Lonnie Plaxico - West Side Stories

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:27
Size: 151,5 MB
Art: Front

( 6:41)  1. West Side Stories
( 7:22)  2. Climb Every Mountian
( 3:30)  3. I Want It To Be
( 6:27)  4. Robin's Dance
( 3:45)  5. One Less Bell To Answer
(10:06)  6. Funkadelic
( 6:03)  7. I Want To Know What Love Is
( 3:50)  8. Longer
( 7:15)  9. Duke It Out
( 6:56) 10. Speaking In Tongues
( 3:27) 11. Your Love Speaks To Me

West Side Stories, Lonnie Plaxico's eleventh recording as a leader, draws from memories of growing up in Chicago and listening to a variety of sounds from the '70s R&B, popular music and smooth jazz as well as his collaboration in the development of advanced M-Base musical concepts in the '80s. To coin a phrase from none other than the Godfather of Soul, James Brown, Plaxico might just be one the hardest working bassists in the business. He is a player with clear abilities, intensity and keen ideas who has contributed to many recordings, including releases by Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, Greg Osby and Cassandra Wilson.

The credits for the recording suggest an M-base class reunion. Prominent stars like vocalist Cassandra Wilson and saxophonists Gary Thomas and Steve Coleman bring their progressive skills to the project. Starting with the title track, "West Side Stories, you get a hint of Plaxico's flair for music off the beaten path, complete with turbulent ostinato patterns and killer horn arrangements. Even though the bass is somewhat lost the in mix, the band handles the complex arrangement precisely, thanks to tight writing and performance. Bringing back the memories of yesteryear, covers include Burt Bacharach's "One Less Bell to Answer (featuring Steve Coleman's alto sax and Cassandra Wilson's smoky vocals) and a jazz radio-friendly version of the '70s rock group Foreigner's hit "I Want To Know What Love Is (featuring Carla Cook on vocals). Though Plaxico brings the funk on a number of tunes impressively via some serious thumb-slapping on his electric axe, upbeat joints like "Speaking in Tongues Out become exhausting and repetitious. Yet the slower tunes, "I Want It to Be and the smooth "Your Love Speaks to Me, both sung by Wilson, linger all the more in this somewhat mixed bag of new and old grooves by a clearly talented bassist.~ Mark F.Turner https://www.allaboutjazz.com/west-side-stories-lonnie-plaxico-plaxmusic-review-by-mark-f-turner.php

Personnel: Lonnie Plaxico: all basses, keyboard (3); Cassandra Wilson:vocals (3,5,8,11); Carla Cook: vocals (7); Gary Thomas: tenor sax (1,2,4,6,7,9,10); Ravi Coltrane: alto sax (6); Steve Coleman: alto sax (5,8); Gary Pikard: tenor sax (8); David Lee Jones: alto sax (11); Alex Norris: trumpet (1,2,4,6,7,9,10); Jeff Hermason: trumpet (8); Kenny Growhowski: drums; Jeff Haynes:percussion (3,8,11); Khalil Kwame Bell:percussion (6,7,11); George Colligan:B3 organ, piano, Fender Rhodes.

West Side Stories

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Brandee Younger - Soul Awakening

Styles: Harp Jazz
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:38
Size: 102,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:53)  1. Soulris (feat. Ravi Coltrane)
(4:43)  2. Linda Lee
(5:22)  3. Love's Prayer (feat. Ravi Coltrane)
(7:01)  4. Respected Destroyer (feat. Sean Jones)
(5:42)  5. Games
(5:30)  6. Save the Children (feat. Niia)
(3:51)  7. Soul Awakening
(7:33)  8. Blue Nile

Sure the recording for Soul Awakening was completed in 2013, but we are more than fortunate that harpist Brandee Younger and producer/bassist Dezron Douglas have chosen now to free this music from the vaults. For Soul Awakening brings a defining clarity to what we've experienced on previous releases, such as the raw, groove/fusion of 2014's The Brandee Younger 4tet: Live at the Breeding Ground (Brandee Younger), and 2016's Wax & Wane (Brandee Younger). Accompanied by her stalwart 4tet: tenor saxophonist Chelsea Baratz, soprano saxophonist Stacy Dillard, drummer E.J. Strickland and Douglas, the disc comes to stirring, ascendant life with Douglas' "Soulris" a powerful wave of spiritual vibe featuring the exultant tenor of Ravi Coltrane, who knows a thing or two about harpists and ascendant riffs. Younger stands fearless alongside Coltrane and drummer Chris Beck, whose combined energy would drown any lesser player. With a wash of celestial glissandi, Coltrane rises gloriously on Younger's own "Lover's Prayer," a soulfully emotive incantation and incarnation of Coltrane's mother, Alice Coltrane. Presented here as a gently swelling, rolling, almost 1960's pop radio instrumental, "Games," composed by another of Younger's great influences, Dorothy Ashby, spotlights Douglas and Strickland exercising great rhythmic restraint under Younger's gorgeous, delicate sweeps. 

