Gene Krupa, Buddy Rich - The Drum Battle

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 1999
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:47
Size: 82,7 MB
Art: Front

(0:42)  1. Introduction
(6:46)  2. Idaho
(4:39)  3. Sophisticated Lady
(5:56)  4. Flying Home
(9:04)  5. Drum Boogie
(3:36)  6. The Drum Battle
(5:01)  7. Perdido

This set was initially issued as the 15th instalment in Norman Grantz's Jazz at the Philharmonic series of LPs, EPs, and 45s. As that highly collectible compilation of performances has been out of print since the 1960s, many of the volumes were later issued under the respective artists' name. As the title would imply, Drum Battle: Jazz at the Philharmonic features the artistry of the Gene Krupa Trio with Buddy Rich (drums) sitting in on a few numbers as well as the inimitable jazz scat vocalizations of Ella Fitzgerald on a hot steppin' and definitive "Perdido." Opening the disc is Krupa's trio with Willie Smith (alto sax) and Hank Jones (piano) providing a solid and singularly swinging rhythm section. While Smith drives the band, Krupa is front and center with his antagonistic percussive prodding. "Idaho" is marked with Jones' rollicking post-bop mastery as he trades solos with Smith and can be heard quoting lines from Monk before yielding to Smith. The cover of Duke Ellington's "Sophisticated Lady" sparkles from beginning to end. Jones' opening flourish sets the tenure as Smith settles into a smoky lead, containing some nice syncopation and regal augmentation from Jones. Krupa primarily provides ample rhythm work on the emotive ballad. Smith's diversion into "Stormy Weather" is notable for exemplifying the lyrically improvisational nature of this combo. The tempo is significantly stepped up on a cover of Benny Goodman's "Flying Home," which is full of high-spirited playing and garners a sizable reaction from the audience. 

The lengthy "Drum Boogie" is one of Krupa's signature pieces and is greeted with tremendous enthusiasm. Buddy Rich climbs on board for a one-on-one duel with Krupa, whose styles mesh into a mile-a-minute wash of profound percussion. The duet segues into an inspired and free-form jam on "Perdido," with Fitzgerald belting out her lines with authority, class, and most of all, soul. ~ Lindsay Planer https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-drum-battle-mw0000318913

Personnel:  Gene Krupa – drums; Buddy Rich – drums; Roy Eldridge – trumpet; Charlie Shavers – trumpet; Benny Carter – alto saxophone; Flip Phillips – tenor saxophone; Lester Young – tenor saxophone; Hank Jones – piano; Oscar Peterson – piano; Willie Smith – piano; Barney Kessel – guitar; Ray Brown – double bass; Ella Fitzgerald – vocals

The Drum Battle

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Tim Allhoff Trio - Kid Icarus

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:58
Size: 142,5 MB
Art: Front

(7:30)  1. Through the Looking Glass
(8:26)  2. Kid Icarus
(3:54)  3. Interlude
(5:01)  4. For Mom
(2:05)  5. Oceanic Five
(5:53)  6. A Boy With No Name
(5:02)  7. Restehre
(6:03)  8. Los Pollos Hermanos
(6:48)  9. What's Left
(7:25) 10. Sammy the Turtle
(3:47) 11. Sunday Song

Recently, this band was heard on a sound carrier as the sovereign acting foundation of the big-headed big-jing thing project, now Tim Allhoff (piano), Andreas Kurz (bass) and Bastian Jütte (drums) with their third album in the trio format, like consistently they continue their musical development. There was nothing left of a certain tension in the debut four years ago with "Hassliebe" and from the joy of experimentation already heard everywhere there emerges a multi-facetted landscape: Cheeky urban groove revealing the affinity to young rock music changes strong references to European classical music, in tinkering with all sorts of electro sounds and instruments seriousness is reflected with humor. Playful miniatures and impressionistic figures end up in bouncing grooves, a little bit of blue notes are allowed to pop up and then Allhoff and his colleagues let the good Max Frankl circle around the Bratzguitar. Speaking of Icarus: a high-altitude flight without crashes. Translate By Google https://www.jazzthing.de/review/tim-allhoff-trio-kid-icarus/

Personnel:   Piano, Synthesizer [Analog], Clavinet, Organ [Wurlitzer], Glockenspiel – Tim Allhoff; Double Bass – Andreas Kurz; Drums – Bastian Jütte; Guitar [All Additional Guitars] – Michael Kamm

Kid Icarus

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Candy Johnson - Candy's Mood

Styles: Saxophone Jazz, Swing
Year: 1973
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:46
Size: 152,3 MB
Art: Front

(3:23)  1. Candy's Mood
(5:57)  2. Frankie and Johnny
(4:43)  3. Freight Train
(4:30)  4. Manhattan
(6:55)  5. The Girl From Ipanema
(5:10)  6. Jersey Bounce
(5:36)  7. Cottontail
(5:18)  8. Until The Real Thing Comes Along
(4:50)  9. C.J. Blues
(5:09) 10. Tuxedo Junction (previously unreleased)
(3:22) 11. Candy's Mood (alternate takes previously unreleased)
(6:07) 12. Jersey Bounce (alternate takes previously unreleased)
(4:41) 13. Freight Train (alternate takes previously unreleased)

Ironically, this go-go dancing scenemaker of the '60s is sometimes confused with a veteran jazz saxophonist who earned the nickname "Candy" the honest way: by chewing on the stuff. Floyd "Candy" Johnson played a lot of different styles of jazz, but at the height of his career was honking out the type of material that Candy Johnson probably boogied to, including the stripper's number one favorite, the immortal "Night Train." So perhaps there was some kind of psychic connection, furthermore linked by the concept of the extended "Johnson" family in frontier legend. One might assume that the go-go dancer would have caused more trouble for the saxophonist's career than the other way around, but there were also disadvantages for the dancer. While females in general would be horrified at having their date of birth published incorrectly and a good 15 years too early, few are actually subjected to such torture. Candy Johnson the dancer was, as most career biographies state, born May 1, 1922 the day the jazz saxophonist was born. Film scholars who have seen her onscreen in any of the four Beach Party movies would handily dismiss the notion that she would have been in her forties at the time these masterpieces of cinema were shot. She had studied dance as a child and continued her studies while going to San Gabriel High in Los Angeles. The Candy Johnson Show first opened in the Safari Lounge of the El Mirador Hotel in Palm Springs, CA, in 1962, attracting standing-room only crowds for two years straight. The 1,500th show of this series was the one that was recorded live and released as Johnson's first disc, but if there was ever an example of recording technology failing to capture the full glory of the moment, then this is it. "Is there a video?" would be the inevitable question, but this was the '60s, unfortunately. Johnson took it on the road anyway, as one element of the era that worked in her favor was the repressive recording industry. Independently released "adult" vinyl on indie labels that appeared risqué was a hot property, selling quickly no matter how racy the material actually was. Backed by her Exciters, Johnson sang and danced at many resorts and nightclubs throughout the Southwest, including the Thunderbird Hotel in Las Vegas, NV. Critics tended to use the majority of their column inches to describe her movements on-stage rather than whatever it was she was doing with her vocal pipes. 

