AHMAD JAMAL TRIO – The Classic 1958-1962 Recordings
Jazz Dynamics 006
Ahmad Jamal (p); Israel Crosby (b); Vernal Fournier (d)
Recorded –
CD One, 1-19: Live at the Pershing Lounge, Chicago January 16-17, 1958 & 20-22 June 30, 1958
CD Two & CD Three, 1-5: Live at the Spotlight Club, Washington, September, 1958
CD Three, 6-15 Chicago, January 20-21, 1960
CD Three, 16-20 & CD Four, 1-13: Live at Ahmad Jamal’s Alhambra, Chicago, ca. June 22 , 1961
CD Five, 1-10: Live at the Blackhawk, San Francisco, January 31 & February 1, 1962
Bonus Tracks: Ahmad Jamal (p) with
CD Four, 14 & CD Five, 11-12: Ray Crawford (g); Israel Crosby (b), New York, October 19, 1955
CD Five, 13-14: As above, Chicago May 23, 1955
CD Five 15-18: As above except Eddie Calhoun (b) replaces Crosby, Chicago, May 5, 1952
This is a valuable reissue and indeed reminder of what fine trio Ahmad Jamal led at this time, and encompasses as it does some of the pianist’s
most highly regarded albums bringing together seven of his LPs recorded for the Argo imprint.
What makes this such an enlightening an enjoyable set is the continuity of personnel showing how the trio with Crosby and Fournier developed
as a unit over a period of time which was interrupted by Crosby’s untimely death, at the age of 43.
In this well presented 5 disc set we have 82 tracks that all contain some wonderful playing from the pianist, and an informative booklet that
has the artwork and liner notes from the originally LP releases faithfully reproduced.
The sets recorded at the Pershing Lounge have long been acknowledged as some of Jamal’s best playing of the time and the passing of the
years does nothing to diminish the impact of the music. Never one to shout or make any unnecessary noise, Jamal simply picked his repertoire of some of the superior songs of the day, and recast them in a lightly swinging manner that could not fail to get the foot tapping, originally released as But Not For Me & Live At The Pershing Volume Two. On an equal par with these are the At The Blackhawk set that again another ten superb live performances.
With the benefit of hindsight, one is even more clearly able to hear the influence that Jamal had on the music of Miles Davis. As Ian Carr is
quick to point in his definitive biography of the trumpeter, it was not long after Jamal recorded a tune that it would appear in the Davis band book, with Miles keeping tunes such as ‘Surrey With the Fringe On Top’, ‘But Not For Me’ and ‘All Of You’ as staples in his live performances for many years. It can also be said that the same criticism levelled at Ahmad Jamal of being nothing but a very good cocktail pianist was also directed at Davis’ piano player of the time, Red Garland. Davis even had Garland playing the tune ‘Billy Boy’ with pretty much the same arrangement as Jamal on his classic Milestones album.
If there is any flaws to be found with this most complete of collections from this period in Jamal’s career, then it is with the sound quality of Disc Two and the first five tracks on Disc Three presenting live material from the Spotlight Club in Washington. On these selections the piano is
poorly captured and overshadowed the sound the double bass.
Having said that, this is a minor reservation when compared to the package as a whole, and I still have no qualms about recommending this
hugely enjoyable and historically enlightening box set.
Reviewed by Nick Lea
Ahmad Jamal (p); Israel Crosby (b); Vernal Fournier (d)
Recorded –
CD One, 1-19: Live at the Pershing Lounge, Chicago January 16-17, 1958 & 20-22 June 30, 1958
CD Two & CD Three, 1-5: Live at the Spotlight Club, Washington, September, 1958
CD Three, 6-15 Chicago, January 20-21, 1960
CD Three, 16-20 & CD Four, 1-13: Live at Ahmad Jamal’s Alhambra, Chicago, ca. June 22 , 1961
CD Five, 1-10: Live at the Blackhawk, San Francisco, January 31 & February 1, 1962
Bonus Tracks: Ahmad Jamal (p) with
CD Four, 14 & CD Five, 11-12: Ray Crawford (g); Israel Crosby (b), New York, October 19, 1955
CD Five, 13-14: As above, Chicago May 23, 1955
CD Five 15-18: As above except Eddie Calhoun (b) replaces Crosby, Chicago, May 5, 1952
This is a valuable reissue and indeed reminder of what fine trio Ahmad Jamal led at this time, and encompasses as it does some of the pianist’s
most highly regarded albums bringing together seven of his LPs recorded for the Argo imprint.
What makes this such an enlightening an enjoyable set is the continuity of personnel showing how the trio with Crosby and Fournier developed
as a unit over a period of time which was interrupted by Crosby’s untimely death, at the age of 43.
In this well presented 5 disc set we have 82 tracks that all contain some wonderful playing from the pianist, and an informative booklet that
has the artwork and liner notes from the originally LP releases faithfully reproduced.
The sets recorded at the Pershing Lounge have long been acknowledged as some of Jamal’s best playing of the time and the passing of the
years does nothing to diminish the impact of the music. Never one to shout or make any unnecessary noise, Jamal simply picked his repertoire of some of the superior songs of the day, and recast them in a lightly swinging manner that could not fail to get the foot tapping, originally released as But Not For Me & Live At The Pershing Volume Two. On an equal par with these are the At The Blackhawk set that again another ten superb live performances.
With the benefit of hindsight, one is even more clearly able to hear the influence that Jamal had on the music of Miles Davis. As Ian Carr is
quick to point in his definitive biography of the trumpeter, it was not long after Jamal recorded a tune that it would appear in the Davis band book, with Miles keeping tunes such as ‘Surrey With the Fringe On Top’, ‘But Not For Me’ and ‘All Of You’ as staples in his live performances for many years. It can also be said that the same criticism levelled at Ahmad Jamal of being nothing but a very good cocktail pianist was also directed at Davis’ piano player of the time, Red Garland. Davis even had Garland playing the tune ‘Billy Boy’ with pretty much the same arrangement as Jamal on his classic Milestones album.
If there is any flaws to be found with this most complete of collections from this period in Jamal’s career, then it is with the sound quality of Disc Two and the first five tracks on Disc Three presenting live material from the Spotlight Club in Washington. On these selections the piano is
poorly captured and overshadowed the sound the double bass.
Having said that, this is a minor reservation when compared to the package as a whole, and I still have no qualms about recommending this
hugely enjoyable and historically enlightening box set.
Reviewed by Nick Lea
BLAZING FLAME – Play High Mountain Top
Leo Records CD LR 687
Steve Day (v); Julie Tippetts (v, perc); Bill Bartlett (elec-p); Keith Tippett (p); Aaron Standon (as, ss); Dave Perry (ts, bcl); Peter Evans (elec vln); Fiona Harvey (b, v on Track 12); Anton Henley (d)
Recorded 20 July, 2013
This is an ambitious project from Blazing Flame, and would we really expect anything less from the prolific and consistently enterprising Leo Records, that startles and delights in equal measures.
Play High Mountain Top takes the words/lyrics of Steve Day, and sets them to music from the Blazing
Flame collective. Whilst it is therefore obvious that the words are a predetermined factor it remains less apparent how much of the music may have some written parts or pre-arranged cues, or be wholly improvised, and too much of an analytical approach would only serve to dilute the impact of this unique aggregation.
It is always something special when husband and wife, Keith Tippett and Julie Tippetts perform together, and this is no exception. In this instance, their respective roles rely less on the interaction between the couple, but more how Julie responds to the tenor voice of Steve Day and similarly how Tippett manages to blend the acoustic piano with the electric counterpart played by Bill Bartlett. In this respect the pairing is entirely satisfying with the tonalities of the two keyboards producing a pleasing sound and with the pianists staying out of each other’s way, thus avoiding any possible clashes. In fact, Keith’s playing is an inspiration throughout, whether working in partnership with Bartlett or heard adding his accompaniment and commentary to the ensemble. The depth of his playing is no more clearly felt than on the exceptional ‘There Was A Spark In The Heart Of Joan Of Arc’ in which he is heard with just electric violin and voice, before being joined by other members of the ensemble.
This doubling up continues with the pairing of saxophonists, Anton Standon and Dave Perry with the sound of alto and tenor bouncing lines off
each other in most satisfying dialogues, supporting each other and the narrative of the words most ably. Perry in particular stands out for his contributions on bass clarinet. The instrument has such an expressive capability and an ability to bring an added depth to the contexts in which it is deployed, as can be readily heard on the superb ‘My English State of Mind’, and the closing ‘Lament TV’.
In a well programmed set, ‘Zoltan Shakes The Dice’ has a tumultuous rhythmic emphasis and shakes up everything and everyone else in its
all too brief appearance, before Day and Tippetts bring this down to a more sedate pace in their duologue on the title track.
Reviewed by Nick Lea
Steve Day (v); Julie Tippetts (v, perc); Bill Bartlett (elec-p); Keith Tippett (p); Aaron Standon (as, ss); Dave Perry (ts, bcl); Peter Evans (elec vln); Fiona Harvey (b, v on Track 12); Anton Henley (d)
Recorded 20 July, 2013
This is an ambitious project from Blazing Flame, and would we really expect anything less from the prolific and consistently enterprising Leo Records, that startles and delights in equal measures.
Play High Mountain Top takes the words/lyrics of Steve Day, and sets them to music from the Blazing
Flame collective. Whilst it is therefore obvious that the words are a predetermined factor it remains less apparent how much of the music may have some written parts or pre-arranged cues, or be wholly improvised, and too much of an analytical approach would only serve to dilute the impact of this unique aggregation.
It is always something special when husband and wife, Keith Tippett and Julie Tippetts perform together, and this is no exception. In this instance, their respective roles rely less on the interaction between the couple, but more how Julie responds to the tenor voice of Steve Day and similarly how Tippett manages to blend the acoustic piano with the electric counterpart played by Bill Bartlett. In this respect the pairing is entirely satisfying with the tonalities of the two keyboards producing a pleasing sound and with the pianists staying out of each other’s way, thus avoiding any possible clashes. In fact, Keith’s playing is an inspiration throughout, whether working in partnership with Bartlett or heard adding his accompaniment and commentary to the ensemble. The depth of his playing is no more clearly felt than on the exceptional ‘There Was A Spark In The Heart Of Joan Of Arc’ in which he is heard with just electric violin and voice, before being joined by other members of the ensemble.
This doubling up continues with the pairing of saxophonists, Anton Standon and Dave Perry with the sound of alto and tenor bouncing lines off
each other in most satisfying dialogues, supporting each other and the narrative of the words most ably. Perry in particular stands out for his contributions on bass clarinet. The instrument has such an expressive capability and an ability to bring an added depth to the contexts in which it is deployed, as can be readily heard on the superb ‘My English State of Mind’, and the closing ‘Lament TV’.
In a well programmed set, ‘Zoltan Shakes The Dice’ has a tumultuous rhythmic emphasis and shakes up everything and everyone else in its
all too brief appearance, before Day and Tippetts bring this down to a more sedate pace in their duologue on the title track.
