It's all about Jazz

Bill Evans - Portrait (1997)
EAC | FLAC+CUE+LOG+Artwork -> 270 Mb
Blue Note Records
Post-Bop | Piano Jazz
Many thanks to my friend, Oceandrop

Descripstion

A compilation CD about great Bill Evans; with George Russell and His Orchestra, The Miles Davis Quintet,
The Dave Pike Quartet, and his trio with Eddie Gomez, Marty Morrell.

Selection: Steve Berkowitz, Kevin Gore et Mike Berniker.

Bill Evans - The Paris Concert (Edition Two) (2001)
EAC | FLAC+CUE+LOG+Artwork -> 260 Mb
Blue Note Records
Post-Bop | Piano Jazz
Many thanks to my friend, Oceandrop


Descripstion

Bill Evans' death in 1980 ended the career of the most influential (along with McCoy Tyner) acoustic pianist in jazz of the previous 20 years. This second of two LPs features Evans, bassist Marc Johnson, and drummer Joe La Barbera closely interacting on four of the pianist's originals, Gary McFarland's "Gary's Theme" and Miles Davis' "Nardis." The music is sensitive and subtly exciting. Until the release of some later live sessions from 1980, this could be considered Bill Evans' final recording and serves as evidence that, rather than declining, he was showing a renewed vitality and enthusiasm in his last year.

Bill Evans - The Paris Concert (Edition One) (2001)
EAC | FLAC+CUE+LOG+Artwork -> 260 Mb
Blue Note Records
Post-Bop | Piano Jazz
Many thanks to my friend, Oceandrop


Descripstion

There's a misleading myth about Bill Evans that seems to be gaining acceptance, if the increasing references to his drug problem are any indication. The necessary inference is that Evans' genius and career fall within the familiar patterns of the tragic romantic artist--a burst of youthful, inspired creativity followed by gradual decline and eventual disrepair.

Nothing could be further from the truth, as these recordings from a late 1979 Paris concert should make abundantly clear. In fact, they are every bit as impressive as the celebrated Vanguard recordings with LaFaro and Motion in 1961. Evans is one of those rare artists who experienced an unparallelled surge of creative energy and passionate lyricism in his so-called autumnal period, which makes these late sessions as essential as the early Vanguard ones.

Compare his performance here of "I Loves You Porgy" with his Vanguard performance (or any intermediate recording) of the same tune. It's every bit as nuanced and fresh as the early recordings yet possesses a boldness and confidence not always present in the earlier work. One thing Bill Evans was NOT about was "ego". Unlike many of the younger, heavily promoted pianist/keyboard players he influenced, Bill did not require grunts and groans, physical contortions, funny clothes, production special effects, etc., to make his musical statement. In fact, he preferred not to have the spotlight on himself. The lowered position of his head (or, in the 70s, his shoulder-length hair) concealed his face and, in effect, required the listener to focus only on the hands and the keys, on the music itself. And notice the size of his hands! As lean and slight as Bill appeared in the 50s and 60s, his hands seemed to belong to another creature--not just the length of the fingers but their thick diameter and sheer bulk. He had but to stroke the keys to extract from a grand piano the purist, fullest, most vibrantly warm sounds it was capable of producing.

More than any other major musician, Evans' aesthetic was the counterpart to that of John Keats, whose poetic credo of "negative capability," association of joy and sorrow, and equation of beauty and truth ("Truth is beauty") resulted in some of the purest poetry in the English language. But because of his virtual self-effacement, Bill was especially susceptible to the ready criticism of a Scottie LaFaro, who could be a punishing task-master in his insistence on perfection. Bill not only expanded the bass-player's role but developed a deference that could result in the bass player practically supplanting the pianist as the primary solo voice! This unselfishness soon became habit, leading to a certain unassertive sameness in many of his mid-career recordings. ("The Tokyo Concert" I'd single out as an example of the trio's tedious and tepid virtuosity--much busy-ness but little action or swing.) With the final trio of Marc Johnson and Joe La Barbera, however, Bill assumed, along with an appreciation of his companions, a mentor's responsibility for them. On the Paris Concert he's a teacher/master as much as a student, and the result is perhaps the most satisfying trio performance of his entire career. He's not merely drawing upon fresh blood as a source of inspiration but using his experience to guide his proteges while bringing his own instrument into the prominence it deserves.

