Steve Slagle - Dedication

Styles: Saxophone, Flute Jazz
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:24
Size: 134,7 MB
Art: Front

(6:36)  1. Sun Song
(6:23)  2. Niner
(7:44)  3. Major in Come
(7:06)  4. Triste Beleza (Beautiful Sadness)
(6:45)  5. Opener
(5:59)  6. Watching Over
(4:19)  7. Corazon
(6:23)  8. Sofi
(7:04)  9. Charcoal Blues

Steve Slagle is one of those players that's often overlooked yet hard to forget. Why this sixty-five-year-old saxophonist who's constantly bringing energy and a spirit of exploration to the fore doesn't get the ink or marquees that come to his musical peers ten years his senior or several decades his junior is something of a head-scratcher. If you've seen him as a sideman, encountered him co-leading a band with guitarist Dave Stryker, checked out his duo work with pianist Bill O'Connell on The Power Of Two (Panorama Records, 2015), or heard any of his fine recent leader dates, like Evensong (Panorama Records, 2012) or Alto Manhattan (Panorama Records, 2016), it's fairly likely that you're wondering the same thing. While there's no firm explanation about Slagle's status, other than the fact that many jazz lovers are polarized and look only toward the "new thing" or focus exclusively on extreme longevity, there's no doubt that his name should be high on the list of stellar alto players plying their trade on the scene. This album, referencing both the man's steadfast study of his craft and the dedicatory nature of these songs, is but one more example of his strengths. With a stellar band by his side, Slagle delivers nine numbers that clearly point toward his influences, preferences, and experiences. "Sun Song," a bright and grooving calypso honoring the great Sonny Rollins, leads off the program. 

Then comes "Niner," a hip and angular tune taking its title from a nickname bestowed upon on Slagle by bassist Steve Swallow; "Major Come In," an up-tempo thriller given unto swing itself that works off of major chords in five different keys and runs on Bill Stewart's spang-a-lang ride work and Scott Colley's driving bass lines; "Triste Beleza (Beautiful Sadness)," a breezy bossa nova dedicated to "the great spirit of music from Brazil"; and "Opener," nodding toward saxophonist Jackie McLean, containing one of pianist Lawrence Fields' most memorable solos on the album, and featuring the leader on alto and flute. In all five cases, one thought rings true: Slagle remains consistently inventive as he uses his imagination and skill to color within, right on, and just outside the lines. The back-end of the album proves to be perfectly in line with what precedes it, presenting songs that are both grounded and intriguing. "Watching Over," for Marc Chagall, is straight-eighths and swirling colors, with the appealing Stryker-Slagle partnership in the spotlight. That duo's chemistry is then further highlighted on Stryker's Joe Zawinul dedication, "Corazon," where melodic directness acts as a cornerstone and bass and nylon strong acoustic create a supportive foundation for the alto's melodic musings. 

To finish things off this band delivers "Sofi," a soprano-fronted song in seven dedicated to Slagle's daughter, and Wayne Shorter's "Charcoal Blues," saluting the piece's composer and providing a welcome dose of earthy blowing. There may be saxophonists who've been in the game longer and/or pushed more boundaries, but you'd be hard-pressed to find a more dependably "on" player than Steve Slagle. By Dan Bilawsky https://www.allaboutjazz.com/dedication-steve-slagle-panorama-records-review-by-dan-bilawsky.php

Personnel: Steve Slagle: alto saxophone, flute (5), soprano saxophone (8); Lawrence FIelds: piano; Scott Colley: bass; Bill Stewart: drums; Roman Diaz: congo, percussion (1, 4, 5, 6, 7); Dave Stryker: electric guitar (2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9), nylon string acoustic guitar (4, 7).

Dedication

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Edward Simon, Scott Colley, Brian Blade - Steel House

Styles: Contemporary Jazz
Year: 2017
Time: 39:01
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 90,6 MB
Art: Front

(2:51) 1. Glad You`re Here
(7:17) 2. What if
(8:37) 3. Kingpin
(6:00) 4. 87.5% of You
(6:45) 5. Way of No Return
(7:29) 6. Country

There’s something compelling about a combo made up of sidemen, the guys whose job it is to set musical foundations rather than soak up the limelight. It isn’t just the fact that we enjoy seeing the journeymen take center stage. When the rhythm section takes over, and the foundation becomes an end in itself, we’re treated to a whole other side of jazz. That other side of jazz will be on full display when Steel House plays Pletscheeff Auditorium at the Seattle Art Museum on June 7.

Edward Simon, Scott Colley, and Brian Blade, the three men who make up Steel House, have all established themselves as gifted musicians in their own right. Simon, in particular, has experience as a soloist and bandleader. All three, however, are best known for the important work they’ve done backing other musicians. Simon has worked as a pianist with artists such as Bobby Hutcherson and Terence Blanchard. Bassist Scott Colley made a name for himself, playing with luminaries such as Herbie Hancock and Michael Brecker. Brian Blade has an equally impressive resume drumming for, among others, Wayne Shorter.

Their work together, though, isn’t quite like any of the work they’ve done for other artists. Steel House songs (and they seem most aptly described as songs) are melodic and lyrical. Some, like “What If” and “Country” from the band’s eponymous 2017 album, actually have lyrics (in both of those cases sung by the ethereal Genevieve Artadi). But the real root of that lyricism has to do with structure.

Steel House songs are organized around extended riffs musical phrases the sort of thing that might normally serve as the underpinnings of other kinds of jazz. Think about the openings to “Take Five” or “Watermelon Man.” Where a Dave Brubeck or a Herbie Hancock might run through those riffs a couple of times before letting soloists pick them apart and deconstruct them, Steel House transitions smoothly from one phrase to the next. Each one is fully formed, but the real charm has to do with the way they are strung together. It’s as though while exploring one groove, the trio finds its way magically into another. Phrases work as sentences. Sentences become paragraphs. Paragraphs link together to create whole musical essays.

That isn’t to say that those traditional jazz elements aren’t present. The close listener is rewarded with brilliant improvisational solos by all three instrumentalists. It’s just that the phrases themselves tend to shine through. Solos don’t dominate over the background but tend to reinforce the phrases themselves.

