John Hollenbeck, Alban Darche, Samuel Blaser, Sebastien Boisseau - JASS

Styles: Avant-Garde Jazz 
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:26
Size: 114,1 MB
Art: Front

(4:55)  1. Recurring Dreams
(3:07)  2. Saj's
(5:27)  3. Jazz Envy
(5:36)  4. Water
(6:38)  5. Limp Mint
(5:45)  6. Driving License
(6:16)  7. No D
(4:49)  8. Miss Universe 2031
(3:25)  9. It Began to Get Dark
(3:24) 10. Tricephale

J.A.S.S. as in the first letters of the names of American drummer John Hollenbeck, French saxophonist Alban Darche and double bassist Sébastien Boisseau and Swiss trombonist Samuel Blaser. But Jass also as the term used by the Original Dixieland Jass Band in March 1917 for the very first jazz-album recording or just the name of centuries-old popular card game in Switzerland and Austria.  All of the above references relevant to this quartet who first played together in Berlin in July 2011 and recorded its debut after an artist's residency in Nantes, France, the hometown of Darche and Boisseau. The music features the highly personal, distinct compositional skills of Hollenbeck, Darche and Blaser, observing in an amused manner on the history of jazz, and packed with strong, playful and nuanced melodies. This collective quartet keeps a delicate balance between its four musicians, emphasizing the organic highly melodic flow within its compact, well-constructed compositions. Darche and Blaser's playing stresses a beautiful singing and conversational quality while Hollenbeck and Boisseau vary the rhythmic basis constantly, alternating between loose pulses, exploratory sounds, and light swinging ones.

The quartet enables Hollenbeck to re-contextualize some of his past compositions within a new setting. "Jazz Envy," which he previously performed, and Jazz Bigband Graz on Joys & Desires (Intuition, 2005), is anchored within a strong pulse, but within this rhythmic framework the musicians have the freedom to keep exploring its theme. "Limp Mint," originally from Claudia Quintet's Semi Formal (Cuneiform, 2005) retains its dramatic story narrative, delivered now from four sonic angles that intensify its enigmatic story lines. "No D," from Claudia Quintet debut (CRI, 2002) has the most complex and demanding structure, shifting between pulses and cyclical loose, and dense forms of interplay. Darche's "Water" and "Driving License" highlights the immediate, intuitive bond with Blaser. Both exchanging back and forth ideas, constructing thick, detailed articulations. His ironic "Miss Univers 2031" and "Tricéphale" unfold like a dense stories with many twists. Blaser's two compositions, "Recurring Dreams" and "It began to get gark," stress his unique, searching vocabulary on the trombone. Highly impressive debut that calls for following meetings of this quartet. ~ Eyal Hareuveni https://www.allaboutjazz.com/jass-john-hollenbeck-alban-darche-sebastien-boisseau-samuel-blaser-yolk-records-review-by-eyal-hareuveni.php
 

Personnel: Samuel Blaser: trombone; Alban Darche: tenor saxophone; Sébastien Boisseau: double bass; John Hollenbeck: drums.

JASS

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Annekei - Tsuki

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:21
Size: 125,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:31)  1. Tsuki
(3:17)  2. That's All
(4:46)  3. Arigato Gozaimasu
(3:49)  4. Only You
(4:52)  5. Both Sides Now
(4:48)  6. Dirt in Your Pocket
(4:15)  7. Everly
(3:35)  8. Why?
(3:46)  9. Refill of Inspiration
(5:12) 10. What You Like
(3:59) 11. What is Your Problem?
(4:23) 12. Towani
(3:00) 13. At Home

Annekei grew up in a family of music. Her parents were both jazz musicians and her 4 brothers - just like herself - mastered their instruments at a very young age.  She sings, plays the piano and guitar in addition to writing and arranging her own material.  At 19-years-old, Annekei moved from her home country, Denmark, to pursue her musical ambitions in New York City. Since her arrival in 2002, the young singer has been performing venues as varied as Joe's Pub, Pianos, The Metropolitan Cafe, Rockwood Music Hall, The Living Room, Bowery Poetry Club, Suite 16, The Cutting Room, Blue Note, The Bitter End and Fez under Time Cafe. In 2003 she made it to the finals of the amateur night competition on the TV show, "Showtime at The Apollo", performing her original song "Close Your Eyes". 2 years later, her single "More Of Your Love" broke on the club scene in the UK. In 2006 she signed with a Japanese label and released her self-titled debut album in September the same year. The single "Brother" made it to #4 on the Japanese charts within 2 weeks of release, rose to #1 vocal album on Japanese iTunes and landed her the title: "Best New Foreign Artist" at the AD LIB AWARDS 2006. Her second solo album "Tsuki" dropped only 9 months after the debut, followed up by the collaboration project "Letter" with Korean guitarist Jack Lee. In June this year Annekei released her 3rd solo album "Touch" produced by legendary guitarist Lee Ritenour and featuring a prolific group of musicians from Los Angeles. She is currently touring Asia in support of the record, as well as bi-coastal'y writing and recording for her 4th album. http://annekei.com/files/html/bio.html

Tsuki

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Gary Peacock & Bill Frisell - Just So Happens

Styles: Jazz, Post-Bop
Year: 1994
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:47
Size: 118,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:40)  1. Only Now
(6:14)  2. In Walked Po
(3:21)  3. Wapitis Dream
(3:30)  4. Home on the Range 1
(5:05)  5. Home on the Range 2
(2:54)  6. Through a Skylight
(3:01)  7. Red River Valley
(4:34)  8. Reciprocity
(5:25)  9. Good Morning Heartache
(4:53) 10. N.O.M.B.
(8:05) 11. Just So Happens

In the early 90’s, the folks at “Postcards” consistently produced some of the finest jazz recordings to hit the stores while featuring artists such as Alan Pasqua, Reggie Workman and here, the teaming of guitarist Bill Frisell and bassist Gary Peacock. Thankfully, Arkadia records have taken ownership of the catalogue and from all appearances, retain the original artwork and packaging. The pairing of Bill Frisell and Gary Peacock is sheer delight as their respective careers in jazz and beyond are well documented. Peacock’s deep, resonant wooden tone along with Frisell’s at times cosmic inventions work extremely well in this setting. Pieces such as “Only Now” and “In Walked Po” are engaging forays into inventive dialogue, brief jagged statements and clever articulations. The duo often sound as if they were putting a jigsaw puzzle together from scratch! Their rendition of the American classic “Home On The Range” is often bluesy in scope yet with Frisell’s astonishing technique and gregarious phrasing, the tune evolves into an ethereal dreamscape. On “Reciprocity” Peacock displays his commanding presence as Frisell’s weaving tapestries of tonal colors offer elegance and contrasts well with Peacock’s deft single note statements. Frisell picks up the acoustic guitar on the laid back “Good Morning Heartache” while vivid imagery prevails on “Just So Happens”. Throughout, Frisell and Peacock lay it on the line via simple elegance, finesse and improvisation of the highest order although most if these compositions are structured yet maintain a relaxed and loose vibe. Recommended. ~ Glenn Astarita https://www.allaboutjazz.com/just-so-happens-gary-peacock-postcards-review-by-glenn-astarita.php

Personnel: Gary Peacock (bass); Bill Frisell (guitar).

