Ron Carter Quartet - Live at Monte-Carlo Jazz Festival 2023

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2023
Time: 81:19
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 186,2 MB
Art: Front

(36:04) 1. 595/ Mr. Bow Tie / Joshua / Little Waltz
(12:23) 2. Saguaro
( 9:37) 3. My Funny Valentine
( 6:05) 4. Seven Steps to Heaven
( 7:15) 5. You are my Sunshine
( 9:52) 6. You and the Night and the Music

Ron Carter is among the most original, prolific, and influential bassists in jazz. With more than 2,000 albums to his credit, he has recorded with many of music's greats: Tommy Flanagan, Gil Evans, Lena Horne, Bill Evans, B.B. King, the Kronos Quartet, Dexter Gordon, Wes Montgomery, and Bobby Timmons.

Ron Graduated the Eastman School in 1959 and packed up his belongings and moved to New York City with his wife, Janet. Later that year, Downbeat magazine listed Ron as #15 of 23 in their bass player poll. A great start.

In the early 1960s he performed throughout the United States in concert halls and nightclubs with Jaki Byard and Eric Dolphy. He later toured Europe with Cannonball Adderley. From 1963 to 1968, he was a member of the classic and acclaimed Miles Davis Quintet. He was named Outstanding Bassist of the Decade by the Detroit News, Jazz Bassist of the Year by Downbeat magazine, and Most Valuable Player by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.

In 1993 Ron Carter earned a Grammy award for Best Jazz Instrumental Group, the Miles Davis Tribute Band and another Grammy in 1998 for Call 'Sheet Blues', an instrumental composition from the film 'Round Midnight. In addition to scoring and arranging music for many films, including some projects for Public Broadcasting System, Carter has composed music for A Gathering of Old Men, starring Lou Gosset Jr., The Passion of Beatrice directed by Bertrand Tavernier, and Blind Faith starring Courtney B. Vance. Carter shares his expertise in the series of books he authored, among which are Building Jazz Bass Lines and The Music of Ron Carter; the latter contains 130 of his published and recorded compositions.

Carter earned a bachelor of music degree from the Eastman School in Rochester and a master's degree in double bass from the Manhattan School of Music in New York City. He has also received two honorary doctorates, from the New England Conservatory of Music and the Manhattan School of Music, and was the 2002 recipient of the prestigious Hutchinson Award from the Eastman School at the University of Rochester. Carter has lectured, conducted, and performed at clinics and master classes, instructing jazz ensembles and teaching the business of music at numerous universities. He was Artistic Director of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Studies while it was located in Boston and, after 18 years on the faculty of the Music Department of The City College of New York, he is now Distinguished Professor Emeritus.

Ron remains as active as ever. 2022 is another big year for him. At the 64th Grammy Awards he won Best Jazz Instrumental Album award along with Jack DeJohnette and Gonzalo Rubalcaba for their album "Skyline". In May, Ron celebrates his 85th birthday and is hosting a concert at Carnegie Hall in New York City on May 10th. He then starts a full tour including trio, big band and quartet performances.https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/ron-carter/

Personnel: Ron Carter: bass; Renee Rosnes: piano; Jimmy Greene: sax; Payton Crossley: drums

Live at Monte-Carlo Jazz Festival 2023

---

Flora Purim - Open Your Eyes You Can Fly

Styles: Latin Jazz, Vocal
Year: 1976
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:21
Size: 85,7 MB
Art: Front + Back

(4:29)  1. Open Your Eyes You Can Fly
(5:09)  2. Time's Lie
(4:44)  3. Sometime Ago
(4:08)  4. San Francisco River
(6:11)  5. Andei (I Walked)
(4:19)  6. Ina's Song (Trip to Bahia) / Transition
(2:29)  7. Conversation
(5:49)  8. Medley: White Wing (aka Asa Branca)

As an original member of Chick Corea's group Return to Forever, Purim subsequently drew praise as a solo act. Recording for the jazz label Milestone since 1973, Purim's sensual and strong voice was singular enough to withstand the pitfalls that hampered the work of many Latin jazz fusion artists. Open Your Eyes You Can Fly represents a commercial breakthrough, and has the artist again supplemented by adventurous players and top-notch songwriting. The best of the three Chick Corea tracks is the title song. With it's emotive and stinging guitar solo from David Amaro, it features Purim at her most accessible and charming. 

The remake of "Sometime Ago" has one of Corea's more accessible melodies, as Purim turns in one of her more sweet and fulfilling vocals. The melodic and soothing "San Francisco River" has the artist writing solely with frequent Corea collaborator Neville Potter on the evocative track. Despite the great work here, Open Your Eyes You Can Fly, lacks consistency. But with the great talents assembled and great voice, it's easy to overlook that fact. Hermeto Pascoal's "Andei (I Walked)" has a great synthesizer solo from George Duke and a flute solo from Pascoal. "Ina's Song (Trip to Bahia)" features Purim singing in Portuguese, starting off slow but then enlivened by her passion filled vocalizations. Produced by jazz producer Orrin Keepnews, this features the artist more lucid and joyful than some of her other work. For the reason it is recommended. ~ Jason Elias  http://www.allmusic.com/album/open-your-eyes-you-can-fly-mw0000263439

Personnel: Flora Purim (vocals); Hermeto Pascoal (flute, electric piano, harpsichord, percussion, background vocals); George Duke (electric piano, Arp & Moog synthesizers, background vocals); David Amaro (acoustic, electric & 12-string guitars); Egberto Gismonti (acoustic guitar); Alphonso Johnson (acoustic & electric basses); Ron Carter (acoustic bass).

Open Your Eyes You Can Fly

---

Don Sebesky - Joyful Noise; A Tribute To Duke Ellington

Styles: Hard Bop, Crossover Jazz
Year: 1999
Time: 68:21
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 156,5 MB
Art: Front

(8:00) 1. Mood Indigo
(8:13) 2. Creole Love Call
(6:49) 3. Chelsea Bridge
(5:35) 4. Caravan
(3:56) 5. Warm Valley
(9:23) 6. Take The Coltrane
(4:16) 7. Satin Doll
(6:09) 8. Joyful Noise Suite; Gladly
(6:40) 9. Joyful Noise Suite; Sadly
(6:31) 10. Joyful Noise Suite; Madly
(2:44) 11. Ko-Ko

Joyful? Absolutely. Noise? Not on your bass drum, compadre.

If it has taught us nothing else, the “Year of Ellington” now drawing to its close has shown that there are an almost infinite number of ways in which to enter and throw light upon the Duke’s abundant storehouse of enduring musical treasures. Don Sebesky has chosen the big–band route the one most favored by the maestro himself to stylishly renovate half a dozen opulent melodies by Ellington and his co–authors and another by alter ego Billy Strayhorn, uncloak his own three part “Joyful Noise Suite” and present a faithful transcription of “Ko–Ko” from Ellington’s 1941 recording for RCA.

Sebesky, one of the most respected Jazz composer / arrangers in the business, can literally have his pick of accomplished sidemen, and he chose only the best for this ensemble (including several from the formidable Vanguard Jazz Orchestra). A number of them (including, I believe, most of the trumpet section) can be seen from time to time in drummer Louie Bellson’s “East Coast” ensemble, which speaks for itself. As if that weren’t enough to ensure success, Sebesky has brought in a quintet of world–renowned guest soloists Bob Brookmeyer, Ron Carter, Tom Harrell, John Pizzarelli and Phil Woods, each of whom plays a concise but notably dynamic role. Ellington’s wonderful compositions notwithstanding, the centerpiece of this impressive tribute is Sebesky’s 19–minutes–plus suite, whose three picturesque movements (“Gladly,” “Sadly,” “Madly”) capture superbly the indomitable Ellington spirit while showcasing emphatic solos by Brookmeyer, Woods, Harrell, pianist Jim McNeely, bassist Dennis Irwin and drummer Dennis Mackrel.