A Las Vegas newsie compared her non-stop wiggling to perpetual movement, leading to the nickname of "Miss Perpetual Motion." To nobody's surprise, the sleazy but constantly enjoyable American International Pictures came to think of her as a sizzling property, maybe to give their aging horror stars such as Vincent Price and Boris Karloff someone to ogle. Conceptually, things were coming together as she released her second album, The Candy Johnson Show at Bikini Beach, which again could never really hope to capture what went on, even if it were to come covered in sand. The movie studios were looking at the beaches, too, as settings for new films in which teenagers would cavort in their suits, interrupted by songs from popular rock bands. Plots could also be devised, if deemed necessary. The third film in the Beach Party was where Johnson made her cinematic debut, prompting one of this artist's websites to describe the resulting activity thusly: "...she actually speaks." The film also features some of the songs from her two albums, both of which were released on the artist's own label, a project that was apparently rather short-lived. The company released only the two albums and a half-dozen singles. She started the label with her agent and manager, Red Gilson, credited also as a co-writer on many songs that The Candy Johnson Show released. While her original material did not, the songs she chose to cover actually did have some range. She did a spiritual, "Swing Low," perhaps to shock or excite the sanctimonious in the crowd. She also did jazzy material, such as "Yes Sir, That's My Baby," and obvious choices such as a cover of the torrid Peggy Lee number "Fever." Based on box office receipts of the Beach Party pictures, however, some recording artists felt it was their civic duty to record cover versions of the material, including Johnson's numbers. Was there a post-Beach Party film career for this actress? Some databases credit her as appearing in the 1972 X-rated Behind the Green Door, but followers of the go-go dancer say the actress was actually Kandi Johnson. There have been reports that Johnson has joined the gaggle of exhausted country & western troupers in Branson, MO, working as a choreographer. ~ Eugene Chadbourne https://www.allmusic.com/artist/candy-johnson-mn0001850980

Personnel:  Tenor Saxophone – Candy Johnson; Drums – Michael Silva; Guitar – Clarence Brown; Organ – Milt Buckner

Candy's Mood

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Van Morrison - Keep Me Singing

Styles: Vocal, Guitar, Piano And Saxophone
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:42
Size: 131,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:54)  1. Let It Rhyme
(4:43)  2. Every Time I See A River
(3:39)  3. Keep Me Singing
(7:06)  4. Out In The Cold Again
(4:08)  5. Memory Lane
(3:51)  6. The Pen Is Mightier Than The Sword
(6:18)  7. Holy Guardian Angel
(4:11)  8. Share Your Love With Me
(5:18)  9. In Tiburon
(2:28) 10. Look Beyond The Hill
(5:18) 11. Going Down To Bangor
(2:48) 12. Too Late
(2:54) 13. Caledonia Swing

Van Morrison remains a beautifully mercurial creative force. Thirty-six discreet recordings into a 52-year career, Morrison has only Ray Charles and Willie Nelson, as poly-genre conquering peers, each of whose reach has proven to be expansive and penetrating. This is a rarified trio, to be sure, a very selective club that needs be no larger. Morrison's last recording of new material, Born to Sing: No Plan B (Blue Note Records, 2012), was an upbeat effort that was, or course all Van Morrison. In his Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD Richard Cook posited that the late pianist Gene Harris always ended up making the same record...but that was all right, because of the elevated quality of the recordings. If imagination and ingenuity are the measures, Morrison does the same thing. While each of his recordings will have its own personality, they will still be undeniably Van Morrison. Which raised the question, "What is a bad Van Morrison records anyway. Whether listening to his seminal recordings from the 1970s, his Celtic hallucinations of the 1980s, or his idea of jazz in the 1990s, the listener always knew who was in the driver's seat. That blonde Irish honey-and-Quaaludes slur stirred into rock, country, R&B, blues just as well be a part of the grand unified theory of everything. On his current recording, Keep Me Singing, Morrison turns on the air conditioning and relaxes. There are no hard R&B edges to be found on the baker's dozen of songs here. The singer resurrects Nelson Riddle in Fiachra Tench, who provides lush strings throughout. These strings, along with a copious dose of Hammond B3 seasoned throughout, cushion Morrison's stream-of-conscious lyrics among soft tones and well-behaved melodies. Clever are his lyrics on "Let it Rhyme,"  "Put another coin in the wishing well / Tell everybody just to go to hell / let it rhyme / in time / you'll be mine..."  "The Pen is Mightier than the Sword" is the closest thing to the blues here, with sharper electric guitar and percussion. But it is still tame when compared to "Gloria." Morrison tries to include a "Cyprus Avenue" and "Rough God Goes Riding" on every recording and he has representatives here: "In Tiburon" is a muse on the Bay Area and all of the music made there, while the gospel tinged "Holy Guardian Angel" reminds us that there is something out there bigger than we are. Morrison continues to wind is way down that Gaelic road toward eternity, rarely looking back. He ends things magically with the tuneful and sincere "Caldonia Swing." How Wonderful! ~ C.Michael Bailey https://www.allaboutjazz.com/keep-me-singing-van-morrison-caroline-international-review-by-c-michael-bailey.php

Personnel: Van Morrison: vocals, guitar, harmonica, piano, alto saxophone; Liam Bradley: drums; Jez Brown: bass; Laurence Cottle: bass, trombone, Lance Ellington: background vocals; Tony Fiztgibbon: violin; Ange Grant: background vocals; Dave Keary: guitars; Anthony Kerr: vibraphone; Paul Moore: bass, Hammond organ, trumpet; Paul Moran: bass, Hammond organ, piano, trumpet; Nigel Price: guitars; John Platania: guitar; Paul Robinson: drums; Robbie Ruggiero: drums; Nicky Scott: bass; Fiachra Tench: Hammond organ, piano, string arrangements; Neal Wilkinson: Drums.