Just So Happens

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Albert Heath, Ben Street & Ethan Iverson - Philadelphia Beat

Styles: Jazz, Post-Bop
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:25
Size: 115,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:24)  1. Bag's Groove
(3:50)  2. Reets and I
(3:44)  3. I Will Survive
(4:49)  4. Concorde
(6:15)  5. Memories of You
(3:04)  6. Con Alma
(3:02)  7. Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme
(3:30)  8. Bye-Ya
(4:52)  9. Everything Must Change
(4:09) 10. Speak Low
(3:19) 11. Pentatonic Etude
(5:22) 12. Bakai

Eighty years of fragrance are those of Albert "Tootie" Heath , judging by the quality of the game basted in a trio with the plan of Ethan Iverson and the bass of Ben Street , a game now in its third and most successful hand, voted in the rules unwritten of the jazz school in Philadelphia. A Magisterium, to Heath, formed on lightness, taste subtraction, it said in decades of acquaintances at the top of the history of jazz (asArt Farmer to Yusef Lateef , as Dexter Gordon to John Coltrane, down to Anthony Braxton and Roscoe Mitchell ...) This trio seems to deepen the attitude of Iverson to break down to a minimum the syntax of the standards: where with the Bad Plus pianist uses the art of a baroque masked, with an overload of dynamics, here on the contrary he seems even to dry the pasta of the agreements, insisting on a melodic cantabile whose irregularities mention with continuous syncopations and thin contour colors. The bank that the low Street is able to offer the pianist stands out tonally sense that rhythm, chasing osmosis perfectly realized. The percussion of the great Heath start dancing and lead with extraordinary skill, suggesting unexpected openings, ironic asides, punctuation scathing. It is a different way short of remaking the classic feel of this formula, in a path that draws Iverson still following in the footsteps of a genealogy piano: John Lewis , Lennie Tristano ,Bud Powell , Thelonious Monk , Mal Waldron .

There is the scent of Modern Jazz Quartet in several episodes, the initial "Bag's Groove" to an enchanting "Concorde" which cites the beginning Heath the "I'm an Old Cowhand" rollinsiana. The Powell-Monk line (so to speak ..) passes through the beauty of "Reets and I" up to a luxury "Bye-Ya" which pays tribute to Heath Art Blakey and feels ... An alienating treatment is reserved the cult of the album "I Will Survive," loved by Iverson to the point of even sing live (heard years ago in trio Billy Hart ): here the theme is announced by a whirlwind of color scales and slightly dissonant harmony. But think now not too speculative transactions: the music remains clear and fresh, even in the simple magic tricks. How to confirm the literal reading of "Everything Must Change," with reference to that of Mal Waldron of almost thirty years ago, and the Afro-Cuban of "Bakai" which closes the program.  Libretto of very well done CD, with introductions to individual pieces of Iverson , vintage photos of Tootie with Hi-Tones and Bee-Boppers and other current, taken to the mythical Clef Club next door to friends Buster Williams , Mickey Roker , Sam Reed. ~ Stefano Merighi  https://www.allaboutjazz.com/philadelphia-beat-albert-tootie-heath-ethan-iverson-ben-street-sunnyside-records-review-by-stefano-merighi.php (Translate by Google)

Personnel: Albert Tootie Heath: drums; Ethan Iverson: piano, electric piano; Ben Street: bass.

Philadelphia Beat

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Joel Harrison - 3 + 3 = 7

Styles: Guitar Jazz 

Year: 1996

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 55:52

Size: 128,7 MB

Art: Front

(5:19)  1. Ratrace

(2:32)  2. Protest

(6:10)  3. Kali

(7:12)  4. Seven Angels

(4:21)  5. Broderick Crawford's Throat

(7:37)  6. Lovingkindness

(9:44)  7. Someday Earth (For Don Cherry)

(5:14)  8. Child's Dream

(4:25)  9. Cold Day In New York

(3:16) 10. Skin Frontier

San Francisco's guitarist Joel Harrison debuted with the ambitious 3+3=7 (1996) for three guitars and three percussionists, but then wasted his talent on the brief vignettes of Range of Motion (1997) and the confused hodgepodge of Transience (2001).  After relocating to New York, he continued to alternate off lightweight works such as Free Country (2003), a country-music tribute featuring Norah Jones on vocals, Dave Binney on alto sax, violinist Rob Thomas, pianist Uri Caine, and Tony Cedras on accordion, and its follow-up So Long 2nd Street (2004), not to mention the George Harrison tribute Harrison on Harrison (2005), with important and difficult projects such as the post-fusion Harbor (2007), featuring guitarist Nguyen Le, David Binney, and Jamey Haddad, The Wheel (2008), a six-movement suite for guitar and double quartet (string quartet and jazz quartet),  Passing Train (2008) is a collection of songs. Urban Myths (2009) sounds like a tribute to jazz-rock of the 1970s (including the funky Mood Rodeo). Search (2012), featuring saxophonist Donny McCaslin, pianist Gary Versace, violinist Christian Howes, cellist Dana Leong, bassist Stephan Crump, and drummer Clarence Penn is a mixed bag but it contains two of his high-brow compositions: Grass Valley and Beyond and A Magnificent Death.  Holy Abyss (Cuneiform, 2012) was a collaboration with Italian bassist Lorenzo Feliciati featuring trumpeter Cuong Vu, drummer Dan Weiss and keyboardist Roy Powell. http://www.scaruffi.com/jazz/harrison.html

Personnel:  Scott Amendola (Dumbek, Drums, Sound Effects);  John Schott (Guitar, Guitar (Electric));  Joel Harrison (Guitar, Producer, Guitar (Electric), Arranger);  Garth Powell (Drums, Drums (Bass), Sound Effects, Berimbau, Bird Calls);  John Holmes (Cymbals, Drums, Indian Bells, Telephone Voice, Cajon); Brad Dutz (Chimes, Maracas Mbira, Telephone Voice, Frame Drum, Udu, Cowbell, Djembe, Conga, Sound Effects, Tabla, Timbales, Cymbals);  Steve Cardenas (Guitar, Guitar (Electric));  Alex Cline (Chimes, Cymbals, Gong, Bells, Drums);  Glenn Cronkhite (Chimes, Gourd, Bell Tree, Shaker, Drums, Sound Effects);  John Golden (Mastering).