Brookmeyer, who on the eve of his 70th birthday is playing as well as he ever has (he’s especially impassioned in the suite), solos also on “Creole Love Call,” “Caravan” and “Ko–Ko.” Woods is heard on the first two of those and on “Satin Doll,” Harrell and Carter on “Satin Doll” and “Creole Love Call,” Pizzarelli on “Mood Indigo,” “Caravan” and “Satin Doll.” Although he’s listed as a guitarist / vocalist, Pizzarelli’s vocals consist of wordless counterweights to his guitar solos.

The guest artists don’t usurp all of the solo space, with McNeely declaiming boldly on “Mood Indigo,” the elaborately rebuilt “Chelsea Bridge,” “Warm Valley” and “Ko–Ko.” Trumpeter Barry Ries, tenor Scott Robinson and the entire trombone section are featured on “Mood Indigo,” while tenor Tom Christensen is in the foreground on “Chelsea Bridge” and “Take the Coltrane,” trombonist Jim Pugh on “Take the Coltrane,” soprano Chuck Wilson and baritone Kenny Berger on “Warm Valley,” alto Andy Fusco on “Chelsea Bridge” and “Take the Coltrane,” flugel Brian O’Flaherty on “Chelsea Bridge,” trumpeter Tony Kadleck on “Creole Love Call.”

Each of them is outstanding, but it is Sebesky’s superior arrangements that produce the strongest and most lasting impression. “My intention,” he says in the liner notes, “was not to imitate Duke. Instead, I’ve tried to treat these great tunes in new and unexpected ways; ‘Chelsea Bridge’ and ‘Mood Indigo,’ originally done as ballads, are given new time signatures and much faster tempos; ‘Creole Love Call,’ led by Ron Carter’s insistent bass line, is much ‘dirtier’ than Duke’s version; ‘Caravan’ is built on an arrangement Erroll Garner did for his trio on a 1954 LP (listen for his ‘left hand’ under Phil Woods’ solo).

This is our love letter to this great master.” It’s precisely the sort of love letter Duke would have cherished. By Jack Bowers
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/joyful-noise-a-tribute-to-duke-ellington-don-sebesky-rca-victor-review-by-jack-bowers

Personnel: Alto Saxophone – Andy Fusco, Chuck Wilson (2); Arranged By – Don Sebesky (tracks: 1 to 10); Baritone Saxophone – Kenny Berger; Bass – Dennis Irwin (tracks: 1, 3, 4, 6, 8 to 11), Ron Carter (tracks: 2, 5, 7); Conductor – Don Sebesky; Drums – Dennis Mackrel; French Horn – Peter Gordon (8); Piano – Jim McNeely; Tenor Saxophone – Scott Robinson (2), Tom Christensen; Trombone – Alan Raph, Jim Pugh, John Mosca, Randy Andos; Trumpet – Barry Ries (tracks: 1, 3, 4, 6, 8 to 11), Brian O'Flaherty, Tim Hagans (tracks: 2, 5, 7), Tony Kadleck

Joyful Noise; A Tribute To Duke Ellington

---

Art Pepper - So in Love

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1980
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:48
Size: 109,5 MB
Art: Front

( 6:26)  1. Straight No Chaser
( 6:49)  2. Blues for Blanche
(11:42)  3. So in Love
(12:17)  4. Diane
(10:33)  5. Stardust

This deluxe release from the classy (but long defunct) Artists House label, as with all of Art Pepper's recordings of his comeback years, is easily recommended. Actually all of the music on So in Love has been reissued in greatly expanded form in Pepper's massive 16-CD Galaxy box set. The original LP has lengthy versions of "So in Love," "Stardust," "Straight No Chaser" and two Pepper originals ("Diane" and "Blues for Blanche"). 

Assisted by two equally talented rhythm sections (pianists Hank Jones and George Cables, bassists Ron Carter and Charlie Haden, and drummers Al Foster and Billy Higgins), Pepper is in excellent form throughout the album, giving these songs heart-wrenching interpretations. 

~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/so-in-love-mw0000622404

Personnel:  Art Pepper - alto saxophone;  George Cables (tracks 2, 3 & 5), Hank Jones (tracks 1 & 4) - piano;  Ron Carter (tracks 1 & 4), Charlie Haden (tracks 2, 3 & 5) - bass;  Al Foster (tracks 1 & 4), Billy Higgins (tracks 2, 3 & 5) - drums

So in Love

---

Esther Phillips - Black Eyed Blues

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 33:52
Size: 77.5 MB
Styles: Soul/Blues/R&B
Year: 1973/2012
Art: Front

[5:30] 1. Justified
[3:29] 2. I've Only Known A Stranger
[6:41] 3. I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good
[6:09] 4. Black-Eyed Blues
[4:34] 5. Too Many Roads
[7:27] 6. You Could Have Had Me, Baby

Alto Saxophone – Jerry Dodgion, Pee Wee Ellis; Backing Vocals – Carl Carldwell, Joshie Armstead, Lani Groves, Tasha Thomas; Baritone Saxophone – Pepper Adams; Bass – Boz, Ron Carter; Cello – Alan Shulman, Anthony Sophos; Drums – Ian Wallace; Guitar – Charlie Brown; Percussion – Arthur Jenkins; Piano – Tim Hinkley; Trumpet – Jon Faddis, Marvin Stamm; Viola – Alfred Brown, Emanuel Vardi; Violin – David Nadien, Emanuel Green, Gene Orloff, Harold Kohon, Harry Lookofsky, Irving Spice, Joe Malin, Max Ellen. Recorded at Van Gelder Studios. Recorded July, 1973.

This was the third album that Esther cut for Creed Taylor's CTI album. It marked a change from the previous two in that the string arrangements were undertaken for the first time with this artist, by Bob James; it's a subtle but very important change. Secondly the material stretches out from the straight-ahead R&B to embrace a range of varying styles. This being the case, the album is not as 'immediate' as the previous two, but is just as satisfying when it yields all its nuances. My favourite tracks are her reading of Bill Wither's "Justified" which is a great version.There's a particularly sensual and burning version of "I've only known a stranger" and a straight ahead jazz version of Leonard Feather's "You could have had me baby".While I'm writing about it I should also mention the title track, which is a Joe Cocker track given a particularly good makeover. That's four out of the seven tracks mentioned already, so when you consider that there's a bonus unreleased track as well out of the remaining three,it makes you realise what good value it is. Add in an excellent set of sleeve notes, and this is another 'must have' Esther Phillips album! ~Dr.D.Treharne

Black Eyed Blues

---

Wayne Shorter - The All Seeing Eye

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1965
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:33
Size: 102,5 MB
Art: Front

(10:34) 1. The All Seeing Eye
(11:48) 2. Genesis
( 6:57) 3. Chaos
( 5:32) 4. Face Of The Deep
( 9:40) 5. Mephistopheles

With such titles as "The All Seeing Eye," "Genesis," "Chaos," "Face of the Deep," and "Mephistopheles," it is clear from the start that the music on this LP is not basic bop and blues. Wayne Shorter (who composed four of the five originals) picked an all-star cast (trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, altoist James Spaulding, trombonist Grachan Moncur III, pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Joe Chambers, along with brother Alan Shorter on flügelhorn for the final song) to perform and interpret the dramatic selections, and their brand of controlled freedom has plenty of subtle surprises. This is stimulating music that still sounds fresh. By Scott Yanow
https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-all-seeing-eye-mw0000097755

Personnel: Wayne Shorter – tenor saxophone; Freddie Hubbard – trumpet, flugelhorn; Grachan Moncur III – trombone; James Spaulding – alto saxophone; Herbie Hancock – piano; Ron Carter – bass; Joe Chambers – drums; Alan Shorter – flugelhorn (track 5 only)

The All Seeing Eye

---

Buddy Montgomery - Ties Of Love

Styles: Piano Jazz

Year: 1986

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 44:07

Size: 101,2 MB

Art: Front

(6:57)  1. Muchissimo

(7:01)  2. Expressions In Blue

(5:24)  3. Darrah

(3:35)  4. All The Things You Are (A)