The result is a unique opportunity to examine the guts of a jazz tune, the way the rhythm section moves a song along from point to point. Beyond the uniqueness of the approach, the results are imminently listenable. Those musical phrases get into your head. They’re hummable. In the end, listening to Steel House is an exercise in learning, or re-learning, jazz itself. But it’s one of the more palatable learning experiences you’ll ever have.
BY MATTHEW ADKINS Steel House | Earshot Jazz

Personnel: Bass – Scott Colley; Drums – Brian Blade; Piano – Edward Simon; Vocals – Genevieve Artadi (tracks: 2)

Steel House

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Dave Pietro - Standard Wonder: The Music of Stevie Wonder

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:17
Size: 158,6 MB
Art: Front

(5:27) 1. Too High
(6:41) 2. All in Love Is Fair
(6:05) 3. Smile Please
(6:30) 4. Go Home
(4:34) 5. You and I (Interlude)
(7:47) 6. The Secret Life of Plants
(6:09) 7. Contusion
(5:22) 8. Happier Than the Morning Sun
(7:10) 9. Visions
(6:26) 10. Another Star
(3:34) 11. Overjoyed
(3:27) 12. Come Back as a Flower

A few of Stevie Wonder's songs have been performed by jazz musicians, but this CD by saxophonist Dave Pietro is one of the first extensive explorations of his work outside of pop. Pietro shifts between soprano, alto, and C-melody saxophones (the latter instrument hasn't been used very much in jazz since the '30s). Pietro's playing is very strong throughout the date, and his arrangements are first-rate, often contrasting sharply with the composer's original approaches.

"Another Star" features Pietro's superb C-melody sax in a modal setting that seems to occasionally hint at Miles Davis' "Nardis." His tasty soprano sax is a highlight of "The Secret Life of Plants," a song that could be overlooked by jazz fans who haven't heard Wonder's original record, because such a title might easily be mistaken for a typical new age release. The lively, Latin-flavored "Smile Please" and the lovely ballad "You and I-Interlude" are also highlights, but the dull electric piano keeps "All in Love Is Fair" (a favorite of pianist Marian McPartland, who has performed it many times) from reaching its full potential.

The strong supporting cast includes keyboardist David Berkman, trumpeter and flugelhornist Scott Wendholt, trombonist Pete McGuinness, guitarist Pete McCann, bassist Scott Colley, and drummer Brian Blade. One can easily imagine many more jazz musicians following Dave Pietro's lead in putting together a Stevie Wonder songbook of their own.By Ken Dryden
https://www.allmusic.com/album/standard-wonder-the-music-of-stevie-wonder-mw0000591513

Personnel: Dave Pietro - Soprano/Alto & C-melody Sax; Scott Wendholt - Trumpet/Flugelhorn; Pete McGuinness - Trombone; Pete McCann - Guitar; David Berkman - Piano/ Organ/ Fender Rhodes; Scott Colley - Bass; Brian Blade - Drums

Standard Wonder: The Music of Stevie Wonder

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Wolfgang Muthspiel/Scott Colley/Brian Blade - Dance of the Elders

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:32
Size: 105,4 MB
Art: Front

(10:47) 1. Invocation
( 4:15) 2. Prelude to Bach
( 5:56) 3. Dance of the Elders
( 7:40) 4. Liebeslied
( 4:57) 5. Folksong
( 4:52) 6. Cantus Bradus
( 7:02) 7. Amelia

Dance of the Elders is the third ECM trio album led by Austrian guitarist Wolfgang Muthspiel. It follows on from Angular Blues (2020), which had the same line-up of Scott Colley on double bass and Brian Blade on drums; and Driftwood (2014), on which the bassist was Larry Grenadier.

Of the first of these albums Muthspiel said, ‘I wanted to feature the liquidity and wide horizon of the guitar while also approaching the contrapuntal possibilities of a piano trio.’ Driftwood fully met this brief, Muthspiel’s classical and electric guitar ably supported by two highly sensitive and responsive conversationalists weaving an exquisite sonic filigree. And on the album Angular Blues, Muthspiel widened the horizon with techniques such as using delay to create intricate counterpoints.

But on Dance of the Elders the horizon feels even wider, especially on the first and longest piece, the hypnotic and aptly named Invocation. Electric guitar swells and tinkling bells are followed by a lullaby-like tune that drifts in and out of a hypnagogic soundscape of sparse bass solo, soft mallet rumblings and splashing cymbals, before concluding with a looped riff over which Muthspiel lays a sleepy, blues-tinged solo of heavily treated guitar.

So, broad in sonic palette but also mood, as the second piece attests. Prelude to Bach is played on classical guitar with a Ralph Towner-ish feel, supported by subtle splashes and scattered dabs from Brian Blade, and sawing arco bass from Scott Colley. It becomes vaguely baroque towards the end when bass and drums melt away to leave only solo guitar, but the track’s title is more evocative than descriptive. Muthspiel also plays classical guitar on the titular track Dance of the Elders, a graceful pas de deux between guitar and bass that kicks into an equally lovely pas de trois when the drums join in but perhaps flamenco is a better analogy than ballet, judging by the stop-time interlude of clapping and drums. Folksong has the sort of catchy melody Keith Jarrett might have penned; and Cantus Bradus (classical guitar again) is full of spirited arpeggiating.
https://londonjazznews.com/2023/11/20/wolfgang-muthspiel-dance-of-the-elders/

Featured Artists: Wolfgang Muthspiel - Guitars; Scott Colley - Double Bass; Brian Blade - Drums

Dance of the Elders

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Billy Childs - The Winds of Change

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:34
Size: 120,7 MB
Art: Front

( 6:21) 1. The Great Western Loop
(10:32) 2. The Winds Of Change
( 8:02) 3. The End Of Innocence
( 7:12) 4. Master Of The Game
( 7:33) 5. Crystal Silence
( 6:45) 6. The Black Angel
( 6:05) 7. I Thought I Knew

On 2023's The Winds of Change, Billy Childs embraces a thrilling, deeply sophisticated post-bop sound that evokes his work from the early '70s and '80s with artists like Freddie Hubbard and J.J. Johnson. The Winds of Change marks his third album with the jazz-friendly Mack Avenue label, following 2017's Grammy-winning Rebirth and 2020's Acceptance. As with those records, here Childs leads a small group, this time a veritable all-star ensemble featuring trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, bassist Scott Colley, and drummer Brian Blade.

Together,they delve into a mix of originals and covers inspired by Childs' longtime passion for film music, especially the moody West Coast film noir, neo-noir, and hard-boiled soundtracks associated with composers like Jerry Goldsmith, Michel Legrand, and Bernard Herrmann. The opening "The Great Western Loop" (perhaps a reference to Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest?) begins with a spiraling piano riff offset by big, chunky, dark bass hits and Akinmusire's climbing trumpet melody. It's a kinetic, harmonically rich composition that wouldn't sound out of place on any of Freddie Hubbard's fusion-influenced albums.

