Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:24
Size: 136,4 MB
Art: Front
(6:26) 1. Raincheck
(7:46) 2. Tonight A Shall Sleep
(8:18) 3. Angelica
(7:22) 4. I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart
(5:53) 5. It Don't Mean A Thing
(7:07) 6. Something To Live For
(7:18) 7. The Star Crossed Lovers
(9:10) 8. The Feeling Of Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:24
Size: 136,4 MB
Art: Front
(6:26) 1. Raincheck
(7:46) 2. Tonight A Shall Sleep
(8:18) 3. Angelica
(7:22) 4. I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart
(5:53) 5. It Don't Mean A Thing
(7:07) 6. Something To Live For
(7:18) 7. The Star Crossed Lovers
(9:10) 8. The Feeling Of Jazz
Here's a refreshing take on Ellingtonia, one that doesn't rely on the overdone ("Take the A Train," "Perdido") or easy ("C-Jam Blues"). Canadian native Grant Stewart brings a post-Swing, combo approach to his Ellingtonia, even going so far as to reference Max Roach, Sonny Rollins, Charles Mingus, Thelonious Monk/John Coltrane collaboration. The tenor saxophonist, whose own distinctive style has echoes of Clifford Jordan and later Al Cohn in tone and conception, leads a pos tbop/hard bop-leaning quartet with pianist Tardo Hammer, bassist Paul Gill and drummer Joe Farnsworth.
All of the material here should be familiar to fans of Ellingtonia with one exception: "Tonight I Shall Sleep," a ballad the Ellington Orchestra first recorded in 1945 with guest soloist Tommy Dorsey limning the melody on trombone. Stewart brings a rich warm tone and Dorsey-like legato approach to both the melody and his lyrical solo. Hammer's delicate, mostly single-note solo lines are reminiscent of the late John Lewis. And the ending tenor coda, with its unresolved chord echoing the conclusion of "Lush Life," suggests Strayhorn may have had a hand in the tune, although it's credited solely to Ellington. Stewart ups the tempo, via Bob Mover's chart, of "Something to Live For," revs up "It Don't Mean a Thing" to bebop speed and excavates a bluesy groove on "The Feeling of Jazz." "Raincheck" and "I Let A Song Go Out of My Heart" demonstrate the charms of melodic substance to swing, while "Star-Crossed Lovers" from The Shakespearean Suite, is a tribute to alto saxophonist Johnny Hodges' sumptuous style. ~ George Kanzler http://www.allaboutjazz.com/plays-the-music-of-duke-ellington-and-billy-strayhorn-grant-stewart-sharp-nine-records-review-by-george-kanzler.php
All of the material here should be familiar to fans of Ellingtonia with one exception: "Tonight I Shall Sleep," a ballad the Ellington Orchestra first recorded in 1945 with guest soloist Tommy Dorsey limning the melody on trombone. Stewart brings a rich warm tone and Dorsey-like legato approach to both the melody and his lyrical solo. Hammer's delicate, mostly single-note solo lines are reminiscent of the late John Lewis. And the ending tenor coda, with its unresolved chord echoing the conclusion of "Lush Life," suggests Strayhorn may have had a hand in the tune, although it's credited solely to Ellington. Stewart ups the tempo, via Bob Mover's chart, of "Something to Live For," revs up "It Don't Mean a Thing" to bebop speed and excavates a bluesy groove on "The Feeling of Jazz." "Raincheck" and "I Let A Song Go Out of My Heart" demonstrate the charms of melodic substance to swing, while "Star-Crossed Lovers" from The Shakespearean Suite, is a tribute to alto saxophonist Johnny Hodges' sumptuous style. ~ George Kanzler http://www.allaboutjazz.com/plays-the-music-of-duke-ellington-and-billy-strayhorn-grant-stewart-sharp-nine-records-review-by-george-kanzler.php
Personnel: Grant Stewart: saxophone; Tardo Hammer: piano; Paul Gill: bass; Joe Farnsworth: drums.
Plays The Music Of Duke Ellington & Billy Strayhorn