(5:43)  5. Ties (A/B)

(4:55)  6. Stablemates (B)

(4:33)  7. Rose Marie

(5:55)  8. Soft Earth

By 1986, Buddy Montgomery had not recorded as a leader for many years, and because he is so well-respected, his first Landmark outing became quite an all-star affair. Heard mostly on piano but also switching to vibes for two songs, Montgomery is joined on various tracks by trumpeter Claudio Roditi, David "Fathead" Newman on tenor and flute, guitarist Ted Dunbar, bassists Ron Carter and John Heard, drummers Marvin "Smitty" Smith and Billy Higgins, and a couple of percussionists. In addition, tenor saxophonist Eddie Harris jams on "Stablemates" and "Ties," and Marlena Shaw takes vocals on "Ties" and "All the Things You Are." Despite all of the guests, the leader (who contributed five of the eight songs) does not get buried in the proceedings and holds his own with his friends. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/ties-of-love-mw0000193414

Personnel:  Buddy Montgomery - piano, vibes,  Marlena Shaw - vocal,  Eddie Harris - tenor sax,  Ron Carter - bass,  Ted Dunbar - guitar,  John Heard - bass,  Billy Higgins - drums, Steve Kroon - congas,  David "Fathead" Newman - tenor sax, flute, Claudio Roditi - trumpet, Marvin "Smitty" Smith - drums, Warren Smith - percussion

Ties Of Love

---

Gene Ammons - Fine And Mellow

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 73:00
Size: 167,9 MB
Art: Front

(5:25)  1. Lady Sings the Blues
(5:59)  2. Play Me
(5:29)  3. Ben
(3:07)  4. Fly Me
(4:25)  5. Fuzz
(5:03)  6. Fine And Mellow
(3:34)  7. Strange Fruit
(7:47)  8. Big Bad Jug
(4:04)  9. God Bless The Child
(7:43) 10. Tin Shack Out Back
(6:47) 11. Lady Mama
(4:09) 12. I Can't Help Myself
(4:52) 13. Lucille
(4:30) 14. Papa Was A Rolling Stone

Gene “Jug” Ammons was a sucker for finely wrought pop songs. He was also unapologetic slave to melody, putting his sturdy saxophone into the service of countless hummable themes. But his improvisations were never slavish and even with material of papish pedigree he always seemed to find something worthwhile to say. Perfect case in point is this new Prestige two-fer, which combines material from a pair of early '70s platters, Got My Own and Big Bad Jug. The first set has a lounge vibe so viscous you can virtually smell the Aqua Velva aftershave, Pall Mall smoke and Mohair fibers in the air. How a string section crammed into Rudy Van Gelder’s studio alongside Jug’s core sextet is a mystery, and it’s more than likely that the label overdubbed the orchestrations after the fact. Largely superfluous to the action, they also thankfully don’t get in the way.

The ensemble line-up includes some impressive talent in the personages of Jones, Beck, Carter and Muhammad, but the ringers are the presence of heavy production and predilection for plugging in. The songbook is just as capricious; balancing a trio of Billie Holiday numbers (the film eponymous with the first track was a big hit contemporaneous to the session) with pop and funk fare. If the idea of Jug tackling Neil Diamond’s “Play Me” and the Michael Jackson signature “Ben” signals skeptical impulses, don’t be alarmed. Ammons treats each tune with sober respect and the gravity in his playing accentuates the sometimes hidden strengths in the song craft. And while he rarely strays far from the melody, the muscle and surety in his phrasings further dispel any traces of triteness from the tracks. The oddest of the clutch is the reading of “Strange Fruit,” a duet with Jones’ electric piano that finds Jug in an uncustomary somber mood, sketching breathy lines across a watercolor wash of keyboard hues and trailing a luminous studio echo.

The second session enlists a different, more streamlined studio band with only Carter returning for the party. Phillips’ organ and, on “Tin Shack Out Back,” electric piano plant the mood firmly in funk and soul territory. Parker’s wah-wah slathered guitar adds fleshy chordal support to Jug’s wailing lead, and the band sounds off here as purely and proudly a product of their era. The leader’s closing unaccompanied cadenza is a killer. Even the rendering of “God Bless the Child” is laced with a palpable backbeat. Carter revels in the weighty sponginess of his amplified strings while Cobham carves out propulsive, if at times simplistic, rhythms. A laidback attitude seems to be the primary sentiment of the moment. Closing with a trance-inducing version of the Temps’ “Papa Was a Rolling Stone,” Jug soars over a stuttering bass-heavy groove that steamrolls everything in its path. Check your prejudices at the coat rack and this set will likely fulfill the same purpose it did back in the day. An enjoyable diversion devoid of pretense by a man who earned the right to play and do things the way he wanted to. (An added extra: the new liner notes scribed by Ted Panken, which contain some insightful anecdotes voiced by none other than fellow Chicagoan Von Freeman.) ~ Derek Taylor  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/fine-and-mellow-gene-ammons-prestige-records-review-by-derek-taylor.php

Personnel: Gene Ammons- tenor saxophone; Ernie Hayes- organ; Hank Jones- electric piano; Joe Beck- guitar; Ron Carter- acoustic & electric bass; Idris Muhammad- drums; Mickey Roker- drums; Sonny Phillips- electric piano, organ; Maynard Parker- guitar; Billy Cobham- drums.

Fine And Mellow

---

Eric Reed Trio - Blue Monk

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:44
Size: 132,7 MB
Art: Front

(9:23)  1. Blue Monk
(4:30)  2. Am I Blue?
(4:34)  3. Blue Daniel
(4:54)  4. Blue Rose
(5:33)  5. Born to Be Blue
(7:20)  6. Black and Blue
(4:28)  7. Very Near Blue
(3:35)  8. Wild Man Blues
(4:57)  9. Blue and Green
(3:35) 10. Blue Chopsticks
(4:51) 11. Light Blue

Pianist Eric Reed is one of a large number of talented musicians who emerged from Wynton Marsalis' bands to pursue a rewarding solo career in his own right. Born in Philadelphia in 1970, Reed's first exposure to music came through his father, a minister and local gospel singer; he began playing piano at age two and soon discovered jazz, quickly developing into a musical prodigy. He entered music school at age seven, and resisted classical training in favor of jazz, inspired early on by Dave Brubeck, Ramsey Lewis, Art Blakey, and Horace Silver. Four years later, he moved with his family to Los Angeles, where he digested enough jazz history that he was able to begin playing around the city's jazz scene as a teenager, both as a leader and a sideman for the likes of Gerald Wilson, Teddy Edwards, John Clayton, and Clora Bryant. He first met Wynton Marsalis at age 17, and toured briefly with the trumpeter the following year (his first and only at Cal State-Northridge). In 1989, Reed officially joined Marsalis' band as the replacement for Marcus Roberts; the following year, he issued his debut album as a leader, A Soldier's Hymn, on Candid, with backing by his regular trio of bassist Dwayne Burno and drummer Gregory Hutchinson. In 1991 and 1992, Reed worked with Freddie Hubbard and Joe Henderson as a sideman, returning to Marsalis' group by the end of 1992. He cut a pair of well-received albums for MoJazz, It's All Right to Swing and The Swing and I, in 1993 and 1994, and in 1995 embarked on his first tour as leader of his own group. Two more dates for Impulse!, 1996's Musicale and 1997's Pure Imagination, found his style maturing and his critical and commercial success growing; he also spent 1996-1998 playing with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. 1999's Manhattan Melodies, his first outing for Verve, was a colorful and sophisticated tribute to New York City; that year, he also undertook the most prominent of several film-scoring projects, the Eddie Murphy/Martin Lawrence comedy Life. Reed also continued to record with Marsalis up into the new millennium. 2001 brought the acclaimed Happiness on Nagel-Heyer, and the next year saw two releases, the well-received From My Heart and a duet album with frequent cohort Wycliffe Gordon on trombone, We. He recorded and played frequently during subsequent years, including a second volume with Gordon (We, Vol. 2) and several sessions for Savant. In 2009, Reed released the gospel-inspired Stand! and returned the following year with Plenty Swing, Plenty Soul, a duet album with Cyrus Chestnut. Beginning with 2011's The Dancing Monk, Reed embarked on an ongoing recording project of Thelonious Monk's music; a theme he revisited on 2012's Baddest Monk and 2014's The Adventurous Monk. ~ Steve Huey https://www.allmusic.com/artist/eric-reed-mn0000799352/biography