Trumpeter Sean Jones, who held his own with Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter on their 2011 Tribute to Miles tour and held the lead trumpet position for Jazz at Lincoln Center from 2004-2010, leads trombonist Corey Wilcox through a range of trade-offs and colors Younger's solos on her ever shifting "Respected Destroyer." Featuring tenor saxophonist Antoine Roney and more shimmering solos from Younger, Alice Coltrane's "Blue Nile" closes Soul Awakening on the same high peak that it thrillingly began. ~ Mike Jurkovic https://www.allaboutjazz.com/soul-awakening-brandee-younger-self-produced-review-by-mike-jurkovic.php

Personnel:  Brandee Younger: harp; Ravi Coltrane: tenor saxophone (1, 3); Chelsea Baratz: tenor saxophone (2, 4, 7); Stacy Dillard: soprano saxophone (7, 8); Antoine Roney: tenor saxophone (8); Sean Jones: trumpet (4); Freddie Hendrix: trumpet (4); Corey Wilcox: trombone (4); Nicole Camacho: flute (7); Niia: vocals (6); Dezron Douglas: bass; E.J. Strickland: drums; Chris Beck: drums (1,3).

Soul Awakening

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Wallace Roney - Misterios

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1994
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:12
Size: 136,9 MB
Art: Front

(6:17)  1. Meu Menino
(4:47)  2. In Her Family
(6:32)  3. Michelle
(6:30)  4. Cafe
(4:52)  5. Misterios
(6:49)  6. Last to Know
(5:18)  7. Memoria E Fado
(6:53)  8. 71+
(5:50)  9. Muerte
(5:19) 10. I Will Always Love You

Trumpeter Wallace Roney avoids the standard repertoire altogether on this CD, playing pieces by Pat Metheny, the Beatles, Egberto Gismonti, Jaco Pastorius and even Dolly Parton among others but, try as hard as he may, he still sounds like Miles Davis every time he hits a long tone or plays a doubletime passage. Backed by a small orchestra that mostly interprets Gil Goldstein arrangements, Roney is the main soloist throughout this interesting ballad-dominated set. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/misterios-mw0000117814

Personnel: Trumpet – Wallace Roney; Bass – Clarence Seay; Drums – Eric Allen; Keyboards – Gil Goldstein; Piano – Geri Allen; Tenor Saxophone – Antoine Roney, Ravi Coltrane

Misterios

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Ralph Alessi & This Against That - Look

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:44
Size: 134.5 MB
Styles: Trumpet jazz, Modern Creative
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[4:52] 1. Near Cry
[5:11] 2. It's Just A Toy
[5:14] 3. At The Seams
[6:05] 4. Hands
[3:07] 5. The Tooth Fairy And Pistol Pete
[4:56] 6. Lap Nap
[5:34] 7. Brown Hat
[3:34] 8. Look
[3:59] 9. Words, Actions
[4:44] 10. Platform Velvet
[7:18] 11. Old Beady Eyes
[4:03] 12. Sir

Ralph Alessi: trumpet, flugelhorn; Andy Milne: piano; Drew Gress: bass; Mark Ferber: drums; Ravi Coltrane: tenor saxophone (2,8,10,11).

Like the angelic blast of Gabriel's horn, trumpeter Ralph Alessi plays his mortal trumpet with exhilaration and sublime finesse. A popular session player, he has heightened recordings like Scott Colley's Archtiect of the Silent Moment (CamJazz, 2007) and Simone Guiducci's Dancin' Roots (Felmay, 2005). Alessi's own recordings as a leader—including Vice & Virtue (RKM, 2003) and This Against That/Vice & Virtue (RKM, 2002) —are obscure gems of eclectic music; but Look is an outstanding work of intellect and fire, showing what a progressive trumpeter sounds like without gimmicks or effects. A man, his horn, and a band—complete in its creative element.

Alessi's quartet of leading players includes the unsung, talented pianist Andy Milne and the superb rhythm section of bassist Drew Gress and drummer Mark Ferber; plus, on four tracks, a special guest: saxophonist Ravi Coltrane. The group is excellent at executing Alessi's eclectic and original pieces and making them enjoyable and seductively challenging. The leader's strength as a trumpeter is obvious, but another attribute that surfaces is his ability as a composer, which includes a gift for tying disparate threads of jazz, avant-garde, and classical persuasions into a vibrant work of contemporary music. Some tunes are ostensibly simplistic yet harmonically complex, like "Near Cry, where Alessi solos hotly over a tricky vamp. Other times there's a repeating phrase, as on "At the Seams, where Gress and Ferber not only sustain the effervescence but also contribute their own voices. ~Mark F. Turner

Look mc
Look zippy

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Elvin Jones - In Europe

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 1991
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:28
Size: 145,4 MB
Art: Front