3 + 3 = 7

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Friend 'N Fellow - Home

Size: 119,9 MB
Time: 50:30
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2006/2016
Styles: Jazz/Soul/Blues Vocals
Art: Front

01. One More Day (4:50)
02. Home (3:55)
03. You (3:14)
04. I Wonder (4:34)
05. Livin' In A World (2:35)
06. Bluebird (2:35)
07. How Will I Know (3:19)
08. All Of It (2:55)
09. Liar (2:26)
10. I Gave It All (4:12)
11. I Know (4:34)
12. This Love (2:04)
13. Love Child (2:56)
14. Other Side (3:12)
15. Cajun Moon (3:01)

Constanze Friend and Thomas Fellow performed more than 1000 concerts together and travelled from BEIJING (China Millenium Park) to SHANGHAI (Anting New Town Open Air), from MALAYSIA (Kuala Lumpur/Penang Jazz Festival) to NEW YORK (World Trade Center) and from PARIS (Elyssees Montmartre) to LONDON (The 100 Club) and shared the stage with legends as RAY CHARLES, LUTHER ALLISON and AL JARREAU. Meanwhile they became one of the most successful acoustic acts in the junction where BLUES, JAZZ and SOUL meet. Their music combines the intensity of the blues with the freedom of jazz and the sound of soul in inimitable fashion.

"You knocked me out with your playing" – Bill Evans
"I really enjoy your work" – Al Jarreau
"Killing! It absolutely sounds like a whole band" – Tommy Emmanuel
"A top-notch duo" Welt am Sonntag
"The sound of the new century" Luther Allison
"The voice of an angel" Keb' Mo'

Concerts in London, Paris, New York, Peking, Vienna, Zurich, Lucerne Festival (Lucerne, Switzerland), Tollwood-Festival Munich, Festival Internacional de la Porta Ferrada (Spain), 1st Blues & Soul Weekend (Zurich, Switzerland), Simmen Lörrach, Jazzrally Dusseldorf with Ray Charles, Al Jarreau, Simply Red, Marianne Faithful, Maceo Parker.

Constanze Friend started her musical career in the band "Mr. Adapoe" with performances at international top festivals and as the support act to James Brown and others.

Thomas Fellow won several prizes at international competitions for classical guitar and played concerts in India, South America and the USA. Prof. Thomas Fellow is the head of the education "ACOUSTIC GUITAR (concert music/worldmusic/jazz) at the Hochschule für Musik "Carl Maria von Weber" in Dresden (Germany) and "WORLDMUSIC" at the Hochschule für Musik Weimar and lead masterclasses at different conservatories and festivals in Europe and the USA. He is also the artistic director of the STRING SPRING FESTIVAL DRESDEN and the EUROPEAN GUITAR AWARD, one of the most prestigious competitions for creativ guitarplayers (next time spring 2012). He developed a comprehensive schoolbook for the guitar as a comping instrument (FELLOWBOOK).

Home

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Peter Edwards Trio - A Matter Of Instinct

Size: 101,2 MB
Time: 37:44
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz
Art: Front

01. Samba City (5:12)
02. Loved Ones (4:23)
03. Groove Swing Funk (4:11)
04. The Runaround (3:52)
05. A Matter Of Instinct (5:01)
06. Flying High (4:17)
07. Down But Not Out (5:26)
08. Escape Velocity (5:18)

This is the second album by Trinity Laban graduate and 2014 MOBO Awards nominee Peter Edwards, his first being 2014's Safe And Sound. Edwards was a member of a group led by the late trumpeter Abram Wilson and is currently a member of vocalist Zara McFarlane's band. Opening with an infectious Latin beat, "Samba City" recalls the foot- tapping imperative of Chick Corea's Return To Forever era. A calmer mood ensues with "Loved Ones" recalling the blues-infused, chordal-rich piano of Joe Zawinul during his time with the Julian "Cannonball" Adderley Quintet.

The more rhythmically complex "Groove Swing Funk" certainly matches its title and with a memorable theme it conjures-up an evocation of the Dudley Moore Trio in full flight. This album offers a veritable potpourri of styles, such as the lively, swinging "The Runaround" adorned by semi-pastiche Erroll Garner-like swathes of piano.

The title track sees Edwards on slinky Fender Rhodes backed by a keen sheening rhythm from Moses Boyd, the drummer half of the MOBO 2015 award-winning duo Binker and Moses. The straight-ahead "Flying High" with Edwards returning to acoustic piano precedes the slow blues of "Down But Not Out"; reminiscent of Ramsey Lewis it's embellished by an excellent pizzicato bass solo from Max Luthert.

The final number "Escape Velocity" has the trio in expansive mood, the piece distinguished by a repeated hook-like motif which eventually all-but closes-out the piece. Edwards' lithe compositions are matched by the trio's consummate performances, all contributing to a truly compulsive listening experience. ~Roger Farbey

Personnel: Peter Edwards: piano, Fender Rhodes; Max Luthert: bass; Moses Boyd: drums.

A Matter Of Instinct

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Laura Fygi - Jazz Love

Size: 101,4 MB
Time: 43:16
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz/Pop Vocals
Art: Front

01. Like A Star (4:01)
02. La Vie En Rose (3:48)
03. Cupid (3:57)
04. If I Ain’t Got You (5:06)
05. Vincent (4:00)
06. Your Love Is King/Smooth Operator (4:08)
07. And I Love Him (2:55)
08. Sunny (3:56)
09. Right Here Waiting (4:07)
10. Our Day Will Come (3:25)
11. La Vie En Rose (French Version) (3:47)

Everywhere that Laura Fygi visits, she is a veritable vision of exotica. In her home country of the Netherlands, they know her as the woman who was raised in Uruguay as the daughter of an Egyptian belly dancer; in the Far East she is the emancipated Western lady who many others aspire to be. But wherever she may be, there is one common factor in all of those locations: that instantly recognisable voice which has won her hearts all over the globe.

Since her dance hits with the girl group Centerfold in the early 1980s, Laura has travelled down numerous musical pathways, such as jazz, Latin, and chansons, not shying away from any genre or style. That wilful quest for renewal has rendered collaborations with such music luminaries as the late Toots Thielemans, Michel Legrand and Michael Franks. Laura has also been presented with various gold and platinum discs and awards, as well as playing the lead role in Singapore of her favourite musical Victor/Victoria.

Laura has performed throughout Europe, South America and Asia. As a Dutch singer, she even managed to conquer the Chinese market, a unique achievement! In 2012 she signed a contract with one of China’s largest record companies and recorded the CD Flower specifically for the Asian market. It contains original Chinese compositions that Laura had arranged in her own style. Some songs were translated into English and French, but she also sang four songs in the original Chinese!

