MY FRIENDS TOP 10 JAZZ CD's - 2015

Dr. Leandro L. Rocha
Segue minha seleção:

 01. 50 anos - FRANCIS HIME 

 02.Memória Afetiva - LUIZ PIÉ 

 03.What is this thing called love - LAURA THEODORE 

 04.Viva Hermeto - ANDRÉ MARQUES 

 05.Uneração Vital - THIAGO ALMEIDA TRIO 

 06.Tamarear - MILTON NASCIMENTO E DUDU LIMA TRIO 

 07.Ná e Zé - NÁ OZZETTI E ZÉ MIGUEL WISNIK 

 08.Samba Sujo - ALFREDO DEL PENHO 

 09. Cordão - ADRIANA MOREIRA 

 10.Transparente - FÁTIMA GUEDES 

 11.Vidas pra contar - DJAVAN 

 12.EDUARDO GUDIN E NOTICIAS DUM BRASIL 4 

 13.CHICO BUARQUE ARTISTA BRASILEIRO - VÁRIOS- Trilha Sonora do Filme 

 14.Partir - FABIANA COZZA 

 15.CAETANO VELOSO E GILBERTO GIL 

 Abraço, Léo


F.Claudio B. Botelho
Amigos do Jazz,
Abaixo, aquilo que mais gostei de ouvir no ano de 2.015. Como sempre tenho assinalado, o critério único que adotei foi o de “gostar de ouvir”, independentemente dos galardões que este ou aquele possam ter.
A escolha foi trabalhosa e me trouxe certa inquietação, pois, me parece, naquele ano, a quantidade foi bem maior do que a qualidade. Ou fiquei mais exigente (acho que não).
Bem, sem mais delongas, vamos ao que escolhi.
01- JOEY ALEXANDER - MY FAVORITE THINGS.
Bem, já falei até demais sobre esse menino. Sugiro que o assistam no Youtube, numa apresentação ao vivo em Copenhagen, acompanhado por dois famosos jazzistas locais. Ali, vocês verão que se trata, de fato, de uma criança que, quando senta no piano, recebe o "cabôco tocador" que o transforma numa outra coisa que pode ser tudo, menos criança. Para simplificar: a introdução da faixa inaugural desse CD (que dura mais de dez minutos) é coisa de jazzista passado na casca do alho. Assim, naqueles trinta segundos iniciais, o sujeito toma um susto danado e fica certo de que existe mesmo alma!...Aquela criança, do alto dos seus onze anos, consegue INTERPRETAR músicas, arranjando-as DE FORMA CONCATENADA, sem que, em nenhum momento, o ouvinte se esqueça da música que está sendo executada. Isso tem nome: milagre!
02- GLEN ZALESKY - MY IDEAL.
Nunca tinha ouvido falar. Rapaz novo que, interpretando alguns batidos estandardes, traz arranjos bastante originais, sem, no entanto, descambar para terrenos inóspitos que desagradariam a conservadores como eu. Tem a vibração da juventude e ela está bem presente nesse CD. Indicação indiscutível de 2.015, desde quando o ouvi pela primeira vez.
03- ALAN BROADBENT & NDR BIG BAND - AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL.
Alan, meu velho amigo! O homem que chorou ao ouvir Bill Evans pela primeira vez! Ele está certo; eu faria o mesmo. Aqui, num retorno a trabalho pesado de orquestração, desfila algumas de suas melhores composições, junto com algumas outras bem conhecidas de diferentes autores. Orquestrações densas, bem trabalhadas e faixas longas demandam uma atenção maior. Não se deve ouvir esse CD como música de fundo, pois ele não se presta a esse papel. Destaques para o próprio AB e para um saxofonista que dá todo o sangue que tem. Gravação esquisita e baixa, o que é um crime que se comete. CD para ser ouvido em duas seções, pois é longo e tem muita informação que poderá, eventualmente, sobrecarregar os mais inquietos.
04- KENNY WERNER - THE MELODY.
Kenny Werner voltando à sua velha forma. Creio que já deve ter se recuperado um pouco de seu drama familiar (se é que isso é possível). Aqui, exibe seu estilo um tanto fragmentado de tocar que, no final, como sempre, acaba fazendo todo o sentido do mundo. É, sem dúvida nenhuma, um dos pianistas mais originais do jazz. Não é aconselhável para iniciantes. Acho que não me enquadro nessa turma, pois, afinal, estou nessa há algumas décadas...
05- DAVE SLONAKER BIG BAND - INTRADA.
Líder desconhecido que, em 2.015, se constituiu numa gratíssima surpresa para mim, pois, nos dias atuais, trabalhos orquestrais desse tipo geralmente pendem para a mesmice. Aqui não! Cada faixa é uma exibição de arranjos em múltiplos planos que trazem excepcional dinâmica ao conjunto. O homem é agitado e não gosta de deixar espaço em branco! Uma espécie de Renato Sellani às avessas... CD muito bem gravado. DS é da costa oeste dos EUA e trabalha mais em estúdios de cinema, sendo, mais ativo como músico de trilhas sonoras cinematográficas.
06- ELLIS MARSALLIS TRIO - ON THE FIRST OCCASION.
Eis outro dos meus heróis! Pena que seja um homem de múltiplos afazeres, o que nem sempre lhe permite nos presentear com seu talento. Conheço vários de seus CDs, mas poucos são tão consistentes como esse! Felicíssima combinação de repertório com interpretação. Jazz de largo espectro que só não agrada a quem... não gosta do babado.
07- AVISHAI COHEN TRIO - FROM THE DARKNESS.
No começo, assusta um pouco, mas, depois, você acostuma. Brincadeiras à parte, esse é um CD que, sem enveredar por caminhos obscuros que, muitas vezes, encobrem a falta de inspiração, consegue ser original, inspirado e instigante. Aqui o papo é cabeça. Do meio em diante, fica 100% palatável. Esse recado final é para os mais recatados...
08- MARCIN WASILEWSKI TRIO WITH JOAKIM MILDER - SPARK OF LIFE.
Melancolia polonesa que, nem sempre, me disponho a ouvir. Tem, no entanto, diversas qualidades. Talvez a mais importante: a perfeita integração do convidado soprador! Aqui, ninguém é prima-dona e todos se completam com perfeição. Palmas para o Marcin; ele conseguiu o que muito poucos conseguem nesse particular, especialmente os nossos amigos do norte! Gravação com muita espacialidade (pensei até que tivesse sido feita no famoso Rainbow Studio), agudos translúcidos e acabamento flawless. Esse, de fato, não podia ficar de fora e, a bem da verdade, só entrou porque o titular do Worldjazz me lembrou dele ao colocá-lo em sua lista que, como sabem, antecede a esta. Thanks, Leo II!
09- MICHAEL WOLLY TRIO - WELTENTRAUM LIVE PHILARMONIE BERLIN.
Todo o entorno técnico do CD acima se aplica a este. O artesanato musical é tão bom quanto! Michael é, sem dúvida, um perfeccionista e o arranjo geral está acima de qualquer crítica. A inspiração é bem diversa daquela do outro no entanto, sendo mais, digamos, germânica, chegando, em alguns momentos, a inquietar. Mas, independentemente do gênero musical, temos aqui um dos trios mais competentes da Europa e, provavelmente, o mais acertado da Alemanha. O pianista é novo e, tudo indica, tem um grande futuro. Não é um CD “popular”.
10- MICHEL CAMILO - WHAT'S UP.
Nem ele sabia que ia estar na minha lista. Eu muito menos! Mas, de cara, se percebe um piano expansivo e bastante explícito. Michel não é um homem de meios toques; vai com força. mas, também, sabe ser lírico, como mostra em umas três faixas do CD. Apesar de algumas "cubanadas" (como não poderia deixar de ser), o saldo é muito positivo. O CD passa rápido, o que sempre é bom, pois atesta bem sua palatibilidade. Jazz de amplo espectro, também. Para todas as idades.
11- BOB JAMES AND NATHAN EAST - THE NEW COOL.
Este entrou pela absoluta e total finesse desse pianista chamado Bob James. Leve e facilmente assimilável. Recomendo a todos, indistintamente.


Dr. Marcílio Adjafre
Minha relação do que ouvi de melhor em 2015 Melhores CD 2015:

1. Antonio Faraò - Boundaries - Verve 

2. Ellis Marsalis Trio - On The First Occasion

3. Mario Nappi Trio - Vela 

4. Luigi Martinale - Face the Music 

5. Joey Alexander - My Favorite Things 

6. Alessandro Galati Trio - On a Sunny Day 

7. Alan Broadbent & NDR Big Band - America The Beautiful 

8. Antonio Figura - A Journey With a Small Red Car 

9. Alessandro Collina - Michel on Air 

10. Thomás Ehnco - Firefiles 

11. Pawel Kaczmarczyz Audiofeelig Trio - Something Personal 

12. Writing 4 Trane - Living Coltrane 

13. Romero Lubambo - Setembro 

14. Justin Kauflin - Introducing 

15. Manu Katché - Live in concert 

Menção honrosa: Maria Schneider - The Thompson Fields.


Márcio Távora
CAROS AMIGOS AUDIÓFILOS - 2016,
AUGUSTO, CARLOS, CLÁUDIO, LÉO, LEONARDO, MARCÍLIO, PAULO E RENATO.
Estes são os melhores CDs DVDs BLU-RAYs que tive o prazer de ouvir e assistir em 2015.
CDS:
- AHMAD JAMAL (CD + DVD) – LIVE IN MARCIAC {2014}
- ELLIS MARSALIS – ON THE FIRST OCASSION {1998}
- JOEY ALEXANDER – MY FAVORITE THINGS {2014}
- JOHNNY (JOHN) WILLIAMS ORCHESTRA – RHYTHM IN MOTION {1961}
- MANHANTTAN JAZZ ORCHESTRA – BOLÉRO {2014}
- NATALIE DESSAY & MICHEL LEGRAND – ENTRE ELLE ET LUI {2013}
- RICHARD GALLIANO – SENTIMENTALE {2013}
- ROYAL BOPSTERS PROJECT WITH VERT SPECIAL GUESTS (2013) – AMY LONDON (SOPRANO),
- HOLLI ROSS (ALTO), DARMON MEADER (TENOR) & DYLAN PRAMUK (BASS)  GUESTS: MARK MURPHY, SHEILA JORDAN, JON HENDRICKS, ANNIE ROSS & BOB DOROUGH
DVDS & BLU-RAY:
- BURT BACHARACH (DVD) – THE GERSHWIN PRIZE – AT THE WHITE HOUSE {2012}
- TRIBUTE WITH FRIENDS (STEVIE WONDER, DIANA KRALL, MICHAEL FEINSTEIN….)
- MARIO ADNET (DVD) – JOBIM JAZZ AO VIVO
OBS:
– SAFRA MUITO FRACA, O MELHOR FOI O DO JOEY ALEXANDER (EXCELENTE).


