29 June, 2012

Stan Getz - Cafe Montmartre (1987&91)

Stan Getz - Cafe Montmartre (1987&91)
jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 390MB
Universal 2002
Allmusic:
Before his death after a several year battle with cancer, Stan Getz continued to release a flurry of outstanding recordings. Cafe Montmartre is a compilation of several live performances at the famous Copenhagen club with pianist Kenny Barron, selected from three earlier CDs, the 1987 quartet dates Anniversary! and Serenity, plus the two-disc set People Time from 1991. Getz was a masterful ballad interpreter and delivers with the mournful tribute "I Remember Clifford" and an absolutely haunting, emotionally charged take of Billy Strayhorn's "Blood Count" (written as its composer lay dying of cancer). Barron makes a strong case as one of Getz's very best accompanists, while bassist Rufus Reid and drummer Ben Riley (present only on the 1987 material), are also superb. With the tenor saxophonist and his musicians delivering one outstanding take after another on the original releases, it must have been very difficult to choose only nine of the 26; those on a budget will want this anthology, but Getz fans owe it to themselves to seek out the complete original discs instead.

Tracks
-01. "People TimeSee All" - 6:10
-02. "I Thought About You" - 8:07
-03. "Soul Eyes" - 7:20
-04. "I Can't Get Started" - 11:12
-05. "I'm Okay" - 5:21
-06. "Falling In Love" - 9:00
-07. "I Remember Clifford" - 8:51
-08. "Blood Count" - 4:04
-09. "First Song (For Ruth)" - 10:02

Personnel
* Sran Getz -sax- 1987, 91
* Kenny Barron -piano- 1987, 91
* Rufus Reid -double bass- 1987
* Victor Lewis -drums- 1987

 

Tony Scott - Tony Scott (1967)

Tony Scott - Tony Scott (1967)
jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 230MB
Verve
Allmusic:
Tony Scott's 1967 self-titled album for Verve is a good example of what makes him such an interesting but frustrating artist. After branching out from mainstream jazz in the 1950s, clarinetist Scott began exploring ethnic and folk music. Here listeners find him switching between straight-ahead standards and avant-garde, Eastern-influenced melodies. The result is utterly schizophrenic and ultimately makes for a frustrating listen. That said, Scott is a phenomenal musician and -- when he sticks to the experimental stuff - is quite compelling.

Tracks
-1. "Ode To An Oud" - 4:22
-2. "My Funny Valentine" - 3:38
-3. "Satin Doll" - 3:30
-4. "Homage To Lord Krishna" - 5:04
-5. "Blues For Charlie Parker" - 3:21
-6. "Sophisticated Lady" - 4:00
-7. "Swara Sulina (The Beautiful Sound Of The Flute)" - 5:05
-8. "Nina's Dance" - 3:19
-9. "Brother Can You Spare A Dime" - 3:07

Personnel
* Tony Scott (vocals, baritone saxophone, clarinet)
* Beril Rubenstein (piano, organ); Colin Walcott (sitar)
* John Berberian (oud)
* Attila Zoller (guitar)
* Milt Hinton, Richard Davis (bass)
* Jimmy Lovelace (drums)
* Souren Baronian (dumbek)
* Steve Purnillia (percussion)

 

Mimi & Richard Farina - The Complete Vanguard Recordings (1965-68)

Mimi & Richard  Farina - The Complete Vanguard Recordings (1965-68)
rock, folk | 3cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 110MB
Vanguard 2001
Allmusic:
This is a straightforward three-CD set of the Fariñas' Vanguard recordings, each disc containing one of their three albums: Celebrations for a Grey Day, Reflections in a Crystal Wind, and the posthumous outtakes collection Memories. For Richard & Mimi Fariña fans who already have all of those albums, the chief interest lies in the seven previously unreleased bonus tracks that have been added to the Memories disc, all of them taken from their appearance at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. Those songs, in which the duo played in an acoustic setup with some help from onstage guests (including Bruce Langhorne and Fritz Richmond), are enjoyable but not essential, particularly as the sound quality isn't that great. The new additions, however, make live versions of some their best songs available, among them "The Bold Marauder" (the best of the live cuts), "Sell-Out Agitation Waltz," "Pack Up Your Sorrows" (with Peter Yarrow), and "Celebration for a Grey Day"; Jean Ritchie accompanies them on "Shady Grove" (which is sometimes nearly drowned out by airplane swoops). Overall this is seminal, underrated mid-'60s folk-rock, quite consistent in quality for the most part. It's not an over-investment for the cost-conscious, and if you like any one of their albums, you'll probably like all of them. Note, however, that it's not quite the complete Vanguard recordings since it doesn't have the unreleased version of "Tuileries" that appeared on the compilation Pack Up Your Sorrows: Best of the Vanguard Years. It's also a bit disappointing that no further studio outtakes were found, such as the demos referred to in David Hajdu's book Positively 4th Street.