Good learners become teachers, but in that role remain forever learners themselves. In one of his very last recordings, Evans manifests the fruits of a lifetime of learning yet produces music that registers freshness and discovery in each passing note.

Betty Carter - I'm Yours, You're Mines (1996)
EAC | FLAC+CUE+LOG+Artwork -> 320 Mb
Polygram Records
Bop | Vocal Jazz
Many thanks to my friend, Oceandrop


Descripstion

Coming up in the shadow of Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald, Betty Carter realized early on there was no point competing on that terrain, and slowly but surely eked out one of her own. Carter's vocal world has been one of ferocious scat and luxuriously slow ballads, of relentless swing and angular melodic lines unafraid to dip into dissonance. Her sophisticated approach and the tight, shifting arrangements she works out for her backing trio lend themselves to an interpretation of lyrics which is ambiguous, abstract and often ironic. However, this is not most people's idea of what jazz singing should be about, and so after something like 45 years in the business she remains the most controversial of the major jazz singers.

This CD, and live performances over the past couple of years, give the impression that Carter's voice, in terms of control and stamina, may not be what it once was. She sings quietly at slow to medium tempo, sticking to her middle register and taking no chances physically. The result is a soft and dreamy set, pure Betty and highly satisfying, but definitely a change from the days she used to race along at lightning speed as musicians the caliber of John Hicks, Kenny Washington or Lewis Nash worked hard to keep up with her. Whether this is simply a temporary problem remains to be seen.

Carter has been touring with Mark Shim on tenor, and he appears here along with Andre Hayward, trombone, on all the tunes. Some illustrious alumni of the Carter band include pianists Mulgrew Miller, Benny Green, Stephen Scott, Cyrus Chestnut and Jacky Terrasson, bassists Michael Bowie and Ira Coleman, and drummers Washington, Nash, Wynard Harper and Clarence Penn. In other words, she has an eye for talent, and Shim and Hayward are no exception to her rigorous recruiting standards. They have a full, handsome tone on their respective instruments and solo with taste and strength.

Of the seven tunes here, the ringer is Kurt Weill's "Lonely House," with lyrics by Langston Hughes. Carter's attempt at atmospherics and a "poetic" reading are not memorable Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Useless Landscape" is a lovely tune, and the swaying beat is one that Carter handles well—but she chose, unwisely, to sing it partly in the language in which it was written. You don't have to be fluent to sing a tune in a language not your own, but Carter's attempt at Brazilian Portuguese sounds strained and all wrong. Once she's into the English, though, she's home.

The other songs get typical Carter treatments, somehow managing to be both lush and lean. Unable or unwilling to try for the explosive dynamic contrasts and fiendish tempos that were once her forte, she has streamlined her phrasing, taking her playful way with rhythmic tricks to a calmer level and proving yet again her unwillingness to sing anybody's standard licks but her own. For me the high point of the CD is the title tune, a new one she co-wrote with bassist Curtis Lundy. It's a slow, lyrical scat vehicle, sung in a way that is casual, but casually intense, like a dream, to an accompaniment that starts with a simple cadence and gradually opens up. Before it fades out after almost ten minutes, Carter eases into a couplet from "What's New": "We haven't met since then/Gee, but it's nice to see you again." It's different, surprisingly moving, but wholly unsentimental. That's Betty for you.

