Friday 26 November 2010

Idris Muhammad - Legends Of Acid Jazz (1996)

01.Express Yourself 5:23
02.Soulful Drums 4:40
03.Super Bad 5:29
04.Wander 11:11
05.By The Red Sea 8:53
06.Peace 11:56
07.Rhythm 5:58
08.Brother You Know You're Doing Wrong 5:37
09.Don't Knock My Love 4:52
10.I'm A Believer 5:15.

Angel Allende - Percussion, Timbales
Kenny Barron - Piano (Electric)
William Bivens
Willie Bivins Vibraphone
Buddy Caldwell - Conga
Ron Carter - Bass
Phil DeLancie - Remastering
Alan Fontaine - Guitar
Virgil Jones - Trumpet
Jimmy Lewis - Bass
Harold Mabern - Piano (Electric)
Idris Muhammad - Drums, Percussion
Sakinah Muhammad - Vocals
Melvin Sparks - Guitar
Clarence Thomas - Arranger, Bells, Flute, Sax (Soprano), Sax (Tenor)
Rudy Van Gelder - Engineer.

Drummer Idris Muhammad's first two albums as a leader (Black Rhythm Revolution! and Peace and Rhythm) are reissued in full on this single CD. The former set has a few worthy tracks (including Muhammad's colorful feature "Soulful Dreams"); the latter recording...has a pair of soul vocals and some R&B material. Trumpeter Virgil Jones and saxophonist Clarence Thomas get in their spots, and the music is danceable...The pseudo-psychedelic graphics make the back cover largely unreadable. ~ Scott Yanow.

Roy Hargrove & The RH Factor - Distractions (2006)

01.Distractions(Intro)
02.Crazy Race
03.Kansas City Funk
04.On the One
05.Family
06.Distractions 2
07.Place, A
08.Hold On
09.Bullshit
10.Distractions 3
11.Can't Stop
12.Distractions 4.

Renee Neufville - Vocal
Bobby Sparks - Organ, Keyboards, Arp
Charles McCampbell - Keyboards
Todd Parsnow - Guitar
Lenny Stalworth - Bass
Reggie Washington - Bass
Willie Jones III - Piano
Jason "JT" Thomas - Drums
David "Fathead" Newman - Tenor Saxophone (1-6, 8, 10-12)
D'Angelo - Vocal, Keyboards, Background Vocals (9).

Trumpeter Roy Hargrove issued two albums at the same time in 2006: this one with electric instruments and Nothing Serious, an all-acoustic post-bop-oriented date. Kudos are owed to Verve for standing behind him so supportively in this day and age of safe, bland, and unimaginative "traditional" records. Distractions, like Hard Groove in 2003, is a neo-soul-jazz date with a healthy dose of funk and fusion tossed into the mix. Hargrove's Hard Groove was the first time Hargrove left his bop orientation as a leader, and while that record had killer moments and loads of special guests -- including D'Angelo, Common, Erykah Badu, Karl Denson, Steve Coleman, Q-Tip, Me'Shell NdegéOcello, and Cornell Dupree to name a few, this date is recorded with his own band, with a return appearance by D'Angelo on "Bullshit" and the great saxophonist David "Fathead" Newman playing on about half the set. The returning alumni from the Hard Groove band are Renee Neufville, who sings and plays a killer Wurlitzer; Bobby Sparks on keyboards (from piano to Moog to Rhodes); saxophonist Keith Anderson; and drummer Willie Jones III. There is a much more urban soul feel to this date, and the grooves themselves are tougher. On the opener, "Distractions," which is a recurring theme on the disc, the horns and guitar are knotty -- they touch on Miles, but they don't drift. The sound is tight, edgy. Straight-up urban soul gets the nod on a few cuts here, most notably "Crazy Race," the smooth funk of "Holdin' On," and "On the One," all tracks featuring Neufville on vocals. "Family" is an impressionistic jazz-soul ballad. "Kansas City Funk" and "A Place" are hardcore funk (the latter in the manner of P-Funk and the Ohio Players), and it's wonderful to hear Newman and Anderson along with Hargrove filling in the deep grooves. "Bull***t" is a blip-hop track. D'Angelo adds texture and rhythm (he produced the song), and this may be the album's only throwaway, as it goes nowhere. It's also the only tune here that doesn't feel "song"-directed. It lacks lyricism, and goes for a Miles On the Corner vibe but never gets there. Still, that's a small complaint in lieu of this deeply gratifying, fun, and in-the-pocket album. It's perfect for a steamy summertime. ~ Thom Jurek.
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Jack McDuff with George Benson - Legends Of Acid Jazz (1964)

01.Scufflin'
02.Privave
03.Hallelujah Time
04.Misconstrued
05.Lew's Piece
06.Opus de Funk
07.Our Miss Brooks
08.East of the Sun (And West of the Moon)
09.I Got a Woman
10.Hey Lawdy Mama
11.From the Bottom Up
12.Lexington Avenue Line.

