Horace Parlan - Up & Down

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1961
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:58
Size: 103,3 MB
Art: Front

( 9:49)  1. The Book's Beat
( 6:10)  2. Up And Down
( 7:08)  3. Fugee
(11:41)  4. The Other Part Of Town
( 4:06)  5. Lonely Blues
( 6:02)  6. Light Blue

I have a new hero: Pianist Horace Parlan. Until recently, I had heard of Parlan, but never really heard him. I certainly never knew his back story. It's inspirational and his music is pretty damn good, too. Parlan had a handicap. As a child, he lost some function in his right hand due to polio. Various bios disagree on the extent of the loss. Some say two fingers, others three. Either way, it's the kind of injury that makes a career as a pianist sound impossible. Yet Parlan found a way to compensate something to do with developing a powerful left hand. In any event, he had a long, successful career as a bop pianist. Of course the music stands on its own, regardless of how it's made. Handicap or no handicap, if the music weren't terrific, there would be nothing to talk about. And it is terrific. (For example, catch him on Charles Mingus' 1959 classic Mingus Ah Um.)  Up and Down, a 1961 bop-and-blues album, is the perfect introduction to Horace Parlan. It features three remarkable solists: Parlan on piano, Booker Ervin on tenor, and Grant Green on guitar. Together, they make wonderful, swinging music that borders on soul-jazz.  While some pianists made their names with jaw-dropping speed and technique think Art Tatum or Oscar Peterson  Parlan (by necessity or choice) goes the other way. He is wonderfully inventive. At times, he sounds almost Monk-ish, choosing unusual chords and odd notes. On every tune, without exception he is soulful and bluesy. Grant Green, of course, is tasteful, as always. Like Parlan, Green does not amaze with lightning-fast runs. Instead, he wrings the blues for every drop of emotion he can find, including the quiet spaces between notes. He is the perfect complement for Parlan.  Finally, there's Booker Ervin. Unlike Parlan and Green, Ervin can shred with the best. On Up and Down, he turns it on and off. On the opener, "Books Beat," Ervin is sassy and aggressive. On the ballad "Lonely One," he is all swirling smoke. And on the closer, "Light Blue," Ervin shows off his technique a toe-tapping, happy blues that sends the listener off with a smile. Up and Down is a great ensemble album. It's full of clever, swinging music. I could listen to it all day. And while you don't need know anything about Parlan's bum right hand to appreciate the music, it helps. The man is an inspiration.

Personnel:  Horace Parlan - piano;  Booker Ervin - tenor saxophone;  Grant Green - guitar;  George Tucker - bass;  Al Harewood - drums

Up & Down

---

Giacomo Gates - G8S EP

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 16:46
Size: 38,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:55)  1. A Different Thing
(5:12)  2. Why Try to Change Me Now
(3:36)  3. Come Along with Me
(4:02)  4. Hungry Man

2018 worldwide news reports have detailed all sorts of technologically-assisted archaeological finds. In the US, a previously unreleased John Coltrane album and other musical discoveries have popped up. And whaddya know? here is an unreleased and enhanced set of tracks from the Hipster to the Hip, Giacomo Gates. And it is a helluva find, you dig? G8S, originally laid down in 2005, is a short-form release of four tunes performed by Gates and a hip vibes and rhythm quartet. It is yet another in a series of fine recordings which affirms why Gates retains the vocalese Heavyweight Crown.  Jay Hoggard's vibes sets the hard bop ambiance on Gates' original, "A Different Thing," before His Hipness bops into things swing. The tune is a stone cooker. Tony Lombardozzi, long a Gates sidekick, and Hoggard offer neat solos over Rick Petrone's bass and Joe Corsello's drums. If you hear "Paper Moon" on Hoggard's intro on the swinging "Come Along with Me" (itself a take on 50s "space race" mania) you've got ears. Gates covers Eddie Jefferson's vocalese which itself parrots Lester Young's "Paper Moon" solo. On this session and on all of his performances, Gates demos a marvelous sense of rhythm and hard swing. Notes are placed precisely into swing-syllables with ultimate flair. The guy just never misses. His baritone is robust, but never a bust. He's a jazz Everyman and as genuine as it gets. Gates covers Bobby Troup's gastronomically tinged "Hungry Man" in a tasty, swing groove. (He later re-recorded the tune on his 2008 recording Luminosity on Double Dave Records). The dining here is cool and swinging. This type of tune is a Gates speciality he can make lyrics pop and swing his plates off the table. His sassy scat leads into Hoggard's fine vibe solo. Lend an ear to Petrone's drive here. "Why Try to Change Me Now" is the gorgeous ballad feature. It is another of those great tunes that seem to get unfairly neglected. Balladic and soulful, Giacomo's baritone adds such genuineness to the story. Catch Gates' rhythm interpretation here. His triplets are hiplets, for sure. Kudos to all Gates' rhythm mates here. They lay things out perfectly throughout. Also to Christian O'Dowd for the discovery of the tape and to engineer/producer Rob Fraboni, who used his technical wizardry to give us a nice vinylized feel here. One has to wonder what other gems are hidden in recording studio racks or folks' garages. Surely, there are going to be other finds down the line. G8S sets the quality bar high. ~ Nicholas F.Mondello https://www.allaboutjazz.com/g8s-giacomo-gates-9th-note-records-review-by-nicholas-f-mondello.php

Personnel: Giacomo Gates: vocals; Jay Hoggard: vibraphone; Tony Lombardozzi: guitar; Rick Petrone: bass; Joe Corsello: drums.

G8S

---

Roy Brooks and the Artistic Truth - Ethnic Expressions

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 1973
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:45
Size: 112,4 MB
Art: Front

(16:03)  1. M'Jumbe
( 8:13)  2. The Last Prophet
( 5:53)  3. The Smart Set
( 5:33)  4. Eboness
(13:00)  5. Eboness (Kwanza)

Ethnic Expressions by Roy Brooks & the Artistic Truth is one of two recordings drum master Roy Brooks cut for the tiny Afrocentric New York imprint Im-Hotep. Released in 1973, it has been one of the most sought-after "Holy Grail" recordings on the collector's market, with copies selling at auction for over $1,200. The reason is not merely its rarity, but the stellar quality of its music and the focus of its vision reinventing the unity of African-American self-determination through music. Recording at Small's Paradise in Harlem on the tenth anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy, this large collective of musicians created a positive, musically sophisticated, emotionally powerful performance that epitomized 1970s jazz as it incorporated the free, progressive, and spiritual jazz elements of the 1960s in a setting that also included soul and blues expression. The personnel includes Brooks on drums and percussion; Olu Dara and Cecil Bridgewater on trumpets and flügelhorn; Hamiet Bluiett, Sonny Fortune, and John Stubblefield on saxophones, flute, and bass clarinets; pianists Joe Bonner (acoustic) and Hilton Ruiz (Rhodes); bassist Reggie Workman; and Richard Landrum and Lawrence Williams on African percussion. Vocalist Eddie Jefferson also appears on the "The Smart Set" and "Eboness," at his most expressive and soulful. The album's five tracks include two longer pieces in "M'Jumbe" (whose arrangement reflects the time Brooks spent with Charles Mingus a year earlier) and the closing "Eboness (Kwanza)," as well as three middle-length pieces  The 16-minute "M'Jumbe" begins in a free call and response between trumpet, percussion, and bowed bass, gradually adding more instruments until its groove emerges at two minutes and its melody unfolds near the three-minute mark. Even as the horn sections quote the theme, improvisation moves in and out, funky themes are introduced with another melodic statement, and brief moments of free playing slip through before formal solos are taken. 