Keep Me Singing

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Carmen Gomes Inc. - Don't You Cry

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:43
Size: 130,9 MB
Art: Front

(6:08)  1. Unchain My Heart
(5:07)  2. Do I Move You
(5:56)  3. Summertime
(6:04)  4. Billie's Blues
(4:32)  5. Don't Let Me Be
(5:19)  6. Sweet Lorraine
(4:00)  7. How Long
(2:38)  8. I'm Walking
(5:44)  9. Where Can I Go Without You
(5:38) 10. Grown Accustomed To His Face
(4:30) 11. As I Do

Carmen Gomes (vocals) is able to add her personal 'je ne sais quoi' to the pieces she sings in an inimitable way. She won several prizes, performed at the North Sea Jazz Festival and played with Louis van Dijk and the Metropole Orchestra. Folker Tettero (guitar) mingles jazz, blues and funk into his own unique blend. He promises to be one of the leading jazz guitarists of his generation. He plays with the New Standard Trio and the band Amsterdam Headliners. Peter Bjornild (DK) (double bass) dedicates his musical genius and international experience to bring the sound of the band to the highest level. He has played with Ed Thigpen, Thad Jones and Bennie Wallace, among others. Marcel van Engelen (drums) has played with Mark Murphy, Lee Konitz and Toots Thielemans and sees to the rhythmic manoeuvrability of the ensemble in his own subtle way. The four musicians complement each other perfectly. Strong as soloists, yet continuously searching for unity, they are capable of picking up each musical theme and moulding it into the unique sound which is so typical of this band. http://www.mymusicbase.ru/PPB/ppb33/Bio_3328.htm

Personnel:  Carmen Gomes - vocal; Folker Tettero - guitar; Peter Bjornild - double-bass; Bert Kamsteeg - drums

Don't You Cry

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Ari Hoenig - Inversations

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:56
Size: 133,9 MB
Art: Front

(6:07)  1. Anthropology
(5:15)  2. Dark News
(7:51)  3. Rapscallion Cattle
(5:59)  4. WB Blues
(8:18)  5. Farewell
(7:42)  6. Falling in Love With Love
(7:58)  7. Without Within
(5:55)  8. Newfound Innocence
(2:47)  9. This Little Light of Mine

Drummer Ari Hoenig has always created emotionally satisfying and challenging jazz, and his streak continues with Inversations. The bebop classic "Anthropology begins with an interplay between Hoenig on drums and pianist Jean-Michel Pilc, with bassist Johannes Weidenmueller on pizzicato. The trio executes this classic jazz groove to perfection, playing with the tempo and displaying the tune's plasticity. "Dark News, an impressionistic yet sly piece written by Hoenig, complete with haunting piano and moody arco, begins as though it will be a free piece but Hoenig throws the listener a head fake by having it become something more conventional.  Will Vinson's full-bodied alto sax gives "Rapscallion Cattle an extra kick. The varied rhythms of the tune fit the title, with Hoenig laying down the law on the drums like Elvin Jones and Vinson's urgent, rock-solid playing the highlight. "WB Blues opens with a plodding, melancholy walk by Weidenmueller, with handmade drum highlights by Hoenig that sound like a talking drum instead of a drum kit. Pilc adds a piano full of Scotch and cigarette smoke. "Farewell is in the best ECM tradition, particularly in the interplay between piano and bass. The trio's interpretation of "Falling In Love With Love is almost muted until the song brightens up into mid-tempo. "Without Within features Jacques Schwarz-Bart on tenor saxophone on a nice mid-tempo turn; and "New Found Innocence is an off-center, driving and riveting waltz with more great, solid play all around. Hoenig returns to his 'talking drum' technique on "This Little Light of Mine, on which he also sings. That he sings off-mic indicates that the song isn't about his vocal but about the music itself. ~ Terrel Kent Holmes https://www.allaboutjazz.com/inversations-ari-hoenig-dreyfus-records-review-by-terrell-kent-holmes.php

Personnel: Ari Hoenig: drums, vocals; Jean-Michel Pilc: piano; Johannes Weidenmueller: bass; Will Vinson: alto sax (3); Jacques Schwarz-Bart: tenor sax (7).

Inversations

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Astrud Gilberto - Windy

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1968
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 27:46
Size: 65,1 MB
Art: Front

(2:02)  1. Dreamy
(2:05)  2. Chup Chup I Got Away
(2:50)  3. Never My Love
(3:23)  4. Lonely Afternoon
(2:41)  5. On My Mind
(2:34)  6. The Bare Necessities
(2:48)  7. Windy
(2:09)  8. Sing Me A Rainbow
(2:26)  9. In My Life
(1:33) 10. Crickets Sing For Anamaria (Os Grillos)
(3:12) 11. Where Are They Now?

While assembled from seemingly disparate sessions arranged by Eumir Deodato, Don Sebesky, and Pat Williams, Windy nevertheless proves one of Astrud Gilberto's most consistent and sublime efforts, artfully straddling the division between Brazilian bossa nova and American sunshine pop. Credit the aforementioned arrangers for much of the LP's appeal from a percolating rendition of the Association's title cut to a neo classical reinvention of the Beatles' "In My Life," the songs possess a lithe, shimmering beauty that perfectly complements Gilberto's feathery vocals. Still, she can't quite skirt the cloying sweetness that undermines so many of her mid-period Verve LPs son Marcelo, who first joined his mother on the previous Beach Samba for an excruciating duet version of the Lovin Spoonful's "You Didn't Have to Be So Nice," resurfaces here for a reading of The Jungle Book's "The Bare Necessities," proving yet again that children should be seen and not heard. ~ Jason Ankeny https://www.allmusic.com/album/windy-mw0000384258

Personnel: Astrud Gilberto - vocals; Marcelo Gilberto - vocals on "The Bare Necessities"; Patrick Williams - arranger, conductor (on track 4); Eumir Deodato - arranger, conductor (on tracks 1, 2, 5 and 7); Don Sebesky - arranger, conductor (on tracks 3, 6, 8, 9 and 11)

Windy

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Benny Goodman - The Harry James Years Vol. 1

Styles: Clarinet Jazz, Swing, Big Band 

Year: 1993
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:19
Size: 156,6 MB
Art: Front