What is the secret of her success? It is the combination of a number of things. First of all she has a husky voice with a beautiful diction and great timing, which has already been compared to that of Peggy Lee, and the intimacy of Julie London . She has an international appearance which enables her to perform in Ronnie Scott ‘s Jazz club in London’s Soho with the same ease as on the biggest stages in most of the world cities. She looks beautiful and is as Latin as Jazzy . But the most important thing Laura is a storyteller, someone who knows how to turn a song into a story that touches you directly from her heart to yours. While it still swings like crazy!

In 2015 Laura celebrated her 25th anniversary as a solo artist but there is no way of stopping her! Previously being under contract with Universal Music Netherlands, her career has moved to the Asian part of the world so the next step was a logical one… She recently signed a worldwide record deal with Universal Music in Asia and this year a brand new CD will be released titled Jazz Love. Laura selected a number of popular pop songs and had arrangements written in her own unique style. Bossa, swing, soft jazz, songs from Sade, the Beatles, Alicia Keys and Don McLean gain a whole new dimension!
The jazz diva still has many plans of which performing is her favorite activity. She will make sure people have a good time and that is what she does best, entertaining!

Jazz Love

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Bruce Williams - Private Thoughts

Size: 135,2 MB
Time: 58:05
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz
Art: Front

01. Mata Leon (4:24)
02. Private Thoughts (5:03)
03. Premonitions (4:36)
04. Forever Asking Why (5:03)
05. Old Forester (5:41)
06. Last Visit In The Mirror (3:50)
07. The Void (6:01)
08. The Price We Pay For Peace (7:02)
09. I Still Carry On (6:07)
10. View Through A Street (6:23)
11. Past Tense (3:49)

Williams' fourth recording as a leader is his first featuring solely original music. The Bard College and Juilliard Jazz professor has graced the horn sections of The World Saxophone Quartet, as well as groups led by Stanley Cowell and the like. On Private Thoughts, Bruce Williams asserts himself as a stirring composer and triumphantly underscores the emotion, and acceptance of life's fragility. Bruce Williams: alto & soprano saxophone, Josh Evans: trumpet, Frederick Hendrix: trumpet & flugelhorn, Brad Williams: guitar, Brandon McCune: piano, Alan Palmer: piano, Chris Berger: bass, Vincent Ector & Chris Beck: drums.

Private Thoughts

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Barb Jungr - Come Together: Barb Jungr & John McDaniel Perform The Beatles

Size: 135,8 MB
Time: 58:26
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz/Pop Vocals
Art: Front

01. Got To Get You Into My Life (3:46)
02. Things We Said Today (3:39)
03. Eleanor Rigby (4:29)
04. Mother Nature’s Son (2:13)
05. And I Love Her - All My Loving - All You Need Is Love (4:43)
06. I Will (2:17)
07. Getting Better - Here There And Everywhere (4:18)
08. For No One (2:19)
09. Back In The USSR (3:43)
10. It’s For You - Step Inside Love (3:42)
11. While My Guitar Gently Weeps (3:11)
12. The Fool On The Hill (4:26)
13. Something - The Long And Winding Road (4:30)
14. Come Together (4:08)
15. In My Life (3:23)
16. Golden Slumbers - Carry That Weight - The End (3:31)

The critic Chris Ingham has summed up the significance of the Beatles as follows: “[They] represent one of the few times in musical history when the most popular was also the best”. In our current cultural moment, the most popular is so very far from being the best that Ingham’s comment might make you wince with nostalgia. In their terrific new show, “Come Together”, however, Barb Jungr – one of Britain’s finest interpreters of popular song – and John McDaniel – the award-winning American composer and pianist – bring the past vibrantly into the present with a programme of innovatively re-arranged Beatles songs.

Jungr and McDaniel are new collaborators, and they’ve been performing this show over the past few months, including stints at the Edinburgh Festival and across the US, with more New York dates forthcoming in January. Londoners got their first chance to experience the show over four nights last week in the cosy confines of the St. James Studio. It was an occasion not to be missed.

The Beatles could hardly be described as a band that have lacked for tributes over the years, of course. But “Come Together” is about as far removed as can be imagined from the likes of a thrown-together jukebox show such as the hit West End musical Let It Be. Celebrated for her incisive and arresting treatments of the work of songwriters including Brel, Dylan, and Cohen, Jungr, whose shows at the Southbank Centre and City of London Festival have been among 2015’s cultural highlights in the capital, brings a similar approach to bear on The Beatles’ material, her vocals supplemented only by McDaniel’s supple piano-work and her own occasional harmonica-playing. McDaniel also provides harmonies throughout the set, and takes creditable leads on two White Album gems: “Mother Nature’s Son” and “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”.

The stark and dynamic presentation afforded by the cabaret context allows every word in the songs to resonate afresh. With her terrific phrasing, protean delivery, and expressive physicality that turns every track into a fully embodied experience, Jungr digs so deeply into the songs that they emerge new-minted in pretty much every case, with lyrics that you’ve barely noticed before held up to the light and revealed as the very crux of a particular composition.

Given the incredible stylistic diversity of the Beatles’ output, the range of material covered in the show is impressive, the set encompassing both oft-performed classics and album obscurities. “Got to Get You into My Life” was an infectiously exuberant opener, less a straightforward love song (or drugs paean) in this account than a joyous hymn to openness and inclusivity. “Eleanor Rigby”, with haunting high harmonies and delicate piano from McDaniel, was taut, disconsolate and deeply affecting. “The Long and Winding Road” wound itself into stridency that was equal parts desperate and cathartic, Jungr briefly transforming herself into a figure blown by the gales as she reached “the wild and windy night” lyric. Augmented by harmonica and great foot-stamping, “Back in the U.S.S.R.” was equally exhilarating.

Opening the second half, “Hello Goodbye” was delivered as a pleasingly goofy duet. By contrast, “The Fool on the Hill” was mesmerizingly intense, the track slowed and stripped of any hint of jauntiness in this arrangement, the better to quietly celebrate an outsider’s insights and secret strength. Lifting her tear-filled eyes aloft, Jungr seemed momentarily overcome by the emotion the track evoked, before moving elegantly into a drop-dead gorgeous “Something”.

Throughout, Jungr applied her customarily intelligent approach to sequencing the set, with some songs juxtaposed and combined to form story cycles and suites. A wry, sharply pointed “Piggies” mutated into a delicious “Penny Lane”: “very strange”, perhaps, but wonderfully effective. A medley comprising a gender-switched “And I Love Her”, “All My Loving” and “All You Need Is Love” (the latter stripped of obvious anthemic associations to become simply conversational) charted youthful hope and longing leading to the affirmation of “I Will”. Segueing into an exquisite “Here, There and Everywhere”, a blistering “Getting Better” traded menacing, punky verses for redemptive choruses that implied the taming of male belligerence through love. Yet ultimately the narrative concluded with the separation of the couple poignantly evoked in “For No One”, Jungr ending the song on a surprising, perfectly judged note that suggested both mature ruefulness and resolve on the part of the abandoned male.