Reviewed by Nick Lea
CHARLES MINGUS – Oh Yeah
Essential Jazz Classics EJC55621
Charles Mingus (p, voc, ldr); Rahsaan Roland Kirk (ts, fl, siren, manzello, stritch); Booker Ervin (ts);
Jimmy Knepper (tb); Doug Watkins (b); Dannie Richmond (d)
Recorded New York, 6 November 1961
Yusef Lateef replaces Ervin (ts) on Track 11
Recorded live in New York, 21 October 1961
Recorded during an important and remarkably creative point in Mingus’ career, this is an album that is often overlooked and overshadowed by classic recordings by the bassist/composer such as Blues
& Roots, Ah Um and The Black Saint & The Sinner Lady. However, as with all of Mingus’ output it
absolutely of the moment and full of vitality.
If Mingus’ love of secular and gospel music, along of course with the blues, is regarded as his most important influences in creating and
composing such powerful and unique music then it is never so prominently displayed that on this silver disc. Often referred to as his wildest recording, Oh Yeah captures not just the music, but also the untamed almost uncontrollable side of Charles Mingus.
Although their association was short lived, in many ways Rahsaan Roland Kirk was the ideal saxophonist for Mingus. On the opening ‘Hog Callin’
Blues’ Kirk takes all the saxophone solos and unleashes a ferocity and rawness in his tone that harks back beyond jazz, beyond blues to the earliest field hollers; an earthy and earth shattering display that is worth the price of admission alone, whilst his manzello solo on ‘Eat That Chicken’ is steeped in the history of the music.
By contrast, ‘Wham Bam Thank You Ma’am’ comes across as most conventional, although Kirk is still smoking on his solo, again heard on the
soprano-like manzello, and his famous multi-instrumental playing on three saxophones simultaneously is clearly audible on ‘”Old” Blues For Walt’s Thorn’, one of three bonus tracks that did not make the original LP release. Other bonus material from the original session includes a beautiful reading of ‘Peggy’s Blue Skylight’.
Interestingly the album features the bass playing of Doug Watkins who is totally un-fazed by taking over rhythmic duties from Mingus, thus leaving the leader free to play piano and generally incite excitement and encouragement with his singing and hollers.
If, even after the passing of time and a review of Mingus’ influence on the jazz of his time, this particular album is never to be viewed with the same reverence as those previously mentioned, then hearing his piano playing and direction of the band from a different perspective and focal point this still remains a unique an exuberant musical statement, that retains its validity some fifty years after it first release and deserves to be
heard.
Reviewed by Nick Lea
Charles Mingus (p, voc, ldr); Rahsaan Roland Kirk (ts, fl, siren, manzello, stritch); Booker Ervin (ts);
Jimmy Knepper (tb); Doug Watkins (b); Dannie Richmond (d)
Recorded New York, 6 November 1961
Yusef Lateef replaces Ervin (ts) on Track 11
Recorded live in New York, 21 October 1961
Recorded during an important and remarkably creative point in Mingus’ career, this is an album that is often overlooked and overshadowed by classic recordings by the bassist/composer such as Blues
& Roots, Ah Um and The Black Saint & The Sinner Lady. However, as with all of Mingus’ output it
absolutely of the moment and full of vitality.
If Mingus’ love of secular and gospel music, along of course with the blues, is regarded as his most important influences in creating and
composing such powerful and unique music then it is never so prominently displayed that on this silver disc. Often referred to as his wildest recording, Oh Yeah captures not just the music, but also the untamed almost uncontrollable side of Charles Mingus.
Although their association was short lived, in many ways Rahsaan Roland Kirk was the ideal saxophonist for Mingus. On the opening ‘Hog Callin’
Blues’ Kirk takes all the saxophone solos and unleashes a ferocity and rawness in his tone that harks back beyond jazz, beyond blues to the earliest field hollers; an earthy and earth shattering display that is worth the price of admission alone, whilst his manzello solo on ‘Eat That Chicken’ is steeped in the history of the music.
By contrast, ‘Wham Bam Thank You Ma’am’ comes across as most conventional, although Kirk is still smoking on his solo, again heard on the
soprano-like manzello, and his famous multi-instrumental playing on three saxophones simultaneously is clearly audible on ‘”Old” Blues For Walt’s Thorn’, one of three bonus tracks that did not make the original LP release. Other bonus material from the original session includes a beautiful reading of ‘Peggy’s Blue Skylight’.
Interestingly the album features the bass playing of Doug Watkins who is totally un-fazed by taking over rhythmic duties from Mingus, thus leaving the leader free to play piano and generally incite excitement and encouragement with his singing and hollers.
If, even after the passing of time and a review of Mingus’ influence on the jazz of his time, this particular album is never to be viewed with the same reverence as those previously mentioned, then hearing his piano playing and direction of the band from a different perspective and focal point this still remains a unique an exuberant musical statement, that retains its validity some fifty years after it first release and deserves to be
heard.
Reviewed by Nick Lea
BLUE MITCHELL& ORCHESTRA - Smooth As The Wind/ A Sure Thing
Fresh Sound FSR CD 790
Blue Mitchell, Clark Terry, Bernie Glow, Burt Collins (trumpet); Britt Woodman, Julian Priester, Urbie Green, Jimmy Cleveland (trombone); Willie Ruff ( French horn) Tommy Flanagan, Wynton Kelly
(piano); Julius Watkins (French horn); Pat Patrick, Pepper Adams (baritone sax);Jerome Richardson (alto sax, flute); Jimmy Heath (tenor sax); Tommy Williams, Sam Jones (bass);Al Heath, Charlie Persip, Philly Joe Jones (drums) Benny Golson, Tadd Dameron (arrangers)
Recorded NYC December 27 1960, March 29 & 30 1961& March 7, 8 & 28 1962.
Blue was already established as a top trumpet soloist with Horace silver’s quintet when Riverside attempted to give him a change of pace and setting. They provided string and brass orchestras
and, on 7 of the first ten tracks, highly serviceable arrangements by Tadd Dameron, that most underrated of the top modern jazz writers. Always a melodist, Blue gives his own very personal accounts of standards like But Beautiful, The Nearness Of You and Best Things In Life Are Free. His brassy, warm sound shines out on these and compositions by current, at the time, boss, Silver and Wes Montgomery. Other arrangements by Benny Golson and Jimmy Heath are very good but lack the special sound that Dameron always conjured up. The Dameron penned tracks also benefit from having Philly Joe Jones at the drums. He gives an extra lift and blazing swing to all the pieces he plays on.
Although these tracks sometimes sound like the old ‘with strings’ sessions that all top soloists of the time used to get involved in, there is more variety, particularly on the A Sure Thing session where Jimmy Heath has several biting solos and baritone man Pepper Adams has a brisk workout. Smooth as the Wind and A Sure Thing were originally issued as two separate LPs and the full contents of both are on this single Fresh Sound CD. Hootie Blues has one of Blue’s best and most lyrical solo outings and there is a strong contribution from pianist Wynton Kelly. The final selection here is Why Do I Love You and comes from a third session, The Cup Bearers, which featured the current Horace Silver band with Cedar Walton on piano in place of the leader.
Reviewed by Derek Ansell
Blue Mitchell, Clark Terry, Bernie Glow, Burt Collins (trumpet); Britt Woodman, Julian Priester, Urbie Green, Jimmy Cleveland (trombone); Willie Ruff ( French horn) Tommy Flanagan, Wynton Kelly
(piano); Julius Watkins (French horn); Pat Patrick, Pepper Adams (baritone sax);Jerome Richardson (alto sax, flute); Jimmy Heath (tenor sax); Tommy Williams, Sam Jones (bass);Al Heath, Charlie Persip, Philly Joe Jones (drums) Benny Golson, Tadd Dameron (arrangers)
Recorded NYC December 27 1960, March 29 & 30 1961& March 7, 8 & 28 1962.
Blue was already established as a top trumpet soloist with Horace silver’s quintet when Riverside attempted to give him a change of pace and setting. They provided string and brass orchestras
and, on 7 of the first ten tracks, highly serviceable arrangements by Tadd Dameron, that most underrated of the top modern jazz writers. Always a melodist, Blue gives his own very personal accounts of standards like But Beautiful, The Nearness Of You and Best Things In Life Are Free. His brassy, warm sound shines out on these and compositions by current, at the time, boss, Silver and Wes Montgomery. Other arrangements by Benny Golson and Jimmy Heath are very good but lack the special sound that Dameron always conjured up. The Dameron penned tracks also benefit from having Philly Joe Jones at the drums. He gives an extra lift and blazing swing to all the pieces he plays on.
Although these tracks sometimes sound like the old ‘with strings’ sessions that all top soloists of the time used to get involved in, there is more variety, particularly on the A Sure Thing session where Jimmy Heath has several biting solos and baritone man Pepper Adams has a brisk workout. Smooth as the Wind and A Sure Thing were originally issued as two separate LPs and the full contents of both are on this single Fresh Sound CD. Hootie Blues has one of Blue’s best and most lyrical solo outings and there is a strong contribution from pianist Wynton Kelly. The final selection here is Why Do I Love You and comes from a third session, The Cup Bearers, which featured the current Horace Silver band with Cedar Walton on piano in place of the leader.
Reviewed by Derek Ansell
ANTONIO BERTONI – ½ H(our) Drama
Leo Records CD LR 685
Antonio Bertoni (double bass)
Recorded 11 June, 2013
In the liner notes to this intriguing release, label boss Leo Feigin says that “This is one of the most original, courageous and spectacular projects I have ever produced.” Quite a statement coming from a man whose label is constantly producing music that is challenging, and will often defy convention thus rendering any attempt to type cast or pin any sort of label on what has been heard.
Solo bass performances are not unusual with notable recordings readily available by Dave Holland, Barre Phillips and Eberhard Weber to name but three, but what makes this recording standout is the pure relentless sound and attack and intensity of the thirty six minute outpouring from Bertoni.
Played arco from start to finish, the obvious rhythmic and propulsive devices are immediately eschewed, and instead the bassist offers a
textural tonal palette that looks to explore the relationship with the bow and strings in a staggeringly complex display.
My first impression when hearing the first notes that emanated from Bertoni’s instrument was the vernacular used by Evan Parker in his solo
soprano recitals, with the bow producing a barrage of multi noted and dense lines that followed no linear path but instead are carried by their own forward momentum and internal developmental logic. It is as if the lines almost feed off each other and at times double back and
re-examine what has been played, and then perhaps regroup and move off at a different tangent.
This is music that relies very much on the speed of thought of the improviser and transmitting this through the instrument producing a thick
and fast paced environment. This is not for the feint hearted and if it a rhythmical groove you are seeking then you will not find it here. What you will discover is music that continues to search the sonic possibilities of the bass and challenging the listener’s perception in the process.
Reviewed by Nick Lea
Antonio Bertoni (double bass)
Recorded 11 June, 2013
In the liner notes to this intriguing release, label boss Leo Feigin says that “This is one of the most original, courageous and spectacular projects I have ever produced.” Quite a statement coming from a man whose label is constantly producing music that is challenging, and will often defy convention thus rendering any attempt to type cast or pin any sort of label on what has been heard.