Prof.Dr. Carlos Couto de Castelo Branco
MINHA LISTA - 2015
CD:
- 1. DJAVAN - Vida Prá Contar
- 2. LUIZ PIÉ - Memória Afetiva
- 3. ROBERTO MENESCAL - Balansamba
- 4. MARIO ALBANESE - Jequibau
- 5. DENA DeROSE - We Won't Forget You...An Homage to Shirley Horn
- 6. KRISTIN KORB - Finding Home
- 7. BILLY STRAIHORN - Lush Life
- 8. JOE HANDERSON - Lush Life
- 9. MICHEL CAMILO - Live at the Blue Note
- 10. JOEY ALEXANDER - My Favorite Things
- 11. ALAN BROADBENT & NDR BIG BAND - America The Beautiful
- 12. DAVID NEWTON - Big Screen Take One
DVD:
- 1. MARIO ADNET - Jobim Jazz
- 2. MAKOTO OZONE & GARY BURTON - Live at Montreux
OBS: gostaria de esclarecer que, para chegar a tal, contei com dicas dos amigos Dr. Slab Rock, Ricardo Albuquerque, Zé Airton Viana, Marcio Távora, Claudio Botelho e Mauricio Matos.

WORLDJAZZ TOP 10 - 2015

WORLDJAZZ TOP 10 - 2015

Best Jazz 2015 by WORLDJAZZ

Jazz Record of 2015
- Joey Alexander - My Favorite Things

Top 10(9) Jazz Records of 2015
- Sachal Vasandani - Hi-Fly
- Alan Broadbent & NDR BigBand - America The Beautiful
- Louis Armstrong - The Complete Decca Sessions 1935-1946
- Avishai Cohen Trio - From Darkness
- Ellis Marsalis Trio - On The First Occasion
- Chick Corea Trio - Trilogy
- Joona Toivanen Trio - November
- Marcin Wasilewski Trio w/Joakim Milder - Spark Of Life
- Tony Bennett & Bill Charlap - The Silver Lining

Artiste du Jazz 2015
Tony Bennett

Dave Pike 1938 - 2015

By Elaine Woo LATimes
Dave Pike, a bebop-style jazz musician who pioneered the amplified vibraphone, died Saturday, October 3,2015 - in Del Mar. He was 77.
A smoker since his teens, Pike had emphysema, said his wife, Brooke Eisenberg-Pike.
Influenced by the sounds of Milt Jackson and Lionel Hampton, Pike began playing drums when he was 8 and later taught himself the vibraphone. He added an amplifier to the instrument in 1960 and spent the next four years touring with Herbie Mann.
He then moved to Europe, where his band, the Dave Pike Set, gained popularity in Germany and Belgium. He returned to the United States in the early 1970s and talked the owner of Hungry Joe’s, a tiny Huntington Beach hangout for bikers and surfers, to let him play there. With pianist Tom Ranier, guitarist Ron Eschete and bassist Luther Hughes, Pike and his group became regulars and turned the establishment into a lively jazz club.
Noted jazz historian Leonard Feather wrote in 1973 that Pike played the amplified vibraphone with “ingenuity, dynamism and improvisational energy," extracting from it “a resonance on top of resonance, to which at certain points he adds a grating but sometimes attractive fuzz tone.”
Pike made more than two dozen recordings during his career, including “Times Out of Mind,” “Carnaval” and “Jazz for the Jet Set.” He stopped touring in 2010 when his illness worsened, his wife said.
Born in Detroit on March 23, 1938, Pike moved to Los Angeles with his family when he was 15 and within a year was playing professionally. Among the musicians he performed with in the early years of his career were Curtis Counce, Elmo Hope, Dexter Gordon and Paul Bley.
Besides his wife, Brooke, whom he married in 2004, he is survived by a son from a previous marriage, Jesse, and three grandchildren.

Larry Rosen 1940 - 2015

By Charles J. Gans - October 10, 2015
Larry Rosen, one of the most influential and tech-savvy modern jazz producers who co-founded GRP Records with Dave Grusin, died Oct. 9, 2015 at his home in Park Ridge, N.J. He was 75.
The cause was brain cancer, publicist Sheryl Feuerstein said.
Against the advice of their financial advisers and lawyers, Mr. Rosen and Grusin mortgaged their homes to borrow money to launch GRP as an independent label in 1982.
“It was two musicians who just believed in the music and merging technology with quality product,” Mr. Rosen recalled in a 2012 interview with Billboard magazine on the 30th anniversary of the label’s founding. “We wanted to see if audiences would like it, and they did.”
GRP, which embraced the jazz-fusion sound and enjoyed crossover success, was voted Billboard’s No. 1 contemporary jazz label for five consecutive years and won 33 Grammys. Its catalogue included albums by many top jazz artists such as Chick Corea, Lee Ritenour, Diana Krall, Diane Schuur, Patti Austin, Dr. John and Ramsey Lewis.
On the technological side, GRP was noteworthy as the first record label to use digital recording technology for all its releases and issue every release on the new CD format.
More recently, Mr. Rosen’s main focus was on producing concerts. In 2008, he created Jazz Roots, a popular jazz concert series with an education and mentoring program for music students, at the invitation of the new Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami. The series, which has presented world-class jazz artists such as Dave Brubeck, Sonny Rollins, Wynton Marsalis and Dee Dee Bridgewater, expanded to performing arts centers in Atlanta, Dallas, Las Vegas and other cities.
Larry Rosen was born Mary 25, 1940, in the Bronx, and performed as a drummer with the Newport Jazz Festival Youth Band in 1959. He got to know Grusin, a pianist, when they worked together in singer Andy Williams’s band.
In 1972, the two formed the freelance production team Grusin/Rosen Productions, discovering and producing artists such as Earl Klugh, Austin and Ritenour. Six years later, GRP signed a production deal with Clive Davis’s Arista Records. Mr. Rosen engineered Grusin’s album “Mountain Dance,” the first digitally recorded non-classical album.
After enjoying success as an independent label, Grusin and Mr. Rosen sold GRP to MCA Records in a multimillion-dollar deal, with Mr. Rosen remaining as president and chief executive of the label until 1995.
Mr. Rosen went on to found N2K, which not only released CDs but became one of the first online music sites with a music store and genre-based community sites, making available in early 1996 some of the first digital downloads.
For television, Mr. Rosen created and produced the PBS series “Legends of Jazz” with pianist Ramsey Lewis in 2006. He also established the annual Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition in 2012 at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark.

2 Sem 2015 - Part Ten

Joey Alexander
My Favorite Things

By Matt Collar
The debut album from jazz piano prodigy Joey Alexander, 2015's My Favorite Things showcases the 11-year-old's stunning keyboard virtuosity. Joining Alexander here is a mix of older and younger associates, including journeyman bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Ulysses Owens, Jr. Also backing Alexander on various tracks are bassist Russell Hall, drummer Sammy Miller, and up-and-coming firebrand trumpeter Alphonso Horne. Working with Grammy-winning producer Jason Olaine, who previously helmed albums by such jazz luminaries as Roy Hargrove, Chris Potter, Kurt Rosenwinkel, and others, Alexander delivers a handful of jazz standards and songs culled from the American Popular Songbook in adroit, acoustic, swinging fashion.


Juarez Maciel Grupo Muda
Jazzidas



By Tratore
Com influências e referências de diversos estilos e ritmos musicais, como os ritmos afro-caribenhos e os brasileiros, samba, xote e outros. Com uma técnica apurada e uma sonoridade contagiante, o naipe de metais, sax tenor, sax barítono, trompete e trombone, se revezam nas improvisações jazzísticas, desenvolvendo diferentes linhas melódicas e conduzindo o ouvinte ao universo único da música instrumental.
Personnel:
Juarez Maciel
piano, arranjos e composições;
eduardo campos – bateria e vibrafone <> felipe fantoni - baixo acústico <> bill lucas - percussão <> paulo thomaz - violino <> jonas vitor - sax tenor <> wagner souza - trompete / flugelhorn <> marco daniel - trompete naipe ( faixa 1 – 5 - 6 ) <> juventino - trompete ( 1 – 3 – 5 – 6 ) <> roberto jr. sax barítono <> leonardo brasilino – trombone e arr. sax barítono <> fabio gonçalves - guitarra ( faixa 1 -3 - 5 ) <> pablo passini - guitarra ( faixa 2 - 4 – 6) <> improvisos safira – jonas vitor /sax <> wagner souza / trompete <> fabinho gonçalves / guitarra <> improvisos origami – wagner souza / trompete <> breno mendonça / sax tenor <> improvisos fora do tempo – jonas vitor / sax tenor <> wagner souza / trompete surdina <> improvisos funk estrela – breno mendonça / sax tenor <> wagner souza / trompete <> improviso náufragos - breno mendonça / sax tenor <> imrpovisos diadorim – brasilino / trombone <> pablo passini - guitarra
Recording:
gravação e mixagem - bruno corrêa estúdio murillo corrêa belo horizonte - minas / brasil -
março a julho de 2011.
Masterização - andré cabelo


Karin Krog & Steve Kuhn
Break Of Day



By Marlbank/SG
The appeal of this album of standards from veteran Norwegian jazz vocals star Karin Krog and pianist Steve Kuhn, who, as a 21-year-old in 1960 found himself in John Coltrane’s quartet, is largely nostalgic.
At the heart of it all the duo tantalise and glimmer, guest appearances broadening the palette added from tenorist Eric Alexander and from trumpeter Lew Soloff who sadly died earlier this year. ‘I’m Old Fashioned’ is the opener of the album recorded in New York over the last two days of October 2013 and that old fashioned thing Krog conjures so matter-of-factly from the Jerome Kern/Johnny Mercer song could be the subtitle of an album that shelters under the welcoming canopy of the Great American Songbook.
Krog has written lyrics to several of the songs, contributing effortlessly to the mournful atmosphere of Carla Bley’s ‘Break of Day in Molde’ a performance that comes complete with a heartbreaking trumpet part from Lew Soloff who also later crops up on Tadd Dameron’s ‘You Do Something to Me’ and bluesman Jimmy Witherspoon’s ‘Time’s Getting Tougher than Tough’.
Krog might be thought of as the Norwegian equivalent of Annie Ross but really she stands unique as a legend in her own land, her fame understandably reaching far beyond Nordic climes, that lilt of hers and empathy with classic jazz so distinctively conveyed on dozens of records over a long career to date.
There’s no sense of hurry or quick fixes here at all and if like Krog you’re old fashioned too you’ll like this mid-tempo album a good deal. Kuhn is an ideal accompanist, not showy at all, with a great way of choosing and accenting just the right chord and interpreting even the most subtle of Krog’s hints. Eric Alexander is also a very retro kind of player in the Scott Hamilton school and he’s perfect casting here breaking through on Kenny Dorham tune ‘Scandia Skies’ Krog has written lyrics to.
In her liner note to Break of Day Krog writes: “I heard ‘Scandia Skies’ played by the wonderful trumpeter Kenny Dorham in the Montmartre jazz club in Copenhagen at some time in the late 60s… Kenny gave me a copy of the music and later I wrote some words to it. I thought that it was quite appropriate to include this tune as Steve Kuhn had played in Kenny’s band earlier on in his career.”
And ‘appropriate’ in other respects (history, respect for the tradition, timing, acute sensibility) is a word that recurs so often on this tasteful album, everything is just so. A very late night and definitely quietly affecting set: Krog and Kuhn pull out all the stops on ‘Everytime We Say Goodbye’ as they themselves say goodbye on the final track.


