Brasuka - A Vida Com Paixão

Styles: Post Bop
Year: 2021
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:28
Size: 107,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:47) 1. Samba Jiji
(3:07) 2. A Vida Com Paixão
(4:40) 3. Road to Hermeto
(5:25) 4. Marakandombe
(5:35) 5. Deusa Do Meu Carnval
(5:10) 6. Reina's Song
(5:50) 7. Praia Felix
(3:52) 8. La Higuera
(5:19) 9. Confundido
(3:39) 10. Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band

Brasuka first came together as a side project, led by keyboardist and vocalist Rosana Eckert and percussionist Ricardo Bozas , from out of a Sergio Mendes tribute band. You can still hear these roots in this full-length debut. But you can also hear where and how Brasuka's sound branches out into different styles and frameworks and yet retain the warm, inviting and bright sound of their original inspiration.

Eckert's lead vocal on the title track to A Vida Com Paixão ("A Life With Passion") glows with soft yet intense romance, so much like Janis Hansen's in the original Brasil '66 ("The Look of Love" is a great example), a description offered as both comparison and compliment. Piano and keyboard parts often seem to direct the music other instruments play, just like Mendes seemed to conduct Brasil '66 through his own keyboards. Brasuka's frantic raveup through "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" to close this show places the period at the end of all this 1960s afterglow.

"Road to Hermeto" documents the first tune Brasuka composed together. Eckert's voice floats and whispers like clouds of Flora Purim through a bright, jumping melody inspired by groundbreaking Brazilian composer Hermeto Pascoal, while chattering percussion and rhythmic piano keep everything moving in time. Composed and sung by keyboardist Denny Robinson , "La Higuera" extends another lovely musical invitation written in piano and flute to linger in a groove as sunny and warm as a summer day and culminates in a spirited singalong over thick, pulsating percussion. The title track bounces Portuguese vocals atop Caribbean reggae with clattering drums, and ventures through a pinwheeling electric guitar solo before winding up in another fun singalong.

But the opening "Samba Jiji" is the prototype for this set and the best place from which to start. It immediately showcases Eckert's vocal and Bozas' percussion, both steered by strong piano lines into a luscious musical ride as powerful yet smooth as a luxury vehicle. Its closing verses explode into a joyous vocal chorus shot through with saxophone improvisation, police whistles, and other party sounds. "This song best represents the band. It's based on the Partido Alto rhythm which is a different kind of samba that is modern and funky," Eckert explains. "It's danceable, and like many of our songs, has a big sing-along at the end."

"We're trying to create happy music. We want to tell stories and get people to dance. We want to bring people together."By Chris M. Slawecki https://www.allaboutjazz.com/a-vida-com-paixao-outside-in-music

Personnel: Rosana Eckert: keyboards; Tom Burchill: guitar, acoustic; Brian Warthen: bass; Jose Aponte: drums; Drew Zaremba: flute; Jeff Robbins: saxophone, tenor.

Additional Instrumentation: Ricardo Bozas: percussion; Denny Robinson: keyboards, vocals; Daniel Pardo: flute.

A Vida Com Paixão

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Joan Chamorro - Remembering Toni Belenguer

Styles: Mainstream Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:10
Size: 164,0 MB
Art: Front

(6:22) 1. I Can't Get Started
(9:55) 2. Densificación por Fuga
(7:20) 3. Darn That Dream
(4:01) 4. Close Your Eyes
(5:38) 5. Softly as in a Morning Sunrise
(4:09) 6. My Ideal
(5:11) 7. Motel
(6:02) 8. Polka Dots and Moonbeams
(4:05) 9. Angel Eyes
(6:22) 10. Samba Em Preludio
(5:06) 11. Love Your Spell is Everywhere
(5:03) 12. Riviera
(1:49) 13. Motel (Duet)

There are people who have a light of their own, who give off a special energy. People that each time you meet them, even after a long time, always invade you with a special feeling of joy.

People with whom the embrace is absolutely sincere. You know you can trust them. That they exude love. That their music reflects exactly what they are, how they breathe, how they feel, how they think. Toni Belenguer was one of those people, difficult to find and that, once you meet them, you want them to be close to you, because they are loved, because they bring positive energy, with their genius and their existential doubts, but above all for their generosity and love.

I met Toni Belenguer around 2005, when we started playing together in groups with double bass player David Mengual and drummer David Xirgu. We played a tribute to Gerry Mulligan. We played some gigs at the Jamboree and other venues. I remember that playing with Toni was a constant source of inspiration, both melodically and rhythmically. He never ceased to surprise you with his phrasing, with his ideas of overwhelming coherence. In 2008 I recorded an album called “Baritone Rhapsody”, where he played practically all the songs. That was my first recording with Toni.

After that came other collaborations, both in my personal projects and those related to the Sant Andreu Jazz Band. He participated in the JAZZINGS (that's how the SAJB CDs are called) 5 (2014), 6 vol2 (2015), 7 (2016) and 8 vol2 (2017). He also participated in other CDs of the collection "Joan Chamorro presenta": Rita Payés (2014), Marc Martín (2015), Joan Mar Sauqué (2016), Èlia Bastida (2017), Joan Codina (2017) and also in the album "Joan Chamorro Nonet & More Play Alfons Carrascosa's Arrangements"(2017). When in 2020 I received the sad news that Toni had left us, I thought of paying him a tribute, dedicating a concert to him in the framework of the Jazz Festival that I direct: the Jazzing Festival.

From the collaborations that Toni made with us in previous years came a great part of the repertoire that we would perform and that you can listen to in this CD. Themes that he had played with us and in which he left a sample of his art and originality. That was the reason why I invited Rita Payés (I can't get Started ), Èlia Bastida (My Ideal ), Andrea Motis (Samba em Preludio), Marc Martín (Softly as in a Morning Sunrise and Close your Eyes) and Joan Mar Sauqué (Motel and Polka Dots and Moonbeans).

I contacted Francisco "Blanco" Latino to see if we could do an original song and an arrangement by Toni and, from the proposals he made, we finally performed Densificación por Fuga (original) and Darn that Dream (arrangement). The other 3 themes of the CD are arrangements by Joan Monné in which the trombones have a special participation: Angel Eyes, Love Your Spell Is Everywhere and the original by J.J.Johnson, Riviera. For the concert I invited three important people in Toni's career: Perico Sambeat, Francisco "Blanco" Latino and Carlos Martín, three wonderful musicians who immediately accepted the invitation.

During the concert we read a text dedicated to Toni and we presented Sedajazz with a painting by Enric Bastida (Sedajazz is the project of Latino where Toni grew up, where he took his first steps in jazz music and where he has a classroom named after him). On one wall of that classroom is Toni's painting. The painting is the cover of this album! Thank you, Toni, for everything you offered us.

