Friday, October 22, 2010

2 Sem. 2010 - Part Thirteen

Alice Claire Ranieri Quartet
Every Song




by Laura Mancini per Jazzitalia
Un quartetto nato nel 2005 che si auto-presenta con modestia come un gruppo di amici/studenti (la sezione ritmica che accompagna Alice Claire è in realtà composta da elementi di provata esperienza), che "credono nella loro crescita collettiva, amano trascorrere il tempo insieme e perdersi nella gioia di suonare il jazz". Alice Claire Ranieri Quartet incide con la label Philology il secondo album, intitolato "Every song", omaggiando il Federico Garcia Lorca delle "primeras canciones" (1927) e proponendo i suoi versi, tradotti in inglese: "Every song is the remains of a love. / Every light is the remains of a time. A Knot of time. / And every sigh is the remains of a cry."
Alice Claire colpisce immediatamente per la sua voce melodiosa dalla timbrica fresca, che non suona già troppo sentita; non punta sulla potenza e sembra divertirsi senza sosta con lo scat. L’album si apre con una magnifica interpretazione di "Blue Eyes" (di cui è presente anche un video clip che ritrae la cantante in un misto di candore e voluttuosità), dove Frascaroli non si limita ad accompagnare al piano ed arrangia uno splendido pezzo, probabilmente la punta di diamante di tutto il cd, tratteggiando variazioni dinamiche della melodia. "Every Song" è invece speditissimo e vede alternarsi ai versi di Gracia Lorca, lo scat giocoso della cantante, con gli assolo raffinati di Cesare al contrabbasso e di Frascaroli al piano, fino a quello conclusivo del batterista Di Renzo. La terza traccia è un medley che lega elegantemente "Soneto del amor obscuro" di Frascaroli e lo standard "On Green Dolphin Street" in un’atmosfera noir che sfuma a tratti in tonalità più serene e consente alla voce della Ranieri di farsi più "femminile" dando un diverso colore all’interpretazione.
Passando per il mood spensierato di "The Good Life" (con l’intervento di Piero Masciarelli alla chitarra elettrica) e per quello rilassato e romantico di "Good morning heartache", si giunge all’attacco improvviso di "Black Nile" affidato allo scat scoppiettante della vocalist che crea anche un testo semplice e breve giocando sui termini "blue" e "black". Il brano multiforme è eseguito in una versione "frizzante" e contiene un ottimo assolo di Cesare al contrabbasso che disegna melodie per certi versi contrastate dagli accordi ripetuti al piano da Frascaroli. Lo standard romantico e sognante "Bewitched, bothered and bewildered" ci mostra una Ranieri dolce ed emozionante che non teme il confronto Ella Fitzgerlald e tante altre interpreti da cui lo abbiamo ascoltato. Il lungo assolo di Di Renzo alla batteria avvia invece il medley che chiude l’album: apre con un "canto/parlato" dai tempi mutevoli Alice Claire ed è poi il piano di Frascaroli a presentarci la melodia di questo "King of Harlem" da lui composto su ispirazione dei versi di Garcia Lorca. Dopo un lungo spazio lasciato a piano e contrabbasso, la Ranieri interpreta con tutta la sua carica blues le parole che Oscar Brown Jr. scrisse sull’ultima strofa di "All Blues" di Miles Davis, rendendole, ancora una volta, nuove e personali.


Alberto Varaldo & Luigi Martinale
Radio Waves




by Franco Bergoglio per Jazzitalia
Radio waves è l'ultimo lavoro discografico del duo torinese composto da Alberto Varaldo all'armonica cromatica e da Luigi Martinale al pianoforte. Questi è anche impegnato nelle vesti di compositore (con un lungo curriculum come membro fondatore dei Jazzinaria e collaborazioni con Alfredo Ponissi, Architorti, Emanuele Cisi e Fabrizio Bosso).
Alberto Varaldo dopo studi classici di pianoforte, arrangiamento e improvvisazione jazz con Mark Harris e Franco D'andrea, temporaneamente impossibilitato a suonare il pianoforte scopre l'armonica. Sono i casi della vita… Diviene solista apprezzato in ambito internazionale, si dedica allo studio dell'armonica Cromatica riscoprendo la tradizione di questo strumento nella musica classica e nel jazz (con gli incontri-lezioni assieme al decano dell'Armonica Jazz Jean "Toots" Thielemans) e si afferma in Italia ed all'estero (vincitore del Primo Premio al World Harmonica Festival 2005 in Germania come miglior solista di jazz).
Questo non è il disco adatto a chi ama il suono ruvido dell'armonica nel blues o nel rock, anche se Alberto Varaldo ammira diversi grandi armonicisti appartenenti a tradizioni diverse, sopra tutti Stevie Wonder. Si parte con un raffinato omaggio al Brasile di Jobim con Luisa. E da qui in poi abbondano atmosfere terse, dipinte in punta di pennello verrebbe da dire. Attenzione! Si parla di musiche dolci -non sdolcinate- valga il determinato e tyneriano assolo di pianoforte sul brano Stelle che contrappunta l'andamento malinconico del tema e l'intenso, lungo solo di Varaldo. Sempre di Varaldo è una saltellante Tarantella, mentre dalla penna di Martinale è scaturito My Cent, affascinante bozzetto melodico dove i due strumenti si intrecciano tra loro con grazia. La chiave di lettura del lavoro forse si trova proprio nella formula del duo che permette una libertà espressiva totale, a patto che l'interplay e le idee degli artisti coinvolti siano quelle giuste; come in questo caso. Completano il disco un paio di celebri standard come These Foolish things e la finale Over the rainbow. Per quest'ultima vale la considerazione già svolta: sarebbe facile su un tema così noto (e filmico) usare il mestiere, ma i due fin dal prologo mostrano di interpretare questo standard con spirito di ricerca, pur in una perfetta aderenza al tema.


Rosana Fedele
What Is It For ?




By Rai Muisc
“What is it for?” è il primo progetto artistico di una jazz singer di talento che farà parlare di sé: Rosanna Fedele. Un cd che presenta nove brani più un brano originale che dà il titolo al lavoro e di cui è stato realizzato il videoclip prodotto dalla Farbevideo per la regia di Andrés Rafael Zabala, che Rai Music vi regala.
Un debutto discografico in grande stile, quello di Rossana Fedele, che rivela già la sensibilità interpretativa di una artista presente sulla scena musicale dal 1998 e che si è formata ed ha perfezionato le sue evidenti qualità artistiche e la tecnica jazzistica con Norma Winston, Nancy King, Steve Christofferson, Rossana Casale, Marilena Paradisi.
Elegante e sempre misurata, leggera e professionale, la Fedele sorprende con un lavoro che la vede accanto a nomi importanti della scena jazz nostrana, protagonista indiscussa di un repertorio ricco e vario, tutto da ascoltare, fatto di jazz d’autore come di composizioni originali fino a rivisitazioni in chiave jazz di brani pop.


Zambrini, DiBiase, Scott
Songs From The Procol Harum Book




by JazzLoft
Antonio Zambrini is esteemed one of the best italian composer. The last three recordings by Antonio Zambrini , “Quartetto”, “Due colori” and “Musica” ( all by Abeat records ) have been of great success either in critics and sales all around many countries. It’s the first time that Antonio Zambrini is recording some songs by other people’s.To do that he choose the repertoire of Procol Harum, the band from England who, during the ‘60 and ’70 years, created some very well known songs all over the world such as “A Whiter Shade of Pale”, “Homburg”, “Salty Dog”, “Something’s following me” and many more…Elegance of touch, accurate care of choosing notes, deep but peaceful improvisation, predilection of intimate situations, makes Antonio one of the most original pianist of the Italian scene. In this Cd Zambrini has been supported by the doublebass player Andrea Di Biase , who studied at the Guildhall School of London and by the English drummer Jon Scott. The typical italian mood of Zambrini takes more inspiration from the “British”climate of the rhithmic section.
ARTISTS: Antonio Zambrini (piano); Andrea Di Biase (double bass); Jon Scott (drums)


Francesco Nastro, Gary Peacock, Peter Erskine
Trio Dialogues




by Itineramusica
Registrato a Napoli nel 1996, pubblicato nel 1998, prodotto da Alessandro Bevilacqua per il jazz club Bill Evans, Trio Dialogues è una delle prime produzioni di Francesco Nastro, finalmente in ristampa grazie ad Itinera. Il disco testimonia la freschezza e l'eclettismo del suo talento compositivo, tanto quanto la forza delle sue doti esecutive.In Trio Dialogues, inoltre, le qualità del giovane pianista stabiese hanno la fortuna e l'onore di essere esaltate dalla sensibilità, dalla classe cristallina e dalla grande esperienza di due maestri assoluti del jazz internazionale: Gary Peacock e Peter Erskine.Il risultato è un disco ricco di variegate situazioni armoniche, molteplici direzioni melodiche, diversi andamenti ritmici e continui scambi di ruoli. E ricco di un grande interplay.Dialogare vuol dire confrontarsi, ricercare, condividere, ascoltare e suggerire idee: è quello che hanno fatto Peacock ed Erskine con Nastro, fuori e dentro la sala di registrazione.Il loro è un dialogo senza leader sulle possibilità della musica (“Wonder rhythm”), sulla tradizione popolare (“Fenesta vascia” sembra nata a Chicago), sulla bellezza dell'incontro (“Dialogo I”, con piano e contrabbasso, “Dialogo II” con piano e batteria, “Dialogo III”, con contrabbasso e batteria), su sentimenti fluttuanti (“Love waves”) e verità sempre sfuggenti (“Looking in”). A completare il mosaico musicale-emozionale tessuto da Nastro, due gemme di Peacock (“Last first” e “Up, up, and…”) e una di Erskine (“Time at home”). I tre brani si integrano perfettamente nel mood del disco. Un disco di preziosa raffinatezza, di rara naturalezza.
Francesco Nastro piano
Gary Peacock bass
Peter Erskine drums
registrato presso Studio Megaride, Napoli, ottobre 1996