Jack McDuff - Organ
Joe Dukes - Drums
George Benson - Guitar
Red Holloway - Sax (Tenor).

While these 12 selections were originally released on six different albums between 1965 and 1969, all of them were cut during July 1964: nine at a New York studio session, and three (embellished by Benny Golson big-band arrangements) live at Stockholm. Thus it makes for a thematically coherent compilation, every track featuring a young George Benson on guitar and Joe Dukes on drums; Red Holloway plays tenor sax on all but two songs. It's top-drawer soul-jazz, recommended to those who might find some of McDuff's other releases too homogenous, as his B-3 travels through diverse moods here: the uptempo blues of "Scufflin'," the slow-burning funk of "Our Miss Brooks," R&B/soul in the cover of "I Got a Woman." The closing "Lexington Avenue Line" is the oddest track, though quite a good one, sounding like a movie soundtrack theme with its dramatic strings. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide.

Thursday 25 November 2010

Bernard "Pretty" Purdie - Legends Of Acid Jazz (1996)

01.Cold Sweat
02.Montego Bay
03.Purdie Good
04.Wasteland
05.Everybody's Talkin'
06.You Turn Me On
07.Theme From Shaft
08.Way Back Home
09.Attica
10.Changes
11.Summer Melody
12.Butterfingers.


Bernard "Pretty" Purdie (drums)
Ted Dunbar, Billy Nichols (guitar)
Charlie Brown (tenor saxophone, trumpet)
Warren Daniels, Willie Bridges (tenor saxophone)
Danny Moore, Gerry Thomas, Houston Person (trumpet)
Harold Wheeler, Neal Creque (electric piano)
Norman Pride (congas).
Recorded in October 1972 and June 1973.
Englewood Cliffs, NJ (1971).

Legends of Acid Jazz: The Best of Bernard Purdie is a pounding demonstration of why Bernard "Pretty" Purdie was considered one of the premier "funky drummers" of the late 1960s and early 1970s. A compilation of his two 1971 solo albums Shaft and Purdie Good!, Legends opens with a cracklin' cover of James Brown's standard "Cold Sweat" and includes other pop covers such as "Everybody's Talkin' at Me" and a thumping, purely instrumental version of Isaac Hayes' "Theme From Shaft," with a dash of reggae sun splashed in from "Montego Bay." According to the liner notes (the originals from Purdie Good), Purdie patterned the bands on this release (which included pianists Harold Wheeler and Neal Creque, guitarists Billy Nichols, Ted Dunbar and Lloyd Davis, bassist Norman Edwards and Norman Pride on congas) after the soul/rock stylings of Blood Sweat & Tears. If that's truly the case, Legends of Acid Jazz: The Best of Bernard Purdie pulsates and burns with soul/rock fire that thoroughly and absolutely eclipses Purdie's original inspiration. This is the sound of funky jazz from the end of the 1960s, so funky and swinging it just about dares you to stand still and not dance. ~ Chris Slawecki.

David Garfield - L.A. Keyboard Project (1990)

01.Mossoro' Motion
02.Synthi-Sighs
03.Mr. Alibi
04.Uncle Will's Thing (Rub-a-Dub-Style)
05.Joined Together
06.Indian Song
07.Hip Pop (Ferrante and Creature)
08.Plantaichn' Boogie Blues (To Randy, Bonnie and Leon).



David Garfield (Piano, boesendorfer piano, Fender Rhodes piano, keyboards, synthesizer, programming) 
Jim Keltner (Drums, tambourine, electronic percussion)
Jimmy Johnson, Will Lee (Programming)
Abraham Laboriel, Freddie Washington (Bass)
Steve Porcaro (Piano, synthesizer)
Phil Perry (Vocals)
Michael O'Neill (Acoustic guitar, background vocals)
Michito Sanchez (Percussion)
William Kennedy (Drums)
Gerry Brown (Drums, programming)
David Witham (Strings, piano).

