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
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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