That song along with the shimmering, late-afternoon balladry of the title track and the slow-churning "The End of Innocence" also feel like a song cycle. Part of this is due to the empathetic interplay between Childs and Akinmusire, who both play with a painterly touch, their shadowy harmonies caressing the vast cityscapes and West Coast mountain ranges the songs seem to conjure. Just as evocative are the covers, including an airy take of Chick Corea's 1972 composition "Crystal Silence" where Akinmusire's breathy trumpet veritably traces the glassy surface of Childs' chordal lake.

There's also a roiling, militaristic rendition of Kenny Barron's "The Black Angel," originally featured on the aforementioned Hubbard's 1970 album of the same name, a further affirmation of the deeply personal influences at play on The Winds of Change.By Matt Collar https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-winds-of-change-mw0003900312

The Winds of Change

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Alex Sipiagin - Equilibrium

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:49
Size: 151,8 MB
Art: Front

( 7:28) 1. Mood 2
(10:58) 2. Equilibrium
( 7:29) 3. Evidence
( 9:02) 4. Sonhando Com O Meu Primeiro Amor
( 3:27) 5. Free 1
( 7:53) 6. High
( 7:26) 7. Good Morning
( 8:28) 8. Blues For Kids
( 3:34) 9. Free 2

Russian native Alex Sipiagin has been a first call trumpeter for several New York big bands for the past five years or so. A veteran of the Mingus Big Band, the Gil Evans Orchestra, and the Dave Holland Big Band, Sipiagin has been a favorite with critics but has yet to break though to the jazz public at large. Over the course of his three previous Criss Cross sides, the trumpeter has shown growth from a mainstream hard bop interpreter to an adventurous post bop progenitor.

Chock full of bristling improvisation, Equilibrium is arguably Sipiagin's best effort to date, and much of this is due to some fine writing no doubt influenced by Holland and a fantastic ensemble that includes saxophonist Chris Potter, pianist David Kikoski, and drummer Gene Jackson. Look no further than a run through Monk's "Evidence to hear that Sipiagin is not interested in run of the mill interpretations, but instead crafts arrangements and originals that are more about an elastic sense of time. Voicing the melody for two saxophones (Potter and David Binney) and his own muted trumpet, Sipiagin changes the rhythmic movement for a slightly off-kilter sound that suits the idiosyncratic nature of the piece to a tee.

Following the extroverted spirit of the opening "Mood 2, the title track, and the previously mentioned "Evidence, a dark and brooding "Sonhando Com O Meu Primeiro Amor by Brazilian heavyweight Toninho Horta finds Sipiagin at his lyrical best with a fat tone reminiscent of Freddie Hubbard. By contrast, the collective improvisation during two takes of "Free confirms that there are two sides to the trumpeter's personality and that he's not afraid to walk a musical tightrope without need for a safety net.

With a total being greater than the mere sum of its parts, Equilibrium serves as a complex and varied showcase for Alex Sipiagin and his top-notch crew of partners in crime. At the rate that he's going, there's no telling what even greater breakthroughs lie ahead for this forward-thinking musician. By C. Andrew Hovan
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/equilibrium-alex-sipiagin-criss-cross-review-by-c-andrew-hovan

Personnel: Alex Sipiagin (trumpet), Chris Potter (saxophones), David Binney (saxophones), David Kikoski (piano), Scott Colley (bass), Gene Jackson (drums)

Equilibrium

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Chris Potter - Got The Keys To The Kingdom: Live At The Village Vanguard

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:21
Size: 140,7 MB
Art: Front

(14:01) 1. You Gotta Move
(10:53) 2. Nozani Na
( 9:01) 3. Blood Count
( 7:26) 4. Klactoveedsedstene
( 6:22) 5. Olha Maria
(13:36) 6. Got The Keys To The Kingdom

There is a lot of heavy ordnance going off during this album. Indeed, the incoming only lets up once, and then briefly, during a performance of Billy Strayhorn's "Blood Count" at the halfway point. For the rest of the sixty-one minutes playing time, the watchword is eruptive. But no PPE is required. The barrage is benign.

This is the third album Chris Potter has recorded live at the Vanguard. The attraction is no surprise. Saxophonists, especially those whose primary horn is the tenor, must get a special charge from performing at the venue immortalised by John Coltrane. Potter leads a quartet completed by pianist Craig Taborn, bassist Scott Colley and drummer Marcus Gilmore. Each has form with Potter, especially Colley and Gilmore: Colley was in the band which recorded Lift (Live At The Village Vanguard) (Sunnyside, 2004) and Taborn in the one which made Follow The Red Line (Live At The Village Vanguard) (Sunnyside, 2007). Gilmore, the youngest member of the group, is no stranger to Potter either. Nor is he, genealogically speaking, a stranger to the Vanguard: his grandfather the great Roy Haynes, sat in for Elvin Jones for a run of "Chasin' The Trane" during Coltrane's historic 1961 residency.

Unlike the two earlier discs, which mostly consisted of Potter originals, Got The Keys To The Kingdom is entirely made up of covers. They are an imaginatively diverse collection: Mississippi Fred McDowell's "You Gotta Move;" "Nozani Na," a Brazilian folk tune collected by Heitor Villa-Lobos and Edgar Roquette-Pinto; Charlie Parker's "Klactoveedsedstene;" Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Olha Maria;" and the title track, a traditional African American spiritual; and the aforementioned "Blood Count." The main soloist is Potter, who must be on-mic for around eighty per cent of the time. Next up is Gilmore, with three killer solos and Taborn with two. Colley steps forward only on the intro to "Olha Maria." The album will shave your ass and Potter deserves an honorary set of keys to the Vanguard on the strength of it.By Chris May
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/got-the-keys-to-the-kingdom-live-at-the-village-vanguard-chris-potter-edition-records

Personnel: Chris Potter: saxophone; Craig Taborn: piano; Scott Colley: bass; Marcus Gilmore: drums.