Tracks
Celebrations For A Grey Day
-01. "Dandelion River Run"
-02. "Pack Up Your Sorrows"
-03. "Tommy Makem Fantasy"
-04. "Michael, Andrew and James"
-05. "Dog Blue"
-06. "V"
-07. "One. "way Ticket"
-08. "Hamish"
-09. "Another Country"
-10. "Tuileries"
-11. "The Falcon"
-12. "Reno Nevada"
-13. "Celebration for a Grey Day"

Reflections in a Crystal Wind
-01. "Reflections in a Crystal Wind"
-02. "Bold Marauder"
-03. "Dopico"
-04. "A Swallow Song"
-05. "Chrysanthemum"
-06. "Sell. "out Agitation Waltz"
-07. "Hard. "loving Loser"
-08. "Mainline Prosperty Blues"
-09. "Allen's Interlude"
-10. "House Un. "american Blues Activity Dream"
-11. "Raven Girl"
-12. "Miles"
-13. "Childern of Darkness"

Memories
-01. "The Quiet Joys Of Brotherhood"
-02. "Joy 'round My Brain"
-03. "Lemonade Lady"
-04. "Downtown (Instr.)"
-05. "Almond Joy"
-06. "Blood Red Roses"
-07. "Morgan The Pirate"
-08. "A Swallow Song (by Joan Baez)"
-09. "All The Wold Has Gone By (by Joan Baez)"
-10. "Pack Up Your Sorrows"
-11. "-1965 Newport Folk Festival (to -15)_ Leaving California"
-12. "Sell. "Out Agitation Waltz"
-13. "Pack Up Your Sorrows (with Peter Yarrow)"
-14. "House Un. "American Blues Activity Dream"
-15. "The Bold Marauder"
-16. "Hard. "Lovin' Loser"
-17. "Dopico"
-18. "Celebration For A Grey Day"
-19. "Shady Grove (with Jean Ritchie)"

 

25 June, 2012

Kai Winding, JJ Johnson, Bennie Green - Kai & Jay & Green With Strings (1954)

Kai Winding,  JJ Johnson, Bennie Green - Kai & Jay & Green With Strings (1954)
jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 170MB
OJC
Allmusic:
Two unrelated session are combined on this CD reissue of an LP. Trombonist Bennie Green is heard on four ballads from 1952 while backed by a rhythm section and six strings. However, the more significant selections are eight songs that for the first time matched together trombonists J.J. Johnson and Kai Winding in a quintet. The Johnson and Winding group would be quite popular during the next two years and, listening to the colorful and melodic versions of such tunes as "How Long Has This Been Going On," "Dinner for One," and "We'll Be Together Again," it is easy to see why.

Tracks
Green With Strings
-01. "There's a Small Hotel" - 2:41
-02. "Stardust" - 3:15
-03. "Serenade to Love" - 2:54
-04. "Embraceable You" - 2:58
--
Kai & Jay
-05. "Don't Argue" - 3:00
-06. "How Long Has This Been Going On?" - 2:33
-07. "Riviera" - 3:14
-08. "Dinner for One" - 3:04
-09. "Hip Bones" - 2:56
-10. "Wind Bag" - 3:10
-11. "We'll Be Together Again" - 3:16
-12. "Bags' Groove" - 3:11

Personnel
Green with Strings:
* Benny Green - trombone
* John Malachi - piano
* Tommy Potter - bass
* Osie Johnson - drums
Kai & Jay:
* JJ Johnson, Kai Winding - trombones
* Dick Katz - piano
* Peck Morrison - bass
* Al Harewood - drums

 

Ketil Bjornstad, David Darling - The River (1996)

Ketil Bjornstad, David Darling - The River (1996)
jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 325MB
ECM
Jazztimes:
You could say The Sea (ECM 1545) created The River from what pianist-composer Ketil Bjornstad describes as "a becalmed duo moment." With cellist David Darling joining him from that previous quartet, the duo's improvisations are inextricably in the ECM tradition that combines neo-classicism and neo-romantic sensibilities. Bjornstad also invokes late Renaissance British composers William Byrd for parts I and III, ant Orlando Gibbons for the final section of his 12-part suite.
The River distills the textures explored in The Sea. Where the earlier suite captures the extraordinary tug, ambience, and power of oceans, The River suggests an earthier setting. One qualm poses whether or not themes of this sort ought to be couched in such extended forms, given how The River is far more monotextural than the earlier work, its impressionistic proclivities focused on one or two moods, it seems, reminiscent of lingering beside a river or in a lull aboard rowboat or canoe. Listeners can then imagine whatever riverscape they please to fill in the setting. There are obvious possibilities for program application for this calming music, perhaps. But quo vadis?