As presented here “For No One” took on the contours of a reflection on the challenges and liberations of feminism. Indeed, bantering affectionately with McDaniel between songs, Jungr also provided some characteristically quirky, thoughtful commentary on The Beatles’s significance in pop and counter-culture, reflecting (as she did with Cohen and Dylan) on the contrasting personas of Lennon and McCartney, and also suggesting how the band’s music not only mapped but also inspired social changes. The drugged-up craziness of “Come Together” was a supreme closer, Jungr acting her way through the most surreal lyrics with furious aplomb before she and McDaniel returned to the stage for the single-song encore of “In My Life”, delivered as a radiant and gracious benediction.

“Come Together” is very much the kind of show that one can imagine shifting and expanding as Jungr and McDaniel continue to tour it, perhaps taking on different songs and arrangements. (Personally, I’d swap a pair of charming but fairly inconsequential Cilla Black-associated tracks for something meatier. “A Day in the Life”, perhaps? Oh boy.) Thrilling and revelatory, the show is that rarity: an Anglo/American collaboration that’s actually worth celebrating, and that’s enough to restore your faith in “the Special Relationship”, after all. ~by Alex Ramon

Come Together

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Melanie Marod - I'll Go Mad

Size: 123,7 MB
Time: 53:00
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz/Pop Vocals
Art: Front

01. I'll Go Mad (3:46)
02. Spanish Harlem (3:42)
03. Dance Me To The End Of Love (2:44)
04. Love Ain't Easy (3:51)
05. Smile (4:59)
06. Running Back To You (3:07)
07. Corcovado (4:16)
08. Candy (3:32)
09. Quizas, Quizas, Quizas (2:38)
10. People Will Say We're In Love (3:41)
11. Isn't This A Lovely Day (4:05)
12. Somewhere Over The Rainbow (4:54)
13. Besame Mucho (3:35)
14. Everybody's Talkin' (4:03)

Melanie was born and raised in Grand Haven, Michigan where she began singing and expressing her love for music at the age of seven. By age ten, she had performed in the musical Sweeney Todd with Tony Award Winner, George Hearn and Pamela Meyer.

Melanie graduated from Hope College with a B.A. in Musical Theatre. She has studied opera in Buenos Aires, Argentina at Instituto Universitario Nacional de Arte and trained at Hillsong College in Sydney, Australia.

Since moving to New York City she has sung at Birdland, The Algonquin, The Oak Room at The Plaza Hotel, The Carlton as well as various venues throughout the city. Her influences are Stacey Kent, Billie Holiday, Aretha Franklin, and Nat King Cole.

I'll Go Mad

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Peggy Lee - Spotlight On... Peggy Lee

Styles: Vocal 
Year: 1995
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:51
Size: 116,1 MB
Art: Front

(2:21)  1. I've Got The World On A String
(2:46)  2. When A Woman Loves A Man
(1:47)  3. I'm Beginning To See The Light
(3:37)  4. There Is No Greater Love
(2:22)  5. Too Close For Comfort
(2:28)  6. Unforgettable
(2:18)  7. Close Your Eyes
(2:23)  8. If I Should Lose You
(2:07)  9. I'm Just Wild About Harry
(2:58) 10. Deep Purple
(2:20) 11. It's Been A Long, Long Time
(3:44) 12. The Man I Love
(3:21) 13. The Best Is Yet To Come
(2:37) 14. Come Rain Or Come Shine
(3:22) 15. Fever
(2:28) 16. I Wanna Be Around
(2:08) 17. I Hear Music
(3:36) 18. The Folks Who Live On The Hill

Peggy Lee spent a good many years with Capitol, and it was there that she cut some of her best sides. Save for a few years in the late '40s (and several early hits), Lee hit her stride with the label during the end of the '50s and throughout the '60s. Working in a variety of settings, from string orchestras to jazz combos, Lee applied her vocal talents to swing, blues, Latin, and cabaret. This edition of Capitol's classy Spotlight series rounds up 18 of Lee's best performances. And while many of the hits are missing ("Black Coffee," "Is That All There Is," etc.), the disc makes up for it with stunners like "The Best Is Yet to Come" and "The Folks Who Live on the Hill." Plus, there's the charts and conducting work of such luminaries as Benny Carter, Nelson Riddle, Bill May, Quincy Jones, and even Frank Sinatra. A fine sampler from Miss Lee's prime. ~ Stephen Cook http://www.allmusic.com/album/spotlight-on-peggy-lee-great-ladies-of-song-mw0000628187

Spotlight On... Peggy Lee

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Albert Heath, Ethan Iverson & Ben Street - Tootie's Tempo

Styles: Jazz, Post-Bop
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:09
Size: 108,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:42)  1. The Charlston
(4:52)  2. Charade
(2:18)  3. Danube Incident
(5:39)  4. Stompin At The Savoy
(6:12)  5. Violets For Your Furs
(4:04)  6. The Intimacy Of  The Blues
(5:07)  7. How Insensitive
(3:44)  8. Fire Waltz
(1:46)  9. Cute
(4:28) 10. It Should Have Happened A Long Time Ago
(5:12) 11. Tootie's Tempo

At 78 years old, Albert “Tootie” Heath is certainly a link to jazz history. This is due to both his lineage as the youngest of the three jazz-playing Heath brothers and his many accomplishments as a musician on his own. Here, pianist Ethan Iverson and bassist Ben Street join Heath, and the results are as satisfying as a visit with a favorite old uncle. The music is straight-down-the-middle bebop with a strong emphasis on ballads and relaxed midtempo gems. Ever the gentleman, Heath plays here with subtlety and elegance, setting his tempos and throwing in little rhythmic wrinkles rather than banging away on solos. Just listen to his playing on “The Intimacy of the Blues,” the title track, and “Cute” to see what we mean. The often-pensive material here ranges from a fun, un-flapper-like version of “The Charleston” to the lovely theme from the film Charade to an earthy take of the bossa nova classic “How Insensitive.” Then things do pick up for a robust version of “Fire Waltz.” It's highly recommended for fans of classic jazz. ~ Itunes Reviews https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/tooties-tempo/id676272985

Personnel:  Bass – Ben Street;  Drums – Albert Heath;  Piano – Ethan Iverson

Tootie's Tempo

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Joel Harrison 7 - Search

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:12
Size: 133,3 MB
Art: Front

(11:18)  1. Grass Valley and Beyond
(15:00)  2. A Magnificent Death
( 8:24)  3. All The Previous Pages Are Gone
( 6:24)  4. The Beauty of Failure
( 8:26)  5. Whipping Post
( 6:19)  6. O Sacrum Convivium
( 2:18)  7. Search

For over a decade, Joel Harrison has been steadily expanding his palette as a composer, although his penchant for unorthodox instrumental combinations and multicultural folk forms encompass only one facet of his inclusive aesthetic. Harrison's most recent efforts have borrowed heavily from Western neo-classical tenets; The Wheel (Innova, 2008) included an expansive five movement suite for jazz quintet and string quartet, while The Music of Paul Motian (Sunnyside, 2011) featured stately arrangements performed by two electric guitarists and a traditional string quartet. Search contains some of Harrison's most seamlessly integrated writing for disparate forces to date. Supported by an archetypal jazz rhythm section, comprised of pianist Gary Versace, bassist Stephan Crump and drummer Clarence Penn, Harrison is joined by tenor saxophonist Donny McCaslin and two string players: violinist Christian Howes and cellist Dana Leong, who have both collaborated with the guitarist in similar contexts before.

