Keith Jarrett;  Bass, Drums [Steel] – Charlie Haden; Drums, Drums [Steel] – Paul Motian

The Mourning of a Star

Tuesday, February 19, 2019

Keith Jarrett - Backhand

Styles: Piano, Flute Jazz
Year: 1974
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:45
Size: 91,2 MB
Art: Front

( 9:07)  1. Inflight
(11:40)  2. Kuum
( 7:49)  3. Vapallia
(11:08)  4. Backhand

Recorded at the same sessions as Death and the Flower, this out-of-print LP, whose music has not yet been reissued on CD, features pianist Keith Jarrett's exciting but underrated American group of the 1970s, a quintet with tenor saxophonist Dewey Redman, bassist Charlie Haden, drummer Paul Motian and percussionist Guilherme Franco. The group (with Jarrett occasionally switching to flute and Redman to the bizarre-sounding musette) is in typically exploratory, yet often melodic form on lengthy renditions of four of Jarrett's inside/outside originals. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/backhand-mw0000915428

Personnel:  Keith Jarrett - piano, flute, percussion; Dewey Redman - tenor saxophone, musette, percussion; Charlie Haden - bass; Paul Motian - drums, percussion; Guilherme Franco - percussion

Backhand

Friday, October 12, 2018

Bill Evans Trio - Portrait In Jazz

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1960
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:22
Size: 99,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:23)  1. Come Rain Or Shine
(6:01)  2. Autumn Leaves
(4:35)  3. Witchcraft
(5:00)  4. When I Fall In Love
(3:16)  5. Peri's Scope
(4:36)  6. What Is This Thing Called Love?
(5:07)  7. Spring Is Here
(4:56)  8. Some Day My Prince Will Come
(5:23)  9. Blue In Green

The first of two studio albums by the Bill Evans-Scott LaFaro-Paul Motian trio (both of which preceded their famous engagement at the Village Vanguard), this Portrait in Jazz reissue contains some wondrous interplay, particularly between pianist Evans and bassist LaFaro, on the two versions of "Autumn Leaves." Other than introducing Evans' "Peri's Scope," the music is comprised of standards, but the influential interpretations were far from routine or predictable at the time. LaFaro and Motian were nearly equal partners with the pianist in the ensembles and their versions of such tunes as "Come Rain or Come Shine," "When I Fall in Love," and "Someday My Prince Will Come" (which preceded Miles Davis' famous recording by a couple years) are full of subtle and surprising creativity. A gem. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/portrait-in-jazz-mw0000187984

Personnel:  Bill Evans – piano;  Scott LaFaro – bass;  Paul Motian – drums

Portrait In Jazz

Tuesday, August 14, 2018

Keith Jarrett - Silence

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1992
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:26
Size: 153,1 MB
Art: Front

( 7:22)  1. Byablue
( 8:36)  2. Rainbow
( 9:41)  3. Trieste
( 1:13)  4. Fantasm
( 6:01)  5. Mushi Mushi
( 3:13)  6. Silence
( 6:59)  7. Bop-Be
(10:38)  8. Gotta Get Some Sleep
( 3:39)  9. Blackberry Winter
( 5:19) 10. Pocket Full of Cherry
( 3:39) 11. Byablue (solo piano version)

The Keith Jarrett American Quartet's last recording session combines most of the contents Byablue and Bop-Be, omitting "Yahllah" and "Konya" from the former and "Pyramids Moving" from the latter. The partial sampling of the sessions indicates that the quartet went out on a high note, still exciting and inventive, the old interplay very much in action, unrepentantly acoustic in an electric era. The quartet was soon to be defunct. ~ Richard S.Ginell https://www.allmusic.com/album/silence-mw0000083094

Personnel:  Keith Jarrett – piano, soprano saxophone (on #10);  Dewey Redman – tenor saxophone;  Charlie Haden – bass;  Paul Motian – drums.