The tune is always circular due to its impeccably preeminent rhythmic elements. "The Last Prophet" showcases the band's groove side with stellar piano work from Bonner and a horn section in full swagger. The interplay between Workman and Brooks is magical. Jefferson's hip R&B roots are brought into play on the finger-popping "The Smart Set" and his blues authority on "Eboness," with some deep soul work from Workman and Ruiz as well as a fine flute solo from Fortune. On "Eboness (Kwanza)," the vocalist referred to as "Black Rose" is Dee Dee Bridgewater. This is a bona fide jazz classic; its importance as an example of the best that jazz had to offer in the 1970s cannot be overstated. [Ethnic Expressions slipped out of print in 1975, and remained out of print until Japan's P-Vine made it available for a limited time on CD in 2009. In 2010, however, Great Britain's Jazzman was able to license and reissue it on both CD and LP, making it widely available and affordable worldwide.] ~ Thom Jurek https://www.allmusic.com/album/ethnic-expressions-mw0001746882

Personnel:  Roy Brooks – drums & various percussion instruments;  Olu Dara – trumpet & E-flat horn;  Hamiet Bluiett – baritone sax & clarinet;  Reggie Workman - bass;  Joseph Bonner - piano; Black Rose – ethnic expressionist;  Eddie Jefferson – vocalist;  Cecil Bridgewater – trumpet & flugelhorn;  Sonny Fortune – alto sax & flute;  John Stubblefield – tenor sax, flute & bass clarinet; Hilton Ruiz – piano (Fender Rhodes);    Richard Landrum – African percussion;  Lawrence Williams – African percussion

Ethnic Expressions

---

Rondi Charleston - Who Knows Where The Time Goes

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:16
Size: 117,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:16)  1. Who Knows Where The Time Goes
(4:30)  2. Overjoyed
(4:31)  3. Wave
(4:47)  4. Your Spirit Lingers
(4:13)  5. I Hear Music
(3:24)  6. Everything You Were Meant To Be
(4:25)  7. This Nearly Was Mine
(3:01)  8. Please Send Me Someone To Love
(4:20)  9. Dance Of Time
(5:27) 10. Land Of Galilee
(2:26) 11. Song For The Ages
(4:49) 12. Freedom Is A Voice

Rondi Charleston knows the importance of a story well told.  This talent, which served her well as an Emmy and Peabody award-winning producer at ABC News, has continued to blossom over the years.  Charleston is a jazz vocalist who matches superior musicianship with a unique ability to craft resonant narratives.  “I feel that the artist’s job is not only to capture what’s going on in the world around her, but to reflect on what’s going on; to try to make sense out of chaos, so to speak.  Hopefully, I can also entertain, inspire, and leave audiences with a feeling of hope for the future,” she insists.  “My challenge is to write music and lyrics that do all three.”  She has been meeting the challenge since 2009 in a series of impressive releases on the Motema Music label, and reveals new depths as a vocalist, composer and bandleader on Resilience, her newest release. Along the way, she has collaborated with some of the jazz world’s most highly respected musicians.  With pianist Fred Hersch, she co-wrote the song, “The Cave Knows” for the film No Place On Earth, which had worldwide theatrical release with Magnolia Pictures.  

With pianist Lynne Arriale, she co-wrote “A Song For The Ages” for the 2008 presidential inauguration of Barack Obama which was featured on Entertainment Tonight.   She has been featured at the Women In Jazz Festival at Jazz at Lincoln Center,  Birdland, Blue Note, Joe’s Pub, and Lyrics and Lyricists in New York, and around the country at Yoshi’s, Dakota Jazz, Catalina’s, and Mayne Stage in Chicago. “I’ve had several chapters in my life.  I’ve gone from being an actor and opera singer at Juilliard, to the world of investigative journalism at ABC News, and now, back to my first love, which is traditional and contemporary jazz,” Charleston explains.  “There’s a lot more uniting all these things than meets the eye.  In each case, you’re telling a story and in it, hopefully, revealing a powerful truth, whether it’s a corporate cover-up or a deep, hidden emotion. “ Music has surrounded Rondi Charleston her entire life.  Her father, an English professor, at the University of Chicago, was a jazz fan who took the then six-year-old and her brother, Erik (now a renowned New York percussionist) to hear Duke Ellington, her mother, a singer and voice teacher specializing in contemporary classical music.  Admitted to Juilliard as an acting student, Charleston also studied classical music.  After graduation, early years singing opera led to frustration and a change of careers. “Being small, I was always cast as the maid, never the countess,” she notes, “it was frustrating not to ever get the meaty parts, so I decided to shift gears, and learn to be a cultural reporter like my idol, the late Charles Kuralt.”  She was admitted to the NYU Masters program, where she won an award for an investigative report that led to a job at ABC News.  Beginning as a researcher, Charleston ultimately became a field producer, winning Emmy and Peabody awards in that capacity for her work with Diane Sawyer. Yet Charleston had hardly abandoned music.  During lunch breaks, she took voice lessons from Peter Eldridge of New York Voices, and at night she played cabaret gigs in the village.

“I put jazz singers on the highest pedestal, and never thought of myself that way at the time,” she admits, “but Peter saw that I had something special, I guess, and could swing, and he really helped make the transition organic.”   In fact, Eldridge ended up producing Charleston’s first jazz album, Love Is the Thing, on the LML Label.  When her daughter, Emma, was born, Charleston realized that she didn’t want her life controlled by the demands of her job. “So,” she explains, “I decided to focus on motherhood, return to my first love  music, and see what would happen.” What has happened is a series of increasingly ambitious and powerful albums In My Life, Who Knows Where The Time Goes?  and Signs of Life featuring what has become a working ensemble of unique sensitivity and range.  “I consider myself extremely fortunate to be able to create exciting new music with such incredible musicians and human beings,” Charleston says of pianist Brandon McCune, bassist Ed Howard, drummer McClenty Hunter and percussionist Mayra Casales, and “being on the road has only deepened the whole experience on and off the bandstand.”  She reserves special praise for guitarist, co-composer and musical director Dave Stryker. “Dave is my musical alter-ego, mind-reader and sage advisor.  He brings a deep well of jazz knowledge, musical sensitivity, creative juice and endless patience to the table.” In addition to recording and touring, Rondi has recently co-created Resilience Music Alliance, a mission-driven record label, with her husband, political/social activist and arts patron,  Steve Ruchefsky.   RMA is dedicated to empowering artists who celebrate and challenge the human condition of Resilience.  To this end, Rondi is conducting a series of webcast interviews, “The Resilience Conversations” which explore the theme of resilience with visionaries such as Deepak Chopra, Cory Booker and others.  “It’s thrilling  to have the chance to talk with such deep thinkers, and I look forward to sharing their insights with our community of like minded people.” http://rondicharleston.com/biography-rondi-charleston/

Who Knows Where The Time Goes

---

Ray Conniff - Always in My Heart

Styles: Vocal, Trumpet

Year: 1988
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 28:28
Size: 66,2 MB
Art: Front

(2:10)  1. Maria Elena (Always in My Heart)
(3:04)  2. Ramona
(3:20)  3. Don't Cry for Me Argentina (From "Evita")
(2:33)  4. La Violetera (Who Will Buy My Violets)
(3:27)  5. La Vie En Rose
(3:26)  6. Fernando
(2:12)  7. Theme from "A Summer Place" (A Tribute to Percy Faith)
(2:47)  8. Valencia
(2:44)  9. Blowin' in the Wind
(2:39) 10. Adios Muchachos

The kitsch enthusiast or novelty seeker will get a kick out of Ray Conniff's 1988 album Always in My Heart. Known primarily for orchestral versions of contemporary pop songs, his recordings during the late-1960s and early 1970s as Ray Conniff and the Singers included many straightforward recordings of current pop hits. 