The septet's broad instrumental palette lends the album a wide dynamic range that keenly exploits Harrison's versatile gifts as a composer; he solos infrequently however, allowing his sidemen ample opportunity to express themselves. Harrison's harmonious contrapuntal themes underscore the bulk of the record, as typified on the panoramic opener, "Grass Valley and Beyond," where Versace's prismatic cadences and McCaslin's intervallic salvos paint a vibrant aural canvas; the saxophonist's dramatic altissimo crescendos and multiphonic flourishes punctuate the proceedings like rich impasto accents. Howes and McCaslin engage in spirited interplay with the cagey rhythm section on the capricious swinger "All the Previous Pages Are Gone," while "A Magnificent Death" and "The Beauty of Failure" exhibit a range of classicist tendencies; the former ascends from hypnotic minimalist motifs to a rapturous climax, the later weaves lyrical thematic variations into a romantic coda. 

The session concludes with two unrelated, but unexpectedly complementary covers: a vivacious reading of Allman Brothers Band's "Whipping Post" and a sublime interpretation of Olivier Messiaen's "O Sacrum Convivum." The classic rock staple is given respectful treatment, but surprisingly, it's Leong's sinuous cello that drives the bluesy number, bolstered by Penn's pugilistic drumming. Conversely, Harrison's introspective fretwork accentuates the mystical ethereality of Messiaen's recast choral motet, setting the stage for the titular closer, a fugue-like postlude for solo piano that incisively encapsulates the date's multifaceted approach reconfirming Harrison's sophisticated compositional acumen in the process. ~ Troy Collins  https://www.allaboutjazz.com/search-joel-harrison-sunnyside-records-review-by-troy-collins.php
 

Personnel: Joel Harrison: guitar; Donny McCaslin: tenor saxophone; Gary Versace: piano, Hammond B-3; Christian Howes: violin; Dana Leong: cello; Stephan Crump: bass; Clarence Penn: drums.

Search

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Gary Versace - Time And Again

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2004
File: MP3@224K/s
Time: 62:21
Size: 100,0 MB
Art: Front

( 9:21)  1. Homeland
( 7:30)  2. 222
( 7:26)  3. First Things Last
(11:13)  4. Excuse My Shoes
( 9:58)  5. Time And Again
( 7:11)  6. Ours
( 9:39)  7. Russian Playground

Gary Versace sure gets around. Since relocating to New York in 2002 following a ten-year professorship at the University of Oregon, he's become such an in-demand player that he's rarely at home a situation bound to remain status quo well into 2006. Whether playing accordion on Maria Schneider's acclaimed Concert in the Garden (ArtistShare, 2004), piano on John Hollenbeck's multifaceted large ensemble A Blessing (OmniTone, 2005), or organ in John Scofield's Ray Charles Tribute touring band, his amazing flexibility is becoming increasingly apparent. While Versace is capable on a number of instruments, his focus remains the Hammond B3 organ, like Larry Goldings. And like Goldings, he possesses a clear understanding of the tradition stemming from seminal B3 players Jimmy Smith and Larry Young, but retains his own unique emphasis. The only real precedent would be the more textural approach of Dan Wall making Versace the perfect choice for Abercrombie in his organ trio, now that Wall has chosen to stop touring. Versace clearly understands Abercrombie's more modernistic slant to the jazz tradition, an area he explores on his own debut, Time and Again. Joining Versace for this effort are Abercrombie, Richard Perry a tenor saxophonist Versace has encountered in a number of situations and drummer Billy Hart. Hart is the wild card, but you'd never know it. Despite this being their first time playing together, Hart and Versace sound as if they've been working in sync for years. Testimony to the clearly shared philosophy of open minds, open ears and checked egos, the quartet's remarkable simpatico is evident from the first notes of the gently lyrical "Homeland one of six Versace originals that make up the set, along with Abercrombie's equally melodic "Excuse My Shoes. 

With only one day in the studio, it's no surprise that Time and Again emphasizes blowing over compositional detail. Far removed from the traditional A-A-B-A format, Versace's writing remains rooted in theme-solo-theme structures. His strength is in creating songs that are approachable enough to stick in the mind, yet provide plenty of latitude for improvisational interplay. Abercrombie has always emphasized understatement and implication; Versace and Perry are equally suggestive. The result is that the group never really boils over, but there's a simmering energy throughout. Whether on the gentle sway of the title track, the triplet-over-four feel of "222, or the more emphatic "Russian Playground, everyone plays with the kind of commitment and connection that endows this disc with a cohesiveness belying the single-day studio effort's inherent session-like nature. Time and Again also needs to be placed in context. It demonstrates Versace's improvisational élan and abstract colorations, as well as an ability to write material that encourages risk even as it remains close to the center. But Versace's wide reach also suggests that this is but the tip of the iceberg. Time and Again is a strong debut, but Versace is capable of much more a fact that will no doubt be revealed in good time. ~ John Kelman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/time-and-again-gary-versace-steeplechase-records-review-by-john-kelman.php

Personnel: Gary Versace: Hammond B3 organ; John Abercrombie: guitar; Rich Perry: tenor saxophone; Billy Hart: drums.

Time And Again

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John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble - A blessing

Styles: Avant-Garde Jazz 
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:43
Size: 145,1 MB
Art: Front

(16:03)  1. A blessing
( 7:28)  2. Folkmoot
( 8:12)  3. RAM
( 5:55)  4. Weiji
(12:12)  5. Abstinence
( 7:23)  6. April in Reggae
( 5:27)  7. The Music of Life

One clear benefit of the global community we live in, with its inherently broad reach, is that many artists have developed into stylistic integrators. On a smaller scale, even people who live within the boundaries of the United States can experience greater artistic diversity than ever before. Only a century ago, people living in small rural towns would have no way of knowing what kind of music was developing in larger urban centres; now, with the broad reach of the internet, it's possible that someone who lives in the most remote town can not only hear what's going on outside their relatively small physical universe, they can incorporate the experience into their own musical development. That's one of the reasons why the definition of jazz is such a slippery slope. Reductionist thinking aside, the very assimilation of a multitude of cultural and stylistic concerns is what keeps jazz alive and well, living and breathing and, most importantly, constantly evolving. Drummer/composer John Hollenbeck has proven over the course of his relatively short career that it's possible to blend a multitude of approaches while working within an idiom that's still somehow indefinably jazz. His latest release, A Blessing, expands on the stylistic melange of his smaller Claudia Quintet with an eighteen-piece ensemble that offers greater textural possibilities and a grander vision. 