Solo bass performances are not unusual with notable recordings readily available by Dave Holland, Barre Phillips and Eberhard Weber to name but three, but what makes this recording standout is the pure relentless sound and attack and intensity of the thirty six minute outpouring from Bertoni.
Played arco from start to finish, the obvious rhythmic and propulsive devices are immediately eschewed, and instead the bassist offers a
textural tonal palette that looks to explore the relationship with the bow and strings in a staggeringly complex display.
My first impression when hearing the first notes that emanated from Bertoni’s instrument was the vernacular used by Evan Parker in his solo
soprano recitals, with the bow producing a barrage of multi noted and dense lines that followed no linear path but instead are carried by their own forward momentum and internal developmental logic. It is as if the lines almost feed off each other and at times double back and
re-examine what has been played, and then perhaps regroup and move off at a different tangent.
This is music that relies very much on the speed of thought of the improviser and transmitting this through the instrument producing a thick
and fast paced environment. This is not for the feint hearted and if it a rhythmical groove you are seeking then you will not find it here. What you will discover is music that continues to search the sonic possibilities of the bass and challenging the listener’s perception in the process.
Reviewed by Nick Lea
BROTHER JACK McDUFF QUARTET - With Grant Green
Groove Hut 66717
Brother Jack McDuff (organ); Grant Green (guitar); Harold Vick, Jimmy Forrest (tenor sax); Joe Dukes, Ben Dixon (d)
Recorded New Jersey July 14 & February 3 1961
This release is made up from two Prestige LPs first issued in 1961. The organ, guitar and rhythm combo was at the height of its popularity in the late 1950s and early ‘60s thanks mainly to the
success of Jimmy Smith’s recordings with Blue Note. McDuff was one of the better exponents of organ and rhythm jazz, as he demonstrates forcibly here, swinging away like a good ‘un. Green, new
on the scene at the time, fitted in very well and offers some telling solo work to the proceedings. This music swings at all times and it is probably due to the fact that McDuff used his foot pedals to provide his own bass line rather than putting a bass player next to him. Doing it all himself made for an integrated, swinging sound that was always on the ball.
On the first six tracks the quartet features Harold Vick, a hard toned tenor, influenced by the current Coltrane sound of the day although his lines were much more basic. All the music here consists of blues or blues variations, straight ahead and not over inventive but effective and toe tapping enough in the hands of these musicians. McDuff gets a very full sound on the B3 organ, cranking up the wheezing, buzzing frequencies
and making everything move along purposefully.
On the 7 to 12 tracks we hear Jimmy Forrest, a more sensitive and imaginative soloist and he helps to make these selections a shade better than the first six. Both Dukes and Dixon are more than competent drummers who ensure a steady, if unsophisticated swing at all times. Highlight of the disc is a lyrical reading of I Want A Little Girl where McDuff tones down the decibels and coaxes some melodic lines out of his cumbersome instrument. Forrest is on form too and the drums prod everybody along. Green also has one of his best solos and, in general, his lines lift this set from an otherwise run of the mill, low down and dirty blues exercise.
Reviewed by Derek Ansell
Brother Jack McDuff (organ); Grant Green (guitar); Harold Vick, Jimmy Forrest (tenor sax); Joe Dukes, Ben Dixon (d)
Recorded New Jersey July 14 & February 3 1961
This release is made up from two Prestige LPs first issued in 1961. The organ, guitar and rhythm combo was at the height of its popularity in the late 1950s and early ‘60s thanks mainly to the
success of Jimmy Smith’s recordings with Blue Note. McDuff was one of the better exponents of organ and rhythm jazz, as he demonstrates forcibly here, swinging away like a good ‘un. Green, new
on the scene at the time, fitted in very well and offers some telling solo work to the proceedings. This music swings at all times and it is probably due to the fact that McDuff used his foot pedals to provide his own bass line rather than putting a bass player next to him. Doing it all himself made for an integrated, swinging sound that was always on the ball.
On the first six tracks the quartet features Harold Vick, a hard toned tenor, influenced by the current Coltrane sound of the day although his lines were much more basic. All the music here consists of blues or blues variations, straight ahead and not over inventive but effective and toe tapping enough in the hands of these musicians. McDuff gets a very full sound on the B3 organ, cranking up the wheezing, buzzing frequencies
and making everything move along purposefully.
On the 7 to 12 tracks we hear Jimmy Forrest, a more sensitive and imaginative soloist and he helps to make these selections a shade better than the first six. Both Dukes and Dixon are more than competent drummers who ensure a steady, if unsophisticated swing at all times. Highlight of the disc is a lyrical reading of I Want A Little Girl where McDuff tones down the decibels and coaxes some melodic lines out of his cumbersome instrument. Forrest is on form too and the drums prod everybody along. Green also has one of his best solos and, in general, his lines lift this set from an otherwise run of the mill, low down and dirty blues exercise.
Reviewed by Derek Ansell
GENE AMMONS& SONNY STITT – Boss Tenors In Orbit/Soul Summit
Fresh Sounds Records FSR-CD 788
Boss Tenors:
Gene Ammons, tenor saxophone; Sonny Stitt, tenor and alto saxophones; Donald Patterson, organ; Paul Weeden, Guitar; William James, drums
Soul Summit:
Gene Ammons, tenor saxophone; Sonny Stitt, tenor and alto saxophones; Jack McDuff, organ; Charlie Persip, drums
Recorded New York City, 1962
‘Battles’ between two tenor saxes were commonplace in the 50s and 60s, but these recordings come from the reeds of co-leaders of their bands. They had a mutual respect for each other’s styles of attack on their instruments and on their music, Sonny driving forward, be-bop oriented, while Gene leaned further back into soul. The latter had huge power in his playing, not matched by many saxophonists, but the swiftness of Sonny’s inspiration and implementation of his ideas nicely balanced Gene’s lust and his skill at building a solo.
Sonny Stitt was of course a passionate devotee of Charlie Parker and his alto playing often sounded like Parker, note for note as it were, until he moved essentially to tenor, when he took in Lester Young as well! Eventually, he in turn began to influence John Coltrane. Gene Ammons also displays some of Parker’s be-bop dialect and the practice of chord substitution, but he didn’t stray too far from the marketable blues and R&B
with which he was more familiar.
The sound of the two tenors is terrific. They swop notes and themes to and fro with considerable facility and there is never a hint of winning or losing territory. Riffs from both organists seem to lead the saxes towards each other and help them to meld and the rhythm sections are solid throughout. Both sets are full of energy and ambition and are inspirational in their marvellously elegant, pulsing imagination, truly solidly swinging jazz.
Reviewed by Ken Cheetham
Boss Tenors:
Gene Ammons, tenor saxophone; Sonny Stitt, tenor and alto saxophones; Donald Patterson, organ; Paul Weeden, Guitar; William James, drums
Soul Summit:
Gene Ammons, tenor saxophone; Sonny Stitt, tenor and alto saxophones; Jack McDuff, organ; Charlie Persip, drums
Recorded New York City, 1962
‘Battles’ between two tenor saxes were commonplace in the 50s and 60s, but these recordings come from the reeds of co-leaders of their bands. They had a mutual respect for each other’s styles of attack on their instruments and on their music, Sonny driving forward, be-bop oriented, while Gene leaned further back into soul. The latter had huge power in his playing, not matched by many saxophonists, but the swiftness of Sonny’s inspiration and implementation of his ideas nicely balanced Gene’s lust and his skill at building a solo.
Sonny Stitt was of course a passionate devotee of Charlie Parker and his alto playing often sounded like Parker, note for note as it were, until he moved essentially to tenor, when he took in Lester Young as well! Eventually, he in turn began to influence John Coltrane. Gene Ammons also displays some of Parker’s be-bop dialect and the practice of chord substitution, but he didn’t stray too far from the marketable blues and R&B
with which he was more familiar.
The sound of the two tenors is terrific. They swop notes and themes to and fro with considerable facility and there is never a hint of winning or losing territory. Riffs from both organists seem to lead the saxes towards each other and help them to meld and the rhythm sections are solid throughout. Both sets are full of energy and ambition and are inspirational in their marvellously elegant, pulsing imagination, truly solidly swinging jazz.
Reviewed by Ken Cheetham
BLUE TOUCH PAPER – Drawing Breath
Provocateur Records PVC1043
Colin Towns (keys); Chris Montague (g); Edward MacLean (b); Benny Greb (d); Stephan Maass (perc,
electronics); Mark Lockheart (ts, ss)
Recorded 2012/2013
Previous encounters with Colin Towns were with his excellent Mask Orchestra and Quintet featuring trumpeter Guy Barker. Continuing with his writing for small ensemble with his latest band, Blue Touch Paper, Towns’ background in writing for films and TV comes through in the episodic nature of the music. Each piece telling its own story as is beautifully detailed and developed in ‘Isadora’. The band are very tight and controlled, despite some tricky and complex arrangements complete with shifts in tempo and mood, and yet are still able to find enough room to make telling solo contributions.
Titles are therefore aptly descriptive as opposed to merely being points of reference or a means of simply identifying the compositions. As a by product of this, events move quickly from the contemplative ‘Heaven’ that is followed by ‘Suddenly A Tango’ in which guitarist Chris Montague solos with invention and authority. Montague also impresses with his eerie and alarmingly dramatic contribution to ‘Neon Shadows’ combining with Mark Lockheart’s bitter sweet soprano.
I have long been a fan of saxophonist Lockheart, who has now moved on from emerging talent to seasoned veteran. With an iron-clad yet
pliable tone on tenor, his playing is flawless in the ensemble passages or as a soloist as demonstrated to fine effect on ‘Watch Out’.
Throughout this fine album, themes are packed full of details that reveal themselves more and more with each hearing. As a unit the band truly function as one breathing life into some invigorating small group compositions. Whether this music has a life outside of the studio remains to
seen, but in the meantime this album will do nicely.
Reviewed by Nick Lea
Colin Towns (keys); Chris Montague (g); Edward MacLean (b); Benny Greb (d); Stephan Maass (perc,
electronics); Mark Lockheart (ts, ss)
Recorded 2012/2013
Previous encounters with Colin Towns were with his excellent Mask Orchestra and Quintet featuring trumpeter Guy Barker. Continuing with his writing for small ensemble with his latest band, Blue Touch Paper, Towns’ background in writing for films and TV comes through in the episodic nature of the music. Each piece telling its own story as is beautifully detailed and developed in ‘Isadora’. The band are very tight and controlled, despite some tricky and complex arrangements complete with shifts in tempo and mood, and yet are still able to find enough room to make telling solo contributions.
Titles are therefore aptly descriptive as opposed to merely being points of reference or a means of simply identifying the compositions. As a by product of this, events move quickly from the contemplative ‘Heaven’ that is followed by ‘Suddenly A Tango’ in which guitarist Chris Montague solos with invention and authority. Montague also impresses with his eerie and alarmingly dramatic contribution to ‘Neon Shadows’ combining with Mark Lockheart’s bitter sweet soprano.