Magnus Hjorth, Petter Eldh, Kazumi Ikenaga
Someday - Live In Japan




by EastWind Import
Pianist Magnus Hjorth and bassist Petter Eldh were both born in Sweden in 1983, and they met while studying at Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen, Denmark. The credit for bringing these European rising jazz stars to Japan goes to producer Yoko Yoneyama who had a great idea of hooking them up with brilliant, creative Japanese drummer Kazumi Ikenaga.This CD represents a document of these three musicians meeting for the first time and performing live in jazz clubs in Tokyo, collecting the best performances from three nights in three different venues. The performances are free-flowing and adventurous. Each song takes its own course to develop organically and the performer s take time to stretch out and explore. The air of spontaneity and excitement is palpable, and the audience goes wild when the music takes unexpected turns and reaches collective climaxes.As an added bonus, these live performances were recorded with a purist, one point recording technique with only one pair of stereo microphones. This technique, rare in jazz recordings, captures the prestine tonality of each instrument, amazing amount of low-level details, and the true dynamic range of the performances. The unusually wide dynamic range means quiet passages sound really quiet, and loud passages really loud. Play the CD on a great stereo system and crank it up! You'll feel like you are transported to the live event. Recommended to fans of piano trios and audiophiles!Recorded live on June 26, 27 & 28, 2009 in Tokyo.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

2 Sem. 2010 - Part Twelve

Ted Rosenthal Trio
Impromptu


Cover (Impromptu:Ted Rosenthal Trio)

by Dr. Judith Schlesinger
As legend has it, the term "third stream" was invented by Gunther Schuller in 1957, to prevent jazz and classical fans from resenting incursions onto their turf by the other side. This new musical entity would be neither classical nor jazz, and not just a simple merging of the two: it would be more than jazz with strings, or classical pieces played by jazz artists. The challenge was to take compositions that are centuries old and infuse them with a jazz sensibility, without losing the essence of the original.
To pull this off successfully, the artist needs great technique as well as imagination. Only the best can swim in this river without getting water up their nose: these include pianist Fred Hersch, whose two CDs of French and Russian composers became instant classics in the 1980s; and bassist/trombonist Chris Brubeck and pianist Bill Mays, who have both written and recorded their own third-stream material. Ted Rosenthal has waded in here before, with his superb 2005 release The 3Bs (Playscape), a solo outing devoted to Bill Evans, Bud Powell, and Beethoven.
For Impromptu, Rosenthal assembles a crack trio for an all-classical program of Brahms, Mozart, Chopin, Puccini, Schubert, Tchaikovsky, Bach, and Schumann. Bassist
Noriko Ueda and drummer Quincy Davis are the perfect compadres for Rosenthal's fluid elegance, subtle humor, and flat-out swing. From the opening track, his blazing technique predicts an unusually masterful excursion; as the CD unfolds, each piece reveals its own singular charms and surprises. Among the unexpected delights, Rosenthal adds wit to Schubert and funk to Brahms, and restores the pensive beauty of the often-abused "Traumerei."
It's impossible to pick highlights out of an exceptional collection like this one, which will appeal to those on both banks of the stream; besides, it could dampen the joy of discovery to telegraph Rosenthal's brilliant transformations ahead of time.

Track Listing: 
Ballade in G Minor [Brahms]; Nocturne in F Minor [Chopin]; Impromptu in G Flat [Schubert]; June [Tchaikovsky]; Traumerei [Schumann]; Presto [Bach]; O Mio Babbino Caro [Puccini]; Intermezzo in B Flat Minor [Brahams]; Fantasy in D Minor [Mozart]; Theme from Symphony No. 5 [Tchaikovsky].
Personnel: 
Ted Rosenthal: piano; Noriko Ueda: bass; Quincy Davis: drums.


Yoshio Suzuki
My Dear Pianists


by EastWind Import
World-famous bassist Yoshio Suzuki celebrated his 40 years in the music business by fulfilling one of his dreams: Recording a duet album with six of his best friends and stellar Japanese pianists!His partners on this album are truly first-rate, and their activities and reputations are not confined within the Japanese border. Toshiko Akiyoshi (Akiyoshi-Tabackin Big Band), Kei Akagi (Miles Davis, Stanley Turrentine), Makoto Ozone (Gary Burton), Tsuyoshi Yamamoto, Soichi Noriki and Isao Sasaki recorded two tunes each with Suzuki. The tunes are mostly originals by Suzuki, who is known as a gentle melody-maker. Akiyoshi brought two of her own compositions and Sasaki contributed an original as well. The sole standard included is "Some Other Time."Suzuki's lyrical, romantic and gentle nature sets the dominant tone of this beautiful album, but each pianist -- all superb musicians -- brings his/her own voice and inspiration to the proceedings. This is indeed a very special CD, and the simple beauty and humanity of the music will appeal to many jazz fans around the world. The sound quality of this CD -- recorded in Tokyo, mastered by Jay Messina in New York and mastered by Koji Suzuki of Sony Music Studios back in in Tokyo, taking advantage of the best of both countries -- is also superb. Recommended!Produced by Kiyoshi Itoh and Yoshio Suzuki. Recorded March - June, 2009 at Studio Friends Music, Tokyo.



Manhattan Jazz Orchestra
Sing Sing Sing 2010 - Tribute To Benny Goodman



by Swing Journal Gold Disc!
Manhattan Jazz Orchestra was created by pianist/arranger David Matthews and an accomplished Japanese producer Shigeyuki Kawashima (both GRAMMY winners) in 1989. It is one of the premier and most prolific big bands in the US, having released 14 CDs over the last 20 years. Their 15th release, Sing Sing Sing 2010 - Tribute To Benny Goodman is a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of the great clarinetist and band leader, and without a doubt their best album yet! The daring, creative and intricate arrangements of Matthews are awe-inspiring, and the execution of his score by the top-notch New York musicians is impeccable and vibrant.From the impressive "Sing Sing Sing (2010 Version)" that builds in intensity from a deliberately moderate tempo to a rare big band arrangement of the lovely "Memories Of You," Matthews' arrangements are brilliant throughout: They are technically sophisticated, fearlessly creative and intricate, employing multi-layered harmonies and the unique voicing of the band (only four woodwind players who switch instruments all the time with a French horn and tuba) to full effect. Star players such as Lew Soloff, Chris Hunter and Andy Snitzer add fire to the proceedings with their inspired solos. The quality of the recorded sound is especially good on this CD. The soundstage is so big that one gets an impression of being faced with a huge "wall of sound." And excellent separation of sections and individual instruments lets the listener fully appreciate the intricate arrangements. Enthusiastically recommended to fans of big band music and audiophiles! Produced by Shigeyuki Kawashima. Recorded at Sear Sound Studio, New York, on December 13 & 14, 2009.



Michela Lombardi & Renato Sellani Trio
Still In My Heart - Thinking of Chet Vol.2




Michel Lombardi (Vocals)
Renato Sellani (Piano)
Massimo Moriconi (Bass)
Stefano Bagnoli (Drums)
Matteo Brancaleoni (Vocals)
Recorded Mar. 1, 2008

1 I Wish I Knew (Warren, Gordon)
2 There's A Small Hotel (Rodgers, Hart)
3 I Should Care (Cahn, Stordah, Weston)
4 I'm Through With Love (Malneck, Livingston, Kahn)
5 But Not For Me (Gershwin, Gershwin)
6 Embraceable You (Gershwin, Gershwin)
7 That Old Feeling (Fain, Brown)
8 Polkadots And Moonbeams (Van Heusen, Burke)
9 Time After Time (Cahn, Styne)
10 If You Could See Me Now (Dameron, Sigman)
11 I Wish I Knew - Duo Version - (Warren, Gordon)
12 I Should Care - Alt.Take - (Cahn, Stordah, Weston)
13 Embraceable You - Alt.Take - (Gershwin, Gershwin



Bill Charlap with Peter Bernstein & Peter Washington
I'm Old Fashioned




by EastWind Import
Nobody would argue that Bill Charlap is one of the most preeminent jazz pianists of his generation. His encyclopedic knowledge of the American Songbook is second to none, and his beautiful touch, amazing skills and imagination make it a pleasure to listen to him at all times.As some of you already know, Charlap has recorded a number of great albums for Venus Records of Japan with his great New York Trio (with Jay Leonhart and Bill Stewart). For this, latest release, he decided to take a slightly different direction with a drum-less trio with guitarist Peter Bernstein and bassist Peter Washington.Having a guitarist instead of a drummer softenes the texture of the trio sound and make it more intimate. It also makes the sound of the bass come forward so one can appreciate, in this case, the virtuosity of Washington. Charlap's tone is pristine and his solos are sigh-inducingly beautiful. The group's style may seem "old fashioned" on surface, but their interpretations of standards are modern, sophisticated and urban. This CD is a must-have item for fans of Bill Charlap! Enthusiastically recommended! Produced by Tetsuo Hara & Todd Barkan. Recorded at The Avatar Studio in New York on December 17 & 18, 2009. Engineered by Katherine Miller. Mixed and Mastered by Tetsuo Hara / Venus Hyper Magnum Sound Direct Mix. Swing Journal Gold Disc.