The recording explores the almost unlimited possibilities of one voice, five woodwind players, four trombonists, four trumpets, and a rhythm section that in addition to the more traditional piano-bass-drums triumvirate also includes a variety of mallet instruments. There's nothing excessive or bombastic about Hollenbeck's approach, which isn't afraid to let smaller subsets do the talking. Nor is Hollenbeck averse to finding organic ways to emulate ideas that other artists have developed through looping and other electronic means. All kinds of trace elements can be found scattered throughout A Blessing. The sixteen-minute title track unfolds gradually, beginning with Gary Versace's simple piano arpeggios, Matt Moran's bowed vibraphone, and Kermit Driscoll's bass creating a subtle ambient backdrop of gentle beauty for vocalist Theo Bleckmann's crystal pure evocation of "An Irish Blessing. The piece builds slowly, with Hollenbeck's drums developing an ever-strengthening forward motion underneath horn lines that start as long tones, but ultimately evolve into repetitive patterns that take on a rhythmic life of their own, resolving into a kind of post-minimalist Steve Reich-meets-Maria Schneider vibe.

Elsewhere there are elements of primal jungle rhythms ("Weiji ), Brian Eno ambience that builds into a free cacophony before heading for straight-ahead swing ("RAM ), and a kind of free jazz reggae ("April in Reggae ). While it's difficult to single out any one player, Bleckmann's voice while most often integrated into the overall texture of the ensemble, rather than standing out ranges from pristine beauty to percussive panting, and even some miraculous throat singing over the stasis of "The Music of Life. Captivating and compelling from a larger narrative perspective, A Blessing is continued evidence of Hollenbeck's unfailing instincts and endless imagination. A masterpiece. 

~ John Kelman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/a-blessing-omnitone-review-by-john-kelman.php

Personnel: Ben Kono (flute, soprano and alto saxophones); Chris Speed (clarinet); Tom Christensen (tenor and soprano saxophones, English horn); Dan Willis (tenor and soprano saxophones, English horn); Alan Won (baritone saxophone, bass clarinet); Rob Hudson (trombone); Kurtis Pivert (trombone); Jacob Garchik (trombone); Alan Ferber (trombone); John Owens (trumpet); Tony Kadleck (trumpet); Dave Ballou (trumpet); Laurie Frink (trumpet); Kermit Driscoll (bass); John Hollenbeck (drums); Gary Versace (piano); Matt Moran (mallets); Theo Bleckmann (voice)

A blessing

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The George Shearing Quintet - Mood Latino

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1961
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 31:41
Size: 81,7 MB
Art: Front

(2:23)  1. Blue Moon
(1:40)  2. Day By Day
(2:39)  3. Yesterday's Child
(2:17)  4. Salud
(3:06)  5. You And The Night And The Music
(2:51)  6. Tintilin
(2:58)  7. The Night Is Young And You Are So Beautiful
(2:48)  8. Jackie's Mambo
(3:17)  9. All Through The Day
(2:21) 10. Say Si Si
(2:52) 11. Blue Rainbow
(2:24) 12. Te Arango La Cabeza

During his Capitol years, pianist George Shearing recorded several Latin-flavored albums which generally found his popular piano-vibes-guitar-bass-drums Quintet augmented by the congas of Armando Peraza. For this particular album not only is Peraza added to the group but so are a couple of other percussionists and an unidentified flutist. The Quintet sound is still quite dominant during the rhythmic easy-listening set with the music ranging from "Blue Moon" and "You and the Night and the Music" to "Jackie's Mambo" and "Say 'Si Si'." The performances on this LP have not yet been reissued on CD. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/mood-latino-mw0000872116

Personnel:  George Shearing (piano);  Gary Burton (vibraphone);  Armando Peraza (congas);  John Gray (guitar);  Bill Yancey (bass);  Vernel Fournier (drums)

Mood Latino

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Gerry Mulligan - In Paris Disc 1 And Disc 2

Disc 1

Styles: Saxphone Jazz
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:27
Size: 165,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:50)  1. Bernie's Tune
(0:32)  2. Presentation of the Musicians
(5:03)  3. Walkin' Shoes
(4:41)  4. The Nearness Of You
(5:48)  5. Motel /Utter Chaos
(5:33)  6. Love Me Or Leave Me
(4:26)  7. Soft Shoe
(5:24)  8. Bark for Barksdale
(4:54)  9. My Funny Valentine
(7:34) 10. Turnstile /Utter Chaos
(4:42) 11. I May Be Wrong
(4:42) 12. Five Brothers
(6:28) 13. Gold Rush
(3:45) 14. Makin' Whoopee

Disc 2

Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:34
Size: 147,7 MB

(3:39)  1. Lady Is a Tramp
(4:16)  2. Laura
(4:48)  3. Soft Shoe/Utter Chaos
(4:56)  4. Five Brothers
(3:39)  5. Lullaby of the Leaves
(4:36)  6. The Nearness of You
(5:12)  7. Limelight
(4:06)  8. Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are
(2:51)  9. Makin' Whoopee
(4:26) 10. Love Me or Leave Me
(4:22) 11. Laura
(4:25) 12. Line for Lyons
(3:15) 13. Moonlight in Vermont
(5:57) 14. Motel/Utter Chaos

Formerly available in piecemeal fashion, this CD (and Vol. 2) has all of the music recorded at baritonist Gerry Mulligan's Paris concerts of June 1954. This particular unit (with valve trombonist Bob Brookmeyer, bassist Red Mitchell and drummer Frank Isola) was one of Jeru's finest for his own wit, swing and cool-toned creativity were matched by Brookmeyer. Highpoints include "Walkin' Shoes," "Love Me or Leave Me," "My Funny Valentine" and "Five Brothers" but every selection is quite enjoyable. The audience is rightfully enthusiastic. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/gerry-mulligan-in-paris-vol-1-mw0000176336

In June 1954, the Gerry Mulligan Quartet (with the leader/baritonist, valve trombonist Bob Brookmeyer, bassist Red Mitchell and drummer Frank Isola) performed at five all-star concerts, four of which were recorded. Only previously available in fragmented form, the very accessible yet chance-taking music has now been reissued in full on two CDs by the French Vogue label. 

The second volume is highlighted by "Laura," "Five Brothers," "Love Me or Leave Me," "Line for Lyons" and "Motel," but it is no exaggeration to say that every performance is well worth hearing. Both sets are highly recommended, for this cool-toned but witty and hard-swinging music is very enjoyable. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/gerry-mulligan-in-paris-vol-2-mw0000644409

Gerry Mulligan Quartet: Gerry Mulligan (baritone saxophone); Bob Brookmeyer (valve trombone); Red Mitchell (bass); Frank Isola (drums).