This 1988 collection, sans singers, includes songs by Edith Piaf, Bob Dylan, Percy Faith, and from Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's Evita! This fun easy listening album has decent track listing, but, at barely over 20 minutes, will be worthwhile only if you want to hear a specific song in the set. ~ JT Griffith https://www.allmusic.com/album/always-in-my-heart-mw0000198812

Personnel:  Ray Conniff - vocals, trumpet; Pete Jolly - piano, electric piano; Gene Merlino - vocals; Zeke Zarchy - trumpet

Always in My Heart

---

Mike Mainieri - Love Play

Styles: Vibraphone Jazz
Year: 1977
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:02
Size: 98,9 MB
Art: Front

(5:23)  1. High Life
(4:25)  2. Magic Carpet
(3:30)  3. Latin Lover
(6:17)  4. I'm Sorry
(4:24)  5. Silkworm
(5:14)  6. Easy To Please
(4:51)  7. Sara Smile
(8:54)  8. Love Play

Mike Mainieri, a talented and distinctive vibraphonist, has had a productive and diverse career. He first played vibes professionally when he was 14, touring with Paul Whiteman in a jazz trio called Two Kings & a Queen. He played with Buddy Rich's bands for a long period (1956-1963) and then became a busy studio musician, appearing on many pop records. Mainieri had opportunities to work with Benny Goodman, Coleman Hawkins, and Wes Montgomery (1967-1968), among many others, and played in the early fusion band Jeremy & the Satyrs. During 1969-1972, he led a 20-piece rehearsal group called White Elephant that included the Brecker Brothers and other studio players. In 1979, he formed Steps (which later became Steps Ahead), an all-star jazz-oriented R&B/fusion band that included such players as Mike Brecker, Don Grolnick, Eddie Gomez, and Steve Gadd in its original lineup. Mainieri has revived the group several times since, with such musicians as saxophonist Bendik, Warren Bernhardt, Eliane Elias, Rachel Z, Mike Stern, Tony Levin, Victor Bailey, Peter Erskine, and Steve Smith making strong contributions. In 1992, Mainieri founded the NYC label and recorded the adventurous An American Diary. Prior to NYC, Mike Mainieri had recorded as a leader for such labels as Argo (1962), Solid State, Arista, Artists House, Warner Bros., and Elektra. ~ Scott Yanow https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/love-play/372869030

Personnel:  Mike Mainieri - vibraphone, producer, arranger, marimba, cowbell, kalimba, vocals, percussion, synthesizer, Mellotron, bells, gong, zither, writer

Love Play

---

Jane Bunnett - In Dew Time

Styles: Flute, Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1988
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:28
Size: 104,3 MB
Art: Front

(5:27)  1. Big Alice
(8:38)  2. The Wanderer
(8:49)  3. Limbo
(6:34)  4. Utviklingssang
(6:26)  5. In Dew Time
(9:32)  6. Five/As Long as There's Music

Jane Bunnett's debut album uses different personnel on every selection. She starts out quite strong (playing flute in a duet with pianist Don Pullen on his catchy "Big Alice") and continues the momentum throughout a set that includes two of her originals, an obscure Carla Bley song, the title cut (written by her husband-trumpeter Larry Cramer) and a medley of her "Five" and the standard "As Long As There Is Music." At that point in her career, Bunnett was a little more original on flute than on soprano but already quite talented on both. In addition to members of her Canadian group (Cramer, pianist Brian Dickenson, bassist Scott Alexander and drummer Claude Ranger), Bunnett welcomes Don Pullen, tenor great Dewey Redman and the french horn of Vincent Chancey on some of the selections. The inside/outside music is quite colorful, unpredictable and ultimately logical. A very impressive debut. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/in-dew-time-mw0000910546

Personnel:  Jane Bunnett, flute, soprano saxophone;  Scott Alexander, bass;  Claude Ranger, drums;  Vincent Chancey, french horn;  Brian Dickenson, piano;  Don Pullen, piano;  Dewey Redman, tenor saxophone;  Larry Cramer, trumpet

In Dew Time

---

The Diva Jazz Trio - Never Never Land

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop

Year: 2009
File: MP3@256K/s
Time: 56:31
Size: 104,0 MB
Art: Front

(7:09)  1. If I Only Had A Brain
(6:17) 2. Piano Nocturne #6 Op. 09 No. 2 - Frédéric Chopin
(3:49)  3. Virgo
(6:42)  4. I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face
(6:13)  5. My Favorite Things
(4:33)  6. I Could Have Danced All Night / I Won't Dance
(4:22)  7. Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin'
(4:36)  8. I'm Walkin'
(6:00)  9. Never Never Land
(6:45) 10. Love For Sale

About the nicest compliment one can pay the DIVA Jazz Trio's debut recording, Never Never Land, is that the threesome's irrepressible enthusiasm and energy (not to mention their consonance and artistry) are reminiscent of the great Oscar Peterson's classic trio with bassist Ray Brown and drummer Ed Thigpen. Pianist Tomoko Ohno isn't Peterson, nor does she try to be, but she dwells in the same exalted realm, while bassist Noriko Ueda and drummer Sherrie Maricle offer stalwart impressions of Brown and Thigpen. If the trio's accord seems remarkable, a part of the reason lies in the fact that it doubles as the rhythm section for the superb all-women's big band, DIVA. The group's choice of music is as inclusive as it is entertaining. After opening with a happy-go-lucky version of Harold Arlen/Yip Harburg's "If I Only Had a Brain" from The Wizard of Oz, the trio puts a sunny Latin spin on Chopin's graceful "Piano Nocturne No. 6" before addressing exemplary compositions by Horace Silver (the high-octane "Virgo"), Lerner and Loewe, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Fats Domino (yes, Fats Domino) and Cole Porter, plus Betty Comden/Adolph Green's wistful title selection from Peter Pan. Lerner and Loewe contribute "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face" and "I Could Have Danced All Night," Rodgers and Hammerstein "My Favorite Things" and "Oh, What a Beautiful Morning," and Porter the venerable "Love for Sale." If Domino/Dave Bartholomew's "I'm Walkin'" seems somewhat out of place among those celebrated standards, the trio makes it hum like a high-grade Swiss watch. 

Besides working extremely well together, each member of the group is a first-class soloist, an appraisal that is borne out whenever one of them has the floor, while Maricle excels with brushes or sticks, providing taut and tasteful support in every circumstance. Ohno has impeccable technique, swings in every context, and shows she's not only able but eager to roll up her sleeves and get down and dirty on "I'm Walkin.'" As for Ueda, she does far more than simply orchestrate the tempo even though she's a steady and invaluable time-keeper. She and her teammates make Never Never Land a delightful introductory cruise by three remarkably talented young women. ~ Jack Bowers https://www.allaboutjazz.com/never-never-land-diva-jazz-arbors-records-review-by-jack-bowers.php

Personnel: Sherrie Maricle: drums; Tomoko Ohno: piano; Noriko Ueda: bass.

Never Never Land

---

Valentina Casula - This is Always

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1995
File: MP3@224K/s
Time: 52:23
Size: 84,1 MB
Art: Front

( 6:40)  1. I Remember You
( 7:18)  2. My Funny Valentine
( 3:53)  3. Time After Time
( 5:47)  4. Like Someone In Love
( 6:03)  5. I'm A Fool To Want You
( 6:29)  6. My Foolish Heart
( 4:00)  7. But Not Fot Me
(12:09)  8. This Is Always

A native of Sardinia, Valentina Casula is a musician, singer and composer. She also teaches singing and provides musical direction for several plays. She began her musical career with classical studies of oboe, singing and choral conducting in Italy at the National Conservatory of Cagliari and continued her apprenticeship with a jazz formation focusing on singing, saxophone and arrangement in Siena and UMass in the United States.

Settled in Paris since 1993, Valentina has appeared in numerous jazz clubs and festivals as a singer of jazz, world music and contemporary music. Following a first album (1995) paying tribute to trumpet player Chet Baker, Valentina is embarking on a more personal path by completing a project on Keith Jarrett's music alongside Alain Jean Mairie, Gilles Naturel Philippe Soirat and Paolo Fresu .

From 2002 to 2004 she made several tours in duet with the pianist Giovanni Mirabassi. Alternately fascinated by the diversity and richness of popular music as well as the expressiveness of languages, Valentina collaborates with the composer Philippe Kadosch on the show Babeleyes, a project focused on endangered languages.

