New Jazz Adds – 4/23/2019

New Jazz Adds – 4/23/2019

Betty Carter – The Music Never Stops (Blue Engine): Betty Carter (1929-1998) was one of the most incredible jazz singers of all time. Her singing style was a hybrid of scat and vocalese that was as up to the present unique. Though not the household name like Ella Fitzgerald or Billie Holiday, her style is singular in its qualities as the purest blend of the instrumental and vocal styles. She commented, “I want serious but I also want you to smile. And I want you to laugh! I want the whole thing, the WHOLE THING.” (Liner notes) This disc illustrates her accomplishment to the fullest. She fronted both a small group and a big band: Geri Allen and/or Cyrus Chestnut (piano), Ariel Roland (bass) and Greg Hutchinson or Clarence Penn (drums) or the Big Band with Jerry Dodgion and Rick Wald (alto sax), Alex Foster and Lou Marini (tenor sax), Joe Temperley (bari sax), Art Baron, Robin Eubanks and Joe Randazzo (trombones), Lew Soloff, Earl Gardner, Ron Tooley and Kamau Adilifu (trumpet), John Hicks (piano), Lisle Atkinson (bass) and Kenny Washington (drums) with occasional string backing by Jeanne LeBlanc, Akua Dixon, Julie Green and Bruce wang (cello) and John Bell and Dave Finck (bass). It all took place in Lincoln Center on March 29, 1992. Click here to listen to one song from this concert.

John Coltrane – The Prestige Recordings – ’58 Sampler (Craft/Prestige): This sampler gives a teaser of a much larger set being released at this time. “Craft’s 2019 set Coltrane ’58: The Prestige Recordings benefits from its narrow focus. Concentrating entirely on Coltrane’s sessions as a leader during 1958, this box — available either as a five-CD or eight-LP set — marches through the year, presenting each session in chronological order. Even if this music is firmly anchored in swinging hard bop, this sequencing highlights Coltrane’s rapid evolution.” (https://www.allmusic.com/album/coltrane-58-the-prestige-recordings-mw0003251594) The sampler offers eight selections: “Lush Life”, “Lover Come Back To Me”, “Stardust”, “Good Bait”, “Nakatini Serenade”, “Theme For Ernie”, “Russian Lullaby” and “I Want To Talk About You”, none of which were his compositions, but which show where he was at this stage of his career. The players behind him include Donald Byrd (trumpet), Red Garland (piano), Wilbur Hardin (flugelhorn), Paul Chambers (bass) and Louis Haynes, Art Taylor or Jimmy Cobb (drums). This collection documents the begins of Coltrane’s career as a leader. Click here for a teaser.

Tom Harrell – Infinity (HighNote): Tom Harrell (trumpet, flugelhorn, composer) has been described as “a living, breathing  melody”. (Liner notes) He is also a prolific composer and wrote all of the songs on this release. The variety of songs on offer here is delightful as well. Harrell is accompanied by Mark Turner (tenor sax), Charles Altura (electric and acoustic guitar), Ben Street (bass), and Johnathan Blake (drums) with Adam Cruz adding percussion on one song. At first, the disc seems like a mild breeze, but soon the listener realizes that more and more of these mellow tunes are demanding additional plays. This is truly a fine release that offers the call to listeners and those who pay attention will surely be rewarded. Click here to listen to five songs from this disc.

William Hooker – Cycle Of Restoration (FPE): “Revolutionary drummer William Hooker leads a new trio with Mark Kirschenmann, trumpet, and Joel Peterson, bass. This set recorded live in one take at Trinosphes in Detroit MI starts at the bottom with no apparent leverage, in an hour of constant upheaval overturning the possibilities of music. Deceptively serene out of the zero code, you soon realize that your mind has been retuned to a new understanding of reality: reach into the part that psilocybin touches, without acid, and see the same tables, the same trees, the same windows and walls but now knowing that while these endure the human structures that imprison the self will fall away.
“Leading from the kit with long streams of felted cymbals, Hooker reveals a new chapter of his eternal unfolding, one that will surprise even those who have followed him these 40-some years. Cycle of Restoration is a revelation of renewal with SE MI pillars Kirschenmann and Peterson filling peals, clangs and scrapes.
“We ascend. Climb. We continue walking this way up, realizing this progress. Where do we go when we reach the top? How do we entertain the idea of a reality that moves in a circle? Not gone, just unfolded. Cycle of Restoration. Revolutionary, for the mind, means we revolve. These sounds bring us full circle.” (https://www.isrbx.com/3137704738-william-hooker-cycle-of-restoration-2019.html) This review truly captures the triumph and enigma of this release. I regret I am unable to find a sample of this disc.

Quiana Lynell – A Little Love (Concord Jazz): Quiana Lynell’s singing style has been described in many ways, given her command of gospel, blues, jazz and soul. Her sound certainly is enhanced by her obvious drive to celebrate all of these styles. In creating this disc, she has selected songs composed by Donny Hathaway, Duke Ellington, George and Ira Gershwin, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weill and Irma Thomas mixed with gospel and jazz. She also has support from Cyrus Chestnut (piano, Fender Rhodes), Ed Cherry (guitar), George Delancey (bass) and a variety of background singers. The bottom line is that Lynell creates her own blend without copying any one specific performance. This is a fabulous performance throughout! Click here to listen to “What Is Love?Just A Little Lovin’”, “A Little Love”, “Move Me No Mountain”, “What Is Love” and “Sing Out, March On”.