(2:38)  1. I Want To Be Happy (From "No, No, Nanette")
(3:12)  2. Chloe (Song of the Swamp)
(2:40)  3. Rosetta
(3:29)  4. Peckin' (From "New Faces of 1937")
(3:01)  5. Can't We Be Friends? (From "The Little Show") - Take 2
(4:05)  6. Sing, Sing, Sing (Introducing "Christopher Columbus")
(4:38)  7. Sing, Sing, Sing - Part 2
(3:11)  8. Roll 'Em
(2:43)  9. When It's Sleepy Time Down South - Take 2
(2:25) 10. Changes - Take 3
(2:47) 11. Sugarfoot Stomp - Take 1
(3:35) 12. I Can't Give You Anything But Love
(2:58) 13. Minnie the Moocher's Wedding Day (From "Cotton Club Parade")
(2:47) 14. Camel Hop - Take 1
(2:40) 15. Camel Hop - Take 2
(3:05) 16. Life Goes To A Party - Take 1
(3:07) 17. Life Goes To a Party - Take 3
(3:19) 18. Don't Be That Way - Take 1
(3:22) 19. Don't Be That Way - Take 2
(3:14) 20. One O'Clock Jump - Take 1
(3:14) 21. One O'Clock Jump - Take 2

This is a really cool mid-price collection, the first of two assembling all of the Goodman band's work with Harry James. There are 21 tracks, covering a 13-month period that saw the Goodman band at the peak of its personnel and popularity, every day breaking new ground for swing even as that music had already swept the country. And, as Loren Schoenberg points out in his superb notes, with Harry James in the lineup, the band had a trumpet man who could match Goodman himself, plus a drummer in Gene Krupa who kept the rhythm section tight. 

Most of this material ("Sing Sing Sing," etc.) has been out before somewhere, although it's been very carefully remastered here using the CEDAR system, placing it a cut above other reissues for sound quality. Additionally, there are three distinctly different, newly discovered outtakes of "Camel Hop" and "One O'Clock Jump," plus alternate takes on "Life Goes to a Party" and "Don't Be That Way." One couldn't pick better tracks to have become available in variant forms, representing the Goodman band at its most accessible and swinging. ~ Bruce Eder https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-harry-james-years-vol-1-mw0000096367

Personnel:  Clarinet – Benny Goodman; Alto Saxophone – Dick DePew (tracks: 1 to 3), George Koenig (tracks: 4 to 21), Hymie Schertzer; Bass – Harry Goodman; Drums – Gene Krupa; Guitar – Allen Reuss; Piano – Jess Stacy; Tenor Saxophone – Arthur Rollini, Babe Russin (tracks: 18 to 21), Vido Musso (tracks: 1 to17); Trombone – Murray McEachern (tracks: 1 to 17), Red Ballard, Vernon Brown (tracks: 18 to 21); Trumpet – Gordon Griffin, Harry James (2), Ziggy Elman

The Harry James Years Vol. 1

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Chris Barber - Chris Barber & His New Orleans Friends

Styles: Trombone Jazz
Year: 1993
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:20
Size: 158,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:17)  1. Birth Of The Blues
(5:21)  2. Coquette
(3:13)  3. Ma She's Making Eyes At Me
(3:11)  4. Over In The Gloryland
(5:43)  5. Sentimental Journey
(3:56)  6. Yes Sir, That's My Baby
(5:01)  7. The Eyes Of Texas Are Upon You
(3:17)  8. Mood Indigo
(5:15)  9. My Blue Heaven
(5:58) 10. Let Me Call You Sweetheart
(5:20) 11. Nobody's Sweetheart
(5:49) 12. I Ain't Got Nobody
(3:34) 13. Lord Lord Lord
(8:18) 14. Panama

Barber/Ball/Bilk are a British traditional jazz trio comprised of trombonist Chris Barber, trumpeter Kenny Ball, and clarinetist Acker Bilk, whose individual recordings were compiled from time to time on joint best-of collections such as At the Jazz Band Ball (1994) and Boaters Bowlers & Bowties (2009). The recordings of Barber (born on April 17, 1930, in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England), Ball (born on May 22, 1930, in Ilford, Essex, England), and Bilk (born on January 28, 1929, in Pensford, Somerset, England) were first compiled jointly in 1962 on The Best of Ball, Barber & Bilk, which was released in the wake of "Stranger on the Shore." Performed by Mr. Acker Bilk & the Leon Young String Chorale and originally released in October 1961, "Stranger on the Shore" was one of the biggest hits of 1962 in not only the U.K., where it was the best-selling single of the year, but also the U.S., where it topped the Billboard singles chart for a week in May. Even though "Stranger on the Shore" isn't featured on The Best of Ball, Barber & Bilk, which includes songs by Mr. Acker Bilk & His Paramount Jazz Band, Kenny Ball & His Jazzmen, and Chris Barber & His Jazz Band, the song's popularity, along with that of the British traditional jazz movement, propelled the compilation to the top of the U.K. albums chart in September 1962. From time to time over the years, the recordings of Barber, Ball, and Bilk were likewise compiled jointly. 

At the Jazz Band Ball (1994) is a particularly notable compilation of 1962 recordings drawn from the BBC Archives. In addition, Boaters Bowlers & Bowties (2009) is notable for its double-disc length as well as for its inclusion of "Stranger on the Shore." ~ Jason Birchmeier https://www.allmusic.com/artist/chris-barber-mn0000105761/biography

Chris Barber & His New Orleans Friends

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Joe Lovano - Trio Tapestry

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:11
Size: 111,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:42)  1. One Time In
(5:13)  2. Seeds Of Change
(3:40)  3. Razzle Dazzle
(4:07)  4. Sparkle Lights
(8:25)  5. Mystic
(3:40)  6. Piano/Drum Episode
(2:01)  7. Gong Episode
(6:18)  8. Rare Beauty
(3:49)  9. Spirit Lake
(4:16) 10. Tarrassa
(2:55) 11. The Smiling Dog