She then participates in the electro-world Click Here project and performs alongside Dj Click and gypsy musicians from Romania and India in major festivals in Europe as well as in China, Japan, Korea, India and in South Africa. A collaboration that will lead to two albums.

In 2012, Valentina receives the Maria Carta Award in Italy for her international career. Eclectic at the same time and engaged in a real approach around the sound and the voice, Valentina is invested in a work of research around the traditional songs of the world. A true invitation to travel, a bridge built between its origins and unknown lands. This research leads to her current project with guitarist Jean-Luc Roumier and contrabassist Nicola Cossu. This trio offers a repertoire of songs from popular and gypsy culture, arranged and interpreted in twenty different languages.

Valentina Casula is currently preparing the release of the cd "Harom" in which she performs with the Italian pianist Nico Morelli and the Hungarian saxophonist Kristof Bacso a repertoire of compositions and arrangement of traditional Mediterranean themes. https://www.valentinacasula.com/bio

This is Always

---

Anat Cohen - Claroscuro

Styles: Clarinet And Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:35
Size: 155,5 MB
Art: Front

(6:46)  1. Anat's Dance
(6:21)  2. La Vie En Rose
(8:51)  3. All Brothers
(6:01)  4. As Rosas Nao Falam
(4:23)  5. Nightmare
(7:41)  6. Tudo Que Voce Podia Ser
(7:44)  7. And The World Weeps
(6:06)  8. Olha Maria
(2:42)  9. Kick Off
(4:45) 10. Um A Zero
(6:10) 11. The Wedding

Art begets art on Anat Cohen's Claroscuro. The Israeli-born, New York-based multi-reedist leaves the confines of Benny Goodman's world behind, following her clarinet-only sojourn into king of swing territory, Clarinetwork: Live At The Village Vanguard (Anzic, 2010), with a wide-ranging musical treatise on the balance between light and dark. Cohen addresses each end of the color spectrum on its own terms during this eleven-song program but, more often than not, plays one off the other within a single performance. She's savvy enough to know that dark doesn't exist without light and that the contrast and marriage between the two is what makes them stand apart. Jason Lindner's "Anat's Dance" opens the program and focuses on Cohen's sunny clarinet work, Lindner's moody piano and the shifting rhythmic terra firma that morphs beneath them. Cohen's bass clarinet connects with Paquito D'Rivera's clarinet as they move over a primal percussion foundation on her "Kick Off, while pan-global rhythmic purpose and open exploration collide on drummer Daniel Freedman's "All Brothers." These prove to be the only originals on this album, but originality resides in every second of music. Cohen delivers her most soulful tenor performance to date on "The Wedding," produces some poignant soprano work at the start of "Tudo Que Voce Podia Ser," and walks a line between seductive and mournful on "As Rosas Nao Falam." She shares a deep and abiding love for choro music with D'Rivera ("Um A Zero"), engages in a Louis Armstrong-based love affair with trombonist/vocalist Wycliffe Gordon ("La Vie En Rose") and calls on her famous Cuban clarinet companion again for a trip through clarinetist Artie Shaw's psychosis-slathered theme song ("Nightmare"). Both men join Cohen on one track, Dr. Lonnie Smith's "And The World Weeps," and the results are electric; the song goes from mannered dirge to bluesy epic in Duke Ellingtonian fashion. Cohen's omnivorous musical persona is well-documented on Notes From The Village (Anzic, 2008), where she jumped from saxophonist John Coltrane and singer Sam Cooke to pianist Fats Waller with ease, and Noir (Anzic, 2007), where she hit a homerun merging "Samba de Orfeu" and "Struttin' With Some Barbeque," but she works the musical diversity concept in a different way on this one. Notes From The Village was pleasing in a hard-to-pin-down way and Noir was fueled by passion, but Claroscuro succeeds on poise and shapeliness. The unrestrained enthusiasm that Cohen beautifully exhibits in other places is replaced here by a more deliberate and controlled balance of highs and lows, ups and downs....and light and dark. Claroscuro is a colorful date that confirms what's already been said about Anat Cohen on numerous occasions: she's one of a kind. ~ Dan Bilawsky https://www.allaboutjazz.com/claroscuro-anat-cohen-anzic-records-review-by-dan-bilawsky.php

Personnel: Anat Cohen: clarinet, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone; Jason Lindner: piano; Joe Martin: bass; Daniel Freedman: drums; Wycliffe Gordon: trombone, vocal; Paquito d’Rivera: clarinet.

Claroscuro

---

Nick Hempton - Catch and Release

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:07
Size: 120,0 MB
Art: Front

(6:27)  1. Hanging for Dear Life
(7:39)  2. Change for a Dollar
(7:32)  3. Target Practice
(5:09)  4. Montauk Mosey
(5:44)  5. The Third Degree
(6:18)  6. Nordberg Suite
(6:23)  7. Catch Up
(6:52)  8. Catch and Release

When it come to music release methods, there's nothing more stubborn or persistent than the single. Music has fallen in and out of love with so many different formats over the years, but the one-song-at-a-time method of digestion has weathered every shift, spat, and alteration that life and technology have thrown at it. In fact, it's stronger than ever in this download and post-download age. So what, pray tell, does that have to do with this album? Everything.  In 2014, saxophonist Nick Hempton decided to use a novel concept to tap into the single-seeking listener base. The premise was a simple and familiar one: release one song at a time. But the twist came with the hit-and-run approach behind these singles. Instead of recording an album's worth of music and dropping one song at a time, each song was an island or an album unto itself. A makeshift studio was put together in New York's Smalls Jazz Club on multiple occasions. Then Hempton and company would have a midday session where they would record a single song, later to be mixed and sent on its way all by its lonesome. Each and every part of the process was documented for all to see on a blog. The whole thing was dubbed the "Catch and Release Experiment," and it produced a good number of strong performances that existed as completely separate entities. Now, in a reversal of strategy, Hempton is catering to the album-loving crowd by bundling all of these pieces together on CD. The album opens on the hip "Hanging For Life," a casual swinger that downshifts for a spell before returning to its original feel. Then Hempton welcomes guest tenor saxophonist Jerry Weldon to the party for the lively, bop-leaning "Change For A Dollar." The band sounds tight, the two saxophonists have a chance to bat things around with traded solos, pianist Tadataka Unno gets a chance to shine, and the multiple winks at "Laura" are a smile-inducing cherry on top. Then there's "Target Practice," a number in three that gives drummer Dan Aran a little space to shine; "Montauk Mosey," which finds Hempton and guest pianist Rosanno Sportiello working in a wonderfully relaxed vein together; the Peter Bernstein-enhanced "The Third Degree," a Latin-inflected winner that would've felt right at home on a '60s Blue Note album; and "Nordberg Suite," a cheery, drummer-less small group number that brings trumpeter Bruce Harris into the mix.

The final two pieces on the album dispense with the guests and focus on a core quartet of Hempton, Aran, pianist Jeremy Manasia, and bassist Dave Baron. Together they shift from uncertain terrain to a Coltrane-ish blues feel in five on "Catch Up" before closing out the album with the energetic title track. While this was initially a single-centric project, Catch And Release makes a very favorable impression as a full album. When you consider the facts these tracks were each recorded at different times, personnel changed from number to number, engineer Andrew Swift had to basically rebuild a studio setup each time Hempton wanted to record you start to realize that this could've turned out to be an incredibly inconsistent release in terms of sound quality, vibe, and group dynamics. But it isn't. Hempton's vision and leadership, Swift's skills on the recording side, and the talented individuals on these tracks all help to make Catch And Release a solid and satisfying listen from start to finish. ~ Dan Bilawsky https://www.allaboutjazz.com/catch-and-release-nick-hempton-self-produced-review-by-dan-bilawsky.php

Personnel: Nick Hempton: saxophones; Dan Aran: drums; Dave Baron: bass; Tadataka Unno: piano (1-3); Jeremy Manasia: piano (5-8); Jerry Weldon: tenor saxophone (2); Rossano Sportiello: piano (4); Peter Bernstein: guitar (5); Bruce Harris: trumpet (6).

