Cracow Klezmer Band (John Zorn) - Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass: A Tribute to Bruno Schulz (2005)

Cracow Klezmer Band (John Zorn) - Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass: A Tribute to Bruno Schulz (2005)

avantgarde, klezmer, jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 395MB

Tzadik

Allaboutjazz:
John Zorn's Masada songbooks have surrendered themselves to many modern genres and styles—free jazz with the original Masada Quartet, contemporary improvised music with the Masada String Trio and the duo of Mark Feldman and Sylvie Courvoisier, 1970s electric fusion meets today's electronica with Electric Masada, power rock with Rashanim, and a dozen others in the various tributes to the first Masada songbook (Masada Guitars; Voices in the Wilderness; and The Unknown Masada, all Tzadik, 2003). But only now, with the release of the Polish Cracow Klezmer Band's fourth disc on Tzadik, are they interpreted in the Old World Eastern European klezmer form. Many Masada interpretations have referenced, abstracted, or suggested new readings of this genre which is so identified with Jewish music.
The four members of the Cracow Klezmer Band—leader, arranger, and bayan (accordion) player Jaroslaw Bester; violinist Jaroslaw Tyrala; bayan player, clarinetist, and percussionist Oleg Dyyak; and violinist Jaroslaw Tyrala—are augmented by singer Grazyna Auguscik, who has collaborated with them before, not only to tackle John Zorn's Masada Songbooks One and Two, but also to use these tunes to paint a heartfelt tribute to the Polish-Jewish writer and artist Bruno Schultz (1892-1942), whose character still inspires contemporary writers like the Israeli author David Grossman (See Under: Love) and Americans Cynthia Ozick (The Messiah of Stockholm) and Phillip Roth (The Prague Orgy). This release is named after Schultz's second collection of short stories, published in 1936, and its official title is The Cracow Klezmer Band plays the music of John Zorn—Sanatorium Under Sign of the Hourglass: A Tribute to Bruno Schultz.
The Cracow Klezmer Band's beautiful arrangements are faithful to the original versions. In the opening track, "Meshakh," and on "Regalim," these four musicians even manage to capture the same dynamic telepathic coordination that is so identified with the original Masada quartet. But soon as Tyrala begins his magnificent solo on "Galgalim," you realize that their music is more faithful to the klezmer tradition than any other Masada incarnations or interpretations: klezmer music as a high art concert music that must be performed with subtlety, finesse, and great passion.
"Tirzah," with Auguscik's dreamy wordless vocals, and "Hamadah" both succeed in capturing the sensual atmosphere of Schulz's fantastical stories. Tyrala introduces "Adithaim" with a virtuosic, lyrical violin solo, slowly turning the piece into a gentle dance tune. "Pagiel" is the only tune from Zorn's second Masada songbook, Book of Angels, and is performed as a passionate Astor Piazzolla tune. "Meholalot" is interpreted slightly differently than the version the Cracow Klezmer Band did on Voices in the Wilderness, this time stressing its driving rhythms, as its Hebrew title suggests, and highlighting the captivating vocals of Grazyna Auguscik.
A brilliant release that blends Old World with New World, an almost vanished culture with a vital resurrecting one, by one of the world's most extraordinary new klezmer outfits.

Tracks
-01. "Meshakh" - 4:55
-02. "Galgalim" - 5:14
-03. "Tirzah" - 10:40
-04. "Yesod" - 4:45
-05. "Pagiel" - 7:34
-06. "Adithaim" - 6:45
-07. "Hamadah" - 6:17
-08. "Regalim" - 4:45
-09. "Demai" - 9:08
-10. "Meholalot" - 5:39
All compositions by John Zorn.