Bob James & Nathan East
The New Cool

By Andy Kellman
Recorded in five studios in Nashville and nearby Franklin, Tennessee, The New Cool is something of a follow-up to Nathan East's self-titled 2014 album, though it's billed to the bassist and his fellow Fourplay member, Bob James. Like Nathan East, The New Cool is a Yamaha release. The label wing of the manufacturer also supplied the duo with instruments and enabled them to make this predominantly acoustic set of eight originals and three interpretations. Drummer Scott Williamson, percussionist Rafael Padilla, and an orchestra -- with David Davidson as concertmaster -- are all involved, yet they're employed sparingly and leave the spotlight to East and James. The album sounds like it was easy and fun to make -- one can sense joy and deep focus in the interplay -- as the material is predominantly amiable and laid-back. It's almost entirely instrumental, with East adding some occasional soft scatting, while Vince Gill drops by for the lone "proper" vocal inclusion on an elegant recasting of Willie Nelson's "Crazy." Just when it seems as if The New Cool will end as it began, in sunny and mellow form, the closing "Turbulence" develops into what's easily the album's most active cut. Composer James lets loose with some athletic electric piano, East's bass is at its taut and melodic best, and Williamson, known most for his work on contemporary country and Christian sessions, shows that he can also hang with two crucial jazz rhythm-section dignitaries. This is a pleasant, if inessential, addition to the catalogs of the two musicians.


Tony Bennett & Bill Charlap
The Silver Lining: The Songs Of Jerome Kern



By Stephen Thomas Erlewine
The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern functions as something of an answer to its predecessor, Cheek to Cheek. That 2014 duet album with Lady Gaga was suitably brassy and snazzy, relying on well-loved standards and pizzazz -- the kind of thing designed to stoke nostalgia vibes -- but The Silver Lining is a purer jazz record, an intimate songbook collaboration with pianist Bill Charlap; the difference can be heard simply in comparing the versions of "I Won't Dance" that pop up on the two albums -- the Gaga swings boldly, the Charlap rendition carries a wry resignation. Songbooks have been a standard item for Bennett throughout the years but if The Silver Lining recalls any specific album in the vocalist's discography, it's The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album, a record released in 1975 when Bennett dropped off the major-label radar and his name was perhaps as well-known to record buyers as that of Evans. While there may be a slight wattage differential between Bennett and Charlap, the difference is due to scale: Bennett is a household name; Charlap is a star among modern mainstream jazz fans. Accordingly, Bennett treats the pianist as an equal, giving him plenty of room to spin out long, liquid solos, passages that seem to glide out imperceptibly from his understated support. Often, The Silver Lining features little more than just the singer and the pianist -- when they're augmented by other musicians, it's just bass and drums, offering a bit of rhythm and color -- and this sparseness never seems austere due to the inherent warmth of the musicians' easy interplay, not to mention their individual voices. Both aspects are subtly showcased on The Silver Lining, and it's that delicate dance, where Bennett and Charlap enjoy playing together and apart, that makes this so charming.

2 Sem 2015 - Part Nine

Antonia Bennett
Embrace-Me



By Tony Augarde
I had quite high expectations of this album, because it is by the daughter of renowned singer Tony Bennett. Mind you, that can have its problems as children of famous parents often get preferential treatment - it’s called nepotism. Yet Tony Bennett says of his daughter: “Antonia’s got the gift. She has good time. She sings in tune. She has a good spontaneous feeling for phrasing”.
In fact Tony’s assessment is a fair summary of Antonia’s gifts, although I’m not too sure about her phrasing. In fact her sound and style remind me of Stacey Kent, who has the same shake in her voice, and a similar pleasing tunefulness - despite this sometimes falling into blandness. Antonia sings in tune but her enunciation is poor, leaving off some final consonants which ought to be heard to get the thrust of the lyrics.
The lyrics are another point of contention. In an interview, Antonia praised the lyrics of the Great American Songbook, which makes up the entirety of the material on this CD. But if she so admires the words of the songs, why does she often change them unnecessarily? She garbles the lyrics ofI Can’t Give You Anything But Love, changing “That's the only thing I've plenty of” to “That’s the only thing I’m dreaming of”. In Nice Work if You Can Get It, she omits “anything” from “anything more”. And in The Nearness of You, she adds the word “Darling” before “if you’ll grant me”, similarly upsetting the balance of the words.
The backing trio is generally very acceptable, although the pianist has a way of ending tunes with upward tinkling notes that sound attractive the first time he uses them but which become irritating when used too frequently. And the drummer is one of those people who plays random rimshot clicks which add nothing to the rhythm. To cap it all, the album lasts for only about 35 minutes – not exactly generous. There are hosts of lady vocalists around at present, and listening to Antonia gives me the same feeling as watching The X Factor on television: do we really need more singers?
Tracks:

1. All of You; 2. But Not For Me; 3. Embraceable You; 4. All the Things You Are
5. I Can’t Give You Anything But Love; 6. The Man I Love; 7. Teach Me Tonight
8. Nice Work if You Can Get It; 9. Yesterdays; 10. The Nearness of You
Personnel:
Antonia Bennett – Vocals; Jon Davis – Piano; Paul Nowinski – Bass; Rafael Barata –Drums


Michel Camilo
What's Up?



By Thom Jurek
Though he has recorded in many different contexts before, from duets to trios to big bands, Michel Camilo has released only one solo piano outing in his long career up to now, 2005's Solo, which revealed in intimate detail his tactile, technical facility. What's Up? is a few steps down the road. Comprised of seven originals and four covers, this date showcases the composer and pianist's love of harmony, texture, color, and rhythmic invention in performing solo jazz piano. Camilo is a wily and rangy player; he embraces the jazz piano tradition throughout this date, and extends it with Latin and classical music He opens with boogie and stride in the title cut; it's punchy, knotty, joyous, and swinging -- a fine ride through Camilo's blues imagination. Following this energetic opener is the moodier "A Place in Time," with its classical nocturne feel that explores varied hues and timbres inside a minor-key arrangement. Given its ethereality and shimmering nuance, it's a fine contrast to the opener. Camilo's love of rhythms is evident in his sprightly reading of Paul Desmond's "Take Five" and his own charging Latin powerhouse "Paprika," with its wide harmonic exploration in the right-hand chord voicings and his rumbling left hand that shifts accents every chorus. His version of "Love for Sale" is playful, elegant, and canny in its deep inquiry into the melody's possibilities for extrapolation -- his solo winds it out entirely without losing its essence. His reading of Compay Segundo's "Chan Chan" is rife with Afro-Cuban rhythmic accents even as it exposes both blues and son. "On Fire" is an exercise in pure technical mastery yet despite its intense right-hand arpeggios and ostinatos, its intricate lyric statement remains amid athletic rhumba, mambo, and salsa rhythms. In his closing ballad "At Dawn," one can hear traces of both Bill Evans and Keith Jarrett, as space, and lyricism -- both direct and implied -- send the recording off with an elegant whisper. What's Up? is a commanding performance by a truly masterful, wildly creative jazz pianist and composer.


Pérez/ Patitucci/ Blade
Children Of The Light



By Manuel Grosso Galvan 
Three excellent musicians in his best moment. The music is clear and beautifully, full of elegance . Acoustic sound with some electric touchs , simple but also majestic but in essential acoustic. Perez is a excellent pianist, Patitucci is a great bass player and Blade is one of the best drummer in this moment. All the CD is impregnate of some kind of special light, the light of his mentor Wayne Shorter is present in every note. Great trio album, a complete lesson of how make something simple and in the same time some deep a full of beauty.


Rosa Passos
Canta Ary, Tom e Caymmi



By Mauro Ferreira
De 1997 a 2000, Rosa Passos lançou quatro álbuns pela Lumiar Discos, gravadora do violonista e produtor musical carioca Almir Chediak (1950 - 2003). Três foram songbooks dedicados pela cantora baiana às obras dos compositores Ary Barroso (1903 - 1964), Antonio Carlos Jobim (1927 - 1994) e Dorival Caymmi (1914 - 2008). Lançada pela gravadora Biscoito Fino neste mês de agosto de 2015, a coletânea Rosa Passos canta Ary, Tom e Caymmi compila 13 fonogramas destes álbuns. De Letra & Música - Ary Barroso (Lumiar Discos, 1997), álbum assinado por Rosa com o violonista Lula Galvão, o CD rebobina Morena boca de ouro (Ary Barroso, 1941), Pra machucar meu coração (Ary Barroso, 1943), Camisa Amarela (Ary Barroso, 1939) e Isto aqui o que é? (Ary Barroso, 1942). Do álbum Rosa Passos canta Antonio Carlos Jobim - 40 anos de Bossa Nova (Lumiar Discos, 1998), a coletânea inclui Inútil paisagem (Antonio Carlos Jobim e Aloysio de Oliveira, 1964 - e não Newton Mendonça, como creditado no álbum original em erro reproduzido na coletânea), Garota de Ipanema (Antonio Carlos Jobim e Vinicius de Moraes, 1962), Vivo sonhando (Antonio Carlos Jobim, 1963) e Samba de uma nota só (Antonio Carlos Jobim e Newton Mendonça, 1960). Por fim, do álbum Rosa Passos canta Caymmi (Lumiar Discos), a compilação reapresenta Samba da minha terra (Dorival Caymmi, 1940), Vestido de bolero (Dorival Caymmi, 1944), Marina (Dorival Caymmi, 1947), Só louco (Dorival Caymmi, 1955) e Vatapá (Dorival Caymmi, 1942). Detalhe: os fuxicos que ilustram a capa e o encarte do CD Rosa Passos canta Ary, Tom e Caymmi - em projeto gráfico criado por Flavia Oliveira - foram confeccionados pela própria artista.

2 Sem 2015 - Part Eight

Diane Hubka
West Coast Strings



By Cdbaby
On this captivating new album, Diane has assembled a West Coast jazz guitar summit, with eight West Coast master guitarists; each of the all-star groupings providing the perfect setting for her soaring vocals.
I can still remember the enthusiastic response I had the first few times I heard Diane Hubka in action, around the start of the new millennium. In one of my Los Angeles Times reviews of her performances, I mentioned “the sweet-toned timbres” of her singing, and the “coolly articulate qualities of her interpretations.” In another, I described the way “the sweet sound of Hubka’s voice blends perfectly with her 7-string guitar.”


