New Jazz Adds – 1/24/2017
New Jazz Adds – 1/24/2017
Michael Dease – All These Hands (Posi-Tone): Trombonist Michael Dease presents his compositions tracing the spread and development of jazz across the nation, while taking his inspiration from Langston Hughes: “A long time ago, an enslaved people heading toward freedom made up a song….” The story begins in “Creole Country” and travels to the Midwest and up the Eastern Seaboard. Dease traces the stylistic shifts with a dozen original compositions. Musicians include Renee Rosnes (piano); Gerald Cannon, Rodney Whitaker and Rufus Reid (alternating on bass); Lewis Nash (drums); Steve Wilson (flute, alto sax, soprano sax); Etienne Charles (flugelhorn, trumpet); Randy Napoleon (guitar); Jason Hainsworth and Dan Pratt (tenor sax). Musicians shift in and out of the ensemble, creating changes in texture as well as style. It’s a melodious and interesting project. Click here to listen to samples of the songs on the disc.
Brandi Disterheft – Blue Canvas (Justin Time): Bassist / composer / singer Brandi Disterheft has played in the Canadian Pops Orchestra and understudied with Ron Carter. She composed four of the eleven songs on this disc and tackles compositions by Jon Hendricks and Bobby Timmons (“Dis Here”), Tad Dameron (“Our Delight”) and two by Clifford Brown (“Daahoud” and “George’s Dilemma”). She has a terrific voice and is a solid bassist. A quote on her web page by Oscar Peterson says it all : “She is what we call serious.” Disterheft is supported by Harold Mabern (piano) and Joe Farnsworth (drums). Click here to listen to a sample track.
Peter Erskine & The Dr. Um Band – Second Opinion (Fuzzy Music): Veteran drummer Peter Erskine pulled together a quartet featuring John Beasley (keys), Bob Sheppard (saxes, flutes), and Benjamin Shepherd (bass); worked out some originals – three from Beasley, two from Sheppard and one of his own; and then gathered a few oldies to round it all out. The band is tight, whether swinging or bringing the funk. Check out the grooviest version of “Willow Weep For Me” I’ve ever heard! This is a really good disc that will keep you tapping your toes while offering a few surprises and reminding you of Erskine’s groovier days in Weather Report. I regret I am not able to find any samples from this disc.
Dizzy Gillespie & Friends – Concert Of The Century: A Tribute To Charlie Parker (Justin Time): November 24, 1980 was the night that Dizzy Gillespie and friends offered this stunning tribute to Mr. Bebop. Gillespie was in terrific form and the other musicians were ready to make a statement as well. The band members were Ray Brown (bass), Milt Jackson (vibes), Hank Jones (piano), Philly Joe Jones (drums) and James Moody (tenor sax, flute). Spirits were high and the performance alternated between fun and artistically stunning. Click here to listen to segments of the songs from this performance.
Harmonious Wail – Gypsy Swing (Naxos World): The title says it all: Harmonious Wail present 76 minutes of gypsy jazz, paying tribute to the music’s greatest musician Django Reinhardt and to the style itself. The group includes Sims Delaney-Porthoff (mandolin, tenor guitar), Maggie Delaney-Porthoff (vocals, cardboard box), Tom Wasselchuk (guitar), Henry Boehm (bass), Randy Hoecherl (violin), Brian Erickson (accordion), and Todd Steward (drums, congas). A fitting tribute to Django’s spirit and style and it’s fun! Originally released in 2003. Click here to listen to samples of the songs on this disc.
Harmonious Wail – The Vegan Zombie’s Lament (Bufflehead): This is a 2010 release by Harmonious Wail and the songs are much more in a folksy swing mode than the preceding disc. They do a very nice job in this style and the two originals are especially clever. The group is largely intact as well: Sims Delaney-Porthoff (mandolin, ukulele, tenor guitar, vocals), Maggie Delaney-Porthoff (vocals, cardboard box, percussion, melodica), and Tom Wasselchuk (guitar, pedal steel, vocals) are still here and are augmented by Matt Rodgers (bass, vocals). Click here to listen to samples of the songs on this disc.