Al Grey & Jesper Thilo Quintet - Al Grey & Jesper Thilo Quintet (1987)
EAC | FLAC+CUE+LOG+Artwork -> 310 Mb
Storyville Records/STCD 4136
Bop | Trombone Jazz
Many thanks to my friend, Oceandrop


Descripstion

This studio session in which the great swing trombonist Al Grey leads a fine quintet through a set of mostly standards is exactly what journalist Eddie Cook calls "Happy Jazz" in the liner notes. Grey is right at home with tunes such as "God Bless the Child," "The Girl From Ipanema," and "A Night in Tunisia." The surprise of the session is "On the Sunny Side of the Street," which is played at a slow though compelling pace. Grey came to favor the tenor-bone front line in his small groups, and the Dane, saxophonist Jesper Thilo, does a commendable job as his partner. Thilo's thick, rich tone recalls Coleman Hawkins, a perfect foil to the trombonist's brash, brassy sound. While Grey's best work was performed as a big-band sideman, both with Dizzy Gillespie and Count Basie, his excellent solo work here and in other intimate settings is nonetheless an important part of his discography. His unique tone and style are in full bloom, and this recording should appeal to anyone who enjoys the sound of the jazz trombone in a joyous, no frills, and straight-ahead role.

Antonio Carlos Jobim - Verve Jazz Masters 13 (1994)
EAC | FLAC+CUE+LOG+Artwork -> 320 Mb
Verve/Polygram Records
Bossa Nova | Latin Jazz | World Fusion
Many thanks to my friend, Oceandrop


Descripstion

13th of the Verve Jazz Masters series. Great Jobim's compositions, performed by; Stan Getz, Joao Gilberto, Tommy Williams, Milton Banana, Astrud Gilberto, Claus Ogerman's orchestra, Jimmy Cleveland, Leo Wright, Luiz Bonfa, George Duvivier, Jose Carlos, Paolo Fereira, Maria Toledo, Elis Regina, Cesar Camargo Mariano, Helio Delmiro, Oscar Castro Neves, Luizao Maia, Paolo Braga, Danilo Caymmi, Paul Jobim, Jacques Morelenbaum, Sebastiao Neto, Maucha Adnet, Simone Caymmi, Ana Lontra Jobim, Elizabeth Jobim, Paul Morelenbaum, Cesar Camargo Mariano, Bill Hitchcock, Ohana Braga, and Jobim himself. This compilation includes one nice standard from Gershwin brothers; "Fascinating Rhythm".

Compilation selected and sequenced by, Gene Lees.

Abdullah Ibrahim - Cape Town Flowers (1997)
EAC | FLAC+CUE+LOG+Artwork -> 290 Mb
Tip Toe / Enja Records | Catalog#: TIP-888-826-2
African Jazz | Post-Bop | World Fusion
Many thanks to my friend, Oceandrop


Descripstion

Cape Town Flowers is an enchanting effort from Abdullah Ibrahim, finding the pianist in a trio setting performing 11 original compositions. With the exception of the nine-minute title track and "Monk In Harlem," most of the album's songs clock in at under five minutes, many under four. Each of the pieces is understated, lovely, and nearly dreamlike. The length of the tracks may make Cape Town Flowers seem like a slight record, but the truth is, that very brevity and the way the songs form a sonic tapestry is exactly what makes the record a modest gem.

Bill Frisell - Rambler (1985)
EAC | FLAC+CUE+LOG+Artwork -> 255 Mb
© 2008 ECM Records 1287
Modern Creative | Post-Bop | Guitar Jazz
Many thanks to mishka1981


Descripstion

Guitarist Bill Frisell has always had an ear for unusual tonal colors, and they're particularly strong on this 1984 recording, an early and enduring document of a major musician's work. There's a distinctive emphasis on brass and the lowest registers, with Kenny Wheeler on trumpet and flügelhorn, Bob Stewart on tuba, and Jerome Harris on electric bass; drummer Paul Motian completes the quintet. The thick, bass-heavy textures and contrasting layers of sound give the music an almost orchestral quality, while Frisell and Wheeler's shared love of pitch bending sometimes gives the eerie sense of funhouse mirrors, a dream of sonic and temporal distortion. "Rambler" is a mirthful echo of mariachi music, "Music I Heard" is propelled by unlikely allusions to march rhythms, and "Resistor" has some of Frisell's most animated playing on disc, his guitar synth creating a Pandora's box of unexpected sounds and twisting, mercurial lines.