Lara Iacovini
Right Together



By Abeat
Take a stellar cast of European and American musicians, add the presence of Steve Swallow, who is artist, and composer now entered on the elite of the contemporary scene, include a beautiful female voice, insert some lyrics specially composed basing on Steve Swallow’s instrumental songs: you get this marvellous cd, titled " Right together featuring Steve Swallow” ; a disc where the immense class of the musicians, the power of the compositions, the lyrics representing a historical exception in the Swallow's repertoire, at last but not least important, the poetry, the mastery and magic of Steve Swallow as soloist ... The result is a high quality production that combines the two shores, European and American ones, closer to each other through a process of melting of musical and artistic elements, which is in place for some time.
Personnel:
Paolino Dalla Porta : doublebass; Andrea Dulbecco : vibe on tracks 1.3.6.7.10
Lara Iacovini : vocal, lyrics; Giovanni Mazzarino : piano, Fender Rhodes on track 8.9
Adam Nussbaum : drums; Roberto Soggetti : piano; Stewe Swallow : bass


Jeremy Fox
With Love



By Edward Blanco
Dr. Jeremy Fox has certainly made his mark in the jazz world but, not as a singer or musician but rather, as an educator/clinician, vocal coach and arranger, and on his inaugural album With Love, Fox offers an inspirational vocal album of jazz standards deserving serious attention. Assembling a group of ten world-class vocalist with varied combos, studio orchestra, a big band and a string section, Fox presents eleven newly-arranged standards from the likes of Sammy Cahn, Cole Porter, Neil Hefti and Artie Shaw among others. Writing custom arrangements for a host of top-notch singers was, in part, based on his Doctoral project in Jazz Composition at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, the beautiful music found on this album, is the result of that creative effort.
Based in Miami, FL, the Doctor draws from many area singers with national reputations like fellow alumnus Kate Reid, Kevin Mahogany, Wendy Pedersen as well as drawing international artists like Peter Eldridge and Lauren Kinhan —both members of the renowned New York Voices—along with Brazilian singer Rose Max vocalist and Swedish vocalist Anders Edenroth. Opening the music is a brand new arrangement of the time-honored Lew Brown/Sammy Fain standard "That Old Feeling" with Professor Reid providing the smooth vocals befitting such a tune. Essentially, book ending the album by appearing one more time on the finale, Reid—with the accompaniment of the String section—provides a truly inspiring version of the Sergio Mendes staple "So Many Stars."
Grammy-nominated singer Kate McGarry graces the recording with a tender treatment of the Cahn/Van Heusen standard "All My Tomorrows" followed by one of the highlights of the disc with baritone vocalist Kevin Mahogany's superb voicing of "Three Little Words." Not to be outdone, Derek Fawcett—founding member of the Chicago-based pop group Down The Line—delivers a fantastic version of "Get Out of Town," featuring Alex Weitz on tenor saxophone with some of the best instrumentals of the recording. Versatile jazz singer Sunny Wilkinson provides a warm and gentle take of the Stephen Sondheim song "Not While I'm Around" followed by a terrific arrangement of the Hefti/Bobby Troupe classic "Girl Talk," delivered by the sensational Wendy Pedersen with a little help from alto saxophonist Neil Carson.
Two beautiful soft spots on the recording come from first, the Edenroth original "Friendship" complete with cello, flugelhorn and flute solos, and the Jimmy Dorsey immortal "I'm Glad There Is You" voiced with emotion by Eldridge. Fellow New York Voices member, Kinhan gets to swing a bit on the big band arrangement of Shaw's perky "Moonray" assisted by pianist/keyboardist Daniel Strange, director of an All-Star Jazz ensemble in Coral Gables, FL. Cleverly crafted for some of arranger Jeremy Fox's favorite singers, With Love is a treasure trove of gorgeous arrangements, outstanding vocal performances and stellar instrumentals—all defining this charming recording as one of the best vocal albums on the jazz landscape.
Track Listing:

That Old Feeling; All My Tomorrows; Three Little Words; Get Out of Town; Not While I'm Around; Girl Talk; Dindi; Friendship; I'm Glad There Is You; Moonray; So Many Stars.
Personnel: 

Jeremy Fox: piano (5), keyboards (6); Kate Reid: vocals (1, 11); Kate McGarry: vocals (2); Kevin Mahogany: vocals (3); Derek Fawcett: vocals (4); Sunny Wilkinson: vocal (5); Wendy Pedersen: vocals (6); Rose Max: vocals (7); Anders Edenroth: vocals (8); Peter Eldridge: vocals (9); Lauren Kinhan: vocals (10); Daniel Strange: piano, keyboards; Rene Toledo: guitar; Geoffrey Saunders: bass; Michael Piolet: drums; Ramatis Moraes: guitar (7); Lindsey Blair: guitar (6); Zach Larmer: guitar (6); Steve Lewis: drums (6); Angelo Versace: piano (4); Tim Jago: guitar (4); Daniel Susnjar: drums (4); Ryan Chapman: trumpet, flugelhorn; Paul Equihua: trumpet, flugelhorn; Jared Hall: trumpet, flugelhorn; Derek Ganong: trumpet, flugelhorn; Eric Bowman: trombone; Stephen Szabadi: trombone; Chris Gagne: trombone; Major Bailey: bass trombone; Neil Carson: alto saxophone; Dan Andrews: tenor saxophone; Alex Weitz: tenor saxophone; Matt Burchard: tenor saxophone; Derek Smith: tenor saxophone, clarinet, bassoon; Matt Small: clarinet; Ernesto Fernandez: flute; Erin Fishler-Branam: background vocals (8); Sherrine Mostin: scratch vocals; Pedro Fernandez: percussion; Nathan Skinner: vibraphone; Maria Chlebus: vibraphone (6); Vivek Gurudutt: table; Phuttaraksa Kamnirdratana: harp; Cassandra Eisenreich: flute; Allison Hubell: flute; James Drayton: oboe; Rachel Lueck: English Horn; Peter Bianca: clarinet; Carlos Felipe Vina: bassoon; Julia Paine: bassoon; Mathew Shefcik: flugelhorn; Stanley Spinola: horn; Larysa Pavecek: horn; Jon Lusher: horn; Sarah Williams: horn; Adam Diderrich: concertmaster; Michelle Godbee: violin; Patricia Jancova: violin; Karen Lord-Powell: violin; Zachary Piper: violin; Katrina Schaefer: violin; James Schlender: violin; Arianne Urban: violin; Steffen Zeichner: violin; Amanda Diaz: viola; Emily Jones: viola; Robyn Savitzky: viola; Kathryn Severing: viola; Joy Adams: cello; Sarah Gongaware: cello; Cecelia Huerta: cello; Chris Young: cello.


Mark Elf
Returns 2014



By Joe Williams
A terrific Return! I was really excited to see this new release by Mark Elf after his time away, and now I find myself going back to this album often. A nice collection of straight ahead jazz and hard bop, technically sharp and precise as always. I found these tunes more accessible and swinging than some of his other releases I've heard. Worth it. 

Sam Most
New Jazz Standards



By Carl Saunders
Sam Most's very last recording, featuring all new compositions from
the multi-talented Carl Saunders, was recorded and finished just a month
prior to Most's passing on June 13, 2013.
One of the most beloved figures in jazz, best known for being a
pioneering jazz flute soloist.
Full of spirit, with catchy toe-tapping originals that include Sam scatting
perfectly, this is really great stuff!
One of the most gifted jazz musicians I ve ever met.

2 Sem 2015 - Part Seven

Vanessa Perea
Soulful Days



By Raul Da Gama
Vanessa Perea might have a particular flair for the theatrical. This is suggested by the manner of her phrasing. Ms. Perea is able to pace herself and tell stories with each song she sings. In the case of this album, Soulful Days her range is grand and her ability to hold high notes as well as low ones is so utterly convincing that she could easily be on stage telling her story on Broadway, for instance. She also sings to the limits of the instrumentation which is small in this case and it would be interesting to listen to and watch her perform with a much bigger ensemble, with a big band. It is almost certain that she could clearly take on the size of even a full orchestra. She has that presence. Here, stripped down to one trombone with the trumpet for company there is a part of the ear that misses an ensemble of Ellingtonian proportions although Ms. Perea sometimes enunciates the lyric suggesting in the manner of another woodwind or a brass instrument creating breathtaking counterpoint for those with which she is already singing wordlessly or with words. And these are wonderful arrangements made it would seem, to fit Ms. Perea’s personality as well. She takes on the songs as if they were written for her as well.
As William Blake put it, fire will find its form, Soulful Days is a perfect convergence of content and form. Woodwind, brass and piano conjure the playful fantasy world of the music in which Vanessa Perea becomes a minstrel who almost slips back in time to the date and time of the characters’ encounters in these folk tales. Ms. Perea’s tremendous vocalising of Anthony Newley and Lesley Bricusse’s “Who Can I Turn To” is a case where the lyric makes the heartbreak and elemental loneliness come hauntingly alive. In “Jim” there is another beautiful rendition of a song that is emotively strong and requires the vocal efforts to be more evocative than in a simple song. Ms. Perea draws out her word-endings with beautiful anguish in the classic “Tenderly” and it is here that she seems to suggest the narrative palette of Broadway. Her Portuguese is also on form as she sings Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “Triste” and Caetano Veloso’s “Luz do Sol”. This is a greater test of strength and ability in a manner of speaking as vocal skills must be matched here with the ability to dream in another language and this Ms. Perea does very convincingly. But there is a surprise waiting in store for the listener and it is in none of the above.
Vanessa Perea outdoes herself as she is pitted against the trombone of Robert Edwards on Bud Powell’s classic bebop chart, “Celia”. The singer carries herself through magnificently here and it is almost worth the entire album just to get to her scatting solo on this wonderful track. Bebop, as Sheila Jordan tells her pupils in a master class, requires just as much emotion as it does speed. In the case of this Bud Powell song Ms. Perea displays this with such monumental control that it is almost too tempting to suggest, at the risk of being too presumptuous, perhaps a bebop recording next.
Track List: 

Devil May Care; Soulful Days (These Are Soulful Days); Who Can I Turn To; Too Marvelous For Words; Jim; December Blue (Martha’s Prize); Triste: Let Me Tell You; Luz do Sol; Tenderly; Celia
Personnel: 

Vanessa Perea: vocals; Robert Edwards: trombone; Matt Jodrell: trumpet; Dave Lantz: piano; Dylan Shamat: bass; Evan Sherman: drums.

Andy Bey
Pages From An Imaginary Life



By Matt Collar
Coming off his Grammy-nominated 2013 album, The World According to Andy Bey, vocalist/pianist Andy Bey delivers the equally compelling 2014 release Pages from an Imaginary Life. As with its predecessor, Pages finds the jazz iconoclast returning to his roots with a set of American Popular Song standards done in a ruminative, stripped-down style. This is Bey, alone at the piano, delving deeply into the harmony, melody, and lyrics of each song. But don't let the spare setting fool you. Bey is a master of interpretation. In his seventies at the time of recording, and having performed over the years in a variety of settings from leading his own swinging vocal trio, to working with hard bop pioneer Horace Silver, to exploring the avant-garde with Archie Shepp, Bey has aged into a jazz oracle who doesn't so much perform songs as conjure them from somewhere in the mystical ether of his psyche. Famously blessed with a distinctive, sonorous baritone warble, Bey's voice has only ripened over the years to a warm, burnished, woody resonance; a sound perfectly suited for these poignant, romantic songs. In his hands, songs like "My Foolish Heart," "How Long Has This Been Going On?," and "Everything I Have Is Yours," take on new hues of gorgeous devastation. And yet, there's still something hopeful, swinging, and urbane about Bey's performances, and songs like "Lover Come Back to Me" and "Take the 'A' Train," are, as with all of the music on Pages from an Imaginary Life, joyous, earthy celebrations of life and love.


