Hank Jones • Upon Reflection

 

 

Out of print in the U.S. 1994 release from the Jazz piano great finds Hank, alongside George Mraz and brother Elvin, paying tribute to his younger brother, the late trumpeter Thad Jones. 10 tracks including 'Thad's Pad', 'Lady Luck' and 'Mean What You Say'.
Get your hands on this CD Jazz lovers. It is a monstrously magical moment with three great masters of this art form. The eldest of the 3 brothers from Pontiac, brother Hank is at the piano, with baby brother Elvin (he who changed the way all modern drummers approach the instrument) on drums playing brushes as only Elvin can, playing the compositions of their dearly departed brother Thad, with George Mraz, the bassist from Thad's legendary Big Band. The brotherly love is palpable, and the playing par excellence!

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Agotado en los Estados Unidos, el lanzamiento de 1994 del gran pianista de jazz encuentra a Hank, junto con George Mraz y su hermano Elvin, rindiendo homenaje a su hermano menor, el difunto trompetista Thad Jones. 10 temas que incluyen 'Thad's Pad', 'Lady Luck' y 'Mean What You Say'.
Hazte con este CD para los amantes del jazz. Es un momento monstruosamente mágico con tres grandes maestros de este arte. El mayor de los 3 hermanos de Pontiac, el hermano Hank, está al piano, con el hermano pequeño Elvin (el que cambió la forma en que todos los bateristas modernos se acercan al instrumento) a la batería tocando las escobillas como sólo Elvin puede hacerlo, tocando las composiciones de su querido hermano fallecido Thad, con George Mraz, el bajista de la legendaria Big Band de Thad. El amor fraternal es palpable, ¡y la interpretación por excelencia!


Colaborador / Contributor: peer57

VA • Violin, Sing The Blues For Me African American Fiddlers 1926-1949

 

El violín tiene una significativa importancia en los comienzos del blues, esta antología intenta acercarnos a ese sonido primigenio, que por ser tal, todavía conlleva en muchos casos el corte rural o country del que provenía.

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The violin had a more prominent role in early blues than has often been supposed. Violins were far more apt to be played than guitars in the 19th century, and even when the blues began to be recorded in the 1920s, violins were still often used, although they weren't as apt to be featured on disc as the guitar and other instruments were. This 24-track compilation (with only one cut dating from after 1935) includes some fairly recognizable blues names like Peg Leg Howell, Howard Armstrong, Cow Cow Davenport, the Mississippi Sheiks, the Memphis Jug Band, Charley Patton (accompanying Henry Sims), and Big Joe Williams (a 1935 version of his signature tune "Baby Please Don't Go"), although many of the performers are far more obscure. The material tends toward the more good-timey and folky side of the rural blues tradition; the violins can get into a hoedown kick, as on Peg Leg Howell's "Beaver Slide Rag," or get into a rapid ragtime mode, as on Louie Bluie & Ted Bogan's "Ted's Stomp." Because of the chronological span and wide roster of artists represented, it's a good overview of violin-informed early blues, a subgenre that hasn't gotten a whole of attention. And check out Frank Stokes' "Right Now Blues" to get your head spun around when you hear a lyric that was repeated in Chuck Berry's classic "Reelin' and Rockin'."

~Review by Richie Unterberger

Henry Mancini • The Jazz Sound From Peter Gunn

The music in this album offers an excellent sampling of the sounds you're likely to hear any Monday eve when Peter Gunn swings into action on NBC-TV. The musicians are the same jazzmen who are heard to outstanding advantage in all the programs. Here are some of them: Drummer Jack Sperling and bassist Rolly Bundock state the show's forceful opening motif, Fallout! The raw-sounding trumpet belongs to Pete Candoli, a veteran of the Woody Herman and Stan Kenton bands. Dreamsville, which might be subtitled "a love refrain for hipsters," features a moving alto sax solo by Ted Nash; his brother Dick can be heard dueling with fellow trombonist Milt Bernhart on Session at Pete's Pad. Saxist Ronnie Lang, who, in common with most of the musicians here, is a graduate of the Les Brown band, wields a bulging baritone on Sorta Blue. Other soloists at Mother's, the nitery where Peter Gunn hangs his Brooks Brothers jacket, are vibist Larry Bunker and pianist Johnny T. Williams.
This music is Peter Gunn's kind of jazz. I think you'll find that it's your kind, too."
- Blake Edwards

