Stanley Jordan - Relaxing Music For Difficult Situations, I

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:51
Size: 146,2 MB
Art: Front

(63:51) 1. Relaxing Music For Difficult Situations, I

Stanley Jordan's discovery in the early '80s rightfully earned a lot of headlines in the jazz world as he came up with a new way of playing guitar. Although he was not the first to use tapping, Jordan's extensive expertise gave him the ability to play two completely independent lines on the guitar (as if it were a keyboard) or, when he wanted, two guitars at a time. He had originally studied piano, although he switched to guitar when he was 11.

After graduating from Princeton in 1981, Jordan played for a time on the streets of New York. Soon he was discovered, had the opportunity to play with Benny Carter and Dizzy Gillespie, and, after recording a solo album for his own Tangent label, signed with Blue Note. Since then, his career has been surprisingly aimless. Stanley Jordan can play amazing jazz, but he often wastes his talent on lesser material, so one has to be picky in deciding which of his recordings to acquire.

Among his many albums are 1985's Magic Touch, 1986's Standards, Vol. 1, 1990's Stolen Moments, 1994's Bolero, 2003's Dreams of Peace, and 2008's State of Nature. In 2011, Jordan was joined by an all-star lineup featuring saxophonist Kenny Garrett, trumpeter Nicholas Payton, bassist Christian McBride, and drummer Kenwood Dennard for the album Friends. In 2015, Jordan paired up with fellow guitarist Kevin Eubanks for the eclectic, laid-back covers album Duets, which also showcased his piano skills.
By Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/artist/stanley-jordan-mn0000011910#biography

"Music is neurologically processed on different levels," explains Karen Goodman, director of the nearly 40-year-old music therapy program at Montclair State University.

Because music can be processed by several parts of the brain, it can be used as a therapeutic tool, reaching areas of the brain that speech cannot. ("Music begins where words end," as Goethe also noted, long before brain imaging proved him right.)

But what about everyday applications? If music is effective in clinical settings, might it also help you figure out your next step in a crisis or coax your body into action in the midst of despair?

Guitarist Stanley Jordan is among those who believes it can. Several years ago, Jordan sat down with his guitar and played for more than an hour to deal with his anxiety before undergoing extensive dental work.

The result was "Relaxing Music for Difficult Situations," a CD he produced independently while taking a break from the commercial music scene.

"I did this one recording for myself because I had to relax before going to the dentist," Jordan said during a recent telephone interview from his home in Sedona, Ariz. "I had to go for three days of dental work, so I needed something really powerful."

But rather than hearing nervous anxiety in his music, Jordan heard melancholy. "I realized that I was sad because I was disappointed in myself," he said. "The fact that I was having problems with my teeth made it evident that I wasn't really loving myself and taking care of myself."

His music, he said, helped him see the problem in a different light.

https://www.nj.com/homegarden/entertaining/2008/09/guitarist_stanley_jordan_offer.html

Relaxing Music For Difficult Situations, I

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Charnett Moffett - Treasure

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:26
Size: 123,3 MB
Art: Front

(5:38)  1. Swing Street
(7:59)  2. The Celebration
(7:15)  3. The Things of Swing
(6:33)  4. Say La
(3:44)  5. Beam Me Up
(3:21)  6. Praise
(3:19)  7. Country Blues
(2:45)  8. Down Up Blues
(3:59)  9. Say La La
(3:23) 10. Treasure
(2:56) 11. Sound Healing I
(2:28) 12. Sound Healing II

Treasure is the eleventh solo release for veteran bassist Charnett Moffett. Much like his previous efforts, the focus here is on the New York native's jaw-dropping technique on both upright and electric fretless bass. Mixed in with the traditional jazz instrumentation of bass, piano, guitar and drums, Moffett utilizes the more unconventional sounds of tablas, tamboura and sitar to enhance this all-original set of eclectic, swinging music. Although Moffett's performance throughout the disc will undoubtedly make bass players do a double-take, the music reveals much more than mere bass indulgence. Even on the solo bass tracks ("Country Blues," "Sound Healing I," "Sound Healing II"), Moffett's composing emphasizes groove and melody. The opening "Swing Street" maintains an accessible appeal with a funky momentum, in spite of blazing, effects-driven bass licks. The monster-chops showcase "Beam Me Up" reveals a fondness for the late Jaco Pastorius, with Moffett in commanding form on fretless bass. Adding to the tune's intensity is bass clarinetist Oran Etkin and drummer Denardo Coleman, a long-time Moffett musical collaborator. Another frequent associate of Moffett, guitarist Stanley Jordan, makes a guest appearance on two tracks, "The Celebration" and "The Things of Swing," the latter featuring some of the session's most inspired playing. Another bright moment comes with "Say La La," a lengthy, drone-based groove, where Moffett shares melodic duty with Kugo harpist Tomoko Sugawara, aided by sitarist Anjana Roy and Angela Moffett on tambura. Treasure is a welcome addition to Moffett's recorded output. Once again, he continues to find fresh, innovative ways to bring the bass front-and-center.~ John Barron https://www.allaboutjazz.com/treasure-charnett-moffett-motema-music-review-by-john-barron.php

Personnel: Charnett Moffett: upright bass, fretless electric bass, piccolo electric bass; Casimir Liberski: piano (4); Denardo Coleman: drums (1, 5); Rodney Holms: drums (2, 3, 4, 6); Moa Moffett: drums (8), tablas (2, 11, 12); Stanley Jordan (2, 3); Angela Moffett: Tamboura (1-4, 8, 9, 12), vocals (4); Oran Etkin: bass clarinet (1, 3, 5); RJ Avallone: trumpet (2); Irwin Hall: tenor saxophone (2); Anjana Roy: sitar (4, 9); Amareia Moffett: vocals (4); Tomoko Sugawara: Kugo Harp (9); Jana Herzen: didgeridoo (8).