Personnel:  Eric Reed – piano; Ron Carter – bass; Car Allen – drums

Blue Monk

---

Benny Golson - One Day, Forever

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2022
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:35
Size: 144,1 MB
Art: Front

( 5:08) 1. One Day, Forever
( 6:18) 2. Blue Walk
( 7:54) 3. Killer Joe
( 6:59) 4. Are You Real?
( 4:46) 5. Sad To Say
( 9:18) 6. Out Of The Past
( 4:13) 7. Blues Alley
( 7:36) 8. Along Came Betty
(10:20) 9. On Gossamer Wings

Benny Golson’s latest Arkadia release, One Day, Forever, arose from a taping of some of Golson’s previous band members from the Jazztet: Art Farmer and Curtis Fuller. At the end of a European tour, they were so rushed they that they didn’t record long enough to fill an entire CD. Arkadia owner Bob Karcy kept the tape in the can, and he and Golson kept that recording in mind, in the intervening five years, during which Farmer passed. After Golson wrote some new original music, it was agreed that the tapes from the “Whisper Not 40 Years Of Benny Golson” European tour would finally be heard by the public.

The result is a CD in three mentalities, all of which are contained by Golson’s imagination: the famous sextet sound that produced numbers like “Killer Joe,” a string orchestra backing Shirley Horn as she sings the words to Golson’s new music, and a piano piece introducing Golson’s first classical composition. While not consistent in theme, One Day, Forever does reveal in startling contrast the creative curiosity of Benny Golson.

Joined by Geoff Keezer, Dwayne Burno and Joe Farnsworth, the Jazzteters recall the longevity of Golson’s contributions to the jazz vocabulary. Not confined just to the famous Jazztet works, the group entertained European audiences with some of Golson’s compositions for Art Blakey, like “Along Came Betty” and “Are You Real?”

Golson and Farmer never worked together again, although they remained close friends, so much so that Golson wrote “One Day, Forever” as a reminiscence of Farmer’s wife, who passed a few years before he did. As Horn sings it, sadly and tentatively with lots of space as always, “One Day, Forever” could allude to the abstract concept of loss of intimacy which, of course, it does. By broadening the idea, Golson has expanded the sense of aloneness to apply to anyone who experiences loss. “Sad To Say,” again, is, well, sad, and the cellos reinforce the sense of guardedness and hurt. The melancholy of Golson’s new music has found a perfect outlet in the delicacy and woundedness of Shirley Horn’s style.

The surprise, even for those who expect it, is Lara Downes’ ten-minute premier of Golson’s piano étude, which would be expected in a recital hall rather than on a jazz CD. Certainly, one could say that One Day, Forever contains something for everyone.

The interesting aspect of the CD, though, is the darkening of Golson’s musical interests, with their melancholy themes and their veering away from the brightness, bustling energy and optimism that marked his work in the fifties.By AAJ Staff https://www.allaboutjazz.com/one-day-forever-benny-golson-arkadia-jazz-review-by-aaj-staff

Personnel: Benny Golson, tenor sax; Shirley Horn, vocals; Art Farmer, trumpet; Curtis Fuller, trombone; Mulgrew Miller, Geoff Keezer, Lara Downes, piano; Ron Carter, Dwayne Burno, bass; Carl Allen, Joe Farnsworth, drums.

One Day, Forever

---

McCoy Tyner & Jackie McLean - It's About Time

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:27
Size: 85.7 MB
Styles: Piano jazz, Saxophone jazz
Year: 1985
Art: Front

[5:56] 1. Spur Of The Moment
[6:34] 2. You Taught My Heart To Sing
[6:19] 3. It's About Time
[6:30] 4. Hip-Toe
[5:38] 5. No Flowers Please
[6:28] 6. Travelin'

Alto Saxophone – Jackie McLean (tracks: 1 to 4); Bass – Ron Carter (tracks: 1, 4, 5); Drums – Al Foster; Electric Bass – Marcus Miller (tracks: 2, 3, 6); Percussion – Steve Thornton (tracks: 2, 3, 6); Piano – McCoy Tyner; Trumpet – John Faddis (tracks: 1, 4). Recorded at: Right Track Studios, New York City, on April 6, 7, 1985

As far as McLean is concerned, the title of this album should be changed to `It`s Overdue,` because almost eight years have passed since this magnificent alto saxophonist entered a recording studio.

In today`s revivalistic climate, McLean is the model for most of the young alto players who are mining the hard-bop lode. But each phrase McLean plays here makes it clear that there is a vast difference between imitation and the real thing. The constant sense of pressure in McLean`s solos the feeling that vital emotional and musical choices are being made at all timesis simply overwhelming; and it seems appropriate when, on one track, either Tyner or bassist Ron Carter begins to moan in approval as McLean carves out an especially heartfelt line. `It`s About Time` is not a perfect setting for McLean. One wishes he had played on all six tracks instead of just four, and trumpeter Jon Faddis gets rather circusy on `Spur of the Moment. But Tyner certainly rises to the occasion throughout (his `Spur of the Moment` solo comes close to shattering the keyboard), while Carter, who has become rather self-indulgent in recent years, seems to be uncommonly involved in the proceedings. ~Larry Kart

It's About Time

---

Ron Carter - Finding the Right Notes

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2022
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:42
Size: 167,0 MB
Art: Front

(5:58) 1. Receipt, Please
(7:26) 2. Soft Winds
(6:11) 3. Flamenco Scetches
(8:25) 4. Bag's Groove (Feat. Stanley Clarke)
(7:21) 5. Willow Weep For Me (Feat. Christian Mcbride)
(9:42) 6. Blues For D.p.
(7:48) 7. Doom Mood
(6:19) 8. My Man's Gone Now (Feat. Bill Frisell)
(7:23) 9. A Nice Song
(6:04) 10. Sweet Lorraine (Feat. Jon Batiste)

On October 21st 2022, America's PBS channel screened a two-hour documentary about the life and work of Ron Carter titled Finding The Right Notes. This seventy-three minute CD is the soundtrack. It is a beauty, a roll-around-in feast of Carter's inimitable, sumptuous bass.

The ten tracks, recorded between 2014 and 2021 in Europe and America, has Carter in situations ranging from duos to a big band, playing jazz standards, songs from the Great American Songbook and his own compositions. One track was recorded at the Newport Jazz Festival, three at the WDR studio in Cologne, two in European concert halls, and in New York two at the Blue Note, one at the Harlem Jazz Museum, and one at the Power Station studio.

If all this sounds like a mish mash, it absolutely is not. The album is cohesive, bound together by Carter's bass, which is featured in all the arrangements, including those with the WDR big band, and by the nature of the tunes which, a couple of velvety swingers aside, are intimate and reflective. None of the material has previously been released and much of it was recorded specially for the documentary. Only one track does not quite come off, Ann Ronell's "Willow Weep For Me," a jam with fellow bassist Christian McBride at the Harlem Jazz Museum. Somehow a bit too much, it may have worked better on screen.