Tracks
- "I" (William Byrd) - 6:58
- "II" - 7:28
- "III" (Byrd) - 4:40
- "IV" - 8:49
- "V" - 6:39
- "VI" - 9:19
- "VII" - 5:15
- "VIII" - 2:39
- "IX" - 5:47
- "X" - 4:31
- "XI" - 7:26
- "XII" (Orlando Gibbons) - 3:39
Recorded at Rainbow Studio in Oslo, Norway in June 1996

Personnel
* Ketil Bjørnstad - piano
* David Darling - cello

 

Flying Luttenbachers - Destroy All Music Revisited (2007)

Flying Luttenbachers - Destroy All Music Revisited (2007)
jazz, rock | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 555MB
Skin Graft GR85CD
Allmusic:
Originally released in 1994, the Flying Luttenbachers' Destroy All Music was the group's final session with saxophonist Ken Vandermark. The album is defiantly unclassifiable - veering between the breathless energy of free jazz and the fevered intensity of punk, it also possesses a wild experimental noise streak outside the boundaries of either genre.
Allaboutjazz:
Still as uncompromising as it was at its release almost ten years ago, The Flying Luttenbachers Destroy All Music Revisited is an amalgamation of so many disparate styles of music that it continues to remain virtually unclassifiable. Formed by percussionist and Hal Russell protégé Weasel Walter in 1994, the group went through numerous personnel changes before arriving at the one that would record this, the group's best conceived and must successful effort.
The album features a line-up that pulled from all corners of the experimental Chicago music scene of the 1990s. Joining Walter is saxophonist Chad Organ (who doubles on Moog synthesizer), reedist and free jazz staple Ken Vandermark (who served as Walter's co-leader as a member of the group), trombonist, bassist and Vandermark 5 member Jeb Bishop, and guitarist Dylan Posa. This unique combination of jazz virtuosity and punk rock aestheticism tore apart the walls between No Wave, noise, metal and jazz to create a sound not unlike saxophonist Peter Brotzmann's Last Exit, though The Flying Luttenbachers may be even more relentless and jugular.
The album opens with the grinding "Demonic Velocities/20,000,000 Volts," whose initial single-note saxophone line leads the way into a percussive onslaught of stop-start rhythms, manic genre switches, and all-out chaos. The chaos continues with "Fist Through Glass," which may have even more punk influence. This is an adrenalin releasing mess, complete with thrash guitars, driving drums, and horns that sound more suited to demolition than music.
The original release signaled a regrouping of the ensemble, and consisted of tracks recorded in the studio, live, and in Walter's garage. The noisy freak-out of "(In Progress)" is an improvised piece recorded to 4-track cassette in a shed behind Walter's apartment, while "Tiamat en Arc" is pulled from a live show. The latter features an opening not dissimilar to the deranged lounge that John Zorn's Naked City treads into, but the sudden instrumental break quickly disavows any allegiances this group has to genre.
The original album closed with "Final Variation on a Theme Entitled 'Attack Sequence,'" a piece the group had already released in various manifestations four times. This particular version contains the broken fragments of speed metal, downtown experimental and, of course, jazz, leaving all of them scorched and smoldering on the floor by the end.
The reissue appends seven tracks, six of which are live performances. All of these add further depth to a recording already unmatched in its relentless destruction of musical conformity. Destroy All Music Revisited still fulfills its title's mission statement, and is an important reminder of a group that, despite its under-recognition, is perhaps more relevant than ever.

Tracks
-01. Demonic Velocities / 20,000,000 Volts"
-02. "Fist Through Glass"
-03. "Sparrow's Thin Lot"
-04. "Splurge"
-05. "(In Progress)"
-06. "Ver aus Dun 'Turbo Scratcher'"
-07. "Necessary Impossibility of Determinism"
-08. "Dance of the Lonely Hyenas"
-09. "Tiamat En Arc"
-10. "Final Variation on a Theme Entitled 'Attack Sequence'"
-11. "One-Two Punch"
-12. "Improvisation"
-13. "Critic Stomp"
-14. "Clammer + Sprint"
-15. "Coffeehouse in Flames"
-16. "Eaten By Sharks"
-"17. "Throwing Bricks"

Personnel
Chad Organ: tenor & baritone saxophones, Moog synthesizer; Dylan Posa: electric guitar; Weasel Walter: percussion; Jeb Bishop: bass guitar, trombone, Casio keyboard; Ken Vandermark: tenor saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet (1, 4, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12).