(17:40)  1. Ray
(32:45)  2. Doll of the Bride
(13:02)  3. Island Birdie

Recorded live at a jazz festival in Germany, In Europe represents a typical Jazz Machine live performance, three selections from the group's regular repertoire where the musicians get plenty of room to stretch out, fueled by Jones' propulsive polyrhythms. "Ray-El," written by Elvin's brother Thad Jones, is a medium tempo blues number featuring a fine flute solo by Sonny Fortune. The traditional Japanese folk song "Doll of the Bride" is a 32 minute tour-de-force beginning with Fortune's flute and a long Jones drum solo using mallets, then moving into a Latin-ish vamp with excellent solos from Fortune on tenor sax and Willie Pickens on piano. "Island Birdie," written by McCoy Tyner, is a happy calypso reminiscent of "St. Thomas" with a nice turn on soprano sax by Ravi Coltrane, the son of Elvin's former employer John Coltrane, and bassist Chip Jackson. This was Jones' return to recording after a seven year hiatus. ~ Greg Turner https://www.allmusic.com/album/in-europe-mw0000678298

Personnel:  Elvin Jones - drums;  Sonny Fortune - tenor saxophone, flute;  Ravi Coltrane - tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone;  Willie Pickens - piano;  Chip Jackson - bass

In Europe

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Jeff 'Tain' Watts - Bar Talk

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 70:28
Size: 161,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:20)  1. JC Is The Man (Part 1)
(8:37)  2. Vodville
(5:49)  3. Stevie In Rio
(9:52)  4. Mr. JJ
(6:06)  5. Side B
(8:16)  6. Kiss
(5:07)  7. JC Is The Man (Part 2 )
(5:31)  8. Laughin' & Talkin' (with Higg)
(8:05)  9. Tonality Of Atonement
(8:42) 10. ...Like The Rose

Now here’s a guy (and a group) that can play: Jeff “Tain” Watts, who is quite simply one hell of a drummer, is an artist growing in popularity but building impressive skill and power after having served as a supporting player for the likes of such prominent jazz masters as pianist McCoy Tyner and guitarist George Benson. In the terrific Bar Talk , working with Ravi Coltrane (tenor), David Budway (piano), James Genus (bass), Paul Bollenback (guitar) and Gregoire Maret (harmonica), Watts creates music that forgets to play it safe and the listeners are the beneficiaries. Adding to this pedigree are awesomely performing guest stars: Branford Marsalis, Micahel Brecker, Hiram Bullock, Robert Thomas, Jr., and Joey Calderazzo. Wow.

Watts and his group play not simply with vibrancy, but employ a virtuoso command of music that allows them to try new things, and do so with coherency and sheer command. In the constant varying of tempo changes and improvisational bravado alone, they deliver on the broken promises of their contemporaries in sustaining their invention all throughout rather than sparringly. There’s the kind of marvelously sloppy, anything-goes dexterity akin to Wayne Shorter in opening number “JC is The Man” (which JC Coltrane or the man upstairs are they referring to, one wonders), which is smoothly contrasted as soon as the third cut, “Stevie In Rio” (a Stevie Wonder tribute), which pays particular attention to Maret’s terrific use of harmonica and the quietly yet wonderfully lush guitar backbone provided by Bollenback. Budway’s very assured piano playing provides winning touches, and all throughout, Watts’ drumming unquestionably is the guiding force. That’s just one track, but you’ll find such attention to detail, clarity and invention in anything these boys play. 

Together as a team or separate as soloists, this crew is as about as promising and passionate as they come nowadays. Several tracks refreshingly break the five-minute mark (hey, regular pop rock rarely breaks the three minute barrier), and each cut manages to dip into some kind of jazz flavor, from the bluesy aura of “Side B,” to the genuine virtuosity of “Mr. JJ,” in which Ravi Coltrane’s saxophone is the highlight, conjuring up a passion and proficiency eerily similar to his father, all-time-great John Coltrane. Higher praise is not necessary. Helpful readers have informed the critic that "JC" refers to James Carter.  ~ Paul West https://www.allaboutjazz.com/bar-talk-jeff-tain-watts-columbia-records-review-by-paul-west.php

Personnel: Jeff "Tain" Watts (guitar) Ravi Coltrane (tenor) David Budway (piano) James Genus (bass) Paul Bollenback (guitar) Gregoire Maret (harmonica)

Bar Talk

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Saxophone Summit - Visitation

Styles: Saxophome Jazz
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:51
Size: 132,8 MB
Art: Front

(10:25)  1. Visitation
(10:24)  2. Balkis
( 5:18)  3. The Message
(10:31)  4. Partition
( 9:28)  5. Point
(11:42)  6. Consequence

After two recordings for Telarc 2004's Gathering of Spirits, with the late Michael Brecker, and 2008's Seraphic Light, with Ravi Coltrane assuming the position vacated by Brecker following his untimely passing the previous year Saxphone Summit is back with Visitation. Funded by the (for jazz) early crowd-funding ArtistShare imprint, it demonstrates the difference between recording for a relatively major label and one where the group can, it seems, call all the shots.  Not that the previous recordings were in any way artistic compromises   Seraphic Light was already a more experimental recording than the slightly more centrist Gathering of Spirits but the differences on Visitation are many, even as the group retains the unmistakable collective sound of its members, in particular the front line that, in addition to Coltrane, also features Dave Liebman and Joe Lovano a triple threat if ever there was one. While the sextet's previous recordings featured compositions from all the front line members, in addition to occasional contributions from pianist Phil Markowitz, bassist Cecil McBee and drummer Billy Hart, there were also significantly reworked versions of music from John Coltrane's vast repertoire that helped to define the underlying premise of the group. This time it's all-original and totally egalitarian all the way, with Visitation's six tracks representing one each from Saxophone Summit's six members. The spirit of Coltrane cannot help but loom over this saxophone-heavy group, but this time it's less overt, even as Saxophone Summit delivers its freest album yet, one where almost every tune eschews time, changes...or sometimes both.

