Dave Brubeck - Indian Summer (2007)

Dave Brubeck - Indian Summer (2007)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 230MB

Telarc

Allmusic:
It's not uncommon for anyone to turn toward nostalgia as the years wear on, and at age 86, with nearly 60 years of recording behind him and nearly 50 since he shook up the jazz world with his landmark Time Out album, Dave Brubeck is certainly entitled to look back and take stock of his life. Indian Summer -- the phrase itself suggests an acknowledgement of a waning in progress -- is something of a companion piece to 2004's Private Brubeck Remembers. Like that gem, Indian Summer is a solo piano work comprised of Brubeck's ruminations on standards of the mid-20th century, the period when he was just coming up as an artist and blossoming as a young man. These are reflective, meditative ballads, softly but skillfully played and hinting at melancholy. On time-worn Americana such as "Georgia on My Mind," "September Song," "Sweet Lorraine," and "Spring Is Here," Brubeck is restrained but soulful, out to prove nothing. It's not that age has dulled him; Brubeck's performance is uniformly exquisite, imaginative, and elegant; it's just not edgy. A small handful of original material nicely complements the standards, adding up to one of the more intimate entries in Brubeck's enormous discography.

Tracks
-01. "You'll Never Know" - Gordon, Warren - 4:42
-02. "I'm Alone" - Hammerstein, Kern - 5:18
-03. "Autumn in Our Town" - Brubeck, Brubeck - 4:55
-04. "So Lonely" - Brubeck, Brubeck - 3:15
-05. "I'm Afraid the Masquerade Is oOver" - Magidson, Wrubel - 4:14
-06. "I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance with You" - Crosby, Washington, Young - 4:20
-07. "Pacific Hail" - Winston - 4:21
-08. "September Song" - Anderson, Weill - 4:43
-09. "Summer Song" - Brubeck, Brubeck - 4:15
-10. "Thank You" - Brubeck - 5:04
-11. "Georgia on My Mind" - Carmichael, Gorrell - 4:30
-12. "Spring Is Here" - Hart, Rodgers - 3:58
-13. "Sweet Lorraine" - Burwell, Parish - 4:43
-14. "Memories of You" - Blake, Razaf - 4:16
-15. "This Love of Mine" - Parker, Sanicola, Sinatra - 3:56
-16. "Indian Summer" - Herbert - 4:53

Dave Brubeck: piano

sample & buy: Indian Summer

Wayne Shorter - Alegria (2003)

Wayne Shorter - Alegria (2003)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 460MB

Verve

Allmusic:
With 2002's Footprints Live, nearly two decades of false alarms about a Wayne Shorter "comeback" finally gave way to the real thing -- at least to many critics who welcomed his return to highly cerebral acoustic post-bop. Yet the follow-up, Alegria -- apparently Shorter's first all-acoustic studio album as a leader since 1967 -- is where Shorter really starts to get creative again. The rhythm section from Footprints Live -- pianist Danilo Perez, bassist John Patitucci, and drummer Brian Blade -- is intact on three tracks. On others, Brad Mehldau -- with his very different conception of sound -- is the pianist, Terri Lyne Carrington subs on drums, Alex Acuna adds percussion, and new, unusual timbres are supplied by a wind/brass ensemble. As on Footprints Live, Shorter revisits some old tunes from his relative youth, but not nearly in the same way. In "Orbits," which was given a racetrack post-bop run by the Miles Davis Quintet, Shorter slows it way, way down, virtually decontructing the tune, backed by a quizzical chart for winds and brass. Likewise, "Angola" and "Capricorn II" are altered nearly beyond recognition. Indeed, at this point in the 21st century, it was fascinating to see both Shorter and his former Davis bandmate, Herbie Hancock, radically reinterpreting their past, working separately yet often using the same bassist and drummer (Patitucci and Blade) and recording for the same label. Yet, the core message of this album is that Shorter was ready to move on to different things, drawing material from almost anything that caught his attention while soloing in top form on tenor and soprano saxes. With a wild soprano wail, Shorter leads off the CD with his new, absorbing boogaloo "Sacajawea," one that soon morphs into searching, nearly free jazz, with a magisterial solo from the composer. At last, someone in jazz chose to deal with both tunes from Leroy Anderson's Spanish-flavored light classical masterpiece "Serenata" rather than just the lush second subject -- and Shorter decorates them with a complex featherweight orchestration. Though Acuna's bongos pop away in the foreground, Shorter does maintain the melancholy feeling of the familiar aria from Villa-Lobos' "Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5," with cellist Charles Curtis eloquently stating the tune, until he destabilizes things in the middle of the track. As he approached his 70th birthday, this disc seemed to confirm a long-awaited creative Indian summer for Wayne Shorter.