Got The Keys To The Kingdom: Live At The Village Vanguard

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John Bailey - Time Bandits

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:00
Size: 122,5 MB
Art: Front

(5:12) 1. Time Bandits
(5:39) 2. Various Nefarious
(5:15) 3. Long Ago And Far Away
(6:00) 4. Ode To Thaddeus
(4:05) 5. Oh Man, Please Get Me Out Of Here!
(4:36) 6. She's Leaving Home
(4:20) 7. Rose
(5:55) 8. How Do You Know?
(5:42) 9. Lullaby
(6:13) 10. Groove Samba

Versatile and in-demand trumpeter and composer John Bailey has played alongside Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, Jr., and Latin jazz giants Ray Barretto and Arturo O’Farrill as well as with major jazz musicians in NYC. The backing ensemble he has recruited for Time Bandits, his third album as a leader, is testament to his talent. Fronting a quartet that included mainstay drummer Victor Lewis, esteemed pianist George Cables, and virtuoso bassist Scott Colley, Bailey and crew deliver a varied set of seven originals, five by Bailey and one each by Lewis and Cables. In addition, they tackle a well-known standard, a Beatles tune, and a nod to Bailey’s original mentor, trumpeter Ira Sullivan. Bailey can swing with the best of them and quickly downshift into lovely ballads played on his flugelhorn.

The program opens with Bailey’s title track, the sharp, repetitive bursts from his trumpet inviting his bandmates to join in a swinging tune that bears elements of a New Orleans second line parade, and the bustling bebop heard on NYC’s 52nd street in the ‘50s. Cables is in his element, pushing the rhythm along with Lewis and Colley, each of whom step forward with brief statements of their own. “Various Nefarious” may well be inspired by the COVID viruses and whatever viral element is plaguing our political system (as we write, the Republicans can’t even decide on their leader). Musically, its soul-jazz shuffle fits into an Art Blakey-like groove, one perfectly suited to Blakey alumnus Cables, and perhaps the soulful strains that Bailey absorbed while working with Brother Ray. Colley impresses with his walking bassline and Lewis navigates the combo through those ‘various’ changes.

Bailey and Cables put their own harmonious stamp on Jerome Kern’s “Long Ago and Far Away,” making it a brisk swinger, while the first ballad, “Ode to Thaddeus,” nods to major trumpet influence, Thad Jones with Bailey’s sustained, warm tone and deeply emotive lines leaving no doubt to the degree ofc reverence which he holds for the iconic bandleader. It’s gorgeous statement. Lewis stirs the group to more nodding in his own “Oh Man, Please Get Me Out of Here” as strains of Dizzy, Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, and Woody Shaw echo through Bailey’s high-pitched jabs and the strolling rhythms from Cables, Colley, and Lewis.

The slowed tempo arrangement for The Beatles’ “She’s Leaving Home” is another opportunity to digest the balladry elegance of Bailey and Cable, drawing out a deeper sense of melancholy than the song’s original. Bailey’s “Rose” is the freest flowing of the pieces with a challenging pattern built on five 12-tone rows, with surprises at each turn, like a game of hide-and-seek set to music.

Colley introduces “How Do Know,” by Gary Dial, originally appearing on the 1982 Sprint from Red Rodney and the Ira Sullivan Quintet, this a tribute to Bailey’s aforementioned mentor. We hear Bailey’s flugelhorn on Cable’s standout track, “Lullaby.” The piece originally appeared on Frank Morgan’s 1989 Mood Indigo and has Bailey and Cables in lockstep as a duo rendering the tune with stunning tenderness. Given Bailey’s stints in Latin jazz, he’d be remiss to not include at least one piece of that ilk and does so with his own rollicking closer, “Groove Samba.”

Bailey’s Time Bandits speaks to tradition and a mastery of the various jazz idioms that only a group of this caliber could execute so deftly. It’s a clinic in tone, harmony, swing, balladry, and precise, declarative soloing.By Jim Hynes https://www.makingascene.org/john-bailey-time-bandits/

Personnel: John Bailey - Trumpet; Victor Lewis - Drums; George Cables - Piano; Scott Colley - Bass

Time Bandits

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Alex Sipiagin Quintet - Steppin' Zone

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:16
Size: 140,6 MB
Art: Front

( 5:17) 1. Catalyst (Take 1)
( 7:56) 2. Room 28
( 8:21) 3. Steppin' Zone
(11:13) 4. Spacing
( 8:14) 5. Missouri Uncompromised
( 6:41) 6. Moonstone
( 8:38) 7. Conception
( 4:51) 8. Catalyst (Take 2)

Trumpeter Alex Sipiagin, one of the mainstays of the Mingus Big Band, has some distinguished company on his Criss Cross debut: Chris Potter on tenor sax, David Kikoski on piano, Scott Colley on bass, and Jeff "Tain" Watts on drums. It's highly unlikely that an A-list quintet such as this would let listeners down and, sure enough, the disc swings like crazy from beginning to end. The program is bookended by two takes of Colley's "Catalyst," which the bassist also recorded for his Portable Universe album.

Other highlights include the difficult and seldom-covered "Missouri Uncompromised" by Pat Metheny, Sipiagin's steady-burning "Room 28," and a long take of Kikoski's harmonically free "Spacing." The group slows things down with Toninho Horta's "Moonstone" and the leader's lilting title track. (Their odd-metered interpretation of George Shearing's "Conception" is strikingly similar to the version that appears on George Colligan's Como la Vida Puede Ser.) Bolder and more unorthodox records have been made, but this kind of scorching, straight-ahead musicianship is always a pleasure to hear.By David R. Adler https://www.allmusic.com/album/steppin-zone-mw0000005071

Personnel: Alex Spiagin (trumpet); Chris Potter (tenor saxophone); David Kikoski (piano); Scott Colley (bass); Jeff Watts (drums).

Steppin'Zone

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Franco Ambrosetti - Nora

Styles: Flugelhorn and Guitar Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:03
Size: 127,2 MB
Art: Front

(6:38) 1. Nora's Theme
(7:05) 2. Morning Song
(7:48) 3. All Blues
(5:32) 4. Falling in Love
(5:55) 5. Autumn Leaves
(6:37) 6. Sweet Journey
(6:04) 7. It Happened Quitetly
(8:23) 8. After the Rain

When Alan Broadbent isn't playing extraordinary jazz piano with his trio, he's typically hard at work arranging and conducting a large orchestra for a jazz artist or vocalist. In the case of Swiss flugelhornist Franco Ambrosetti's new album, Nora (Enja), Alan is at the helm of a 22-piece string orchestra, and the result is gorgeous, reflective and perfect for this time of year. The album also features guitarist John Scofield, bassist Scott Colley, pianist Uri Caine and drummer Peter Erskine.