Personnel
* Jaroslaw Bester – bayan
* Oleg Dyyak – bayan, clarinet, percussion
* Wojciech Front – double bass
* Jaroslaw Tyrala – violin
* Grazyna Auguscik – vocals

sample & buy: Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass: A Tribute to Bruno Schulz

Boris Vian - Boris Vian (1956)

Boris Vian - Boris Vian  (1956)
aka: Le Déserteur 

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

Mercury 536 164-2

Allmusic:
Named after his controversial anti-war protest song, released during the The Battle of Dien Bien Phu, Le Deserteur is a best-of collection from the multi-talented poet, actor, and singer Boris Vian. Released in 2006, this 17-track collection showcases the politically conscious and satirical songs which made him a hugely influential figure on the '40s and '50s French avant-garde scene. Alongside the title track, which has been covered by countless artists including Joan Baez, there are songs influenced by rock & roll (his original version of Magali Noel's "Fais-Moi Mal Johnny") Java ("La Java des Bombes Atomiques"), and French chansons ("Les Joyeux Bouchers").

Tracks
-01. "Les Joyeux Bouchers" - 02:09
-02. "Cinématographe" - 02:38
-03. "Fais-Moi Mal, Johnny !" - 02:23
-04. "Java des Bombes Atomiques" - 02:33
-05. "La Java des Bombes Atomiques" - 02:35
-06. "Je Bois" - 03:32
-07. "Le Temps de Vivre (Juste le Temps de Vivre)" - 01:31
-08. "Le Déserteur" - 03:29
-09. "Le Petit Commerce" - 03:05
-10. "Je Suis Snob" - 02:51
-11. "Java Martienne" - 03:05
-12. "Complainte du Progres" - 02:44
-13. "On N'Est Pas La Pour Se Faire Engueuler" - 03:01
-14. "Bourrée de Complexes" - 02:13

sample & buy: Boris Vian

Tony Williams Lifetime - Turn It Over (1970)

Tony Williams Lifetime - Turn It Over  (1970)

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

Verve/Polygram 1997

Allmusic:
The better of the two albums the Tony Williams Lifetime recorded in 1970, Turn It Over, is a far more focused and powerful album than the loose, experimental Ego, and one of the more intense pieces of early jazz-rock fusion around. In parts, it's like Jimi Hendrix's Band of Gypsys with much better chops. It's more rock-oriented and darker-hued than their debut, 1969's Emergency!, and the temporary addition of ex-Cream member Jack Bruce on bass and vocals alongside stalwart guitarist John McLaughlin makes this something of a milestone of British progressive jazz. The album's primary flaw is that unlike the expansive double album Emergency!, these ten songs are tightly constricted into pop-song forms -- only a swinging cover of Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Once I Loved" breaks the five-minute mark, and then only barely -- which reins in these marvelous soloists too much. This is particularly frustrating since pieces like the two-part "To Whom It May Concern" feature some outstanding solos (especially from McLaughlin and organist Larry Young, the group's secret weapon) that are frustratingly, tantalizingly short. Expanded to a double album, Turn It Over would probably surpass Emergency! as a pioneering jazz-rock fusion release; as it is, it's an exciting but mildly maddening session.

Tracks
-01. "To Whom It May Concern - Them" - 4:20
-02. "To Whom It May Concern - Us" - 2:55
-03. "This Night This Song" - 3:44
-04. "Big Nick" - 2:43
-05. "Right On" - 1:49
-06. "Once I Loved" - 5:08
-07. "Vuelta Abajo" - 4:57
-08. "A Famous Blues" - 4:10
-09. "Allah Be Praised" - 4:36
-10. "One Word" - 3:45
total time 38:35

Personnel
* Tony Williams, drums, vocals
* John McLaughlin, guitars, vocals
* Larry Young, organ
* Jack Bruce, bass, vocals

sample & buy: Turn It Over

Thelonious Monk - Monkism (1954)

Thelonious Monk - Monkism (1954)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 85MB