While less intense overall, its Coltrane touchstone is in the late saxophone giant's intrinsic spirituality, a feeling that underscores the entire session. On the simmering heat of Ravi Coltrane's "The Message," a gorgeously written theme for soprano saxophone (Coltrane), tenor saxophone (Liebman) and alto clarinet (Lovano) opens up into freer terrain for a brief but finely honed solo from Markowitz that, with the horns acting as a rallying point, leads to a similarly liberated turn from McBee before the three horns return, this time for a spirited free-for-all that, bolstered by the responsively tumultuous Hart, also demonstrates just how much everyone in this group is constantly listening; freer music this may be, but never without purpose, and always predicated on some kind of structure, albeit in as oblique a manner as Saxophone Summit has ever been. Liebman's "Partition" is, perhaps, a follow-on to the kind of music he's written before like Redemption: Live in Europe's "WTC," the more abstract, near-new music composition that appeared on this 2007 Hatology release's documentation of a reunited Quest, the longstanding group in which Liebman was a member (along with Hart) in the '80s and '90s. Combining freedom and form, there are individual a cappella and accompanied solos for the three saxophonists, but also some of Liebman's most compelling writing for three horns alone together that demonstrates lack of time and changes need not imply chaos or cacophony; it can, in fact, mean truly powerful beauty.

Lovano's opening title track is more reckless in its abandon, while Hart's "Balkis" is a different kind of exploration of similar harmonic space, darker-hued in disposition. Markowitz's "Point" is the album's most extreme track, with Liebman delivering his most unfettered soprano solo of the set, while McBee's "Consequence closes the set on a more tranquil note, his arco bass a thing of beauty made all the more dramatic when he switches to pizzicato for the album's most time and changes-centric moment, one where Coltrane even briefly quotes his father's introduction to the classic A Love Supreme (Impulse!, 1965) before passing the baton to Markowitz for another solo that, as is true with every date on which he participates, suggests an artist who continues to deserve far broader recognition. It's hard to know whether or not Telarc had anything to do with the more accessible nature of Saxophone Summit's first two recordings; sometimes it's just a matter of where the musicians are at a particular point in time nothing more and nothing less. For whatever reason, Saxophone Summit has decided to take a left turn into its most abstruse, open-ended music to date with Visitation. What makes it such a fully rewarding listen is, however, that as liberated as it often becomes, it's never without underlying definition and with a dynamic range as wide as the musicians' knowledge is deep, it never loses sight of the collective's concept...and the importance of maintaining a conceptual focus, whether it's exploring more expressionistic extremes or impressionistically disposed climes. ~ John Kelman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/saxophone-summit-visitation-by-john-kelman.php
 

Personnel: Joe Lovano: tenor saxophone (1, 4, 5), G soprano saxophone (2), alto clarinet (3, 6); Ravi Coltrane: tenor saxophone (1, 2, 4-6); Dave Liebman: soprano saxophone (1, 2, 4-6), tenor saxophone (3); Phil Markowitz: piano; Cecil McBee: bass; Billy Hart: drums.

Visitation

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Jack DeJohnette, Ravi Coltrane, Matthew Garrison - In Movement

Styles: Hard Bop, Piano Jazz
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:25
Size: 126,5 MB
Art: Front

(6:51)  1. Alabama
(9:21)  2. In Movement
(8:14)  3. Two Jimmys
(5:58)  4. Blue In Green
(9:02)  5. Serpentine Fire
(4:46)  6. Lydia
(5:48)  7. Rashied
(4:22)  8. Soulful Ballad