I have long been a fan of saxophonist Lockheart, who has now moved on from emerging talent to seasoned veteran. With an iron-clad yet
pliable tone on tenor, his playing is flawless in the ensemble passages or as a soloist as demonstrated to fine effect on ‘Watch Out’.
Throughout this fine album, themes are packed full of details that reveal themselves more and more with each hearing. As a unit the band truly function as one breathing life into some invigorating small group compositions. Whether this music has a life outside of the studio remains to
seen, but in the meantime this album will do nicely.
Reviewed by Nick Lea
RAY CHARLES - Ray Charles & Betty Carter/Dedicated To You
Essential Jazz Classics EJC55622
Tracks 1 to 12
Orchestram arranged and conducted by Marty Paich
Recorded Los Angeles 14 June 1961
Tracks 13 to9 24
Orchestra arranged and conducted by Marty Paich
Recorded Los Angeles 24 August 1960
This is a welcome re-issue of two of Ray Charles’ best recordings on one CD. The first finds him teamed with Betty Carter in a much more straight ahead mode than we normally expect to find her.
The song selection is from the best of the Great American Songbook including two novelty items “Baby, it’s Cold Outside” and “Takes Two to Tango” . On half of the tracks there is a vocal group and strings but they do not detract too much from the quality of the vocals. The remaining tracks have much more of a swinging feel and with arrangements by Marty Paich this has got to be a plus.
The tracks from the album “Dedicated to You” all contain girls names and opens with a nice slow burner “Hard Hearted Hannah” with the band giving great support. There is a nice balance between swingers and ballads. “Ruby” was something of a hit for Charles in the past and the impact has not diminished with age. Although there is no space for solo spots from the band there are some good glimpses of the Ray Charles piano contributions. The tracks without a string section have a more obvious appeal to the jazz market but Charles has a pleasant voice and pays due regard to the lyrics of the ballads.
This release should be well received by Ray Charles fans but the quality of the material may well appeal to a wider audience. I would consider it a worthy addition to anybody’s library with an ear for good quality vocal music.
Reviewed by Roy Booth
Tracks 1 to 12
Orchestram arranged and conducted by Marty Paich
Recorded Los Angeles 14 June 1961
Tracks 13 to9 24
Orchestra arranged and conducted by Marty Paich
Recorded Los Angeles 24 August 1960
This is a welcome re-issue of two of Ray Charles’ best recordings on one CD. The first finds him teamed with Betty Carter in a much more straight ahead mode than we normally expect to find her.
The song selection is from the best of the Great American Songbook including two novelty items “Baby, it’s Cold Outside” and “Takes Two to Tango” . On half of the tracks there is a vocal group and strings but they do not detract too much from the quality of the vocals. The remaining tracks have much more of a swinging feel and with arrangements by Marty Paich this has got to be a plus.
The tracks from the album “Dedicated to You” all contain girls names and opens with a nice slow burner “Hard Hearted Hannah” with the band giving great support. There is a nice balance between swingers and ballads. “Ruby” was something of a hit for Charles in the past and the impact has not diminished with age. Although there is no space for solo spots from the band there are some good glimpses of the Ray Charles piano contributions. The tracks without a string section have a more obvious appeal to the jazz market but Charles has a pleasant voice and pays due regard to the lyrics of the ballads.
This release should be well received by Ray Charles fans but the quality of the material may well appeal to a wider audience. I would consider it a worthy addition to anybody’s library with an ear for good quality vocal music.
Reviewed by Roy Booth
MEL TORME - Swingin’ on the Moon & Comin’ Home Baby!
Master Jazz Records 8892868
Tracks 1 to9 , 12
Orchestra arranged and conducted by Russelll Garcia
Recorded Los Angeles 3-5 August 1960
Tracks 14 to 23
With Shorty Rogers and his orchestra
Recorded Hollywood 11,13 & 16 July 1962
Tracks 13 & 24
Orchestra arranged and conducted by Claus Ogerman
Recorded New York 13 September 1962
“Swingin’ on the Moon” has been unavailable for some time unlike “Comin’ Home Baby” which has been in circulation for a while but includes two extra tracks “Comin’ Home Baby” and “You Belong to Me” which were not on the original release. both these albums come from Torme’s finest period before his work, which on occasions was marred by a tendency to vocal gymnastics.
As the title suggests “Swingin’ on the Moon” is a collection of songs with moon in the title which is not particularly original but is effective as a title to create a theme. The title track is a original by Mel Torme and is lifted by a short alto solo. “Moonlight Cocktail” is one of those catalogue songs which Torme does so well. One of the best tracks on this album is ”Moon Song” by Sam Coslow & Arthur Johnston and which has a Shearing Quintet style backing. Torme sings the little heard verse to “How High the Moon” and takes it a ballad tempo rather than the frantic tempo we are used to hearing. The arrangements by Russell Garcia are string laden on some numbers but there are enough swingers to
give variety and balance to the album. For anybody who enjoys the Great American Songbook sung with class and originality this is a first class
album.
“Comin’ Home Baby” is a completely different proposition. The two additional tracks arranged by Claus Ogerman would appear to be aimed at the singles market. The title track has a heavy beat with a backing vocal group and captures the sixties feel. “You Belong to me” is a cover version of the Jo Stafford hit.
The balance of the tracks, have arrangements by Shorty Rogers and with a stellar line-up of West Coast jazz musicians it’s got to be a swinger. Many of the songs started out as jazz instrumentals but have had lyrics added, such as “Hi-Fly”, "Moanin’” “Whisper Not” as examples.. For anybody who enjoyed the Mel Torme / Marty Paich recordings will appreciate this set of songs although I would have wished for a few more solos from the backing musicians.
A very worthwhile re-issue which I would recommend to any lover of good songs and immaculate singing.
Reviewed by Roy Booth
Tracks 1 to9 , 12
Orchestra arranged and conducted by Russelll Garcia
Recorded Los Angeles 3-5 August 1960
Tracks 14 to 23
With Shorty Rogers and his orchestra
Recorded Hollywood 11,13 & 16 July 1962
Tracks 13 & 24
Orchestra arranged and conducted by Claus Ogerman
Recorded New York 13 September 1962
“Swingin’ on the Moon” has been unavailable for some time unlike “Comin’ Home Baby” which has been in circulation for a while but includes two extra tracks “Comin’ Home Baby” and “You Belong to Me” which were not on the original release. both these albums come from Torme’s finest period before his work, which on occasions was marred by a tendency to vocal gymnastics.
As the title suggests “Swingin’ on the Moon” is a collection of songs with moon in the title which is not particularly original but is effective as a title to create a theme. The title track is a original by Mel Torme and is lifted by a short alto solo. “Moonlight Cocktail” is one of those catalogue songs which Torme does so well. One of the best tracks on this album is ”Moon Song” by Sam Coslow & Arthur Johnston and which has a Shearing Quintet style backing. Torme sings the little heard verse to “How High the Moon” and takes it a ballad tempo rather than the frantic tempo we are used to hearing. The arrangements by Russell Garcia are string laden on some numbers but there are enough swingers to
give variety and balance to the album. For anybody who enjoys the Great American Songbook sung with class and originality this is a first class
album.
“Comin’ Home Baby” is a completely different proposition. The two additional tracks arranged by Claus Ogerman would appear to be aimed at the singles market. The title track has a heavy beat with a backing vocal group and captures the sixties feel. “You Belong to me” is a cover version of the Jo Stafford hit.
The balance of the tracks, have arrangements by Shorty Rogers and with a stellar line-up of West Coast jazz musicians it’s got to be a swinger. Many of the songs started out as jazz instrumentals but have had lyrics added, such as “Hi-Fly”, "Moanin’” “Whisper Not” as examples.. For anybody who enjoyed the Mel Torme / Marty Paich recordings will appreciate this set of songs although I would have wished for a few more solos from the backing musicians.
A very worthwhile re-issue which I would recommend to any lover of good songs and immaculate singing.
Reviewed by Roy Booth
SHIRLEY HORN - At The Gaslight Square
Solar 4569941
Tracks 1 to 8
Shirley Horn ( pno / vocal ) John Mixon ( bass ) Gene Gammage ( drs )
Recorded St. Louis, August 1961
Tracks 9 to 20
Shirley Horn 9 vocals ) with the Jimmy Jones Orchestra
Recorded New York, September 1962
Tracks 21 to 23
Shirley Horn ( vocals / pno ) Stuff Smith ( violin ) Lewis Packer ( bass ) Harry Saunders ( drs )
Recorded Washington D.C., August 7 1959
This album is a mish mash of locations and recording dates but nevertheless contains some great music. The first eight tracks appear for the first time on CD and were recorded live at the Gaslight Square, St. Louis. This is early Shirley Horn
but is none the worse for that and finds Shirley in fine voice.
The following twelve tracks are a re-release of “Loads of Love” which was released on CD along with “Horn with Horns” and is accompanied by the Jimmy Jones Orchestra, for the most part they are well known standards with a few lesser known ones are in there.
The final three tracks have Stuff Smith on violin which makes things interesting. “A Foggy Day” is given a brisk workout with Struff Smith providing a lively solo. “I Loves you Porgy” by contrast is given a sensitive reading and to round off “Our Love Is Here To Stay” is taken at a nice easy tempo. These three tracks are an indication of how Miss Horn was sounding at her debut recording session, her later addiction to ultra slow tempos was not yet in evidence but it was evident that she was bound for a successful career.
The “Loads of Love” tracks have lightly swinging arrangements by Jimmy Jones and these were her first recordings for the Mercury label more likely aimed at a wider audience than the strictly jazz market. You can’t go far wrong with a rhythm section of Hank Jones ( pno ) Kenny Burrell ( gtr ) Milt Hinton ( bass ) and Osie Johnson ( drs ) and the rest of the band is full of star jazz players. All the tracks are worth a listen and “My Future Just Passed” is a standout performance.
The most interesting material is that recorded at Gaslight Square and never before released on CD, and this is the singer at her best with just a trio with herself on piano. ”Good for nothin’ Joe” is taken at a very slow tempo and is to be a feature of her later work. There is one track which is strictly instrumental “’Round Midnight” which demonstrates what a fine pianist Miss Horn is. There are a few off mike noises but this tends to add to the atmosphere.
This is an excellent release and should be snapped up by all lovers of art of the song.
Reviewed by Roy Booth
Tracks 1 to 8
Shirley Horn ( pno / vocal ) John Mixon ( bass ) Gene Gammage ( drs )
Recorded St. Louis, August 1961
Tracks 9 to 20
Shirley Horn 9 vocals ) with the Jimmy Jones Orchestra
Recorded New York, September 1962
Tracks 21 to 23
Shirley Horn ( vocals / pno ) Stuff Smith ( violin ) Lewis Packer ( bass ) Harry Saunders ( drs )
Recorded Washington D.C., August 7 1959
This album is a mish mash of locations and recording dates but nevertheless contains some great music. The first eight tracks appear for the first time on CD and were recorded live at the Gaslight Square, St. Louis. This is early Shirley Horn
but is none the worse for that and finds Shirley in fine voice.