Monday, October 18, 2010

2 Sem. 2010 - Part Eleven

Paola Arnesano
The Police Songbook





by Gianluca Cardellicchio
Restyling di classe ad opera di Paola Arnesano, recentemente fregiata del premio Best Jazz Singer ai Luca Flores Italian Jazz Awards 2009 che qui, oltre ad incantarci con la sua vellutata e ricercata vocalità, si cimenta nellʼarrangiamento degli inconfondibili successi dei Police. Nella registrazione live senza tracce, dallʼinterplay di sicuro effetto, ritroviamo i grandi classici della band di Sting e soci. Qui si tenta la strada del jazz e si reinventa un mondo completamente nuovo, sottoposti ad un continuo make-up sonoro, moderno ed evocativo, quasi da soundtrack per un genere, quello dei Police, già di per sé dotato di particolarismo musicale: la nota commistione di Rock, Reggae e New Wave che li ha sempre resi unici e omnicomprensivi nel gotha del pubblico musicofilo. Ci perdiamo in lidi sconosciuti lasciandoci ammaliare dal sortilegio di una sapiente ricostruzione armonica, edificante per chiunque, dai puristi del jazz ai veterani del rock pop più esigente. Esemplare lʼinciso di “Wrapped Around Your Finger” che susciterebbe incanto allo stesso Sting, noto ammiratore di Nina Simone. O anche la completa rivisitazione dellʼhit “Every Breath You Take” che ci culla in una ballad in odore di cool jazz con arrangiamento dalla moderna originalità. Altrove invece si percepisce la necessità (e qui la deontologia del musicista doc si fa sentire) di mantenere le convenzioni estetiche regalandoci un momento ritmico dal risvolto interessante, grazie ad un ritrovato Fabio Accardi, forte dellʼesperienza sonora parigina, fautore di poliritmie e innovazioni costanti nellʼimpianto ritmico che si incastrano alle perfezioni celebrative di Giorgio Vendola al contrabbasso, ora efficiente tappeto sonoro, ora creatore di linee e fraseggi sublimi (dotato di straordinaria musicalità il suo solo in “Every Breath You Take”). “Roxanne” riprende appieno questa visione dʼinsieme, dalla percussiva intro, alle ritmiche rielaborazioni dispari (e qui il tributo al grande Stewart Copeland). Poi Paola ci prende per mano e ci guida verso lʼapertura serena dellʼinciso. Il piano cerebrale di Mirko Signorile, appaga anima e corpo con quella versione elitaria del jazz contemporaneo, un ascolto di finezza ed eleganza senza esclusione di momenti di forza e passionalità estrinsecata da diligenti esperienze newyorkesi. Evansiano nel refrain di “Tea in The Sahara” è fautore di un solo, fra i tanti memorabili, dalla sapiente gestione moderna degli intervalli seguita da un fraseggio libero e immaginifico, dalle profonde aperture sonore. Subito dopo contrappunti di contrabbasso e piano rivelano un tocco di finezza nellʼarrangiamento. Unʼulteriore rifinitura lo da il sax dellʼabilissimo sassofonista Gaetano Partipilo, qui col suo sax alto a ritoccare melodicamente con inserti semplici ma efficaci e con soli dal timbro ineccepibile e dal gusto attualizzante nella sua modernità (“Wrapped Around Your Finger”, “Donʼt Stand So Close Me”, “Roxanne”) Importante lʼaspetto meramente amicale della band, che da anni condivide sonorità, esperienze, palchi e invenzioni musicali non da poco. Ciò ci restituisce quella dimestichezza del sapersi muovere in uno spazio conosciuto, reinventando, ricostruendo, mantenendo lʼidentità e comunicando abilmente, come solo i grandi jazzisti fanno, nonostante il notevole corpus degli adattamenti. Paola Arnesano erede delle più disparate situazioni musicali riesce dunque nel creare un progetto di incredibile validità e può coronare il suo sogno grazie allʼ inconfutabile estro creativo e alla comprovata professionalità della band che lʼaccompagna in questa dimensione sonora vecchia e nuova, lasciando qua e là input melodici di facile restituzione alla memoria musicale, immersi in un cosmo sonoro completamente rinnovato. La sua voce poi, fra le più importanti del nostro panorama jazz e bossa nova (e non solo) con allʼattivo le più disparate registrazioni in studio (sotto lʼetichetta Fo(u)r ricordiamo “Trio de Janeiro”, con Guido Di Leone ed Enzo Falco), si districa con consapevolezza emotiva e semplice efficacia fra le interpretazioni più personali, ad elevato impatto e di sicuro coinvolgimento e abile fraseggio scat (“Wrapped Around Your Finger”, “So Lonely”). Sicuramente una delle migliori ultime produzioni della giovane, ma qualitativamente elevata Fo(u)r.


Makoto Ozone
Jungle



by Ken Dryden
After three decades of recording as a leader, pianist
Makoto Ozone's Jungle, featuring his No Name Horses big band, is a twist in a new direction. Co-leading the band with trumpeter/flügelhornist Eric Miyashiro, Ozone and his musicians offer an array of Latin jazz works that blend elements of the past with progressive influences. The leader's "Coconut's Meeting" and "B&B" are straight-ahead Afro-Cuban jazz tunes with infectious grooves. "Cave Walk" opens with an eerie piano solo, then moody brass with chugging baritone sax, highlighted by trumpeter Sho Okumara's muted solo. Trombonist Eijiro Nakagawa's "Safari" is a dissonant blues that bubbles with energy, while tenor saxophonist Toshio Miki's "Moon Flower" opens as a delicate ballad with a rich tapestry of horns and brass behind Ozone's spacious solo, though it blossoms into a driving affair. It's a shame that so few of Makoto Ozone's releases have been issued in the U.S. since 2001, though this strong effort will hopefully increase his opportunities to share his music with the American market.


Tõnu Naissoo Trio
Blue Pearl



by EastWind Import
In 2005, Atelier Sawano introduced to the Japanese audience a jazz star from an unlikely country: Estonia. Tonu Naissoo dazzled us with his soulful playing, modern sensibilities and prestine touch. His previous releases from Sawano became huge hits and his second CD was even selected as the "Best Engineered Jazz CD of 2006" by the Jazz Critique Magazine.His seventh album from Sawano will only solidify his standing as one of the premier jazz pianists of today. In an eclectic program of lesser-known standards, jazz musicians' compositions and one attractive original ("Just Takin' A Ride"), the listener is swept away with his beautiful touch and swinging lyricism. Interesting choices of tunes include Kenny Barron's "Water Lily," Bud Powell's title tune, Michel Petrucciani's "It's A Dance" and Keith Jarrett's "Country."As with Naissoo's previous releases, the sound quality of this CD is just superb. If you liked his previous albums, you'll definitely love this one. Heartily recommended to the fans of high-quality piano jazz! Recorded May 26, 27 and June 2, 2009.


Tm Garland
Libra

Cover (Libra:Tim Garland)


by Chris May
Track Listing: CD1 (Sun): The Eyes Of Ages; Hang Loose; Arabesque For Three; Frontier - Pt. 1 SunGod, Pt. 2 Moongod, Pt. 3 On Sungod, Pt. 4 Libra; Old Man Winter. CD2 (Moon): Blue In Green; Bajo Del Sol; Darkhouse; Sly Eyes; Black Elk; Break In The Weather; Nostalgia In Times Square.
Personnel: Tim Garland: tenor and soprano saxophones, bass clarinet, bass flute; Gwilym Simcock: piano; Asaf Sirkis: percussion set, hang drum, udu, frame drums; Paul Bollenback: guitar (CD1#2, 5, CD2#7 ); Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Tim Garland (CD1#4); Sacconi Strings (CD2#3).
Listening to British reed player Tim Garland, it's easy to be reminded of saxophonist Sonny Rollins' remark, decades ago, about Stan Tracey, the Ronnie Scott's house pianist who accompanied Rollins on many of his appearances at the London club. "Does anybody here realise how good he is?" asked Rollins rhetorically. Happily, times have changed and many Brits do realise how good Garland is, but there remains the suspicion that were he an American, half the country would be genuflecting before him.
A magisterial tenor and soprano saxophonist and bass clarinetist, Garland is also a richly atmospheric composer and arranger. He is at home in both jazz and classical musics, and in either big orchestral settings or smaller, more intimate surroundings. These qualities are all heard, seamlessly woven together, on the outstanding 2CD set Libra, which features one of Garland's current trios alongside the massed ranks of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
Garland has two trios on the go in 2009. One is the prettily understated Acoustic Triangle, with pianist Gwilym Simcock and bassist Malcolm Creese; the other is the more expansive, at times ferocious Lighthouse Trio, in which Creese is replaced by percussionist Asaf Sirkis, who plays not a conventional drum kit but a customised percussion set-up. Since it was featured alongside the Northern Sinfonia on If The Sea Replied (Sirocco, 2005), the Lighthouse Trio has been Garland's most active live band and it is at the core of Libra.
The trio, augmented by the Sacconi Strings on just one track, is heard unaccompanied on Libra's second disc, "Moon," a series of live recordings. Most of the crowd noise has been edited out and the sound is rich, resonant and warmly embracing, live recording at its best. There are three covers—Miles Davis' "Blue In Green," Kenny Wheeler's "Sly Eyes" and Charles Mingus' "Nostalgia In Times Square"—and four Garland originals. The salsa and tango informed "Bajo Del Sol," with Garland on bass clarinet, shows how intense the Lighthouse Trio can be and just how much noisy excitement three musicians can create while still remaining lyrical.
On the first disc, "Sun," the trio is featured alongside the RPO on the four-part suite "Frontier." The first part, "Sungod," featuring the orchestra alone, has Garland the composer and arranger exploring the same high volume, high impact territory as the trio did on "Bajo Del Sol," but magnified by a power of ten going on a hundred. Thunderous timpani, big brass, crashing cymbals, and what sounds like bass saxophones dominate. The trio are on an equal footing with the orchestra by the third part, "On Sungod," which includes a killer Garland tenor solo of dervish-like ferocity.
The trio completes the first disc with four studio-recorded tracks. Guest guitarist Paul Bollenback adds a thrillingly percussive, chordal solo to "Hang Loose," which also features Sirkis on hang, the must-have exotic drum for British-based percussionists since it was introduced by the Portico Quartet on Knee Deep In The North Sea (The Vortex, 2007).
Garland's most rounded statement to date, Libra is a masterpiece by any standards.