There is something of the "six degrees of separation" theory at work in this newly formed trio, led loosely, by the great Jack DeJohnette. The drummer/multi-instrumentalist works in the company of saxophonist Ravi Coltrane whose lineage is well known, and bassist/electronic artist Matthew Garrison whose father Jimmy Garrison was the bassist in John Coltrane's classic quartet. And, of course, DeJohnette, early in his career, played with the fathers of both of his trio mates.  In Movement opens with an extended and stunning version of the senior Coltrane's "Alabama." While the trio loses none of the original version's emotional impact, they nevertheless take a fresh approach with the addition of restrained electronics and Ravi Coltrane's quietly surging tenor. The title track, one of two compositions where all three trio members share writing credits, again features a soaring performance from Coltrane, this time on soprano sax. A transformative take on the Miles Davis/Bill Evans "Blue in Green" includes some fine piano work from DeJohnette, a talent for which he's often under-recognized. What may seem like an unusual entry on In Movement is the Earth, Wind & Fire song, "Serpentine Fire." DeJohnette, however, had worked with the legendary R&B group leader Maurice White in an early DeJohnette trio where the leader played piano and White was the drummer. DeJohnette's "Lydia," written for his wife is slow and atmospheric and a perfect counter for the more frenetic "Rashied," a DeJohnette/R. Coltrane composition that sees the saxophonist blazing through improvisations set to DeJohnette's blistering pace. The drummer's own "Soulful Ballad" is just that, with DeJohnette back on piano and Coltrane turning in a quietly moving performance. DeJohnette, in a 2011 NEA Jazz Master interview with The Smithsonian, described playing with John Coltrane as a ..."physical and spiritual experience...." When looking at the veteran artist's variety of output in the past twelve months, including Made in Chicago (ECM Records, 2015) and the fifty-year old Bill Evans Trio discovery, Some Other Time: The Lost Session From the Black Forest (Resonance Records, 2016), it is evident that DeJohnette is as much the source as the recipient of those qualities. As a drummer he runs the gamut from refined, light touches to visceral spontaneity. He finds perfect band mates in the always erudite and appealing playing of Ravi Coltrane and the refined musicality of Garrison. In Movement begs for a follow-up. ~ Karl Ackermann https://www.allaboutjazz.com/in-movement-jack-dejohnette-ecm-records-review-by-karl-ackermann.php

Personnel: Jack DeJohnette: drums, piano, electronic percussion; Ravi Coltrane: tenor, soprano and sopranino saxophones; Matthew Garrison: electric bass, electronics.

In Movement

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Ryan Kisor - Minor Mutiny

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1992
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:48
Size: 147,2 MB
Art: Front

(8:22)  1. One for Miles
(7:45)  2. Ebony
(7:27)  3. Minor Mutiny
(8:38)  4. Little Nick
(4:56)  5. Exotic Isles
(7:54)  6. The Invisible
(5:10)  7. A New Day
(6:04)  8. Somwhere in the Dark
(7:30)  9. For Erin

Minor Mutiny album for sale by Ryan Kisor was released Mar 03, 1992 on the Columbia label. Minor Mutiny is most significant for documenting the recording debut of Ryan Kisor (the winner of the Thelonious Monk Institute's 1990 trumpet contest), tenor saxophonist Ravi Coltrane (son of John) and drummer Jeff Siegel. Minor Mutiny buy CD music Kisor's first date finds the teenager playing moody originals, including six of his originals and two by the date's producer Jack DeJohnette. Minor Mutiny songs The compositions are often not all that interesting, giving a certain melancholy sameness to many of the performances. Minor Mutiny album for sale Kisor's lyrical sound and surprising but logical twists in his solos recall Tom Harrell but he was already on his way to developing his own conception. Minor Mutiny CD music Coltrane at that point seemed to be mainly influenced by Branford Marsalis with a touch of Michael Brecker. Overall the musicians (which also include keyboardist Michael Cain, bassist Lonnie Plaxico and on two songs drummer Jack DeJohnette) prove to be stronger than the material on this decent and somewhat historic effort. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/minor-mutiny-mw0000275925

Personnel: Ryan Kisor (trumpet, flugelhorn); Ravi Coltrane (tenor & soprano saxophones); Michael Cain (piano); Lonnie Plaxico (bass); Jeff Siegal, Jack DeJohnette (drums).

Minor Mutiny

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Jason Palmer - Songbook

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:29
Size: 130,8 MB
Art: Front

(6:40)  1. Priest Lake
(5:59)  2. Found It
(6:57)  3. Laid Up
(7:03)  4. Checkmate
(4:15)  5. One For J Mac
(6:00)  6. In A Certain Way
(7:14)  7. The Shadowboxer
(6:05)  8. Hoop-Ti-Du
(6:11)  9. Will There Ever Be Employment For The Exonerated People

Trumpeter and composer Jason Palmer cares intensely about jazz and his place within its musical world. He's working hard to find his own voice, and represents one of the young players who has gone through the mentoring process, in this case, with saxophonist Greg Osby. Songbook's pieces are all written by Palmer, and played by Osby (alto saxophone), Ravi Coltrane (tenor saxophone), Warren Wolfe (vibes), Leo Genovese (piano, Fender Rhodes), Matt Brewer (bass) and Tommy Crane (drums). The arrangements are adventurous and balance the needs of structure versus improvisation. The music would have to be called mainstream, particularly from the rhythmic and harmonic viewpoint. However, while the connection to traditional jazz is perfectly clear (more so in some pieces than others), the feeling is more of acknowledgment rather than obeisance. The term "mainstream" describes the playing of Swing Era, big band musicians in the bebop era. For whatever reason, they could or would not jump on the bandwagon of the "new thing," (primarily meaning the rhythmic and harmonic innovations) but rather took what they wanted from bebop as extensions to their basic swing style. The more original players, like Lester Young, remained original, and influenced many later players.