We will come back again and again to your music to remember and enjoy you. I hope you like, wherever you are, this tribute, and that you enjoy it as we did when we recorded it. Always in our hearts!!!!By Joan Chamorro
https://santandreujazzband.bandcamp.com/album/remembering-toni-beleng

Remembering Toni Belenguer

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Acker Bilk - Acker Bilk Plays Lennon & McCartney

Styles: Clarinet Jazz
Year: 1987
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:56
Size: 105,7 MB
Art: Front

(2:22) 1. Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)
(3:36) 2. With a Litle Luck
(3:24) 3. Imagine
(2:53) 4. Michelle
(3:33) 5. Woman
(2:55) 6. World Without Love
(3:59) 7. Mull of Kintyre
(3:08) 8. Fool on the Hill
(3:28) 9. Ebony & Ivory
(2:56) 10. Nowhere Man
(3:31) 11. Yesterday
(3:06) 12. She's Leaving Home
(3:09) 13. Here, There & Everywhere
(3:51) 14. Pipes of Peace

Acker Bilk was a solid English Dixieland jazz clarinetist who also crossed over into easy listening albums. Acker Bilk Plays Lennon & McCartney probably won't be enjoyed by most rock or jazz fans but it is an entertaining listening experience. One of the interesting things about it is that it includes as many solo cuts from the careers of Lennon & McCartney as it does tracks that the two wrote for The Beatles.

The album's sweeping string arrangements and insipid keyboard lines sometimes get in the way of Bilk's concise clarinet playing but his musical personality still manages to shine through. Bilk mostly sticks firmly to the melodies of the songs but often starts improvising at the fade out. Ultimately, the album may contain kitschy elevator music but it's of the sort that's played in the better elevators and the tunes do show how melodically gifted both John Lennon and Paul McCartney were.
By Nick Dedina https://www.allmusic.com/album/acker-bilk-plays-lennon-mccartney-mw0000651957

Personnel: Acker Bilk clarinet

Acker Bilk Plays Lennon & McCartney

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Matt Wilson Quartet - That's Gonna Leave a Mark

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:49
Size: 123,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:16) 1. Shooshabuster
(5:44) 2. Arts & Crafts
(4:28) 3. Rear Control
(6:37) 4. Getting Friendly
(4:04) 5. Two Bass Hit
(6:58) 6. Area Man
(3:40) 7. Lucky
(2:21) 8. That's Gonna Leave a Mark
(6:57) 9. Celibate Oriole
(4:03) 10. Come and Find The Quiet Center
(3:37) 11. Why Can't We Be Friends

A drummer whose creativity, drive, dedication and infectious joy have garnered him high honors from fellow musicians and critics alike, Matt Wilson is also a perspicacious and activist bandleader. The Matt Wilson Quartet alto and tenor saxophones doubling clarinets, bass and drums is raucous, rambunctious and high energy. Among piano-less quartets, it's more in the tradition of Ornette Coleman, Max Roach and Charles Mingus than Gerry Mulligan or Gary Burton.

The similarities with Coleman's two-sax quartet that paired him with Dewey Redman's tenor, in whose own quartet Wilson played for over a decade, are palpable on tunes with a post-bop vibe like "Shooshabuster" and the out title track, which pair Andrew D'Angelo's alto (more than a little indebted stylistically to Coleman and Eric Dolphy) and Jeff Lederer's tenor. But Wilson also prizes an eclectic and at times proletarian vision that encompasses the classic bop of "Two Bass Hit," with a drum solo inspired by Philly Joe Jones, and the '70s soul-rock anthem from War, "Why Can't We Be Friends?," a track adding female and child voices to make the title message clear.

It also embraces the spirituality of the traditional hymn "Come and Find the Quiet Center," one of the few quiet moments on this CD, as well the Mingus-like accelerations, decelerations and quirky rhythm change-ups of "Rear Control," D'Angelo's composition featuring bass clarinet and clarinet interweaving in a jaunty tune with broad Raymond Scott cartoon theme gestures. Lederer, with the help of 12 notes chosen by his daughter Maya, contributes another two-clarinet track, "Lucky," while bassist Chris Lightcap is represented by his Ornette-ish "Celibate Oriole." Throughout, Wilson leads the charge, creating myriad driving, shifting rhythms and timbres, especially with his unique attack on drum heads and rims.By George Kanzler https://www.allaboutjazz.com/thats-gonna-leave-a-mark-matt-wilson-palmetto-records-review-by-george-kanzler

Personnel: Matt Wilson: drums; Andrew D'Angelo: alto sax, bass clarinet; Jeff Lederer: tenor sax; Chris Lightcap: bass.

That's Gonna Leave a Mark

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Martin Wind Quartet, Bill Mays, Scott Robinson, Matt Wilson - My Astorian Queen

Styles: Jazz, Bop
Year: 2021
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:27
Size: 126,3 MB
Art: Front

(7:35) 1. Mean What You Say
(5:30) 2. Solitude
(6:06) 3. Broadway
(7:35) 4. Peace Waltz
(5:02) 5. E Preciso Perduar
(7:57) 6. Out in P.A.
(5:30) 7. My Astorian Queen
(4:56) 8. There's a Boat That's Leaving Soon for New York
(3:12) 9. New York, New York

Bassist Martin Wind, born in Flensburg, Germany, moved to New York City in 1996 and has called the area home ever since more specifically, suburban New Jersey where he lives with his wife, Maria, two grown sons and one dog. Wind had been in New York for less than forty-eight hours when he was introduced to Maria who lived in an apartment in a predominantly Greek area of Astoria, Queens; soon afterward, she became Wind's Astorian Queen and lifelong companion. When planning his fifteenth album as leader or co-leader of his own groups, to mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of his arrival, Wind turned to some old friends to flesh out his quartet and if it sounds like more than a quartet, that is more than likely because the versatile Scott Robinson plays tenor and bass saxophones, clarinet and trumpet (albeit not simultaneously). And if it sounds considerably better than your average foursome, that is definitely because pianist Bill Mays and drummer Matt Wilson complete the starting line-up.

Wind, who also composes, wrote three of the album's nine selections: "My Astorian Queen," "Solitude" and "Out in P.A.," while Mays wrote the meditative "Peace Waltz." New York is prominently represented with Wilbur Bird's swinging "Broadway" and the last two numbers, George Gershwin's "There's a Boat That's Leaving Soon for New York" (from the folk opera Porgy and Bess) and Fred Ebb & John Kander's iconic salute to the city, "New York, New York." Rounding out the program are Thad Jones' light-hearted "Mean What You Say" and the Latin charmer, "E Preciso Perduar," which was brought to Wind by one of his students, a drummer from Brazil.

Although bassists, even when leading a group, more often than not take on a supporting role, Wind takes the lead on "My Astorian Queen," using his resonant sound and marvelous technique to bring its lovely melody to life. Robinson plays tenor on that theme, as he does on "E Preciso Perduar" and "Out in P.A.," moving to trumpet on "Mean What You Say" and "There's a Boat," clarinet on "Solitude," bass saxophone on "Broadway." Wind also carries the melody on "New York, New York," played by the trio without Robinson, as is "Peace Waltz." Wind plays arco bass there, and on "Out in P.A." As for Mays, he is simply one of the best in the business, whether soloing or comping, and Wilson (who solos smartly on "There's a Boat") fits any milieu like the proverbial glove. With My Astorian Queen, Wind and his colleagues have celebrated his anniversary in grand style. By Jack Bowers https://www.allaboutjazz.com/my-astorian-queen-martin-wind-laika-records

Personnel: Martin Wind: bass, acoustic; Bill Mays: piano; Scott Robinson: saxophone, baritone; Matt Wilson: drums.