Tizian Jost Trio
We Will Meet Again




By EastWind Import
German pianist Tizian Jost follows up his hit album The Night Has A Thousand Eyes (AS-079) with a swinging collection of standards and jazz composer's songbook.In this, his fourth release from Atelier Sawano, his beautiful tone and straight-forward approach is reinforced with an uplifting sense of swing. The selection of tunes are quite interesting and eclectic, featuring many fabulous compositions by jazz pianists including Duke Jordan, Wynton Kelly, Ray Bryant, Lorraine Geller, Cedar Walton and Russ Freeman in addition to Bill Evans who wrote the title track.In a sad turn of event, Jost's supporter, mentor and great drummer Klaus Weiss passed away before this recording, but bassist Thomas Stabenow (who is one of the very best in Germany) brought in a wonderful replacement in Wolfgang Haffner. This is a truly impressive trio album and Jost's versatility is especially amazing. As is typical with all Atelier Sawano releases, the sound quality is superb. Highly recommended to fans of piano trio jazz!Recorded May 20 & 21, 2009.

2 Sem. 2010 - Part Ten

Tamir Hendelman
Destinations

Cover (Destinations:Tamir Hendelman)


by Michael G. Nastos
Tamir Hendelman has earned a well deserved reputation as a top flight accompanist with Jeff Hamilton, John Clayton, Kathy Kosins and other band leaders. This is his second recording as a leader, a finely crafted trio effort mainly consisting of standards or covers rearranged by the pianist, with melodies reconfigured via his deft touch and high level of jazz virtuosity. There's a certain spiritual quality due to Hendelman's Middle Eastern upbringing, but you clearly hear influences of jazz virtuosos like Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans, Keith Jarrett, and even a bit of Chick Corea. Hendelman plays with the confidence of a seasoned veteran, swinging easily, dipping into the blues, or waxing in a poetic, serene manner. It is that subtle, delicate touch on tracks such as "Babushka" or Jarrett's "My Song" that seems to resonate with his soul. But then again, the busy, cascading "BQE" demonstrates he's no lightweight, while an extension of Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Passarim" gives the listener more food for thought. A budding master, Tamir Hendelman looks to be a solid, accessible, enjoyable jazz performer for many years to come if Destinations is any indication.


Tamir Hendelman
Playground

Cover (Playground:Tamir Hendelman)


by Ken Dryden
Tamir Hendelman makes his recording debut as a leader with Playground, though he has burnished his credentials over a several-year period leading up to it, including work with drummer Jeff Hamilton's trio, the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, and vocalist Roberta Gambarini. Hamilton and bassist John Clayton make up his experienced rhythm section on trio session, while Hendelman's knack for finding swinging new approaches to familiar songs is quickly apparent with his robust interpretation of Herbie Hancock's "Driftin' and driving Oscar Peterson-flavored setting of the standard "I'm Old Fashioned." The pianist's light touch in his breezy rendition of Horace Silver's "The Cape Verdean Blues" and lumbering, bluesy take of Duke Ellington's "Do Nothin' Til You Hear from Me" show his surprising maturity. Hendelman's originals are equally persuasive. His swirling, hypnotic "Tiger's Lair," the touching lyricism of "Sycamore," and the hip groove of "Playground" (with Clayton providing a rock-solid, swinging bassline in the style of Ray Brown) have the potential to become jazz standards. Tamir Hendelman and his veteran rhythm section shine throughout this rewarding release.


Giovanni Mirabassi Trio
Live - More From Sunside Out/2003

GIOVANNI MIRABASSI TRIO - LIVE MORE FROM SUNSIDE

Product Number : GM001

Format : CD (Live Recording) Digipack
Release Date : 7/13/11
Recording : 2003
Personnel : Giovanni Mirabassi (piano)
                   Gildas Bocle (bass)
                   Louis Moutin (drums)
Track list : 
1. Lullaby
2. La canzone di marinella
3. If I should loose you
4. Des jours meilleurs
5. 28 rue manin
6. Yesterdays


Vladimir Shafranov Trio
Live in Helsinki

VLADIMIR SHAFRANOV TRIO - LIVE in HELSINKI (DVD)

Product Number : SDV001

Format : DVD (NTSC Region ALL) Live Recording
Release Date : 8/25/02
Recording : Dec. 15, 2001
Personnel : Vladimir Shafranov (piano)
                   Pekka Sarmanto (bass)
                   Jukkis Uotila (drums)
Track list : 
1.You And The Night And The Music
2.In Your Own Sweet Way
3.Eclypso
4.Round Midnight
5.All God's Chillun Got Rhythm
6.Blue Bossa
7.Maybe September
8.How About You
9.Warm Valley

2 Sem. 2010 - Part Nine

Piero Frassi Trio
Konitz Plays Konitz



By Alberto Bazzurro
All'epoca di questa incisione (11 settembre 2008), Lee Konitz viaggiava spedito verso gli ottantuno (compiuti il successivo 13 ottobre), ma miracolosamente (e non per questo sorprendentemente: ci siamo felicemente abituati) ancora in possesso del suo inconfondibile suono, rilassato e tuttavia costantemente innervato da fremiti intestini, mai supino, con la bellissima cavata, chiara quanto in qualche modo sorniona, indolente, lievemente sghemba e nasale, controllatissima e dal sempre invidiabile aplomb.
Come ci dice il titolo (che parla anche di Chapter 1, per cui è prevedibile un seguito), si tratta di pagine estratte dal songbook del chicagoano (tranne "My Romance," di Richard Rodgers), nelle cui pieghe il trio di Piero Frassi s'insinua con competenza (raramente rifugiandosi nel mestiere) e fertilità ispirativa.
Delle due versioni di "S.B.S." poste alle estremità del CD, si fa preferire la seconda, più avventurosa, con prologo per alto e piano e chiusura con un Konitz unaccompanied. Tutti i brani viaggiano del resto dal buono in su, con note di merito specie per quegli episodi che, appunto come il secondo "S.B.S.," vedono Konitz impegnato in segmenti in duo, ad alimentare felicemente le dinamiche del disco. Si segnala in particolare la quaterna di brani dal terzo al sesto, dal godibilissimo "What Is It?" al più rilassato "My Romance" (che peraltro non manca a sua volta di espandersi), da "Oceanic," con un magistrale frammento in cui l'alto si "siede" da par suo sopra il drumming di Melani, nel frangente suo unico interlocutore, a "Many Things," in cui è invece Pedol a ritagliarsi un tête-à-tête col sassofonista.
Se pure avete venti dischi di quel grande maestro che risponde al nome di Lee Konitz, quindi, sarà il caso che vi accaparriate anche il ventunesimo...
Visita il sito di Piero Frassi.
Valutazione: 3.5 stelle
Elenco dei brani:
01. S.B.S; 02. Softlee; 03. What Is It?; 04. My Romance; 05. Oceanic; 06. Many Things; 07. Solee; 08. Lonelee; 09. S.B.S (alternate).
Musicisti:
Lee Konitz (sax alto); Piero Frassi (pianoforte); Filippo Pedol (contrabbasso); Andrea Melani (batteria).