It is in this manner that Songbook can be heard. Palmer has a gift for melody and he's very sure of his playing, which gives the sense of improvisation-that the notes he's currently playing formed in his mind only a moment before. The interest comes in how his lines evolve, rather than guessing his next move. Both Osby and Coltrane are of the generation prior to Palmer's and it shows in their playing. While respecting the vibe and harmonic conception of Palmer's music, their experience is displayed by their rhythmic freedom and unconventional phrasing. Of the players of Palmer's generation, Genovese stands out. He makes the Rhodes sound natural as he pushes the musical envelope, sounding fresh and exciting on both piano and keyboards. The musical unpredictability of the opening tune, "Priest Lake" originally written as a suite and presented here in compressed form offers a hint of where Palmer might be heading, while only parts of the rhythmically complex "Checkmate" follow suit. The ballad, "One For J Mac" (dedicated to Jackie McLean) is flat out beautiful. Other tunes fall back on the tried-and-true unison-head/solo(s)/recap format of the hard bop era, pulling the music backwards. With the release of Songbook, Palmer presents himself as a talented and ambitious player who is well worth watching. ~ Budd Kopman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/songbook-jason-palmer-ayva-musica-review-by-budd-kopman.php
 

Personnel: Jason Palmer: trumpet; Greg Osby: alto saxophone; Ravi Coltrane: tenor saxophone; Warren Wolf: vibes; Leo Genovese: Fender Rhodes, piano; Matt Brewer: bass; Tommy Crane: drums.

Songbook

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Elvin Jones - Going Home

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:22
Size: 133.6 MB
Styles: Bop
Year: 1993
Art: Front

[12:02] 1. The Shell Game
[ 4:51] 2. Going Home
[ 3:34] 3. Cross Purpose
[ 8:36] 4. You've Changed
[11:51] 5. Truth
[ 3:59] 6. East Of The Sun
[ 6:36] 7. In 3 4 Thee
[ 6:49] 8. April 8th

Elvin Jones - drums; Nicholas Payton - trumpet; Kent Jordan - flute, piccolo; Ravi Coltrane - soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone; Javon Jackson - tenor saxophone; Willie Pickens - piano; Brad Jones - bass.

On Elvin Jones' third Enja CD of the 1990s, the legendary drummer continues with the same formula used on his previous recording, Youngblood, with one exception. Jones adds the veteran Chicago pianist Willie Pickens to a group of younger players -- trumpeter Nicholas Payton, saxophonists Javon Jackson and Ravi Coltrane, flutist Kent Jordan, and bassist Brad Jones -- as they perform a program of standards and originals powered by Jones' always dynamic drumming. Never known as a composer, Jones wrote three of the eight compositions on Going Home. "The Shell Game" sounds like a figure Jones would play on the drums; it's a brief melody that serves as a springboard for the soloists. "April 8th" begins with Jones playing a march that quickly develops into an up-tempo burner with a march-like bridge, while the title track is a down-home blues featuring Pickens' piano. "Truth," written by Jones' wife Keiko, begins with a drum solo that develops into a Japanese folk song-like melody, then develops into a finger-poppin' groove. Payton, 19 years old at the time of this recording, shows the promise here that makes him a player to watch in years to come. A welcome addition to Jones' extensive discography. ~Greg Turner

Going Home

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Tisziji Munoz - Divine Radiance

Styles: Guitar, Straight-ahead/Mainstream
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:20
Size: 142,9 MB
Art: Front

( 1:10)  1. Moment Of Truth
(16:14)  2. Visiting This Planet - Leaving This Planet
(16:17)  3. Initiation By Fire
( 4:26)  4. Fatherhood
(24:12)  5. Divine Radiance

Quick! Name a shredding electric guitarist heavily influenced by late-period John Coltrane... If you said Sonny Sharrock, you're probably not alone; Sharrock built a career out of translating the turbo-charged tenor saxophone sounds of Coltrane, Albert Ayler and other first-generation avant-garde players to the guitar. Few know, however, that Sharrock, who seems peerless, has company in this arena.

When the sextet led by guitarist Tisziji Muñoz, and featuring Coltrane collaborators Pharoah Sanders (who also worked with Sharrock) and Rashied Ali, charged into "Initiation by Fire" at the Village Underground last month, the first thing I thought of was Sharrock's Ask the Ages. Everything from the instrumentation to the highly melodic quality of the written music to the thicket-like counterpoint of Muñoz and Sanders recalled that seminal release. Listening to Divine Radiance, I still think of Sharrock, but I notice that these two players use melody in very different ways. While Sharrock famously tried (very successfully, e.g. on "Devils Doll Baby" from 1986's Guitar ) to "find a way for ... terror and ... beauty to live together in one song," Muñoz' performances tend to be either terrible (in the most ironically positive sense) or beautiful. 

The most energetic and effective track, "Divine Radiance," a marathon collective improvisation in the general mold of Trane's "Ascension," undoubtedly falls into the latter category. Here, Sanders and fellow tenor man Ravi Coltrane alternate between hoarse brays and molten runs that clearly evoke the elder Coltrane, while Muñoz matches them shard for shard. The guitarist has an impressive range of sounds at his disposal; he shuffles pyrotechnic upper-register somersaults, blues-metal chunks that recall Vernon Reid, and ambient string scrapes. In total contrast to "Radiance" is "Fatherhood," a gem-like guitar/synth duet featuring Paul Shaffer, who uses a plush, vibraphone-like tone. When Muñoz and Shaffer initiated this piece at the Underground, I was totally taken aback by its unabashed lushness. On record, Muñoz' ringing notes float over the cloud of Shaffer's New Age atmospheres, and if one can abide the considerably dated sound of the synth, the piece is quite affecting.

