Bob Florence Limited Edition - Eternal Licks and Grooves

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 70:23
Size: 161,9 MB
Art: Front

(14:03)  1. Eternal Licks And Grooves
( 6:15)  2. Claire De Lune
( 8:08)  3. Mirror Images
( 6:34)  4. Guiding Star
(12:15)  5. Invitation
( 9:30)  6. I'm Old Fashioned
(13:34)  7. Appearing In Cleveland

In a world of unrestrained hyperbole, where competent athletes are superstars and slim, attractive women supermodels, words like awesome, spectacular, phenomenal, superlative and breathtaking are too often over-used and undeserved. But not in this case. On Eternal Licks and Grooves, the Bob Florence Limited Edition is awesome, its soloists spectacular, guest artists Carl Saunders, Scott Whitfield and Peter Erskine phenomenal, Florence's piano playing superlative, his compositions and arrangements breathtaking. Florence, who recently turned seventy-five, has recorded more than a dozen big-band albums starting with Name Band 1959 (Carlton) and this may well be the best one yet. That's not hype; simply a fact. From "Eternal Licks and Grooves, commissioned to honor Count Basie, through "Appearing in Cleveland, his memorable salute to Stan Kenton, Florence operates with the unerring skill of a master surgeon, scrupulously appraising whole themes or fragments thereof and carefully splicing them together as only he can to produce fresh and exciting musical expositions. About his buoyant arrangement of "Claire de Lune, Florence writes, "When I do an arrangement of a standard composition, I become the composer, an assertion that applies not only to Claude Debussy's classic work but to Bronislaw Kaper's "Invitation and Jerome Kern / Johnny Mercer's "I'm Old Fashioned, each of which glistens in Florence's capable hands. Besides "Grooves and "Cleveland, Florence wrote "Mirror Images and co-wrote "Guiding Star with Fred Manley.

Florence puts Whitfield to work immediately, and the trombonist responds with a blistering solo on "Grooves, complementing thermal statements by guitarist Larry Koonse, tenor Tom Peterson, trumpeter Larry Lunetta and drummer Erskine (who kicks the band relentlessly throughout). Florence's exquisite solo piano introduces "Claire de Lune, on which trumpeter Saunders is typically astonishing, even inserting a brief quote from "Autumn Serenade (if there's a better all-around trumpeter playing today, I've yet to hear him). The melodious "Mirror Images (denoting Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn) features Don Shelton's sensuous soprano sax, the lovely ballad "Guiding Star Bob Carr's supple baritone sax and Bob McChesney's satiny trombone. As on "Claire de Lune, Florence adroitly states the melody on "Invitation and "Old Fashioned before gently but persistently taking the standards where he wants them to go. Florence, tenor Jeff Driskill, trumpeter Steve Huffsteter and bassist Trey Henry are showcased on the former, trombonist Alex Iles and alto Kim Richmond on the latter (Richmond's amiable solo is especially charming). The inspired soloists on "Cleveland are Florence, Koonse, baritone Bob Efford and trumpeter Ron Stout. Truth be told, there's neither a weak spot nor false note on the album. At the risk of sounding, well, hyperbolic, one could easily make the case that Eternal Licks and Grooves is an unequivocal masterpiece. In the end, however, that's up to each listener to decide. ~ Jack Bowers https://www.allaboutjazz.com/eternal-licks-and-grooves-bob-florence-mama-records-review-by-jack-bowers.php

Personnel: Bob Florence: composer, arranger, piano; Pete DeSiena: trumpet, flugelhorn; Lee Thornburg: trumpet, flugelhorn; Larry Lunetta: trumpet, flugelhorn; Steve Huffsteter: trumpet, flugelhorn; Ron Stout: trumpet, flugelhorn; Don Shelton: alto, soprano sax, clarinet; Kim Richmond: alto, soprano sax, clarinet; Jeff Driskill: tenor sax, clarinet; Tom Peterson: tenor sax, clarinet; Billy Kerr: tenor sax, clarinet; Bob Efford: baritone sax, bass clarinet; Bob Carr: baritone sax, e flat contra alto clarinet; Charlie Loper: trombone; Alex Iles: trombone; Bob McChesney: trombone; Craig Gosnell: bass trombone; Larry Koonse: guitar; Trey Henry: bass. Guests: Peter Erskine: drums; Carl Saunders: trumpet; Scott Whitfield: trombone.

Eternal Licks and Grooves

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Scott Whitfield - New Jazz Standards (Volume 2)

Styles: Trombone Jazz
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 75:15
Size: 173,7 MB
Art: Front

(6:07)  1. Prudence
(6:30)  2. More Wine
(5:46)  3. Big Darlin
(6:14)  4. Melodocity
(6:24)  5. I Remember Thad
(5:49)  6. B Squad Blues
(6:13)  7. Gamma Count
(6:21)  8. Lolly's Folly
(6:50)  9. Juarez
(6:07) 10. Another Tune for Bernie
(5:53) 11. Last Night's Samba
(6:54) 12. Symphonky Blues

On New Jazz Standards, Volume 2 (yes, the title may seem a tad optimistic at first glance; more about that later), trombonist Scott Whitfield leads a well-honed quartet playing the music of Carl Saunders. If the name Carl Saunders is new to you, he is quite simply one of the finest jazz trumpeters you've never heard and he may well be one of the best composers too. As for Whitfield, Saunders' personal choice to preside over this album, he is one of the Los Angeles area's foremost jazz trombonists, one who has led big bands on both coasts, played with a number of others, recorded ten albums as a leader and more than fifty as a sideman while "doubling" as a vocalist with wife Ginger Berglund and teaching at San Jose State University. If that sounds like a heavy schedule, it is and as you will hear, for good reason. When Saunders isn't playing trumpet in some group or other which, it must be said, isn't often and when he has free time during gigs, he writes. And writes prolifically. In fact, Saunders recently assembled more than three hundred of his compositions in book form and published it as New Jazz Standards, hence the name of this album, Volume 1 of which featured the late flutist Sam Most (Summit Records 630). 