Catch and Release

---

Sherrie Maricle & The Diva Jazz Orchestra - Live from Jazz at Lincoln Center's Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola

Styles: Jazz, Big Band
Year: 2008
File: MP3@256K/s
Time: 65:22
Size: 120,8 MB
Art: Front

(5:12)  1. I Love Being Here With You
(6:25)  2. Andalucia
(6:36)  3. Stars Fell On Alabama
(2:31)4. Sweet Georgia Brown (feat. Carmen Bradford)
(2:21)  5. This Can't be Love (feat. Carmen Bradford)
(3:02)  6. I'd Rather Drink Muddy Water (feat. Carmen Bradford)
(5:58)  7. Rachel's Dream
(5:16)  8. Put a Little Love In Your Heart
(6:19)  9. Happy Talk
(5:22) 10. How Do You Keep The Music Playing (feat. Carmen Bradford)
(2:38) 11. All of Me (feat. Carmen Bradford)
(7:05) 12. TPN Blues
(6:31) 13. America

Diva's latest Cd was recorded over two nights last September at Dizzy's Club in Lincoln Center. The band devours John McNeil's swinging chart of Peggy Lee's "I Love Being Here With You," featuring Janelle Reichman's powerful tenor sax and Dauber's delicious muted trumpet. Tenorist Leigh Pilzer and flugelhornist Nadje Noordhuis share the spotlight in Scott Whitfield's lush setting of "Stars Fell on Alabama." The band adds some punch in their swaggering rendition of the pop song "Put a Little Love in Your Heart," hardly a standard, but it fits in just fine. Vocalist Carmen Bradford is added for four selections, highlighted by her soulful takes of "Sweet Georgia Brown" and "This Can't Be Love." 

The disc wraps with Ellen Rowe's imaginative scoring of Leonard Bernstein's "America," featuring Tomoko Ohno's driving piano, Lisa Parrott's gutsy baritone sax and Tanya Darby's sizzling trumpet. ~ Ken Dryden https://www.allaboutjazz.com/sherrie-maricle-live-from-jazz-at-lincoln-center-and-what-the-world-needs-now-by-ken-dryden.php

Personnel: Sherrie Maricle: drums; Tomoko Ohno: piano; Noriko Ueda: bass; Sharel Cassity: alto sax; Erica Von Kleist: alto sax, soprano sax; Janelle Reichman: tenor sax, clarinet; Leigh Pilzer: tenor sax; Lisa Parrott: baritone sax; Tanya Darby: trumpet; Jami Dauber: trumpet, flugelhorn; Carol Morgan: trumept; Nadje Noordhuis: trumpet, flugelhorn; Deborah Weisz: trombone; Robynn Amy: trombone; Leslie Havens: bass trombone; Carmen Bradford: vocals.

Live from Jazz at Lincoln Center's Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola

---

Roberta Donnay & The Prohibition Mob Band - A Little Sugar

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:05
Size: 118,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:39)  1. Oh Papa
(2:41)  2. You Got to Swing and Sway
(4:08)  3. Mama's Gone, Goodbye
(5:06)  4. Say It Isn't So
(2:46)  5. I've Got a Feeling I'm Falling
(3:57)  6. One Monkey Don't Stop No Show
(4:13)  7. Rocking Chair
(4:03)  8. (Tropical) Heatwave
(4:43)  9. You Go to My Head
(2:38) 10. Sugar Blues
(3:51) 11. You've Been a Good Ole Wagon
(4:22) 12. (I Want a Little) Sugar in My Bowl
(4:52) 13. Empty Bed Blues

Among veteran songstress Roberta Donnay's career accomplishments is having her song "One World" selected as a world peace anthem for the 50th Anniversary of the United Nations; it was also the theme for World Aids Day in South Africa. On her delightfully jazzy, sassy, and colorful follow-up to 2008's jazz standards project What's Your Story, the multi-talented singer aims to achieve global unity in a different way: by pouring A Little Sugar on our differences, taking us back some 80 or 90 years and exploring a time of musical Renaissance that can still tug the heartstrings. In exploring the world of Prohibition-proto-jazz, many singers possessing her charming blend of girlishness and saucy conviction could go the easy route and sing some of the Gershwin, Irving Berlin, and Hoagy Carmichael faves we all know. But there's nary a Gershwin tune to be found, and her two jaunts into Berlin's catalog (the elegant and wistful trio piece "Say It Isn't So," the playful Latin romp "(Tropical) Heatwave," and the single dip into the Carmichael canon (a graceful, swaying "Rocking Chair") take her off the beaten path and into the deeper artistry of those composers and their era. Many of Donnay's song choices reflect her love of strong, outspoken female composers and artists whose songs were practically forerunners of the later women's lib movement. 

Opening with the swinging and sultry, brass-fired "Oh Papa" accomplishes this in two ways, because the song was originally recorded by "Mother of the Blues" Ma Rainey and later under a different title by Bessie Smith. Likewise, the brisk and lively "You Got to Swing and Sway"a song that's so danceable one wonders why it is still so obscure which was penned by blues singer Ida Cox in the late '30s when she was making a comeback. The stride/Dixieland-influenced "Mama's Gone Goodbye," originally recorded in 1923, invokes another name largely lost to history but which bears some research: Sippie Wallace. Donnay's big-band arrangement of "Sugar Blues" owes more to Ella Fitzgerald's later recording than any that appeared when it was penned in 1920. Perhaps the epitome of the Great American Songbook and often recorded by popular artists "You Go to My Head" is given a tender, sparse jazz arrangement. Donnay's voice could make any classic material sound wondrous and timeless, but the fact that she digs so deep into American musical history and works with some of the Bay Area's top jazz musicians (under the guise of the Prohibition Mob Band) makes A Little Sugar not only sweet, but a recording that will stand the test of time. ~ Jonathan Widran https://www.allmusic.com/album/a-little-sugar-mw0002433247

A Little Sugar

---

Eli Degibri - Twelve

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:52
Size: 111,1 MB
Art: Front

(4:57)  1. Twelve
(4:29)  2. The Spider
(3:29)  3. Roaming Fantasy
(4:20)  4. Mambo
(8:11)  5. Autumn In New York
(4:16)  6. New Waltz
(4:21)  7. Liora Mi Amor
(7:44)  8. Old Seven
(5:00)  9. The Cave

“Music is like a fairytale: ageless, immortal. And we musicians are eternally Peter Pan, no matter if we are 16, 18, 35 or 80 years old,” reflects saxophonist Eli Degibri in the notes to Twelve, his sixth recording. Featuring two emerging young talents-18-year-old drummer Ofri Nehemya and 16-year-old pianist Gadi Lehavi-it is anchored by the steady beat, bounce and fervor of seasoned bassist Barak Mori, and traverses a diverse program composed primarily of the leader’s compelling originals. This new album finds Degibri back in his native Israel, following an extended period in the U.S. playing with luminaries such as Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Al Foster, and leading his own hard-hitting bands. Degibri plays tenor throughout, picking up the soprano on “Liora Mi Amor,” a tender tango with lyrics and vocals by Israeli treasure Shlomo Ydov, and surprising on mandolin with the pensive “The Cave,” where a choir adds spacious, wordless vocals. Vernon Duke’s “Autumn in New York” becomes a poignant reflection on the city Degibri lived in for 15 years, showcasing his big, warm tenor tone. Odd-metered and frenetic, “The Spider” highlights the quartet’s cohesiveness and agility, while the captivating ballad “Old Seven” returns to the theme of age and maturity. Noted for his stellar technique, the sense of urgency in his playing and his sometimes bristly, splintering compositions, Degibri here seems focused on storytelling, exploring melody and feeling. His artistry as a songwriter, bold improviser and skilled leader are in full effect. ~ Sharonne Cohen  https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/eli-degibri-twelve/
 