Luigi Ruberti
Dedicated To Bill Evans



CDH 1549.2
Splasc(h) Records
Luigi Ruberti double bass – elaboration and arrangements
Mark Sherman vibraphone
Gianfranco Campagnoli trumpet and flugelhorn
Mimmo Napolitano piano
Giuseppe La Pusata drums 

By Jazzitalia
Non stupisca che a dedicare un omaggio a Bill Evans (nel trentesimo anniversario della sua prematura scomparsa) per la Splasc(H) Records sia un contrabbassista qual'è Luigi Ruberti, napoletano di solida formazione classica e arrangiatore di tutti i nove brani del cd.
In sei di questi c'è la presenza veramente speciale del vibrafonista Mark Sherman, le cui parole riportate nel libretto rendono bene l'idea del risultato raggiunto "…sono sicuro che se Bill Evans avesse potuto ascoltare questa registrazione sarebbe stato molto felice di questo lavoro e dell'eredità che ci ha lasciato".
Mimmo Napolitano al piano, che, evitando una vieta imitazione del maestro rende decisivo il suo contributo, Gianfranco Campagnoli alla tromba e Giuseppe La Pusata alla batteria contribuiscono degnamente ad un omaggio perfettamente riuscito. (dalle note di copertina di Stefano de Stefano)
Tracks:
1 MY BELLS (Bill Evans-L.Gene) 4:46
2 VERY EARLY (Bill Evans-L.Gene) 8:17
3 TIME REMEMBERED (Bill Evans) 6:11
4 BILL'S HIT TUNE (Bill Evans) 6:43
5 PEACE PIECE (Bill Evans) 2:41
6 MAXINE (Bill Evans) 8:02
7 WE WILL MEET AGAIN (Bill Evans) 7:58
8 CARNIVAL (Bill Evans) 4:33
9 EPILOGUE ((Bill Evans) 4:34
recorded on 1-2-3 december 2009 at BLUE MEGARIDE Studio - Napoli

Renee Rosnes
Manhattan Rain



by EastWind Import
Pianist Renee Rosnes has enjoyed critical acclaim both in the US and Japan, and particularly strong popularity in the latter country thanks to her many wonderful piano trio albums that mostly showcased her lyrical piano interpretations of well-known standards. She took a different tack in this latest album produced and released by the Japanese label M&I, by adding two more voices to her usual trio format and highlighting her composing and arranging skills.The first-rate band includes Steve Nelson on vibraphone, Rich Perry on tenor sax, Peter Washington on bass and Bill Stewart on drums. Using different combinations of these top-notch musicians (trio, quartet and quintet), Rosnes brings out sophisticated sound colors through her four attractive originals and sophisticated arrangements of well-picked standards and jazzmen's compositions -- one each by Ellington, Berlin, Jobim and two by Lohn Lewis.The sonic textures of the quintet with the vibraphone and tenor sax leans towards soft, gentle and cool, and the stylistic approach is post-bop and modal. The band is tight, and the solos are inspired. This is a sophisticated and satisfying album that lets us appreciate Rosnes' compositional and arranging talents in addition to her superb piano performance. Recommended! Produced by Makoto Kimata and Todd Barkan.
Recorded September 25 & 26, 2009 at Avatar Recording Studio, New York.


Renato Sellani Trio with Camilla Battaglia
Joy Spring


Recording information: Mu Rec Studio, Milano (02/05/2010).
Photographers: Stefania Romano, Paolo Piangiarelli.
Personnel: 
Camilla Battaglia (vocals); Renato Sellani (piano); Luciano Milanese (double bass); Stefano Bagnoli (drums).


Geri Allen
Flying Toward The Sound

Cover (Flying Toward the Sound:Geri Allen)

by Thom Jurek
Pianist and composer Geri Allen is an artist who has never been complacent or self-deceiving. She has always listened deeply, and in the process has pushed her own envelope of expression and creativity, looking toward a horizon as eternally on the move as she is. Flying Toward the Sound, subtitled “A Solo Piano Excursion Inspired by Cecil Taylor, McCoy Tyner and Herbie Hancock,” features an eight-part suite called “Refractions: Flying Toward the Sound.” Allen doesn’t play the music of her muses. Rather, she invokes their very spirits in her own utterly unique compositional method. On the opening title track it's Tyner, with his open-ended lyricism, extended chord voicings, and use of space. But Allen builds on his use of modes by adding her masterful large chord rumblings with the left hand in the deep registers of the piano while using the middle ones for a series of elegantly voiced melodic statements. On “Red Velvet in Winter,” for Hancock, she employs her inspiration’s method of composition as orchestration. Themes are inviting; she blends left-handed constructions, soulful lyric notions, and right-hand technique to evoke the timbral voices of many other instruments. But it is on “Dancing Mystic Poets at Midnight,” for Taylor, where the work really begins to sing. She reads through not only Taylor's use of rhythm and harmonics but his declared debt to Duke Ellington as a cornerstone. Playing two-handed melodies in high and middle registers that create a pulsing palette, she begins to improvise by alternating melodies and creating a third that, while percussive, is fluid and evocative of the space and distance a dancer must travel in a leap. The 16-minute centerpiece of the album is “God’s Ancient Sky.” It denotes the spiritual nature of this recording. Allen arrives in new territory after her muses, in order to create a set of sonic wings with which to fly from them toward the unknown. Its use of density and space, elegance and force, and its conscious engagement with the elliptical, both harmonically and rhythmically, is literally breathtaking. It walks a labyrinthine path between jazz and classical music in the musical world, and between earth, sky, and underworld in the spiritual realm. “Dancing Midnight Poets at Twylight” (sic) employs Taylor’s interpretation of Ellingtonian swing dramatically. The pulse here dances between rhythm and harmony with her signature lyricism ever at the forefront. The work reprises its opening theme in summary, but with noted harmonic extensions from a new musical terrain. She closes with “Your Pure Self (Mother to Son),” a gorgeous personal ballad outside this suite. Flying Toward the Sound is a major work for solo piano: courageous, vulnerable, poetically articulated, and technically awe-inspiring in form and execution. [There is a video program at the end of the disc featuring three of the suite's titles in performance.

Friday, October 15, 2010

2 Sem. 2010 - Part Eight

Riccardo Arrighini
Vivaldi Jazz - Le Quattro Stagioni



by Claudio Botelho (A political incorrect jazz listener)
Arrighini’s Vivaldi’s “ The Four Seasons” is the freshest Vivaldi ever! By fragmenting, going in and out the themes, changing the moods all the time, that master pianist created some new-old songs which would have pleased very much his ancestor.
His Steinway is in top form and the recording engineer did his utmost to make it clear to everyone. This is one of those recordings that show how majestic a piano can be: the king of musical instruments; it can go relentlessly or poignantly from pianissimo to fortissimo, while clearly showing the identity of its conductor. Is it inherently a percussive instrument? I wouldn’t say so, as it is able to superimpose the sound of several notes at the same time and, so, more than capable of a continuity that some other instruments just can´t.
I just love a bass and a drum along with a Steinway, but, here… Better let it alone. Sorry Mr. Peacock, sorry Mr. Dejohnette, but this time you’d better cross your arms and just listen…
Hey you all who adore music and may be a little bored with so many rendering of that famous piece of music: do yourself a favor and go listening to this one. Your soul will forever be grateful.


Dori Caymmi
Mundo de Dentro

MUNDO DE DENTRO-DORI CAYMMI


By Leandro L. Rocha
Vocês estão diante de uma obra-prima. Isso é o mínimo que se pode dizer do novo disco de Dori Caymmi, um compositor, músico, arranjador e cantor do primeiro time não só da música brasileira mas da universal, sem nenhum exagêro.
O CD abre com uma música belíssima "Quebra-mar"(Dori e Paulo Cesar Pinheiro) onde o ouvinte não sabe em que prestar atenção: se na melodia, na letra, no arranjo ou se na voz divina de Renato Braz que se junta a Dori nessa música extraordinariamente bela que faz nos lembrar as criações de Dorival Caymmi, pai de Dori. Nessa faixa apenas 3 instrumentos fazem o milagre: baixo (Cizão Machado), fagote(Ben Wendel) e violão(Dori).
Outras faixas que merecem destaque pelos toques jazzísticos de Bill Cantos(piano), Scott Mayo(sax alto) e Mike Shapiro(bateria) são: "Rio Amazonas","É o amor outra vez","Sem poupar coração","Mundo de dentro" e "Saudade de amar". Na música "Chutando lata", Dori recebe a visita do genial Edu Lobo e divide com este o vocal desse frevo gostoso. Outros músicos também presentes são: Paulinho da Costa que faz uma percussão delicada e precisa e Abraham Laboriel , baixista dos bons.
Mas talvez a música mais bonita vem agora; chama-se: "Fora de hora" que recebeu letra do nosso poeta maior, Chico Buarque de Hollanda. Gente, isso não existe de tão belo; é uma das canções mais perfeitas que existe por aí e nada mais é do que o tema pricipal da trilha sonora do filme sobre a vida da atriz Odete Lara. Música e letra casam-se perfeitamente; é de arrepiar e levitar !
Enfim, esse CD mostra a maturidade de Dori Caymmi que continua inspiradíssimo , um repertório primoroso e músicos de altíssima qualidade. Salve Dori e toda a família CAYMMI!


Gary Peacock & Marc Copland
Insight

Cover (Insight:Marc Copland)

by Martin Gladu
Track Listing: All Blues; The Wanderer; Blue in Green; Rush Hour; River's Run; Matterhorn; The Pond; Goes Out Comes In; Late Night; Cavatina; In Your Own Sweet Way; Benediction; Sweet and Lovely.
Personnel: Gary Peacock-bass; Marc Copland-piano.
Chiefly known as pianist
Keith Jarrett's choice bassist, Gary Peacock has nevertheless continually invested himself in a myriad of projects not involving his once marathoning employer. One such endeavor is this duet recording with pianist Marc Copland. Taped during his stint with Copland's New York Trio in May 2005 and October 2007, Insight captures the moodier, more poetic side of their sporadic association.
An oft-overlooked veteran who has worked with such illustrious artists as
Kenny Wheeler, John Abercrombie and Paul Motian, Copland's style lies between Bill Evans' lithe bebop-rooted playing and the trenchant modernism of John Taylor. His use of sostenuto chording, opalescent voicings and harmonic parallelism, is greatly reminiscent of Taylor's textural classicism. Though it is manifest throughout the disc, the rollicking spirit that drives "Rush Hour" is the one track where the English virtuoso's style is especially redolent. Coincidently, it also recalls Taylor's coltish "Clapperclowe," from the English pianist's 2003 Sketch release, Insight.
Evans' influence is more subtle. It does creep through his phrasing long, flowing 8th note runs and block-voiced lines. "Blue In Green," an impressionistic piece credited to trumpeter
Miles Davis and adopted by Evans, is one track where the latter's influence is addressed more directly. That said, Copland is a mature enough player to spin such inspirations into something that is all his own. He does exactly that on "All Blues"—another Davis/Evans classic—as well as "Late Night," a similarly bluesy, ostinato-driven improvisation.
Other spur-of-the-moment vignettes pepper the album. With their coruscating lines and melodic vamps, "The Wanderer" and "Matterhorn" are two worth mentioning not only because of their similar approach, but for the cohesiveness they bring to the program. But the real surprise comes in Stanley Myers' "Cavatina." A diatonic ditty with an easy, pastoral feel, Myers' theme truly stands out in this chamber-esque setting. Peacock's "The Pond," with its marked, dactylic rhythm, also garners attention in that it appears borrowed from the same repertoire that went into the making of A Closer View (ECM, 1998), one of most his most superb sessions with acoustic guitarist
Ralph Towner.
While Peacock has arguably reached his creative zenith with Jarrett and Towner, Copland demonstrates, with Insight, that he still has much to offer. This album should not only please fans of Jarrett and Peacock, but the finest of connoisseurs as well.


