Cliff Jordan • Cliff Craft

  

 Clifford Jordan's Cliff Craft (1957) is a vehicle for his warm, powerful tenor sax. Jordan was not the flashiest player in the Blue Note stable, but he exuded confidence with every note. It seems likely that he was aware of Sonny Rollins as a stylist, but he was also looking further back to Charlie Parker and Coleman Hawkins. In 1957 Jordan was still working through his influences on his way to his own sound, but he had a huge presentation that must have made him an exciting player to see live. On this date, Jordan was joined by the magnificent—if ill- fated— Sonny Clark, who always structured his blues with unusual dexterity and originality, as well as the great Art Farmer on trumpet.

As a Van Gelder recording, Cliff Craft has one unusual feature. It was recorded in 1957, the first year stereo was widely employed. The date pushes both horns to the far left, instead of the more common split arrangement. The piano is nicely recessed into the stage, and is as fully realized as any in this catalog. The walking bass line on "Soul-Lo Blues" is forward in the mix with a terrific "thwack," and the cymbals have a widely dispersed ringing tone to them. Overall this is an excellent recording with smooth, detailed sound and terrific instrument definition.     

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 Cliff Craft (1957) de Clifford Jordan es un vehículo para su cálido y poderoso saxo tenor. Jordan no era el intérprete más llamativo de la casa Blue Note, pero desprendía confianza en cada nota. Es probable que conociera a Sonny Rollins como estilista, pero también miraba más atrás, a Charlie Parker y Coleman Hawkins. En 1957 Jordan todavía estaba trabajando con sus influencias en su camino hacia su propio sonido, pero tenía una enorme presentación que debió hacer de él un jugador emocionante de ver en vivo. En esta fecha, a Jordan se le unió el magnífico -aunque malogrado- Sonny Clark, que siempre estructuró su blues con inusual destreza y originalidad, así como el gran Art Farmer a la trompeta.

Como grabación de Van Gelder, Cliff Craft tiene una característica inusual. Se grabó en 1957, el primer año en que se empleó ampliamente el estéreo. La fecha empuja las dos trompas al extremo izquierdo, en lugar de la disposición dividida más común. El piano está muy bien empotrado en el escenario, y es tan completo como cualquiera de este catálogo. La línea de bajo en "Soul-Lo Blues" se encuentra en la mezcla con un excelente "thwack", y los platillos tienen un tono muy disperso. En general, se trata de una grabación excelente con un sonido suave y detallado y una excelente definición de los instrumentos.     

Mitch Towne • Refuge

 

Review from All About Jazz (by Kyle Simpler):
After organ trios came to prominence during the 1950s, jazz groove has never been the same. Performers like Jack McDuff, Jimmy McGriff, and most notably Jimmy Smith introduced a new level of soul to jazz music. With Refuge, organist Mitch Towne makes a compelling debut as a leader, adding his name to a who's who of groovemakers.

Towne's work as a sideman gives him the ethos to warrant serious attention. His resume includes work with everyone from Terrace Martin and Buddy Miles to Dave Stryker and Tom Scott, and Refuge shows the breadth of those experiences. But this is no session player stepping out for a quick solo project — it is a full artistic statement, rooted in tradition but looking ahead.

Refuge offers a tightly focused and creatively executed album that places the Hammond B-3 front and center, paying homage to players who influenced him, while bringing a unique sound to the forefront. The focus here is more on innovation than nostalgia; the result is pure groove satisfaction. Working with guitarist Tetsuya Nishiyama and drummer Jeffery Johnson, Towne delivers seven tracks of modern organ trio jazz, with enough emotion, swing, and funk to keep the party going.

The musicians joining Towne are each in top form. Nishiyama's guitar lines are crisp, harmonically daring, and perfectly balanced between rhythmic comping and lyrical soloing. Johnson, a veteran drummer, swings hard without overplaying, providing just the right propulsion and tasteful playing.