With all tonalities being created equal, on Trio Tapestries, Joe Lovano's first as a leader for ECM and one of the first releases of the label's fiftieth year, silence abides. Both as concept and as actuality, silence lays at the heart of this eleven song lattice. Even the spacing between the tracks hangs appended, allowing the music to arise and fall, like thoughts and non-thoughts amid meditation.  By way of an invocational duet, "One Time In" with its gongs, airy, ghostly cymbals and Lovano's brooding, deep-tone tenor saxophone, welcomes the listener into the deep space that Trio Tapestries becomes. Drummer and teenaged band mate Carmen Castaldi absolutely absorbs the spirit forces at work. Marilyn Crispell's piano, her touch more rounded and yielding than on her most recent trio outing, the often volcanic Dreamstruck (Not Two, 2018) with Harvey Sorgen and Joe Fonda, enters like a guiding dove on the near reverent "Seeds Of Change." Long connected as Crispell and Lovano are by their ties to the late Paul Motian, it's no small wonder they become two seeking, monk-like voices here. No bassist appears on Trio Tapestries and that suits these the trio just fine. Each instrument supplies its own supple bedrock. The impressionist's dream that is "Sparkle Lights" holds the true essence of the sound: three voices, space, and the will, or more likely the absolute human need to listen. "Mystic" highlights Lovano's beloved tarogato, a Hungarian folk instrument used in the past to rally the troops to battle, soars mournful yet blessed over Castaldi's tempered, sustained percussive-rumble. As they appear on several tracks, Chinese gongs have become central to Lovano's writing and questing nature. "Spirit Lake" looks onto some troubled water, reminding us that peace can fall prey to anxious intensity at any given moment. And even if "The Smiling Dog" closes Trio Tapestries on a most song-like note, it doesn't distract from the affirmative, ruminative arc of Lovano's larger, spiritual intent. ~ Mike Jurkovic https://www.allaboutjazz.com/trio-tapestry-joe-lovano-ecm-records-review-by-mike-jurkovic.php

Personnel: Joe Lovano: tenor saxophone, tarogato, gongs; Marilyn Crispell: piano; Carmen Castaldi: drums, percussion.

Trio Tapestry

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Ernie Watts - Analog Man

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 70:25
Size: 162,2 MB
Art: Front

(11:15)  1. Analog Man
(10:33)  2. Elements
( 6:45)  3. Paseando
( 6:59)  4. Clinton Parkview
( 5:37)  5. Company
(10:05)  6. Joshua
( 9:44)  7. A Lilac Grows
( 6:26)  8. Gee Baby
( 2:58)  9. Morning Prayer

The opening two-note piano riff, the crisp rim shots from the drums and the walking bass line on the opening number and title track get Analog Man off to the most swinging of starts. Saxophonist Ernie Watts introduces the melody and proceeds to craft a solo so full of invention, strength and lyricism that when he lays out to allow pianist Christof Saenger his turn the surprise is that only three minutes have passed.Watts' playing on "Analog Man is fluid and elegant and he raises the bar high for the musicians in his quartet. First pianist Saenger and then bassist Rudi Engel prove that they are up to the challenge of playing with one of jazz's premier saxophonists."Elements opens with drummer Heinrich Koebberling and Watts engaging in a highly charged duet, or rather duel, as the two seem to stoke each other's fire, recalling saxophonist John Coltrane and drummer Rashied Ali's sparring of forty years ago. Saenger maintains the tempo with a brief but lightning solo before the tune turns a corner and emerges into a short free-form, quasi-psychedelic passage with bowed bass, bird-like squawks from the saxophone and splashes of high register piano. Watts then steers the quartet into slightly more conventional territory but the tension never dips on the album's most ambitious track. Saenger's beautiful "Paseando sees Watts switch to soprano , and his gently soaring, snaking solo evokes the magic of Wayne Shorter, one of his primary influences. Saenger responds with a solo full of blues, space and teasing runs. 

There are three non-originals on Analog Man: French bassist Francois Moutin's "Clinton Parkview, Victor Feldman's classic "Joshua and, sandwiched between the two, Rickie Lee Jones' tender ballad, "Company. On "Joshua Watts plays some of his most inspired lines, a breathless, exciting and full-blooded tenor assault which sets the tone for his excellent quartet to follow. It is the Watts originals, however, which stand out. "A Lilac Grows shows that the saxophonist can pen a ballad as well as anybody, and the soulful, uplifting melody and elegant playing again recall Blue Note-era Shorter. The quartet turns to the blues on "Gee Baby, which bounces and shuffles along propelled by Engel's bass line. Watts serves up a typically robust, colorful solo before drums and piano enter and swing the tune all the way home. "Morning Prayer succeeds in capturing the essence of the sacred, that indefinable beauty particular to so much devotional music; Patricia Watts on Burmese temple bells sets off her husband's heartfelt unaccompanied improvisations. Analog Man is Watts' third quartet album on his own Flying Dolphin Records label and perhaps his strongest to date. Watts' writing and playing is better than ever. At least two tracks, the title track and "A Lilac Grows bear the hallmarks of instant classics, compositions which will inspire current and future generations of musicians, and there can surely be no higher compliment than that. ~ Ian Patterson https://www.allaboutjazz.com/analog-man-ernie-watts-flying-dolphin-records-review-by-ian-patterson.php

Personnel: Ernie Watts: saxophones; Christof Saenger: piano; Rudi Engel: bass; Heinrich Koebberling: drums; Patricia Watts: Burmese temple bells (9).

Analog Man

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Bill Frisell, Fred Hersch - Songs We Know

Styles: Guitar And Piano Jazz
Year: 1998
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:51
Size: 131,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:05)  1. It Might as Well Be Spring
(4:44)  2. There Is No Greater Love
(6:03)  3. Someday My Prince Will Come
(3:44)  4. Softly as in a Morning Rise
(5:27)  5. Blue Monk
(5:53)  6. My One and Only Love
(5:29)  7. My Little Suede Shoes
(6:19)  8. Yesterdays
(5:07)  9. I Got Rhythm
(6:31) 10. Wave
(4:22) 11. What Is This Thing Called Love

Pairing two such superior soloists as guitarist Bill Frisell and pianist Fred Hersch seems a most unlikely match. Despite having gigged together a couple times in the 1980s, the only thing the two seem to have in common is they both record for Nonesuch Records. As it turns out, it was Fred Hersch's idea to finally get the two together in the studio - and it couldn't have been a more inspired combination. The brilliant, eclectic Frisell is perhaps the most original guitarist of the last two or three decades and he's hardly ever combined his unique sound arsenal with a pianist. Hersch, on the other hand, has carved out a substantial body of work illustrating his sensitivity as a soloist and finesse as a superior accompanist (particularly for singers), yet he's almost never heard with a guitarist. The result is the marvelous new Songs We Know, a fine song cycle of contemporary jazz standards, played with a laid-back ease that only two such sharp and original stylists can bring to such well-known music. Frisell and Hersch concur that the session could have gone many different ways, but it was their mutual love for the standards, with their open palette of simplicity, history and potential for new interpretation that lead to the inspired sounds heard on Songs We Know. Both leaders have logged many miles playing these and other standards too: Frisell, as part of Paul Motian's trio with tenor giant Joe Lovano, and Hersch, through his recent Plays Monk and Plays Rogers & Hammerstein discs and, even more substantially, on his jazz-the-classics Angel recordings. But, together, Frisell and Hersch - like Bill Evans and Jim Hall did together before them bring to bear a fresh chemistry that is too rarely applied to such oft-played material. Hersch remains a melodic, sensitive even erudite explorer. And Frisell maintains his sense of humor and displays his ever-inspired internal logic. Together, they explore and experiment with the contours of each other's sound and style and arrive some place that neither might have approached on their own before. The eleven Songs We Know have many highlights. Chief among the pleasures to be heard here include the playful and unusually funky "There Is No Greater Love," where Frisell's textbook witticisms engage with Hersch's perky, almost abstract commentary. 