My Astorian Queen

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Various Artists - Quiet About It (A Tribute to Jesse Winchester)

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:03
Size: 102,0 MB
Art: Front

1. James Taylor - Payday (3:09)
2. Rosanne Cash - Biloxi (3:24)
3. Jimmy Buffett - Gentleman of Leisure (4:36)
4. Allen Toussaint - I Wave Bye Bye (3:33)
5. Vince Gill - Talk Memphis (4:28)
6. Mac McAnally - Defying Gravity (3:56)
7. Lyle Lovett - Brand New Tennessee Waltz (3:53)
8. Lucinda Williams - Mississippi You're on My Mind (4:25)
9. Emmylou Harris/Vince Gill/Rodney Crowell - Dangerous Fun (3:35)
10. Little Feat - Rhumba Man (5:52)
11. Elvis Costello - Quiet About It (3:10)

To many, Jesse Winchester is still best known for his ideals rather than his music in 1967, rather than join the military and fight in Vietnam, he emigrated to Canada, and spent most of the '70s as an exile of conscience. If Winchester had been a protest singer in the manner of Phil Ochs, this might have made him a hero, but his songs rarely reflected his political views, and instead were compact, painterly meditations on life in the South and the mysteries of life and love (though his physical and emotional distance from his birthplace in Memphis certainly provided a powerful subtext to his music of the '70s).

If Winchester's music never quite clicked with a mass audience due to his inability to tour the United States during the '70s or the shifting tides of popular taste, he's long been a favorite among his fellow songwriters, and 11 noted performers interpret some of Winchester's best songs on Quiet About It: A Tribute to Jesse Winchester. Quiet About It is that rare tribute album that gives each artist room to find their own musical personality in these songs, while the 11 tracks still cohere into a whole that reveals the depth and lyricism of Winchester's work.

This hardly represents every worthwhile tune in his songbook, but the 11 here are all winners, and the songs bring out the best in the artists. Lyle Lovett (who was clearly influenced by Winchester's vocal style) finds every bit of sad beauty in "Brand New Tennessee Waltz," Vince Gill brings just the right swagger to "Talk Memphis," Allen Toussaint's version of "I Wave Bye Bye" is lovely and heartfelt, Lucinda Williams is all rough-hewn grace on "Mississippi You're On My Mind," and Elvis Costello's lo-fi take on "Quiet About It" is stylistically bold but true to the song's nature. James Taylor gives one of his best and liveliest performances in ages with his cocksure version of "Payday," and Jimmy Buffett (who spearheaded the project) reminds us that he was a gifted singer before he discovered how well singing about aquatic alcoholism could pay with a sharp take on "Gentleman of Leisure."

Quiet About It came about when Winchester revealed he'd been diagnosed with esophageal cancer, and the artists involved banded together as a show of support (and to generate some songwriting royalties); thankfully, by the time the album appeared, Winchester was in remission, and this splendid celebration of an underappreciated talent arrived while the man who inspired it is still around to take a bow. If you don't know Winchester's work, Quiet About It is a sure convincer of his talents as a songwriter, and if you're a fan, you'll revel in some top-notch interpretations of his songs. Either way, Quiet About It is a must, and one of the finest tribute albums of recent memory.~Mark Deming
https://www.allmusic.com/album/quiet-about-it-a-tribute-to-jesse-winchester-mw0002418862

Quiet About It (A Tribute to Jesse Winchester)

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Jimmy Smith - The Other Side Of Jimmy Smith

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 1970
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:31
Size: 86,1 MB
Art: Front

(3:31) 1. My Romance
(4:07) 2. Why Don't You Try?
(3:37) 3. Bewitched
(4:10) 4. You Don't Know What Love Is
(2:54) 5. Yesterday
(3:41) 6. Nobody Knows
(4:42) 7. Bridge Over Troubled Water
(2:32) 8. Close To You
(4:20) 9. What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life?
(3:53) 10. My Way

Jimmy Smith wasn't the first organ player in jazz, but no one had a greater influence with the instrument than he did; Smith coaxed a rich, grooving tone from the Hammond B-3, and his sound and style made him a top instrumentalist in the 1950s and '60s, while a number of rock and R&B keyboardists would learn valuable lessons from Smith's example.

James Oscar Smith was born in Norristown, Pennsylvania on December 8, 1925 (some sources cite his birth year as 1928). Smith's father was a musician and entertainer, and young Jimmy joined his song-and-dance act when he was six years old. By the time he was 12, Smith was an accomplished stride piano player who won local talent contests, but when his father began having problems with his knee and gave up performing to work as a plasterer, Jimmy quit school after eighth grade and began working odd jobs to help support the family. At 15, Smith joined the Navy, and when he returned home, he attended music school on the GI Bill, studying at the Hamilton School of Music and the Ornstein School, both based in Philadelphia.

In 1951, Smith began playing with several R&B acts in Philadelphia while working with his father during the day, but after hearing pioneering organ player Wild Bill Davis, Smith was inspired to switch instruments. Smith bought a Hammond B-3 organ and set up a practice space in a warehouse where he and his father were working; Smith refined the rudiments of his style over the next year (informed more closely by horn players than other keyboard artists, and employing innovative use of the bass pedals and drawbars), and he began playing Philadelphia clubs in 1955. In early 1956, Smith made his New York debut at the legendary Harlem nightspot Small's Paradise, and Smith was soon spotted by Alfred Lion, who ran the well-respected jazz label Blue Note Records. Lion signed Smith to a record deal, and between popular early albums such as The Incredible Jimmy Smith at Club Baby Grand and The Champ and legendary appearances at New York's Birdland and the Newport Jazz Festival, Smith became the hottest new name in jazz.

A prolific recording artist, Smith recorded more than 30 albums for Blue Note between 1956 and 1963, collaborating with the likes of Kenny Burrell, Stanley Turrentine, and Jackie McLean, and in 1963, Smith signed a new record deal with Verve. Smith's first album for Verve, Bashin': The Unpredictable Jimmy Smith, was a critical and commercial success, and the track "Walk on the Wild Side" became a minor hit. Smith maintained his busy performing and recording schedule throughout the 1960s, and in 1966 he cut a pair of celebrated album with guitarist Wes Montgomery. In 1972, Smith's contract with Verve expired, and tired of his demanding tour schedule, he and his wife opened a supper club in California's San Fernando Valley. Smith performed regularly at the club, but it went out of business after only a few years. While Smith continued to record regularly for a variety of labels, his days as a star appeared to be over.