LaserLight

CDuniverse:
MONKISM offers a fine array of recordings made by the pianist at a solo session in Paris, 1954. While audiophiles may be disappointed by the sound quality, these tracks will be of interest to Monk neophytes and connoisseurs alike. The material consists of both originals and standards, both rendered without the support of a band and therefore allowing Monk's lovely, oddball compositional style to emerge more prominently alongside his improvisations.
"Off Minor" is stuttering and jagged, abounding with close intervals and informed by a halted sense of phrasing that fills one's mind with all manner of strange visual abstractions. The Kern and Harbach oldie, "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes," is always fun at Thelonious' fingers. Dreamy chromatic rolls follow the occasional interjection of biting dissonance, expressing both genuine reverie and playful irony. MONKISM makes for a keen looking-glass perspective into Monk's personality. Here we see the blazing futurist and the goofy romantic walking hand in hand.
Allmusic:
The music on this 1999 Laserlight CD has been reissued many times. On June 7, 1954, Thelonious Monk (who was ending his period with Prestige and had not yet signed with Riverside) recorded nine piano solos while in Paris, less than 32 minutes of music, which made for a brief LP. Among the numbers are "'Round Midnight," "Evidence," "Off Minor" and the lone non-Monk standard, "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes." The Laserlight release only has eight of the performances, which makes for a very skimpy CD! When one considers that the original nine numbers are available on a BMG/Vogue disc, along with 13 unrelated solos from pianist Joe Turner, there really is no reason to buy this half-CD despite the quality of the music.

Tracks
-01. 'Round Midnight [0:05:22.47]
-02. Evidence [0:03:09.53]
-03. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes [0:03:28.20]
-04. Well You Needn't [0:03:28.72]
-05. Reflections [0:05:06.45]
-06. Wee See [0:02:38.42]
-07. Eronel [0:02:35.56]
-08. Off Minor [0:02:34.55]
Recorded in Paris, France on June 7, 1954.

Performer
* Thelonious Monk (piano)

sample & buy: Monkism

Mark Dresser & Ray Andersson - Nine Songs Together (2003)

Mark Dresser & Ray Andersson - Nine Songs Together (2003)

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

CIMP

Allaboutjazz:
Despite a long association, bassist Mark Dresser and trombonist Ray Anderson make an unusual pair. The quintessentially New York Dresser is known for his deep, soul-stirring improvisations (his suite “The Five Outer Planets” here hints at his enormity of scale); Anderson, despite being born in Chicago and an early tenure in Anthony Braxton’s quartet, is more a southern boy with a love for New Orleans jazz. The pair began playing as a duo nearly thirty years ago, however, and Dresser appears on four of Anderson’s previous recordings. Nine Songs Together is their first disc of duets, and it finds them able to share a wide terrain of material and some themes laden enough with emotion that only a long-standing partnership such as theirs could save it from becoming maudlin on the one hand or sloppy on the other.
The disc was recorded on Dresser’s 51st birthday (in September of last year) and marked Anderson’s first session since the death of his wife of 22 years, dancer and poet Jackie Raven, in 2002. Furthering the emotive import, there are tracks dedicated both to Raven and to Anderson’s new fiancée. There was, no doubt, a lot on the players’ minds during the sessions.
As a result, the nine songs truly are together. Four of the pieces are penned by Dresser and three by Anderson (with their arrangements of “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free” and “I’m Confessin’ That I Love You” rounding out the set). But selective tracking could have convinced you that there were at least twice as many songs on the program. The pair move seamlessly between resonant explorations and swinging jaunts, often within the same piece, and it’s a joy to hear each move into the territory more associated with the other. Anderson sputters, accentuates and holds low tones through the thicker passages, and Dresser’s familiar slapping, strumming and register-hopping provides a sweet, unusual setting for Anderson’s Dixie hops. A slide trombone and a contrabass hold the potential of being as slippery as an oiled-down willow tree, but they play simply and solidly. If there were a canon of trombone/bass duos, they would surely rank among the best. The fact that there isn’t, yet Dresser and Anderson sound so natural doing it, speaks volumes.

Tracks
-01. One Plate (13:24)
-02. I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free (7:55)
-03. Ekoneni (3:46)
-04. Taps for Jackie (10:54)
-05. Slipinstyle (6:03)
The Five Outer Planets:
--08. Jupiter (2:02)
--07. Saturn (:57)
--08. Uranus (2:10)
--09. Neptune (2:12)
--10. Pluto (2:26)
-11. The Feast of Love (6:12)
-12. Insistent (4:29)
-13. I'm Confessin' That I Love You (6:19)

Personnel
* Mark Dresser- bass
* Ray Anderson- trombone

sample & buy: Nine Songs Together

Kenny Burrell - Bluesin' Around (1961)

Kenny Burrell - Bluesin' Around (1961)

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

Columbia

Allmusic:
Released for the first time on this 1983 LP, the music on the set features guitarist Kenny Burrell in quartet/quintets with either tenor great Illinois Jacquet, trombonist Eddie Bert or altoist Leo Wright and either pianist Hank Jones or organist Jack McDuff. It is odd that Columbia did not issue any of the straightahead music at the time, considering McDuff's popularity, for the results, even with a few dated numbers such as "Mambo Twist," are excellent. After a short while, this LP went out of print and it took many years to appear on CD.