 

14 June, 2012

Charlie Haden, Hank Jones - Steal Away (1994)


Charlie Haden, Hank Jones - Steal Away (1994)
Spirituals, Hymns and Folk Songs 
jazz, traditional | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 305MB
Verve
Allmusic:
This is an unusual record. Bassist Charlie Haden and pianist Hank Jones perform a variety of spirituals, hymns and folk songs as duets. The traditional music (which includes such tunes as "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen," "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot," "Sometimes I Feel like a Motherless Child" and "We Shall Overcome") are all performed respectfully and with reverence. These melodic yet subtly swinging interpretations hold one's interest throughout and reward repeated listenings.

Tracks
-01. "It's Me, O Lord (Standin' in the Need of Prayer)" - 5:22
-02. "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen" - 3:44
-03. "Spiritual" (Charlie Haden) - 4:20
-04. "Wade in the Water" - 4:05
-05. "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" - 2:04
-06. "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child" - 4:31
-07. "L' Amour de Moy" - 4:55
-08. "Danny Boy" (Frederic Weatherly) - 5:51
-09. "I've Got a Robe, You Got a Robe (Goin' to Shout All over God's Heav'n)" - 3:49
-10. "Steal Away" - 2:49
-11. "We Shall Overcome" - 5:33
-12. "Go Down Moses" - 6:04
-13. "My Lord, What a Mornin'" - 4:35
-14. "Hymn Medley: Abide With Me/Just as I Am Without One Plea/What a Friend We Have in Jesus/Amazing Grace" (Henry Francis Lyte, William Henry Monk/Charlotte Elliott, William Bachelder Bradbury/Joseph M. Scriven, Charles Crozat Converse/John Newton) - 7:37
All compositions traditional except as indicated
Recorded at Radio Canada Studio B in Montreal, Canada on June 29 & 30, 1994

Personnel
* Hank Jones — piano
* Charlie Haden — bass

 

Biota - Tumble (1989)

Biota - Tumble (1989)
rock, electronic, avangarde | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 495MB
RéR
Allmusic:
This album contains two distinct projects from Biota recorded between the fall of 1988 and the spring of 1989. Tumble, the longer of the two, has recurring hints of various flavors of American pop music, and in particular the music of the American West. Fingerstyle guitar is at the center of "Things Seem Like Just Happen," and the first half of "Wire Talker" is a twisted jig with bagpipes, kazoos, and concertina. Other pop influences include a jazzy saxophone line at the beginning of "House of Suitcase" and early rock on "Operator for Cataract" and a greater interest in melody than any previous work. But enumerating the various influences and elements barely scratches the surface of this album, as with all of their work. While there may be a recognizable instrument or two in the foreground, the listener is hard-pressed to pull specifics out of the murk that backgrounds the entire album. Biota's working methods almost always start with more or less traditional instruments, but electronic processing starts early and continues throughout the recording process. The slow concertina waltz that constitutes "Finder," for example, is accompanied by acoustic guitar and a simple percussion, but there is a big unspecified cloud out of which this material emerges. It is this cloud that gives Biota its instantly recognizable aura. Throughout Tumble, episodes succeed each other, presenting more different pieces than the track listing would suggest. "Ghost Shirt" is more abstract but still episodic, with clattering noise and percussion sections alternating with quiet melodies, reverb guitar, and demented blues riffs, and uses the same source material as "Operator for Cataract" and "Shadows Appear to Do."