However, in the late '80s, Smith began recording for the Milestone label, cutting several well-reviewed albums that reminded jazz fans Smith was still a master at his instrument, as did a number of live performances with fellow organ virtuoso Joey DeFrancesco. In 1987, producer Quincy Jones invited Smith to play on the sessions for Michael Jackson's album Bad. And Smith found a new generation of fans when hip-hop DJs began sampling Smith's funky organ grooves; the Beastie Boys famously used Smith's "Root Down (And Get It)" for their song "Root Down," and other Smith performances became the basis for tracks by Nas, Gang Starr, Kool G Rap, and DJ Shadow.

In 1995, Smith returned to Verve Records for the album Damn!, and on 2001's Dot Com Blues, Smith teamed up with a variety of blues and R&B stars, including Etta James, B.B. King, Keb' Mo', and Dr. John. In 2004, Smith was honored as a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts; that same year, Smith relocated from Los Angeles to Scottsdale, Arizona. Several months after settling in Scottsdale, Smith's wife succumbed to cancer, and while he continued to perform and record, Jimmy Smith was found dead in his home less than a year later, on February 8, 2005. His final album, Legacy, was released several months after his passing.By Mark Deming https://www.allmusic.com/artist/jimmy-smith-mn0000781172/biography.

Personnel: Jimmy Smith – organ; Ron Carter – bass; Joe Beck – guitar; Jerome Richardson – flute; Gene Orloff – violin

The Other Side Of Jimmy Smith

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Bill Evans - Morning Glory: The 1973 Concert at the Teatro Gran Rex, Buenos Aires

Styles: Piano Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 92:03
Size: 212,5 MB
Art: Front

( 5:04) 1. Re: Person I Knew
( 6:53) 2. Emily
( 7:59) 3. Who Can I Turn To?
( 7:38) 4. The Two Lonely People
( 5:11) 5. What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life
( 9:05) 6. My Romance
( 4:33) 7. Morning Glory
( 6:50) 8. Up With the Lark
( 6:20) 9. T.T.T. (Twelve Tone Tune)
( 6:16) 10. Esta tarde vi llover
(13:35) 11. Beautiful Love
( 7:58) 12. Waltz for Debby
( 4:35) 13. My Foolish Heart

1973 was a time of political volatility and unrest. Argentina's former President Juan Peron was returning to the country after many years in exile. The controversy brought emotions to the surface and created a dangerous environment. Just what three jazz cats didn't need to hear as they made their way to Buenos Aires for a concert. There is an unwritten code of understanding, however, that musicians and athletes are to walk freely. They are artists after all, often considered above the common bourgeois.

Pianist Bill Evans along with bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Marty Morell landed in Buenos Aires with some trepidation, no doubt. They were protected from harm's way and escorted to the Teatro Gran Rex to perform. Oddly the concert was at ten o'clock in the morning due to the extraordinary circumstances in which the country was engulfed.

The trio opened with "Re: Person I Knew." The Evans original was first recorded on his album Moon Beams (Riverside, 1962) and later became the name of a live album, Re: Person I Knew (Fantasy, 1981). Here it served as a chance for each of them to play, get their collective footing, and relax into a comfort zone. As it turned out, any hostility going on was not brought into the concert hall. The crowd was most appreciative and perhaps eager for a temporary escape. "Emily," a tune written for the motion picture The Americanization of Emily (British MGM, 1962) followed wistfully, charming and delighting a most receptive audience. Imagination might see Emily sliding across the floor before Gomez raised the bar with a meaty bass solo. Evans cued into the kicked-up tempo as the trio was now highly engaged in the moment. The classic "Who Can I Turn To?" was reimagined as rousing applause turned to silence to take in Evan's sentimental and soft opening refrain. Gomez and Morell started to pull and punctuate the tune into a more spirited groove, in which both Evans and the crown invested.

It was time for Evans to securely grab the reins. "The Two Lonely People" has become a jazz standard, recorded many times, first appearing on The Bill Evans Album (Columbia, 1971). Here Evans stretches his ample jazz skills, moving in many directions with sumptuous note selections. Gomez and Morell comping well, with Gomez turning a bowed comp into a short duet with Evans. The most handsome rendition is closed by Evans with alternately strong and gentle lines. The enthusiastic crowd got louder as every song ended, but also were completely silent as the music was played. There was a beautiful silence as Evans touched the opening chords to "What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life," from the studio album From Left To Right (MGM, 1971). The progressions washed in like a warm summer breeze as the trio embraced the groove and straddled its natural beat. A stunning turn on the Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart tune "My Romance" rolled into over nine minutes of bliss. A song that Evans had made his own over the years, recording it on both studio and live albums, was first recorded by Evans on his debut album, New Jazz Conceptions (Riverside, 1957). This time Evans left a lot of space for Gomez and Morell by walking off stage for several minutes. Morell in particular taking advantage of the opportunity for some extensive and feverish drumming.

Evans clearly had a well thought game plan as he chose songs from many of his records and sequenced them for maximum flow. The title track of this live recording, "Mornin'Glory," was introduced as lyrical poetry with the trio shining together in every moment. They continued as one, save for a melodic solo from Gomez, on "Up With The Lark." They moved gently, yet swiftly into the song that soon became a favorite of Evans for live performances. It was debuted earlier in the year in Tokyo and released the following year as The Tokyo Concert (Fantasy, 1974). The complexities of "T.T.T. (Twelve Tone Tune)" then stopped at every floor of the musical elevator. The dynamic Evans' composition was, and always is, an experiment in time and creativity. The trio dug into the tune from The Bill Evans Album with abandon. A beautiful and well received surprise for the South American crowd was a sincere take on "Esta tarde Vi Llover (This Afternoon I Heard The Rain)." The tune was played with such heart by Evans, with the strength of Gomez, and Morrell's brushwork significant, as they had been throughout the sparkling show. With many in tears, the crowd rose to loud applause as the trio left the stage. It continued until Evans began "Beautiful Love," from the album Explorations (Riverside, 1961). The thirteen minute encore was driven in a multitude of directions, but they all led to the heart and soul of an audience seeking refuge from the storm.

Now with an even deeper appreciation the crowd was boisterous to a frenzy. Even more so when Evans, Gomez, and Morell once again took the stage. "Waltz For Debby," perhaps his most well-known composition, was played with enthusiasm. Evans raced across the keys elevated by the jamming and popping grooves supplied by Gomez and Morell. Evans then went back to 1957 from his first record, New Jazz Conceptions, to wrap it up with gusto for this most deserving audience. Another deafening explosion of applause followed, the trio came back on stage. Perhaps just for a bow this time. But their disbelief became reality when once again Evans sat down on his bench. The trio left the crowd with the endearing "My Foolish Heart." From the record Waltz For Debby (Riverside, 1962), which not surprisingly also featured a second take of "Waltz For Debby," this third, and yes final, encore is significant in that the trio bared their hearts and souls to an audience that had done the same for them.