Treasure

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Stanley Jordan - State Of Nature

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 76:50
Size: 176,4 MB
Art: Front

(8:50)  1. A Place In Space
(7:56)  2. All Blues
(3:18)  3. Forest Garden
(5:50)  4. Insensatez (How Insensitive)
(7:34)  5. Mozart's Piano Concerto #21 (Andante in F Major)
(7:09)  6. Song For My Father
(0:33)  7. Mind Games #1
(7:26)  8. Ocean Breeze
(7:32)  9. Healing Waves
(0:49) 10. Mind Games #2
(6:51) 11. Sadow Dance
(0:34) 12. Mind Games #3
(6:29) 13. Prayer For The Sea
(5:54) 14. Steppin' Out

Guitarist Stanley Jordan has been dazzling audiences since the mid-1980s with his innovative, two-hand tapping approach. His 1985 Blue Note Records debut, Magic Touch achieved commercial success and secured his position in the music industry as a bona fide guitar hero. On State of Nature, Jordan's debut for the Detroit-based Mack Avenue Records, Jordan, along with bassist Charnett Moffett and drummers David Haynes and Kenwood Dennard, showcases his pioneering technique through a well conceived program of standards and original material. Highlights include the well arranged lengthy opener "A Place in Space" and the solo guitar tour de force "Andante from Mozart's Piano Concerto #21." For a handful of tracks, the California native adds another dimension to his jaw-dropping technical display by playing piano and guitar simultaneously. It turns out Jordan is no slouch as a pianist, improvising fluid right hand solos with the same emotional fervor he executes on guitar. 

As impressive as this is, however, the decision to showcase such an approach with tired, overdone selections like Miles Davis' "All Blues" and Horace Silver's "Song for My Father" proves to be uneventful. The disc closes with an uplifting romp through Joe Jackson's "Steppin' Out," featuring soulful guitar licks and smooth vocalizing by Jordan's daughter Julia.~John Barron https://www.allaboutjazz.com/state-of-nature-stanley-jordan-mack-avenue-records-review-by-john-barron.php
 

Personnel: Stanley Jordan: guitar; Charnett Moffett: bass; David Haynes: drums; Kenwood Dennard: drums.

State Of Nature

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Kevin Eubanks & Stanley Jordan - Duets

Size: 111,2 MB
Time: 47:47
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz
Art: Front

01. Morning Sun (4:06)
02. Summertime (5:11)
03. Nature Boy (5:40)
04. Someone Like You (5:10)
05. A Child Is Born (6:12)
06. Old School Jam (4:29)
07. Vibes (4:14)
08. Blue In Green (3:10)
09. Lights (5:02)
10. Goin' On Home (4:28)

Guitarists Stanley Jordan and Kevin Eubanks team up for the 2015 Mack Avenue release Duets. An intimate, relaxed album, Duets features the esteemed journeyman artists playing both acoustic and electric instruments on a handful of classic standards, originals, and newer pop tunes. Rather than a cutting session, Duets works more as a laid-back conversation in which both musicians revel in the warmth of each other's sound. While they share a similar style, favoring a clean, unaffected approach to the guitar, there are enough differences in each player's sounds to easily distinguish them on a given track. Jordan favors his innovative touch and tap technique, while Eubanks digs deep into his rounded, woody sound; both of them employ various dynamic volume swells and neck slides. Eubanks and Jordan have led varied, highly successful careers playing music that's often difficult to pin down, touching upon jazz, fusion, instrumental pop, classical, and R&B. Not surprisingly, Duets is marked by this eclecticism and features a wide-ranging list of songs from across the musical spectrum. Primarily, they accompany each other on guitar, but on a handful of tracks, including the duo's soulful rendition of Adele's "Someone Like You," Jordan plays piano and guitar at the same time to wonderful effect. The piano and guitar technique also adds layers of harmonic depth to their poignant, measured arrangement of Thad Jones' "A Child Is Born." Interestingly, Jordan sets his guitar aside completely, choosing instead to fully embrace his inner Bill Evans and accompany Eubanks on piano on their soulful, yearning version of Miles Davis' "Blue in Green." Also engaging are the pair's reworkings of unexpected contemporary pop songs like Ellie Goulding's "Lights"; an electronic pop anthem, Jordan and Eubanks deftly strip the song down to a few simple melodic motifs that capture the atmospheric vibe of Goulding's original, while shading the song with a nuanced soul-jazz romanticism. Ultimately, it’s that kind of creativity and technical skill, matched by Jordan and Eubanks' passion for sound, that make Duets such an enveloping listen.

Duets

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