Keith Jarrett & Charlie Haden
Jasmine

Cover (Jasmine:Charlie Haden)

by Joe Alterman
Track Listing: For All We Know; Where Can I Go Without You; No Moon At All; One Day I'll Fly Away; I'm Gonna Laugh You Right Out Of My Life; Body And Soul; Goodbye; Don't Ever Leave Me.
Personnel: Keith Jarrett: piano; Charlie Haden; double-bass.
Keith Jarrett, like Sonny Rollins, is quite hard to pin down. Like the iconic saxophonist, for many years now, the equally legendary pianist has been leaning towards the songs of his youth, and even earlier. Compared with their song choices of, say, twenty years ago, it would seem that these players have become more conservative over the years; that is, however, simply not true. Again, like Rollins, Jarrett's improvisations have evolved through the years, with an even greater searching and explorative quality. Quite uniquely, these master musicians use these older tunes as vehicles for their explorations; with these older songs as their guides, these artists continue to move themselves forward.
Jarrett's Jasmine, a duo outing with bassist
Charlie Haden, is a wonderful—and simply beautiful—example. The session consists of mostly ballads. All beautiful melodies, the tunes themselves are timeless; the playing, very relaxed, yet deadly serious—extremely emotional, yet utterly focused.
Jarrett writes in the liner notes: "Call your wife or lover in late at night and sit down and listen. These are great love songs played by players who are trying, mostly, to keep that message intact." While many have dismissed these note as an excuse for selling out, the specific mindfulness with which Jarrett and Haden admit to playing only adds another layer of deep focus to the music.
The music speaks for itself; more than anything, it is the song itself that is made memorable by the duo's playing. At a time when recorded music almost always highlights the musician's ability, it is wonderfully refreshing to hear an album where the musicians' abilities are obvious, but are not the only focus. The focus of the album is the songs and melodies themselves, and the playing is serving the songs, rather than the other way around.
Jarrett's improvisations rarely ever go faster than 8th notes, but that yearning, explorative quality is still there—more than ever, almost. His tone, lines and melodies are searching—better described, perhaps, as yearning.
There have been many wonderful duo recordings over the years—
Jimmy Rowles/Ray Brown, Hank Jones/Red Mitchell, the many Bill Evans duo sessions, and others from Charlie Haden. The quiet subtlety of such sessions has made each of them musical treasures, and Jasmine is sure to become a classic in the field of duo recordings.
There's something about it, however, that feels just a bit more special. For the casual music fan, a lover wanting to set a night's mood; for the serious musician, looking to find deep, new music; and for the music fan that says, "they just don't make albums like they used to," finally, they do. Jasmine encompasses all that music is about. For all those mentioned, this album is for you.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

TOP 10 - Jazz Guitarist

ANTHONY WILSON
by Alex Henderson
Anthony Wilson is also a jazz guitarist, although he isn't from Western Canada, but rather, Los Angeles -- and his father is the legendary pianist/bandleader/composer Gerald Wilson. This Anthony Wilson followed in his father's footsteps in that he pursued a career in music and made jazz (specifically, hard bop and post-bop) his main focus -- and even though he made a name for himself playing guitar rather than acoustic piano, it is clear that Gerald Wilson's bandleader/arranger perspective rubbed off on his son in a major way. Gerald Wilson is famous not only for his piano playing, but also for leading and arranging bands and for composing; similarly, Anthony Wilson is known for his guitar playing as well as for his arranging, bandleading, and composing skills. Anthony Wilson has cited Wes Montgomery and Kenny Burrell as major influences on his guitar playing, while pointing to Duke Ellington, Gil Evans, Tadd Dameron, Oliver Nelson, and Marty Paich as some of the people who have influenced him as a bandleader and arranger. Ellington was fond of saying that his band was his "instrument," and one of the things Wilson learned from the Duke was the way in which bandleading and arranging can be as important to self-expression as playing an actual instrument. That said, Wilson's considerable skills as a guitarist should not be downplayed. Wilson was born in Los Angeles on May 9, 1968. Thanks to his father, Wilson acquired a taste for jazz at a young age -- and by the time he was in his mid-teens, he was playing gigs in Southern California with well-known L.A. residents such as drummer Billy Higgins, tenor saxophonist Harold Land, and trumpeter Oscar Brashear. Not long after that, Wilson was playing in his father's band (where he learned a lot about composition and arranging). But eventually, Wilson began to perform and record as a leader. The Californian's self-titled debut album as a leader was released by the L.A.-based MAMA Foundation in 1997 and was followed by a few more MAMA releases, including his 1998 recording Goat Hill Junket and his 1999 session Adult Themes. Wilson moved to Groove Note not long after that, recording Our Gang (an intimate trio date with organist Joe Bagg and drummer Mark Ferber) in 2000 -- and the following year, he started backing jazz singer Diana Krall (who was the top-selling artist on the Verve roster at the time). Wilson's subsequent Groove Note releases included Savivity (a 2005 release), Power of Nine (a 2006 session), and Jack of Hearts (recorded in early 2009).

SYLVIAN LUC
by MacKenzie Wilson
French guitarist Sylvain Luc has honed his jazz improvisations since the 1980s, when he first discovered jazz as a teenager. He studied at the prestigious Academy de Bayonne as a child, mastering the guitar, cello, violin, and mandolin, but jazz shed a different light on Luc's musical ambitions. He spent time with the Bubble Quartet, discovering an appreciation for South African music in his twenties. Luc combined his love for jazz with worldbeat sounds and carved a career for himself. He issued his first album, Duet, in 2000. Sud followed shortly thereafter. A third album, Trio Sud, was issued in spring 2002 and featured collaborations with Jean-Marc Jafet and Andre Ceccarelli.

JOHN ABERCROMBIE
by Chris Kelsey
John Abercrombie's tying together of jazz's many threads made him one of the most influential acoustic and electric guitarists of the 1970s and early '80s; his recordings for ECM have helped define that label's progressive chamber jazz reputation. His star has since faded somewhat, due largely to the general conservatism that's come to dominate jazz, though he has remained a vital creative personality. Abercrombie's style draws upon all manner of contemporary improvised music; his style is essentially jazz-based, but he also displays a more-than-passing familiarity with forms that range from folk and rock to Eastern and Western art musics. Abercrombie attended Boston's Berklee College of Music from 1962 to 1966. While at Berklee, the guitarist toured with bluesman Johnny Hammond. After relocating to New York in 1969, Abercrombie spent time in groups led by drummers Chico Hamilton and Billy Cobham. It was with the latter's Spectrum group that Abercrombie first received widespread attention. Abercrombie's first album as leader was Timeless, a trio album with drummer Jack DeJohnette and keyboardist Jan Hammer. That was followed by Gateway, another trio with DeJohnette and bassist Dave Holland replacing Hammer. Abercrombie's subtle and lyrical style is heard to best effect in small, intimate settings, with the recurring Gateway trio or as captured in duos with fellow guitarist Ralph Towner. Abercrombie continued to be active as the 21st century opened, releasing Cat 'n' Mouse in 2002, Class Trip in 2004, A Nice Idea (with pianist Andy LaVerne) in 2005, Structures (recorded with a single microphone) in 2006, and Third Quartet in 2007. Wait Till You See Her appeared in 2009.


KENNY BURRELL
by Scott Yanow
Kenny Burrell has been a very consistent guitarist throughout his career. Cool-toned and playing in an unchanging style based in bop, Burrell has always been the epitome of good taste and solid swing. Duke Ellington's favorite guitarist (though he never actually recorded with him), Burrell started playing guitar when he was 12, and he debuted on records with Dizzy Gillespie in 1951. Part of the fertile Detroit jazz scene of the early '50s, Burrell moved to New York in 1956. Highly in demand from the start, Burrell appeared on a countless number of records as a leader and as a sideman. Among his more notable associations were dates with Stan Getz, Billie Holiday, Milt Jackson, John Coltrane, Gil Evans, Sonny Rollins, Quincy Jones, Stanley Turrentine, and Jimmy Smith. Starting in the early '70s, Burrell began leading seminars and teaching, often focusing on Duke Ellington's music. He toured with the Phillip Morris Superband during 1985-1986, and led three-guitar quintets, but generally Kenny Burrell plays at the head of a trio/quartet.