The following twelve tracks are a re-release of “Loads of Love” which was released on CD along with “Horn with Horns” and is accompanied by the Jimmy Jones Orchestra, for the most part they are well known standards with a few lesser known ones are in there.
The final three tracks have Stuff Smith on violin which makes things interesting. “A Foggy Day” is given a brisk workout with Struff Smith providing a lively solo. “I Loves you Porgy” by contrast is given a sensitive reading and to round off “Our Love Is Here To Stay” is taken at a nice easy tempo. These three tracks are an indication of how Miss Horn was sounding at her debut recording session, her later addiction to ultra slow tempos was not yet in evidence but it was evident that she was bound for a successful career.
The “Loads of Love” tracks have lightly swinging arrangements by Jimmy Jones and these were her first recordings for the Mercury label more likely aimed at a wider audience than the strictly jazz market. You can’t go far wrong with a rhythm section of Hank Jones ( pno ) Kenny Burrell ( gtr ) Milt Hinton ( bass ) and Osie Johnson ( drs ) and the rest of the band is full of star jazz players. All the tracks are worth a listen and “My Future Just Passed” is a standout performance.
The most interesting material is that recorded at Gaslight Square and never before released on CD, and this is the singer at her best with just a trio with herself on piano. ”Good for nothin’ Joe” is taken at a very slow tempo and is to be a feature of her later work. There is one track which is strictly instrumental “’Round Midnight” which demonstrates what a fine pianist Miss Horn is. There are a few off mike noises but this tends to add to the atmosphere.
This is an excellent release and should be snapped up by all lovers of art of the song.
Reviewed by Roy Booth
MOZDZER/DANIELSSON/FRESCO - Polska
ACT Records 9557-2
Leszek Moẑdẑer (grand piano, celesta, vibraphone, synthesiser)Lars Danielsson(bass, cello) Zohar Fresco (percussion, vocal) with the Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Marcin Natẹcz Niessiotowski, featuring a flute solo by Ewelina Serafi
No recording dates given
ACT Records are rightly famous for their cross cultural musical projects and this disc from Polish superstar pianist, Leszek Moẑdẑer can only serve to enhance this reputation. In a trio setting with Swedish bass and cellist, Lars Danielsson and Israeli percussionist and singer, Zohar Fresco he
effectively combines the high romanticism of Chopin with the pulsating rhythmic insistence of Hassidic devotional music, the folk music earthiness of Slavic modes, the harmonies of rock and pop, not least the cool yearnings of Nordic contemplation. And the jazz: where is that you may be asking. Well, it seems to be embedded in these various traditions and when you put them together it just sort of seeps out or emerges like steam from a kettle on the boil.
Of course it is one thing to identify these connections and another to realise them musically: the first calls for scholarship the second for virtuosic technique and the three musicians involved herein are royally endowed with both these attributes to the extent that it is nigh impossible to
put a pin between one influence and another, so successfully are they welded into a coherent whole.
It is not difficult music, in the extreme avant-garde sense, but neither does it fall victim to facile categorisation. It simply embraces the world in the universal joy of musical creation, a sort of hymn to the best values of cosmopolitism.
Only one track fails to convince and that is the final number which is an orchestrated version of Jimmy Hendrix’s `Are You Experienced` which
seems to parody the cross genre, eclectic brief and sounds overblown and congested. Perhaps it will grow on one with repeated listening but it isn’t sufficient to detract from the delights of this highly desirable set.
Reviewed by Euan Dixon
Leszek Moẑdẑer (grand piano, celesta, vibraphone, synthesiser)Lars Danielsson(bass, cello) Zohar Fresco (percussion, vocal) with the Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Marcin Natẹcz Niessiotowski, featuring a flute solo by Ewelina Serafi
No recording dates given
ACT Records are rightly famous for their cross cultural musical projects and this disc from Polish superstar pianist, Leszek Moẑdẑer can only serve to enhance this reputation. In a trio setting with Swedish bass and cellist, Lars Danielsson and Israeli percussionist and singer, Zohar Fresco he
effectively combines the high romanticism of Chopin with the pulsating rhythmic insistence of Hassidic devotional music, the folk music earthiness of Slavic modes, the harmonies of rock and pop, not least the cool yearnings of Nordic contemplation. And the jazz: where is that you may be asking. Well, it seems to be embedded in these various traditions and when you put them together it just sort of seeps out or emerges like steam from a kettle on the boil.
Of course it is one thing to identify these connections and another to realise them musically: the first calls for scholarship the second for virtuosic technique and the three musicians involved herein are royally endowed with both these attributes to the extent that it is nigh impossible to
put a pin between one influence and another, so successfully are they welded into a coherent whole.
It is not difficult music, in the extreme avant-garde sense, but neither does it fall victim to facile categorisation. It simply embraces the world in the universal joy of musical creation, a sort of hymn to the best values of cosmopolitism.
Only one track fails to convince and that is the final number which is an orchestrated version of Jimmy Hendrix’s `Are You Experienced` which
seems to parody the cross genre, eclectic brief and sounds overblown and congested. Perhaps it will grow on one with repeated listening but it isn’t sufficient to detract from the delights of this highly desirable set.
Reviewed by Euan Dixon
GRANT GREEN & IKE QUEBEC- Complete Instrumental Sessions
ESSENTIAL JAZZ CLASSICS 55623
Grant Green ( guitar); Ike Quebec (tenor sax); Sonny Clark, Sir Charles Thompson (piano) Paul Chambers, Sam Jones, Wendell Marshall, Milt Hinton, Herbie Lewis (bass); Philly Joe Jones, Louis Hayes, Willie Bobo, Billy Higgins, Al Harewood, (drums); Carlos Valdez (percussion); Dodo Greene
(vocal)
Recorded December 16 & 23 1961, September 7 & March 1 & April 2 & 17 , 1962.
Green and Quebec went together like, well like sausage and mash or peaches and cream and this double CD gives us the very best of their collaboration with the complete Blue and Sentimental session under Ike’s name and the Born To Be Blue set under Green’s. There are also several extra tracks that did not come out on the original LPs from the various recording dates. Even better, we have six tracks from the very rare Dodo Greene vocal album on which both Green and Quebec
played.
Quebec’s big, sensuous tenor sound is used to good effect on all these selections but particularly on the first eight tracks that represent the original Blue And Sentimental LP.
He and Green swing effortlessly with Chambers and Jones driving them along and on Count Every Star, that most sophisticated modern pianist, Sonny Clark, makes his first appearance. He doesn’t even solo on this one but still manages to upstage everybody with his glittering, flowing lines. Two bonus tracks are added to this session, both real beauties. Blues and slow, sumptuous ballads are the order of the day here and much the same is heard on the Born To Be Blue set.
‘Someday My Prince’, is a solid swinger with both main soloists on top form. The Clark, Jones, Hayes rhythm section keeps everything boiling over neatly; this is a band that could swing at any tempo and they do. Three bonus tracks here and all are goodies.
Dodo Greene wasn’t the greatest jazz singer but she had a throaty, bluesy sound, not unlike Dinah Washington and she could interpret lyrics well behind a group containing musicians of this calibre. Her choice of material is somewhat odd, including, as it does, ‘You Are My Sunshine’ and ‘Little Things Mean a Lot’. Whatever, there is a wealth of good jazz on this release.
Reviewed by Derek Ansell
Grant Green ( guitar); Ike Quebec (tenor sax); Sonny Clark, Sir Charles Thompson (piano) Paul Chambers, Sam Jones, Wendell Marshall, Milt Hinton, Herbie Lewis (bass); Philly Joe Jones, Louis Hayes, Willie Bobo, Billy Higgins, Al Harewood, (drums); Carlos Valdez (percussion); Dodo Greene
(vocal)
Recorded December 16 & 23 1961, September 7 & March 1 & April 2 & 17 , 1962.
Green and Quebec went together like, well like sausage and mash or peaches and cream and this double CD gives us the very best of their collaboration with the complete Blue and Sentimental session under Ike’s name and the Born To Be Blue set under Green’s. There are also several extra tracks that did not come out on the original LPs from the various recording dates. Even better, we have six tracks from the very rare Dodo Greene vocal album on which both Green and Quebec
played.
Quebec’s big, sensuous tenor sound is used to good effect on all these selections but particularly on the first eight tracks that represent the original Blue And Sentimental LP.
He and Green swing effortlessly with Chambers and Jones driving them along and on Count Every Star, that most sophisticated modern pianist, Sonny Clark, makes his first appearance. He doesn’t even solo on this one but still manages to upstage everybody with his glittering, flowing lines. Two bonus tracks are added to this session, both real beauties. Blues and slow, sumptuous ballads are the order of the day here and much the same is heard on the Born To Be Blue set.
‘Someday My Prince’, is a solid swinger with both main soloists on top form. The Clark, Jones, Hayes rhythm section keeps everything boiling over neatly; this is a band that could swing at any tempo and they do. Three bonus tracks here and all are goodies.
Dodo Greene wasn’t the greatest jazz singer but she had a throaty, bluesy sound, not unlike Dinah Washington and she could interpret lyrics well behind a group containing musicians of this calibre. Her choice of material is somewhat odd, including, as it does, ‘You Are My Sunshine’ and ‘Little Things Mean a Lot’. Whatever, there is a wealth of good jazz on this release.
Reviewed by Derek Ansell
EARL KLUGH - Hand Picked
Heads Up
Earl Klugh (acoustic guitar), Guests Bill Frisell (Track 2 ‘Lullaby of Birdland’, jazz guitar), Jake Shimabukuro (Track 6 ‘Hotel California’, ukulele), Vince Gill (Track 10 ‘All I have to do is dream’,
guitar & vocals)
Released for Klugh’s 60th year, this is a mellow and polished smooth jazz album. Comprising 16 tracks, four composed by Klugh, the remainder a diverse mix of old and new jazz and pop classics, bound together by the Earl Klugh trademark precision, smooth guitar. The final effect is minimalist, pure pleasure.
The album begins with a wistful rendition of Bacharach’s ‘Alfie’. The pace increases for a relaxed but cosmopolitan interpretation of Shearing’s ‘Lullaby of Birdland’, 'Blue Moon' is a gentle but complex duet with Bill Frisell. ‘Hotel California’, the second of the three duets, played with Jake Shimabukuro, is taken at an almost leisurely pace, but this allows time for the mix of melodies arising from the synergy of the two players to be fully appreciated. The classic ‘All I have to do is Dream’, a duet here with Vince Gill, is no less than sublime. The treatment is as light as it is precise. The brief vocals from Vince Gill perfectly fit the mood.
The tracks composed by Klugh are a mellow quartet, each producing a change of pace. ‘In Six’ is a sprightly composition suited to the slightly
less reflective mood of the first half of the album. ‘Where the Wind takes me’ is more contemplative and as such is better suited to the latter part of the album. ‘Morning Rain’ which follows is a deeper, fuller composition. The final track ‘This Time’ effectively concludes the album leaving a
smooth, mellow aftertaste.