Ambrosetti began his recording career as a leader on trumpet in Milan in 1965 with A Jazz Portrait of Franco Ambrosetti, featuring Franco D'Andrea (p) Giorgio Azzolini (b) and Franco Mondini (d). Remarkably, he is self-taught, and his tone is deliciously embracing. Coming up in Italy over the years, he played with a long list of touring American jazz greats, including Kenny Clarke, Dexter Gordon, Phil Woods, Cannonball Adderley, Geri Allen, Joe Henderson, Michael Brecker and Mike Stern.

John Scofield has recorded with Ambrosetti multiple times. The first was in 1978 on The George Gruntz Concert Jazz Band in Germany, followed by Movies in 1986, Movies, Take 2 in 1988, Cheers in 2017, Long Waves in 2019 and Lost Within You in 2020. For Alan, this is his first Ambrosetti collaboration. And what a score he has written. Ambrosetti was looking for a project on the same scale as Bird With Strings and Clifford Brown With Strings two of his favorite albums that marry a strong soloist and an understanding orchestral background. Mission accomplished on Nora.

The opening track is Nora's Theme by Ambrosetti, which sets the mood. Nora is Nora Helmer, the lead character in Ibsen's A Doll's House. Ambrosetti wrote the theme for a 1997 production of the play that starred his wife, Silli, in the Nora role. So in truth, Nora's Theme is a deep, passionate love song for his wife.

Moving forward, the album feels like the soundtrack to a romantic suspense movie set in Malibu, starring Kim Novak or Sandy Dennis. It's soft and panoramic, but there are undertones of psychological drama to come. The songs that follow Nora's Theme are George Gruntz's Morning Song of a Spring Flower, Miles Davis's All Blues, Victor Feldman's Falling in Love, the standard Autumn Leaves, Ambrosetti's Sweet Journey, Johnny Dankworth's It Happens Quietly and John Coltrane's After the Rain. Alan's arrangements remain wonderfully atmospheric and Ambrosetti's flugelhorn soars gracefully through the mist birdlike, but with strength and purpose.

Ambrosetti's tone throughout has a melancholy, sunny afternoon feel as if you're driving along country roads this fall with the trees ablaze in color. You can't help but think things over as you listen. The combination of Ambrosetti's soulful flugelhorn and Alan's empathetic and ruminative strings pull you in deeper on each track. [Photo above of Alan Broadbent conducting by Joe Vella]

Also unbeatable is the new 3D sound technology used to record the music. The fidelity creates the sensation that you're seated in the middle of the recording studio. As you listen, all that's missing are snapping logs in a fireplace. This album and Alan deserve a Grammy for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album and another for Ambrosetti for Best Improvised Jazz Solo.By Marc Myers https://www.jazzwax.com/2022/10/franco-ambrosetti-nora.html

Personnel: Franco Ambrosetti, flugelhorn; John Scofield, guitar; Scott Colley, bass; Uri Caine, piano; Peter Erskine, drums; Sara Caswell, violin, concertmaster; Alan Broadbent, arranger, conductor

Nora

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Sinne Eeg - Dreams

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:57
Size: 108,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:42)  1. The Bitter End
(4:59)  2. Head Over High Heels
(3:38)  3. Love Song
(4:59)  4. What Is This Thing Called Love
(5:20)  5. Falling In Love With Love
(5:55)  6. Dreams
(4:49)  7. Aleppo
(4:31)  8. Time to Go
(4:35)  9. I’ll Remember April
(3:25) 10. Anything Goes

It has been a while since Danish singer, Sinne Eeg, joined Stunt Records' roster of artists with the album Face the Music (2014), but in a way, her latest album is a new beginning. All sails have been set to make Dreams (2017) the international breakthrough that the singer deserves. In fact, Eeg has already achieved quite a lot, winning prizes and toured internationally, but this album, a partnership between ArtistShare and Stunt Records, signals a rise in ambition. First of all, esteemed jazz writer Neil Tesser has been brought in to write the liner notes and in keeping with the genre, he does not hold back the praise, calling her "the real deal" as he notices her: "emerald tones both light and dark, sometimes throaty or bitingly clear." Tesser touches upon Eeg's biography and mentions her inspiration from church, her fascination with the Great American Songbook, her ability to write her own material and, not least, her pure musicality that comes through in a voice that is like an instrument. 

Her voice is allowed to shine in a band that includes her regular musical companion, pianist, Jacob Christoffersen, and an A-list band featuring the drum-whisperer Joey Baron, Larry Koonse's crisp guitar and not least the superb backing of bassist Scott Colley. Together they explore a repertoire that covers Eeg's self-penned songs, including the political ballad "Aleppo," dedicated to the children of Syria, and the ethereal word-less title track where Eeg sings lines in tandem with Koonse. She also shows her knack for writing a good ballad. "Time to Go" has something of the quality of "Waiting for Dawn," a jewel in Eeg's own catalog. There is also room for tried and true standards like "Anything Goes," "I'll Remember April," "Falling in Love with Love" and "What Is This Thing Called Love," which Eeg tackles with effortless musicality and class, and class is exactly the keyword that describes this album. It shows that Eeg is not only one of Denmark's finest jazz singers, but also a voice that should be able to court an international audience. ~ Jakob Baekgaard https://www.allaboutjazz.com/stunt-records-in-the-spotlight-enrico-pieranunzi-and-sinne-eeg-by-jakob-baekgaard.php

Personnel: Sinne Eeg: vocals; Jacob Christoffersen: piano; Larry Koonse: guitar; Joey Baron: drums; Scott Colley: bass; Warny Mandrup: backing vocals; Lasse Nilsson: backing vocals; Jenny Nilsson: backing vocals.