Randy Johnston 3 (featuring Jonah Kane-West) – Shockwave (Small World): Local guitarist / singer Randy Johnston has released 12 albums as a leader and has appeared on dozens of recordings with other top recording artists. He has toured and played with some of the most acclaimed names in jazz, including Lionel Hampton, Houston Person and Etta Jones, Lonnie Smith, and played for 17 years as a regular member of the Lou Donaldson Quartet. Johnston’s group includes Jonah Kane-West (organ) and John Hanks (drums) with producer Bobby Read joining in on sax on several songs. Johnston sings half of the songs. Click here to check out several songs from the disc.
Hod O’Brien – Hod O’Brien Meets Sal Nistico – Live From The Netherlands! (Self-produced): This performance at the “Porgy & Bess Club” in Terneuzen on December 13, 1986, features the late Hod O’Brien (piano) with Sal Nistico (tenor sax), Harry Emmery (bass) and John Engels (drums). The selections range from Charlie Parker’s “Quasimodo” and Sonny Rollins’ “Airegin” to classics from Jimmy van Heusen and Johnny Burke’s “But Beautiful” and Victor Herbert and Al Dubin’s “Indian Summer”. The performance truly flows and O’Brien is in terrific form, including wonderful runs and dazzling precision. Click here for a sample. WAIT FOR IT!
Jimmy Scott – I Go Back Home: A Story About Hoping And Dreaming (River): This disc was, indeed, a labor of love. First of all, jazz is probably the only music environment that would treasure a talent such as his. Scott was fairly popular during the 1940s and recorded numerous songs that were generally listed as jazz (and occasionally as rhythm & blues) performances. “His unusual singing voice was due to Kallmann syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that limited his height to four feet eleven inches until the age of 37, when he grew eight inches. The syndrome prevented him from reaching puberty and left him with a high voice.” (Wikipedia) When possible, he continued to record and perform throughout his life. The sound and style of his voice, his unique adult interpretations, and the acceptance of many jazz artists kept him performing. This disc is a tribute to him with many of the duets having been recorded before he died in 2014. Those performing with Scott on this disc are Joey DeFrancesco (keys), Kenny Baron (piano), Till Bronner (trumpet), Arturo Sandoval (flugelhorn), George Maret (harmonica), and vocalists Joe Pesci, Oscar Castro Neves, Renee Ousted, Dee Dee Bridgewater, and Monica Mancini. The title of the disc is the title of a film about Scott’s life. Click here for a preview.
Ben Sidran – Picture Him Happy (Nardis): Ben Sidran has been cutting records since the early 70s basically looking at the hip side or thought around topic or events. There are a few shining examples of the best he’s done on this new offering. “Too Much Too Late (What Mose Said)” and “Faking It” particularly stand out given their wit and wisdom, but there are more. Sidran (piano, vocals) is joined by Will Lee (bass, backing vocals), Leo Sidran (drums, vibes, backing vocals), Will Bernard (guitar), John Ellis and James Moody (sax), Moses Patrou (percussion, backing vocals) and Trixie Waterbed (backing vocals). If you want to get into the laid back groovy, this is a good choice. Click here to listen to the songs on this disc.
Curtis Stigers w/ The Danish Radio Big Band – One More For The Road (Concord Jazz): Vocalist Curtis Stigers began his recording career in the early 90’s. Though he had interest in being a rock singer, Stigers found that jazz / pop singing was his most successful endeavor. At this stage, Stigers’ voice is reminiscent of later Sinatra slightly blended with a touch of Tony Bennett. This performance is live with backing by the Danish Radio Big Band. Stigers opens with “Come Go With Me” and includes the standards from the American songbook as written by Cole Porter, Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn, and the Gershwins among others. Click here to listen to songs from this disc.
Kopasetically,
Professor Bebop