Carol Fredette

no sad songs for me


By C. Michael Bailey
We last heard from vocalist Carol Fredette on her first Soundbrush recording, Everything in Time (2009). Her repertoire was replete with, "Light latin jazz, humid islands, and secure mainstream treatments." Fredette remains fairly true to this mix of styles on No Sad Songs For Me, specifically addressing all songs of upbeat content, if not tempo. The singer calls upon much the same band as on the previous recording, specifically pianists Helio Alves, Dario Eskenazi and Andy Ezrin.
It is notable that No Sad Songs For Me is executive produced by Pablo Aslan and Roger Davidson, two names closely associated with Latin jazz and bossa nova, styles that potently inform Fredette's repertoire here. Fredette is serious about the title and title tune for this recording. It is surprising she included Jobim's "Double Rainbow" and not his "No More Blues." These songs are upbeat and the universal mood of this recording is supercharged positive.
Fredette commands Bob Merrill's "It's Good to be Alive" and Irving Berlin's "The Best Thing for You." The former she treats as a delicate ballad and the later Latin-infused and simmered on high heat, Kevin Winard's percussion being particularly effective. The Cahn-Van Heusen chestnut "To Love and Be Loved" is gently rendered as a perfect cocktail hour ballad. Fredette's support is solid and competent, providing the singer an environment for her pristine vocal delivery of this most attractive recital.
Track Listing: 

I Am In Love; No Sad Songs For Me; The Best Thing for You; To Love And Be Loved; You’d Better Love Me; Double Rainbow; You’re Getting to be a Habit With Me; Havin’ Myself a Time; This is Always; Dancing In The Dark; Long Ago and Far Away; You Better Go Now; No Regrets.
Personnel: 

Carol Fredette: vocals; Helio Alves: piano (1, 7, 11); Dario Eskenazi: piano (4, 5); Andy Ezrin: piano (2, 3, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14); David Finck: bass; Kevin Winard: drums, percussion; David Mann: saxophones, flutes; Tony Kadleck: trumpet; Michael Davis: trombone; Bob Mann: guitar.


Hal Galper Trio

O's Time

By Dan McClenaghan
It's hard to be innovative in the piano trio format. The last big change happened in the late fifties and early sixties, with pianist Bill Evans' groundbreaking trio featuring bassist Scott LaFaro and drummer Paul Motian. The democratization of input and interplay changed the trio game, and countless groups have worked on refining that Evans approach ever since. A more recent development has been bombast and the inclusion of rock and poplar tunes into the jazz piano trio endeavor—with varying degree of success. Rubato playing, the stretching of the varying of tempos, in a three way improvisational way, is pianist Hal Galper's contribution to piano trio innovation.
O's Time is Galper's fifth recording in the rubato style on Origin Records. His trio, with bassist Jeff Johnson and drummer John Bishop, perfected their approach with 2011's Airegin Revisited. The current offering rolls that artistic peak out on a high plateau, twsiting the familiar ( John Coltrane "Like Sonny," Charlie Chaplain's "Smile") into different shapes, revealing different sides to the melodic threads.
"Coltrane's "Like Sonny" opens the set. The three voices bounce off each other like a cocktail party conversation, synchronous and discordant at the same time. And like that party, as the drinks flow, the volume rises toward the raucous, without, on this tune at least, actually going there. Then there's the Zen serenity of a Johnson bass solo, sparely comped by Galper.
Saxophonist Wayne Shorter's "Wildflower" has a "fractured then put back together" feeling, turbulent drums from Bishop behind Galper's relative restraint. "O's Time," written by Galper in honor of alto saxophonist/free jazz pioneer Ornette Coleman, moves away from the concept of restraint. It rolls and tumbles and sounds like, at its peak, a piano trio stuffed into a burlap bag and pushed down the stairs, with the players hanging on tight and still keeping the tune from chaos. And Charlie Chaplain's much-covered smile sounds like they're set up on the back of a flatbed truck, careening ninety miles an hours down a winding mountain road.
Exhilarating! The Hal Galper Trio shows the others guys what innovative is all about.
Track Listing:

Like Sonny; Wildflower; O's Time; Moonglazed; Smile; Our Waltz.
Personnel: 

Hal Galper: piano; Jeff Johnson: bass; John Bishop: drums


Richard Galliano

Sentimentale



By Thom Jurek
Sentimentale is accordionist Richard Galliano's debut as a leader for Resonance Records. This date marks his return to jazz after a three-album sojourn with Deutsche Grammophon recording the music of Bach, Piazzolla, and Vivaldi. His multi-national quintet here includes Israeli-born pianist and arranger Tamir Hendelman, American guitarist Anthony Wilson, Cuban bassist Carlitos Del Puerto, and Brazilian drummer Mauricio Zottarelli. The program is as diverse as the personnel. Things kick off on the spirited side with a galloping reading of Chick Corea's "Armando's Rumba," with Wilson and Galliano twinning the head as Hendelman lays down shiny chords and spirited montunos with a killer bass solo from Del Puerto before the accordionist launches into a combination of tango and jazz. Duke Ellington's "In a Sentimental Mood" opens with a near pastoral reverie before the melody is introduced by Galliano and Wilson. Hendelman's illustrative fills and comps are gorgeous without being flowery. The funky groove in Horace Silver's "The Jody Grind" is derived from Dee Dee Bridgewater's vocal version, despite Hendelman's finger popping pianism. Galliano crosses harmonic lines between both Zottarelli's drum break, spiky blues from Wilson, and soul-jazz swagger from Del Puerto. On John Coltrane's "Naima," Wilson adopts a near sitar-like sound while Galliano's crystalline, glass bead sound enters into the melody and opens it onto the accordion's higher register, offering a bright harmonic flourish in his solo. Brazilian music makes its appearance on Sentimentale as well. This take on Ivan Lins' evergreen "The Island" is equally based on the composer's earliest, Bahia-informed version rather than his post-bossa take from later years as well as singer Patti Austin's. Likewise "Verbos Do Amor," by João Donato and Abel Silva, finds Galliano's quintet engaging in inspired, multi-textured samba. There are two familiar originals here as well: "Ballade Pour Marion" is magical in this bal musette-cum-lyrical jazz setting as Hendelman's voicings twin with the accordionists', offering different timbral statements and underscoring its lush colors. Closer "Lili" is trimmed to a languid, tender duet between the accordionist and Wilson -- both of whom display their enormous gifts for lyricism (which is why they are oft-chosen accompanists for singers). Sentimentale is not only classy in its choice of material, it's canny and expert in its arrangement, interplay, and articulation. Like the best of Galliano's recordings, it displays not only his iconic signature on the accordion, but the commanding presence, communicative inquisitiveness, and elegant creativity of his spirit.

2 Sem 2015 - Part Six

Jane Ira Bloom
Sixteen Sunsets



By Dan McClenghan
Sidney Bechet pioneered the use of the soprano saxophone in jazz in the early 20s. John Coltrane
saxophone brought that "straight horn" out of a relative dormancy of use in 1959 with his anthem-like take on Rodgers and Hammerstein's "My Favorite Things" on his Atlantic Records album of the same name. Steve Lacy took the soprano "out there," and Dave Liebman continues to stretch its boundaries.
The name Jane Ira Bloom can be added to that list of icons. For thirty years Bloom has used the soprano saxophone to give voice to fertile and uncompromising artistic spirit. She's broken ground on the introduction of live electronics into her music and has created a singular sound on a variety of multi-faceted projects—including a commissioned work by the NASA Art Program. And (talk about "out there") the International Astronomical Union named an asteroid for her: 6083janeirabloom.
Bloom's work in a quartet setting shines the brightest, on 2003's Chasing Paint (Arabesque Records), a nod to painter Jackson Pollock, 2008's Mental Weather (Outline), or the CD at hand, Sixteen Sunsets, an examination of the ballad form.
For such a forward-looking artist, this is something of a surprise. Bloom explores the standards here, along with four of her own standard form songs, with an extraordinary aplomb and patience. Her tone on the soprano is the purest, richest of sounds—as if her horn were made of gold; and her quartet, featuring Matt Wilson on drums, bassist Cameron Brown and pianist Dominic Fallacaro, play with a delicacy and restraint that gives the sound a feeling of depth and a subdued grandeur.
Bloom says she knows the words to all these songs: "I Loves You Porgy," "The Way You Look Tonight," "For All We Know," "Good Morning Heartache." These are tunes that dip down deep into longing, heartache, loneliness, tender love. Bloom's soprano saxophone is her voice. It's a voice that tells these song's stories with an exquisite grace and understanding of the vicissitudes of the human condition.
Bloom's backing trio rolls mostly in the mode of subtle accompaniment, but when she lays back the trio steps out with a jewel- like elegance, as pianist Fallacaro, with the supplest of touches, wrings every teardrop out of the melody of "Good Morning Heartache," or injects a hopeful counterpoint to the angst of the temptations on "I Loves You Porgy."
Sixteen Sunsets is, arguably, Jane Ira Bloom's most compelling recording. It's certainly her loveliest—no argument there. And the sound quality is out of this world. An asteroid is nice, but it seems a rather small celestial body for an artist that can create something as perfect as this disc. Perhaps a star, a bright one, can be found.
Track Listing:

For All We Know; What She Wanted; Gershwin's Skyline/I Loves You Porgy; Darn That Dream; Good Morning Heartache; Out of This World; Ice Dancing; Left Alone; The Way You Look Tonight; But Not For Me; Primary Colors; My Ship; Too Many Reasons; Bird Experiencing Light.
Personnel: 

Jane Ira Bloom: soprano saxophone; Dominic Fallacaro: piano; Cameron Brown: bass; Matt Wilson: drums.


Jon Davis Trio
live at the bird's eye



By Challenge
Pianist, composer, Jon Davis from New York has been performing and touring with many of the finest jazz musicians around world for more than 25 years. He has appeared on over 50 recordings. Jon Davis met with Swiss musicians Isla Eckinger and Peter Schmidlin some 15 years ago.
He appeared already on TCB 22142 ‘George Robert-Bobby Shew Quintet’, released in 2002. 

In 2013 he played a few concerts in December 2013 in Switzerland with this trio where the evening at the Bird’s Eye Jazz Club in Basel was recorded live.
Jaco Pastorius, longtime friend of Jon, said: ”Jon is my third favorite pianist…after Joe (Zawinul) and Herbie (Hancock)” and Jazz Japan mentioned that: “Jon Davis is the ultimate story teller.”
A relaxed, swinging Session in probably the best Jazz club in Switzerland with a very nice selection of great tunes from the American songbook plus a composition written by Jon Davis. Fans of the piano/bass/drums format will love this CD.