The other nine tracks are unalloyed delights. There are three with the big band, all Carter originals: "Receipt, Please," "Blues For D.P." and "Doom Mood" (a palindrome rather than an exercise in gloom). Two are with a trio featuring guitarist Russell Malone and pianist Donald Vega: Carter's exquisite "A Nice Song" and Fletcher Henderson's swinging "Soft Winds." One is a duet with guitarist Bill Frisell: George Gershwin's "My Man's Gone Now." One is a trio with Malone and bassist Stanley Clarke: Milt Jackson's "Bag's Groove." One is with a quartet with pianist Renee Rosnes, tenor saxophonist Jimmy Greene and drummer Payton Crossley: Miles Davis' "Flamenco Sketches" (check the YouTube below).

The disc closes with an impromptu swing through Cliff Burwell's "Sweet Lorraine" with pianist Jon Batiste. Hopefully, the movie will reach European screens shortly.
By Chris May https://www.allaboutjazz.com/finding-the-right-notes-ron-carter-in-out-records

Personnel: Ron Carter: bass.

Finding the Right Notes

---

Houston Person - The Art and Soul, Vol.1, Vol.2, Vol.3.

Album: The Art and Soul, Vol. 1
Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:52
Size: 121,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:51) 1. You Do Something To Me
(6:53) 2. I Don't Stand A Ghost Of A Chance
(3:54) 3. You're A Sweetheart
(6:49) 4. Maybe You'll Be There
(4:56) 5. All The Things You Are
(5:28) 6. You're My Everything
(5:39) 7. Skylark
(4:36) 8. I Only Have Eyes For You
(5:35) 9. Everything I Have Is Yours
(4:05) 10. Wonder Why

---

Album: The Art and Soul, Vol. 2
Time: 54:34
Size: 125,4 MB

(5:50) 1. Do Nothing Till You Hear from Me
(5:05) 2. Here's That Rainy Day
(4:15) 3. Isn't It Romantic?
(5:48) 4. Fools Rush In
(6:36) 5. It Had to Be You
(6:13) 6. But Beautiful
(5:59) 7. For All We Know
(5:48) 8. Blue Moon
(4:42) 9. Bewitched
(4:13) 10. Don't Get Around Much Anymore

---

Album: The Art and Soul, Vol. 3
Time: 55:20
Size: 127,2 MB

(6:07) 1. Sentimental Journey
(5:09) 2. Where Are You?
(4:32) 3. There's A Small Hotel
(6:43) 4. Tenderly
(6:06) 5. Be My Love
(6:08) 6. It Might As Well Be Spring
(5:05) 7. My Funny Valentine
(6:27) 8. Gentle Rain
(4:04) 9. Mack The Knife
(4:56) 10. The Very Thought Of You

The Art and Soul of Houston Person is an irresistible combination of the celebrated tenor saxophonist and the Great American Songbook. The 30 songs on this generous three-CD set were culled by Person from ten of his HighNote CDs, with the addition of four new songs recorded in spring, 2008. The songs feature an array of talented sidemen, including pianist Bill Charlap, bassists Ron Carter and Ray Drummond and drummer Grady Tate. If that isn't compelling enough, all the tracks were mixed, edited and mastered by the eminent Rudy Van Gelder in his legendary Englewood Cliffs studio.

The collection is full of high points, with several songs particularly worth noting. The upbeat opener, "You Do Something to Me," showcases Person's golden warmth and impeccable swing. The song also features John di Martino's exquisite touch on piano and John Burr's fluid bass. The same group shines on "I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance," elegantly capturing the song's quiet longing. Person exhibits a poignant tenderness and drummer Jerome Jennings adds just the right backup with incredibly spacious brushwork. "Sentimental Journey" is a joyful toe-tapper; "Here's That Rainy Day" explores the rich undertones of melancholy and "Blue Moon" is surprisingly upbeat, with Person's tenor fat and happy. And don't miss "Mack the Knife," a duet with Ron Carter where the two musicians turn the song inside out and trade lines with fluent ease.

In a 2004 interview, Person defined jazz as, "something that, when the end of the day comes, after a hard and frustrating day out in the world, relieves you. Relaxes you and makes you feel good." The Art and Soul of Houston Person is exactly that kind of music, a treasure chest of luscious, soothing sound. By Florence Wetzel https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-art-and-soul-of-houston-person-highnote-records-review-by-florence-wetzel

Personnel: John di Martino: piano; Jon Burr: bass; Jerome Jennings: drums; Richard Wyands: piano; Ray Drummond: bass; Kenny Washington: drums; Russell Malone: guitar; Grady Tate: drums; Stan Hope: piano; George Kaye: bass; Chip White: drums; Ron Carter: bass; Peter Washington: bass; Paul Bollenback: guitar; Per-ola Gadd: bass; Bill Charlap: piano.

The Art and Soul,Vol.1,Vol.2, Vol.3

---

Lee Morgan - Sonic Boom

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:18
Size: 171,4 MB
Art: Front

(5:47)  1. Sneaky Pete
(7:11)  2. The Mercenary
(6:18)  3. Sonic Boom
(5:27)  4. Fathead
(7:16)  5. I'll Never Be The Same
(5:28)  6. Mumbo Jumbo
(4:50)  7. Free Flow
(5:42)  8. Stormy Weather
(6:09)  9. Mr. Johnson
(5:47) 10. The Stroker
(5:33) 11. Uncle Rough
(3:07) 12. Claw-Til-Da
(5:38) 13. Untitled Boogaloo

A quick inspection of the Lee Morgan discography unearths an obscure album sandwiched between 1966's The Rajah and 1967's The Procrastinator. The album, Sonic Boom, was recorded in 1967 yet remained silent in the Blue Note vaults for twelve years, resurfacing only twice, as an LP in 1979 and eleven years later as a CD. Both times, exposure to the public was brief, making Sonic Boom nearly irrelevant in the trumpeter's overall anthology. Yet the music here is nothing short of vintage Morgan, as evidenced on the latest reissue, a limited edition 24-bit remastered set. Serving his usual heady brew of jazz, blues and funk, the emphasis here is strictly hard-boppin' fun. Accompanying the leader are a stimulating crew that includes Cedar Walton on piano, David "Fathead" Newman on tenor, Ron Carter on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums. Tracks like "Sneaky Pete," "The Mercenary," and "Fathead" provide plenty of straight ahead muscle from the whole band, with Newman's gruff tenor work, in particular, pairing remarkably well with Morgan's horn. The true highlights, though, are in the searing title track and in the exceptionally sweet and sincere interpretation of the ballad "I'll Never Be The Same." While Morgan may best be celebrated for his charged, upbeat solos, his delicate touch on ballads merits equal praise, and, indeed, confirms that Morgan was something else.This latest reissue of Sonic Boom includes an additional seven tracks taken from a 1969 session, originally released on 1978's double LP version of The Procrastinator. 

Employing an entirely different set of musicians, the cast includes Julian Priester on trombone, George Coleman on tenor sax, Harold Mabern on piano, Walter Booker on bass, and Mickey Roker on drums. Though thematically similar, the bonus tracks are more progressive and funkier than the album's first half, with exceptional compositions by Coleman on "Free Flow," Priester on "The Stroker," and Mabern on the jive dance of "Uncle Rough." In comparing the two halves of the album, it is interesting to hear the changes upon the hard-bop idiom over the late 1960s. By 1969, funk and its inherent bass and drumbeats are more prevalent than before. Integrated into jazz, as heard here, the results are joyous. In the final analysis, Sonic Boom is an underrated gem. As such, fans of the trumpeter and of hard bop are advised to check out the album while it's still here. By Germein Linares https://www.allaboutjazz.com/sonic-boom-lee-morgan-blue-note-records-review-by-germein-linares.php

Personnel: Lee Morgan- trumpet; David "Fathead" Newman, George Coleman- tenor sax; Cedar Walton, Harold Mabern- piano; Ron Carter, Walter Booker- bass; Billy Higgins, Mickey Rokerdrums; Julian Priester- trombone

Sonic Boom

---

Ron Carter Quartet & Vitoria Maldonado - Brasil L.I.K.E.