Jeremy Steig - Jigsaw (1992)

Washington Place (4:00)
Seascape (4:46)
While My Lady Sleeps (5:50)
Tears for Charles Street (4:52)
Circular Norton (5:16)
Sifu's Song (Dedicated to Kenny Gong)(5:19)
Et Tu Tweetus (3:53)
Jigsaw Jeremy Steig (5:25)
Spring Street (5:08)
Naima (6:43).

Bass,Bass (Upright)- Steve LaSpina
Drums - Joe Chambers
Electric Bass - Zev Katz
Flute - Jeremy Steig
Guitar - Georg Wadenius
Piano - LeeAnn Ledgerwood
Bass, Bass (Acoustic), Drums (Bass)- Tom Warrington
Drums - Harvey Mason, Sr
Synthesizer, Piano - John Beasley
Recorded at Clinton Studios, New York,October 14, 15 & 16, 1991.

Eddie Gomez & Jeremy Steig - Outlaws (1976)



1.Outlaws
2.Autumn Comes, Autumn Leaves
3.Arioso
4.Nightmare
5.Nardis.





A flute-bass duo is not an everyday occurrence on CD, let alone making up an entire release. Yet the combination of Jeremy Steig and Eddie Gomez in this 1975 concert works extremely well because of the virtuoso talent of both musicians, along with their obviously compatibility. They previously had worked together on the Bill Evans' album What's New and Gomez had recently departed Evans at the time of this recording. Unfortunately, there are no liner notes to explain how this meeting came about or the background of the selections, while the 24-bit remastering and new packaging featuring amusing sketches of the two men by Steig make this edition more valuable than the earlier CD reissue. Three of the originals sound improvised rather than composed, except for "Autumn Comes, Autumn Leaves," which is obviously derived from the standard, opening with Gomez's solo variations of the well-known song, along with an intense, introspective rendition of "Nardis," though the bassist's brief use of an electronic delay sounds rather dated. Each man has a solo number; Steig's elegant, somewhat free-form "Nightmare" recalls Eric Dolphy's adventurous spirit, while Gomez's dramatic "Arioso" features his playing exclusively with a bow. Although this may very well have been a one-time event, it is much more than a novelty. Considering how little Steig has been recorded as a leader since the late '70s, this session should be of special interest to his fans. ~ Ken Dryden, All Music Guide.

Wednesday 24 November 2010

The Brecker Brothers Collection, Vol.I and II (1975-1981)

Recorded in New York, New York and Los Angeles, California between 1975 & 1981. Track 5 recorded live at My Father's Place, Roslyn, Long Island, New York. Includes liner notes by Michael Cuscuna.
All tracks have been digitally remastered.
Personnel: Randy Brecker (vocals, trumpet, flugelhorn, hand claps); Will Lee (vocals, bass guitar); Neil Jason (vocals); David Spinozza, Hiram Bullock, Jeff Mironov, Steve Khan, Barry Finnerty, Bob Mann (guitar); David Sanborn (alto saxophone); Michael Brecker (tenor saxophone, hand claps); Don Grolnick (trombone, electric piano, keyboards); Mark Gray (electric piano, keyboards); Paul Schaffer (electric piano); Doug Riley (keyboards); George Duke (synthesizer, string synthesizer); Chris Parker , Steve Jordan , Harvey Mason, Sr. , Richie Morales, Steve Gadd , Terry Bozzio, Allan Schwartzberg (drums); Victoria (tambourine, hand claps, percussion, background vocals); Kash Monet (hand claps, percussion, background vocals); Bob Clearmountain (hand claps); Rafael Cruz, Airto Moreira, Manolo Badrena, Ralph MacDonald, Sammy Figueroa (percussion); Jeff Schoen, Roy Herring (background vocals).
01.Skunk Funk
02.Sponge
03.Squids
04.Funky Sea, Funky Dew
05.Inside Out
06.Dream Theme
07.I Don't Know Either
08.Bathsheba
09.Straphangin'
10.Threesome
11.East River.