Ashley Pezzotti – We’ve Only Just Begun (Self-produced): At 23, singer/lyricist Ashley Pezzotti offers her first full disc. She and tenor sax player Alex Weitz co-composed seven of the songs on the disc and Pezzotti has added or changed some lyrics to connect the standards to press her feelings more accurately. Those titles include “Darn That Dream”, “We’ve Only Just Begun” and “Just One Of Those Things” In addition to Weitz, the musical setting is completed by Emmet Cohen (piano), Bob Bruya (bass) and Kyle Poole (drums). With such great style and voice, I feel certain we’ll hear a great deal more from her during the coming years. Click here to sample a song from this disc.

Eric Reed – Everybody Gets The Blues (Smoke Sessions): Eric Reed opens up with the title song and though we would all have to agree with that statement, everyone does not respond in the same way. What Reed has done on this release is express the blues in a way that makes every moment a delight. Not only is his blues playing right in the bullseye, but his combinations like connecting one of his originals, “Cedar Waltszin’” with Stevie Wonder’s “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing” are absolutely delightful. Reed plays piano and Fender Rhodes and is accompanied by Tim Green (alto, soprano sax), Mike Gurrola (bass) and McClenty Hunter (drums). Four songs are originals and the covers include “Naima” (Coltrane), “Martha’s Prize” (Cedar Walton) and “Up Jumped Spring” (Freddie Hubbard) and another medley, “Yesterday-Yesterdays” (Lennon & McCartney-Jerome Kern & Otto Harbach). Click here and scroll down to listen to samples of the songs on this disc.

Scott Robinson – Tenormore (Arbors Records): “One of today’s most wide-ranging instrumentalists, Scott Robinson has been heard on tenor sax with Buck Clayton’s band, on trumpet with Lionel Hampton’s quintet, on alto clarinet with Paquito D’Rivera’s clarinet quartet, and on bass sax with the New York City Opera. On these and other instruments including theremin and ophicleide, he has been heard with a cross-section of jazz’s greats representing nearly every imaginable style of the music, from Braff to Braxton.” (http://jazzbarisax.com/baritone-saxophonists/avant-garde/scott-robinson/) On this release, Robinson revisits the tenor. In fact, this is his original tenor – “the silver 1924 Conn that he discovered in a Maryland antique shop in 1975 and has played ever since.” (https://jazzchill.blogspot.com/2019/04/multi-instrumentalist-scott-robinson.html) He is accompanied by Helen Sung (piano, Hammond B3), Dennis Mackrel (drums) and Martin Wind (bass) with Sharon Robinson adding flute on one song. Half of the songs are original compositions and the remainder range from Lennon & McCartney’s “And I Love Her” to “The Nearness of You” (Carmichael) and “Put On A Happy Face” (Adam and Strouse). This is a delightful tribute to the saxophone and the terrific range Robinson commands. Click here for an introduction to this disc by Robinson.

Ellen Rowe Octet – Momentum – Portraits Of Women In Motion (Smokin’ Sleddog): Composer/pianist/educator Ellen Rowe dedicates this disc to her selection of amazing and important women across the years, including Sojourner Truth, Joan Benoit Samuelson and other dedicated athletes, composer/pianist Geri Allen, Michelle Obama, Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey, Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova, and Rowe’s mother. She has also gathered a terrific band of terrific musicians who are inspirations in their field: Tia Fuller (alto sax), Virginia Mayhew (tenor sax), Lisa Parrott (bari sax), Janelle Reichman (clarinet), Ingrid Jensen (trumpet), Melissa gardiner (trobone), Marion Hayden and Marlene Rosenberg (alternating on bass) and Allison Miller (drums). This is a terrifically tight and flowing performance. Click here to listen to the songs on this disc.

Ben Schenck – Let The Music Play You (PanoramaLandNOLA.com): The Panorama Jazz Band aka Panorama Brass Band seems to be one and the same with players Antoine Diel, Ben Ellman, Meryl Zimmerman and Jane Harvey Brown listed but no indication what they play. The sound is old time Dixieland interpretations of a variety of styles identified as “Balkan Brass” to Klezmer, Ragtime, and more descriptions of the original songs done in old time jazz. Click here to listen to the opening song, “Boki 13”.

Jim Snidero – Waves Of Calm (Savant): Jim Snidero grew up just outside of Washington, D.C. and began concentrating on saxophone. He studied with Phil Woods and eventually with Dave Liebman. He headed to New York after joining Brother Jack McDuff’s band and recording three albums with him. He subsequently joined the Mingus Big Band, the Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra, and Eddie Palmieri, before recording as a leader. This release appears to be his seventh as a leader and it is a study he undertook in honor of his father and his struggle with Parkinson’s disease. Much of the music is representative of styles his father appreciated. Snidero is accompanied by Orrin Evans (piano, Rhodes), Nat Reeves (bass) and Jonathan Barber (drums) with Jeremy Pelt adding trumpet on four of eight songs. Click here to listen to the title song.

Dave Zinno Unisphere – Stories Told (Whaling City Sound): Bassist Dave Zinno and the  Unisphere, featuring Mike Tucker (tenor sax), Eric “Benny” Bloom (trumpet, flugelhorn), Tim Ray (piano) and Rafael Barata (drums) nine songs featuring three Zinno and two compositions by Tucker with four covers. The group performs with energy and very nice interplay. They are solid in the jazz tinged with a Latin center category “… the Brazilian/Latin tributary: electric, funky, passionate, and rhythmic…. The performance is a passionate ode to the band’s multicultural vision.” (http://johnsuszpodiatry.net/3137709109-dave-zinno-unisphere-stories-told-2019-hi-res.html) It’s a solid outing on all counts. Click here and scroll down to listen to samples of the songs on this disc.

Kopasetically,

Professor Bebop

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