Mark Winkler & Cheryl Bentyne

West Coast Cool



By C. Michael Bailey
In 2010, jazz vocal specialists Cheryl Bentyne and Mark Winkler began a collaboration that resulted in a live show entitled West Coast Cool that they presented at different venues on the West Coast and beyond. Summit Records commits this show to digital with an album of the same title that is something special. While programming a recording is always a major production responsibility, that responsibility is lessened when the recital is one well practiced and part of a previously conceived show. Such is West Coast Cool, and this collection is the better for it.
Cheryl Bentyne is best known as the soprano voice of the Janis Siegel, Tim Hauser and Alan Paul. She has several solo recordings to her credit, her most recent being: Let Me Off Uptown (Telarc, 2005), The Book of Love (Telarc, 2006), The Gershwin Songbook (ArtistShare, 2010) and Let's Misbehave: The Cole Porter Songbook (Summit, 2012).
Mark Winkler has been a West Coast fixture for the past thirty years, releasing eleven recordings and composing dozens of songs recorded by himself and the likes of Liza Minnelli, Randy Crawford, David Basse, Jackie Ryan and Dianne Reeves. Winkler's most recent recording, The Laura Nyro Project (Cafe Pacific Records, 2013) was well received in critical corners. Together, the pair have rekindled the fire of cool circa the Eisenhower '50s, when the songwriting was exceptionally smart and stylistically razor sharp, martinis were cold and cigarettes filterless.
Some very sharp programming is employed in pairing songs in audio diptychs. The recording opens with a mash up of Paul Desmond's and Iola Brubeck's "Take 5" and Winkler's wonderfully off-kilter "Drinks On The Patio." The piece(s) are introduced with a straight salvo from pianist Rich Eames
and tenor saxophonist Bob Sheppard. Then the groove changes decidedly into the 5/4 time made famous by Dave Brubeck and his quartet in 1959. The piece transforms into Winkler's aural photograph of hipsters listening to jazz while mixing martinis, smooth ones if we judge by the precise admixture of Bentyne's and Winkler's pipes.
This same programming intelligence brought together "Talk Of The Town" and "Girl Talk" from the respective Bentyne and Winkler songbooks: drawing from Bentyne's Talk Of the Town (Telarc, 2003) and Winkler's Sings Bobby Troup (Rhombus Records, 2003). Bentyne displays her exquisite treatment of ballads juxtaposed against Winkler's perfect presentation of 1950s too cool. The two are sexy beyond belief.
The vocal pair demonstrate their potent vocal styles on the Nat King Cole medley of "Route 66/Alright, Okay, You Win/Straighten Up And Fly Right." Bentyne and Winkler weave these three classics together into a finely wrought cloth. Bentyne's smooth, perfectly balanced soprano mixes with Winkler's friendly, approachable and playful voice like cream stirs into coffee, rich and aromatic. The two skillfully slide song lyrics over one another, juxtaposing melodies until the music is ataxic with the shared joy of being sung by these voices. The duet highlight of the collection is the semi-original "West Coast Cool." Winkler shows off his lyrical wares by penning words to Neal Hefti's classic "Lil' Darlin.'" The pair pay homage to a who's who of West Coast Jazzers while their accompanying quartet lay down the Hefti silk beneath their words.
Each singer also gets solo space. Bentyne purrs on the infrequently heard "An Occasional Man" where she dances with Sheppard's slippery tenor. Bentyne brings together "All About Ronnie" and "Trouble With A Man" in a jaded lament of love lost, while drawing the sensual humidity from Horace Silver's "Senor Blues." Winkler recalls two more Troup pieces in "Lemon Twist" and "Hungry Man." He updates these pieces with his trademark user-friendly delivery, sense of humor, and exemplary musicianship. Pianist Jon Mayer kills on "Hungry Man" while organist Joel Bragg and guitarist Anthony Wilson lay out an organ jazz red carpet.
West Coast Cool is artistry that is beyond words. Wow. Just Wow.
Track Listing: 

Take 5/Drinks On The Patio; The Occasional Man; Let’s Get Lost; Talk Of The Town/Girl Talk; West Coast Cool; Something Cool; Route 66/Alright, Okay, You Win/Straighten Up And Fly Right; Senor Blues; Lemon Twist; This Could Be The Start Of Something Big; Hungry Man; All About Ronnie/Trouble Is A Man; In A Lonely Place; Cool.
Personnel: 

Cheryl Bentyne: vocals; Mark Winkler: vocals; Rich Eames: piano (1, 2, 4-8, 10); Tim Emmons: bass (1, 2, 4-8, 10); Dave Tull: drums (1, 2, 4- 8, 10); Bob Sheppard: saxophones, flute (1, 2, 4-8, 10, 11); Nolan Shahead: trumpet (3); Anthony Wilson: guitar (9); Joe Bragg: Hammond B3 organ (9); Mark Ferber: drums (9); John Mayer: piano (11); Kevin Axt: bass (11); Ron McCurdy: drums (11); Eli Brueggeman: piano: (14); George Koller: bass (14); Mark Kelso: drums (14). 

Tina May
Divas



By Dave Gelly, The Observer
"Tina May waited a long time to record this collection of songs associated with great female singers of the last century - Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, Lotte Lenya, Edith Piaf et al - but it was worth it. Not only has her own singing matured, she has found the perfect arranger for the job in Frank Griffiths. To each of these dozen pieces she succeeds in imparting a delicate flavour of the original while remaining her inimitable self. Her version of Peggy Lee's Why Don't You Do Right? is particularly good, aided by Griffiths's beautifully poised clarinet."
Track list:
1. Why Don't You Do Right; 2. There's A Lull In My Life; 3. Forgetful
4. Can't Get Out Of This Mood; 5. When The World WAs Young
6. Where You At; 7. Surabaya Johnny; 8. Baltimore Oriole; 9. Let's Get Lost
10. You Don't Know What Love Is; 11. All Through The Night
Personnel:
Tina May - vocals; Winston Clifford - vocals; John Pearce - piano
Dave Cliff - guitar; Freddie Gavita - trumpet; Adrian Fry - trombone
Frank Griffith - tenor sax, clarinet; Bob Martin - alto saxophone
Andy Cleyndert - double bass; Bobby Worth - drums

2 Sem 2015 - Part Five

Glenn Zaleski
My Ideal



By Ian Mann
I first became aware of the playing of the young Brooklyn based pianist Glenn Zaleski in March 2015 when he appeared at Dempsey’s in Cardiff as part of an international quartet led by British born bassist and composer Phil Donkin who was touring in support of his début solo album “The Gate” (Whirlwind Recordings).
Zaleski plays on that record alongside fellow American Ben Wendel (tenor sax) and the German born drummer Jochen Rueckert. The line up at Cardiff featured Donkin, Zaleski, Wendel and British drummer James Maddren and the performance is reviewed elsewhere on this site along with a look at the recording itself.
I was very impressed with Zaleski’s contribution to both the “Gate” album and the Cardiff show. He is an inventive and imaginative pianist, a fluent soloist who plays in a refreshingly unclichéd manner. I spoke to him during the interval and also found him to be a genuinely nice guy -as most jazz musicians are - and he was later kind enough to mail me a review copy of this, his début album as a leader, direct from New York. Thanks, Glenn.
A glance at Zaleski’s website http://www.glennzaleski.com shows him to be a musician with a busy schedule who plays regularly with some of the leading figures on the New York jazz scene including guitarists Gilad Hekselman, Lage Lund and Jonathan Kreisberg, bassists Ben Street and Michael Olatuja, drummers Ari Hoenig, Johnathan Blake and Colin Stranahan and saxophonist Ravi Coltrane.
On disc Zaleski has been part of a co-operative trio featuring Stranahan and bassist Rick Rosato that has released two albums to date (“Anticipation”, 2011 and “Limitless” , 2013) and has also worked with his saxophonist brother Mark (“Duet Suite”, 2010 ). He also has an extensive and varied back catalogue of recordings as a sideman which can be viewed in full on his website.
“My Ideal” is essentially a collection of Zaleski’s favourite standards and teams him with bassist Dezron Douglas and drummer Craig Weinrib, both regular collaborators. Ravi Coltrane guests on tenor sax on the closing track “I’m Old Fashioned”. Alongside the better known tunes the trio also interpret two contemporary compositions by bassist Rick Rosato and vibraphonist Peter Schlamb.
Zaleski has publicly acknowledged the influence of the Bill Evans Trio on his music and this is something that is implicit throughout “My Ideal” as evidenced by Zaleski’s lightness of touch at the keyboard and the integral, but always tasteful involvement of bass and drums.
The trio set their stall out with a gently swinging interpretation of Jerome Kern’s “Nobody Else But Me” with Zaleski darting nimbly around the keyboard supported by Douglas’ immaculate bass grooves and the quiet bustle of Weinrib’s finely detailed but unobtrusive brush work.
“Waltz For MD”, presumably a tribute to Miles Davis, was written by bassist Rick Rosato, Zaleski’s colleague from the trio with Colin Stranahan. It’s a genuine waltz (another example perhaps of the Bill Evans influence) with an engaging melody that sounds as if it could have been around for years. Zaleski explores and develops the melody in fascinating fashion and there’s also something of a feature for the excellent Douglas.
Jule Styne’s “Make Someone Happy” is a tune that is closely associated with Bill Evans. The sense of calm spaciousness that Zaleski finds in this extended interpretation owes much to the spirit of the master as Douglas and Weinrib fill the LaFaro and Motian roles to perfection.
Charlie Parker’s “Cheryl” represents a different kind of challenge but it’s one that the trio tackle with relish and aplomb as they wrap their collective fingers around Parker’s notoriously tricky compositional lines. The arrangement includes a bravado passage of unaccompanied piano from the highly talented Zaleski followed by an equally coruscating piano solo propelled by Douglas’ rapid bass lines. Weinrib enjoys a sparky drum feature and supplies briskly brushed support elsewhere.
A luminous arrangement of Johnny Green’s classic “Body and Soul” then offers further evidence of Zaleski’s way with a ballad but also brings a contemporary sensibility to one of the most frequently recorded items in the jazz canon. There’s also a gorgeously melodic solo from Douglas, a player who impresses throughout the album.
“REL” was written by one of Zaleski’s young New York based contemporaries, the vibraphonist Peter Schlamb. Its modern feel and contemporary rhythms represent a welcome variation from the predominately “Songbook” material. Zaleski and his colleagues serve their friend’s composition well with Weinrib enjoying another brief moment in the spotlight.
“Arietis” is a little known Freddie Hubbard tune that is given a lively, boppish reading by the trio with Zaleski in sparkling form at the piano and interacting well with the busy rhythm section of Douglas and Weinrib. Bassist Douglas again features strongly with yet another fluent and imaginative solo.
A thoughtful and evocative passage of solo piano introduces Richard A.Whiting’s title track . The playing throughout this piece is delightfully lyrical and includes a melodic solo from Douglas alongside the leader’s limpidly flowing piano and Weinrib’s admirably understated brush work.
Jerome Kern tunes bookend the album as Ravi Coltrane finally comes to the table with his own arrangement of “I’m Old Fashioned”. Coltrane’s tenor almost inevitably sounds a little like that of his father as he brings something of a “spiritual jazz” feel to the opening section of the piece. There’s a later injection of pace that leads to a feverishly inventive Zaleski solo that develops into a thrilling dialogue with Weinrib’s drums. There is an authority to Coltrane’s own solo that is clearly steeped in the family lineage.
“My Ideal” was immaculately recorded in New York by an engineering team of Michael Brorby and Dave Darlington with Zaleski himself producing. The final mix captures all the nuances of the trio’s playing and the three musicians sound good both individually and collectively.
Overall the album is a good representation of Zaleski’s talents and it is clear that he is a young musician with an enormous technical facility and a high degree of potential. It’s an excellent recording in its own right but it is a rather conservative one with arguably an over reliance on the standard repertoire. It is a success on its own terms but good as it is I’d have liked to have heard some of Zaleski’s own compositions and would have appreciated more of a contemporary feel overall.
Perhaps this will represent the next step for Zaleski, although to be fair this may already be what he is doing with Rosato and Stranahan. I’ve not heard either of those albums and thus can’t really comment.
In any event I really like his playing and Glenn Zaleski is clearly a young musician to keep an eye on in the years ahead.