Recorded in New York, New York and Los Angeles, California between 1975 & 1981. Tracks 3-6 recorded live at My Father's Place, Roslyn, Long Island, New York. Includes liner notes by Michael Cuscuna.
Personnel: Michael Brecker (tenor saxophone); Randy Brecker (trumpet, flugelhorn, keyboards); David Sanborn (alto saxophone); Mark Gray (electric piano, keyboards); Don Grolnick (keyboards); George Duke (synthesizer); Bob Mann, Barry Finnerty, Hiram Bullock (guitar); Will Lee, Neil Jason, Marcus Miller (bass); Harvey Mason, Terry Bozzio, Steve Jordan, Richie Morales (drums); Ralph MacDonald, Sammy Figueroa, Rafael Cruz, Airto, Don Alias, Manolo Badrena (percussion).
01.Rocks
02.Creature of Many Faces, A
03.Funky Sea, Funky Dew
04.Skunk Funk
05.Sponge
06.Squids
07.Tee'd Off
08.Squish
09.Baffled
10.Not Ethiopia
11.Jacknife.

Tuesday 16 November 2010

Jack DeJohnette - Irresistible Forces (1987)

01.Introduction
02.Irresistible Forces
03.Preludio Pra Nana
04.Herbie's Hand Cocked
05.Osthetics
06.47th Groove
07.Silver Hollow
08.Interlude / Ponta De Areia
09.Milton
10.3rd World Anthem
11.Conclusion.

After a five-year hiatus, Jack DeJohnette revived his Special Edition ensemble, albeit with completely different personnel. In the new lineup, DeJohnette still boasted a dual-reed front line, with Gary Thomas on tenor saxophone and flute, and Greg Osby on alto and soprano saxophones. He also expanded the rhythm section to include a bass (Lonnie Plaxico, playing both acoustic and electric) and a guitar (Mick Goodrick). This set also features a guest appearance by Brazilian percussionist Nana Vasconcelos. DeJohnette wrote two-thirds of these pieces, and even revisits his "Silver Hollow" (first recorded with the New Directions outfit he assembled a decade earlier). As always, DeJohnette provides a fertile setting for these well-chosen players to truly play off of one another. The spirited interplay of "Preludio Pra Nana" is joyous and inspiring to behold.

Bill Frisell - Blues Dream (2001)

01.Blues Dream
02.Ron Carter
03.Pretty Flowers Were Made For Blooming
04.Pretty Stars Were Made To Shine
05.Where Do We Go?
06.Like Dreamers Do (Part One)
07.Like Dreamers Do (Part Two)
08.Outlaws
09.What Do We Do?
10.Episode
11.Soul Merchant
12.Greg Leisz
13.The Tractor
14.Fifty Years
15.Slow Dance
16.Things Will Never Be The Same
17.Dream On
18.Blues Dream (Reprise).

BLUES DREAM is another in a series of guitarist Bill Frisell's painterly, roots-inflected explorations of American music. Here, Frisell is joined by a horn section which includes trumpeter Ron Miles and trombonist Curtis Fowlkes (of the Jazz Passengers), and the sound of hard brass in the mix crisply offsets his idiosyncratic, bent-note, impresssionistic techniques. Actually, the guitarist gets off more than a few rock-licks on the R&B jam "Ron Carter," a tribute to the bassist that, interestingly, sounds nothing like the elder jazzman's own music. Frisell returns to a more familiar pastures on "Pretty Flowers Were Made For Blooming" and its uptempo cousin, "Pretty Stars Were Made To Shine," which sound as though they were cribbed directly from the Carter Family Songbook. But, on "Like Dreamers Do (Pts. 1 & 2)," the presence of those horns prevents the leader from getting too lost in his Americana reveries. Consequently, BLUES DREAM is one of the strongest sounding solo outings of Bill Frisell's career.

Recorded at O'Henry Sound Studios, Burbank, California.

Personnel: Bill Frisell (acoustic & electric guitars, loops); Billy Drewes (alto saxophone); Ron Miles (trumpet); Curtis Fowlkes (trombone); Greg Leisz (lap steel, pedal steel, Scheerhorn resonator & National steel guitars, mandolin); David Piltch (bass); Kenny Wollesen (drums, percussion).

Saturday 13 November 2010

Lalo Schifrin - En Buenos Aires Grabado En Vivo!! (1970)


A1.Bullet 8:40
A2.Blues For Johann Sebastian 10:50
A3.Mannix 2:10
B1.Con Alma 8:00
B2.Manteca 8:34
B3.The Cat 7:04.