From the onset, Refuge makes its mission clear: this trio is not retracing well-worn paths, but carving fresh ones through modern jazz territory. With the legacy of Jimmy Smith and Joey DeFrancesco hovering in the wings, Towne's compositions draw equally from the harmonic richness of Wayne Shorter, the rhythmic punch of hard bop, and the exploratory attitude of players like Larry Young and Big John Patton. His writing favors fresh chord changes, unexpected meters, and melodic lines that leave room for deep improvisational interplay, which is a particular strength of this group.

The opener, "Wolverine," burns with energy in a fast-paced trio cut highlighting Towne's command as a soloist and supporting player. The title track, "Refuge," slows the tempo and deepens the mood, gesturing toward Wayne Shorter in its spacious theme and underlying tension. "Ode to Kenny," inspired by Kenny Garrett, brings a blues-funk edge to the mix, while "Better Now Than Never At All" plays it more relaxed, with Nishiyama's guitar slightly reminiscent of John Scofield's approach: just slightly behind the beat, but never lazy.

Kenny Kirkland's "Steepian Faith" is the album's sole cover, and Towne treats it with reverence and urgency. The composition's angular contours and dense voicings suit his modern sensibility, making it a natural inclusion. The dreamlike "Some Work Of Noble Note May Yet Be Done," with its ethereal shimmer, may be the most surprising moment here, a reminder of the Hammond organ's versatility in the right hands.

With Refuge, Mitch Towne does not just enter the modern jazz organ conversation — he expands it. For jazz organ enthusiasts, this is just what the doctor ordered: plenty of soul and swing with a healthy dose of "vitamin" B-3.
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/refuge-mitch-towne-cross-towne-records

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Reseña de All About Jazz (por Kyle Simpler):
Desde que los tríos de órgano cobraron protagonismo en los años 50, el groove del jazz nunca volvió a ser el mismo. Intérpretes como Jack McDuff, Jimmy McGriff y, sobre todo, Jimmy Smith introdujeron un nuevo nivel de alma en la música jazz. Con Refuge, el organista Mitch Towne hace un convincente debut como líder, añadiendo su nombre a la lista de maestros del groove.

El trabajo de Towne como sideman le otorga la autoridad para merecer atención seria. Su currículum incluye colaboraciones con artistas tan diversos como Terrace Martin y Buddy Miles, Dave Stryker y Tom Scott, y Refuge muestra la amplitud de esas experiencias. Pero esto no es un músico de sesión dando un paso al frente para un proyecto solista rápido — es una declaración artística plena, arraigada en la tradición pero mirando hacia adelante.

Refuge ofrece un álbum concentrado y ejecutado con creatividad que coloca al Hammond B-3 en primer plano, rindiendo homenaje a los músicos que lo influyeron y aportando a la vez un sonido único. El enfoque aquí está más en la innovación que en la nostalgia; el resultado es pura satisfacción de groove. Trabajando con el guitarrista Tetsuya Nishiyama y el baterista Jeffery Johnson, Towne entrega siete temas de jazz moderno de trío de órgano, con suficiente emoción, swing y funk para mantener la fiesta en marcha.

Los músicos que acompañan a Towne están cada uno en plena forma. Las líneas de guitarra de Nishiyama son nítidas, armónicamente atrevidas y perfectamente equilibradas entre el acompañamiento rítmico y el solo lírico. Johnson, baterista veterano, swingea con fuerza sin exagerar, aportando la propulsión justa y un toque elegante.

Desde el inicio, Refuge deja clara su misión: este trío no está recorriendo caminos trillados, sino trazando otros nuevos a través del territorio del jazz moderno. Con el legado de Jimmy Smith y Joey DeFrancesco sobrevolando en las alas, las composiciones de Towne beben a partes iguales de la riqueza armónica de Wayne Shorter, el punch rítmico del hard bop y la actitud exploradora de músicos como Larry Young y Big John Patton. Su escritura favorece acordes frescos, compases inesperados y líneas melódicas que dejan espacio para un profundo interplay improvisatorio, que es una fortaleza particular de este grupo.