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La música de este álbum ofrece una excelente muestra de los sonidos que es probable que escuches cualquier lunes por la noche cuando Peter Gunn entra en acción en NBC-TV. Los músicos son los mismos jazzistas que se escuchan con gran ventaja en todos los programas. Aquí están algunos de ellos: El baterista Jack Sperling y el bajista Rolly Bundock declaran el poderoso motivo de apertura del programa, Fallout! La trompeta de sonido crudo pertenece a Pete Candoli, un veterano de las bandas de Woody Herman y Stan Kenton. Dreamsville, que podría subtitularse "un estribillo de amor para los hipsters", presenta un conmovedor solo de saxo alto de Ted Nash; su hermano Dick puede oírse en duelo con su colega trombonista Milt Bernhart en Session at Pete's Pad. El saxofonista Ronnie Lang, que, como la mayoría de los músicos de aquí, es graduado de la banda Les Brown, esgrime un abultado barítono en Sorta Blue. Otros solistas en Mother's, el lugar donde Peter Gunn cuelga su chaqueta de los Brooks Brothers, son el vibrafonista Larry Bunker y el pianista Johnny T. Williams.

Esta música es el tipo de jazz de Peter Gunn. Creo que descubrirás que también es tu tipo".
- Blake Edwards

Leon Spencer ‎• Legends of Acid Jazz

 

This collection showcases Leon Spencer, a Houston native who recorded four Prestige albums in the early '70s. The first six tracks are from Sneak Preview!, the organist's 1970 label debut, the others from its more commercially oriented follow-up, 1971's Louisiana Slim. State-of-the-art soul-jazz personnel includes tart-toned trumpeter Virgil Jones and up-and-coming tenor sax star Grover Washington, Jr. Born on November 1, 1945, Spencer came up on piano, switching to organ when he heard Jimmy Smith in person. He had a unique style: while flashy on top, he leavened it with an unusually authoritative left hand, creating countermelodies in the bass where most organists could only create counterpoint. The standouts here are Spencer's bluesy "The Slide," a juicy take on the Meters' "Message from the Meters," Spencer's ballad "Our Love Will Never Die" (check out Sparks's delightfully florid solo and Washington's sweet flute), and his richly vernacular "Louisiana Slim."

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Esta colección muestra a Leon Spencer, un nativo de Houston que grabó cuatro álbumes de Prestige a principios de los años 70. Las primeras seis canciones son de Sneak Preview!, El debut en la etiqueta del organista en 1970, las otras de su seguimiento más orientado comercialmente, el de Louisiana Slim de 1971. El personal de vanguardia del soul-jazz incluye al trompetista de tono agridulce Virgil Jones y al prometedor teniente saxofonista Grover Washington, Jr. Nacido el 1 de noviembre de 1945, Spencer subió al piano y cambió al órgano cuando escuchó a Jimmy Smith en persona. Tenía un estilo único: aunque llamativo en la parte superior, lo fermentó con una mano izquierda inusualmente autorizada, creando contra melodías en el bajo donde la mayoría de los organistas solo podían crear contrapunto. Los destacados aquí son el bluesy "The Slide" de Spencer, una jugosa toma del "Message from the Meters" de los Meters, "La balada de Spencer" Nuestro amor nunca morirá "(echa un vistazo al encantador solo florido de Sparks y la dulce flauta de Washington), y su rico vernáculo "Louisiana Slim".

Ed Cherry • It's All Good

By DAN BILAWSKY

October 24, 2012

Guitarist Ed Cherry is best known for his lengthy, decade-plus tenure with trumpet titan Dizzy Gillespie, but his work with another heavyweight of a different ilk—organist Big John Patton—is a more obvious influence on It's All Good. Cherry played the important role of Patton's guitar-playing foil during some of the legend's '90s comeback sessions and he acquired a deep understanding of the organ group dynamic through osmosis during this period.

Patton's '90s work dealt with some outlying ideals—courtesy of musicians like saxophone maverick John Zorn—blended with a more straightforward approach, but Cherry doesn't flirt with far-reaching thoughts like his former employer. Instead, he puts his Grant Green-influenced guitar to good use on a program of relatively laid back material that emphasizes soul and groove in centrist fashion.