Vocalist Karrin Allyson stretches herself during this diverse set. A superior jazz singer, Allyson scats quite well during "It Could Happen to You/Fried Bananas" and "Cherokee," sings lyrics in English, French ("Autumn Leaves") and Italian, interprets some fairly current pop tunes, is touching on Thelonious Monk's "Ask Me Now" and is quite memorable on "Joy Spring" and "All of You." With assistance from her fine Kansas City-based rhythm section (led by pianist Paul Smith) and with some worthy guests (including altoist Kim Park, violinist Claude Williams and flugelhornist Mike Metheny), Karrin Allyson shows just how versatile and talented a singer she is. Recommended.

I've been a Katie Melua fan for a while now. I have to say, this is my favorite of her 3 full studio albums. Technically, this is not a new Katie Melua album, but it's new to the States. Kudos to her record company for putting it out here and at such a low price. It's so much better than having to plunk down extra money for the import. Katie Melua is an artist with longevity - her UK career proves that. Pictures is the next chapter in what will be a long journey for a very talented and gifted artist.

Sarah Vaughan - I Love Brazil! (1977)
EAC | FLAC+CUE+LOG+Full Artwork -> 309 Mb
© 1994 Pablo
Vocal Jazz
Many thanks to dominic7018


Descripstion

Sarah Vaughan's recordings during the last phase of her magnificent career weren't always up to her usual standards, but this late-'70s set focusing on Brazilian music was a superb exception. Vaughan sounded as delightful and glorious as ever doing songs by legendary composers Antonio Carlos Jobim and Milton Nascimento and newer voices like Dorival Caymmi, Oscar Castro Neves and Eumir Deodato, among many others. The backing and rhythms weren't Americanized pap, but an accurate reflection of contemporary Brazil's sounds at the time. The CD adds two bonus tracks that weren't on the original, giving listeners the full results of what proved to be one of the great Sarah Vaughan's final studio triumphs.

Max Roach - Percussion Bitter Sweet (1961)
EAC | FLAC+CUE+LOG+Full Artwork -> 277 Mb
© 1993 Impulse GRP GRD-122
Hard Bop | Post-Bop
Many thanks to Obelix, OR


Descripstion

Percussion Bitter Sweet is the most compelling, varied, dynamic snapshot of Max Roach's post-Clifford Brown ensembles. It features the doomed young genius Booker Little on trumpet, the innovative Eric Dolphy on alto and bass clarinet, Clifford Jordan on tenor, Julian Priester on trombone, Mal Waldron on piano and Art Davis on bass. Roach is never content just to mark time. Instead, his drums essay complex metric and polyrhythmic devices, while suggesting keyboard-like counterpoint and melodic motifs, as Davis goads him on with stately walking bass lines. But what makes Percussion Bitter Sweet such a rich, enduring recital is the drummer's colorful use of Afro-Cuban percussion and voice as a powerful multicultural subtext, celebrating the struggles and triumphs of Africans and African Americans (circa 1960) from Harlem (the celebratory "Garvey's Ghost") to Capetown ("Man from South Africa"). Little's darting filigree on the hard-swinging "Mama" is indicative of his breakthroughs in harmony and phrasing, while Dolphy's glorious, airborne flute, fulminating bass clarinet, and torchy, enraged alto enliven the waltzing "Tender Warriors" and the sardonic "Mendacity." On the latter, vocalist Abbey Lincoln's sassy, theatrical phrasing drips bluesy sarcasm in her spanking of a hypocritical racist establishment, setting the stage for Roach's furious, ritualistic rhythmic exorcism. Inspiring stuff.

Sarah Lois Vaughan was an American jazz singer, described by Scott Yanow as having "one of the most wondrous voices of the 20th century". She had a contralto vocal range. Nicknamed "Sailor" (for her salty speech), "Sassy" and "The Divine One", Sarah Vaughan was a Grammy Award winner. The National Endowment for the Arts bestowed upon her its "highest honor in jazz", the NEA Jazz Masters Award, in 1989.

