Christian McBride - Conversations with Christian

Styles: Post-Bop, Straight-Ahead Jazz 

Year: 2011

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 76:27

Size: 175,2 MB

Art: Front

(4:21)  1. Afrika (feat. Angelique Kidjo)

(4:40)  2. Fat Bach and Greens (feat. Regina Carter)

(4:19)  3. Consider Me Gone (feat. Sting)

(6:18)  4. Guajeo Y Tumbao (feat. Eddie Palmieri)

(5:21)  5. Baubles, Bangles and Beads (feat. Roy Hargrove)

(7:07)  6. Spiritual (feat. Dr. Billy Taylor)

(5:09)  7. It's Your Thing (feat. Dee Dee Bridgewater)

(5:32)  8. Alone Together (feat. Hank Jones)

(5:35)  9. McDukey Blues (feat. George Duke)

(9:06) 10. Tango Improvisation #1 (feat. Chick Corea)

(6:39) 11. Sister Rosa (feat. Russell Malone)

(5:36) 12. Shake 'n Blake (feat. Ron Blake)

(6:39) 13. Chitilins and Gelitefish (feat. Gina Gershon)

Plenty of ink has been spilled by those espousing their opinions on the art of the trio, but the duo format doesn't get its due nearly as often either in print or on record. The trio format allows for various permutations in musical interaction, but pairing two artists together is all about direct, head-to-head conversation, and bassist Christian McBride knows a thing or two about this. While McBride has made a name for himself as a go-to bassist for all occasions and styles of music, his podcasts, Sirius-XM Radio Show (The Lowdown: Conversations With Christian McBride) and work as the co-director of The National Jazz Museum in Harlem have also shown the bassist to be an engaging presence in one-on-one games of the aural variety.  While McBride considered the idea of a duo record in the late '90s, he had other things on his mind at the time. Now, more than a decade later, he brings this concept to fruition with some help from thirteen A-list partners. Violinist Regina Carter joins the bassist for a baroque-meets-the-blues exploration of Johann Sebastian Bach's Double Violin Concerto ("Fat Bach And Greens"), vocal-pop icon Sting makes an appearance with guitar-in-hand on "Consider Me Gone," McBride and vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater engage in saucy repartee on the funky and engaging "It's Your Thing," while shtick comes into the picture on a bluesy Jew's harp and vocals-meet-bass number with actress Gina Gershon ("Chitlins And Gefiltefish").

While McBride is more than comfortable and compelling in every setting on this album, the piano and bass partnerships on display seem to rise above the rest of the performances. Eddie Palmieri brings high energy Latin jazz into the mix on "Guajeo Y Tumbao," the dearly departed Dr. Billy Taylor brings a sense of calm and peace to the album with his own "Spiritual," which opens and closes with some gorgeous arco work from McBride, and George Duke delivers the most chops-heavy piano work on the record, with "McDukey Blues." While the late Hank Jones' isn't nearly as aggressive as Palmieri or Duke, his connection with McBride may be more powerful and palpable, and this pair deserves to be dubbed The Great Jazz Duo for this performance. Preconceived notions concerning structure seem to surround most of these numbers, but McBride's duet with pianist Chick Corea is of the organically-developed variety. Suspense-filled sounds and Spaniard-Argentine influences abound as "Tango Improvisation #1" takes shape, but a blues foundation sneaks into the music as the piece develops, and the final act surrounds choppy, paranoid single-note statements from Corea's piano. Conversations With Christian McBride may, ultimately, be critically eclipsed by the bassist's fine big band record, The Good Feeling (Mack Avenue, 2011), that arrived a mere two months before this collection, but that would be a shame. These albums are actually companion pieces that highlight McBride's mastery of all things musical. ~ Dan Bilawsky https://www.allaboutjazz.com/conversations-with-christian-christian-mcbride-mack-avenue-records-review-by-dan-bilawsky.php

Personnel: Christian McBride: bass; Angelique Kidjo: vocals (1); Regina Carter: violin (2); Sting: vocals (3), guitar (3); Eddie Palmieri: piano (4); Roy Hargrove: trumpet (5); Dr. Billy Taylor: piano (6); Dee Dee Bridgewater: vocals (7); Hank Jones: piano (8); George Duke: piano (9); Chick Corea: piano (10); Russell Malone: guitar (11); Ron Blake: tenor saxophone (12); Gina Gershon: vocals (13).