El tema de apertura, "Wolverine," arde con energía en un corte de trío a tempo rápido que destaca el dominio de Towne como solista y músico de apoyo. El tema titular, "Refuge," ralentiza el tempo y profundiza el estado de ánimo, evocando a Wayne Shorter en su tema espacioso y su tensión subyacente. "Ode to Kenny," inspirado en Kenny Garrett, aporta un toque blues-funk, mientras que "Better Now Than Never At All" es más relajado, con la guitarra de Nishiyama que recuerda ligeramente el enfoque de John Scofield: apenas por detrás del beat, pero nunca perezoso.

"Steepian Faith" de Kenny Kirkland es el único cover del álbum, y Towne lo trata con reverencia y urgencia. Los contornos angulares y las densas voicings de la composición se adaptan a su sensibilidad moderna, convirtiéndola en una inclusión natural. El onírico "Some Work Of Noble Note May Yet Be Done," con su brillo etéreo, puede ser el momento más sorprendente del disco, un recordatorio de la versatilidad del órgano Hammond en las manos adecuadas.

Con Refuge, Mitch Towne no solo entra en la conversación del jazz de órgano moderno — la expande. Para los entusiastas del jazz de órgano, esto es exactamente lo que el médico ordenó: mucha alma y swing con una buena dosis de "vitamina" B-3.
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/refuge-mitch-towne-cross-towne-records

 

mitchtowne.hearnow.com ...

Eddie Costa • Guys & Dolls Like Vibes

Biography by Ken Dryden
Eddie Costa emerged from an unlikely background into a heralded -- if too brief -- career in jazz. Born in a rural coal mining town, Costa studied piano with his brother Bill and developed a taste for the swing greats; later, exposure to Bud Powell turned him to bop. Self-taught on vibes, Costa became known as an excellent sight reader, which produced a lot of studio work. On piano, his trademark sound was the emphasis of the middle and lower registers while nearly ignoring the top two octaves. In addition to recording as a sideman with Tal Farlow, Woody Herman, Johnny Smith, the Bob Brookmeyer-Clark Terry Quintet, and Bill Evans, Costa led his own trio and quintet dates. Sadly, most of Costa's recorded output remains unavailable on CD, with the notable exception of the VSOP reissue of his Quintet LP. Costa died when his car careened off of a busy New York parkway in 1962.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/eddie-costa-mn0000793779#biography

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Biografía de Ken Dryden
Eddie Costa emergió de un trasfondo improbable hacia una anunciada, aunque demasiado breve, carrera en el jazz. Nacido en un pueblo rural minero de carbón, Costa estudió piano con su hermano Bill y desarrolló un gusto por los grandes del swing; más tarde, la exposición a Bud Powell lo convirtió en bop. Autodidacta en vibes, Costa se hizo conocido como un excelente lector visual, lo que produjo una gran cantidad de trabajo de estudio. En el piano, su sonido característico era el énfasis en los registros medio e inferior, mientras que casi ignoraba las dos octavas superiores. Además de grabar como acompañante con Tal Farlow, Woody Herman, Johnny Smith, el quinteto Bob Brookmeyer-Clark Terry y Bill Evans, Costa dirigió sus propias fechas de trío y quinteto. Lamentablemente, la mayor parte de la producción grabada de Costa sigue sin estar disponible en CD, con la notable excepción de la reedición en VSOP de su LP de Quinteto. Costa murió cuando su automóvil se salió de una concurrida avenida de Nueva York en 1962.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/eddie-costa-mn0000793779#biography

Malcolm Lockyer • That Old Feeling

 

Malcolm Lockyer (1923-1976), pianista, arreglista y director de orquesta, incursionó en el jazz en la década del '50, partir de los '60 se dedica casi exclusivamente a musicalizar films, programas de la BBC y como arreglador y director de orquestas para artistas como Bing Crosby o proyectos tales como The Million Airs Orchestra, tributo a Glen Miller, que efectuó poco antes de su fallecimiento.

Aquí comparto su disco bajo la formación de trío, en este caso se trata jazz estándar tranquilo y prolijo.