To be clear, the robust energy and sound from the crowd was always in between songs. You could hear a pin drop while the masters are at work. Evans was indeed in all his glory that historic morning. Gomez would seem to make a solid connection with all the drummers (and there have been many) that he has shared a rhythm section with. Here he was often set free to solo or further engage in the melody. Morell wisely followed the path and rose to the occasion when his number was called. Particularly effective was his brushwork. There are several Bill Evans live albums to enjoy. This two CD effort, whether in spite of or because of the circumstances, has a feel to it that is on to its own. A moment in time that could never be duplicated. That said, Evans returned to Buenos Aires six years later with a different trio. That concert is to be released simultaneously with Morning Glory under the name Inner Spirit (Resonance Records, 2022).By Jim Worsley https://www.allaboutjazz.com/morning-glory-bill-evans-resonance-records

Personnel: Bill Evans: piano; Eddie Gomez: bass; Marty Morell: drums.

Morning Glory: The 1973 Concert at the Teatro Gran Rex, Buenos Aires

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Charles Sullivan - Re-Entry

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1976
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:24
Size: 164,9 MB
Art: Front

(12:15)  1. Re-Entry
( 9:52)  2. Body & Soul
( 8:23)  3. Carefree
( 7:39)  4. Waltz For Crickent
( 8:01)  5. Mabe's Way
(14:24)  6. Body & Soul
(10:47)  7. Carefree

A most underrated trumpeter, Charles Sullivan has excellent technique, fine tone, a bright shimmering sound, and simply has not gotten the credit he deserves. Sullivan studied at the Manhattan School of Music in the 60s, played with Lionel Hampton and Roy Haynes in the late 60s, then toured briefly as Count Basie's lead trumpeter in 1970 and with Lonnie Liston Smith in 1971. 

He played with Sy Oliver in 1972 and toured Europe and recorded with Abdullah Ibrahim in 1973, then worked and recorded with Sonny Fortune, Carlos Garnett, Bennie Maupin, Ricky Ford, Eddie Jefferson and Woody Shaw through the remainder of the 70s. This rare session from August 1976 has him leading a fine band with sax man Rene McLean together with the Kenny Barron Trio. ~ Editorial Reviews https://www.amazon.com/Re-Entry-Charles-Sullivan/dp/B002ZXZJRE

Personnel:  Charles Sullivan - trumpet; Kenny Barron - piano; Buster Williams - bass; Billy Hart - drums; René McLean - alto saxophone, tenor saxophone

Re-Entry

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Paolo Alderighi, Stephanie Trick - Double Trio Live 2015

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:26
Size: 150,3 MB
Art: Front

(7:10) 1. Shine
(5:22) 2. When You and I Were Young, Maggie
(8:28) 3. The Sheik of Araby
(5:36) 4. Old Folks At Home (Swanee River)
(5:19) 5. Charleston
(4:05) 6. Handful of Keys
(8:12) 7. St. Louis Blues
(4:40) 8. Home (When Shadows Fall)
(4:39) 9. Runnin' Wild
(4:25) 10. We'll Meet Again
(7:24) 11. Wednesday Night in Walnut Creek Blues and Boogie

Pioneers in the use of four-hands piano in jazz, Stephanie Trick and Paolo Alderighi have earned widespread success with their arrangements of classics from the stride piano, ragtime, and boogie woogie traditions, as well as from the Swing Era and the Golden Age of Tin Pan Alley. In recent projects, they have focused on the repertoire created during a time when musicals were at the heart of popular culture: the Classical Hollywood Cinema period and the Golden Age of Broadway, since the songs written between the 1920s and 1960s represent a high point and creative ferment in American popular music. Blending impeccable technique with mature musicality, the piano duo has performed across the United States, Europe, and Asia, winning the acclaim of critics and fans alike.

Stephanie Trick (from St. Louis), a leading exponent of stride piano, and Paolo Alderighi (from Milan), one of Italy’s foremost jazz pianists, met at a piano festival in Switzerland in 2008. Three years later, they started to collaborate on a four-hands piano project dedicated to classic jazz, preparing arrangements of songs from the Swing Era, as well as drawing from the ragtime and blues repertoire. Stephanie and Paolo explored the formula of four-hands duets on one piano, rarely used in jazz, in their first two albums, Two for One (2012) and Sentimental Journey (2014). Their partnership continued with Double Trio Live 2015 and Double Trio Always (2016), recorded in the piano trio setting, but with two pianists instead of one. In 2018, they released their first album on two pianos, Broadway and More. Their latest project is a double album, I Love Erroll, I Love James P. (2020), and it features the compositions of two legendary figures of jazz piano, Erroll Garner and James P. Johnson.

The four-hands piano duo has performed in a variety of venues, including the Gilmore Keyboard Festival, Jazz at Filoli, the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, the Kobe Jazz Street Festival in Japan, the London Jazz Festival, the Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival, the Ascona Jazz Festival in Switzerland, the Silkeborg Riverboat Jazz Festival in Denmark, the Bohém Ragtime & Jazz Festival in Hungary, Teatro Dal Verme Milano, Jazzland in Vienna, Jazz Bistro in Toronto, and other jazz clubs.

Both Stephanie Trick and Paolo Alderighi have a background in classical piano. Stephanie graduated cum laude from the University of Chicago with a Bachelor of Arts in Music. Paolo has a degree in Piano Performance from the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory in Milan, Italy, and also graduated cum laude from Bocconi University in Management of Arts, Culture and Communication. Since 2008, he has been teaching a course at Bocconi entitled “Music and Society.”

Stephanie and Paolo’s dedication to jazz and the repertoire of early American popular music is accompanied in equal measure by a desire to share its rich history, and they also perform in schools and universities, as they believe in the importance of educational outreach. Their programs range from lectures and concert lessons to master classes for students of all ages, with a focus on various topics, such as “History of Jazz,” “Early American Popular Music,” “Musical Improvisation,” “Blues and Boogie Woogie,” “Ragtime and Stride Piano,” “Music Appreciation,” “Intersections of Jazz and Classical Music,” “Music and Technology,” “Women in Jazz, Ragtime, and Popular Music,” and “History of Broadway and Hollywood.”

They have worked with a variety of institutions, including the following: the Eastman School of Music, the University of Mississippi, the Colburn School (Los Angeles), the University of Santa Barbara, Syracuse University, Tri-North Middle School and Templeton Elementary School (Bloomington, Indiana), Tokyo Nihon University, the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Bocconi University (Milan), and others.
https://www.paoloandstephanie.com/biography

Double Trio Live 2015

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Dave Brubeck - Dave Brubeck at Storyville: 1954

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1954
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:19
Size: 110,9 MB
Art: Front

(10:51) 1. On the Alamo
( 7:02) 2. Don't Worry 'Bout Me
( 5:58) 3. Here Lies Love
( 8:15) 4. Gone with the Wind
( 9:29) 5. When You're Smiling
( 6:42) 6. Back Bay Blues