EGBERTO GISMONTI
by Alvaro Neder
Egberto Gismonti is world-renowned as a multi-instrumentalist and composer. He was profoundly influenced by Brazilian master Heitor Villa-Lobos, his works reflecting the musical diversity of Brazil. From the Amazon Indians' batuque to the Carioca samba and choro, through the Northeastern frevo, baião, and forró, Gismonti captures the true essence of the Brazilian soul in a way that is primitive, yet sophisticated, and reflects it through his personal vision, elaborated by years of classic training and literacy in a wealth of musical languages in which jazz plays a significant role. From a musical family, in which his grandfather and his uncle Edgar were bandleaders, he started to take piano and theory classes at five. At that time, he also started to learn the flute and the clarinet, eventually taking the violão (acoustic guitar) in his teens. Following the piano classical tradition because of his father, he embraced the guitar to please his Italian mother, who was very fond of serenatas. Trying to transpose the piano's polyphonic quality for the guitar, he ended several years later with three custom-made instruments (ten-, 12-, and 14-stringed) and a personally developed two-hand technique. At eight, he started to study piano with Brazilian masters Jacques Klein and Aurélio Silveira for a 15-year apprenticeship. Establishing himself in Nova Friburgo, a small town near Rio, for one year and four months, he attended the Nova Friburgo Music Conservatory. Awarded with a scholarship to study classical music in Vienna, Austria, at 20, he refused it in order to delve deeper in the popular side. In October 1968, his composition "O Sonho," arranged by him for a 100-piece orchestra, was presented at the third International Song Festival (FIC), promoted by TV Globo, Rio, by the group Os Três Morais. This song, with its uncanny orchestration, provoked enthusiasm around and was recorded 18 different times by several international artists. Soon after in that year, he left Brazil for France, where he became the conductor and orchestrator for the French singer Marie Laforêt in an association that lasted for one and a half years. It was instrumental for him to meet and became a pupil of the great masters Jean Barraqué (1928-1973), a disciple of Anton Webern, and Nadia Boulanger (1887-1979), a former consultant to Ygor Stravinsky. The additional importance of these two icons upon Gismonti's career was to stress the unique richness of his country's background and urge him to pursue a singular expression rooted in the cabocla and mestiça tradition. This would cause him to return to Brazil in 1971. His first LP, Egberto Gismonti, was already released in 1969 through Elenco. There, he sang his own songs and had a partnership with the bossa nova composer Paulo Sérgio Vale. Also in 1969, he presented himself at the San Remo Festival in Italy. In 1970, he toured through Europe, recording two singles in France, one LP in Italy, one in Brazil (Sonho 70), and one LP in Germany (Orfeu Novo). His song "Mercador de Serpentes" was presented at the fifth FIC in 1970. Returning to Brazil in 1971, he settled in Teresópolis, another small town close to Rio. He played in several venues in Brazil and his music was included on the soundtracks of the movies A Penúltima Donzela (Fernando Amaral, 1969), Confissões de Frei Abóbora (Brás Chediak, 1971), and Em Família (Paulo Porto, 1971). In 1972, he recorded Água e Vinho (in partnership with poet Geraldo Carneiro) and in 1973, Egberto Gismonti and Adademia de Danças, all three LPs through EMI/Odeon, the latter of which was the turning point when he began to stress his instrumental work. After its recording, the producer said it made no sense at all. He received a note from EMI/Odeon saying that, due to Brazil's economic difficulties, that would be the last album of Gismonti's career: it was an album outside of any category, with 25-minute tracks, expensively produced with synths and orchestra. This album was awarded with the Golden Record in Brazil. From 1972 to 1991, he would record 19 albums for EMI/Odeon. In 1974, he accepted an invitation to play at a festival in Berlin, Germany, and asked Hermeto Pascoal and Naná Vasconcelos to join him in his presentation. He then met ECM's CEO, Manfred Eicher. Returning to Brazil, he received a letter from ECM in 1975, inviting him to record with them. Not knowing what would be the importance of that label, he postponed the response until the end of 1976. Then he accepted the invitation, imagining he'd record with the all-star Brazilian group he was performing with by then: drummer/percussionist Robertinho Silva, bassist Luis Alves, and saxophonist/flutist Nivaldo Ornelas. But the Brazilian military government had imposed a high fee for all leaving Brazilians at about 7,000 dollars. Being that cipher prohibitive for anyone in that group but him, he decided to record solo. Fearing that challenge, he was wandering through Norway when he met a Brazilian actor who was his friend. Invited to his home, he met Brazilian percussionist Naná Vasconcelos there. Having to record the album in three days, he decided to have Vasconcelos into it, and asked by him to describe the album's concept, he explained that both of them had a common history, and he proposed Vasconcelos use that album for telling it. It was the history of two boys wandering through a dense, humid forest, full of insects and animals, keeping a 180-feet distance from each other. He knew Vasconcelos would accept without hesitation, and he did. His LP Dança das Cabeças with Vasconcelos received several contradictory international awards reflecting Brazilian cultural richness: in England, it was awarded as a pop record; in the U.S., as folklore music; in Germany, as classical music. Either way, it changed both artists' lives: Vasconcelos immediately became a disputed international artist, touring worldwide; Gismonti returned to Brazil and decided to research Amazon folklore. In the heart of the Amazon forest, Alto Xingu, he tried to make contact with the Yawaiapitì tribe, playing his flute for two weeks until head chief Sapaim invited him to his home. They shared no common language other than music and Gismonti spent about a month living and learning with them, upon the condition of spreading the forest people's values. Two years later, with saxophonist Jan Garbarek, percussionist Colin Walcott, and guitarist Ralph Towner, he recorded Sol do Meio-Dia. His LP Solo, released that next year, sold 100,000 copies in the U.S. In 1981, with Garbarek and bassist Charlie Haden, he recorded the LP Magico. The same year, the trio toured Europe, including a concert at the Berlin Jazz Festival, and recorded a second Magico album, entitled Folksongs. In 1981, Gismonti again toured with Haden and Garbarek, performing throughout Europe. Also in that year, he recorded with his all-star group Academia de Danças (drummer Nenê, saxophonist/flutist Mauro Senise, and bassist Zeca Assunção) the double album Sanfona. With Vasconcelos, he recorded Duas Vozes in 1985. In 1989, he recorded Dança dos Escravos and in 1990, following the release of Dança das Cabeças, Gismonti toured the United States with his group, which included cellist Jaquinho Morelembaum, flutist/saxophonist Nivaldo Ornellas, and Edu Mello E Souza on keyboards. Also in 1990, he recorded Infância, accompanied by Nando Carneiro (guitar/keyboards), Zeca Assumpção (bass), and cellist Jaquinho Morelembaum. With the same group, he recorded in 1993 Música de Sobrevivência, an album inspired by the writings of the Brazilian poet Manoel de Barros, who reflects in his work the Brazilian duality of the cultivated Portuguese tradition and the massive illiteracy disseminated in that country, which, notwithstanding, deeply influences the official language. In 1995, he recorded with the State Symphonic Orchestra of Lithuania the CD Meeting Point. In 1996, Gismonti recorded with Nando Carneiro and Zeca Assumpção for the CD Zig Zag. As a businessman, he owns the successful label Carmo, which has several joint ventures with ECM. He also performed an almost impossible task: He bought the rights for all of his phonograms through EMI/Odeon for worldwide publishing, with the exception of Brazil.

PAT METHENY
by Scott Yanow
One of the most original guitarists from the '80s onward (he is instantly recognizable), Pat Metheny is a chance-taking player who has gained great popularity but also taken some wild left turns. His records with the Pat Metheny Group are difficult to describe (folk-jazz? mood music?) but managed to be both accessible and original, stretching the boundaries of jazz and making Metheny famous enough so he could perform whatever type of music he wants without losing his audience. Metheny (whose older brother is the trumpeter Mike Metheny) started on guitar when he was 13. He developed quickly, taught at both the University of Miami and Berklee while he was a teenager, and made his recording debut with Paul Bley and Jaco Pastorius in 1974. He spent an important period (1974-1977) with Gary Burton's group, met keyboardist Lyle Mays, and in 1978 formed his group, which originally featured Mays, bassist Mark Egan, and drummer Dan Gottlieb. Within a short period he was ECM's top artist and one of the most popular of all jazzmen, selling out stadiums. Metheny mostly avoided playing predictable music, and his freelance projects were always quite interesting. His 1980 album 80/81 featured Dewey Redman and Mike Brecker in a post-bop quintet; he teamed up with Charlie Haden and Billy Higgins on a trio date in 1983; and two years later recorded the very outside Song X with Ornette Coleman. Metheny's other projects away from the group have included a sideman recording with Sonny Rollins; a 1990 tour with Herbie Hancock in a quartet; a trio album with Dave Holland and Roy Haynes; and a collaboration (and tour) with Joshua Redman. Although many regarded his 1994 recording Zero Tolerance for Silence as largely a waste (40 minutes of feedback), Metheny retained his popularity and remained a consistently creative performer. In addition to recording for ECM, he has appeared as a leader on the Geffen, Warner Bros., and Nonesuch labels. Metheny has remained active in the 21st century, releasing Speaking of Now in 2002, the solo One Quiet Night in 2003, Way Up in 2005, and Metheny Mehldau in 2006. Metheny and pianist Brad Mehldau returned to the studio the following year for Quartet. Metheny released the trio album Day Trip in 2008. Orchestrions, which featured a solo Metheny playing several acoustic instruments designed and built for him by Eric Singer, appeared from Nonesuch early in 2010.