While the performances on Divine Radiance do seem a bit one-dimensional in comparison with Sonny Sharrock's best work, Tisziji Muñoz's latest is, on its own terms, an extremely well-played (Ali in particular is in fine, bruising form) example of post-Coltrane free jazz that fans of this style will certainly enjoy.  This review originally appeared in the July 2003 issue of All About Jazz - New York. ~ Hank Shteamer  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/divine-radiance-tisziji-munoz-dreyfus-records-review-by-hank-shteamer.php

Personnel: Rashied Ali - Drums, Cecil McBee - Bass, Paul Shaffer - Organ, Synthesizer, Piano, Don Pate - Bass, Pharoah Sanders - Saxophone, Ravi Coltrane - Saxophone, Tisziji Munoz - Synthesizer, Guitar.

Divine Radiance

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Donald Brown - Born To Be Blue

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 75:09
Size: 172.0 MB
Styles: Contemporary jazz, Piano jazz
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[7:38] 1. Bye-Ya
[6:18] 2. Daly Avenue
[7:38] 3. Just One Of Those Things
[5:50] 4. Dad's Delight
[7:45] 5. Cheek To Cheek
[5:50] 6. The Innocent Young Lowers
[5:32] 7. Born To Be Blue
[8:55] 8. Fly With The Wind
[8:47] 9. Take My Breath Away
[4:54] 10. You Must Believe In Spring
[5:58] 11. I Cover The Waterfront

Donald Brown's 'Born to Be Blue', sees the pianist/composer team up with Kenny Garrett and Wallace Roney for the first time since they were all members of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers in the 1980s. This occasion would be illustrious enough in itself but when these titans of today's jazz scene are joined in the front line by a musician of the stature of Ravi Coltrane, then this recording becomes a special event indeed.

A generational concept is woven into Brown's choice of material for the album as he features songs by three of his favourite composer/pianists, each one representing a different era: Thelonious Monk, McCoy Tyner and Geoff Keezer. Other highlights include the Blues-drenched version of Mel Tormé's title track, the spirited approach to Irving Berlins "Cheek to Cheek" and Cole Porter's "Just One of Those Things".

Donald Brown was raised in Memphis and cut his teeth working as a session musician for Hi Records, with artists like Al Green and Ann Peeples. He toured with Stax artists Rufus Thomas, William Bell and the Soul Children, and was introduced to Art Blakey by fellow Memphis pianist James Williams. He has also performed with leading jazz artists such as Donald Byrd, Joe Henderson and Freddie Hubbard, to name a few.

Donald Brown (piano, keyboards), Kenny Garrett (alto & soprano saxophone), Wallace Roney (trumpet), Ravi Coltrane (tenor & soprano saxophone), Mark Boling (guitars), Robert Hurst (double bass), Marcus Gilmore, Kenneth Brown (drums), Rudy Bird (percussion), Emily Mathis (flute - 6 & 8), Vance Thompson (flugelhorn - 6)

Born To Be Blue

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Saxophone Summit - Seraphic Light

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:29
Size: 157,3 MB
Art: Front

( 5:54)  1. Transition
( 5:21)  2. The Thirteenth Floor
( 5:34)  3. Reneda
( 5:25)  4. All About You
( 5:46)  5. Message To Mike
( 5:42)  6. Alpha And Omega
( 6:47)  7. Our Daily Bread
( 7:12)  8. Cosmos
(11:11)  9. Seraphic Light
( 9:31) 10. Expresssion

Formed in the mid-1990s by three of jazz's leading post-Coltrane exponents not just to pay homage to the saxophone legend's exploratory latter period work, but to advance his collaborative and collective soloing aesthetic into a fully contemporary context nearly thirty years after his death Saxophone Summit was dealt a tremendous blow, as was the entire jazz world, when co-founding member Michael Brecker passed away in 2007. Still, Saxophone Summit's remaining front-liners, Dave Liebman and Joe Lovano, decided that continuing on with pianist Phil Markowitz, bassist Cecil McBee and drummer Billy Hart would better honor Brecker than throwing in the towel. Recruiting Coltrane's son Ravi to fill the third saxophone chair ("replacing" would be an absolutely inappropriate description) seemed a logical choice, making Seraphic Light not only a moving tribute to Brecker, but a logical extension and expansion of what made Saxophone Summit: Gathering of Spirits (Telarc, 2004) such a powerful record, and an unusually experimental one for the more centrist Telarc label. 