Silence

Bill Frisell - Selected Recordings

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 76:37
Size: 177,1 MB
Art: Front

(5:10)  1. Mandeville
(3:02)  2. Introduction
(7:25)  3. India
(4:22)  4. Singsong
(4:35)  5. In Line
(5:47)  6. Resistor
(4:49)  7. Music I Heard
(8:04)  8. Tone
(4:40)  9. Lonesome
(6:29) 10. Alien Prints
(2:28) 11. Hangdog
(4:44) 12. Kind Of Gentle
(5:01) 13. Closer
(9:54) 14. Sub Rosa

Whatever the musical context, guitarist Bill Frisell has always been a team player. From the edgy avant-garde of Naked City to the deeply melodic music of the Ginger Baker Trio and several wide-ranging groups of his own, he's proven repeatedly that he has the versatility and perceptiveness to fit into wildly different surroundings. His ECM work has for the most part been of the quiet, melodic sort. Since he last recorded under his own name for the label in 1987, he's forged onward with a more country/blues orientation on his own recordings. Some critics have slapped the term "Americana" on this new material, but Frisell dismisses the label: "People say this has come into my playing in recent years. I think it's been there all along." Perhaps so. Regardless, this set documents a fertile period during the '80s when Frisell was finding his own voice. In his solo recordings, Frisell prizes space and texture. The solo guitar piece "Introduction" (from the Paul Motian band recording Psalm ) has as much silence as sound. "In Line" (from Frisell's record of the same name) explores extremes of timbre and pitch overlaid on a solid, pulsing acoustic foundation. Then there's his work with saxophonist Joe Lovano and drummer Paul Motian. In trio or quintet settings, these players have a very rare kind of cohesion. Surely Lovano has developed his sound substantially since the '80s this material emphasizes his sure grasp of melody, but it lacks the deftness of tone and angularity of phrasing which he acquired in the '90s. But in some sense, the '80s were golden years for these players. They deliver some of their strongest, most memorable playing on these tunes. Frisell's work with trumpeter Kenny Wheeler (documented here on three tunes from 1984's Rambler ) has a sharper edge, more extreme in tone and color than the rest of the collection. Frisell plays here and there with effects to thicken atmospheric backgrounds and sharpen his crispy improvisations. You can hear the roots of his post-ECM music in the soft blues of "Lonesome" and the stretched, gossamer meanderings of "Alien Prints." Just in case you thought you had Frisell pinned down, he tosses out "Hangdog," a punchy, dissonant fragment from the same record, 1987's Lookout for Hope.  The luminaries: Paul Motian, Joe Lovano, Jan Garbarek, Eberhard Weber, Kenny Wheeler, Joey Baron, Lee Konitz, Dave Holland, Paul Bley, John Surman. (Definitely in the big leagues.) The big surprise: Frisell on banjo on "Hangdog." He turns the instrument inside out and it works. (Note: this disc represents the fifth volume of :rarum, a series of artist-picked compilations from ECM Records. It comes with brief notes by the artists, an extensive biography, and discographical information.) ~ AAJ Staff https://www.allaboutjazz.com/rarum-selected-recordings-of-bill-frisell-bill-frisell-ecm-records-review-by-aaj-staff.php

Personnel: Bill Frisell: guitars, banjo, guitar synth; Joe Lovano: ts; Billy Drewes: as; Ed Schuller: b; Paul Motian: d; Jan Garbarek: ss; Eberhard Weber: b; Michael DiPasqua: d; Kenny Wheeler: tpt, ct; Bob Stewart: tuba; Jerome Harris: bg; Hank Roberts: cello; Kermit Driscoll: bg; Joe Baron: d; Lee Konitz: as; Dave Holland: b; Paul Bley: p; John Surman: ss; Jamie McCarthy: recorder; Roger Heaton: cl; Alexander Balanescu: v; Martin Allen: vb; John White: p; Gavin Bryars: b.

Selected Recordings

Wednesday, July 4, 2018

Keith Jarrett - Expectations

Styles: Piano Jazz 
Year: 1972
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 77:50
Size: 179,6 MB
Art: Front

( 0:51)  1. Vision
( 8:14)  2. Common Mama
( 6:55)  3. The Magician In You
( 5:25)  4. Roussillon
( 4:29)  5. Expectations
( 9:33)  6. Take Me Back
( 5:06)  7. The Circular Letter (For J.K.)
(17:21)  8. Nomads
( 4:28)  9. Sundance
( 9:51) 10. Bring Back The Time When (If)
( 5:33) 11. There Is A Road (God's River)

