Royce Campbell - Roses & Wine

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:15
Size: 143,3 MB
Art: Front

(5:39) 1. Take A Train
(5:29) 2. Roses And Wine
(8:59) 3. Lover Guy
(5:56) 4. There's No Other You
(5:57) 5. G Jam Blues
(5:12) 6. All The Things
(7:51) 7. That's Not All
(5:34) 8. More Than Just Friends
(6:29) 9. Into Nowhere
(5:04) 10. D Jam Blues

Guitarist Royce Campbell has a liking for taking chord progressions from familiar standards and improvising new melodies with them. He thinks outside of the box while using material that comes from inside the box. He does so on his sophomore album Roses And Wine from Philology Records, opening with a rollicking jive-inspired tune “Take A Train” that conjures up the feeling of riding a steam locomotive across country. There is more to Campbell’s music than the melodic haikus of his guitar pizzicatos or andante strumming, for instance, the folksy-Hawaiian sizzle in the chord textures of the title track infuses a pacifying mood which features the bebop phrasing of Hod O’Brien’s piano keys. Also showcased on the recording are Pete Spaar and James King who share the bass duties.

Every track sounds like it is smiling at the listener thumping along the upbeat ruminations of the trio and the pliable chord coordinates of the melodic patterns. The smooth bluesy piping of “Lover Guy” pervades a sensual stroll in Campbell’s guitar riffs as the vigorous arcos of the bass in “There’s No Other You” are enhanced by add-ons of vaunting jetties in the piano phrases. The laid back chord expressions of “D. .Jam Blues” have a Louisiana sound that shifts into a cool bebop traction in “All The Things.” The leisurely gait of the piano keys in “That’s Not All” moves in harmony with the moonlight coloring of Campbell’s guitar chords as the comfy grooves of “More Than Just Friends” imbue the melody with a cheerful sprint. The bebop motifs strewn across “Into Nowhere:” and “D. Jam Blues” have a vintage Americana feel reminiscent to Chet Baker and props a happy tapping along the rhythmic beats.

Roses and Wine is feel good music from beginning to end and displays the trio’s ability to play like a well-oiled machine. Campbell has a lengthy recording history that includes working on tribute albums for Wes Montgomery and Henri Mancici, in addition to being a sideman on other artists records as well as making albums in his own right. The authenticity in Campbell’s playing breeds sunshine and joy in the seams of the transitional phrases and chord progressions making music that gravitates to going up the shafts. https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/royce-campbell-trio-roses-wine/

Personnel: Guitar, Composed By, Producer – Royce Campbell; Bass – James King (tracks: 2 to 4, 7 to 10), Pete Spaar (tracks: 1, 5, 6); Piano – Hod O'Brien

Royce Campbell - Nighttime Daydreams

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:15
Size: 115,5 MB
Art: Front

(6:25) 1. I Love You
(7:35) 2. Nighttime Daydreams
(5:47) 3. I'll Remember April
(5:43) 4. Autumn Bossa
(7:02) 5. Wes
(6:43) 6. In A Sentimental Mood
(4:30) 7. Spring Bossa
(6:25) 8. Beautiful Love

Royce Campbell's blues-influenced, hyper-relaxed jazz-guitar playing has earned him accolades as a solo performer and made him a sought-after session musician. His first experience came touring the U.S. in Marvin Gaye's band, before being tapped by Henry Mancini, in whose orchestra Campbell stayed for two decades; Campbell's gentle, flowing swing formed a subtle backdrop for the composer's ever-cinematic works.

A versatile performer, Campbell's expert guitar graced recordings of everyone from Dave Brubeck to Liza Minnelli to Sarah Vaughan. In the '90s, Campbell stepped out under his own name, starting with the dreamily melodic Nighttime Daydreams in 1990, and eventually extending to several dozen recordings. By Rovi Staff https://www.allmusic.com/artist/royce-campbell-mn0000851616/biography

Nighttime Daydreams

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Royce Campbell, Gene Bertoncini - A Tribute To Charlie Byrd

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:41
Size: 136.6 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz
Year: 2003
Art: Front

[6:21] 1. Shiny Stockings
[4:48] 2. Meditation
[5:50] 3. The Days Of Wine And Roses
[3:26] 4. Mood Indigo
[5:52] 5. How Insensitive
[5:09] 6. Zing Went The Strings Of My Heart
[4:49] 7. Desafinado
[7:08] 8. In A Mellow Tone
[4:26] 9. Prelude To A Kiss
[5:11] 10. One Note Samba
[6:35] 11. Blues For Charlie

Royce Campbell, electric guitar, Gene Bertoncini, acoustic guitar, Chuck Redd, drums, Keter Betts, bass.

Sharing a rare commitment to the mastery of their instrument, jazz guitarists have a strong bond to an axe which – despite huge popularity in other genres – has by and large, seemed to elude jazz throughout the music’s history. When thinking of true non-crossover jazz guitarists, only a handful come to mind: Django Reinhardt, Charlie Christian, Wes Montgomery, Freddie Green (only in terms of longevity, not originality), and Grant Green. George Benson’s roots were in straight-ahead but he eventually sold out to the tasteless modern aesthetic of smooth jazz. And then there was Charlie Byrd. In terms of legends, that’s really it!

In a century when guitar became the most widely heard and played instrument in the world, namely in non-jazz settings, jazz guitarists’ dedication to their trade is admirable since they represent a handful of instrumentalists that dared to delve head-on into the jazz idiom. If you think about it, the aforementioned can only truly be called jazz legends, compared to the throngs of saxophonists, trumpeters, pianists, bassists, and drummers out there credited for great contributions to the music’s development.

Germany's Jardis label prides itself on producing the finest in today’s jazz guitar. Following his critically acclaimed Trioing with drummer Bill Goodwin and fellow DC native bassist Paul Langosch (long a collaborator with crooner Tony Bennett), the mostly unknown guitarist Royce Campbell released his second effort for Jardis, A Tribute to Charlie Byrd. Campbell’s professional connection to Byrd originated in 1998, when the two and veteran Gene Bertoncini, another regional name, collaborated for a tribute to another six string master, Joe Pass. When asked to do the tribute album, Campbell thought it fitting that Bertoncini be on the project. Having worked closely with the man who had greatly influenced the introduction and acceptance of the Brazilian bossa nova and samba within the jazz world, Campbell appropriately chose to do mostly bossa nova works by Jobim and songs out of the Duke Ellington songbook: tunes that had been close to Byrd’s heart.

While the session is highly predictable and laid back, the solo work is magnificent and the overall artistry of the musicians is masterful. Filling out the quartet is a “who’s who” of DC’s thriving jazz scene. Drummer and vibraphonist Chuck Redd (also of the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra) displays tasteful stick and brushwork, very reminiscent of the Charlie Byrd “feel” – not surprising since Redd had been Byrd’s own drummer for 19 years. And finally, one of DC’s living jazz legends, Keter Betts fills in on bass. You might recognize Betts’ name from several years as bassist for both Byrd and “First Lady of Song” Ella Fitzgerald. Highly recommended. ~Matt Merewitz

A Tribute To Charlie Byrd mc
A Tribute To Charlie Byrd zippy

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