A couple of the tracks feel a little short, particularly the Lennon-McCartney ‘If I Fell’. Monk’s ‘Around Midnight’ demonstrates the conflict between complexity and simplicity, but this could be better appreciated in a longer composition.
This album isn’t a chiffon light piece of entertainment, but a well constructed album of complex and expertly produced smooth jazz. Music is
deeply personal and usually even the best of albums may have the odd track that fail to hit the spot for some reason. ‘Hand Picked’ not only hasn’t a track I don’t like, but hasn’t one I don’t love.
So consider this for someone in your life who likes to relax in front of a warm fire with a full bodied glass of something. To me the album offers the antidote to long cold winter evenings, but equally is just right for relaxed summer evenings. This one is a keeper.
Reviewed by Jill Tardivel
Earl Klugh (acoustic guitar), Guests Bill Frisell (Track 2 ‘Lullaby of Birdland’, jazz guitar), Jake Shimabukuro (Track 6 ‘Hotel California’, ukulele), Vince Gill (Track 10 ‘All I have to do is dream’,
guitar & vocals)
Released for Klugh’s 60th year, this is a mellow and polished smooth jazz album. Comprising 16 tracks, four composed by Klugh, the remainder a diverse mix of old and new jazz and pop classics, bound together by the Earl Klugh trademark precision, smooth guitar. The final effect is minimalist, pure pleasure.
The album begins with a wistful rendition of Bacharach’s ‘Alfie’. The pace increases for a relaxed but cosmopolitan interpretation of Shearing’s ‘Lullaby of Birdland’, 'Blue Moon' is a gentle but complex duet with Bill Frisell. ‘Hotel California’, the second of the three duets, played with Jake Shimabukuro, is taken at an almost leisurely pace, but this allows time for the mix of melodies arising from the synergy of the two players to be fully appreciated. The classic ‘All I have to do is Dream’, a duet here with Vince Gill, is no less than sublime. The treatment is as light as it is precise. The brief vocals from Vince Gill perfectly fit the mood.
The tracks composed by Klugh are a mellow quartet, each producing a change of pace. ‘In Six’ is a sprightly composition suited to the slightly
less reflective mood of the first half of the album. ‘Where the Wind takes me’ is more contemplative and as such is better suited to the latter part of the album. ‘Morning Rain’ which follows is a deeper, fuller composition. The final track ‘This Time’ effectively concludes the album leaving a
smooth, mellow aftertaste.
A couple of the tracks feel a little short, particularly the Lennon-McCartney ‘If I Fell’. Monk’s ‘Around Midnight’ demonstrates the conflict between complexity and simplicity, but this could be better appreciated in a longer composition.
This album isn’t a chiffon light piece of entertainment, but a well constructed album of complex and expertly produced smooth jazz. Music is
deeply personal and usually even the best of albums may have the odd track that fail to hit the spot for some reason. ‘Hand Picked’ not only hasn’t a track I don’t like, but hasn’t one I don’t love.
So consider this for someone in your life who likes to relax in front of a warm fire with a full bodied glass of something. To me the album offers the antidote to long cold winter evenings, but equally is just right for relaxed summer evenings. This one is a keeper.
Reviewed by Jill Tardivel
JAIMEO BROWN – Transcendence
MOTEMA 233715
Jaimeo Brown: drums; JD Allen: tenor saxophone; Chris Sholar: guitar, electronics; Gee's Bend Singers: vocals; Geri Allen: piano; Falu: vocals; Dartanyan Brown: bass, additional production; Marcia Miget: flute; Marisha Brown: vocals; Selah Brown: vocals; Kelvin Sholar: keyboards, additional production; Andrew Shantz: harmonium.
What a brave and powerful album this is: unique and moving. It is a rooted blend of modern jazz, black spiritual music, blues, and hip-hop electronica. It really is new music. The most uplifting and moving sequences are the historic samples from Alabama’s Gee's Bend Quilters.. Their songs were created as they made quilts, quilts which today are featured in museums across the USA.
‘Transcendence’ is the vision of Jaimeo Brown, a 34-year-old drummer, paying homage to musical
and cultural traditions. Tenor saxophonist JD Allen and guitarist Chris Sholar are heavily featured. The uniqueness of this music is the way that all the elements are blended. The Gee’s Bend singers are plaited into a sound montage of blues, jazz hip-hop and electronics that serves to inspire the improvisations of Brown, JD Allen and Sholar.
JD Allen is a powerful voice. His tenor saxophone, right out the tradition of Coltrane, sings out eloquently. He said recently: ‘When you go to a museum and see the African art, the sharp angles the pointed lines. The music is more about that now. It's a radical point in history. There's electricity everywhere and I hope I capture that in my music.’
There is an on going debate in jazz about the conservatism of players such as Wynton Marsalis. An album such as this one which is profoundly conservative, illustrates a way forward while looking at the past and acknowledging the debt to that past.
There is nothing like this CD. It deserves to be listened to, talked about. Brown says on the album notes. ‘Politically this music is a warning to our generation. Global corporations and banks are destroying local cultures throughout the world. The same spirituals that gave strength
to our ancestors need to give us strength today as we consider the very real possibility of modern global slavery.’
Seek this album out; it is a new direction. Jazz used to have an ideology; it is good to see it back.
Reviewed by Jack Kenny
Jaimeo Brown: drums; JD Allen: tenor saxophone; Chris Sholar: guitar, electronics; Gee's Bend Singers: vocals; Geri Allen: piano; Falu: vocals; Dartanyan Brown: bass, additional production; Marcia Miget: flute; Marisha Brown: vocals; Selah Brown: vocals; Kelvin Sholar: keyboards, additional production; Andrew Shantz: harmonium.
What a brave and powerful album this is: unique and moving. It is a rooted blend of modern jazz, black spiritual music, blues, and hip-hop electronica. It really is new music. The most uplifting and moving sequences are the historic samples from Alabama’s Gee's Bend Quilters.. Their songs were created as they made quilts, quilts which today are featured in museums across the USA.
‘Transcendence’ is the vision of Jaimeo Brown, a 34-year-old drummer, paying homage to musical
and cultural traditions. Tenor saxophonist JD Allen and guitarist Chris Sholar are heavily featured. The uniqueness of this music is the way that all the elements are blended. The Gee’s Bend singers are plaited into a sound montage of blues, jazz hip-hop and electronics that serves to inspire the improvisations of Brown, JD Allen and Sholar.
JD Allen is a powerful voice. His tenor saxophone, right out the tradition of Coltrane, sings out eloquently. He said recently: ‘When you go to a museum and see the African art, the sharp angles the pointed lines. The music is more about that now. It's a radical point in history. There's electricity everywhere and I hope I capture that in my music.’
There is an on going debate in jazz about the conservatism of players such as Wynton Marsalis. An album such as this one which is profoundly conservative, illustrates a way forward while looking at the past and acknowledging the debt to that past.
There is nothing like this CD. It deserves to be listened to, talked about. Brown says on the album notes. ‘Politically this music is a warning to our generation. Global corporations and banks are destroying local cultures throughout the world. The same spirituals that gave strength
to our ancestors need to give us strength today as we consider the very real possibility of modern global slavery.’
Seek this album out; it is a new direction. Jazz used to have an ideology; it is good to see it back.
Reviewed by Jack Kenny
KEITH JARRETT - Concerts: Bregenz/Munchen
ECM 279 4570 3 CD Set
Keith Jarrett (piano)
Recorded Bregenz on May 28, 1981 & München on June 2, 1981
Yet more Jarrett solo performances pulled from the ECM vaults to add to the already, seemingly inexhaustible mine of music from this most prolific of artists. One of the concerts, the Bregenz performance recorded in Austria has previously been available as a single CD, but this is the first time that the München set has been issued, although Jarrett included an excerpt from the concert when selecting some of his personal favourite tracts for his :rarum anthology in 2002.
The music has borne the test of time, as it is being proven time and time again with music of this calibre. Coming after the staggering achievements of Bremen/Lausanne and The Koln Concert it is a somewhat lighter, literally speaking, volume than the mammoth Sun Bear Concerts this looks towards the next development in the pianist’s solo performances.
Despite the both discs bearing titles such as ‘Part I’ or ‘Part II’ each half of the concert is actually one continuous piece with no noticeable gaps to differentiate the different sections. The music on the three discs that make up this set is wildly varied and with the benefit of hindsight can perhaps be viewed as a summing up of what has preceded it.
The Bregenz concert is often more rhythmically based with Jarrett’s superb use of ostinato to drive the improvisations forward, the music actually pausing, as if breathing with the pianist, and allowing areas of light to permeate the darker passages. Overall the performance is overtly lyrical with the emphasis on melodic development of the improvisation. In contrast, the München concert, recorded just a few days later, is a more exploratory affair with Jarrett utilising his by now familiar rhythmic and dynamic variations within an ever expanding and searching harmonic framework. If the resulting music is more expansive and texturally dense it is no less a compelling listen than the Bregenz performance.
Coming just in time for that all important Christmas wish list, this is a set that repays repeated and attentive listening, and is an album that will be a must have for all Jarrett fans. For a new generation of listeners who may have only come to the pianist’s work through his more recent recordings this is an ideal place to start piecing together the musical journey of this most remarkable of storytellers.
Reviewed by Nick Lea
Keith Jarrett (piano)
Recorded Bregenz on May 28, 1981 & München on June 2, 1981
Yet more Jarrett solo performances pulled from the ECM vaults to add to the already, seemingly inexhaustible mine of music from this most prolific of artists. One of the concerts, the Bregenz performance recorded in Austria has previously been available as a single CD, but this is the first time that the München set has been issued, although Jarrett included an excerpt from the concert when selecting some of his personal favourite tracts for his :rarum anthology in 2002.
The music has borne the test of time, as it is being proven time and time again with music of this calibre. Coming after the staggering achievements of Bremen/Lausanne and The Koln Concert it is a somewhat lighter, literally speaking, volume than the mammoth Sun Bear Concerts this looks towards the next development in the pianist’s solo performances.
Despite the both discs bearing titles such as ‘Part I’ or ‘Part II’ each half of the concert is actually one continuous piece with no noticeable gaps to differentiate the different sections. The music on the three discs that make up this set is wildly varied and with the benefit of hindsight can perhaps be viewed as a summing up of what has preceded it.
The Bregenz concert is often more rhythmically based with Jarrett’s superb use of ostinato to drive the improvisations forward, the music actually pausing, as if breathing with the pianist, and allowing areas of light to permeate the darker passages. Overall the performance is overtly lyrical with the emphasis on melodic development of the improvisation. In contrast, the München concert, recorded just a few days later, is a more exploratory affair with Jarrett utilising his by now familiar rhythmic and dynamic variations within an ever expanding and searching harmonic framework. If the resulting music is more expansive and texturally dense it is no less a compelling listen than the Bregenz performance.
Coming just in time for that all important Christmas wish list, this is a set that repays repeated and attentive listening, and is an album that will be a must have for all Jarrett fans. For a new generation of listeners who may have only come to the pianist’s work through his more recent recordings this is an ideal place to start piecing together the musical journey of this most remarkable of storytellers.