Cherry's slick-cum-sizzling finger work is ever-impressive throughout this program of smartly reworked covers and originals. He brings a sly sound to "You Don't Know What Love Is," delivers a Brazilian-tinged take on "Blue In Green," gives Thelonious Monk's "Epistrophy" a smoking, streamlined reading and turns Herbie Hancock's "Maiden Voyage" into a mid-tempo swinger. Elsewhere, Cherry hits a Wes Montgomery-like stride ("Something For Charlie") and revels in the warm beauty of Duke Ellington ("In A Sentimental Mood").

His comrades—organist Pat Bianchi and drummer Byron Landham—both prove to be well-suited for this session, as they're willing to lead or follow and able to go wherever the moment takes them. Bianchi is capable of extreme subtlety, as demonstrated with his gentle backing on "In A Sentimental Mood," but his skills don't stop there. He can cook with the best of them ("Something For Charlie") and he has a penchant for cut-to-the-core melodic delivery that's exhibited during a pair of Wayne Shorter tunes ("Deluge" and "Edda"). Landham, who earned his organ group stripes with Joey DeFrancesco and several other high profile players, is the consummate groove maker here, delivering waltz time wonders ("Edda"), Brazilian beats ("Blue In Green"), über-slow funk ("Chitlins Con Carne") and right-down-the-middle swing with equal skill. His solo trading, on display in several places, is crisp, classy and highly entertaining.

Cherry and company don't distinguish themselves by doing anything bold or new on It's All Good, but they make this a memorable outing through the sheer force of musicality and taste; the title doesn't lie on this one.

https://www.allaboutjazz.com/its-all-good-ed-cherry-posi-tone-records-review-by-dan-bilawsky.php?width=1824

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Por DAN BILAWSKY

24 de octubre de 2012

El guitarrista Ed Cherry es más conocido por su larga década con el titán de la trompeta Dizzy Gillespie, pero su trabajo con otro peso pesado de un organista diferente, Big John Patton, es una influencia más obvia en It's All Good. Cherry jugó un papel importante en la guitarra de Patton durante algunas de las sesiones de regreso de la leyenda de los 90 y adquirió un profundo conocimiento de la dinámica del grupo de órgano a través de la ósmosis durante este período.

El trabajo de Patton en los 90 trató con algunos ideales lejanos, cortesía de músicos como el saxofonista John Zorn, mezclados con un enfoque más directo, pero Cherry no coquetea con pensamientos de largo alcance como su antiguo empleador. En su lugar, le da un buen uso a su guitarra con influencia de Grant Green en un programa de material relativamente relajado que enfatiza el soul y el groove de forma centrista.

El ingenioso trabajo de Cherry con los dedos es siempre impresionante a través de este programa de tapas y originales inteligentemente reelaborados. Aporta un sonido astuto a "You Don't Know What Love Is", ofrece una versión con matices brasileños de "Blue In Green", da a "Epistrofía" de Thelonious Monk una lectura humeante y simplificada y convierte "Maiden Voyage" de Herbie Hancock en un swinger a medio tiempo. En otro lugar, Cherry da un paso como el de Wes Montgomery ("Something For Charlie") y se deleita con la cálida belleza de Duke Ellington ("In A Sentimental Mood").

Sus camaradas, el organizador Pat Bianchi y el baterista Byron Landham, demuestran estar bien preparados para esta sesión, ya que están dispuestos a liderar o seguir y son capaces de ir a donde sea que el momento los lleve. Bianchi es capaz de una sutileza extrema, como se demuestra con su suave apoyo en "In A Sentimental Mood", pero sus habilidades no se detienen ahí. Puede cocinar con lo mejor de ellos ("Something For Charlie") y tiene una afición por la entrega melódica de corte al centro que se exhibe durante un par de melodías de Wayne Shorter ("Deluge" y "Edda"). Landham, que se ganó sus galones de organista con Joey DeFrancesco y varios otros jugadores de alto perfil, es el consumado fabricante de ritmos aquí, entregando maravillas de tiempo de vals ("Edda"), ritmos brasileños ("Blue In Green"), über-slow funk ("Chitlins Con Carne") y swing de derecha a izquierda con igual habilidad. Su actuación en solitario, que se exhibe en varios lugares, es nítida, con clase y muy entretenida.

Cherry y compañía no se distinguen por hacer nada audaz o nuevo en It's All Good, pero hacen de esta una salida memorable por la fuerza de la musicalidad y el gusto; el título no radica en esto.

https://www.allaboutjazz.com/its-all-good-ed-cherry-posi-tone-records-review-by-dan-bilawsky.php?width=1824