Styles: Vocal, Latin Jazz
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:18
Size: 93,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:08)  1. They Can't Take That Away from Me
(2:50)  2. There Will Never Be Another You
(3:26)  3. Night and Day
(3:26)  4. I Only Have Eyes for You
(2:33)  5. How High the Moon
(2:09)  6. Adoro O Teu Sorriso
(2:59)  7. All of Me
(3:34)  8. Que Reste-T-Il De Nos Amours (I Wish You Love)
(2:23)  9. Georgia on My Mind
(3:04) 10. Someone to Light up My Life
(4:15) 11. Lugar Comum
(2:07) 12. Because You Make Me Dream
(3:17) 13. Saudade

Ron Carter is among the most original, prolific, and  influential bassists in jazz. With more than 2,000 albums to his credit, he has recorded with many of music's greats: Tommy Flanagan, Gil Evans, Lena Horne, Bill Evans, B.B. King, the Kronos Quartet, Dexter Gordon, Wes Montgomery, and Bobby Timmons. In the early 1960s he performed throughout the United States in concert halls and nightclubs with Jaki Byard and Eric Dolphy. He later toured Europe with Cannonball Adderley. From 1963 to 1968, he was a member of the classic and acclaimed Miles Davis Quintet. He was named Outstanding Bassist of the Decade by the Detroit News, Jazz Bassist of the Year by Downbeat magazine, and Most Valuable Player by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. In 1993 Ron Carter earned a Grammy award for Best Jazz Instrumental Group, the Miles Davis Tribute Band and another Grammy in 1998 for Call 'Sheet Blues', an instrumental composition from the film 'Round Midnight.

In addition to scoring and arranging music for many films, including some projects for Public Broadcasting System, Carter has composed music for A Gathering of Old Men, starring Lou Gosset Jr., The Passion of Beatrice directed by Bertrand Tavernier, and Blind Faith starring Courtney B. Vance. Carter shares his expertise in the series of books he authored, among which are Building Jazz Bass Lines and The Music of Ron Carter; the latter contains 130 of his published and recorded compositions. Carter earned a bachelor of music degree from the Eastman School in Rochester and a master's degree in double bass from the Manhattan School of Music in New York City. He has also received four honorary doctorates, from the New England Conservatory of Music and the Manhattan School of Music, and was the 2002 recipient of the prestigious Hutchinson Award from the Eastman School at the University of Rochester. Most recently he was honored by the French Minister of Culture with France's premier cultural award--the medallion and title of Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters, given to those who have distinguished themselves in the domain of artistic or literary creation and for their contribution to the spread of arts and letters in France and the world. Carter has lectured, conducted, and performed at clinics and master classes, instructing jazz ensembles and teaching the business of music at numerous universities. He was Artistic Director of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Studies while it was located in Boston and, after 18 years on the faculty of the Music Department of The City College of New York, he is now Distinguished Professor Emeritus although, as a performer, he remains as active as ever. http://roncarter.net/JazzMaster/about-jazz-bass-master-ron-carter/

Personnel:  Vitoria Maldonado (vocal); Ron Carter: baixo acústico (bass); Renee Rosnes: piano; Rolando Morales-Matos: percussão (percussion); Payton Crossley: bateria (drums) with special guests:  Roberto Menescal (guitar); Marcos Mincov (English horn); Toninho Ferragutti (accordion); Omar Izar (harmonica); Randy Brecker (flugelhorn); Proveta (alto sax)  – with Ruria Duprat’s ‘Brasilian Orchestra’

Brasil L.I.K.E.

---

Paul Desmond - Pure Desmond

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1975
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:34
Size: 134,3 MB
Art: Front

(4:33) 1. Squeeze Me
(4:54) 2. I'm Old Fashioned
(4:22) 3. Nuages
(3:38) 4. Why Shouldn't I
(3:41) 5. Everything I Love
(4:30) 6. Warm Valley
(4:09) 7. Till The Clouds Roll By
(5:10) 8. Mean To Me
(3:04) 9. Theme From Mash
(6:21) 10. Wave
(4:47) 11. Nuages (Alt. Take)
(4:05) 12. Squeeze Me (Alt. Take)
(5:13) 13. Till The Clouds Roll By (Alt. Take)

With a dry tone, and unhurried phrasing definitive of the emergent West Coast Cool a relaxed alternative to the edgier hard bop coming from New York alto saxophonist Paul Desmond had already made a name for himself with pianist Dave Brubeck's quartet on the legendary Time Out (Columbia, 1959). Desmond also wrote the tune that became Brubeck's signature, "Take Five," and, while he passed away too young at the age of 52 from lung cancer, he's left behind a relatively small but significant legacy of recordings that have sometimes become overlooked with the passing of time.

Pure Desmond was only one of two albums the saxophonist made for CTI (though he did record two albums with Creed Taylor for A&M, before the producer started his own label), but it's the absolute winner of the two. A small group album featuring the same three bonus tracks as a previous CD version, with CTI Masterworks' warm remastering and beautiful mini-vinyl-like soft digipaks, it represents a welcome return to print of an album that, despite alcoholism and heavy smoking, finds Desmond in great form just three years before his death in 1977.

With label staple Ron Carter swinging comfortably with Modern Jazz Quartet and longtime Desmond musical cohort, drummer Connie Kay, Pure Desmond stands as one of the altoist's best records as cool as a calming breeze on a summer's day and as dry as a good martini. The album blend of standards ranging from Duke Ellington to Antonio Carlos Jobim also features the tremendously overlooked Ed Bickert, a Toronto, Canada native whose uncharacteristically warm-toned Fender Telecaster had already been heard in the company of fellow Canadians like flautist Moe Kaufman, and bandleaders Phil Nimmons and Rob McConnell, but whose star mysteriously never rose as it deserved, amongst peers like Joe Pass, Herb Ellis and, in particular, Jim Hall.

The tempo never gets past medium, but there's a simmering energy on some of the material, in particular the Jerome Kern chestnut, "Till the Clouds Roll By," heard here in two versions: the original album version, where Bickert's solo is the height of linear invention and occasionally bluesy bend; and a slightly longer alternate take where he builds a solo filled with rich voicings and single note phrases constantly accompanied with periodic chordal injections. The mix and overall tone of the alternate take is a little rawer, with Carter's bass a more visceral punch in the lower register.

Light Latin rhythms also define the session, with the by-then-popular "Theme from M*A*S*H" given a light bossa treatment, as is Jobim's "Wave," which closes the original album on a graceful note, but here acts as a gateway to alternate takes including the ambling opener, "Squeeze Me," and the Django Reinhardt classic, "Nuages," that skips the guitar/sax duo intro and heads straight into an ensemble reading.

With a supportive group that clearly gets the value of less over more, the aptly titled Pure Desmond stands, alongside The Paul Desmond Quartet Live (A&M/Horizon, 1975)his other album with Bickert as the pinnacle of this West Coast cool progenitor's career.
By John Kelman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/pure-desmond-paul-desmond-cti-masterworks-review-by-john-kelman

Personnel: Paul Desmond: alto saxophone; Ed Bickert: electric guitar; Ron Carter: bass; Connie Kay: drums; Don Sebesky: musical supervision.

Pure Desmond

---

Barry Harris Trio - Magnificent!

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1969
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:23
Size: 91,1 MB
Art: Front

(6:42)  1. Bean And The Boys
(4:04)  2. You Sweet And Fancy Lady
(4:17)  3. Rouge
(4:01)  4. Ah-Leu-Cha
(6:05)  5. Just Open Your Heart
(4:22)  6. Sun Dance
(5:20)  7. These Foolish Things (Remind Me Of You)
(4:28)  8. Dexterity

By the time pianist Barry Harris recorded his first session as a leader in 1958, Breakin' It Up for the Argo label, Charlie Parker had already been dead for three years and the be-bop movement that he had helped usher in was already giving way to the more visceral advance of hard bop and the beginning strains of Ornette Coleman's "new thing" approach. For Harris, who was a died-in-the-wool be-bopper, this meant coming on the scene a bit too late to be part of the music that had inspired his own jazz quest. Subsequently, while Harris' love of the be-bop language in no way makes him a one-trick pony, his style has somewhat limited his range of expression over the years. Coming off a string of Riverside releases that tended to possess a nagging feeling of sameness, Harris was to fare much better with his series of Prestige recordings. He added horns for his first two efforts, Luminescence and Bull's Eye, a move that seemed to broaden his musical palette. Then in 1969 at the end of his tenure with the label, Harris would return to the trio format, but with a more mature outlook. 