Guitar - Horacio Malvicino
Bass - Alfredo Remus
Drums - Pichi Mazzei
Piano - Lalo Schifrin.


Extremely rare Argentinian only release of Lalo performing live in Buenos aires as part of a groovy quintet.
The typo "Bullet" (instead, of course, of "Bullitt"!) is printed on both label and jacket.

Oliver Nelson - Swiss Suite (1971)


1.Swiss Suite 26:50
2.Stolen Moments 8:37
3.Black, Brown & Beautiful 3:35
4.Blues & The Abstract Truth 6:00.

Bass - Hugo Rasmussen,Victor Gaskin
Berimbau - Na-Na
Congas - Sonny Morgan
Drums - Pretty Purdie,Bosko Petrovic
Flugelhorn - Charles Tolliver
Piano - Stanley Cowell
Saxophone [Alto] - Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson (tracks: A) , Jesper Thilo , Oliver Nelson , Ozren Depolo
Saxophone [Baritone] - Steve Stevenson
Saxophone [Tenor] - Bob Sydor , Gato Barbieri (tracks: A) , Michał Urbaniak
Trombone - Bertil Strandberg , Buddy Baker (2) , C. J. Shilby , Donald Beightol , John Thomas (3) , Monte Holtz
Trombone [Bass] - Jim Nissen
Trumpet - Bernt Steen , Charles Tolliver , Danny Moore , Harry Beckett , Rich Cole
Vibraphone, Goblet Drum - Bosko Petrovic*
Recorded live at the Montreux Jazz Festival, 16th June, 1971.


by Scott Yanow
Recorded at the 1971 Montreux Jazz Festival, this big-band outing features a mostly all-star band and altoist Oliver Nelson (who wrote all of the arrangements and compositions) and trumpeter Danny Moore on remakes of "Stolen Moments," "Black, Brown & Beautiful" and "Blues and the Abstract Truth." However it is the nearly 27-minute "Swiss Suite" that dominates this album and although tenorman Gato Barbieri has a couple of raging solos, it is a five-minute segment when guest altoist Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson plays the blues that is most memorable. Vinson's classic spot alone is worth the price of this hard-to-find LP.

Gato Barbieri - Chapter Two: Hasta Siempre (1973)


1.Encontros, Pt. 1 2:13
2.Encontros, Pt. 3 4:17
3.Latino America 5:27
4.Marissea 7:38
5.Para Nosotros 7:59
6.Juana Azurduy 11:14.


Novelli - Bass(Electric)
Daudeth de Azevedo - Cavaco
Mayuto Correa - Conga,Triangle
Antonio Pantoja - Percussion, Quena,Sikus,Erkencho
Adalberto Cevasco - Bass (Electric)
Domingo Cura - Bongos,Bombo
Isoca Fumero - Charango
Pocho Lapouble - Drums
Ricardo Lew - Guitar(Electric)
Raul Mercado - Quena
Amadeo Monges - Arpa India
Jorge Padin - Percussion
Quelo Palacios - Guitar(Classical)
Zurdo Roitzner - Percussion,Drums
Paulinho Braga - Drums
Helio Delmiro - Guitar
Jim Hughart - Bass(Electric)
Gato Barbieri - Flute,Composer,Sax(Tenor),Vocals,Wind,Narrator.


The second entry in Gato Barbieri's series of Impulse albums dealing with Latin America picks up where the first one left off, and in its way, follows its format closely yet not without some key differences. Based on the critical reviews of Chapter One: Latin America, he was emboldened to take some new chances on this, Chapter Two: Hasta Siempre (which translates to "As to Always.") The album was recorded between Rio de Janeiro and Los Angeles with the set's final cut recorded in Buenos Aires, Barbieri's homeland.

The set kicks off with parts one and three of "Econtrol," a raucous, festive jam that marks the album's only real concession to American music because of an electric bassline by Los Angeles sessionman Jim Hughart. The rest of the players are all Latins, most unheard of outside their native lands. Barbieri's blowing is, like Pharoah Sanders', over the top, unfettered, deeply emotive like the human voice in full-throated song. Totaled, the two parts of the suite cover six-and-a-half minutes -- part two was featured on an Impulse sampler called The Saxophone and is not present here. The accompaniment of Helio Delmiro's electric guitar with Paulinho Braga's drum kit, Mayuto Correa's conga work, and Daudeth de Azevedo's small, four-string guitar called the "cavaco" adds to the culture clash that comes flowing out of the center of the mix. Add to this Novelli's second electric bassline and it becomes an orgy of rhythm and carnival spirit: free, funky, and forceful. "Latino America" is a much more typical piece in that it employs folk instruments almost exclusively: Quena, Indian harp, bombo drums, small percussion alongside electric and classical guitars, and Barbieri's haunted saxophone lines playing full modal. "Maressea" is once more a sort of "fusion" tune where Latin instrumentation, carnival rhythms, Afro-Cuban salsa beats, and funky undertones all commingle, sweat, and groove under the saxophonist's intense, extremely busy tenor.