Likewise, Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Wave" is creative music at its most expressive: where Hersch's piano provides the soft undercurrent while Frisell's sprite, melodic tones carry the tide in, conveying the hypnotic beauty of the sea that Jobim intended. The two engage most spectacularly, and so nearly at odds, on "What is This Thing Called Love," where the metallic Frisell frolics in the warm cushions Hersch's block chords provide. Then, the pair commiserates romantically (a Hersch specialty) on the lullaby-like (a Frisell specialty) "Someday My Prince Will Come." For real fireworks, listen to how quickly the two depart from the corniness of "Softly As In A Morning Sunrise" to explore a Monk-like tango of arched, deconstructed sonorities. Then, hear how their dissimilarities are unified on the dance-like "My Little Suede Shoes," where Frisell lays down a jig style head while Hersch's interacts brilliantly with lovely tango cadences. Songs We Know is a success - and, more notably, a singularly pleasurable listening experience because it's about more than songs. It's about sounds. 

Separately, these two stylists have crafted much music that is about the creation and interaction of sounds. Together, they have achieved something special, or what Boston Globe jazz critic Bob Blumenthal calls in his excellent liner notes, "an example of how texture works to shape a performance as directly as melodic or rhythmic invention." Recorded in San Francisco last year, Songs We Know pins down the provocative sensitivity both Fred Hersch and Bill Frisell bring to creative music. But more importantly, it captures the wondrous result of two great minds spontaneously being expressed as one strong voice. It is a collection that calls out for more, hopefully an added set of the pair's originals. Until then, Songs We Know are songs creative music listeners will want to hear. ~ Douglas Payne https://www.allaboutjazz.com/songs-we-know-fred-hersch-nonesuch-records-review-by-douglas-payne.php?width=1920

Personnel:  Fred Hersch - piano; Bill Frisell - guitar

Songs We Know

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Lester Young - Lester Young Exercise In Swing

Styles: Saxophone Jazz, Swing
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:08
Size: 147,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:07)  1. I've Found A New Baby (I Found A New Baby)
(4:50)  2. The Man I Love
(4:04)  3. Peg O' My Heart
(4:11)  4. Mean To Me
(3:54)  5. Back To The Land
(4:05)  6. I Cover The Waterfront
(3:08)  7. It's Only A Paper Moon
(4:28)  8. Lester Leaps Again
(3:11)  9. Afternoon On A Basie Ite
(2:56) 10. Three Little Words
(3:08) 11. Sometimes I'm Happy
(4:46) 12. After Theatre Jump
(4:11) 13. Six Cats And A Prince
(3:54) 14. Destnation K.C.
(5:07) 15. Body And Soul
(2:59) 16. Exercise In Swing

While Giants of Jazz might not be considered a very prestigious or comprehensive label, there's no denying that some of their reissue compilations serve jazz lovers as mini-surveys illuminating great moments in swing and bop. One of the best entries in the entire Giants of Jazz catalog is probably the magnificent Bud Freeman's 1928-1939. Similarly wonderful and highly recommended for those who are forever in love with the spirit and sounds of Lester Young, Exercise in Swing is a sublime if chronologically obfuscated sampler of Prez's best recorded performances dating from a slice of time running between the summer of 1942 and the spring of 1946. The album opens with most of the master takes from a trio session produced by Norman Granz in either March or April of 1946; here Prez collaborated with pianist Nat King Cole and drummer Buddy Rich. Without any exaggeration whatsoever let it be said that these tracks (one through six) constitute some of Lester Young's most inspired work and indeed some of the best intimate small group swing ever played in a recording studio. After the famous January 1946 Aladdin recording of "It's Only a Paper Moon" the rest of this compilation dwells mainly upon Young's adventures as a Keynote recording artist. "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Afternoon of a Basie-ite" come from Prez's first-ever recording date as a leader (not counting a relatively obscure series of sessions co-led with his brother Lee Young). Four other vintage Keynote selections feature the Kansas City Seven, which was essentially a scaled down Count Basie band with Basie billed as "Prince Charming." 

"Three Little Words" was performed by the Kansas City Six, a Commodore jam band that included trumpeter Bill Coleman, trombonist Dicky Wells and pianist Joe Bushkin. This outstanding Lester Young sampler closes with a marvelous 1942 rendering of "Body and Soul" (another daydream for trio involving Cole and bassist Red Callender) and the stimulating "Exercise in Swing," an aerobic romp recorded for the Savoy label on April 18, 1944. Without piling on superlatives let's just say this is a knockout Lester Young disc that you probably need more than you even realize at this moment; ideally it would incite you to obtain this man's complete Keynote, Aladdin, Commodore, Savoy and Verve recordings. ~ arwulf arwulf https://www.allmusic.com/album/exercise-in-swing-mw0000603215

Lester Young Exercise In Swing

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Tim Allhoff - Lovebox Sessions

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:26
Size: 105,4 MB
Art: Front

(2:39)  1. Regen
(2:51)  2. Feivel
(6:39)  3. Rabbit in Your Headlights
(4:08)  4. Sarabande
(2:56)  5. October Song
(3:26)  6. Satoru Nakata's Dream
(5:44)  7. Improvisation on Ravel's Piano Trio (Mvt. III)
(2:27)  8. End of Story
(3:54)  9. O Que Sera
(3:28) 10. Beyond the Clouds
(7:09) 11. Julia