This was the first real indication to the world that Keith Jarrett was an ambitious, multi-talented threat to be reckoned with, an explosion of polystylistic music that sprawled over two LPs (now squeezed onto a single CD). Using his classic quartet (Dewey Redman, Charlie Haden, Paul Motian) as a base, Jarrett occasionally adds the biting rock-edged electric guitar of Sam Brown and always-intriguing percussionist Airto Moreira, and indulges in some pleasant string and brass arrangements of his own, along with some grinding organ smears and acceptable soprano sax. Jarrett again turns his early rampant eclecticism loose  from earthy gospel-tinged soul-jazz to the freewheeling atonal avant-garde yet this time he does it with an exuberance and expansiveness that puts his previous solo work in the shade. "Common Mama," a spicy Latin workout with brass punctuations, "Take Me Back," driving soul jazz with streaks of electric jazz-rock, and the lengthy, nearly free "Nomads" are the most invigorating tracks.~ Richard S. Ginell https://www.allmusic.com/album/expectations-mw0000691522

Personnel:   Keith Jarrett: piano, organ, soprano saxophone, tambourine, percussion, arrangements;  Dewey Redman: tenor saxophone, percussion;  Sam Brown: guitar;  Charlie Haden: bass;  Paul Motian: drums;  Airto Moreira: percussion.

Expectations

Thursday, December 28, 2017

Sam Most - Sam Most Plays Bird, Bud, Monk & Miles

Styles: Clarinet Jazz
Year: 1957
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:16
Size: 92,9 MB
Art: Front

(5:26)  1. Strictly Confidential
(3:42)  2. Half Nelson
(5:31)  3. 'Round Midnight
(3:56)  4. In Walked Bud
(6:04)  5. Serpent's Tooth
(3:45)  6. Celia
(4:12)  7. Confirmation
(7:36)  8. Bluebird

One of the first great jazz flutists, a cool-toned tenor, and a fine (if infrequent) clarinetist, Sam Most was the younger brother of clarinetist Abe Most. He picked up early experience playing with the orchestras of Tommy Dorsey (1948), Boyd Raeburn, and Don Redman. By the time he led his first session (1953), Most was a brilliant flutist (among the first to sing through his flute) and he briefly had the jazz field to himself. 

Most recorded fine sessions for Prestige, Debut (reissued on Xanadu), Vanguard, and Bethlehem during 1953-1958, doubling on clarinet. He also worked in different settings with Chris Connor, Paul Quinichette, and Teddy Wilson. After playing with Buddy Rich's Orchestra (1959-1961), he moved to Los Angeles and became a studio musician. Sam Most worked with Red Norvo and Louie Bellson, gained some new prominence with his Xanadu recordings of 1976-1979, and became a local fixture in Los Angeles, sometimes playing in clubs with his brother. Most died of cancer in June 2013; he was 82 years old. ~ Scott Yanow  https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/sam-most-plays-bird-bud-monk-miles-remastered-2013/689372772

Personnel:  Sam Most - Clarinet;  David Schildkraut - Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone;  Oscar Pettiford - Bass;  Tommy Potter - Bass;  Paul Motian - Drums;  Bob Dorough - Piano;  Dick Meldonian, Eddie Wasserman, Marty Flax - Tenor Saxophone, Bill Elton, Frank Rehak, Jim Dahl - Trombone;   Al Stewart, Charles Harmon, Don Stratton, Doug Mettome, Ed Reider, III - Trumpet

Sam Most Plays Bird, Bud, Monk & Miles

Sunday, September 24, 2017

Bill Evans Trio - How My Heart Sings (Remastered)

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:13
Size: 135.6 MB
Styles: Piano jazz
Year: 1964/1989
Art: Front

[4:56] 1. How My Heart Sings
[4:56] 2. I Should Care
[6:56] 3. In Your Own Sweet Way (Take 1)
[4:54] 4. Walking Up
[5:58] 5. Summertime
[6:22] 6. 34 Skidoo
[4:11] 7. Ev'rything I Love
[4:24] 8. Show-Type Tune
[5:52] 9. In Your Own Sweet Way (Take 2, Alternate)
[6:23] 10. 34 Skidoo (Take 9, Alternate)
[4:16] 11. Ev'rything I Love (Take 2, Alternate)

Bass – Chuck Israels; Drums – Paul Motian; Piano, Liner Notes – Bill Evans.