Tracks
-01. "New Lookout" - 2:58
-02. "One Eye Open" - 3:17
-03. "Things Seem Like Just Happen" - 5:16
-04. "Wire Talker" - 6:32
-05. "Shadows Appear To Do" - 7:05
-06. "Picture By Accident" - 7:21
-07. "House Of Suitcase" - 4:58
-08. "Finder" - 1:22
-09. "...Buffalo Come Back" - 5:44
-10. "Operator For Cataract" - 6:39
-11. "When They Know" - 5:55
-12. "The Less Said" - 7:14
-13. "(silence)" - 0:14
-14. "Ghost Shirt" - 9:15

Personnel
* Guitar, Banjo, Harmonica, Flute – Tom Katsimpalis
* Guitar, Psaltery, Banjo, Ukulele, Recorder, Trumpet, Percussion [Balafon], Tape – Mark Piersel
* Saxophone [Alto], Clarinet [Bass], Clarinet [Bass], Flute, Guitar, Autoharp, Bells – Steve Scholbe
* Tapes - William Sharp
* Piano, Accordion, Guitar – Gordon Whitlow
* Kit drums, bongos, bodhran, side drum - Larry Wilson
* Concertina - Randy Yeates
* Violin - Deborah Fuller

 

08 June, 2012

Gary Burton & Eberhard Weber - Passengers (1977)

Gary Burton & Eberhard Weber - Passengers (1977)
jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 225MB
ECM
Allmusic:
Guitarist Pat Metheny was a member of vibraphonist Gary Burton's group from 1974-1976, but although he had recorded with Burton twice previously, both of those dates also included guitarist Mick Goodrick. This particular set puts more of a focus on Metheny in a quintet that also includes drummer Danny Gottlieb and both Steve Swallow and Eberhard Weber on basses. Metheny contributed three of the six selections, which are joined by a song apiece from Swallow, Weber, and Chick Corea ("Sea Journey"). Although none of the individual songs caught on, the attractive sound of the post-bop unit and an opportunity to hear Pat Metheny in his formative period make this a CD reissue worth exploring.

Tracks
1. "Sea Journey" (Chick Corea) - 9:18
2. "Nacada" - (Metheny) - 4:15
3. "The Whopper" (Metheny) - 5:32
4. "B & G (Midwestern Nights Dream)" - 8:26
5. "Yellow Fields" (Eberhard Weber) - 7:02
6. "Claude and Betty" (Steve Swallow) - 6:15
-Recorded at Talent Studio in Oslo, Norway in November 1976

Personnel
* Gary Burton — vibraphone
* Pat Metheny — electric guitar
* Steve Swallow — electric bass
* Eberhard Weber — bass
* Dan Gottlieb — drums

 

J.J. Johnson & Kai Winding - Trombone for Two (1956)

J.J. Johnson  & Kai Winding - Trombone for Two (1956)
jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 290MB
Mosaic singles
Allmusic:
The J.J. Johnson-Kai Winding quintet became one of the more unlikely successes of the mid-'50s, recording nine albums during their two years of steady collaborations. Their first Columbia LP (there would be five) has such likable songs as "Give Me the Simple Life," "Trombone for Two," "It's Sand Man," "Let's Get Away from It All" and "This Can't Be Love." With pianist Dick Katz, bassist Paul Chambers (who would soon join Miles Davis) and drummer Osie Johnson, the focus is almost entirely on the competitive but complementary trombonists. The results are bop-based but full of surprises, tasteful but not always predictable. All of this group's albums deserve to be reissued in coherent fashion on CD; this one will be hard to find.

Tracks
-01. "The Whiffenpoof Song" (Minnigerode-Pomeroy-Galloway-Rev: R. Vallee) - 3:19
-02. "Give Me the Simple Life" - (Ruby - Bloom) - 3:54
-03. "Close as Pages in a Book" - (Fields - Romberg) - 3:36
-04. "Turnabout" - (J. J. Johnson) - 3:53
-05. "Trombone for Two" - (Kai Winding) - 3:15
-06. "It's Sand, Man" - (E. Lewis-Arr: K. Winding) - 3:57
-07. "We Two" - (J. J. Johnson) - 4:02
-08. "Let's Get Away From It All" - (Adair-Dennis) - 2:52
-09. "Goodbye" - (Jenkins) - 2:44
-10. "This Can't Be Love" - (Rodgers and Hart) - 4:04
-11. "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To" - (Cole Porter) - 3:30
-12. "Caribé" - (Kai Winding) - 2:41
-13. "Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe" - (E.Y. "Yip" Harburg) - 3:40
-14. "The Song Is You" - (Kern, Hammerstein) - 4:02
-15. "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning" - 4:18
-16. "Trombonims in Motion" - 3:40
-17. "How High the Moon" - 2:33
-18. "Violets for Your Furs" - 4:20
-19. "Too Close for Comfort" - (Larry Holofcener) - 3:26
-20. "'S Wonderful" - 3:08

Personnel
* J.J. Johnson - Trombone
* Kai Winding - Trombone
* Dick Katz - Piano
* Paul Chambers - Bass
* Osie Johnson - Drums

 

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