Three highly acclaimed trio albums have been given time by ECHO award winner Tim Allhoff, and his first solo album is now being released with »Lovebox Sessions«. Honest, informal and charming makes the celebrated pianist a very personal statement that lives above all from the reduction. It sounds like handmade songs and a living room atmosphere and looks amazingly authentic and »new«. An old, creaking piano, the warm rustling of vintage keyboards, a dusty dulcimer, an aged harmonium. The Augsburger "Lovebox-Studios" last winter served for three weeks as a musical playground for Allhoff and the producer Michael Kamm. Translate By Google https://www.amazon.de/Lovebox-Sessions-Tim-Allhoff/dp/B015GH036M

Personnel:  Piano, Synth, Melodica, Glockenspiel – Tim Allhoff; Bass – Michael Kamm; Drums – Jakob Mader; Guitar – Martin Schmid

Lovebox Sessions

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Nicki Parrott - From New York To Paris

Styles: Vocal, Post Bop
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:01
Size: 136,6 MB
Art: Front

(3:51)  1. I Love Paris
(4:27)  2. There's A Boat Leaving Soon For New York
(5:30)  3. I Will Wait For You
(4:32)  4. On Broadway
(4:03)  5. The Brooklyn Bridge
(4:29)  6. If You Go Away
(4:15)  7. Under Paris Skies
(4:28)  8. I'll Take Manhattan
(5:09)  9. Broadway
(4:13) 10. April In Paris
(4:28) 11. Do You Miss New York
(1:29) 12. Slaughter On Tenth Avenue
(3:59) 13. If You Love Me
(4:01) 14. La Mer

Jazz bass and vocal star Nicki Parrott performs her magic on fourteen city-themed tunes. Multifaceted jazz bassist and singer, Nicki Parrott, showcases the warm phrasing of her unique vocals while swinging the music to perfection. New York and Paris are two cities for which vocalist/bassist NICKI PARROTT has deep affection. About six years ago she recorded an album titled The Last Time I Saw Paris that contained a variety of songs related to France, either by subject or by composer. On her latest album, From New York to Paris (Arbors 19466), she splits her attention between songs related to France or to New York City. To assist her in her explorations she has enlisted Harry Allen on tenor sax, Gil Goldstein on accordion, John di Martino on piano and Alvin Atkinson on drums. 

The group has a ripping good time addressing the 14 songs on the program. Parrott has developed into one of the elite singers on the jazz scene, and her bass playing is on the same level. Her cohorts are equally adept. Whether attending to songs about New York like ''On Broadway,'' ''Manhattan,'' with some new lyrics by Parrott and Brian Wittman, ''Broadway'' or ''Do You Miss New York,'' or looking for inspiration across the Atlantic on tunes such as ''I Love Paris,'' ''Under Paris Skies,'' ''April in Paris'' or ''La Mer,'' they find spot on ways to present them. 

An added bonus is the set of liner notes by Roger Crane that add some intelligent commentary to accompany the music. Parrott has given us another winner! https://www.amazon.com/New-York-Paris-Nicki-Parrott/dp/B07NHPMMW1
 

''Nicki brings clear articulation, beautiful tone, a sense of rhythmic assuredness and a touch of allure to inventive arrangements.'' ~ Jazz Times

''She has that special gift you cannot buy in a music store.'' ~Les Paul

''Nicki Parrott could make anyone love jazz.'' ~ Cabaret Scene

From New York To Paris

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Freddie Hubbard - Jazz Moods - Hot

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1970
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:03
Size: 165,8 MB
Art: Front

(12:09)  1. Red Clay
( 7:01)  2. Take It To The Ozone
(11:03)  3. First Light
(10:42)  4. The Intrepid Fox
( 7:34)  5. Sky Dive
( 6:04)  6. Theme From Kareem
(17:26)  7. Straight Life

Jazz Moods: Hot collects various tracks from trumpeter Freddie Hubbard's '70s CTI label recordings. These are stellar, funky, and forward-thinking cuts that, while highly regarded, are often overlooked in favor of Hubbard's '60s Blue Note recordings. While fans of '70s fusion will want to pick up the complete albums, this works as a solid introduction to the second half of Hubbard's career. Included are all the title songs from the albums, including 1970's "Red Clay" and 1972's "First Light" as well as such standout album tracks as "Theme From Kareem" off 1978's Super Blue. ~ Matt Collar https://www.allmusic.com/album/jazz-moods-hot-mw0000475807

Jazz Moods - Hot

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Anita Harris Quartet - Moments in Time

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:34
Size: 153,7 MB
Art: Front

(3:59)  1. Sunday
(3:35)  2. You've Changed
(4:12)  3. Like Someone in Love
(5:42)  4. Laura
(4:01)  5. I Can't Give You Anything but Love
(5:12)  6. More Than You Know
(4:03)  7. At Long Last Love
(3:31)  8. Solitude
(5:47)  9. I Dedicate This to You
(3:43) 10. Prelude to a Kiss
(4:48) 11. I'm Old Fashioned
(3:52) 12. You Took Advantage of Me
(5:31) 13. I Remember Clifford
(4:16) 14. Lover Come Back to Me
(4:13) 15. My Romance

Anita Harris made her debut before a jazz audience in 1993, at the 13th Merimbula Jazz Festival, accompanied as she is here by Kim Harris on piano, Evan Harris on electric bass and Alan Richards on drums. Her debut CD, Moments in Time, originally recorded in 1998, is now re-released under the Newmarket Music label, following upon the success of her 2005 release, The Wee Small Hours. http://newmarketmusic.com/album/Anita-Harris-%252d-Moments-In-Time.html

Moments in Time

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Yusef Lateef - Prayer To The East

Styles: Saxophone, Flute and Tambourine Jazz 
Year: 1957
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:46
Size: 103,5 MB
Art: Front

( 9:54)  1. A Night In Tunisia
(13:09)  2. Endura
( 8:18)  3. Prayer To The East
( 6:45)  4. Love Dance
( 6:37)  5. Lover Man