Dario Carnovale

Emersion




By Bruce Lee Gallanter 
The only member of this quartet with whom I am previously familiar is saxist Francesco Bearzatti who has three discs as a leader also on Auand and is a member of several other bands including the great trombonist Gianluca Petrella. Mr. Bearzatti has a strong, warm and marvelous tone on tenor sax which fits perfectly with the McCoyish piano of Mr. Carnovale. After the majestic theme in ‘Part 1′ of the title piece, the quartet work their way through group and solo sections, all of which evolve in an impressive, organic or thematic way. Both Mr. Carnovale on piano and Mr. Bearzatti on tenor are gifted soloists and they work especially well together tossing lines back and forth effortlessly. This disc is a well produced studio recording, perfect in many ways. If it were played on jazz radio and heard by enough listeners, this could be a hit. No this is not smooth in any way but it is a successful effort on many other levels.
Personnel:
Francesco Bearzatti - tenor saxophone; Dario Carnovale - piano; Simone Serafini - double bass;
Luca Colussi - drums


George Cables
Icons & Influences




By Waterfront
George Cables is the embodiment of elegance and sophistication.

Piano trios dot the landscape like taxi cabs and Starbucks when visiting New York. Good pianists are a dime a dozen, great pianists include a fixture on the Big Apple scene and that pianist is George Cables. As a leader George goes back to his 1975 debut with Why Not while most people are perhaps more familiar with his work with such artists as Woody Shaw and Dexter Gordon along with drum legend Victor Lewis. Given that Cables has usually allowed bassists free reign on the bandstand the end result takes the standard piano to a new level of harmonic conversation.Some tunes here speak for themselves and include "Cedar Walton" and "Farewell Mulgrew." There are other somewhat surprising and slightly eclectic tunes such as "Nature Boy" and a more deconstructed Dexter Gordon riff on "The Very Thought of You." The adaptability and trust that runs throughout this trio would give some the impression of a group that may have been together a decade or more. A utility infielder travels his baseball path with a plethora of skills and the ability to plug himself into any situation, George Cables is no different. The rhythm section of Dezron Douglas and Victor Lewis add a textural lift to the ensemble and set this trio apart from their contemporaries.A few "rarities" pop up in the form of the Bill Evans tune "Very Early" and a warm reharm of the Benny Golson tune "Blue Heart." This is a master class for pianists working the trio format, not everything has to be from the Cole Porter catalog, it has to be from your heart and from your soul. George Cables gives us a keen insight into his lyrical soul and we are better for it.


Sachal Vasandani
Hi - Fly



By Ken Dryden
Many critics have lamented the relatively rare appearance of memorable male jazz vocalists over a stretch of several decades. Sachal Vasandani is a promising singer gifted with a wide range and an expressive, strong tone that brings out the essence of each lyric. His third CD finds him backed by pianist Jeb Patton (whose work with the Heath Brothers has garnered considerable praise), bassist David Wong, and drummer Kendrick Scott. The imaginative arrangement of the standard "The Very Thought of You" is a group effort with a strong assist from Erik Privert, utilizing a breezy Latin rhythm and featuring a potent backing line by guest John Ellis on tenor sax. Two duets feature the legendary vocalist Jon Hendricks: a hilarious rendition of "One Mint Julip," which also has some fun-filled scat singing by both men, and Randy Weston's "Hi-Fly," which adds a newly written lyric by Vasandani. The leader's rich voice is best on display with his thoughtful interpretation of "Here Comes the Honey Man" (a duet with Patton), which segues directly into "There's a Boat That's Leaving Soon for New York" (both pieces are from George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess), the latter in which Vasandani's vocal sounds as if it has long been part of his repertoire. The singer also penned several originals, including the hip "Babe's Blues" (featuring the rising young trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire) and the haunting, deliberate ballad "Flood." There's an obvious hint of Frank Sinatra in his moving performance of "All the Way," a duet with Patton that closes the album with a flourish.


Holly Hofmann & Bill Cunliffe
Three's Company




By Michael G. Nastos
Flutist Holly Hofmann and pianist Bill Cunliffe are on their third time around formally in the recording studio, even though they’ve performed with each other numerous times for 20 years. Three’s Company does, in fact, include four duet performances, but the other half of the tracks show up in trio settings, featuring one cut apiece with violinist Regina Carter, trumpeter Terell Stafford, clarinetist Ken Peplowski, or drummer Alvester Garnett. There’s a mix of predictability and certain surprise in these standards and originals, as you expect from seasoned veterans seeking new horizons. Cunliffe and Hofmann have always strived for perfection, but also offer a great deal of lyrical depth and substance as these thoroughly professional mainstream jazz players do their thing. Of the duets, they do a quaint two-step version of “Too Late Now,” showcase the Cunliffe tribute to the late Jorge Dalto on a Chick Corea-ish, Spanish heart-styled “Dalto” especially from the pianist’s solo, go classical on Gabriel Fauré’s somber ballad “Pavane,” and close with another Cunliffe original (there are four on the date,) the simple “Farewell.” Carter’s violin is always robust, but here stretches out for the nine-minute, melancholy but lucid version of “Star Crossed Lovers,” mixing in some counterpoint with Hofmann. Peplowski’s feature “Reunion” departs from expected strict swing into a modernistic 6/8 modal framework, loaded with staccato accents, while Stafford’s playful, snappy trumpet identifies the title selection, Hofmann’s lone composition, and the most jazz-oriented tune here. Where drummer Garnett’s strength lies in his flexibility providing traditional to contemporary rhythms, “Sweet Andy” is more of a post-bop jam, with everybody cutting loose, inspiring Cunliffe and Hofmann to play a fleet unison line. While there’s nothing groundbreaking about this album, the individuality of each player forms a mutual bond, and a unified whole without a bassist or central timekeeper. Cunliffe and Hofmann are always in good company together, but here they raise the stakes on what sounds like a very comfortable union, producing a winning product.

Cyrus Chestnut
A Million Colors In Your Mind



By Matt Collar
Roughly 18 albums into his career, jazz pianist Cyrus Chestnut delivers his HighNote record label debut with 2015's A Million Colors in Your Mind. With a title that borrows inspiration from a short story by Mexican author Maria Cristina Mena, the album finds Chestnut once again delving deep into his own colorfully chorded and swinging set of well-chosen cover songs. Although in his mid-fifties at the time of recording, Chestnut nonetheless wanted to record an album in which he could commune with musicians who were slightly older and more seasoned than himself. Accordingly, backing Chestnut here are the supremely intuitive duo of bassist David Williams and drummer Victor Lewis, who certainly bring decades of experience to Chestnut's album and, based on cuts like the trio's fluid take on Frank Loesser's gospel-infused "Brotherhood of Man" and Lewis' own "From a Tip," have an affinity for each other's playing. That said, the choice to work with experienced musicians is not a new one for Chestnut, who came up early in his career backing legendary vocalist Betty Carter, a position he inherited, in part, from Carter's longtime collaborator pianist John Hicks. Here, Chestnut even plays a Hicks composition, the atmospheric waltz "Yemenja." Elsewhere, Chestnut and his trio dig into a handful of urbane, soulful songs, from a sparkling take on late bassist Scott LaFaro's "Gloria's Step" to an inspired reworking of Lionel Richie's "Hello" and a languid, Latin-inflected version of Duke Ellington's "Day Dream." Ultimately, Chestnut continues to dazzle with A Million Colors in Your Mind, revealing ever more tantalizing musical layers.

Mark Murphy 1932 - 2015

By The Associated Press
Legendary jazz vocalist Mark Murphy has died in New Jersey after a lengthy illness that kept him from performing since 2012. He was 83.
Manager Jean-Pierre Leduc says Murphy died Thursday at the Lillian Booth Actors Home in Englewood.
Murphy was raised in Syracuse, New York, where he was discovered at a jam session by Sammy Davis Jr. in 1953.
He was a six-time Grammy Award nominee who sang with a wide range of techniques, from scatting and vocalese to spoken word. He released more than 40 recordings since making his debut with the 1956 album "Meet Mark Murphy."
He worked as an actor in London in the 1960s before returning to the U.S., where he began recording highly acclaimed albums for the Muse label including tributes to Jack Kerouac and Nat King Cole.