While the hyperbole involved in the album's title may border a bit on overstatement, the newly-reissued Magnificent easily ranks among Harris's better and most realized trio dates.There's much that is attractive about this set because even among the expected bop tunes like "Dexterity" and "Ah-Leu-Cha," we get such notable Harris originals as "You Sweet and Fancy Lady" (one of his best-known pieces), "Just Open Your Heart," and the Latin-tinged "Sun Dance." Ron Carter and drummer Leroy Williams form a well-oiled team with ample support and choice solo spots of their own. Although Harris continues to be a strong and committed performer, his Prestige period still holds special treasures of which Magnificent happily belongs. ~ C.Andrew Hovan https://www.allaboutjazz.com/magnificent-barry-harris-prestige-records-review-by-c-andrew-hovan.php

Personnel: Barry Harris- piano; Ron Carter- double bass; Leroy Williams- drums.

Magnificent!

---

Greg Skaff - Polaris

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2021
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:01
Size: 103,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:29) 1. Old Devil Moon
(3:54) 2. Angelica
(5:11) 3. Little Waltz (Duo)
(3:48) 4. Paris Eyes
(5:22) 5. Yesterdays
(4:30) 6. Mr. R.C.
(4:18) 7. Lady of the Lavender Mist
(3:17) 8. Polaris
(5:03) 9. Little Waltz (Trio)
(3:05) 10. Caminando
(1:59) 11. Ill Wind

The pandemic year of 2020 brought with it very little in terms of artistic endeavors, thanks to lockdowns and stay home orders. Yet even under extreme conditions, guitarist Greg Skaff managed to commit to tape some genuinely sublime music that is sure to be remembered as one of 2021'a most memorable releases. Of course, Skaff has been at the forefront of modern jazz guitar since his first big break in the '80s working with the legendary Stanley Turrentine.

Not always getting the press garnered by peers such as Peter Bernstein or Russell Malone, Skaff nonetheless has been part of a healthy New York scene over the past several decades working with an iconic list of employers such as Freddie Hubbard, Bobby Watson, Dr. Lonnie Smith and Mike LeDonne. His own recordings cover a good deal of ground, often putting him in the popular organ combo format. His great run with the Zoho label began in 2004 and culminated with 2017's Soulmation

For Polaris, Skaff was looking to stretch out in a format he had not previously used the standard trio of just guitar, bass, and drums. Without another chording instrument, Skaff carries the job of providing both the melody and supporting chordal structures. If that was not a heady enough prospect, he wanted to bring into the fold jazz luminaries Ron Carter and Albert Tootie Heath. The first sessions came together in the summer of 2019, however the second date almost didn't happen, coming in March of 2020 just as New York City entered lockdown.

The opening "Old Devil Moon" leaves no doubt that a simpatico relationship was established from the first note. Skaff had been working steady gigs with Carter's big band, but Heath and Carter have had few chances to get together over the years. Carter's huge tone fills in the spaces between Skaff's melody lines and Heath's ride cymbal propels the forward-moving momentum. Trading fours with the drummer, crisp snare drum accents echo naturally within the studio space, the recorded sound being another finely-carved facet of this jewel.

Heath drives the Ellington chestnut "Angelica" with his hybrid "Nawlins" groove. Skaff puts melody at a premium as he weaves together his filigreed phrases. The other number from the Ellington cannon, "Lady of the Lavender Mist" showcases the guitarist's lush chordal approach. Heath lightly feathers the beat with his eloquent brushwork. In a similar vein, "Yesterdays" opens with Skaff's burnished chordal work before giving way to Carter's extended statement.

Tipping his hat to the organ format he's favored for some time, Skaff offers up Larry Young's "Paris Eyes. The tune sparkles in this setting, complete with some tasty drum fills from Heath. The result of the drummer being late for the second session led to a fortuitous situation where Carter and Skaff tackled the bassist's "Little Waltz," first as a duo and then later again with Heath after he had arrived. Being in the moment, Skaff crafts unique statements in both versions, Carter's upward glissando closing the latter version on a sagacious note.

The significance of Skaff's original "Mr. R.C." will be immediately apparent to those in the know. Its open structure allows the guitarist to stretch out at a brisk tempo. The leader's title track also brings with it superb guitar lines, but its structure is based on a pedal tone that then breaks free during the turnaround. Skaff has stated he gathered bits and pieces of inspiration for this one from the late guitarist Vic Juris.

A beautiful parting statement, "Ill Wind," finds Skaff on his own. Considering what was yet to come in terms of the pandemic, the title seemed apropos for sure, but it also seems to come across with an optimistic tone that permeates the entire session.
By C. Andrew Hovan https://www.allaboutjazz.com/polaris-greg-skaff-smk-jazz

Personnel: Greg Skaff: guitar; Ron Carter: bass; Albert Tootie Heath: drums.

Polaris

---

Gerry Gibbs Thrasher Dream Trios - Songs From My Father: The Music Of Terry Gibbs Disc 1, Disc 2

Album: Songs From My Father: The Music Of Terry Gibbs Disc 1
Styles: Jazz, Bop
Year: 2021
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:11
Size: 110,5 MB
Art: Front

(5:05) 1. Kick Those Feet
(5:07) 2. Smoke em Up
(4:04) 3. Bopstacle Course
(4:19) 4. Nutty Notes
(4:13) 5. Take It from Me
(7:54) 6. Sweet Young Song of Love
(5:03) 7. The Fat Man
(6:54) 8. Lonely Days
(5:27) 9. Hey Chick

---

Album: Songs From My Father: The Music Of Terry Gibbs Disc 2
Time: 48:34
Size: 111,5 MB

(5:06) 1. Townhouse 3
(5:43) 2. T & S
(3:25) 3. 4 AM
(3:28) 4. Waltz For My Children
(4:35) 5. Hippie Twist
(5:53) 6. Lonely Dreams
(4:56) 7. For Keeps
(5:05) 8. Pretty Blue Eyes
(4:21) 9. Gibberish
(5:57) 10. Tango For Terry

Songs from My Father. What a marvelous idea! and not simply for the sentiment. Drummer Gerry Gibbs' father happens to be Hall of Fame vibraphonist (and sometime song writer) Terry Gibbs, who is still on the scene at ninety-seven (and, in fact, making a guest appearance on the first disc of this superlative two-CD set). Eighteen of the elder Gibbs' songs, written between 1949 and 1985 (and one more, "Tango for Terry," by the late Chick Corea) are performed by four of his son's well-chosen (and well-named) Thrasher Dream Trios, whose members include pianists Kenny Barron, Patrice Rushen, Geoff Keezer, Corea (the last recorded appearance before his passing in February 2021), organist Larry Goldings and bassists Ron Carter, Buster Williams and Christian McBride most, if not all, of whom will one day earn the same Hall of Fame status accorded Terry Gibbs.

As the elder Gibbs came of age in the bop era—gigging with a Who's Who of jazz luminaries including Woody Herman, Buddy Rich, Benny Goodman, Chubby Jackson, Mel Torme and Louie Bellson, and later leading his Los Angeles-based Dream Band most of his engaging themes can trace their roots to bop, and the trios take to them like ducks to water. The line-ups are traditional piano-bass-drums save for Dream Trio 3, on which Goldings' Hammond B3 organ complements Gibbs and pianist Rushen. Their appearances are close to evenly divided, with Trios 1 and 2 performing on four tracks each, Trios 3 and 4 on five apiece, and everyone (plus Terry Gibbs, whose extended vibes solo is as sharp and resourceful as ever) having an absolute blast on "Hey Chick," which closes the first disc. The title is no doubt coincidental, as the tune was written in 1961 when Corea was a mere twenty years old.

