One of the unlikely masters of modern samba has to be Hendrick Meurkens, who p lays the harmonica in a rich way with his team of Helio Alves/p, Gustavo Amarante-Fernando Huergo/b and the legendary drummer Portinho on this album that…
Month: March 2021
Vinnie Riccitelli Octet: For The Record
94 year old alto saxist and composer Vinnie Riccitelli, while not a household name, finally gets a documentation of his arranging and pen skills with an octet richly interpreting his material. The alto sax work is provided by either Leo…
We Six: In Dreams
The post bop team of Eric Jacobson/tp, Eric Schoor/ts, Paul Silbergleit/g, Mark Davis/p, Jeff Hamann an drummer Dave Bayles create an album of nine rich originals, mixing vintage Blue Note tones with modern directions. Classic hard bop is delivered on…
R+R=NOW: Live
The big question with the melding of jazz and urban rap/hip hop is always “does it work in concert?” Progenitor Robert Glasper shows that it can on this gig from 2018 at the Blue Note Jazz Club, playing keyboards and creating textures and moods with Christian Scott a Tunde Adjuah on trumpet, bassist Derrick Hodge, drummer Justin Tyson, Taylor McFerrin on synths and Terrace mixing synths and vocoder with his alto sax. The horns of both Scott and Martin are not in your classic “bop” vein, as they seem to be fed through various effects and keyboards, creating seemingly the next evolution of Miles Davis’ Jack Johnson sounds.
There seem to be three types of songs here; a few concise pieces such as “Been On My Mind” with gasping trumpet, dark and echoey voice and bass, piano, synth pulse and “How Much A Dollar Cost” with some Trane-ish tones and rich piano voices clocking in at 3-4 minutes. Slightly longer pieces such as the urban drive of “Change of Tone” with some glorious piano work by Glasper and vocoder work and the dervish synth in the soulful “Perspectives/Postpartum” keep the groove going for 11-12 minutes. The recording ends with a marathon 25 opus “Resting Warrior” that is a Weather Reportish jam opened by Hodge’s bass leading into an African pulse, searing sax and horn and a hard hitting solo by Tyson that gets the crowd jumping.
The Blue Note may be closed permanently, but at least we have a record of what it’s future could portend.
Roseanna Vitro: Listen Here
This album by vocalist Roseanna Vitro was originally released in 1984, and it’s sure worth a listen today. This session from the Reagan years includes the legendary Texas Tenor Arnett Cobb on a few tunes, along with a rhythm section…
THIS IS A GUITAR TRIO 101…Gregg Skaff: Polaris
Guitar vet Gregg Skaff meets with a Mt Rushmore of rhythm in bassist Ron Carter and drummer “Tootie” Heath in a timeless collection of swinging material. These guys make it sound so easy, and let me tell you, after going…
TWO SCORE YEARS AGO…Keith Jarrett: Sun Bear Concerts Piano Solo
Recreated from the original analogue tapes, this 10-lp, limited edition set features Keith Jarret’s 1978 tour of Japan in solo format, and he was in an inspired mood. All of the “songs”, except for the encores, range from 30-40+ minutes,…
Kenney Polson: Colors of Brazil
Kenney Polson uses a wide variety of paintbrushes with his mix of reeds on this upbeat and sleek interpretation of Brazilia. He plays saxes of soprano, alto, tenor and bari along with clarinet, percussion and keyboards with a core team…
Dan Wilson: Vessels of Wood and Earth
Mainstream guitar joys are picked out by leader Dan Wilson along with his core team of Christian Sands/p-key, Marco Panascia/b, Jeff “Tain” Watts and special guests Joy Brown/b and Christian McBride/b (on a duet and a fun take of “Born…
Nik Bartsch: Entendre
Best known for his mood creating band Ronin, pianist/composer Nik Bartsch delivers a rare solo outing, still forming rich pastels and colors a la a walk in Givenchy. His song titles stay true to his usual format, for the most…