The only track not composed by Gato is the final one, "Juana Azureduy." Here, his narration (in Spanish) is supported by a host of drummers, guitars ranging from full-on electric and classical to charango, an electric funky bassline, and an army of small percussion as Indian harps and wood flutes swirl about the sound of his voice, which at times whispers like the wind, and at other times, shouts. His tenor, like Coltrane's performances on "India" or "Greensleeves," goes into the intricacies of minor modes to bring out the folk melodies he's evoking from the lyric line of the composition. At over 11 minutes, it is the longest cut here, and it's the strongest. It's a stunner and will leave any interested listener breathless by its finish.

Interestingly, Chapter Two: Hasta Siempre wasn't greeted with the same laudatory critical acclaim as its predecessor was, but in some ways, it's a far stronger album, reflecting Barbieri's growing confidence in himself as a composer, arranger, and bandleader -- he already had his mettle as a soloist. This was reissued by Verve as part of its excellent Originals series. It sounds great, is dirt-cheap, and is an essential entry in the canon of great Latin jazz. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide

Thursday 11 November 2010

Andres Boiarsky - Nueva Generacion (1984)



Nueva generación (A.Boiarsky)
Ayeres (Kern/Harbach)
Prometeo (Franzetti)
Solo, otra vez (A.Boiarsky)
Despidiendome de ti (A.Boiarsky)
Hermoso amor (Young/King/Alstine).

Andres Boiarsky - Sax Tenor,Soprano
Carlos Franzetti - Piano
Alfredo Remus - Bass
Roberto "Junior" Cesari - Drums.

Wednesday 10 November 2010

Jovino Santos Neto - Roda Carioca (2006)

01.Estrela do Mar
02.Marfim
03.Gente Boa - w/ Hamilton de Holanda
04.Nanã (Moacir Santos - Mario Telles) w/ Joyce
05.Festa de Erê
06.Coco na Roda
07.Homeopatia
08.Juvenal no Grumari (H.Pascoal) -w/H.Pascoal
09.Rancho Azul - w/ Marcos Amorim
10.Bach-Te-Vi
11.Cerca do Macaco.