Personnel:  Bass – Barak Mori;  Drums – Ofri Nehemya; Mandolin – Eli Degibri ; Piano – Gadi Lehavi; Soprano Saxophone – Eli Degibri; Tenor Saxophone – Eli Degibri; Vocals – Shlomo Ydov

Twelve

---

Didier Lockwood - Open Doors

Styles: Violin Jazz

Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 76:19
Size: 176,7 MB
Art: Front

( 6:36)  1. Open Doors
( 7:17)  2. Good Morning Lady Sun
(10:00)  3. Quark
( 6:49)  4. The ballad of Pat & Robin
( 9:49)  5. Positive Life
( 6:18)  6. The One Shot Duet
( 4:12)  7. Little Bossa
( 5:13)  8. Mathilde and the Ghost
( 5:33)  9. Blues Fourth
( 6:32) 10. Ballad for Four
( 5:21) 11. Now I Really Got the Blues
( 2:38) 12. Time to Time

Didier Lockwood had a diverse career, ranging from progressive rock to fusion to swing and advanced hard bop. He was a member of French avant-prog outfit Magma in the 1970s, and in the '80s he was considered the next in a line of great French violinists after Stephane Grappelli and Jean-Luc Ponty. Lockwood began studying violin when he was six. Ten years later, he stopped his formal training and joined a rock group. He played in Paris with Aldo Romano and Daniel Humair, among others, and met Grappelli and toured with him. He had a fusion group called Surya and recorded with Tony Williams around the same period of time (1979). Lockwood played in the United States on various occasions and recorded an acoustic album in 1986 with fellow violinists John Blake and Michal Urbaniak. He continued to perform and record, with a large discography as leader or collaborator extending well into the first two decades of the new millennium. Didier Lockwood died in Paris in February 2018 at the age of 62. ~ Scott Yanow https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/open-doors/1300348232

Personnel:  Ensemble [Synth & Strings], Violin, Mandolin, Art Direction, Edited By, Mixed By – Didier Lockwood;  Bass – Daryl Hall;  Drums – André Ceccarelli ;  Ensemble [Synth & Strings] – Alexandre Monfort;  Guest [Vocals, Special Guest] – Patricia Petibon;  Piano – Antonio Faraò

Open Doors

---

Dan Block - Block Party: A Saint Louis Connection

Styles: Saxophone And Clarinet Jazz
Year: 2018
File: MP3@256K/s
Time: 63:29
Size: 118,1 MB
Art: Front

(7:33)  1. Dinner for One Please, James
(6:57)  2. No, No, No
(6:09)  3. Light Blue
(5:05)  4. Smoke Signal
(6:44)  5. Wonderful One
(7:01)  6. Beautiful Changes
(6:32)  7. By the Fireside
(6:22)  8. Option Click
(5:53)  9. Ain't No Land Like Dixieland
(5:09) 10. It Was Written in the Stars

Although Dan Block ought not to need any more affirmation of his musicianship, this record Block Party will surely add to the reeds and winds maestro’s reputation. One of the great Romantics ever to indulge in the art of Jazz, Mr. Block is both a pedagogue of remarkable genius and also one of the finest horn players of his generation he has devised a programme encompassing multiple aspects of the halcyon days of the music with an ingenious interpretation of Thelonious Monk’s music on the stubbornly difficult to play licorice stickwith which he interprets “Light Blue”. He glides and leaps with languid ease to magical heights and breadths on the instrument in inimitable fashion. And it is also on Gigi Gryce’s “Smoke Signal” and Walter Donaldson’s “”Ain’t No Land Like Dixieland” that he gives notice of the extent of his erudition as well. To deliver such a programme with the kind of wide-ranging musicianship takes extraordinary ability and Mr. Block achieves this remarkably, bringing a sure response to the wry compulsiveness of “No, No, No” and its composer Phil Springer, the flickering virtuoso panache of “By The Fireside” and the maddening sound-world of Donaldson’s “Beatiful Changes”. 

Meanwhile Michael Carr’s “Dinner for One Please, James" is played with a lucid mastery to match the arrangement of “It Was Written in the Stars”, which makes for a crowning finale to this record. Throughout, of course, one is enthralled by the Mr. Block’s extraordinary virtuosity and the warmth of his musicianship, highlighted by evocative and expressive playing. One should also bear in mind that Mr. Block’s idea was to celebrate a kind of impromptu Block Party a celebration of which takes place with his guitar-playing brother Rob, together with bassist Neal Caine, pianist Tadakeka Unno and drummer Aaron Kimmel, all of whom get together with a living pulse, at other times as loosely coordinated as a wind chime (the ever-changing mood of the music apparent to the eyen rather than the ear). Simple though the music may sound as it ambles in walking metre, each note by Mr. Block is like a separate pebble gently dropped into a pool sending out ripples to the guitar-playing Block as the other band members. By the very nature of its languid majesty this music by Dan Block encourages us to listen moment by moment rather than attempt to map it in its entirety. ~ Raul da Gama https://jazzdagama.com/music/dan-block-block-party/

Personnel – Dan Block: tenor saxophone (2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10) and clarinet (1, 3, 4); Rob Block: guitar; Neal Caine: contrabass; Tadataka Unno: piano; Aaron Kimmel: drums

Block Party: A Saint Louis Connection

---

Joe Magnarelli & John Swana - New York Philly Junction

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:50
Size: 137,3 MB
Art: Front

( 6:36)  1. New York-Philly Junction
( 6:33)  2. Giants
( 7:24)  3. My Old Flame
( 7:02)  4. Lou Ann
( 7:20)  5. From Now On
( 7:50)  6. Eagles
( 6:25)  7. They Say It's Wonderful
(10:39)  8. If Ever I Would Leave You

During the course of nearly twenty-five years, the Criss Cross imprint has sustained an enviable reputation for recording promising talent from the East Coast (particularly New York City) jazz mainstream. Some of the music's rising stars, such as Chris Potter and Seamus Blake, made their debuts as leaders for Gerry Teekens' venerable Holland-based label. Even more impressive is Teekens' willingness to document the progress of some of the artists on a continuing basis, from their days as young lions and into middle age, when the years of persistence and hard work begin to pay off in significant artistic dividends.  New York-Philly Junction is co-led by trumpeters Joe Magnarelli and John Swana, both of whom have recorded as leaders and sidemen for Criss Cross since the early nineteen-nineties. The session is a reprise of a 1998 date (released as Philly-New York Junction ) that included four other of the label's regulars, pianist Joel Weiskopf, tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander, bassist Peter Washington, and drummer Kenny Washington. The material is well chosen, the ensemble playing leaves nothing to be desired, and the rhythm section stays alert and unobtrusive; however, it's the four primary soloists (three horns and piano) that makes the new recording top drawer. The three choruses he takes on the title track are quintessential Magnarelli. The trumpeter moves from one short segment to another, occasionally emitting sounds like long sighs. He frequently starts to develop a line, goes off on a convoluted tangent, and then comes back as if suddenly remembering to finish the original thought. Though the first three notes coming out of his horn are plump and certain, his ballad rendition of the standard "My Old Flame" sounds emotionally vulnerable. He's played the tune countless times, yet Magnarelli remains enamored of Johnson and Coslow's ode to a lost love, and takes liberties without violating its essence. During the eight measures preceding the bridge, he flashes a number of brief, pointed asides before once again finding the heart of the song. Magnarelli's solo on "Eagles" is firmly based in a recognizable, bebop-oriented vocabulary, but is nonetheless very personal. Listen closely and he gets under your skin. As the solo progresses changes in emphasis and direction are constant; however, he's very organized, the ideas fit, and he leaves nothing to question. In an instant, lines move from skittering this way and that to sounding decidedly pronounced. The rhythm section wisely stays out of his way. Weiskopf, in particular, comps sparsely and lays out altogether for a long stretch.