This is the first Peggy Lee CD I bought first I ever heard, and I truly love her voice. The choice of songs is very eclectic. I love the ballads, but the few songs with back-up singers really date the music and spoil their entry into the "timeless" category. Peggy Lee sings free and easy, with a warm tone that really pleases in the ballads. I have taken to calling the guy I'm dating a "handsome brute", because the way she uses that expression in "Please Don't Rush Me" gives me the grins. I think I had rather picked a different album to introduce me to Miss Lee, however. These songs are, after all, the rare gems, and I'd like to experience the albums my parents listened to when they were courting! ~Amazon.com~

Susannah established a reputation for singing songs from the Great American Songbook in her own way. This is never more evident than on this collection of songs written by Cole Porter. Of course, the first thing you notice is the song selection - a typical mix of famous and obscure. It would have been interesting to hear Susannah sing I get a kick out of you, to name one of many obvious songs not included, but instead we get Weren't we fools and Why don't we try staying home - two very obscure but delightful songs that I'd never heard before.

Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong — Autumn In New York (2008)
EAC | FLAC+CUE+LOG+Full Artwork -> 394 Mb
© 2008 Top Music International (UD-SACD8933-2)
Vocal Jazz
Many thanks to Oceandrop


Descripstion

There have been many great Jazz/Soul/Pop collaborations over the decades, like Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell, Otis Redding & Carla Thomas, Roberta Flack & Donnie Hathaway, not to mention other one-time duets or duet albums, but before all of them, the first such match made in music heaven was Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong. She, one of the greatest vocalists of her or any generation, he, a genius musician with a distinct voice like no other and both, groundbreaking innovators and superior artists who paved the way for the worldwide music industry and continue to be two of its greatest giants. Autumn In New York is a new Super Audio CD release of their work together and as usual, it has so much chemistry, joy and smoothness that we will never hear the likes of it or them again.

Lage Lund - Early Songs (2008)
EAC | FLAC+CUE+LOG+Full Artwork -> 372 Mb
© 2008 Criss Cross Jazz 1307
Jazz Straightahead | Mainstream | Guitar Jazz
Many thanks to pajamadeus


Descripstion

Never judge a book (or jazz recording) by its cover, as the inconspicuous album portrait of Lage Lund's Early Songs is little indication of the music's impressive content. From Norway, Lund resides in New York and has performed within traditional boundaries (Mingus Big Band , Wynton Marsalis, Ron Carter) and newly progressive terrains (Jaleel Shaw , Seamus Blake, and David Sanchez). The winner of 2005's Thelonious Monk International Jazz Guitar Competition, Lund's guitar acumen is informed of Pat Metheny, Pat Martino and other greats. Yet, he seeks his own path, as heard in the new breed of jazz guitarists such as Miles Okazaki and Mike Moreno.

This debut on Criss Cross is a good introduction to Lund's tonality and confidence that is well beyond his youth with a mix of originals and standards showing a range of stylistic impressions. Whether it's the progressive "Scrapyard Orchestra," gentle swing on "Poppy" or the crisp remake of Bud Powell's "Celia," the music is immaculate and cohesively delivered by an impressive lineup of jazz contemporaries.

Marcus Strickland 's musical rapport with Lund was witnessed on Strickland's Twi-Life (Strick Muzik, 2006). The saxophonist's vigorous tenor has its usual luster but his soprano also radiates on "About the World in a Bottle" and "Vonnegut," a wicked snaking piece that is one of the recording's highlights. Orlando Le Fleming and Kendrick Scott (bass and drums, respectively) are the rhythmic center, while pianist Danny Grissett is another name to watch as attested by his fantastic solo on Cole Porter's "You Do Something To Me" where Scott's drumming is also quite memorable.

Lund's playing is pristine on "Quiet Now" showing his acute deference for ballads—each note, chord, and movement is melodious. The recording closes with sophistication on "The Incredibly Profound Song." It personifies the auspicious recording to an ironic point. No earth shattering revelation or hyperbolic self indulgence; just some seriously intelligent and appealing music from an unpretentious yet exceptional musician.

Baguettes Ensemble - The Vocaloid Jazz Sessions Vol.1 (2010)
EAC | APE+no CUE+no LOG+Artwork -> 390 Mb
Contemporary Jazz

Susannah McCorkle - No More Blues (1989)