Tracks
-01. "Sacajawea" - 7:40
-02. "Serenata" (Anderson) - 6:09
-03. "Vendiendo Alegría" (Himel, Spralja) - 7:03
-04. "Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5" (Villa-Lobos) - 6:00
-05. "Angola" - 5:28
-06. "Interlude" - 1:49
-07. "She Moves Through the Fair" (Traditional) - 4:39
-08. "Orbits" - 6:09
-09. "12th Century Carol" (Traditional) - 6:04
-10. "Capricorn 2" - 5:59
* All compositions by Wayne Shorter except as indicated

Personnel
*Wayne Shorter - tenor and soprano saxophones
*Chris Potter - tenor saxophone, bass clarinet
*Danilo Perez: piano
*John Patitucci: bass
*Brian Blade: drums
*Brad Mehldau: piano
*Terri Lyne Carrington: drums
*Alex Acuña: percussion

sample & buy: Alegria

Art Pepper - So In Love (1979) (SACD limited edition)

Art Pepper - So In Love (1979)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 410MB

Analogue Productions | SACD 24k gold limited edition

Allmusic:
This deluxe release from the classy (but long defunct) Artists House label, as with all of Art Pepper's recordings of his comeback years, is easily recommended. Actually all of the music on So in Love has been reissued in greatly expanded form in Pepper's massive 16-CD Galaxy box set. The original LP has lengthy versions of "So in Love," "Stardust," "Straight No Chaser" and two Pepper originals ("Diane" and "Blues for Blanche"). Assisted by two equally talented rhythm sections (pianists Hank Jones and George Cables, bassists Ron Carter and Charlie Haden, and drummers Al Foster and Billy Higgins), Pepper is in excellent form throughout the album, giving these songs heart-wrenching interpretations.

Tracks
-1. "Straight, No Chaser" - Monk - 6:24
-2. "Blues for Blanche" - Pepper - 6:47
-3. "So in Love" - Porter - 11:35
-4. "Diane" - Mingus, Pepper, Pollack, Rapee - 12:16
-5. "Stardust" - Carmichael, Parish - 10:35

Personnel
*Art Pepper (alto saxophone)
*George Cables, Hank Jones (piano)
*Ron Carter , Charlie Haden (double bass)
*Al Foster, Billy Higgins (drums)

sample & buy: So in Love (Hybr)

Classical Jazz Quartet - Play Tchaikovsky (2001)

Classical Jazz Quartet - Play Tchaikovsky (2001)

jazz, classical | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 380MB

Kind Of Blue | rem: 2006

Allmusic:
A jazz quartet plays eight selections from Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker on this CD. Some of the melodies are familiar but usually reinvented in the arrangements of Bob Belden. Vibraphonist Stefon Harris (who doubles on marimba) is joined by pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Lewis Nash for this enjoyable outing. Harris and Barron make for a particularly stimulating team as they perform such numbers as "The Swingin' Nut," "Groove of the Sugar Plum Fairy," and "Vaunce of the Flowers."

Tracks
1. The Swingin' Nut
2. Marche Touche
3. Groove Of The Sugar Plum Fairy
4. Blues A La Russe
5. Bedouin Dreams
6. Oriental Rhythm
7. Mirlitonova
8. Vaunce Of The Flowers

Personnel
*Kenny Barron - piano
*Ron Carter - bass
*Stefon Harris - vibes & marimba
*Lewis Nash - drums

sample & buy: Play Tchaikovsky

Sonny Clark - Standards (1958) (20-bit SBM)

Sonny Clark - Standards (1958)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 410MB

Blue Note | 20bit SBM

Allmusic:
The sessions that comprise the 14-track Standards were recorded by Sonny Clark at the end of 1958, with the intention that his interpretations would be issued as 45-rpm singles. His takes on these 12 standards (two of the tracks are alternate takes) are exceptional. Supported by drummer Wes Landers and, on varying dates, either Paul Chambers or Jymie Merritt on bass, Clark turns in lyrical, sensitive renditions of "Dancing In the Dark," "All of You," "I Cover the Waterfront," "I Can't Give You Anything But Love," "Black Velvet" and "I'm Just a Lucky So And So," among others. Although some of the performances are a little brief, limiting his opportunity to solo, Standards is a lovely collection of beautiful music that's a welcome addition to Clark's catalog.

Tracks
-01. "Blues in the Night" (Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer) - 5:53
-02 "Can't We Be Friends?" (Paul James, Kay Swift) - 4:15
-03 "Somebody Loves Me" (Buddy DeSylva, George Gershwin, Ballard MacDonald) - 4:14
-04 "All of You" (Cole Porter) - 3:52
-05 "Dancing in the Dark" (Arthur Schwartz, Howard Dietz) - 3:27
-06 "I Cover the Waterfront" (Johnny Green, Edward Heyman) - 4:37
-07 "Blues in the Night" [alternate take] (Arlen, Mercer) - 7:11
-08 "Gee, Baby, Ain't I Good to You" (Andy Razaf, Don Redman) - 3:57
-09 "Ain't No Use" (Leroy Kirkland, Sidney Wyche) - 4:45
-10 "I Can't Give You Anything But Love" (Dorothy Fields, Jimmy McHugh) - 3:48
-11 "Black Velvet" (Illinois Jacquet, Jimmy Mundy) - 3:19
-12 "I'm Just a Lucky So-and-So (Mack David, Duke Ellington) - 4:29
-13 "The Breeze and I" (Tutti Camarata, Ernesto Lecuona, Al Stillman) - 3:56
-14 "Gee Baby, Ain't I Good to You" [alternate take] (Razaf, Redman) - 3:49
* Recorded at Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, NJ on September 1, 1957.