Reviewed by Nick Lea
MATT RIDLEY TRIO - Thymos
Whirlwind Recordings WR4643
Matt Ridley (bass) John Turville (piano) George Hart (drums) with special guests, Jason Yarde (saxes) Attab Hadda (oud) Vasilis Sirkis (percussion)
Recorded 2013
Yet another fine debut disc from Whirlwind RecordIings whose mission to launch new talent into the jazz /improv arena continues unabated. The piano trio remains a potent vehicle for jazz improvisation and this bass led combo with added instrumental input` Hoovers `up a lot of current influences to create a body of work that looks in several directions for musical inspiration.
The disc opens with a bass and drums dialogue, quickly tamed by a floating, detached atonal piano line which solidifies into structured minimalism morphing into a toccata like insistence before yielding to a fugal linearity merged with boppish insouciance. In the second piece, `Theme and Variations`, a simple three note figure is subjected to intensive scrutiny by piano and bass in turn, shifting this way and that in a demonstration of musical spiritedness, energy and self examination that truly lives up to the concept of `Thymos`, from which the album takes its name.
Of the guests, Jason Yarde makes his first appearance on the third track carving a cantabile motif on soprano sax in homage to trumpeter, Kenny Wheeler, which impresses with its melodic ebullience and sustained inventiveness. He returns to augment the trio in the company of oud player Haddad and percussionist, Sirkis to embellish two eastern themes, one traditional, the other an original composition, with a slightly more strident, vibrato laden attack which contrasts effectively with the beautifully captured liquid sound of the oud (fast emerging as an instrument of choice in world music collaborations) and the cool legato of the piano. Bass and drums walk through the mix trading contrapuntal gestures and accents, ever present melodically and rhythmically but never destructively intrusive. Indeed the leader’s bass, as one would expect given that he is also the credited composer, from time to time picks up the melodic line from the piano whist navigating the ensemble as surely as any tiller man. His contribution to the impressionistic `The River` provides a telling example of his role reversal capabilities. Furthermore I can’t mention this track without highlighting the superb work of drummer Hart whose evocative cymbal work paints a perfect illustration of the gentle backwash from the imagined oarsman.
It is, in summary, a high quality performance, matched by peerless production and presentation and a worthy addition to the collection of any listener wishing to keep abreast of the wealth of new talent that is keeping the music infused with creative drive.
Reviewed by Euan Dixon
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Matt Ridley (bass) John Turville (piano) George Hart (drums) with special guests, Jason Yarde (saxes) Attab Hadda (oud) Vasilis Sirkis (percussion)
Recorded 2013
Yet another fine debut disc from Whirlwind RecordIings whose mission to launch new talent into the jazz /improv arena continues unabated. The piano trio remains a potent vehicle for jazz improvisation and this bass led combo with added instrumental input` Hoovers `up a lot of current influences to create a body of work that looks in several directions for musical inspiration.
The disc opens with a bass and drums dialogue, quickly tamed by a floating, detached atonal piano line which solidifies into structured minimalism morphing into a toccata like insistence before yielding to a fugal linearity merged with boppish insouciance. In the second piece, `Theme and Variations`, a simple three note figure is subjected to intensive scrutiny by piano and bass in turn, shifting this way and that in a demonstration of musical spiritedness, energy and self examination that truly lives up to the concept of `Thymos`, from which the album takes its name.
Of the guests, Jason Yarde makes his first appearance on the third track carving a cantabile motif on soprano sax in homage to trumpeter, Kenny Wheeler, which impresses with its melodic ebullience and sustained inventiveness. He returns to augment the trio in the company of oud player Haddad and percussionist, Sirkis to embellish two eastern themes, one traditional, the other an original composition, with a slightly more strident, vibrato laden attack which contrasts effectively with the beautifully captured liquid sound of the oud (fast emerging as an instrument of choice in world music collaborations) and the cool legato of the piano. Bass and drums walk through the mix trading contrapuntal gestures and accents, ever present melodically and rhythmically but never destructively intrusive. Indeed the leader’s bass, as one would expect given that he is also the credited composer, from time to time picks up the melodic line from the piano whist navigating the ensemble as surely as any tiller man. His contribution to the impressionistic `The River` provides a telling example of his role reversal capabilities. Furthermore I can’t mention this track without highlighting the superb work of drummer Hart whose evocative cymbal work paints a perfect illustration of the gentle backwash from the imagined oarsman.
It is, in summary, a high quality performance, matched by peerless production and presentation and a worthy addition to the collection of any listener wishing to keep abreast of the wealth of new talent that is keeping the music infused with creative drive.
Reviewed by Euan Dixon
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TROYK-ESTRA – Live At The 2013 Cheltenham Jazz Festival
Impossible Ark Records
Chris Montague (g); Kit Downes (org, keys); Josh Blackmore (d)
with Nick Smart (cond); Reben Fowler, Alex Bonney, Imogen Hancock (t); Kieren Stickle McLeod, Patrick Hayes, Tom Green (tb); Courtney brown (b-tb); Mike Chillingworth, Nadim Teimoori (as); Sam Miles, James Allsop (ts); Sam Rapley (b-cl, bs); Louis Van Der Westhuizen (b); Ralph Hero Wyld
(vib)
Recorded 2013
Riding high on their success so far, the dynamic power trio Troyka have now set their sights on expanding the concept of the band to form the unique big band Troyk-estra. Originally formed as part of a commission from Jazzwise magazine, the band were then invited to perform at the Cheltenham Jazz festival where this live album was recorded.
The album comprises of new music written especially for the festival along with some Troyka compositions that have been rearranged and
retitled for the larger ensemble. The arrangements therefore contain all of the trio’s characteristics that make them such a distinctive unit, and successfully transform them to the big band.
Listening to the album, with the densely packed yet intensely focussed writing, I cannot help but drawing comparisons with the eighties big
band phenomenon Loose Tubes. Not that the music is derivative in any way, but more in spirit and sheer joy of playing. All the pieces have unexpectred twist and turns leading the listener down unexpected paths.
Boasting some excellent soloists, including saxophonists Mike Chillingworth and James Allsopp, and trumpeter Alex Bonney the real meat and
drink is the way the ensemble and Troyka work to draw the music together with a seamless blend of tightly scored ensemble passages interspersed with freewheeling solos that are a natural extension of the overall concept of the individual compositions.
In a performance that continuously throws up unexpected and constant delights it is difficult to single out individual tracks or solos as
highlights as for me this seems to change every time I hear the album, although Chris Montague’s solo on ‘Braze’, from the pen of drummer Josh Blackmore gives everyone a good shake up. Kit Downe’s ‘Elegant Her’ is quite an astonishing piece of writing with superb contributions from trumpeter Bonney, and Chris Montague again, and indeed the guitarists finest moment maybe on his own ‘Hip Clan’. As the only ballad on the album, Montague is quite daring in his use of space and silence that give the tune an edge of the seat anticipation, with expectation fulfilled by the intense beauty and feeling that conveyed.
An extraordinary album, both in terms of the scope of the music and the way the band transform the arrangements, getting the music off the paper and living and breathing. This is music that has the more to lift the spirits and stimulate the intellect.
Reviewed by Nick Lea
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Chris Montague (g); Kit Downes (org, keys); Josh Blackmore (d)
with Nick Smart (cond); Reben Fowler, Alex Bonney, Imogen Hancock (t); Kieren Stickle McLeod, Patrick Hayes, Tom Green (tb); Courtney brown (b-tb); Mike Chillingworth, Nadim Teimoori (as); Sam Miles, James Allsop (ts); Sam Rapley (b-cl, bs); Louis Van Der Westhuizen (b); Ralph Hero Wyld
(vib)
Recorded 2013
Riding high on their success so far, the dynamic power trio Troyka have now set their sights on expanding the concept of the band to form the unique big band Troyk-estra. Originally formed as part of a commission from Jazzwise magazine, the band were then invited to perform at the Cheltenham Jazz festival where this live album was recorded.
The album comprises of new music written especially for the festival along with some Troyka compositions that have been rearranged and
retitled for the larger ensemble. The arrangements therefore contain all of the trio’s characteristics that make them such a distinctive unit, and successfully transform them to the big band.
Listening to the album, with the densely packed yet intensely focussed writing, I cannot help but drawing comparisons with the eighties big
band phenomenon Loose Tubes. Not that the music is derivative in any way, but more in spirit and sheer joy of playing. All the pieces have unexpectred twist and turns leading the listener down unexpected paths.
Boasting some excellent soloists, including saxophonists Mike Chillingworth and James Allsopp, and trumpeter Alex Bonney the real meat and
drink is the way the ensemble and Troyka work to draw the music together with a seamless blend of tightly scored ensemble passages interspersed with freewheeling solos that are a natural extension of the overall concept of the individual compositions.
In a performance that continuously throws up unexpected and constant delights it is difficult to single out individual tracks or solos as
highlights as for me this seems to change every time I hear the album, although Chris Montague’s solo on ‘Braze’, from the pen of drummer Josh Blackmore gives everyone a good shake up. Kit Downe’s ‘Elegant Her’ is quite an astonishing piece of writing with superb contributions from trumpeter Bonney, and Chris Montague again, and indeed the guitarists finest moment maybe on his own ‘Hip Clan’. As the only ballad on the album, Montague is quite daring in his use of space and silence that give the tune an edge of the seat anticipation, with expectation fulfilled by the intense beauty and feeling that conveyed.
An extraordinary album, both in terms of the scope of the music and the way the band transform the arrangements, getting the music off the paper and living and breathing. This is music that has the more to lift the spirits and stimulate the intellect.
Reviewed by Nick Lea
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JEANETTE KOLN & SWEDISH RADIO CHOIR - New Eyes on Baroque
ACT Records ACT 9547-2
Jeanette Köln (soprano voice) with the Swedish Radio Choir conducted by Gustav Sjökvist plus Nils
Landgren (trombone) Johan Norberg (guitar) Jonas Knutsson (baritone & soprano sax) Eva Kruse (acoustic bass)
Recorded at Swedish Radio Studio 2 in Stockholm, Sweden, February 6-10, 2012
Classical / Jazz fusion is a sufficiently well established genre within the musical canon that requires no special pleading on its behalf from me; suffice to say it must be popular amongst musicians and listeners alike, there being so many projects of this type available on disc. Purists of both
persuasions are usually rather sniffy about these re-interpretations: on the one hand they are dismissed as dumbing - down populism and on the other, an emasculation of jazz music’s virility. For me, these concerns wither away when one encounters music as beautifully realised as it is on this new ACT release.
The pieces selected comprise fifteen largely well known baroque arias, choral and instrumental pieces by Bach, Handel and Purcell, performed by
soprano Jeanette Köln, who provides the central voice, against a choral back drop through which delicately applied jazz embellishments are woven in a way that subtly emerges from typical baroque counterpoint, demonstrating the affinity between the two idioms – something that has long fascinated jazz musicians. Additionally there are part songs for the choir and a couple of solely instrumental settings for the jazz combo of familiar pieces like Bach’s `Air on a G String` featuring guitar and bass.