Dreams

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Luciana Souza - The Book of Longing

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:44
Size: 94,6 MB
Art: Front

(5:14)  1. These Things
(3:27)  2. Daybreak
(4:34)  3. Alms
(4:57)  4. Night Song
(3:12)  5. Paris
(4:00)  6. The Book
(4:47)  7. Tonight
(4:19)  8. We Grow Accustomed to the Dark
(3:14)  9. A Life
(2:56) 10. Remember

Since releasing her Sunnyside debut, The Poems of Elizabeth Bishop and Other Songs in 2000, Brazilian vocalist and composer Luciana Souza has woven poetry into the fabric of her work. Subsequent recordings such as Neruda, Tide, and Speaking in Tongues have all employed this approach as the prime vehicle of creative expression for her as a singer and composer, and she shapes the poems as complementary means in generating human connection and meaning. The Book of Longing is titled after Leonard Cohen's collection of poems, lyrics, and drawings of the same name. Here she strips down her charts to offer a new direction in ten relatively brief songs. Souza chose guitarist Chico Pinheiro and bassist Scott Colley as her accompanists (she provides organic percussion selectively), as well as her husband and longtime producer Larry Klein to helm these sessions. The program includes four works by Cohen, and one each by Edna St. Vincent Millay, Christina Rossetti, and Emily Dickinson, alongside a trio of her own songs. Her own "These Things" offers gently syncopated rhythms and minimal textures provided by strings and whispering percussion, Souza's vocals inhabit words and the spaces between them with disciplined phrasing and concision as her musicians provide a color palette that adds depth and dimension. One cannot help but hear the trace influence of Joni Mitchell on this tune. "Daybreak" hearkens back musically to her Brazilian influences, such as Tom Jobim and Dory Caymmi, as slippery bossa is kissed by chamber jazz. Cohen's "The Book" is a vehicle for Souza's canny ability to find the stillpoint inside a lyric. As Colley's bass highlights the changes, Pinheiro's chord voicings and single-string fills add an airy backdrop to her vocal, enveloping it effortlessly. Souza travels through each syllable in the tune's lyric, imparting tenderness and tolerance amid the melancholy weight of meaning it contains. On "Night Song" (also by Cohen), her wordless vocalese introduction engages in taut yet breezy interplay with her sidemen. Their intuitive soloing is fleet and creates a net for Souza, who bridges the feelings of separation and loneliness in the lyric to the unconditional love it celebrates. Dickinson's "We Grow Accustomed to the Dark" is introduced by a rugged bassline. Along with Pinheiro's guitar, they deliver riffs suggestive of blues and rock. But when Souza begins to sing, she wraps both instrumentation and words in a jazz embrace to quietly dynamic effect. Rossetti's "Remember" is a languid elegy, and Souza allows the words to penetrate her to the marrow. Her painfully intimate delivery equates the oncoming pain of death's impossible-to-bear separation with a present in which two souls are joined in the union of heartbreak and longing. Her desire and acceptance drip like honey from her lips, arresting the moment in time. On Book of Longing, Souza displays yet again, her stark and remarkable originality in works of deceptive simplicity and elegance. The empathy and equanimity she displays with her sidemen is actually the sound of musical and emotional generosity. ~ Thom Jurek https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-book-of-longing-mw0003184454

Personnel:  Luciana Souza - voice & percussion;  Chico Pinheiro - guitar;  Scott Colley - bass

The Book of Longing

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Adam Rogers - Art Of The Invisible

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:03
Size: 140,0 MB
Art: Front

(6:31)  1. Long Ago (And Far Away)
(7:53)  2. Absalom
(6:41)  3. Bobo
(5:30)  4. The Aleph
(6:31)  5. The Invisible
(6:54)  6. Cathedral
(7:54)  7. Book Of Sand
(6:27)  8. In Broad Daylight
(6:37)  9. The Unvanquished

What's the best way to find out who's the best guitarist in New York? Simple-ask a few apple-based guitarists (or any other instrumentalists, for that matter). I've conducted an informal poll and the answer I've gotten more often than not is the leader here, who I've counted among the world's finest plectrists for almost a decade now. 2002 is shaping up to be nothing less than the "Year of Adam Rogers," with a hefty role taken in fantastic new releases by Scott Colley and Alex Sipiagin and notable appearances on Chris Potter's Traveling Mercies , The Mingus Big band's Tonight at Noon and a fairly well-received debut by Miss Norah Jones. Now, finally, Criss Cross Jazz gives us the long deserved and long overdue debut by quite simply, one of the world's finest guitarists- ever.

Adam's been developing his incredible gifts in a variety of genres throughout his career, and clearly finds fascination and inspiration in all musical places; from fusion to pop to mainstream to ethnic to avant-garde. This record finds him at his essence-swinging, mainstream, contemporary, small group, post-bop guitar nirvana. Guitar lovers-stop right now and buy this one before anything else this year because Adam's put himself right at the head of New York's, and therefore the world's, elite cadre of incredible players pushing the instrument's future forward. Highlights? The entirety of the outing swings incredibly hard or waxes gorgeously soft, with one standard and eight originals from Adam's mighty pen. Seems as though Mr. Rogers has known all along that composition, not merely prodigious technique on the instrument, is at the core of consequence on the musical map. That said, his skills as a pure player are absolutely mind-boggling, with long lines and phraseology extending the lineage of Martino, Montgomery and Benson, extruding a tone from a Gibson ES-335 so phat and warm it could be coming from a jazz box three times the width. One of the instrument's great compers as well, he relinquishes that role for the most part here to the refined and harmonically astute pianist Eduardo Simon. What a quartet he's assembled- Michael Brecker Band mates Clarence Penn, who stirs and swings the date hard and is full of surprises on the kit, and Scott Colley, a complete player with velvety tone on acoustic bass, round out the band.

Compositionally, it's full of layers. Listen to "Cathedral" for heart rendering piano and crystalline single note work emphasizing Rogers' mastery of linear phraseology, especially his uncanny ability to speed up and slow down the tempo of any given line and return to the phrase at precisely the right nanosecond. On "Book of Sand" he brings authentic classical technique to the fore while "Broad Daylight" and "Bobo" take Martino's and Montgomery's way with a minor blues to the next level, indeed. I had the pleasure of sitting stage side for Michael Brecker's Boston run last year. After that incredible string of performances, I remember leaving the club thinking Adam had nudged the bar delimiting the role of the small-group guitarist in a pianoless quartet up just a little further than it had been prior to that day. With Art of the Invisible, he's accomplished nothing less than raising the bar for all of mainstream jazz guitardom. ~ Phil DiPietro https://www.allaboutjazz.com/art-of-the-invisible-adam-rogers-criss-cross-review-by-phil-dipietro.php

Personnel: Adam Rogers- guitar, Scott Colley-bass, Edward Simon-piano, Clarence Penn-drums

Art Of The Invisible

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Wolfgang Muthspiel, Scott Colley, Brian Blade - Angular Blues

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:54
Size: 124,0 MB
Art: Front