Personnel
* Sonny Clark - piano
* Jymie Merritt, Paul Chambers - bass
* Wes Landers - drums

sample & buy: Standards

Stan Getz and J.J. Johnson - At The Opera House (1957)

Stan Getz and J.J. Johnson - At The Opera House (1957)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 440MB

Verve

Allmusic:
Whatever Norman Granz was using as a thinking man's energy drink in 1957 when he formulated this Jazz at the Philharmonic all-star band should be bottled and sold to the world. This stroke of genius was manifested in pairing Stan Getz with J.J. Johnson, backing them up with pianist Oscar Peterson's legendary trio including bassist Ray Brown and guitarist Herb Ellis, and adding MJQ drummer Connie Kay to this truly classic jazz sextet. Two JATP concerts done in Chicago (in stereo) and Los Angeles (in mono) comprise this expanded edition CD, with some stretched-out jams, repeat tunes, and extra material. Originally tabbed as an unusual teaming of tenor sax and trombone, the two principals sound well-suited, very compatible in their dynamic levels, and especially congruous when they play together, while Peterson is absolutely supportive so that these two giants of jazz can cut loose. The shorter concert in Chi-Town has the band absolutely on fire from the get-go, burning up the definitive bop flag-waver "Billie's Bounce" over ten minutes of hard-swinging perfection. Neither Getz nor Johnson had ever played the Charlie Parker evergreen before, nor had either of them done "My Funny Valentine," offered here with Getz's lead line as the trombonist follows gently in his footsteps via a midtempo pace. The swing-era standard "Crazy Rhythm" is cranked up very fast, and features a clever harmony from Johnson, while "Blues in the Closet" closes the show with the simplest bop idea turned into a brilliant, long-winded discourse from all the participants. For the L.A. show, the program also starts with "Billie's Bounce," done differently on the harmonic end just for kicks, while "My Funny Valentine" uses a completely different introduction from the horns. Peterson charges up "Crazy Rhythm" as the sax and 'bone play more in sync, while "Blues in the Closet" again closes the set, but is much shorter, faster, and a bit sloppy at the outset. The add-ons include a short (under four-minute) and easygoing feature for Johnson on "Yesterdays" and another brief rendering of the ballad "It Never Entered My Mind," exclusively for the soulful Getz and a more pronounced Ellis. The extraordinary playing by these expert jazzmen elevates this album to legendary status. It is some of their best work (from a pivotal year in modern jazz recording), and a shining example of how professionally Granz could mix and match musicians to form optimal results.

Tracks
-01. "Billie's Bounce" (Charlie Parker) – 9:45
-02. "My Funny Valentine" (Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart) – 8:10
-03 ."Crazy Rhythm" (Irving Caesar, Joseph Meyer, Roger Wolfe Kahn) – 7:59
-04. "Blues In the Closet" (Oscar Pettiford) – 9:04
-05. "Billie's Bounce" – 7:57
-06. "My Funny Valentine" – 8:28
-07. "Crazy Rhythm" – 7:47
-08. "Yesterdays" (Jerome Kern, Otto Harbach) – 3:42
-09. "It Never Entered My Mind" (Rodgers, Hart) – 3:52
-10. "Blues In the Closet" – 6:18

Personnel
* Stan Getz – tenor saxophone
* J.J. Johnson – trombone
* Oscar Peterson – piano
* Herb Ellis – guitar
* Ray Brown – double bass
* Connie Kay – drums

sample & buy: At the Opera House

Billie Holiday - The Complete Commodore Recordings(1939-44) (eac-log-cover)

Billie Holiday - The Complete Commodore Recordings (1939-44)

jazz | 2cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 430MB

GRP

Allmusic:
Billie Holiday recorded on four occasions for the Commodore label: once in 1939 (a date that resulted in "Fine and Mellow" and "Strange Fruit") and three sessions in 1944 (dates highlighted by "I Cover the Waterfront," "I'm Yours," "He's Funny That Way," "Billie's Blues," and "On the Sunny Side of the Street"). While the former session has Lady Day joined by a background octet that includes trumpeter Frankie Newton, the Eddie Heywood Sextet forms the nucleus of the later dates. This two-CD set has all 18 selections and no less than 27 alternate takes. Since the great majority of the performances are ballads, and with the exception of pianist Heywood, there are very few instrumental solos, there are no significant differences between the versions. Therefore, this set (as opposed to a single CD of the master takes), even though it is well-conceived, is strictly for completists.

cd1: 24 tracks
cd2: 21 tracks

Personnel
Personnel: Billie Holiday (vocals); Teddy Walters, Jimmy McLin (guitar); Lem Davis, Tab Smith (alto saxophone); Kenneth Hollon (tenor saxophone); Doc Cheatham, Frankie Newton, Freddy Webster (trumpet); Vic Dickenson (trombone); Eddie Heywood, Sonny White (piano); Eddie Dougherty, Big Sid Catlett (drums).

sample & buy: Complete Commodore Recordings