JIM HALL
by Scott Yanow
A harmonically advanced cool-toned and subtle guitarist,
Jim Hall has been an inspiration to many guitarists, including some (such as Bill Frisell) who sound nothing like him. Hall attended the Cleveland Institute of Music and studied classical guitar in Los Angeles with Vincente Gomez. He was an original member of the Chico Hamilton Quintet (1955-1956), and during 1956-1959 was with the Jimmy Giuffre Three. After touring with Ella Fitzgerald (1960-1961) and sometimes forming duos with Lee Konitz, Hall was with Sonny Rollins' dynamic quartet in 1961-1962, recording The Bridge. He co-led a quartet with Art Farmer (1962-1964), recorded on an occasional basis with Paul Desmond during 1959-1965 (all of their quartet performances are collected on a Mosaic box set), and then became a New York studio musician. He has mostly been a leader ever since and, in addition to his own projects for World Pacific/Pacific Jazz, MPS, Milestone, CTI, Horizon, Artists House, Concord, Music Masters, and Telarc, Jim Hall recorded two classic duet albums with Bill Evans. A self-titled collaboration with Pat Metheny followed in 1999. A flurry of studio albums, reissues, and compilations followed throughout the next few years, with the exceptional Jim Hall & Basses standing out for its bass/guitar duet format.


RUSSELL MALONE
by AllAboutJazz
Born: November 8, 1963
Russell Malone's first guitar was a plastic green toy his mother bought him. Only four years old, Malone strummed the little guitar all day long for days on end trying to emulate the sounds he had heard from guitarists at church in Albany, Georgia. As a child, Malone developed an interest in blues and country music after seeing musicians on television like Chet Atkins, Glen Campbell, Johnny Cash, Roy Clark, Son Seals, and B.B. King. Then, at age 12, he saw George Benson perform with Benny Goodman on Soundstage. Malone has said, “I knew right then and there that I wanted to play this music.”
A self-taught player, Malone progressed well enough to land a gig with master organist Jimmy Smith when he was 25. “It made me realize that I wasn't as good as I thought I was,” Malone recalls of his first on-stage jam with Smith. After two years with Smith, he hooked up with Harry Connick Jr.'s orchestra, a position he held from 1990-94, appearing on three of Harry's recordings. But Malone also worked in a variety of contexts, performing with artists as diverse as Clarence Carter, Little Anthony, Peabo Bryson, Mulgrew Miller, Kenny Barron, Roy Hargrove, The Winans, Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson, Bucky Pizzarelli, and Jack McDuff.
Along the way, Malone made a name for himself combining the bluesy sound of Grant Green and Kenny Burrell with the relentless attack of Django Reinhardt and Pat Martino.
Now Malone is one of the most commanding and versatile guitarists performing. He can move from blues to gospel to pop to R&B and jazz without hesitation, a rare facility that has prompted some of the highest profile artists in the world to call upon him: Diana Krall, Gladys Knight, Aretha Franklin, B.B. King, Natalie Cole, Wynton Marsalis, David Sanborn, Shirley Horn, Christina Aguilera and Harry Connick, Jr.
After hearing Malone play in Connick's band, former Sony head, Tommy Mottola, brought Malone over to Columbia. Malone's self-titled debut, Russell Malone, in 1992 quickly went to #1 on the radio charts and was followed by Black Butterfly in 1993.
Diana Krall's label, Verve Records, came calling next and released three albums by Malone: Sweet Georgia Peach, Look Who's Here, and Heartstrings. Malone joined Diana Krall in 1995, contributing to Krall's first four Grammy-nominated albums: All For You (1996), Love Scenes (1997), When I Look In Your Eyes (1999), and The Look Of Love (2001). In addition to winning for Best Jazz Vocal Performance, When I Look In Your Eyes (1999) was the first jazz album since 1976 (George Bensons's Breezin') nominated for Album of The Year.


PETER BERNSTEIN
by William Ruhlmann
Jazz guitarist
Peter Bernstein was born September 3, 1967, in New York City. He got his first break while attending the New School when he met Jim Hall, who recruited him for a concert of guitarists as part of the 1990 JVC Jazz Festival in New York. The show was recorded by MusicMasters and issued as Live at Town Hall, Vol. 2. Bernstein quickly began playing with other jazz musicians, notably appearing on albums by Lou Donaldson, Michael Hashim, Larry Goldings, Mel Rhyne, Jesse Davis, and Geoff Keezer. He recorded his first album as a leader, Somethin's Burnin', for Criss Cross on December 22, 1992, as part of quartet with Brad Mehldau (piano), John Webber (bass), and Jimmy Cobb (drums). After working with such artists as Patti Page, Walt Weiskopf, Brian Lynch, Laverne Butler, Eric Alexander, and Hendrik Meurkens in 1993-1994, he issued his second solo album, Signs of Life, on May 2, 1995, working again with Mehldau, along with Christian McBride (bass) and Gregory Hutchinson (drums). Further work as a sideman with Ghetto Philharmonic, Trudy Desmond, Teodross Avery, Joshua Redman, Kevin Mahogany, Grant Stewart, and Mike LeDonne preceded the release of his third album, Brain Dance, on June 24, 1997. This time, he led a quintet also containing Goldings (organ), Eric Alexander (tenor saxophone), Steve Davis (trombone), and Billy Drummond (drums). Prior to his fourth album, Earth Tones, Bernstein recorded with Ralph Lalama and Eric Comstock, among others. Earth Tones, issued August 25, 1998, found him fronting a trio with Goldings and Bill Stewart (drums). Five years elapsed before the release of Heart's Content, Bernstein's fifth album as a leader, and he occupied the time working with a wide variety of musicians including Tom Aalfs, Group 15, Jimmy Cobb's Mob, David Bubba Brooks, Doug Lawrence, Sam Yahel, David Morgan, Jon Gordon, Michael Karn, Spike Wilner, Anna Lauvergnac, Harry Allen, Paula West, Nicholas Payton, Etta Jones, Béla Szakcsi Lakatos, Lee Konitz, Klaus Doldinger, and Ralph Bowen. Heart's Content, which was released May 27, 2003, was credited to "Peter Bernstein + 3," and the three were Mehldau, Bill Stewart, and Larry Grenadier (bass). The same year the album appeared, Bernstein could be heard on albums by Ryan Kisor, Wycliffe Gordon, Janis Siegel, and Martin Sasse, among others. Stranger in Paradise, Bernstein's sixth album, was released June 8, 2004, by the Japanese Tokuma label, and employed the same lineup as that on Heart's Content. In addition to musicians with whom he had recorded before, Bernstein appeared on albums by Jim Rotondi and Dr. Lonnie Smith in 2004 and Kathy Kosins in 2005. On August 23, 2005, Mel Bay released the DVD Peter Bernstein Trio Live at Smoke, taped at a jazz club on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Among his many sideman sessions in the mid-2000s, Bernstein added dates with Joe Magnarelli, Alvin Queen, Planet Jazz, Anton Schwartz, John Pisano, David "Fathead" Newman, Don Friedman, Cory Weeds, and Andrew Suvalsky to the list of his credits, along with repeat appearances with others. On January 13, 2009, the newly reactivated Xanadu label released Bernstein's seventh album, Monk, a tribute to Thelonious Monk featuring all Monk compositions. Although Monk was a pianist, of course, the Bernstein recording was made with a pianoless trio consisting of himself, Doug Weiss (bass), and Bill Stewart.

ROMERO LUBAMBO
by AllAboutJazz
Born in Rio de Janeiro in 1955.
Romero Lubambo studied classical piano and music theory as a young boy. From the time he played his first notes on the guitar at age thirteen, he devoted himself to that instrument. Lubambo graduated from the Villa-Lobos School of Music in Rio in 1978, an outstanding student of classical guitar; and, in 1980, received a degree in mechanical engineering from the Pontificia Universidade Catolica do Rio de Janeiro.
The rhythms and melodies defining Brazilian music and American jazz fascinated Lubambo. He taught himself through intense research and practice, developing exceptional skill, versatility and fluency in both jazz and Brazilian idioms. In 1985, Romero left Brazil for New York, where he became very much in demand, not only for his authentic Brazilian sound, but also for his command of a variety of styles. After reconnecting with fellow Brazilians Duduka da Fonseca and Nilson Matta, their impromptu sessions eventually led to the formation of Trio da Paz, a Brazilian Jazz trio widely recognized for their innovation, creativity and dynamic intensity. The group has become a major force in revitalizing and evolving the rich Brazilian musical legacy. Since their successful debut album “Brazil From The Inside” Trio da Paz has continued to break new ground with their special blend of traditional Brazilian rhythms and jazz improvisation.
Romero has also established himself as a composer and performer on his own critically acclaimed recording projects and collaborations with many outstanding artists, including Dianne Reeves, Michael Brecker, Yo-Yo Ma, Kathleen Battle, Diana Krall, Herbie Mann, Wynton Marsalis, Jane Monheit, Kenny Barron, Ivan Lins, Grover Washington Jr., Vernon Reid, Flora Purim and Airto, Sadao Watanabe, Paquito D'Rivera, Harry Belafonte, Larry Coryell, Gato Barbieri, Leny Andrade, James Carter, Paula Robison, Dave Weckl, Claudia Acuña, Jason Miles, Regina Carter, Luciana Souza, Gil Goldstein and Cesar Camargo Mariano among many others.