(7:20)  1. Wondering
(5:55)  2. Angular Blues
(5:15)  3. Hüttengriffe
(7:42)  4. Camino
(3:50)  5. Ride
(6:52)  6. Everything I Love
(7:41)  7. Kanon in 6/8
(3:34)  8. Solo Kanon in 5/4
(5:41)  9. I'll Remember April

Guitarist Wolfgang Muthspiel's fourth leader date for ECM Records and his second trio outing for that storied imprint, following Driftwood (ECM Records, 2014) is a marvel of ingenious interplay, musical sensitivity and absolute sincerity. Joining forces with drummer Brian Blade, a longtime band mate, and bassist Scott Colley, a playing partner from the '90s, Muthspiel delves into the deepest recesses of his mind and sound, delivering a program which is as absorbing as it is refreshing.  Recorded in Tokyo after a three-night, six-set run at that city's Cotton Club, Angular Blues provides a picture of an outfit which is at once relaxed and attentive. The opener "Wondering," with Colley's warm and wide bass in a featured role is marked by gossamer graces and substantial suggestions, as all three parties weave and dance in five while taking to shadows and light. Switching gears with the title track, Muthspiel and company actively engage in somewhat evasive maneuvers, which have a quirky brilliance and mercurial character all their own, while owing acknowledged debts to both Chick Corea's Three Quartets (Warner Music, 1981) and the music of Thelonious Monk. Then, trading in shifty ideals for pure beauty, the trio delivers the soothing "Hüttengriffe." With gorgeous slow-flow aesthetics and a less-is-more outlook, it's easily one of the most attractive tunes on the record (and in Muthspiel's entire catalog).

Muthspiel works with acoustic guitar on that opening third of the album a choice which adds to the quiet and nuanced draw of the music but electric guitar owns the remainder of the program. In some places when he comps behind Colley on "Camino," for example the difference is almost unnoticeable. But the subtle boost in presence, timbre and tonal sustain all become a bit more apparent when he's out front there and in feistier settings, like "Ride." Ultimately, though, Muthspiel's personality remains intact and persuasive, regardless of which instrument he chooses to use. While Angular Blues focuses on original music with those first five numbers, the dynamic "Kanon in 6/8" and the mesmerizing "Solo Kanon in 5/4" all originating from Muthspiel's pen and mind the guitarist breaks from the norm of his previous ECM efforts by including a pair of standards in this set. "Everything I Love," with one of Colley's most memorable solos and some playful trading with Blade, and the album-ending "I'll Remember April," prioritizing melody and vibe, both prove to be standouts and complementary inclusions.
 

Calling this Muthspiel's strongest set for Manfred Eicher's lauded label may downplay the strengths of its forerunners, but that doesn't make it any less true. Angular Blues, both aligned with and apart from that which precedes it, is a winner through and through. ~ Dan Bilawsky https://www.allaboutjazz.com/angular-blues-wolfgang-muthspiel-ecm-records

Personnel: Wolfgang Muthspiel: guitar; Scott Colley: bass, acoustic; Brian Blade: drums.

Angular Blues

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Harold Danko - The Feeling Of Jazz

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1996
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:06
Size: 163,5 MB
Art: Front

(10:58)  1. In a Sentimental Mood
(10:06)  2. Take the Coltrane
( 8:02)  3. Big Nick
( 9:51)  4. Stevie
(12:39)  5. My Little Brown Book
(10:44)  6. Angelica
( 8:43)  7. The Feeling of Jazz

This is an unusual CD. Pianist Harold Danko, tenor saxophonist Rich Perry, bassist Scott Colley, and drummer Jeff Hirshfield perform the same seven songs (in the same order) as Duke Ellington and John Coltrane did during the famous recorded meeting in 1962. These renditions are lengthier than the originals, and there is no attempt to imitate Duke and 'Trane, although their interpretations are purposely hinted at in places. In addition to "In a Sentimental Mood" and "Take the Coltrane," there are revivals of several songs that deserve to become standards: "Big Nick," "Stevie," and the catchy "Angelica." A very enjoyable outing. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-feeling-of-jazz-mw0000095137

Personnel: Piano – Harold Danko; Bass – Scott Colley; Drums – Jeff Hirshfield; Tenor Saxophone – Rich Perry

The Feeling Of Jazz

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Harold Danko - Stable Mates

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1998
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:00
Size: 170,3 MB
Art: Front

(8:20)  1. Con Alma
(6:37)  2. Quietude
(8:46)  3. Windows
(8:06)  4. Gingerbread Boy
(9:41)  5. Dolphin Dance
(4:08)  6. Solar
(6:08)  7. Seven Steps to Heaven
(7:32)  8. Nostalgia in Times Square
(6:21)  9. Line for Lyons
(8:17) 10. Stablemates

It’s a shame that we see so little press for those few working bands currently in existence. It’s bad enough that money and schedules make it difficult to keep any kind of firm line-up in place for very long, making such business enterprises almost unviable these days. Little beyond their developing catalog of SteepleChase sides seems to suggest that the Harold Danko Quintet will be taking the world by storm any time soon, yet the group happens to be of the first rank when it comes to the kind of sympathetic and empathetic ensembles that were almost the norm back in the ‘50s and ‘60s. Together for most of the ‘90s, the Danko Quartet’s fifth set for SteepleChase, Stable Mates, gathers a selection of the type of tunes many developing jazz artists have used to cut their teeth on over the years. The Miles Davis connection is a strong one too, with “Solar” and “Seven Steps to Heaven” on tap, as well as classics from former Davis sidemen Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Victor Feldman, and Jimmy Heath. The sign of a group certain in its abilities and identity, there’s a sense of relaxed confidence that permeates. As a result, the previously mentioned “Seven Steps to Heaven,” which in lesser hands can merely be a lessen in pure speed, bounces at a medium tempo with the support of bassist Scott Colley’s well-placed “steps”. Saxophonist Rich Perry distinguishes himself once again with a liquid tone and seamless technique, the perfect match to Danko’s refined lyricism. Stable mates, band mates, whatever the terminology, the Harold Danko Quartet proves again that it’s all in the chemistry. ~ C.Andrew Hovan https://www.allaboutjazz.com/stable-mates-harold-danko-steeplechase-records-review-by-c-andrew-hovan.php

Personnel: Harold Danko- piano, Rich Perry- tenor saxophone, Scott Colley- bass, Jeff Hirshfield- drums

Stable Mates

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Greg Osby - The Invisible Hand

Styles: Saxophone And Clarinet Jazz
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:20
Size: 150,6 MB
Art: Front