That's not to say Seraphic Light isn't completely accessible. Markowitz's "Transitions" opens the disc on a fiery note, but with an attention-grabbing groove and front-line melody that's equally attractive, so much so as to almost disguise the song's full depth. But by the time Saxophone Summit gets to the title track, first heard on Coltrane's Stellar Regions (Impulse!, 1967), it's fully migrated towards the "no-time, no changes, no harmonies" approach that so dominated Coltrane's final two years. Still, as free as it is, and with Lovano using his custom-built aulochrome (a twin-soprano hybrid that allows him a degree of polyphony that even multiphonics can't on a single horn), it's proof that Coltrane wasn't striving for chaos, but rather a deep, transcendent spirituality. It's no coincidence that the three Coltrane tunes are collected at the end of the disc, including "Cosmos," which begins with poetic beauty but dissolves into greater freedom for one of Markowitz's most stunningly unfettered solos on record. The first seven tracks are a democratic distribution of one song each by the group's six members, plus the up-tempo modal workout "Message to Mike" by brother Randy Brecker, who guests on trumpet on two tracks. Thus, Seraphic Light works its way gradually towards the more expansive freedom of the Coltrane covers. While Ravi Coltrane hasn't made the leap to broadly influential yet that both Liebman and Lovano have, his is a voice evolving in leaps and bounds. 

Here, while his warmer tone unmistakably alters Saxophone Summit's complexion, it's still a truly mighty meeting of three saxophonists whose lives have been inexorably altered by the spirit of John Coltrane. With Markowitz, McBee and Hart a creative and fluid triumvirate far beyond the restrictive term "rhythm section," Seraphic Light not only captures Coltrane's spirit but, dedicated to Michael Brecker, captures his intrepid soul as well. For those who consider Coltrane's latter period inaccessible, Seraphic Light capitalizes on its dense beauty in a most approachable fashion, without compromising its elan vital one iota. ~ John Kelman   http://www.allaboutjazz.com/seraphic-light-dave-liebman-telarc-records-review-by-john-kelman.php#.U4u7uyioqdk
 

Personnel:  Ravi Coltrane: tenor saxophone (1-6, 8-10), soprano saxophone (7); Dave Liebman: soprano saxophone (1, 3-6), tenor saxophone (8-10), C flute (2, 7), wooden flute (2); Joe Lovano; tenor saxophone (1, 3-5, 7, 8, 10), alto clarinet (2,6), Scottish flute (2), aulochrome (9); Randy Brecker: trumpet (5, 10); Phil Markowitz: piano; Cecil McBee: bass; Billy Hart: drums.

Seraphic Light

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Cindy Blackman - In The Now

Styles: Hard Bop, Jazz
Year: 1998
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:56
Size: 146,5 MB
Art: Front

( 6:48)  1. In The Now
( 3:25)  2. A Banana For Ron
( 6:44)  3. Passage
(15:05)  4. A King Among Men
( 7:28)  5. Sophia
( 7:17)  6. Prince Of Darkness
( 4:37)  7. Happy House
( 4:33)  8. A Strawberry For Cindy, A
( 7:56)  9. Let Love Rule

Sometimes it takes the loss of a parent to bring about a heightened sense of maturity and clarity of purpose in oneself. In many ways, Tony Williams was Cindy Blackman's spiritual father, certainly her biggest role model. His passing has inspired the drummer-composer to go deep within and reflect on Tony's contribution as well as her own gifts. The result of that introspection is her most profound and heartfelt statement to date. Tony's influence looms large on her sixth album as a leader. There was a time, back in the early '80s, when Blackman played like she had something to prove. She's gotten well beyond that now. While her playing is still aggressive, her touch is more brisk and her ideas more organically integrated into the fabric of the compositions. Like Tony, she is a thinking, reacting drummer who propels the music forward while shaping and coloring it from measure to measure with well-placed tom and snare accents and cymbal splashes. 

In the Now features her most mature, interactive playing on record while also highlighting her evolving sophistication as a composer. Jacky Terrasson's use of Fender Rhodes on Blackman originals like "Passage" and the title track, as well as on a savvy cover of pop star Lenny Kravitz's "Let Love Rule," immediately triggers a Miles in the Sky/Filles de Kilimanjaro vibe. Ron Carter's pedalling and walking basslines complete the connection to that time and place. Ravi Coltrane responds to this surging, expansive attitude with some probing and highly personal work on tenor (and soprano on "Passage"), with a few nods to Joe Lovano along the way. The centerpiece of this excellent album is "A King Among Men," Cindy's heartfelt tribute to her hero, Williams. The 15-minute suite moves through a variety of moods marked by her conversational approach to the kit. Coltrane's tenor playing is particularly lyrical here as well as on swinging renditions of Wayne Shorter's "Prince of Darkness" and Ornette Coleman's "Happy House." The brooding ballad "Sophia" is a fine example of Blackman's alluring brushwork, underscored by Carter's sparse, zenlike presence on bass, while she holds nothing back on the dynamic go-for-it traps showcase "A Strawberry for Cindy."  After years of trying to find her own place in the music, Cindy Blackman arrives in high style with In the Now. ~ Bill Milkowski   http://jazztimes.com/articles/8709-in-the-now-cindy-blackman

Personnel: Cindy Blackman (drums); Ravi Coltrane (soprano & tenor saxophones); Jacky Terrasson (piano), Fender Rhodes (piano); Ron Carter (bass).

In The Now

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