"Hey Chick" follows "Lonely Days," the nearest pretense to a ballad on the first disc. The same holds true for the most part on the second disc, as swinging is what Terry Gibbs was (and is) about. Trio 3 comes out blazing on the disc's sunny, samba-like opener, "Townhouse," wherein Goldings adds color with some bird-like special effects, as does Trio 2 on the lively "T&S," as Barron crafts a stunning solo while Gibbs and Williams lend rhythmic backbone. Gibbs, Keezer and McBride keep the fire burning on "4 AM," as they do on "For Keeps" and "Gibberish." "Waltz for My Children" (Trio 1), the disc's lone serenade, showcases Corea in typically masterful form. The first seven tracks on the first disc from "Kick Those Feet" (1964) to "The Fat Man" (1958) are exemplary, as are the others on the second disc, from the dynamic "Hippie Twist" to the well-grooved "For Keeps," and especially the melodious "Pretty Blue Eyes." While none has entered the rarefied pantheon of jazz standards, several could and even should be gauged by that barometer. At the very least, they should be played more often; they are that good. And so, it goes without saying, are the trios Gerry Gibbs has assembled to give them life. Songs from My Father is more than a marvelous idea; it is a musical treat from end to end, and a well-deserved show of appreciation from son to father for the guidance and wisdom that have assuredly helped shape his impressive career. By Jack Bowers https://www.allaboutjazz.com/songs-from-my-father-gerry-gibbs-thrasher-dream-trios-whaling-city-sound

Personnel: Gerry Gibbs: drums; Chick Corea: piano; Kenny Barron: piano; Patrice Rushen: keyboards; Geoffrey Keezer: keyboards; Larry Goldings: organ, Hammond B3; Ron Carter: bass; Buster Williams: bass; Christian McBride: bass; Terry Gibbs: vibraphone.

Songs From My Father: The Music Of Terry Gibbs Disc 1, Disc 2

---

Joe Henderson - The Complete Blue Note Studio Sessions (5-Disc Set)

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2021
Time: 79:01
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 180,9 MB
Art: Front

(15:18) 1. Una Mas (One More Time)
( 8:58) 2. Straight Ahead
( 7:20) 3. Sao Paulo
( 5:08) 4. If Ever I Would Leave You
( 8:01) 5. Blue Bossa
( 9:09) 6. La Mesha
( 4:14) 7. Homestretch
( 6:02) 8. Recorda Me
( 7:23) 9. Jinrikisha
( 7:24) 10. Out of the Night

If an artist stamps his jazz passport with any one of these labels Blue Note, Verve, Milestone it's pretty much a guarantee that you've arrived in style. Tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson has traveled with all three and more. The 2021 reissue from the prestigious Mosaic Records focuses on Henderson's 1960s tenure with Blue Note offers a new opportunity to experience an abundance of rich and creative jazz from the decade.

Big band and bop were duking it out in the late 1940s, bebop gained a foothold in the 1950s and the 1960s saw some amazingly creative artists emerge as they conjured up even more jazz hybrids (straight jazz, Avant-Garde, fusion and more). Henderson began to come of age during the very late 1950s, the tail end of one of the most dynamic and creative decades for jazz. He then moved confidently into the 1960s and beyond. He began to gain momentum in the 1960s (sitting in with saxophone master Dexter Gordon early on), learned from listening to other sax giants including Charlie Parker and Sonny Rollins and soon teamed up with numerous A-list artists including trumpeter Kenny Dorham, a Blue Note co-artist. The spotlight shifted a bit during the seventies and eighties for Henderson but he was amazingly prolific in the 1990s. Verve championed him during that decade with a high profile 'come back' campaign and sessions such as Lush Life (1982) contained everything from the supple and smoky "Isfahan" and "Blood Count" to the soaring and spontaneous "Johnny Come Lately." Touring took him to various venues and in a talk backstage after a mid-1990s concert, Mr. Henderson was dapper and smartly dressed, low key, quiet and reserved. He was a joy to talk to. But his constant companion, a lit cigarette, was absent, probably due to venue restriction (chain smoking eventually took him down in 2001.)

Mosaic collected nearly fifty cuts on five CDs and captured a world of spontaneous creativity. In addition, a modest yet informative booklet is included. A book's worth of praise could follow, so let's look at a few tracks from each compact disc: Everything gets underway with the title cut from trumpeter Kenny Dorham's Una Mas (1963) album in which Henderson joins as a featured sideman. At over fifteen minutes, the opening track is a celebration of the then contemporary sounds of Bossa Nova, with hints of other styles including the blues. He may be the second billed musician on the disc, but Henderson's sax is supple, lush and creatively enticing as a close bond was being forged between the two men. Everyone swings, and they are upbeat on "Straight Ahead," one of the other standout tracks from the Dorham-lead sessions. (full review => https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-complete-joe-henderson-blue-note-studio-sessions-joe-henderson-mosaic-records)

Personnel: Joe Henderson: Saxophone; Kenny Dorham: Trranumpet; Herbie Hancock: Piano; Tony Williams: Drums; McCoy Tyner: Piano; Bob Cranshaw: Bass; Duke Pearson: Piano; Richard Davis: Bass, Acoustic; s: Drums; Tommy Flanagan: Piano; Ron Carter: Elvin Jones: Bass; Cedar Walton: Piano; Lee Morgan: Trumpet; Curtis Fuller: Trombone; Grant Green: Guitar; Bobby Hutcherson: Vibraphone; J.J. Johnson: Trombone; Al Harewood: Drums; Woody Shaw: Trumpet; Andrew Hill: Piano.

The Complete Blue Note Studio Sessions CD1

---

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2021
Time: 76:41
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 175,6 MB
Art: Front

( 8:17) 1. La Mesha (alternate take)
( 7:38) 2. Homestretch (alternate take)
( 8:33) 3. Teeter Totter
(10:05) 4. Pedro's Time
( 5:38) 5. Our Thing
( 6:20) 6. Back Road
( 8:06) 7. Escapade
( 7:11) 8. Teeter Totter (alternate take)
( 5:31) 9. Our Thing (alternate take)
( 9:18) 10. In 'N Out (alternate take)

The Complete Blue Note Studio Sessions CD2

---

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2021
Time: 76:45
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 175,7 MB
Art: Front

(10:25) 1. In 'N Out
( 9:09) 2. Punjab
( 6:17) 3. Serenity
( 7:11) 4. Short Story
( 6:25) 5. Brown's Town
(12:24) 6. Trompeta Toccata
( 5:46) 7. Night Watch
(11:05) 8. Mamacita
( 8:00) 9. The Fox

The Complete Blue Note Studio Sessions CD3

---

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2021
Time: 78:40
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 180,1 MB
Art: Front

(11:58) 1. Inner Urge
( 9:16) 2. Isotope
( 7:14) 3. El Barrio
( 7:21) 4. You Know I Care
( 7:24) 5. Night and Day
( 8:14) 6. Hobo Joe
( 8:30) 7. Step Lightly
( 6:07) 8. The Kicker
( 5:46) 9. Mo' Joe
( 6:45) 10. If

The Complete Blue Note Studio Sessions CD4

---

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2021
Time: 59:11
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 135,5 MB
Art: Front

(7:08) 1. A Shade of Jade
(8:03) 2. Mode for Joe
(6:53) 3. Black
(6:43) 4. Caribbean Fire Dance
(7:23) 5. Granted
(6:41) 6. Free Wheelin'
(9:28) 7. Mode for Joe (alternate take)
(6:49) 8. Black (alternate take)

The Complete Blue Note Studio Sessions CD5

---