(8:02)  1. Ashes
(5:10)  2. Who Needs Forever
(5:40)  3. The Watcher
(7:40)  4. Jitterbug Waltz
(7:39)  5. Sanctus
(4:32)  6. Indiana
(8:44)  7. Nature Boy
(6:00)  8. Tough Love
(7:29)  9. With Son
(4:22) 10. The Watcher 2

Greg Osby has come a long way from his beginnings in St. Louis playing funk and R&B. His sound crossed our radar screens after moving to Brooklyn and joining forces with Steve Coleman in the mid-‘80s to form M-BASE, an urban-beat driven jazz. Osby had a very calculated, sometimes emotionless sound. It was if he was working equations in his head as he played. Where his older recordings suffered from a staid studio approach, his recent effort, Banned In New York, a live “bootleg” recording, displays Osby as an emotional quick-witted band leader. His last disc, Friendly Fire, a co-led affair with Joe Lovano proved Osby deserves to be considered as one of the top musicians working today. The Invisible Hand is further proof that Osby treads comfortably between the past and, importantly, the future of jazz. Joining him are Gary Thomas and Teri Lynn Carrington from his early Brooklyn days and two of the professor emeriti of jazz, Jim Hall and Andrew Hill. Hall is a guitarist that favors a subtle touch; a peculiar feature for someone so associated with cutting edge jazz. He has recorded classic albums with Sonny Rollins, Lee Konitz, and Paul Desmond. Lately, his Telarc dates have featured his third stream thinking. Andrew Hill’s Blue Note dates of the sixties were cerebral efforts, not quite post-bop and not really free jazz affairs. Early in Osby’s career he was a sideman for the late-‘80s Blue Note comeback of Hill. Likewise, he has recorded on two recent Hall dates. The Invisible Hand trades mathematics for emotion. The slow to mid-tempos presented are fertile grounds for group interplay and interpretation. For instance, they take on Fats Waller’s “Jitterbug Waltz,” a tune forever associated with Eric Dolphy. Rather than compete with our collective memories, Osby deconstructs the composition choosing bug parts over the whole, reworking it as an intellectual exercise. Osby’s deference to his esteemed colleagues shows. A stately and exquisite affair. 

~ Mark Corroto https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-invisible-hand-greg-osby-blue-note-records-review-by-mark-corroto.php  

Personnel: Alto Saxophone, Clarinet, Producer, Liner Notes – Greg Osby; Bass – Scott Colley; Drums – Terri Lyne Carrington; Flute, Flute [Alto], Tenor Saxophone – Gary Thomas; Guitar – Jim Hall; Piano – Andrew Hill

The Invisible Hand

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Alex Sipiagin - Images

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1998
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:02
Size: 117,6 MB
Art: Front

( 8:03)  1. Tarde
( 7:44)  2. Freaker
(11:57)  3. Little Dancer
( 3:26)  4. Song - 1
(12:34)  5. Novgorod Bells
( 7:15)  6. Midwestern Night Dream

"Alex Sipiagin is an amazing musician truly a multifaceted composer, arranger, producer, a wonderful lead trumpet player, and most of all, a completely original trumpet and flugelhorn soloist. As an improviser, he blends his Russian American background into something unique which, quite frankly, astounds me every time I hear him" ~ Randy Brecker, trumpeter. http://www.alexsipiagin.com/

Personnel: Trumpet, Flute, Producer, Arranged By – Alex Sipiagin; Alto Saxophone – David Binney; Bass – Scott Colley; Drums – Jeff Hirshfield; Guitar – Adam Rogers ; Piano, Accordion – Gil Goldstein; Tenor Saxophone – Chris Potter ; Trombone – Joshua Roseman

Images

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Jon Gordon - Jon Gordon Quartet

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1992
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 76:53
Size: 177,5 MB
Art: Front

( 5:48)  1. One For Charles
( 7:30)  2. The Trust Of A Child
( 6:23)  3. Evidence
( 6:04)  4. Time Trap
( 6:25)  5. What's New
( 6:53)  6. Land Of Ephysus
( 7:18)  7. My Shining Hour
(10:07)  8. Earth Song
( 5:36)  9. Pass It On, Jon
(14:46) 10. Jazzspeak

Jon Gordon's U.S. debut as a leader is an impressive start. Clearly one to watch on his main instrument, alto sax, he kicks things off with an uptempo, somewhat exotic original, "One for Charles." He also has a nice sound on the soprano on his engaging ballad "The Trust of a Child." The strong supporting cast was a functioning quartet at the time of the recording: pianist Kevin Hays, bassist Scott Colley and drummer Bill Stewart. Gordon was also clearly inspired by his former teacher, Phil Woods, who is present on several tracks, including an original dedicated to the younger man, "Pass It On, Jon." ~ Ken Dryden https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-jon-gordon-quartet-mw0000932334

Personnel:  Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Jon Gordon;  Alto Saxophone – Phil Woods; Bass – Scott Colley; Drums – Bill Stewart; Piano – Kevin Hays

Jon Gordon Quartet

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Steve Slagle - Alto Blue

Styles: Saxophone Jazz 
Year: 1997
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:21
Size: 139,4 MB
Art: Front

(7:31)  1. Blues not to lose
(5:51)  2. Hail-Bop
(9:22)  3. Full moon
(5:13)  4. Jaco time
(6:01)  5. Detour ahead
(9:52)  6. Peacefully
(9:53)  7. Jump Monk
(6:33)  8. The Midget

Steve Slagle, who has a very appealing tone on alto, strong technique, and a style that is quite versatile, performs seven blues on this exciting set, as well as a flute feature on "Detour Ahead." By varying tempos and grooves (ranging from bebop to Ornette Coleman and a bit of funk), each song manages to have its own personality and a mundane sameness never occurs. Trumpeter Ryan Kisor, who had grown quite a bit during the past few years, seemed at this point to be obviously poised for potential greatness and sounds quite individual. Bassist Scott Colley and drummer Gene Jackson, although in a supporting role, are major assets and work together quite well. The material is made up of four Slagle originals, one song by Dave Stryker, Charles Mingus' "Jump Monk" and Lee Morgan's "The Midget," in addition to "Detour Ahead"; it's consistently colorful and catchy enough to both inspire the musicians and be memorable for the listeners. Highly recommended. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/alto-blue-mw0000597428

Personnel:  Alto Saxophone, Flute – Steve Slagle; Bass – Scott Colley; Drums – Gene Jackson; Trumpet – Ryan Kisor

Alto Blue

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