John Swana's solo on his spry, medium tempo composition "Eagles" is one of those marvelous instances in which everything coming out of the horn makes perfect sense and feels just right. The path of the solo is so clear that it almost doesn't sound improvised. Spinning witty and inventive melodies, Swana's totally at ease with the horn, the tune's changes, and the rhythm section. Spurred by Kenny Washington's snare drum accents and varied cymbal textures, his forward drive never sounds forced or labored. Even several sixteenth-note runs (something that, in his earlier work, Swana often overused) come off as playful instead of contrived. The first seven bars of Swana's wistful improvisation during Tom Harrell's "From Now On" are blissfully devoid of any tension. Working different registers of the horn, he juxtaposes long tones and pregnant pauses. Just when it seems as if Swana is simply going to fade away, he begins a series of winding lines (none of which last very long) that all gradually slow down to a standstill. In addition to his sensitivity as an accompanist, Weiskopf is a confident, orderly soloist who never sounds rushed or labored. During "New York-Philly Junction" the pianist has something different to say on each of three choruses. 

He begins by gracefully sliding from phrase to phrase, evoking blues locutions without becoming excessive. During the second chorus persistent clumps of chords jounce against Peter Washington's irregular bass line and Kenny Washington's patchwork of beats. In the last chorus, Weiskopf unleashes a whirlwind of precisely executed single note lines that wind down, as if he's trying to reverse direction and back out of the solo. His wonderful introduction to "My Old Flame" doesn't contain any hint of the melody; he nonetheless graciously guides us to the song. Melding single notes and chords into a dreamy perfection, the four measures are both purposeful and timeless. The chords ring a little; there's a brief, telling silence after the second bar; and despite the brevity Weiskopf's around long enough to allow us to admire his firm touch. The four choruses he takes during "Eagles" constitute an extended burst of creativity in an unassuming guise. Weiskopf refrains from pounding the keyboard; his changes in dynamics are both subtle and effective. He becomes marginally more assertive as the solo progresses, but the degrees of emphasis aren't dramatic. As he knits together themes with ease, the pianist is clearly interested in the solo as a whole rather than reaching for affected climaxes. The performance comes off as one continuous chain of thought. He strays briefly from Peter Washington's stalwart pulse, and then comes back into the fold without any loss of continuity. There's an epic quality to Alexander's seven choruses of saxophone athleticism on "Giants," Swana's variant of John Coltrane's "Giant Steps." It's good to hear him temper a tendency to squeeze too much information in a single presentation. In this case he's a methodical thinker, in complete control of his emotions as well as the instrument. Tightly woven variations of a handful of motifs display a balance between rigid discipline and finesse. Alexander pauses a few times in the first chorus, then stays in constant forward motion. His eighth-note lines become increasingly dense in texture despite their rapidity. By the sixth chorus the grand sweep of his blowing is nearly overwhelming; he then downshifts and concludes with a quote from "Giant Steps."~ David A.Orthmann https://www.allaboutjazz.com/joe-magnarelli-and-john-swana-new-york-philly-junction-by-david-a-orthmann.php

Personnel: Joe Magnarelli—trumpet; John Swana—trumpet; Eric Alexander—tenor sax; Joel Weiskopf—piano; Peter Washington—bass; Kenny Washington—drums.

New York Philly Junction

---

Charito - Affair to Remember

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:33
Size: 138,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:03)  1. Say It
(3:39)  2. Smile
(3:50)  3. All the Way
(5:03)  4. The Very Thought of You
(3:35)  5. Love Is a Many Splendored Thing
(4:08)  6. When October Goes
(3:20)  7. It's Impossible
(4:35)  8. Save Your Love For Me
(4:04)  9. Let's Fall In Love
(5:30) 10. Estate
(4:23) 11. Love Beware
(3:26) 12. Till the End of Time
(3:51) 13. An Affair to Remember

Distinctively a most prominent jazz vocalist in Japan with multi-awarded albums recorded and released internationally, Charito’s artistry continues to establish its global presence with her recent and forthcoming tours in Europe, Asia, North and Latin America. Her highly personal and expressive vocal style incorporates the breadth of her musical interests, from straight-ahead soulful ballads to hard-swinging grooves and improvisational adventures. Her approach is fresh and invigorating, paying tribute to the jazz tradition while interacting and exploring, always seeking to express herself in the moment. https://www.charito.com/biography/

Personnel:  Charito (Vocal); Soichi Noriki (Piano); Benisuke Sakai (Bass); Kengo Nakamura (Bass); Gene Jackson (Drums).

Affair to Remember

---

Alex Sipiagin - Out of the Circle

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:45
Size: 146,7 MB
Art: Front

( 9:47)  1. Wind Dance
(10:29)  2. Afternoon Dreams
( 8:47)  3. Echoes of Thought
(10:41)  4. Out of the Circle
( 7:03)  5. Flash
( 9:07)  6. Syn
( 7:49)  7. Sketches of Myself

Over the course of seven years and six albums for Criss Cross, trumpeter Alex Sipiagin has been evolving as a player, writer and bandleader, with Prints (2007) his most fully realized effort to date. Still, the Dutch record label's insistence on short sessions usually only a single day imposes practical limitations on what its artists can accomplish on a larger scale. While Sipiagin continues to record for Criss Cross, the larger ensemble and more ambitious compositional scope of Out of the Circle his first release using the web-based ArtistShare model that's been so successful for artists like Maria Schneider is an album that simply couldn't have been made within Criss Cross' limited timeframe. Sipiagin expands his usual quintet/sextet approach to as large as a ten-piece, featuring players who are part of the same New York cadre bassist Scott Colley, guitarist Adam Rogers, drummer Antonio Sanchez and saxophonist/flautist Donny McCaslin alongside under-appreciated keyboardist Henry Hey, Dave Holland Big Band/Sextet co-conspirator Robin Eubanks on trombone, percussionist Daniel Sadownick, wife/vocalist Monday Michiru and well-known keyboardist/arranger Gil Goldstein on accordion. It's a potent combination, allowing Sipiagin the opportunity to explore more detailed compositional form while, at the same time, having the improvisational prowess available to keep things spontaneous throughout. Sipiagin remains an eminently lyrical writer and soloist, although the contexts on Out of the Circle are his most challenging yet. What's always been a strong suit for the trumpeter, in addition to an inviting tone on whatever horn variant he plays, is his ability to find singable melodies, thread-through-needle-like, over the most difficult of changes. His solo on the relaxed but constantly shifting harmonies of the episodic "Syn" is a perfect example as are the contributions of Goldstein and Rogers. 

Compositionally, Sipiagin explores a broader palette than usual, with a Brazilian undercurrent on more than one of the album's seven tracks, most notably the vocal track "Afternoon Dreams" and adventurous "Wind Dance," where Eubanks delivers the kind of characteristically unpredictable solo on which his reputation has been built over the past two decades. Sipiagin even approaches pop territory with Michiru's "Sketches of Myself" the only non-Sipiagin track although it's still firmly entrenched in the jazz sphere, with richly melodic solos from both Sipiagin and Hey. Michiru, who has her own ArtistShare projects in release, demonstrates, like Sipiagin, a more complex lyricism, and a pure voice focused on melody rather than gymnastics. Sipiagin's writing for a three-horn frontline is outstanding, with the horns-only (and multi-tracked) section following Sadownick's brief but inventive solo on "Syn" a marvel of contrapuntal and harmonic conception. While the inherent spontaneity of his Criss Cross recordings will continue to be an important part of who he is, let's hope that Sipiagin can continue to pursue the more ambitious direction of Out of the Circle. When paired with Prints, it's a potent one-two punch of complex yet accessible writing, beautiful arrangements with a keen attention to detail, and risk-taking solos for which Sipiagin deserves a broader audience. ~ John Kelman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/out-of-the-circle-alex-sipiagin-artistshare-review-by-john-kelman.php

Personnel: Alex Sipiagin: trumpet, flugelhorn, piccolo trumpet, bass trumpet; Donny McCaslin: tenor and soprano saxophone, flute; Robin Eubanks: trombone; Adam Rogers: guitars; Henry Hey: keyboards; Antonio Sanchez: drums; Daniel Sadownick: percussion; Scott Colley: bass; Gil Goldstein: accordion; Monday Michiru: vocals and programming.