In Paris  Disc 1
In Paris  Disc 2

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Yusef Lateef - 10 Years Hence

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1974
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 79:12
Size: 181,5 MB
Art: Front

(22:15)  1. Samba de Amor (Fantasy): Samba de Amor (Part I)-Time Montage-Samba de Amor (Part II)
(18:02)  2. Yusef's Mood
(12:25)  3. But Beautiful
( 8:29)  4. A Flower
(17:59)  5. I Be Cold

This 2008 release of a live 1975 performance at San Francisco's Keystone Korner may appeal to Lateef completists, but those still new to him or curious about his fame might consider starting elsewhere. The first of Ten Years Hence's five long numbers is Bob Cunningham's three-part "Samba De Amor," which begins with the bassist bowing and plucking alongside the sound of cowbells, horns, whoops and other vocalizations, and Lateef on transverse flute. Fully five minutes on, a light but entertaining enough samba takes shape. The quiet middle section, "Time Montage," provides a puzzling pause with woodwinds and bells, although something onstage creates a buzz with the audience. The return to the samba quickly dies out, leaving the feeling of a 22-minute long, involved effort that never quite soared. "Yusef's Mood" follows: a rhythm-and-blues that might be fun from the Keystone's dance floor, but sounds conventional on disc. Pianist Kenneth (Kenny) Barron takes the lead, but despite his dexterity the runs sound labored and the boogie uninspired, never igniting the kind of R&B sparks that shimmered from the keyboards of artists including Leon Russell, Nicky Hopkins, Jaki Byard and Cedar Walton in the mid-'70s. Lateef's sax adds a broad-shouldered presence, but only a few licks and growls give account of his fame. But for the masterful attack, in a blind quiz few would blink on learning that any of a dozen promising turks was blowing.

"But Beautiful" is the only standard, and Lateef plays it with smoky abandon, clearly in his element. Barron comps with Monk-ish splashes and jabs, and the group cooks up a well-spent 12 minutes of jazz. Lateef closes by invoking a slow, supremely confident solo that earns the audience's warmest applause. But Barron's candidly sentimental "A Flower" comes next, and here Lateef plays his flute with earnest tremolo while the pianist paints on ornamentation worthy of Liberace. The closing number is "I Be Cold" an inventive piece of considerable charm. Lateef sticks to rapping a soulful moan about how he "be cooold," periodically letting out an odd, humorous bark with the sealhorns. A well-arranged chorus and subdued instrumentation provide loose support for the rap, bass, piano, and those sporadic burps. Despite its spare, repetitive means, this funky 18-minute groove resonates as the album's best-developed original. Along with "But Beautiful," it's a definite candidate for anthologizing. If only the whole session were at this inspired level. The cover replicates a contact sheet presumably no picture had the right impact for cover art. The liner notes are almost microscopically small, hampering readability that might clarify Lateef's part, if any, in this release, and the title's meaning. This is a very eclectic session covering several musical forms, and unlikely to suit every taste. Quite possibly not for purist jazz-lovers, Lateef completists might well enjoy Ten Years Hence's various rewards. ~ Bert Bailey https://www.allaboutjazz.com/ten-years-hence-yusef-lateef-wounded-bird-records-review-by-bert-bailey.php

Personnel: Yusef Lateef: tenor saxophone, c-flute, sealhorns, shanie, oboe, below yellow shell flute, African thumb piano and percussion; Kenneth Barron: piano and cowbell; Bob Cunningham: bass and African leg bells; Albert 'Kuumba Heath: Druands, Chinese shanie, percussion metal cones and Northern Indian flute; Bill Salter: bass (5).

10 Years Hence

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Stephen Riley - Hart-Beat

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:13
Size: 138,1 MB
Art: Front

(4:01)  1. Just You Just Me
(5:43)  2. Isotope
(9:33)  3. Lonnie's Lament
(5:21)  4. When It's Sleepy Time Down South
(7:27)  5. Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are
(9:23)  6. The End Of A Love Affair
(6:04)  7. Mr. Sandman
(8:08)  8. Black Narcissus
(4:29)  9. All Go'd Chillun Got Rhythm

The tenor saxophone trio is one of the great, if somewhat underutilized lineups in jazz. Stephen Riley has made a study of the format and delivers a fine addition to a limited canon with Hart-beat. Eschewing piano and leaving the horn to carry the musical weight all by itself is an idea that was recorded by the great Sonny Rollins as early as Way Out West (Contemporary, 1957). That record set a very high standard that is rarely met, let alone exceeded. It is the Godfather of the format. One later effort that does come close is Joe Henderson's State of the Tenor (Blue Note 1985), a live recording from New York's Village Vanguard that delivered one of the definitive tenor performances of its decade. Where the Rollins date is snappy and melodic, Henderson's performance is looser, wandering a little more with his improvisations, leaving plenty of room for the bassist Ron Carter and drummer Al Foster.  Hart-beat follows in the footsteps of the Henderson record, with loose, breathy interpretations of standards by pianist Thelonious Monk, saxophonist John Coltrane and, yes, Joe Henderson. Riley's sound is a little understated, relying on good construction and control, without ever screaming his horn. On this date it would be fair to call him a quiet, if energetic player. "Isotope" gets a quick statement of the melody before Neal Cane joins the fray with clean forward bass line. Riley takes his improvisations up a notch with each chorus, building a wonderfully sophisticated solo before laying out for the bass to take a turn.

A less frequently played Monk classic, "Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are," gets a similarly wandering treatment with equally good results. In deciphering Monk, Riley makes the critically important choice to internalize the melody into his improvisation instead of just playing over it. This kind of depth is the difference between an okay Monk interpretation and a really good one; this is a really good one. Special mention should be made of drummer Billy Hart, the most seasoned musician on the date. A veteran of Miles Davis' On the Corner (Columbia, 1972), Hart provides subtle, graceful rhythm with Riley's understated playing. Like everything else on this date, the drumming is very sophisticated. The other Henderson tune, "Black Narcissus" has Hart splashing his cymbals out behind the bass and horn, initially providing less beat and more aural soundscape before he picks up the rhythm on the ride with a rim tap. It's very sweet, delicate drumming. So does Hart-beat live up to the standards set by Henderson and Rollins? That's a tough call, given the iconic status of those efforts. In all fairness, those are almost impossibly high standards to meet. Hart- beat is, however, a really solid recording, with some noteworthy playing making it a worthy successor in a lineage of great tenor saxophone trio records. ~ Greg Simmons https://www.allaboutjazz.com/hart-beat-stephen-riley-steeplechase-records-review-by-greg-simmons.php
 

Personnel: Stephen Riley: tenor saxophone; Neal Cane: bass; Billy Hart: drums.

Hart-Beat

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