This Columbia LP contains a total of six tracks from three different appearances by the Dave Brubeck Quartet at George Wein's Storyville between December 1953 and July 1954, two of which originated from radio broadcasts. Sticking to a mix of standards and popular songs that have since fallen out of favor among jazz musicians, the pianist and his longtime alto saxophonist, Paul Desmond, weave their magic together with several extended imaginative improvisations, particularly "On the Alamo" and "Gone with the Wind." The campy pseudo-newspaper packaging adds to the appeal of this long unavailable record, which still pops up occasionally in used record stores nearly five decades after it was recorded.~ Ken Dryden https://www.allmusic.com/album/dave-brubeck-at-storyville-1954-mw0000895185

Personnel: Dave Brubeck (piano); Paul Desmond (alto sax); Ron Crotty (bass); Bob Bates (bass); Joe Dodge (drums)

Dave Brubeck at Storyville: 1954

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Jimmy McGriff - I've Got A Woman

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 1962
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:20
Size: 95,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:34)  1. I've Got A Woman
(3:56)  2. On The Street Where You Live
(2:21)  3. Satin Doll
(5:45)  4. 'Round Midnight
(2:53)  5. All About My Girl
(4:57)  6. M.G. Blues
(2:20)  7. That's The Way I Feel
(6:00)  8. After Hours
(3:24)  9. Flying Home
(5:06) 10. Sermon

McGriff's first album is great. The title cut was in the top 20 in 1962. Also on the same album is "M.G. Blues" and "All About My Girl." This session McGriff, Richard Easley on drums and Walter Miller on guitar. Hi-impact early McGriff is the still the best, and this is the album that started it all, on the Sue label. Three cuts available on the Collectable CD A Toast to Jimmy McGriff's Golden Classics. ~ Michael Erlewine https://www.allmusic.com/album/ive-got-a-women-mw0000090399

Personnel: Jimmy McGriff - organ; Morris Dow - guitar; Jackie Mills - drums

I've Got A Woman

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Mary Halvorson - Amaryllis

Styles: Guitar Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:56
Size: 87,2 MB
Art: Front

(5:52) 1. Night Shift
(6:41) 2. Anesthesia
(5:55) 3. Amaryllis
(6:47) 4. Side Effect
(6:47) 5. Hoodwink
(5:50) 6. 892 Teeth

Guitarist Mary Halvorson has a formula she just doesn’t always follow it. The first track on this new sextet release begins with a jagged rhythm over which Halvorson solos. Her bandmates (Patricia Brennan on vibraphone, Nick Dunston on bass, Tomas Fujiwara on drums, Jacob Garchik on trombone, and Adam O’Farrill on trumpet) pick up pieces of the rhythm as well as related themes. It is relatively easy to determine which parts are composed and which are improvised. These themes develop and flow around one another in a fashion that has been used by Halvorson in the past, as well as by various avant-rock (and creative jazz) groups. If you are a Halvorson fan, this is all good and not far from what you expected.

But Halvorson’s influences are wide and deep. Her innovations might hide her more conventional proclivities. She clearly appreciates the standards, whether jazz, blues, or otherwise, and this appreciation colors her own works. Subtle nods to more conventional stylings appear throughout this album, even as it leans toward the experimental end of modern jazz. The chimeric nature of Halvorson’s writing is both obvious and yet subtle as she deftly dances between genres.

Amaryllis is one of two companion albums released by Halvorson last month. It features the aforementioned players forming a sextet with Halvorson, with help from the Mivos String Quartet on the second half. The pieces are of uniformly medium length, around 6-7 minutes each.

The title track is a compelling romp with Dunston and Halvorson providing a running (as opposed to walking) pattern over which the horns provide the main melodic structures with Brennan offering up accentuations. The tune moves along at a nice clip, even as Halvorson switches to her signature note-bending. It is hard not to get caught up in the group’s joyful expressiveness.

Side Effect begins with Mivos, and eventually the core group joins in. While there is no shortage of compositional complexity and sophisticated chops (not to mention a killer solo from Dunston), the overall feel is cinematic and slightly retro despite moments of start-stop rhythms.

Hoodwink is something of an outlier, with Mivos again beginning the piece but this time with a less-structured modern classical approach until Halvorson comes in on acoustic, followed by the rest. Mivos’s playing becomes sweeter to match the emotion of Garchik and O’Farrill, while Fujiwara and Dunston gently push the boundaries, serving as a reminder that this is not your grandparent’s jazz.

Amaryllis ends wistfully, bringing its bouncy opening around 180 degrees. 892 Teeth is deliberately paced and more sparsely populated, with Mivos serving mostly in the background, beneath soloists (with kudos to Brennan). But in the last two minutes, the piece goes avant, with an effects-laden lead providing a discordant break before returning to introspection. https://avantmusicnews.com/2022/06/28/amn-reviews-mary-halvorson-amaryllis-2022-nonesuch-records/

Amaryllis

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Lakis Tzimkas Trio Feat. Mark Whitfield - The Meeting

Styles: Avant-garde Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@128K/s
Time: 48:02
Size: 44,5 MB
Art: Front

(7:29) 1. Kosmos
(1:21) 2. Jamming
(5:06) 3. Ballad for Harris
(5:48) 4. Blues for Teo
(5:46) 5. Different faces
(2:06) 6. Walking in the city
(5:01) 7. Rainy Wednesday
(5:51) 8. Martini
(1:59) 9. Lullaby
(7:32) 10. Blues for my baby

The programme includes compositions by Lakis Tzimkas from her most recent work in collaboration with Mark Whitfield and other compositions by Whitfield.

Mark Whitfield is one of the most important jazz guitarists in the world, continuing in the footsteps of George Benson, with collaborations with Dizzy Gillespie, Art Blakey, Quincy Jones, Herbie Hancock, Bradford Marsalis, Sting, D’ Angelo, Jill Scott, and many others.

Lakis Tzimkas has collaborated with jazz musicians such as Sheila Jordan, Terrence Blanchard, Airto Moreira, Milcho Leviev, Adam Nussbaum, Greg Hutchinson, and others. Christos Germenoglou has been a collaborator of Lakis Tzimkas for many years in the Plan3 and Free Call groups, a collaborator of Sakis Papadimitriou, and has had many international collaborations on the jazz and avant-garde scene.http://www.tch.gr/default.aspx?lang=en-GB&page=3&tcheid=2226

Personnel: Lakis Tzimkas Trio: Mark Whitfield Guitar; Lakis Tzimkas Double bass; Christos Yermenoglou Drums

The Meeting

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Lee Konitz, Brad Mehldau & Charlie Haden - Alone Together

Styles: Saxophone, Piano Jazz, Bop
Year: 1997
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 73:39
Size: 168,7 MB
Art: Front

(13:45) 1. Alone Together
(12:55) 2. The Song Is You
(10:59) 3. Cherokee
(11:32) 4. What Is This Thing Called Love ?
(12:49) 5. Round Midnight
(11:36) 6. You Stepped Out Of A Dream

Alone Together, Lee Konitz's first recording for Blue Note, is a special event. The saxophonist teamed up with legendary bassist Charlie Haden and young lion pianist Brad Mehldau, and the trio's interaction on this set of relaxed bop is astonishing. On paper, the music on Alone Together a collection of standards should just be straightahead cool bop, but all three musicians are restless and inventive, making even the simplest numbers on the disc vibrant, lively and adventurous. It's a wonderful record, one that makes a convincing argument that Konitz remains a vital force even as he reached his seventieth year.~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine https://www.allmusic.com/album/alone-together-mw0000596268