This enjoyable album is from the first recording session by Bill Evans’s “second trio” of 1962, with Chuck Israels taking over as bassist after the death of Scott La Faro. The session produced two albums, the all-ballad ‘Moonbeams’ and this one, which mainly features medium to up-tempo numbers. Nevertheless, as Evans said in his original liner notes, the trio aimed to produce a “singing” approach to all the material it played. So along with the lively, skipping rhythms on such tracks as “Summertime” and “In Your Own Sweet Way” and the more driving swing on the Evans originals, “Walking Up” and “34 Skidoo”, there’s a lot of tuneful improvising throughout. The combination of this “singing” approach with the trio’s rhythmic vitality is especially obvious on the title track, an attractively lyrical jazz waltz, on the affectionate parody, “Show Type Tune” (another Evans original), on “I Should Care” and on one of the less well known Cole Porter tunes, “Everything I Love”. The latter is one of my favourites for the way Evans in his playing of the tune manages to convey the lyrical feeling of a slow ballad at a moderately swinging tempo.

Even at this early stage in his residence with the trio, Chuck Israels was proving a highly compatible partner, creating well-constructed lines both in “duet” with the pianist and in his solos. Paul Motian’s drumming is mainly relaxed and at times almost self-effacing but always blending closely with Evans and Israels. Evans also pointed out in his liner notes how easy it would be to underrate Motian’s contribution until one tried to imagine what the music would be like without it. Despite the obvious differences of mood and tempo between this and the companion album, ‘Moonbeams’, it has similar virtues of subtlety and thoughtful interplay within the trio. ~MikeG

How My Heart Sings  

Friday, April 14, 2017

Keith Jarrett Trio - Somewhere Before

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1968
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:11
Size: 94,8 MB
Art: Front

(5:24)  1. My Back Pages
(3:30)  2. Pretty Ballad
(4:24)  3. Moving Soon
(6:50)  4. Somewhere Before
(5:40)  5. New Rag
(3:07)  6. A Moment For Tears
(4:35)  7. Pout's Over
(5:00)  8. Dedicated To You
(2:37)  9. Old Rag

While still a member of the Charles Lloyd Quartet, Keith Jarrett did some occasional moonlighting with a trio, anchored by two future members of Jarrett's classic quartet, Charlie Haden (bass) and Paul Motian (drums). On this CD, Jarrett turns in a very eclectic set at Shelly's Manne-Hole in Hollywood, careening through a variety of idioms where his emerging individuality comes through in flashes. He covers Bob Dylan's "My Back Pages" -- which actually came out as a single on the Vortex label in an attractive, semi-funky style reminiscent of Vince Guaraldi. "Pretty Ballad" delivers a strong reflective dose of Bill Evans, while "Moving Soon" is chaotic free jazz. By the time we reach "New Rag," we begin to hear the distinctive Jarrett idiom of the later trios, but then, "Old Rag" is knockabout stride without the stride. As an example of early, unfocused Jarrett, this is fascinating material. ~ Richard G.Ginell http://www.allmusic.com/album/somewhere-before-mw0000196472

Personnel:  Piano – Keith Jarrett;  Bass – Charlie Haden;  Drums – Paul Motian

Somewhere Before

Thursday, November 10, 2016

Keith Jarrett - Bop-Be

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1976
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:31
Size: 91,8 MB
Art: Front

( 6:03)  1. Mushi Mushi
( 3:16)  2. Silence
( 6:59)  3. Bop-Be
( 3:41)  4. Pyramids Moving
(10:35)  5. Gotta Get Some Sleep
( 3:38)  6. Blackberry Winter
( 5:17)  7. Pocket Full Of Cherry

Here is another LP helping from the Keith Jarrett "American" Quartet's last recording session one that is almost as consistent in quality as its predecessor. The happy-go-lucky groove of the title track perfectly expresses its name, with Jarrett blithely singing along; both Dewey Redman and Charlie Haden get plenty of solo space on Redman's "Gotta Get Some Sleep" and Haden's "Pocket Full of Cherry" (a pun referring to Haden cohort Don Cherry); and Paul Motian remains a marvelously flexible drummer. Moreover, there is another fascinating swatch of Middle Eastern experimentation on "Pyramids Moving." ~ Richard S.Ginell http://www.allmusic.com/album/bop-be-mw0000938452

Personnel:  Keith Jarrett - piano, soprano saxophone, percussion;  Dewey Redman - tenor saxophone, musette;  Charlie Haden – bass;  Paul Motian - drums, percussion

Bop-Be

Saturday, October 15, 2016

David Friesen - Amber Skies

Styles: Jazz, Post-Bop 
Year: 1983
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:44
Size: 123,3 MB
Art: Front

( 8:14)  1. Amber Skies
(10:20)  2. Blue and Green
( 5:58)  3. Underlying
( 4:43)  4. Jenelle Number Four
( 8:55)  5. In the Place of Calling
( 6:16)  6. Sitka in the Woods
( 9:14)  7. Voices

