New Jazz Adds – 3/19/2018
New Jazz Adds – 3/19/2018
Mica Bethea Big Band – Suite Theory (Self-produced): Mica Bethea is a jazz composer. This is his third release and the first for a big band. The players are Greg Balut, Dave Champagne, Daniel Rollan and Ray Callender (trumpets); Michael Dease, Diego Herrrada “de la Vega” Ventura, and Lance Reed (trombones); Gina “Badeedah” Benalcazar (bass trompone); Todd DelGiudice (alto, tenor, soprano sax); Daniel Dickinson (alto, soprano sax, flute); Juan Carlos Rollan (tenor, alto sax, flute); Jose Rojas (tenor, alto sax, clarionet); Seth Ebersole (bari sax, bass clarinet); Josh Bolus (piano, Rhodes); James Hogan (guitar); Dennis Marks (bass); John Lumpkin Jr (drums); and Terry “Doc” Handy. The performance is solid throughout: terrific interaction and song development. Click here to listen to samples of the songs on this disc.
Raoul Bjorkenheim eCsTaSy – Doors Of Perception (Cuneiform): This is the third release from Bjorkenheim’s eCsTaSy, a truly open and adventurous set of musicians. In addition to Bjorkenheim on guitar, the band features Markku Ounaskari (drums), Jori Huhtala (bass) and Pauli Lyytinen (sax). The music is pretty melodic but it does frequently push at the edges. The communication is quite strong and seems to reach out to the audience and pull them to the edge and then guiding them back toward more familiar or comfortable listening. Highly recommended for fans of somewhat outside fusion but not a full assault. It also features very interesting rhythms, recalling John McLaughlin’s Mahavishu Orchestra and some of the gentler Tony Williams’ excursions. Click here to listen to samples of the songs on this disc.
Calle Mambo Project – See The Light (Self-produced): Arranger/composer/producer/pianist Mike Eckroth sought to collect a group of songs from the catalogues of such soul jazz groups as “Earth, Wind and Fire” and George Duke and by giving each a Latin slant revitalize these popular songs. He also included two of his own compositions. The players are Christopher Smith (drums), Ruben Rodriguez (bass), Mauricio Herrera (congas timbales), Cristian Rivera (congas), Carlos Padron (timbales), Ivan Renta (saxes), Chris Washburne and Noah Bless (trombone), Alex Norris and Dennis Hernandez (trumpets), Morgan Price (bari sax), Itah Kriss (flute), Dave Lavender, Greg Diamond, Richard Padron, and Pete McCann (guitars), and numerous singers, including Tom Bowes (Tower of Power alum), Pepito Gomez, Janetza Miranda, Layla Davias, Syndee Winters, and Jainardo Bastista with special guest, John Dandy Rodriguez (percussion). The performance is tight and lively throughout. Click here to listen to samples of the songs on this disc.
Emmet Cohen – Masters Legacy Series, Vol. 2 (Cellar Live): This is a delightful performance by pianist Emmet Cohen, a player who is catching quite a few ears with his style and appreciation of the older styles as well. He is collaborating with Ron Carter (bass) and Evan Sherman (drums) on this live performance and the match could not be better. The interplay between Carter and Cohen is fantastic. The song choices include standards, like Cole Porter’s “All Of You”, a salute to the compositions of Cedar Walton, three of Ron Carter’s compositions and a traditional yiddish song. On top of that, this disc is 70 minutes long with very little talking. Click here for commentary by Ron Carter and for segments of playing by the trio.
The Flying Horse Big Band – The Bat Swings! (Flying Horse): From the University of Central Florida, the Flying Horse Big Band, directed by Jeff Rupert (also plays tenor sax) strikes out on a bat mission to blow all jokers aside. All but two of the songs on this disc were composed by Nelson Riddle. The band members are Luther Burke (bass), Courtland Beyer, Aidan Lakshman, Marco Rivera and Taylor Grubbs (trumpet), Gus D’Angelo (drums), Saul Dautch (bari sax), Andy Garcia, Juwan Murphy and Brian Morris (trombone), Dylan Hannan (tenor sax), Matt Kerr and Christian Herrera (trombone), Mudel Honore (piano, organ), Kristian Rey (alto sax, flute), Dylan Young (alto sax) and Ryan Waszmer (guitar) with special guests Justin Diaz (trumpet), Richard Drexler (Hammond organ), Jeff Moore (bongos) and Marty Morell (vibes, percussion). Click here to listen to samples of the songs on this disc.
Keith Jarrett / Gary Peacock / Jack DeJohnette – After The Fall (ECM): Here’s a surprise from Keith Jarrett – a full concert of standards. Always a melodic player, he selected such songs as “Scrapple From The Apple”, “Autumn Leaves”, “Doxy” and “When I Fall In Love” as the center of the performance. With Gary Peacock (bass) and Jack DeJohnette (drums) everything flows beautifully. The performance actually took place twenty years ago, but it still sounds fresh and reminds us that players like these cover so many avenues so well. They truly cerebrate the vastness of that thing we call “jazz”. Click here to listen to samples of the songs on this set.