2 Sem 2015 - Part Four

Giovanni Guidi Trio
This Is The Day



By Adrian Pallant
If you admire expressive watercolour impressionism in contemporary jazz, this album by the trio of Italian pianist Giovanni Guidi, who is thirty this year, with its evocations of fragile, rain-teary washes across a broad, receptive canvas will prove particularly satisfying.
On This Is The Day, Italian pianist Guidi and colleagues Thomas Morgan (double bass) and João Lobo (drums) follow up their 2012 debut City of Broken Dreams with another meditative sequence of diaphanous delicacies, bearing some resemblance to the restrained spirit of Tord Gustavsen or Ketil Bjørnstad. The pianist's big break came when compatriot trumpeter Enrico Rava was so drawn to his focused, minimalist attributes, at Siena Jazz's summer school, he decided to include him in his own groups (also recording on the ECM label).
Here, Guidi again reveals his finesse both as trio leader and, for nine of the twelve tracks, composer. He describes his colleagues and his approach thus: "What I really admire about Thomas and João is the depth and intensity with which they approach music of any kind. All the pieces that I write for this group are written with them in mind. Thinking about the characteristics of their playing – free, direct, profound and with a strong emotive element – I try to bring these qualities also into the music that I write."
Clearly illustrating that aspiration, opening number Trilly ebbs and flows like the gentlest breezes across an Aoleian harp. Softly-brushed cymbals and snare, along with spacial double bass, create the elevation for Guidi's restrained rubato melodies; and whilst the theme itself is almost of nursery rhyme simplicity, the collaborative, atmospheric effect is spellbinding. Carried Away exudes a decidedly Balkan air of melancholy which, as a night sky, gradually illuminates, coruscating with cymbal, high piano and bass highlights; and Game of Silence's weight of emotion suggests the dark, filmic qualities of Italian cinema.
The Cobweb is noticeably freer, as Morgan's quietly agile, spidery bass weaves its way through heavy, clanging, pianistic outbursts and disturbing percussive flutters before segueing into João Lobo's Baiiia, where Guidi's brighter piano motifs attempt to rise above the pervading disquiet. Echoes of Gustavsen are to be found in The Debate, where subtle, bluesy octave melodies roll both prominently and impudently over animated bass and percussion – a welcome moment of esprit.
Central to the sequence is the exquisite tenderness of Guidi's Where They'd Lived. For over ten minutes, the trio explore the luminous landscape surrounding its memorable, yearning theme which possesses lyrical attributes usually associated with Michel Legrand or John Barry. And the arrangement of Osvaldo Farres' Quizas quizas quizas (translated, Maybe) smoulders idly until blossoming into playful Cuban elegance, revealing delightful individual detail from each of the players.
Brief, turbulent Migration leads to a mistier variation of opening tune Trilly, – and then, interesting to hear this trio's take on Livingston/Malneck standard I'm Through With Love – typically wispy, yet with a cheerful resignation which provides a glimpse of Guidi's potential for something more sprightly. To close, his pictorial The Night It Rained Forever lashes descriptively at the windows, Morgan's ominous, sustained arco bass providing its drama until, finally… quiet peace.
For much of its 74 minutes, This Is The Day rarely breaks out of its state of subdued equilibrium. Nevertheless, it would be a mistake to treat it as background, and to miss its subtle sublimity.


Big Screen (Skelton, Newton, Farmer)
Take One



By TheGuardian
Big Screen is a trio: pianist David Newton, bassist Tom Farmer and drummer Matt Skelton. Their aim, to recast cinema music in the jazz idiom, is not new but the possibilities are endless. When it comes to bold originality and delicacy of touch, Newton is unbeatable. He can re-harmonise a tune so persuasively that you almost forget how the original sounded. And they choose some unlikely tunes too. How do you set about the theme to Chariots of Fire, or When Somebody Loved Me, the song from Toy Story 2? You’ll be amazed by the transformations that emerge.


Alan Broadbent and NDR Bigband
America The Beautiful



By Dan Bilawsky
In the brief liner essay that accompanies America The Beautiful, pianist Alan Broadbent notes that he has "an aversion to being clever," but the rest of the music world never received that memo. Everybody from Irene Kral to Diana Krall and Charlie Haden to Charlie Rich has benefited from his brilliance with a pen and/or a piano. Now Broadbent gets a chance to live within his own well-written constructs.
America The Beautiful finds Broadbent in the company of Hamburg's NDR Bigband, revisiting a world that he thought he'd left for good when he left the employ of bandleader Woody Herman
more than four decades ago. And it's a welcome return, for he has a lot to say in this area. He uses the DNA of "All The Things You Are" to create something new ("Between The Lines"), he gives the great Billy Strayhorn a tribute that's weightier than what the man would've written himself ("Sonata For Swee' Pea"), and he creates a moving tribute to Herman that's simply breathtaking ("Woody 'N' Me").
As things continue, Broadbent plays with textures and counterpoint ("Covenant"), steps to the fore with his piano on a brief-and-direct winner written long ago ("Love In Silent Amber"), swings away on a tribute to pianist Sonny Clark piano ("Sonny's Step"), and introduces a tribute to his wife all by his lonesome ("Mendocino Nights"). And then there's the title track, which is revitalized with a facelift, yet retains its stirring qualities.
While Broadbent's charts and piano get a lot of well-deserved attention here, this is a collaborative affair, and the NDR Bigband proves to be quite the match for the man with top-billing. It presents a warm-and-rich, balanced-and-brandied sound that's miles away from the screaming brass-meets-silken saxophone sound that's so prevalent in more traditional outfits. The band does have plenty of firepower, but the big guns and heavy ammunition are reserved for the right times.
This group operates like a single well-oiled machine, but the individual personalities shouldn't be discounted or overlooked. Tenor saxophonist Christof Lauer proves to be a monster talent, whether burning or bathing in the glow of Broadbent's writing, bassist Ingmar Heller makes his mark on a couple of occasions, and several other band members get some space to shine.
America The Beautiful is remarkable, and that should come as no surprise. The NDR Bigband has proven highly capable on many occasions before, and Alan Broadbent seems to excel in every musical setting he settles into.
Track Listing: 

Between The Lines; Sonata For Swee' Pea; Woody 'N' Me; Covenant; The Long White Cloud; Love In Silent Amber; Sonny's Step; Mendocino Nights; America The Beautiful.
Personnel: 

Jörg Achim Keller: conductor; Thorsten Benkenstein: trumpet, flugelhorn; Ingolf Burkhardt: trumpet/flugelhorn; Claus Stötter: trumpet, flugelhorn; Reiner Winterschladen: trumpet, flugelhorn; Felix Meyer: trumpet (4); Fiete Felsch: alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute; Peter Bolte: alto saxophone, flute; Gabriel Coburger: tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, clarinet (2); Christof Lauer: tenor saxophone, clarinet; Lutz Büchner: tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, clarinet, flute; Frank Delle: baritone saxophone, bass clarinet, flute; Edgar Hertzog: bass clarinet, baritone saxophone, flute (4); Dan Gottshall: trombone; Rainer Sell: trombone; Stefan Lottermann: trombone; Ingo Lahme: bass trombone; Alan Broadbent: piano; Ingmar Heller: double bass; Marcel Serierse: drums; Martijn Vink: drums (4).


Benny Green
Live In Santa Cruz !



By Mark Corroto
We hope you've made the journey these past thirty plus years with pianist Benny Green. From hotshot young lion to keeper of the jazz flame he has consistently electrified audiences with his live performances. Live In Santa Cruz recorded at the Kuumbwa Jazz Center follows up on a recording he made as bassist Ray Brown's sideman twenty years ago. Green built a career, first as an apprentice to Betty Carter, then Art Blakey, Freddie Hubbard, then Brown. His career as a leader found early success with first Blue Note, then Telarc, and more recently, his revival with Sunnyside. As the market, or perhaps marketing departments, ebbed and flowed into then out of a taste for traditional jazz, Green's exposure has waxed and waned.
What hasn't diminished are his skills at the keyboard, and more importantly, his knack for entertaining audiences.
Playing Santa Cruz, side-by-side with Testifying: Live At The Village Vanguard (Blue Note, 1992) confirms his status as a true jazz maestro. The pianist recorded these tracks on his annual performance at Kuumbwa Jazz Center, and the audience ready, willing and primed for his appearance. The nine tracks are all originals, they range form the firecracker opener "Certainly" to the slow drag blues "Golden Flamingo," and an intricately simple ballad "Forgiveness."
Green's music works best in a trio format. Here he calls upon his musical twin, drummer Kenny Washington and bassist David Wong to favor the music. The crowd's energy is felt throughout. Green reintroduces "Phoebe's Samba," a composition written for his sister and recorded years ago on Lineage (Blue Note, 1990). The energy rises here and on his mayhem cyclone tribute to the hard bop pianist "Sonny Clark." Green's facility and hardwire swing carry the day. "Bish Bash" summons the spirit of Bud Powell at his bebop height, and the final track "Anna's Blues" has the crown on their feet. Green's music dares you to not clap, dance, or smile. Can't be done.
Track Listing:
Certainly; Phoebe’s Samba; Catus Flower; Sonny Clark; Golden Flamingo; Tales Of Malone; Forgiveness; Bish Bash; Anna’s Blues.
Personnel:
Benny Green: piano; David Wong: bass; Kenny Washington: drums.


Simcock & Goloubev
Reverie at Schloss Elmau



By Bruce Lindsay
Schloss Elmau, in Bavaria, was the recording venue for pianist Gwilym Simcock's Barclaycard Mercury Prize nominated solo album Good Days At Schloss Elmau (ACT Music, 2011). In March 2013 Simcock returned to the Schloss in the company of double bassist Yuri Goloubev. The result is Reverie At Schloss Elmau. It's the first duo album by these stylish players, although they have played and recorded together in many ensembles over the years including trios with drummers James Maddren and Asaf Sirkis.
Simcock gets most of the writing credits here—five, to Goloubev's three. Simcock's compositions are perhaps a little more jazz-oriented than Goloubev's, but there's not a vast degree of difference. Both men display a love of melody in their writing; each one shows a delight in using space to enhance the emotional impact of the music. The result is an impressive collection, the generally relaxed and reflective compositions combining with excellent recording (by Adrian von Ripka) to create an intimate mood.
Goloubev originally wrote "Lost Romance" for accordion—something which is not obviously apparent as bass and piano combine on this romantic ballad. Simcock's "Antics" is suitably jittery and urgent, the duo seemingly racing each other to a distant finish line. It's an enjoyable but uncharacteristic shift in tempo and rhythm. Calm returns immediately, courtesy of another Simcock composition, "A Joy Forever," featuring Goloubev's arco bass—which, appropriately, is a thing of beauty.
"Flow" is another of the pianist's compositions which is aptly described by its title—a rolling, flowing, melody. Goloubev bows his bass with precision and grace, despite working for the most part in what Simcock describes as an "unfeasibly high register" for the instrument. "Vain Song" is dedicated by Goloubev to his musical partner (the title is a nod to Simcock's own "Plain Song.").
"Reverie" was written for piano and double bass by the 19th century Italian composer Giovanni Bottesini. Simcock and Goloubev perform the piece beautifully, the bass readily evoking the mood of the title while Simcock's spare and unshowy accompaniment gives the piece more of a jazz flavor than it traditionally receives. The piece sits comfortably alongside Simcock and Goloubev's own writing: a testament to the timeless quality of the performances and compositions on Reverie At Schloss Elmau.
Track Listing: 

Pastoral; Lost Romance; Shades Of Pleasure; Antics; A Joy Forever; Non-Schumann Lied; Flow; Vain Song; Reverie.
Personnel: 

Gwilym Simcock: piano; Yuri Goloubev: bass.


Harold Mabern
Right On Time



By JazzMessengers
Any day that you get to hear jazz pianist Harold Mabern is a great day, and on his new release, Right On Time, you get two of those days with his trio distilled into one irresistible record. This recording was made on weekend of his 77th birthday party and the extra energy on these tracks is unmistakable. They revel in the complete Mabern experience, delivering everything from classic blues and swinging standards to delicate ballads and modal tempests.

Recorded live at Smoke Jazz Club, March 22 & 23, 2013
Personnel:
HAROLD MABERN, piano; JOHN WEBBER, bass; JOE FARNSWORTH, drums
Tracks:
01. Dance with Me; 02. Seven Steps to Heaven; 03. Don't Get Around Much Anymore
04. My Favorite Things; 05. To You; 06. Edward Lee; 07. Making Our Dreams Come True
08. Charade; 09. Blues for Frank 'n' Paul 'n' All; 10. The Nearness of You; 11. Cherokee