Tracks
-1. "Mambo Twist" - Burrell - 5:06
-2. "The Switch" - Burrell - 3:04
-3. "The Squeeze" - Burrell - 4:17
-4. "Bluesin' Around" - Burrell - 3:42
-5. "Bye and Bye" - Traditional - 2:50
-6. "Moten Swing" - Moten" - 6:20
-7. "People Will Say We're in Love" - Hammerstein, Rodgers - 3:41
-8. "One Mint Julep" - Toombs - 3:25
-9. "Mood Indigo" - Bigard, Ellington, Mills - 4:40

Personnel
* Double Bass [Acoustic Bass] – George Duvivier, Major Holley
* Drums – Jimmy Crawford, Joe Dukes, Louis Hayes, Osie Johnson
* Electric Guitar – Kenny Burrell
* Organ – Jack McDuff
* Piano [Acoustic] – Hank Jones
* Saxophone [Alto] – Leo Wright
* Saxophone [Tenor] – Illinois Jacquet
* Trombone – Eddie Bert

sample & buy: Bluesin Around

Madredeus - Os Dias da MadreDeus (1987)

Madredeus - Os Dias da MadreDeus (1987)

world | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 350MB

EMI

Allmusic:
Os Dias da Madredeus, Madredeus' debut album on the Portuguese market, offered for the first time the group's appealing and remarkable compositions. The record exposed the sole musical mission of the Portuguese ensemble. Providing sole compositions, Madredeus settled their musical course in between the original Portuguese fado and influences ranging from Brazilian music to classical musical inflections. Leaded by the voice of Teresa Salgueiro and by the delicate and melodious creations of Pedro Ayres Magalhães, Gabriel Gomes, and Rodrigo Leão, the ensemble started gaining their legion of followers precisely after the record originally hit the record stores in 1987. "A Vaca de Fogo," the record's third track, swiftly became the group's most recognizable theme due to its joyful rhythmic features and exclusive arrangements. Still, the whole of the work expressed through the album mostly reveals Madredeus' nostalgic musical endeavors, strengthened by way of their gloomy musical direction and enlightened by the sorrow and hurtful lyrics unveiled by Salgueiro's unique vocalizations. "Fado do Mindelo," "Maldito Dia Aziago," and "Amanhã" are just three of the album's most noted tracks, again sustaining the unique character of Madredeus' conceptions, initiating a musical path that eventually conquered fans all over the world.

Tracks
-01. "As Montanhas" - Gomes - 2:25
-02. "A Sombra" - Magalhaes - 5:31
-03. "A Vaca de Fogo" - Gomes, Magalhaes - 5:01
-04. "Os Passaros Quando Morrem Caem No Ceu - 02:24
-05. "Adeus... E Nem Voltei" - Magalhaes - 5:50
-06. "A Peninsula" - Gomes, Leao, Magalhaes - 4:05
-07. "A Cantiga Do Campo" - Leal, Leao, Magalhaes - 6:28
-08. "Fado Do Mindelo" - Leao, Magalhaes, Pacheco - 5:06
-09. "A Marcha da Oriental - 05:58
-10. "A Cidade" - Leao, Magalhaes, Menezes - 6:00
-11. "Maldito Dia Aziago" - Leao, Magalhaes - 5:09
-12. "A Andorinha" - Magalhaes - 4:43
-13. "O Brasil" - Leao, Magalhaes - 5:34
-14. "O Meu Amor Vai Embora" - Leao, Magalhaes - 3:20
-15. "Amanha" - Gomez, Leao, Magalhaes - 4:52

sample & buy: Os Dias Da Madredeus