Conversations with Christian                

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Sting - The Dream Of The Blue Turtles

Styles: Vocal, Guitar, Pop/Rock
Year: 1985
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:40
Size: 102,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:16)  1. If You Love Somebody Set Them Free
(3:32)  2. Love Is The Seventh Wave
(3:58)  3. Russians
(5:02)  4. Children's Crusade
(4:50)  5. Shadows In The Rain
(5:42)  6. We Work The Black Seam
(4:20)  7. Consider Me Gone
(1:17)  8. The Dream Of The Blue Turtles
(4:00)  9. Moon Over Bourbon Street
(4:39) 10. Fortress Around Your Heart

The Police never really broke up, they just stopped working together largely because they just couldn't stand playing together anymore and partially because Sting was itching to establish himself as a serious musician/songwriter on his own terms. Anxious to shed the mantle of pop star, he camped out at Eddy Grant's studio, picked up the guitar, and raided Wynton Marsalis' band for his new combo thereby instantly consigning his solo debut, The Dream of the Blue Turtles, to the critical shorthand of Sting's jazz record. Which is partially true (that's probably the best name for the meandering instrumental title track), but that gives the impression that this is really risky music, when he did, after all, rely on musicians who, at that stage, were revivalists just developing their own style, and then had them jam on mock-jazz grooves or, in the case of Branford Marsalis, layer soprano sax lines on top of pop songs. This, however, is just the beginning of the pretensions layered throughout The Dream of the Blue Turtles. Only twice does he delve into straightforward love songs the lovely measured "Consider Me Gone" and the mournful closer, "Fortress Around Your Heart" preferring to consider love in the abstract ("If You Love Somebody Set Them Free," one of his greatest solo singles, and the childish, faux-reggae singalong "Love Is the Seventh Wave"), write about children in war and in coal mines, revive a Police tune about heroin, ponder whether "Russians love their children too," and wander the streets of New Orleans as the vampire Lestat. 

This is a serious-minded album, but it's undercut by its very approach the glossy fusion that coats the entire album, the occasional grabs at worldbeat, and studious lyrics seem less pretentious largely because they're overshadowed by such bewilderingly showy moves as adapting Prokofiev for "Russians" and calling upon Anne Rice for inspiration. And that's the problem with the record: with every measure, every verse, Sting cries out for the respect of a composer, not a pop star, and it gets to be a little overwhelming when taken as a whole. As a handful of individual cuts "Fortress," "Consider Me Gone," "If You Love Somebody," "Children's Crusade" he proves that he's subtler and craftier than his peers, but only when he reins in his desire to show the class how much he's learned. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-dream-of-the-blue-turtles-mw0000201855

Personnel: Sting (vocals, guitar, bass); Branford Marsalis (saxophone, percussion); Frank Opolko (trombone); Kenny Kirkland (keyboards); Danny Quatrochi (Synclavier synthesizer, background vocals); Darryl Jones (bass); Omar Hakim (drums); Eddy Grant (congas); Dolette McDonald, Janice Pendarvis, Pete Smith, Elliot Jones, Jane Alexander, Vic Garbarini, The Nannies Chorus, Rosemary Purt, Stephanie Crewson, Joe Sumner, Kate Sumner, Michael Sumner (background vocals).