Personnel: Lee Konitz – alto sax; Brad Mehldau – piano; Charlie Haden – bass

Alone Together

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Roy Ayers - Stoned Soul Picnic

Styles: Vibraphone Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:27
Size: 89,3 MB
Art: Front

(9:00)  1. A Rose For Cindy
(2:47)  2. Stoned Soul Picnic
(8:01)  3. Wave
(3:54)  4. For Once In My Life
(6:34)  5. Lil's Paradise
(8:09)  6. What The People Say

Stoned Soul Picnic is vibraphonist Roy Ayers' third and probably best solo album, made in 1968 while he was still a part of Herbie Mann's group. Ayers stands clearly in the shadow of Bobby Hutcherson on this primarily modally-oriented date, sounding nothing like the groove-meister he would become known as later in the 1970s. Producer Mann, always an underrated talent scout, assembles an especially exceptional septet for Ayers here with Gary Bartz on alto sax, arranger Charles Tolliver on trumpet/flugelhorn, Hubert Laws on flute, Herbie Hancock on piano (and probably uncredited organ on the title cut), Ron Carter or Miroslav Vitous on bass and Grady Tate on drums. The program is a typical late 1960s menu, heavy on such Top 40 pop covers as the dated "Stoned Soul Picnic," "For Once In My Life" and "What The People Say." What sets these and the interesting, if unsuccessful, cover of Jobim's "Wave" apart are Tolliver's rather ingenious arrangements. Tolliver seems to tear apart the constraints of these duds (although "Picnic" is beyond hope) by dramatically slowing down the melodies, providing Ayers the time and space to set the mood (Tolliver correctly recognizes Ayers's strengths with ballads) and punctuating with nicely considered horn statements in between. It is the two modal originals here Ayers lovely "A Rose For Cindy" and Tolliver's waltz, "Lil's Paradise" that make this disc worth hearing. Ayers plays some of his finest-ever work on these pieces. You're sure to hear something new and different in these pieces every time. Hancock completists will also be especially pleased with the pianist's performance here (and on "What The People Say" too). Except for the nods toward late 1960s pop-jazz conventions, Stoned Soul Picnic is a marvelous disc well worth investigating. With so much of Ayers's West Coast work of the 1960s (especially with Jack Wilson) lost in limbo, this disc serves as a cogent reminder of the strength of the vibraphonist's chops. And groove lovers might be happily surprised hearing what Ayers was up to before the groove.
~Douglas Paynehttps://www.allaboutjazz.com/stoned-soul-picnic-roy-ayers-32-records-review-by-douglas-payne.php

Players: Roy Ayers: vibes; Gary Bartz: alto sax;  Charles Tolliver: arranger, trumpet, flugelhorn; Hubert Laws: flute;  Herbie Hancock: piano, organ; Ron Carter: bass;  Miroslav Vitous: bass;  Grady Tate: drums.

Stoned Soul Picnic

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Caesar Frazier - Tenacity: As We Speak

Styles: Soul, Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:46
Size: 110,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:38) 1. Dat Dere
(5:05) 2. Mergin' Traffic
(6:07) 3. Festival el Spanol
(5:17) 4. Just Passin' Thru
(6:56) 5. Polka Dots & Moonbeans
(1:07) 6. Dat Dere (Reprise)
(4:51) 7. A Thought in Minor
(4:19) 8. Excuse Me
(3:14) 9. One Easy Morning
(6:08) 10. Poinciana

Hailing from Indianapolis, Ceasar Frazier was a funky soul-jazz organist who recorded several albums for the Eastbound/Westbound label family during the '70s. First making his mark in 1972 with one of saxman Lou Donaldson's funkier bands, Frazier cut his first album Hail Ceasar! later that year, which featured musicians commonly associated with the Prestige label's jazz-funk outings Melvin Sparks (guitar), Houston Person (tenor), and Idris Muhammad (drums).

The follow-up, Ceasar Frazier '75, featured the likes of guitarist Cornell Dupree and drummer Bernard "Pretty" Purdie; the album's key track, "Funk It Down," was later sampled by jazz-obsessed hip-hoppers Gang Starr for their "Ex-Girl to the Next Girl." In 1978, Frazier resurfaced as a smooth soul/disco vocalist with the LP Another Life, and while he showed some affinity for the idiom, it failed to reinvent him as a commercial force outside the jazz-funk marketplace. In addition to recording on his own, Frazier also played keyboards in Marvin Gaye's backing band. Thanks to the rare-groove revival, his rare original LPs now fetch generous sums on the collectors'market.
~Steve Huey https://www.allmusic.com/artist/ceasar-frazier-mn0000536319/biography

Tenacity: As We Speak

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Jackie Cain - So Many Stars

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:47
Size: 168,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:26)  1. Spring Can Really Hang You up the Most
(3:14)  2. Season in the Sun
(3:03)  3. A Face Like Yours
(2:44)  4. Kill 'Em with Kindness
(4:21)  5. Ballad of the Sad Young Men
(2:54)  6. It Could Happen to You
(3:56)  7. Imagination
(2:25)  8. Aren't You Glad You're You
(4:06)  9. Darn That Dream
(3:07) 10. Call Me Irresponsible
(2:28) 11. Thoroughly Modern Millie
(3:01) 12. (So You've Had A) Change of Heart
(2:57) 13. That's My Girl
(3:53) 14. Remember, My Child
(3:08) 15. Mimosa and Me
(3:29) 16. Such a Lonely Girl Am I
(4:03) 17. Walk Pretty
(4:06) 18. Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars (Corcovado)
(3:21) 19. Song of the Jet (Samba Do Aviao)
(4:09) 20. Dindi
(3:46) 21. So Many Stars

Vocalist Jackie Cain is known primarily for her work with her husband, pianist Roy Kral, as the duo Jackie and Roy. This Audiophile release, So Many Stars, spotlights Cain's solo career with over 70 minutes of music. Backing Cain on these sessions are pianist and arranger Loonis McGlohon, bassist Jerry Lassiter, and drummer Jim Lackey.~Al Campbell https://www.allmusic.com/album/so-many-stars-mw0000066748

So Many Stars

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Jimmy McGriff - Greatest Organ Hits

Styles: Soul Jazz, Hard Bop
Year: 1968
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:18
Size: 91,2 MB
Art: Front

(3:56) 1. All About My Girl
(4:57) 2. M. G. Blues
(2:50) 3. Kiko
(2:40) 4. Topkapi
(4:35) 5. I've Got A Woman
(4:41) 6. Turn Blue
(4:34) 7. One Of Mine
(2:53) 8. Hello Betty
(4:28) 9. The Last Minute
(3:41) 10. Bump De Bump

Organ master Jimmy McGriff may have studied formally at Juilliard and at Philadelphia's Combe College of Music, but there's nothing fancy about his music. It's basic to the bone, always swinging and steeped in blues and gospel. McGriff's brand of jazz is about feeling. "That's the most important thing," he says.