Unlike the radical re-interpretations of Mahler by Uri Caine the emphasis here favours the original compositions with the jazz musicians sounding very much like a conventional baroque chamber orchestra: even the modern instruments sound very like their 17th century equivalents with Knutsson’s soprano emulating the hautboy and Landgren’s trombone, the sackbut. Their solo extemporisations incorporate a few carefully nuanced blues licks but everything is very much in the stylistic character of the baroque era; there is no attempt at parody or post modern
extravagance.
So where is the transformative focus? It seems to me that not all the re-imagining is of a jazz oriented nature for the aural outcome is as much
folk oriented as it is jazzy. For instance, the customary harpsichord continuo is replaced by a contrapuntal dialogue between guitar and bass with folk music harmonies underpinning the more complex interplay of voices and wind instruments. Then there is the purity of Köln’s voice which concentrates on the articulation of the melody largely avoiding the coloratura embellishments that are a feature of baroque singing. Her version of `Dido’s Lament` from Henry Purcell’s opera masque `Dido & Aeneas` avoids the histrionic pathos that a dramatic rendering would require and delivers the tune with an unadorned clarity shorn of rococo flourishes. Consequently there is a strong direct quality about the music which is distinctly Nordic in character.
The overall mood is contemplative and `New Eyes on Baroque` could provide ACT with a best- selling album along the lines of ECM’s `Officium`
appealing to those for whom music provides a therapeutic release. It could even serve as a soothing soundtrack to the forthcoming Christmas festivities but regardless of whatever service it is pressed into it remains a superb piece of music making on the part of all involved.
Reviewed by Euan Dixon
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Jeanette Köln (soprano voice) with the Swedish Radio Choir conducted by Gustav Sjökvist plus Nils
Landgren (trombone) Johan Norberg (guitar) Jonas Knutsson (baritone & soprano sax) Eva Kruse (acoustic bass)
Recorded at Swedish Radio Studio 2 in Stockholm, Sweden, February 6-10, 2012
Classical / Jazz fusion is a sufficiently well established genre within the musical canon that requires no special pleading on its behalf from me; suffice to say it must be popular amongst musicians and listeners alike, there being so many projects of this type available on disc. Purists of both
persuasions are usually rather sniffy about these re-interpretations: on the one hand they are dismissed as dumbing - down populism and on the other, an emasculation of jazz music’s virility. For me, these concerns wither away when one encounters music as beautifully realised as it is on this new ACT release.
The pieces selected comprise fifteen largely well known baroque arias, choral and instrumental pieces by Bach, Handel and Purcell, performed by
soprano Jeanette Köln, who provides the central voice, against a choral back drop through which delicately applied jazz embellishments are woven in a way that subtly emerges from typical baroque counterpoint, demonstrating the affinity between the two idioms – something that has long fascinated jazz musicians. Additionally there are part songs for the choir and a couple of solely instrumental settings for the jazz combo of familiar pieces like Bach’s `Air on a G String` featuring guitar and bass.
Unlike the radical re-interpretations of Mahler by Uri Caine the emphasis here favours the original compositions with the jazz musicians sounding very much like a conventional baroque chamber orchestra: even the modern instruments sound very like their 17th century equivalents with Knutsson’s soprano emulating the hautboy and Landgren’s trombone, the sackbut. Their solo extemporisations incorporate a few carefully nuanced blues licks but everything is very much in the stylistic character of the baroque era; there is no attempt at parody or post modern
extravagance.
So where is the transformative focus? It seems to me that not all the re-imagining is of a jazz oriented nature for the aural outcome is as much
folk oriented as it is jazzy. For instance, the customary harpsichord continuo is replaced by a contrapuntal dialogue between guitar and bass with folk music harmonies underpinning the more complex interplay of voices and wind instruments. Then there is the purity of Köln’s voice which concentrates on the articulation of the melody largely avoiding the coloratura embellishments that are a feature of baroque singing. Her version of `Dido’s Lament` from Henry Purcell’s opera masque `Dido & Aeneas` avoids the histrionic pathos that a dramatic rendering would require and delivers the tune with an unadorned clarity shorn of rococo flourishes. Consequently there is a strong direct quality about the music which is distinctly Nordic in character.
The overall mood is contemplative and `New Eyes on Baroque` could provide ACT with a best- selling album along the lines of ECM’s `Officium`
appealing to those for whom music provides a therapeutic release. It could even serve as a soothing soundtrack to the forthcoming Christmas festivities but regardless of whatever service it is pressed into it remains a superb piece of music making on the part of all involved.
Reviewed by Euan Dixon
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IVO PERELMAN/JOE MORRIS/BALAZS PANDI - One
Rare Noise RNR 034
Ivo Perelman: Tenor Saxophone; Joe Morris: Bass; Balazs Pandi: Drums
Ivo Pereleman apparently was influenced by Stan Getz and Paul Desmond. No trace of those influences on this album. He does, however, explore more tenor saxophonic textures than either of his earlier influences. Listen carefully and you can hear echoes of Shepp, even Webster.
“One” is the track to sample. Perelman is giving space to his drummer and bass player. The music is all the more exhilarating for this. Perelman’s inventions are inspired by Joe Morris and I am sure that
Morris is inspired by Perelman.
Balazs is unleashed for most of the album. He is a rhythmic dervish. It is almost as though he has escaped from a penal colony where rhythm was outlawed and so his work is free, hot, bursting, ecstatic, intense, driven and angry.
The saxophone lead trio is one of the great combinations in jazz: think of Konitz, Sonny Dallas and Elvin on ‘Motion’ and Rollins, Wilbur Ware, Elvin ‘At the Village Vanguard’. There is nowhere to hide. This album moves into that territory. Daunting.
In the past a tenor saxophone player was distinguished and judged by the beauty and individuality of his tone. Even Coltrane at his most driven could not escape the basic beauty of his tone. There is not much beauty here with Perelman you have to listen to the intensity, the invention, the intention. Some argue that Coltrane in his last years was aiming at spirituality. Can’t hear that in this music, just sheer muscular innovation and creation. Exhilarating.
Reviewed by Jack Kenny
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Ivo Perelman: Tenor Saxophone; Joe Morris: Bass; Balazs Pandi: Drums
Ivo Pereleman apparently was influenced by Stan Getz and Paul Desmond. No trace of those influences on this album. He does, however, explore more tenor saxophonic textures than either of his earlier influences. Listen carefully and you can hear echoes of Shepp, even Webster.
“One” is the track to sample. Perelman is giving space to his drummer and bass player. The music is all the more exhilarating for this. Perelman’s inventions are inspired by Joe Morris and I am sure that
Morris is inspired by Perelman.
Balazs is unleashed for most of the album. He is a rhythmic dervish. It is almost as though he has escaped from a penal colony where rhythm was outlawed and so his work is free, hot, bursting, ecstatic, intense, driven and angry.
The saxophone lead trio is one of the great combinations in jazz: think of Konitz, Sonny Dallas and Elvin on ‘Motion’ and Rollins, Wilbur Ware, Elvin ‘At the Village Vanguard’. There is nowhere to hide. This album moves into that territory. Daunting.
In the past a tenor saxophone player was distinguished and judged by the beauty and individuality of his tone. Even Coltrane at his most driven could not escape the basic beauty of his tone. There is not much beauty here with Perelman you have to listen to the intensity, the invention, the intention. Some argue that Coltrane in his last years was aiming at spirituality. Can’t hear that in this music, just sheer muscular innovation and creation. Exhilarating.
Reviewed by Jack Kenny
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GEORGE LEWIS – Jass At The Ohio Union: The Historic George Lewis 1954 Concert
Upbeat Records – URCD244D (2CD)
Avery ‘Kid’ Howard, trumpet; Jim Robinson, trombone; George Lewis, clarinet, leader; Alton Purnell, piano, vocals; Lawrence Marrero, banjo; Alcide ‘Slow-Drag’ Pavageau, string bass; Joe Watkins, drums, vocals
Upbeat Records make quite a play with the description 'historic' about this album, but it is difficult to know why. The Disc Jockey 1950 recording, Jazz at the Ohio Union, cited in and awarded three
stars by the Virgin Encyclopædia of Jazz (2004) might have been a better choice for the clarinettist, as the 1954 concert is rather weak. George Lewis is occasionally out of tune and trumpeter Avery Howard is miles away from the best of his form, completely missing his punch. The best of the rest are Jim Robinson, Alton Purnell and Alcide Pavageau.
Even the utterly classic 'High Society' effort falls flat. This was considered the highest test of skill for the New Orleans clarinettist – if you couldn't manage that solo, forget it and Lewis makes a hash of it. One of the better tracks is 'Sensation Rag' on Disc 2, where you will find
a bit of bite and in spite of its pace the band remains pretty well glued together. Look out though for the running order mistakes.
Given the importance of New Orleans music in the pandemic history of American pop – it has affected funk, jazz, rock and other pop forms generally – one might have expected a dedication of this sort to go to musicians such as trumpeter Bunk Johnson and clarinettist Alphonse Picou, both in my opinion nearer to New Orleans 'purity'. It was from Picou of course whose variation on a counterpoint phrase from a marching tune became the High Society solo mentioned. When learning clarinet myself in the 50s, Picou's playing did more for my interest and style
than did that of Lewis, but that is not an axe for me to grind: I just don't think much of this album and cannot recommend it.
Reviewed by Ken Cheetham
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Avery ‘Kid’ Howard, trumpet; Jim Robinson, trombone; George Lewis, clarinet, leader; Alton Purnell, piano, vocals; Lawrence Marrero, banjo; Alcide ‘Slow-Drag’ Pavageau, string bass; Joe Watkins, drums, vocals
Upbeat Records make quite a play with the description 'historic' about this album, but it is difficult to know why. The Disc Jockey 1950 recording, Jazz at the Ohio Union, cited in and awarded three
stars by the Virgin Encyclopædia of Jazz (2004) might have been a better choice for the clarinettist, as the 1954 concert is rather weak. George Lewis is occasionally out of tune and trumpeter Avery Howard is miles away from the best of his form, completely missing his punch. The best of the rest are Jim Robinson, Alton Purnell and Alcide Pavageau.
Even the utterly classic 'High Society' effort falls flat. This was considered the highest test of skill for the New Orleans clarinettist – if you couldn't manage that solo, forget it and Lewis makes a hash of it. One of the better tracks is 'Sensation Rag' on Disc 2, where you will find
a bit of bite and in spite of its pace the band remains pretty well glued together. Look out though for the running order mistakes.
Given the importance of New Orleans music in the pandemic history of American pop – it has affected funk, jazz, rock and other pop forms generally – one might have expected a dedication of this sort to go to musicians such as trumpeter Bunk Johnson and clarinettist Alphonse Picou, both in my opinion nearer to New Orleans 'purity'. It was from Picou of course whose variation on a counterpoint phrase from a marching tune became the High Society solo mentioned. When learning clarinet myself in the 50s, Picou's playing did more for my interest and style
than did that of Lewis, but that is not an axe for me to grind: I just don't think much of this album and cannot recommend it.
Reviewed by Ken Cheetham
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