Mike Jones / Penn Jillette – The Show Before The Show (Capri): Pianist Mike Jones and bassist / magician Penn Jillette of Penn and Teller offer their first recording of music they perform preceding the Penn And Teller magic show. The idea arose from the notion that live music would be far more entertaining for audiences who were arriving early to eat or wait for the show. Jones is a dazzling pianist and Penn, a long-time electric bass player has made a terrific change to the upright. The material here is primarily standards like the Gershwin’s “But Not For Me”, but they also play “Corcovado” (Jobim) as well a Mike Jones’ original composition. Really dazzling performances here! I regret I am unable to find a sample from this disc.
George Kahn – Straight Ahead (Playing Records): West Coast pianist George Kahn offers his ninth release and his description of the disc is: “STRAIGHT AHEAD is just what it sounds like: The songs are melodic and catchy, the feel is contemporary yet classic.” (CD Baby listing) Most are dedications to great musicians like Wynton Kelly, Joe sample and Dave Brubeck among others. He accompanied by Alex Acuna (drums) and Lyman Medeiros (bass) and they form a wonderfully tight and sympathetic unit. Absolutely recommended to trio and or straight ahead West Coast jazz. Click here to listen to samples of the songs on this disc.
Michael Morreale – MilesSong: The Music Of Miles Davis (PepJack): Trumpeter Michael Morreale is a veteran trumpeter who recorded and toured with Joe Jackson for six years for such releases as “Body & Soul”, “Live 1980-86”, “Will Power” and “Night Music”. His major influence was Miles Davis as is fully documented by this double disc. He plays keys on “Bitches Brew” and trumpet throughout and is supported by Tony Regusis (piano, Fender Rhodes), Bill Moring (bass) and Tim Horner (drums, percussion). He covers personal favorites, all recorded by Davis, including standards like “I Thought About You” and “My Funny Valentine” to Miles’ powerful electric jazz like “Spanish Key”, “All Blues” and “Bitches Brew / Flamenco Sketches”. Click here to listen to samples of the songs on this set.
John Proulx – Say It (artistShare): Singer / pianist John Proulx began learning his musical endeavors on the piano and began his career on the keys. In fact, he eventually became Melissa Manchester’s pianist and began a trio for off times. As people began to hear him sing, however, he found that he had many more requests for him to sing. He is often compared to Chet Baker, though I would say his singing is somewhat more stylized than Baker’s. In addition to his piano, Proulx is supported by Chuck Berghofer (bass), Joe LaBarbera (drums), Larry Koonse (guitar), Bob Sheppard (sax), Billy Hulting (percussion) and the Gina Kranstadt Strings quartet. His old boss Melissa Manchester is a guest singer as well. As for the music itself, Proulx does a mixture of the Great American Songbook, such as Loesser and McHugh’s “Say It”, more recent gems like “Something To Live For” (Ellington-Strayhorn) and a great duet with Melissa Manchester on their own composition, “Stained Glass”. Proulx also does some nice scatting on Michael Franks’ “Scatsville”. Click here for an introduction from Proulx himself.
Jay Rodriguez – Your Sound (Whaling City Sound): Jay Rodriguez (tenor, alto, soprano sax, flute, soprano & bass clarinet) has played with numerous jazz giants, including Ray Barretto, David Murray and John Zorn, and now offers his first release as a leader. He recruited Billy Harper (tenor sax), Larry Willis (piano), Eric Wheeler (bass), Billy Martin (percussion) and J.T. Lewis (drums) for this disc and the collective works together quite well. This is a live recording and though there are a few ragged moments, the melange of tunes this group was improvising more than makes up for the breakdowns. Five of the ten songs are Rodriguez’s compositions and two are from the Great American Songbook. Rodriguez doesn’t necessarily play the melody until later into the performance and when he uncovers the original melody, it can certainly bring a smile. I personally found the Afro-Cuban related songs to be the most compelling, but if you are interested in post-bop with a twist, there is plenty to like here. Very little is difficult listening and there is a lot of wonderful playing. Click here to listen to a sample of the songs “Clouds” from this disc.
Bill Warfield Big Band – For Lew (Planet Arts): Trumpeter, composer, and arranger Bill Warfield is the head of a large band that focuses on the wide array of sounds and styles available to a big band. In the liner notes, two colleagues and historians offer praise for the depth and breadth of Warfield’s big band for its depth and versatility. At the same time, this disc is dedicated to the late great Lew Soloff, who played with Blood, Sweat and Tears among others and had great influence on many younger players. In addition to Warfield’s several compositions, the band plays songs from Tin Pan Alley to composers Lee Morgan, Dave Brubeck, John Coltrane, Charles Mingus and Wayne Shorter. Needless to say, there is solid versatility on the part of the players and the band as a whole. Click here to listen to samples of the songs on this disc.
Kopasetically,
Professor Bebop