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Malcolm Lockyer (5 October 1923 - 28 June 1976) was a British film composer and conductor.
In his early years he developed an interest in dance and from here gathered an interest in music. At the age of nineteen he became a musician in the Royal Air Force and in 1944 joined the Buddy Featherstonhaugh Sextet. His biggest successes in composition were for the BBC series' Friends and Neighbours (1959) and The Pursuers (1961) for which he wrote the themes. His film scores include The Pleasure Girls (1965), Island of Terror (1966), Night of the Big Heat (1967), The Vengeance of Fu Manchu (1967) and Sandy the Seal (1969). He also composed the music for the 1965 film Dr. Who and the Daleks, some arrangements from that film have since been released on a CD called The Eccentric Dr. Who.
One of the highlights of Lockyer's career was arranging and conducting the Bing Crosby album Holiday in Europe (1961), described as "one of the all-time Crosby classics" by the noted jazz critic Will Friedwald in his liner notes to the CD Bing Crosby: Legends of the 20th Century, which includes seven tracks from the album.
Lockyer conducted frequently throughout the 1960s. Among the many orchestras he led were those for: the BBC Radio Home Service's radio musical version of Jerome K. Jerome's Three Men in a Boat (1962), and the films Our Man in Marrakesh (1966) and Deadlier than the Male (1967) among others. From the early 1960s he was conductor of the BBC Revue Orchestra and subsequently the principal conductor of the new BBC Radio Orchestra and the BBC Big Band [1] when both ensembles were formed in 1967.
Lockyer was the musical director for the 1972 Eurovision Song Contest staged at the Usher Hall in Edinburgh. Unusually however, as noted in John Kennedy O'Connor's The Eurovision Song Contest - The Official History, he did not conduct the home entry for the UK.[2] Lockyer had taken part in the very first UK selection process to find Britain's debut Eurovision entry in 1957. He performed an orchestral version of the song "All", which won the contest. However, Patricia Bredin went on to perform the song at the final in Frankfurt with musical direction by Eric Robinson.
Shortly before his death in 1976, he conducted The Million Airs Orchestra in 26 Glenn Miller tribute concerts.

Sam Myers • Coming From The Old School

 

Review by Chris Nickson

It's taken Sam Myers fully 50 years to make his first solo album. But he's no stranger to either stage or studio, having worked with Elmore James and Anson Funderburgh. For his debut he's assembled a top-notch band, led by guitarist Mel Brown, to work not so much behind him as with him. Brown is a standout as an accompanist, offering wonderful decoration to "I Got the Blues" and "Burning Fire." But understandably, it's Myers who's the star of the show, and his driving harmonica playing carries its own momentum, as on his version of Rice Miller's "Ninety Nine." But there's also a very pleasing grit to his singing, whether on the slow and deeply soulful"After Hours When the Joint Is Closed," or "Waitin' On Your Mama," which could have come directly from the Chicago school of blues. It might have taken him five decades to get to this, but from the music on the disc, not a single minute was wasted.

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Revisión por Chris Nickson

Sam Myers ha tardado 50 años en hacer su primer álbum en solitario. Pero no es ajeno al escenario ni al estudio, ya que trabajó con Elmore James y Anson Funderburgh. Para su debut, formó una banda de primera categoría, dirigida por el guitarrista Mel Brown, para trabajar no tanto detrás de él como con él. Brown es un destacado como acompañante, que ofrece una decoración maravillosa para "I Got the Blues" y "Burning Fire". Pero, comprensiblemente, es Myers quien es la estrella del espectáculo, y su forma de tocar la armónica tiene su propio impulso, como en su versión de "Ninety Nine" de Rice Miller. Pero también hay un tono muy agradable en su canto, ya sea en el lento y profundamente conmovedor "After Hours When the Joint Is Closed" o "Waitin 'On Your Mama", que podría haber venido directamente de la Chicago School of Blues. Podría haberle llevado cinco décadas llegar a esto, pero debido a la música del disco, no se perdió ni un solo minuto.