jazz adds may 20, 2015
Author: Ann Porotti
jesse cook. one world. eOne. Spoiler alert: i ♥nuevo flamenco; ever since wtju jazz librarian david lee burned me my first jesse cook cd, and said i bet you’ll like this. yes, sir! this puppy is gypsy kings with strings ( multiple violins, cello, viola) plus musical playmates, mr. sitar and ms. djembe. and though the rawness of the gypsy vocals is m.i.a. , the melodies abound. turns out, jesse cook , son of canadian parents, spent his adolescence in southern France, city of Arles, and that wonderful wetland called the Camargue; his neighbor was nicolas reyes, one of the gypsy kings. the kid learned from the source.
the kandinsky effect. somnambulist. cuneiform. Friendly offering from our helpful avant-gardists @ cuneiform; instruments used are a (dynamite) saxophone–warren walker; a bass–gael petrina; and drums–caleb dolister. and of course, all three players are facile with “effects.” Paris meets New York, or joshua redman jams with the roots say my marketing quotes. no prohibitions against enjoyment; big sound from a modest trio.
cyrus chestnut. a million colors in your mind. highnote. Gleaming pianist out of the betty carter accompanist brotherhood (marc cary, benny green), cyrus chestnut takes standards and finds new ways into their mystery. here we have lionel ritchie’s hello, strayhorn’s day dream and johnny mandel’s a time for love. plus chestnut’s solo version of polka dots and moonbeams. with victor lewis@drums + david williams on bass.
jerry bergonzi. rigamaroll. savant. Quintet led by veteran tenor player jerry bergonzi–saxophone chair to the dave brubeck quartet back in the 1980’s. all original compositions showcase the affinities of bergonzi and trumpeter phil grenadier; with bruce barth on piano; dave santoro, bass; and andrea michelutti@drums.
harvie s + sheryl bailey. plucky strum. whaling city sound. Acoustic bass (harvie s.) and acoustic guitar (sheryl bailey)–something akin to the bill evans/jim hall 1960’s duos. but here there is also a tendency to invade the bossa nova groove–to bea, + broken glass. Mellow, clear, delicate lines.
kyle eastwood. time pieces. jazz village. Bassist/composer kyle eastwood working with a European band explores cinematic scores plus hard and lyrical bops. with brandon allen, sax; quentin collins, trumpet, flugel; andrew mccormack, piano; ernesto simpson@drums.
greg ruby & the rhythm runners. washington hall stomp. self. The music of Seattle music pioneer frank waldron (1920’s cornetist , leader of the odean jazz orchestra) gets a face-lift from the rhythm runners, led by guitarist greg ruby. the sound is Parisian le hot club, and members–dennis lightman, clarinet; gordon au, trumpet; charlie halloran, trombone; julian macdonough@drums; cassidy holden, bass– mix up the compositions of waldron with ruby’s own. much energy and bright arrangements.
wes montgomery. in the beginning. resonance. Vast 26-track two cd set of early wes montgomery recordings from Indianapolis and Chicago circa 1949-1958. some of it is pretty rarified, and the sound quality varies, but the raw talent of this self-taught guitarist is stunning. with alonzo “pookie” johnson playing smokey tenor; buddy montgomery & douglas duke & melvin rhyne sharing the piano. elegant archival package–photos + anecdotes– from resonance records.
soft machine. Switzerland, 1974. cuneiform. An historic performance in 1974 @ Montreaux Jazz Festival by the UK jazz fusion headliner, soft machine. much of this iconography is lost on my missing psychedelic chromosome, but jump on these (there are 2 cds) if this is your calling. personnel include allan holdsworth, guitar; karl jenkins, keys, reeds; mike ratledge, keys, ; roy babbington, electric 6-string bass; john marshall, drums+.
dan brubeck. celebrating the music and lyrics of dave & iola brubeck. blue forest. Somewhat of a vanity project by drummer dan brubeck (son of dave and iola) working with recently discovered lyrics to the brubeck songbook. tony foster, piano; steve kaldestad, saxophone; adam thomas, bass + vocals, dan brubeck@drums. there are 2 cds.
wild bill davison. the jazz giants. sackville. Plain, old-fashioned and wonderful. wild bill from Defiance , Ohio played cornet from the 1940’s into the late 60’s when this cd was recorded. American songbook playlist, recorded live @ Toronto’s Colonial Tavern. jazz giants include herb hall, clarinet; benny morton, trombone; claude hopkins, very cool piano; arvell, shaw, bass; buzzy drootin@drums.
motor city jazz octet. beyond words. empire venture. As many as thirty of Detroit’s great jazz musicians belong to the collective known as motor city jazz octet, but only eight play at a time. on their current recording joe syrian @ drums, steve wood + mark berger, bari & alto sax; mike rumbell, trombone; gary schunk, piano; steve carryer, guitar; don lewandowski & andrew lloyd, bass. standards.