One of bassist David Friesen's better jazz sessions as a leader, this set (which has been reissued by other labels on CD) has some excellent playing by tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson on "Amber Skies" and "Underlying," a rare opportunity for flutist Paul Horn to take a solo in a straight-ahead setting ("Blue and Green"), and was the first opportunity that pianist Chick Corea and drummer Paul Motian had to work together; percussionist Airto completes the sextet. The diverse originals, all by Friesen, feature each of the players quite favorably, and the overall results are stimulating. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/amber-skies-mw0000119934

Personnel: David Friesen (acoustic bass); Paul Horn (flute); Chick Corea (piano); Paul Motian (drums); Airto Moreira (percussion)

Amber Skies

Monday, August 8, 2016

Keith Jarrett - Mysteries

Styles: Piano And Flute Jazz
Year: 1976
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:26
Size: 97,3 MB
Art: Front

(11:02)  1. Rotation
(10:04)  2. Everything That Lives Laments
( 6:10)  3. Flame
(15:08)  4. Mysteries

Another in Impulse's extensive series of Keith Jarrett Quintet recordings, this LP isn't one of the more coherent products of the run. It opens on a faltering note with the hopelessly diffuse and rambling "Rotation," and "Everything That Lives Laments" doesn't really get going until a lyrical Vince Guaraldi-like statement from Jarrett sets the track in motion. "Flame" is certainly novel, with Jarrett on Pakistani flute and Dewey Redman on Chinese musette, which combined with the percussion makes for a diverting jam. The Coltrane-ish 15-minute title track has passages of meditative beauty and others of listless torpor. For completists only. ~ Richard S.Ginell http://www.allmusic.com/album/mysteries-mw0000654500

Personnel: Keith Jarret (piano, Pakistani flute, wood drums, percussion), Dewey Redman (tenor saxophone, maracas, tambourine, Chinese musette), Charlie Haden (bass), Paul Motian (drums, percussion), Guilhermo Franco (percussion).

Mysteries

Sunday, July 31, 2016

Bill Frisell and Joe Lovano with Paul Motian - Motian in Tokyo

Styles: Guitar And Saxophone Jazz 
Year: 1991
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:54
Size: 127,1 MB
Art: Front

( 7:13)  1. From Time to Time
( 6:32)  2. Shakalaka
( 7:05)  3. Kathelin Gray
( 1:00)  4. The Hoax
(11:02)  5. Mumbo Jumbo
( 1:36)  6. Birdsong I
( 7:40)  7. Mode VI
( 5:11)  8. Women from Padua
( 5:24)  9. It Is
( 2:06) 10. Birdsong II

Some improvisers prefer a comfort-zone approach to jazz; in other words, they find a style of jazz they're comfortable with and stick to it which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Scott Hamilton's comfort zone, for example, is a swing-to-bop style that recalls the mid-'40s. The tenor saxman has never been groundbreaking or innovative, but he's undeniably superb at what he does. While the comfort-zone approach works well for a traditionalist like Hamilton, drummer Paul Motian is impressive in a very different way he's the sort of thrill-seeker who enjoys the challenge of hurling himself into a variety of musical situations. Recorded in Tokyo, Japan in 1991, Paul Motian in Tokio finds Motian leading a trio that boasts Bill Frisell on electric guitar and Joe Lovano on tenor sax; piano or keyboards and bass are absent, but neither are missed. In Tokio isn't among Motian's essential recordings, although it's a decent album that draws on influences ranging from Keith Jarrett and the ECM Records catalog to Ornette Coleman. In fact, one of the tunes is "Kathelin Gray," which Coleman and Pat Metheny wrote for their Song X collaboration in 1985. But most of the material was written by Motian himself and easily lends itself to an inside/outside approach. Although cerebral, abstract and avant-garde, In Tokio is far from an exercise in atonality and it certainly isn't harsh or confrontational in the way that a free jazz firebrand like Charles Gayle is harsh and confrontational. Actually, the songs tend to have a floating quality, and Motian's trio demonstrates that outside playing can be reflective rather than in-your-face. Again, In Tokio isn't a five-star masterpiece, but it's a likable document of Motian's association with Frisell and Lovano. ~ Alex Henderson http://www.allmusic.com/album/in-tokio-mw0000329312

Personnel: Paul Motian (drums), Joe Lovano (tenor saxophone), Bill Frisell (guitar).

Motian in Tokyo