Brew Moore - The Brew Moore Quintet (1956)

Brew Moore - The Brew Moore Quintet (1956)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 240MB

OJC

Allmusic:
An excellent cool-toned tenor saxophonist proud of the influence of Lester Young, Brew Moore only recorded on an infrequent basis during his career. He did make two albums for Fantasy that were reissued in the Original Jazz Classics series. The three dates included on this set were all cut in San Francisco with local (and now obscure) musicians: trumpeter Dick Mills, pianist John Marabuto, bassist Max Hartstein, drummer Gus Gustofson and an unidentified guitarist. Marabuto contributed three originals; Mills wrote "Rotation," and the other four songs are familiar standards. Moore plays well (despite a hectic lifestyle, he was pretty consistent on records) and the music is relaxed and swinging.

Tracks
-1. "Them There Eyes" - 4:57
-2. "Them Old Blues" - 4:06
-3. "Tea for Two" - 5:02
-4. "Rose" - 4:40
-5. "I Can't Believe That You're in Love With Me" - 4:23
-6. "Fools Rush In" - 4:21
-7. "Rotation" - 4:21
-8. "I Want a Little Girl" - 3:24
-9. "Five Planets in Leo" - 4:44

Personnel
* Brew Moore - tenor saxophone
* Dickie Mills - trumpet
* John Marabuto - piano
* Max Hartstein - bass
* Gus Gustofson - drums

 sample & buy: Brew Moore Quintet 

 

Christian Wallumrod - Sofienberg Variations (2001)

Christian Wallumrod - Sofienberg Variations (2001)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 310MB

ECM 1809

Jazztimes:
During his development as a pianist and composer, Christian Wallumrod says, he moved explicitly away from "the need to play 'clever' lines over predictable chord sequences. I'm still intensely interested in harmonic structure and development but not in straightahead jazz contexts where you know exactly what to expect." On his new album, Sofienberg Variations, Wallumrod and his fellows-trumpeter Arve Henriksen, violinist and fiddler Nils Okland and drummer Per Oddvar Johansen-explore the style he has created in contrast to the straightahead: melodic fragments built up between deliberate pauses, gradual harmonic evolutions, inward, quiet playing from all the musicians and uniformly slow tempi.
It's certainly an approach that's different from straightahead jazz, but, unfortunately, over the course of an hour it proves to be dour, momentum-free and just as predictable as the music Wallumr_d has rejected. On tracks like "Memor," "Edith," "Psalm" and "Losing Temple," melodic fragments either don't go anywhere or go somewhere with such deliberateness that they might as well save themselves the trip. Diatonic melody as such has almost no place in Sofienberg, with the result that the listener is expected to anxiously sit through the relentlessly recurring silences to get to essentially random-sounding notes. The quietness and slowness of the music just become tedious when there is little loudness and no quickness to make a contrast.
The only successes Wallumrod has with his method are the "Sarabande Nouvelle" tracks and "Liturgia," where attractive melodies lend a natural structure to the musical line and improvisation that is otherwise lacking here. Otherwise there's too much nothing and too little change here to recommend these Variations.

Tracks
-1. "Sarabande Nouvelle" - 2:52
-2. "Memor" - 5:18
-3. "Edith" - 5:23
-4. "Alas Alert" - 5:07
-5. "Small Picture #1" - 1:31
-6. "Sarabande Nouvelle, var.1" - 4:26
-7. "Psalm" - 5:45
-8. "Liturgia" - 5:06
-9. "Small Picture #3" - 1:31
-10. "Small Picture #2" - 1:38
-11. "Small Picture #3 1/2" - 2:18
-12. "Edith, var." - 2:02
-13. "Memor, var." - 1:50
-14. "Sarabande Nouvelle, var.2" - 3:13
-15. "Losing Temple" - 5:27

Personnel
* Christian Wallumrød - piano, harmonium
* Nils Økland- -violin, Hardanger fiddle
* Arve Henriksen- -trumpet
* Per Oddvar Johansen - drums
* Trygve Seim - tenor saxophone

 sample & buy: Sofienberg Variations 

 

Clark Terry - Yes, The Blues (1981)

Clark Terry - Yes, The Blues (1981)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 255MB

OJC

Allmusic:
This blues-oriented Pablo recording has an ideal matchup: flugelhornist Clark Terry and altoist Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson. Both musicians take a good-humored vocal apiece, but the emphasis is on their playing. The complementary stylists, backed by pianist Art Hillery, bassist John Heard and drummer Roy McCurdy, work together very well on their originals, plus "Swingin' the Blues," and create some memorable, if fairly basic, music straddling the boundaries between swing, bop and early R&B.

Tracks
-1. "Diddlin" - 8:45
-2. "Railroad Porter's Blues" - 5:36
-3. "Swingin' the Blues" - 7:00
-4. "Marina Bay Rednecks" - 7:46
-5. "Quicksand" - 4:05
-6. "The Snapper" - 5:05
-7. "Kidney Stew" - 4:41

Personnel
* Clark Terry - rumpet
* Eddie "Cleanhead" Winson - sax, vocal
* Art Hillery - piano, organ
* John Heard - bass
* Roy McCurdy - drums
* "Harmonica George" Smith - harmonica

 sample & buy: Yes, the Blues 

 

Oscar Peterson - The London Concert (1978)

Oscar Peterson - The London Concert (1978)

jazz | 2cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 535MB

Pablo 2CD 2620-111

Allmusic:
This two-CD set, which reissues a Pablo two-LP release, features pianist Oscar Peterson in a strong and supportive trio with bassist John Heard and drummer Louis Bellson. Although his sidemen get some solo space, the focus is primarily on the remarkable pianist on a variety of standards, his own "Hogtown Blues" and a six-song Duke Ellington medley. Whether it be on rapid stomps or sensitive ballads, this trio (which was in reality an all-star pickup group) sounds as if they had worked together regularly for years.