Most was a master craftsman, as is Whitfield. Few contemporary trombonists can match Whitfield's clarity of tone or technical dexterity, traits that bring to mind such past masters as Carl Fontana, Urbie Green, Bill Harris and Jimmy Cleveland. And as for improvisation and flat-out swinging, he sets the bar high there as well. Saunders not only chose his helmsman well, he gave him a backup crew that is second to none, anchored by timekeeper par excellence Peter Erskine and featuring the always-resourceful pianist Christian Jacob and metronomic bassist Kevin Axt.  As to Saunders' themes, they are consistently bright and charming. While the presence of any new jazz standards is for listeners to determine, there's no doubt that Saunders has a keen ear for captivating melodies and the ability to arrange them in a tasteful and harmonious musical context. Most of them aren't based on popular standards, a staple of many jazz composers, but created out of whole cloth using only Saunders' fertile imagination as groundwork. The results are never less than admirable and often brilliant, ranging from ballads to blues, Latin to funk and straight-ahead swing. To add variety, Whitfield is overdubbed on four tracks to form a trombone choir. He and the quartet are superb, as are Saunders' prospective New Jazz Standards, which await only the auspicious verdict of an impartial jury. ~ Jack Bowers https://www.allaboutjazz.com/new-jazz-standards-volume-2-scott-whitfield-summit-records-review-by-jack-bowers.php

Personnel: Scott Whitfield: trombone;  Christian Jacob: piano;  Kevin Axt: bass;  Peter Erskine: drums;  Carl Saunders: composer, arranger.

New Jazz Standards (Volume 2)

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Scott Whitfield - Speaking Of Love

Styles: Vocal And Trombone Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:09
Size: 157,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:08)  1. A Beautiful Friendship
(4:20)  2. Sugar
(4:25)  3. Come To Me
(5:49)  4. I'm Getting Sentimental Over You
(6:32)  5. I'm A Romantic Sap
(5:44)  6. Adagio In Pearl
(4:18)  7. Two People
(5:09)  8. It's You!
(8:07)  9. Only At Lonely Times
(4:17) 10. I Love You
(4:48) 11. What Went Wrong
(5:16) 12. I Can't Give You Anything But Love
(1:56) 13. When I Fell In Love
(4:14) 14. All Of You

Coated with sugar and filled with swing, Speaking of Love offers a blast from the past as Scott Whitfield scat sings with the enthusiasm of Mel Tormé, introduces a vocal quartet that recalls the Four Freshmen, teams with guest artists Cheryl Bentyne, Bucky Pizzarelli, Marvin Stamm, Memo Acevedo and Scott Robinson, and adds lovely trombone melodies to enhance the romance. Through original songs and memorable standards, Whitfield brings an upbeat message of good cheer to the forum. His trombone dashes and darts gracefully through casual melodies and invites camaraderie from his sidemen. On "Adagio in Pearl, for example, he introduces the reflective piece with a mellifluous trombone soliloquy and follows later with a velvet interlude that supports the vocal duet between himself and Bentyne quite well. Trumpeter Stamm and saxophonist Robinson add considerably to the session's swinging spirit, while Whitfield's rhythm section provides a strong foundation. The big surprise of the album is the Manhattan Project, which provides stellar examples of lyrical delight. The group is right on target, and each member plays an instrument too. Whitfield is at his best on trombone. While he scat sings quite well, his vocal lyric interpretations are not warm, convincing or thrilling. There's a great contrast between his vocals and those of his guests. He seems to enjoy singing, but he never gets deep enough into his subject matter to make a difference. Whitfield's singing takes a significant turn on "I Can't Give You Anything But Love, where his manner comes close to an impersonation of Dean Martin. It's better than the rest of the program, but his "main squeeze rests with the love that he gets from his trombone. The instrument never fails to give Whitfield a clear picture of what he wants to express. ~ Jim Santella https://www.allaboutjazz.com/speaking-of-love-scott-whitfield-summit-records-review-by-jim-santella.php

Personnel: Scott Whitfield: vocals, trombone, arranger; Ted Kooshian: piano; Mary Ann McSweeney: bass; Willard Dyson, Terry Clarke: drums; The Manhattan Vocal Project: Pete McGuinness, Scott Whitfield, Kevin Osborne: vocals, trombone; Joe Elefante: vocal, alto saxophone; Special Guests: Bucky Pizzarelli: guitar; Cheryl Bentyne: vocals; Marvin Stamm: trumpet, flugelhorn; Memo Acevedo: percussion; Scott Robinson: tenor saxophone, bass saxophone, bass flute.

Speaking Of Love

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