Blues has been the backbone of most of the major jazz organists, including Jimmy Smith and Jack McDuff, but throughout his 42-year recording career, McGriff has stuck closer to the blues than any of them. "People are always classifying me as a jazz organist, but I'm more of a blues organ player," he insists. "That's really what I feel."

McGriff's recordings of "I've Got a Woman" and "All About My Girl" were r&b and jukebox staples during the Sixties. With McGriff Avenue, his fourteenth album for Milestone (counting the five he's cut as co-leader with Hank Crawford), the Hammond organ grinder remains true to the blues grounding for which he's famous. The way things turned out, McGriff Avenue was not just another record date for the organist and his sidemen, as producer Bob Porter recounts in the CD notes. Porter had booked a noon session at Rudy Van Gelder's New Jersey studio for September 11th, 2001, but that morning he quickly realized—especially since bridge and tunnel access to and from Manhattan was cut off soon after the World Trade Center towers were hit—that the session was not going to take place as scheduled.

When the record date was rescheduled for six weeks later, some personnel adjustments were necessary. Although Bill Easley, Ronnie Cuber, and bassist Wilbur Bascomb were able to make both days of recording, Purdie was replaced on the second day by Don Williams. Guitarist Rodney Jones couldn't make the first session, but he contributed the funky title track (and was ably replaced by Melvin Sparks-Hassan).

Saxophonist Gordon Beadle, a veteran of Duke Robillard's band, is new to the McGriff orbit, but the other players have extensive histories with the organist. The great drummer Bernard Purdie has appeared on most of McGriff's Milestone discs, and Don Williams has been a member of McGriff's touring band for years. Likewise Rodney Jones, Ronnie Cuber, Melvin Sparks-Hassan, Wilbur Bascomb, and Bill Easley are all McGriff familiars who deliver the "gospel/blues-kinda flavor" the leader finds much to his liking. The performances on the McGriff shuffle "All About My Girl," Jimmy Forrest's "Soul Street," and the sanctified "America, The Beautiful" make that absolutely clear.

James Harrell McGriff was born on April 3, 1936 in Philadelphia, long the capital of the jazz organ world. Such seminal jazz organists as Milt Buckner and Wild Bill Davis frequently passed through town, and it was there that Jimmy Smith laid the groundwork for modern jazz organ. Other outstanding organists associated with the City of Brotherly Love include Doc Bagley, Shirley Scott, Richard "Groove" Holmes, Joey DeFrancesco, and Charles Earland. In fact, Earland, who had played saxophone on McGriff's very first recording, a 1959 single on the White Marsh label titled "Foxy Due," learned the organ from McGriff.

Although both his mother and father were pianists, McGriff started out on bass and saxophone, later picking up drums, vibes, and piano. He served as an MP during the Korean War and spent two and a half years as a Philadelphia policeman. While on the force, he moonlighted as a bassist at Pep's Showboat, playing behind blues singer Big Maybelle and other stars of the Fifties. The lessons he learned as a bass player would later turn up in his signature organ style, which is marked by strong, swinging bass patterns.

After leaving law enforcement, McGriff turned his focus to organ and studied locally at Combe and in New York City at Juilliard, as well as privately with Jimmy Smith, "Groove" Holmes, Milt Buckner, and classical organist Sonny Gatewood. Of greater importance to McGriff's musical development, however, were his experiences as a young man at Philadelphia's Eastern Star Baptist Church. "They talk about who taught me this and who taught me that, but the basic idea of what I'm doing on the organ came from the church," he says. "That's how I got it, and I just never dropped it."

In 1962, while McGriff was performing in Trenton, New Jersey, a scout from a tiny record label called Jell was struck with the organist's arrangement of "I've Got a Woman" and offered him a contract. As McGriff's single was taking off, Sue Records in New York purchased the master and it became a smash, peaking at No. 5 on Billboard's r&b chart and at No. 20 on the pop list. With that and such subsequent Sue singles as "All About My Girl," "M.G. Blues," and "Bump De Bump," the organist staked out a musical turf all his own, somewhere between the jazz of Jimmy Smith and the r&b of Booker T. & the MGs. After leaving Sue, McGriff recorded prolifically for such labels as Solid State, Blue Note, Capitol, United Artists, Groove Merchant, and JAM. He also cut two albums with the great blues singer Junior Parker.

Renewed interest in the Hammond organ over the past several years has substantially increased the demand for McGriff's music. "People that didn't listen to organ things before listen now," he says. "I'm playing jobs that ordinarily I wouldn't play."

McGriff had used a Hammond B-3 organ at the onset of his career but in recent years has been playing a modified model known as a Hammond XB-3. "The one I got is special 'cause it's built for me," he says. "I can separate the top manual against the bottom manual. I get strings on it, and I get a different kind of bass."

With McGriff Avenue, Jimmy McGriff serves up another satisfying set of the type of blues, swing, funk, and gospel-derived sounds for which he's known and loved. It's music from the soul that, as always, feels mighty good.https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/jimmy-mcgriff

Greatest Organ Hits

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Capp-Pierce Orchestra - Juggernaut Strikes Again

Styles: Big Band, Vocal
Year: 1982
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:36
Size: 96,9 MB
Art: Front

(5:47) 1. Little Pony
(4:19) 2. One For Marshal
(4:22) 3. I Remember Clifford
(3:36) 4. New York Shuffle
(4:42) 5. Chops, Fingers And Sticks
(3:06) 6. You Are So Beautiful
(6:24) 7. Parker's Mood / Word From Bird
(4:20) 8. Charade
(4:56) 9. Things Ain't What They Used To Be

The 1981 edition of the Frank Capp/Nat Pierce Juggernaut sticks to its vision of being Count Basie soundalike big band. The repertoire is a bit farther reaching than on its previous releases including Pierce's "One for Marshal" (featuring altoist Marshall Royal), "I Remember Clifford," Buck Clayton's then-recent "Chops, Fingers and Sticks" and a medley of Charlie Parker tunes. among the key soloists are Royal, pianist Pierce, tenors Pete Christlieb and Bob Cooper, trombonist Buster Cooper and flugelhornist Al Aarons. Ernie Andrews helps out with two vocals. A typically swinging Juggernaut album; all are recommended.~Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/juggernaut-strikes-again-mw

Personnel: Vocals – Ernie Andrews; Alto Saxophone – Jackie Kelso, Joe Roccisano, Marshal Royal; Baritone Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Bill Green; Bass – Bob Maize; Drums – Frankie Capp; Guitar – Ray Pohlman; Piano – Nat Pierce; Tenor Saxophone – Bob Cooper, Bob Efford, Pete Christlieb; Trombone – Alan Kaplan, Buster Cooper, George Bohanon, Mel Wanzo; Trumpet – Al Aarons, Bill Berry, Frank Szabo, Johnny Audino, Snooky Young, Warren Luening

Juggernaut Strikes Again

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