Tracks
1. "It's a Wonderful World" (Harold Adamson, Jan Savitt, Johnny Watson) – 5:33
2. "People" (Bob Merrill, Jule Styne) – 8:02
3. "Ain't Misbehavin'" (Harry Brooks, Andy Razaf, Fats Waller) – 5:07
4. "Jitterbug Waltz" (Richard Maltby, Jr., Waller) – 5:40
5. "Pennies from Heaven" (Johnny Burke, Arthur Johnston) – 8:58
6. "I Get Along Without You Very Well (Except Sometimes)" (Hoagy Carmichael, Jane Brown Thompson) – 7:12
7. "Sweet Georgia Brown" (Ben Bernie, Kenneth Casey, Maceo Pinkard) – 7:51
cd2
1. "Falling in Love With Love" (Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers) – 6:51
2. "Hogtown Blues" (Oscar Peterson) – 8:03
3. "Emily" (Johnny Mandel, Johnny Mercer) – 6:42
4. "Satin Doll" (Duke Ellington, Mercer, Billy Strayhorn) – 5:23
5. "Duke Ellington Medley: "I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good)"/"Do Nothing till You Hear from Me"/"C Jam Blues" – 9:30
13. "Cute" (Neal Hefti) – 8:12

Personnel
* Oscar Peterson – piano
* John Heard – double bass
* Louie Bellson – drum kit

 sample & buy: London Concert 

 

Liars - They Threw Us All in a Trench and Stuck a Monument on Top (2002)

Liars - They Threw Us All in a Trench and Stuck a Monument on Top (2002)

indie, alternative | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 290MB

Blast First bffp127cd

Allmusic:
The debut LP from Brooklyn's Liars is a churning collection of jerky punk rock, funk grooves, and computerized mayhem that oddly enough comes off quite charming. With sufficiently angular guitars, British-tinged vocals, and a truly pummeling bass presence, the group rocks with phenomenal energy and absolutely no restraint. The half-hour-long closer, "The Dust That Makes the Mud," collapses into a puzzlingly repetitive, sample-ridden hip-hop beat that ends things on a bizarre note, but the lead-up is pure rock & roll, complete with the attitude and aggression that makes for a great listen. Liars have a surprisingly unique approach that distinguishes them from other groups in their willingness to experiment with different tones, volumes, and styles, all of which make They Threw Us in a Trench and Stuck a Monument On an astounding debut. Catchy group vocals are all over the disc, and just about every chorus is instantly memorable yet still somewhat pummeling. The use of digital sounds and beats only adds to the unique properties of the record, giving it a feel somewhat akin to later Les Savy Fav records, only with a much more punk-fueled sound. Liars are something special, and when a young band puts out a record like this it is hard not to pay attention. Where they'll go from here is impossible to guess, but with a band this hyperactively creative, that seems to be the point.

Tracks
-1. "Grown Men Don't Fall in the River, Just Like That" – 3:03
-2. "Mr. Your on Fire Mr."[3][4] – 2:27
-3. "Loose Nuts on the Veladrome" – 2:19
-4. "The Garden Was Crowded and Outside" – 2:44
-5. "Tumbling Walls Buried Me in the Debris With ESG" – 4:05 (vocal cover of an ESG song)
-6. "Nothing Is Ever Lost or Can Be Lost My Science Friend" – 3:03
-7. "We Live NE of Compton" – 3:01
-8. "Why Midnight Walked But Didn't Ring Her Bell" – 0:51
-9. "This Dust Makes That Mud" – 30:07

 sample & buy: They Threw Us All in a Trench and 

 

Johnny Coles - The Warm Sound (1961)

Johnny Coles - The Warm Sound (1961)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 320MB

Koch 3-7804-2

Allmusic:
Trumpeter Johnny Coles, best-known for his association with Charles Mingus in 1964, made his recording debut as a leader on this Epic session which was reissued on CD in 1995 by Koch. A bop-based trumpeter with a lyrical sound of his own, Coles is showcased here with an excellent quartet (Kenny Drew or Randy Weston on piano, bassist Peck Morrison and drummer Charlie Persip). He is in top form on a pair of standards (including "If I Should Lose You"), his own blues "Room 3" and four Weston originals; the reissue adds an alternate take of "Hi-Fly" to the original program. A fine outing.

Tracks
-1.  Room 3 (Coles)
-2.  Where ? (Weston)
-3.  Come Rain or Come Shine (Arlen, Mercer)
-4.  Hi-Fly [take 5] (Weston)
-5.  Pretty Strange (Hendricks, Weston)
-6.  If I Should Lose You (Rainger, Robin)
-7.  Babe's Blues (Weston)
-8.  Hi-Fly [take 2]* (Weston)

Personnel
* Johnny Coles - tp
* Kenny Drew - p [except # 2 & 7]
* Randy Weston - p [# 2 & 7]
* Peck Morrison - b
* Charli(e) Persip - dr

 sample & buy: Warm Sound