Out of the Circle

---

Mort Weiss - All Too Soon

Styles: Clarinet Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:45
Size: 169,7 MB
Art: Front

(3:58)  1. Scrapple From The Apple
(5:54)  2. Softly As In A Morning Sunrise
(6:01)  3. Blue Monk
(5:38)  4. Be My Love
(5:44)  5. Django
(5:40)  6. Dearly Beloved
(5:48)  7. O Grande Amor
(5:59)  8. Afternoon In Paris
(5:45)  9. Emily
(5:36) 10. Like Someone In Love
(7:12) 11. If You Could See Me Now
(4:24) 12. No More Blues

Not the least of this album's attractions is the title. To those few listeners familiar with the tune, "All Too Soon" might summon up one of Duke Ellington's more obscure compositions, were it included in the disc's playlist of no fewer than a dozen jazz "classics." Or it could be a reminder of the irreparable loss to the music as a result of the recent, premature death of clarinetist Mort Weiss' brilliant bassist, Dave Carpenter, to whose memory the album is dedicated. But to anyone familiar with the Mort Weiss Story, All Too Soon represents the life and career of the remarkable musician who, after shelving his axe some 45 years ago, suddenly burst back on the scene with several head-turning albums recorded with major players, ranging from veteran reedman Sam Most to organist Joey De Francesco. The key to the album's title is most likely held by the poet Robert Browning, who wrote: "Come grow old with me the best is yet to be." One suspects that with All Too Soon the clarinetist is saying, in effect, "I couldn't agree more, but did we have to get here so quickly?" Weiss has had quite a ride, and the present album, recorded on the day of his 73rd birthday, is at once a culmination of his journey and simply another milestone in the career of an artist who, above all, relishes his time along with the opportunities each increasingly precious moment offers for continued learning and growth. Besides testifying to Weiss' extraordinary achievement, All Too Soon must be seen as a resoundingly successful statement by guitarist Ron Eschete. Always a respected musician but rarely mentioned in the same breath with a Jim Hall or Joe Pass, a Russell Malone or Pat Metheny, Eschete demonstrates with this duo album that he's inarguably a charter member of the same exclusive fraternity of guitarists who can solo and accompany, donning a dazzling array of musical hats while never displacing attention from the music to the legerdemain of his own versatility. The telepathy between Weiss and Eschete brings to mind similar stunning duo recordings such as those featuring Hall and pianist Bill Evans (Undercurrent, Blue Note 1963), Pass and pianist Oscar Peterson (Live a la Salle Pleyel, Pablo 1975), Malone and Bennie Green (Bluebird, Telarc 2004), and Metheny and pianist Brad Mehldau (Metheny Mehldau, Nonesuch 2006). But whereas each of those sessions included a virtuoso keyboard player, on All Too Soon the full responsibility for the time and harmony, the chord voicings and accompaniment patterns, the melodic choruses and motivic counterstatments is on the guitarist. To say the least, Eschete carries the load, and does so all the more impressively for shouldering the burden so lightly.

On the opener, Charlie Parker's "Scrapple from the Apple," taken at a faster tempo than any recorded by Parker in full flight, Weiss and Eschete tear through the head in unison, with the exception of the bridge, on which the latter switches to rhythm guitar, sounding like Freddie Green on steroids. During Weiss' first flaming solo, however, the guitarist comps like a pianist, allowing the time to be implied by the momentum established in the melodic lines of the clarinet. His own solo alternates single notes with chords and seamlessly stitches the joint between treble and bass registers of his 7-string instrument. Like a rare vintage Bordeaux, Weiss' tone seems to acquire complexity and richness with each passing year. Its glowing, lustrous quality in the mid and lower registers of the horn begins to shine through on "Softly As in a Morning Sunrise" and the ensuing "Blue Monk," especially when Eschete's closely-blocked chord voicings augment the clarinet's lead, frequently adding a major 7th or dissonant tone to the cluster, imparting engaging tension to a melodic statement performed in lock-step by clarinet and guitar. On the quasi-operatic "Be My Love," Weiss is a hawk in its ethereal element suddenly swooping down upon its prey (or rather a full-throated E below middle C) and then back up again to savor the product of his labors. His appetite is hardly satisfied, however. On John Lewis' "Django" the clarinetist doesn't rest until he locates terra firma yet a half step lower, and on Tadd Dameron's "If You Could See Me Now" he manages yet another half step, scooping up with effortless ease the low D that begins the tune's ascending melodic phrase. The tones are securely full and "fat," and the slow vibrato that Weiss imparts to them is less suggestive of another clarinetist than of tenor saxophonist Ben Webster. With a player like Eschete, who simultaneously walks bass lines and plays chords in real time, the horn player's challenge of maintaining rhythmic flow is minimized if not eliminated. For the guitarist, the task at hand is considerably greater, requiring the employment of a variety of techniques. Like the late pianist Dave McKenna and a select group of musicians, Eschete has the facility to solo effectively whether using chords or single-note phrases over his own bass lines but is careful not to place over-reliance on the device. More often, it's the swing generated by his thoughtful, inventive lines, along with an implied rhythm, that assures a complete and unbroken narrative sweep to each of his offerings. Besides taking turns with individual solos, the pair trade fours ("Dearly Beloved"), eights ("Like Someone in Love"), and occasionally allow the conversation to heat up and converge into full-blown fugues ("Softly As in a Morning Sunrise," "Afternoon in Paris").

Despite the employment of such varied approaches, the listener's focus throughout is on the continuous and cohesive unfolding of a purposeful collective musical result. The late tenor saxophonist Al Cohn once said that, contrary to some of the hyped theory and method books about improvising, his primary principle was simply to listen and above all, to himself. Rather than let a single note "go to waste," even a mistake, take note of that note so that it can be repeated, altered, and developed in permutations that generate more permutations, ultimately assuring a statement that's marked by completeness, unity and organic form. As a result of Weiss and Eschete listening not merely to each other but intently to themselves, All Too Soon exemplifies jazz as it should and can be: free, spontaneous, in the moment but at the same time a representation of musical democracy in action.Not that it's a "perfect" recording. The alteration of the verbal accents for the lyric of Tadd Dameron's timeless tune is a tad distracting; on some of the up-tempo passages the pyrotechnical phrases have a tendency to pour forth so freely the notes running together in an almost portamento fashion that the effect is that of an Art Tatum fill rather than a pungent musical anecdote of the sort a resourceful minimalist like Pee Wee Russell might tell. Quite possibly, Weiss who, in the liner notes characteristically pulls no punches while commenting on the state of the art and his own playing as well as naming other clarinet players for better or worse, would be all too ready to agree. Regardless, listeners familiar with his previous work are likely to be in complete agreement with his assessment of All Too Soon as his best work to date (six albums preceded it). Moreover, he singles out Jobim's "O Grand Amor" as his favorite track. Along with "Blue Monk," it would have to be this listener's choice as well. There's not a glib or "unearned" moment to be heard during the artist's deeply-felt reading. Rather than the usual pleasant bossa nova meditation on a past love, the performance is more threnody than reflection. Each note is distinct and distinctive, each telling a story  about winning and losing, laughing and loving, out-racing time and, after a mighty struggle, conceding it some ground. It would, for some artists, serve as a fitting valedictory. But from a fighter like Weiss, not one to go gentle or otherwise any time soon, it's perhaps best seen as a "soul station," a point of respite and rejuvenation in the life of a productive if late-blooming adventurer. ~ Samuel Chell https://www.allaboutjazz.com/mort-weiss-all-too-soon-a-jazz-duet-for-clarinet-and-seven-string-guitar-by-samuel-chell.php
 

Personnel: Personnel: Mort Weiss: clarinet; Ron Eschete: seven string guitar.

All Too Soon

---