With each new album Jovino Santos Neto releases, he continues his amazing trajectory to solidify his position as a first-rate Brazilian instrumentalist, and at the same time he stays close to his roots as one of Hermeto Pascoal's band members. Following his 2003 release with Mike Marshall, Serenata - The Music of Hermeto Pascoal, Jovino wasted no time in coming back even better. It is clear to see that he saved a lot of goodies for Roda Carioca (Rio Circle). This album brings nine dynamite pieces he wrote himself and two other numbers: Moacir Santos' classic "Nanã" -- with Joyce's unmistakable vocals -- and Hermeto Pascoal's "Juvenal no Grumari."
The musicians Jovino Santos Neto (piano, melodica, flutes, accordion, percussion) invited to share this wonderful production are right there on top of their game. On bass we have Rogerio Botter Maio -- you must remember his 2000 Aprendiz release and the praises he got, including Guinga's words "suggestive, modern, rich" -- and on drums and zabumba Marcio Bahia. To add more spice to the mix, special guests featured are Hermeto Pascoal (voice, melodica, euphonium mouthpiece), Hamilton de Holanda (10-string mandolin), Fabio Pascoal (Hermeto's son; percussion), Joyce (voice), Marcos Amorim (acoustic guitar) and Gabriel Grossi (harmonica).
Jovino Santos Neto Roda Carioca opens with a straightforward jazz number in which Jovino, Rogério and Marcio get down to business right from the start. "Estrela do Mar" sometimes might even make you think of "Take Five," but make no mistake. Jovino's piano solos make room for Rogério's delectable bass lines along with Marcio's commanding drums performance. Shifting promptly to a bouncy baião, Jovino alternates dazzling solos on the piano, melodica and accordion in "Marfim." This is a non-stop Brazilian trip. From baião, we go on to an infectious gafieira in "Gente Boa." Hamilton de Holanda's featured 10-string mandolin is magical in this number. And what is to say about Moacir Santos's "Nanã"? If the piece were performed only instrumentally, you would already be satisfied. Nevertheless, Jovino pushed the envelope and added the vocal pirouettes that only Joyce can do without neglecting great instrumental solos throughout this arrangement. Another visit to the Northeast of Brazil comes up with "Coco na Roda," a nice tribute to the great Jackson do Pandeiro. The trio alone comes back in the gentle samba "Homeopatia," with a tight melody and just the right amount of swing. Lending a hand in this number, Hermeto's son, Fabio, takes care of the percussion. Speaking of Hermeto, the Wizard shows what he's known for in "Juvenal no Grumari." Performing a euphonium mouthpiece, a chewing gum wrapper, a glass of water and a melodica in this devilish arrangement, Hermeto is absolutely outstanding. The trio meets the master with no hesitation in what is probably the most amazing piece in the album. Naturally, after such a lively piece, it's only natural that Marcos Amorim's acoustic guitar takes things down a bit to a soothing march in "Rancho Azul." Just don't settle down quite immediately. With the choro "Bach-Te-Vi," Gabriel Grossi's harmonica solo will get you going back up again with this nice mixture of Bach and Brazilian choro.
Alluring surprises, infectious rhythms and skilled performances are present in all tracks of Roda Carioca. If you like good instrumental Brazilian music with fresh melodic lines, Jovino Santos Neto has recorded just what you're looking for with Roda Carioca. Get in the circle and enjoy the Rio sound you have here.


musicabrasileira.org

Dizzy Gillespie - Dizzy in South America Vol: I and II (1956)

Review by Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
In 1999, jazz collectors were thrilled to learn that Consolidated Artists Productions (CAP) was putting out a three-volume series focusing on Dizzy Gillespie's 1956 tour of South America. The recordings from that State Department-sponsored tour, which were made by Gillespie's friend Dave Usher, had remained in the can for 43 years and were being released commercially for the first time. In 1956, touring Latin America with a big band was something that most beboppers could only dream of, but thanks to the State Department's support, it became a reality for Gillespie and his sidemen. Vol. 1 finds the brassy trumpeter in fine form on hot-blooded versions of "Manteca," "A Night in Tunisia" and "Cool Breeze" as well as lyrical arrangements of "I Can't Get Started" and "Stella By Starlight." The big band that Gillespie leads is quite cohesive, and his support includes, among others, Quincy Jones on trumpet (Jones served as the tour's musical director), Phil Woods and Jimmy Powell on alto sax, Benny Golson and Billy Mitchell on tenor sax, Melba Liston on trombone, Walter Davis, Jr. on piano, Nelson Boyd on bass and Charlie Persip on drums. Austin Cromer, an obscure but gifted vocalist along the lines of Billy Eckstine and Al Hibbler, joins the band on "Flamingo" and "Seems Like You Just Don't Care." While the sound quality is decent by 1956 standards, CAP's liner notes aren't perfect--they don't give an exact recording date or the specific country and venue. But all things considered, Vol. 1 will definitely be of great interest to collectors.

Thursday 4 November 2010

Bill Frisell - Intercontinentals (2003)

Bunny Brunel - Dedication (1992)

www.cduniverse

by Scott Yanow

Bunny Brunel is best-known as a virtuosic electric bassist who is featured in high-quality fusion settings. This particular recording is quite a bit different for Brunel is heard exclusively on acoustic bass, performing advanced jazz standards including pieces by Wayne Shorter, Steve Swallow, and Herbie Hancock along with two of the bassist's originals, "Stella by Starlight," Charlie Parker's "Relaxin' at Camarillo," and "Someday My Prince Will Come." Guitarist Mike Stern has plenty of solos, pianist Billy Childs gets in his spots, and drummer Vinnie Colaiuta is fine in support, but Brunel clearly controls the music. On the concluding "Twelve Bars for Leberstraum," Chick Corea guests on piano. Overall, this is one of Brunel's best jazz dates, and a bit of a surprise.

George Duke - Faces In Reflection (1974)

Gerry Mulligan - Lonesome Boulevard (1989)