The Dream Of The Blue Turtles

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Chris Botti - To Love Again

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:44
Size: 136,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:26)  1. Chris Botti - Embraceable You
(5:05)  2. Chris Botti Feat. Sting - What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life?
(5:41)  3. Chris Botti Feat. Paula Cole - My One And Only Love
(3:12)  4. Chris Botti Feat. Michael Bublé - Let There Be Love
(3:59)  5. Chris Botti - What's New
(6:13)  6. Chris Botti Feat. Jill Scott - Good Morning Heartache
(4:38)  7. Chris Botti - To Love Again
(4:01)  8. Chris Botti Feat. Paul Buchanan - Are You Lonesome Tonight
(4:50)  9. Chris Botti Feat. Gladys Knight - Lover Man
(4:18) 10. Chris Botti Feat. Billy Childs - I'll Be Seeing You
(3:46) 11. Chris Botti Feat. Renee Olstead - Pennies From Heaven
(5:07) 12. Chris Botti Feat. Rosa Passos - Here's That Rainy Day
(4:22) 13. Chris Botti Feat. Steven Tyler - Smile

Clearly a ballad album, To Love Again combines Chris Botti's warm trumpet tone and immaculate articulation with strings on a program designed to cure what ails ya. Guest vocalists make the session appeal to a broad audience, while the trumpeter's focus on his intimate ensemble interpretations remains its healthiest feature. His trumpet mastery has developed into a cornucopia of rich fascination. With familiar standards such as "I'll Be Seeing You," "What's New?" and "Embraceable You," Botti lets his open horn shower its melody as if from on high. Gracefully moving from phrase to phrase with a seamless fragrance, the trumpeter enjoys a vocal-like presence that speaks everybody's language. Throughout the history of civilization, ballads have defined communication in its purest form. From the earliest sacred works to opera, folk, pop and rock, the ballad has always held its own. Botti communicates in that universal language that we've been talking about for ages. 

His original "To Love Again" purrs quietly with a smooth, muted trumpet texture that glides stealthily in the night. If Romeo were to enlist the support of this quintet, he'd win Juliet's heart during the overture; before the curtain ever rises. Botti's guest vocalists prove convincing. Michael Bublé swings with a Sinatra swagger. Paula Cole adds heartfelt passion, while Sting questions with sincere honesty. Jill Scott turns in a hip interpretation of "Good Morning, Heartache" that recalls Billie Holiday (just a little). Paul Buchanan expresses with breathy over-emotion, while Gladys Knight turns in a beautiful interpretation of "Lover Man." She's matched with Botti's golden open horn in a teary-eyed adventure. Rosa Passos sings quietly with a hushed presence, while Steven Tyler closes the album with an aching "Smile." Young Renee Olstead sings an old song, "Pennies from Heaven," with a hearty big band arrangement backing her. She, Botti, and the band swing with a jovial mood that contrasts with the rest of the program. It's one of the best tracks, too, putting the trumpeter in the role of Harry James. Ballads make the world go 'round. Chris Botti can be welcomed into every living room, every automobile sound system, and every portable set of earphones, because he communicates freely in a language that we can all understand. ~ Jim Santella   http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=19527#.U0SaB1dSvro

Personnel: Chris Botti: trumpet; Billy Childs: piano, Fender Rhodes; Anthony Wilson: guitar; Robert Hurst, Arnie Somogyi, Christian McBride: bass; Billy Kilson, Vinnie Colaiuta: drums; Paulinho da Costa: percussion; Heitor Pereira: guitar (2); Dean Parks: guitar (13); Brian Bromberg: bass (14); Richard Cottle: Hammond organ (10); Greg Phillinganes: Fender Rhodes (6); Peter Erskine: drums (10); Paula Cole: vocal (3); Michael Bublé: vocal (4); Sting: vocal (2); Jill Scott: vocal (6); Steven Tyler: vocal (14); Gladys Knight: vocal (10); Renee Olstead: vocal (12); Rosa Passos: vocal (13); Paul Buchanan: vocal (8); London Session Orchestra 2005.

To Love Again

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