A half-a-century following its original release, Prayer to the East by Yusef Lateef remains a seemingly blessed moment of creative interaction between American modern jazz and the music of the so-called Arab East, the latter evoked in essences ranging from snippets of traditional musical scales to picture postcards of Tunisian nightlife. The second half of the '50s was a busy period for Lateef, at that time under contract to the Savoy imprint. This album as well as three others were all cut in October of 1957, establishing as much documentation as could ever be needed of a transition from a player in the swing context of bandleaders such as Lucky Millinder and Hot Lips Page to a bold adventurer. Extended improvisations and the introduction of unusual instruments were important parts of this development and these recordings, yet the impression should not be one of austerity. Lateef's use of the flute turned out to be commercial, one of many instances of this particular axe finding more favor among the listening public than it tends to within the ranks of musicians themselves. Lateef and comrades may have been going for deep listening, still it is worth pointing out that an admirer of sides such as Prayer to the East pointed out how much fun him and his buddies used to have listening to this music while playing pool. The lengthy "Night in Tunisia" is nothing but a great moment in small modern jazz combo recordings, allowing Lateef's budding interest to bloom in an intriguing light. Flugelhornist Wilbur Harden was also a collaborator of John Coltrane's in the same period. The brassman dodges imitations of the song's composer, high-note trumpet maestro Dizzy Gillespie, instead hovering in his mid-register, revealing a joke in a turn of phrase as if he was being spied on. The album's title track comes from drummer Oliver Jackson, so tightly affiliated with swinging syncopation that his nickname was "Bops Junior." Later drummers working in Lateef's combos such as Frank Gant and of course Elvin Jones would introduce more polyrhythms, percolating a brew that by the end of the '50s had much less of the aroma of a mainstream cup of jazz. Some listeners may find, however, that a player such as Jackson creates more excitement, more workable dynamics, the tension of a stylistic clash that is inevitably hinted at rather than shouted. "Lover Man" may have been an overdone number in the jazz combo repertory even by 1957; the subsequent years would only redeem this particular performance were it more substantial. A formidable Lateef original and Les Baxter's "Love Dance" are the two concluding numbers, each in the six-minute range without a wasted moment in either case. The leader's improvisations are perfect, full of interesting choices of register, a man in motion who somehow masks his true dimensions. ~ Eugene Chadbourne https://www.allmusic.com/album/prayer-to-the-east-mw0000120364

Personnel:  Yusef Lateef - tenor saxophone, flute, tracks 3 and 4, tambourine; Wilbur Harden - flugelhorn; Hugh Lawson - piano, ocarina; Ernie Farrow - bass; Oliver Jackson - drums, gong

Prayer To The East

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Freddie Roach - Down To Earth

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 1962
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:46
Size: 89,6 MB
Art: Front

(6:43)  1. De Bug
(5:50)  2. Ahm Miz
(6:30)  3. Lujan
(8:09)  4. Althea Soon
(6:36)  5. More Mileage
(4:55)  6. Lion Down

Freddie Roach differentiated himself from the legions of soul-jazz organists on his debut album, Down to Earth. Many jazz organists played the instrument down and dirty, and while there's funk in Roach's playing, his style is ultimately lighter than many of his peers, with clean, concise solos and chords. His backing trio guitarist Kenny Burrell, tenor saxophonist Percy France, and drummer Clarence Johnston follows his lead, providing supple instrumental support that never loses sight of the groove. Furthermore, Burrell and France both have their chances to shine, contributing some nicely understated solos. Nevertheless, Down to Earth remains Roach's show; he wrote five of the six songs and his organ is at center stage on each number. The legato blues of "De Bug" is a terrific showcase for Roach's elegantly funky style, while the sprightlier "Ahm Miz" proves that he can get gritty if he so chooses. But the signature of Down to Earth is Roach's tasteful bluesy grooves, which prove to be just as entertaining as the hotter styles of his Blue Note peers Jimmy Smith and John Patton. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine https://www.allmusic.com/album/down-to-earth-mw0000759652

Personnel:  Freddie Roach - organ; Percy France - tenor saxophone; Kenny Burrell - guitar; Clarence Johnston - drums

Down To Earth

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Cory Weeds - Live At Frankie's Jazz Club

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:15
Size: 149,9 MB
Art: Front

(8:22)  1. Bluesanova
(6:39)  2. Mood Malody
(6:55)  3. Gypsy Blue
(6:10)  4. Consequence
(7:24)  5. Fabienne
(7:28)  6. Formidable
(8:15)  7. Up Tight's Creek
(5:21)  8. Tolypso
(8:38)  9. The Three Minros

Yes, this is saxophonist/master of all livelihoods Cory Weeds' quintet, the year is 2018, and the group is beyond a doubt Live at Frankie's Jazz Club in Vancouver, British Columbia. But close your eyes, open your ears and it's the unapologetic re-creation of a quintessential hard-bop session from the historic Blue Note / Prestige years of the 1950s-60s. Indeed, to underscore the point, the quintet's pianist is the venerable Harold Mabern who actually performed and/or recorded back in the day with such giants as Lee Morgan, Jackie McLean, Freddie Hubbard, Tina Brooks and a who's who of celebrated masters from a glorious age that may never return but whose legacy rests secure in the earnest hands of Weeds and his dexterous teammates. The buoyant concert gets under way on an assertive note with Morgan's walking "Bluesanova" (introduced by Michael Glynn's resonant bass) and segues into Mal Waldron's lyrical "Mood Malody" before delving into impressive original compositions by Brooks, McLean, Walter Davis Jr. and Swiss alto overseer George Robert. 

Davis' three-quarter time "Formidable" is one of several highlights with the ensemble in lock-step to undergird perceptive solos by Weeds, Terell Stafford and Glynn. Brooks' freewheeling "Up Tight's Creek," which follows, offers more of the same with Stafford's nimble trumpet brightening the landscape, Weeds in blue-chip form and Glynn adding another thoughtful statement. McLean, whose high-speed "Consequence" is heard earlier in the program, caps the evening with his sunny Caribbean-flavored "Tolypso" and "The Three Minors," whose irrepressible tempo and boppish licks epitomize the time in which it was written. Weeds, Stafford and Mabern are in superior form again, as is drummer Julian MacDonough who adds another driving solo on "Consequence." Robert (Weeds' longtime mentor who died far too soon, in 2016) wrote the handsome ballad "Fabienne," on which Weeds is featured, Brooks the smooth, Latin-leaning "Gypsy Blue," wherein Stafford, Weeds and Mabern are at their self-controlled and lyrical best. 

While tipping their hats to the past, Weeds and his able colleagues prove conclusively that music of this caliber is essentially timeless. A superior concert in every respect, one that should especially gladden the hearts of those who call to mind with fondness the short-lived but incomparable era of hard-bop jazz. ~ Jack Bowers https://www.allaboutjazz.com/live-at-frankies-jazz-club-cory-weeds-cellar-live-review-by-jack-bowers.php

Personnel: Cory Weed: alto saxophone; Terell Stafford: trumpet; Harold Mabern: piano; Michael Glynn: bass; Julian Macdonough: drums.

Live At Frankie's Jazz Club

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