When last heard from, Canadian Cory Weeds was wielding a mean neo-swing
tenor saxophone with the superb Jeff Hamilton trio on the albums
Dreamsville and This Happy Madness. On Let's Groove: The Music of Earth,
Wind & Fire, Weeds moves from tenor to alto (with no loss of merit)
alongside tenor and fellow Canadian Steve Kaldestad, Hammond B3 maestro
Mike LeDonne, guitarist Dave Sikula, drummer Jason Tiemann and (on four
tracks) percussionist Liam MacDonald.
This is the third Weeds / LeDonne collaboration, the first two having
surveyed the music of boppers Hank Mobley and Jackie McLean. Make no
mistake, this latest alliance espouses a funky R&B groove, in
keeping with EW&F's temperament, but one that seems to suit the
ensemble well. If there's a weakness in that blueprint it is that much
of the music, as far as rhythm and tempo are concerned, is
complementary; that is to say, the variations are as a rule so spare as
to be immaterial. There is one ballad ("Imagination") and an Afro-jazz
burner ("Kalimba") that veer somewhat away from the requisite design,
but they are the exception.
The end result does show that almost any form of music, R&B
included, lends itself under the proper circumstances to an agreeable
jazz rendition. The hallmarks in this case include accomplished and
versatile musicians who give the music its due, embracing the spirit of
the original themes while giving them a jazzier spin that serves to
enhance their immanent charm. Weeds and Kaldestad comprise an impressive
front line, while LeDonne and his comrades provide a taut and unbending
rhythmic backdrop.
Those who are familiar with EW&F may recognize some (or all) of the
tunes on offer, most of which are under the sway of LeDonne's forceful
Hammond organ (which obviates the need for bass or piano) and enfold
cogent solos by Weeds, Kaldestad, Sikula and Tiemann, as well as by
LeDonne himself. For those who savor rhythm that is spiced with blues,
this is a generally pleasurable session that should set your toes to
tapping as you groove along with Weeds and his open-hearted quintet /
sextet.
///////
Cuando se supo de él por última vez, el canadiense Cory Weeds tenía un
saxofón tenor neo-swing con el magnífico trío de Jeff Hamilton en los
álbumes Dreamsville y This Happy Madness. En Let's Groove: The Music of
Earth, Wind & Fire, Weeds se mueve de tenor a alto (sin pérdida de
mérito) junto al tenor y compañero canadiense Steve Kaldestad, el
maestro Hammond B3 Mike LeDonne, el guitarrista Dave Sikula, el
baterista Jason Tiemann y (en cuatro pistas) el percusionista Liam
MacDonald.
Esta es la tercera colaboración entre Weeds y LeDonne, las dos primeras
después de haber estudiado la música de los boppers Hank Mobley y Jackie
McLean. No se equivoque, esta última alianza adopta un ritmo R&B
funky, en consonancia con el temperamento de EW&F, pero que parece
encajar bien con el conjunto. Si hay una debilidad en ese plano es que
gran parte de la música, en cuanto a ritmo y tempo se refiere, es
complementaria; es decir, las variaciones son, por regla general, tan
escasas que resultan irrelevantes. Hay una balada ("Imaginación") y una
grabadora de afro-jazz ("Kalimba") que se alejan un poco del diseño
requerido, pero son la excepción.
El resultado final muestra que casi cualquier forma de música, incluido
el R&B, se presta bajo las circunstancias adecuadas para una
agradable interpretación de jazz. Los sellos distintivos en este caso
incluyen a músicos consumados y versátiles que dan a la música lo que se
merece, abrazando el espíritu de los temas originales al mismo tiempo
que les dan un giro más jazzier que sirve para realzar su encanto
inmanente. Weeds y Kaldestad forman una impresionante primera línea,
mientras que LeDonne y sus camaradas proporcionan un marco rítmico tenso
e inflexible.
Aquellos que están familiarizados con EW&F pueden reconocer algunas
(o todas) de las melodías ofrecidas, la mayoría de las cuales están bajo
el dominio del poderoso órgano Hammond de LeDonne (lo que evita la
necesidad de bajo o piano) y envuelven a solistas convincentes de Weeds,
Kaldestad, Sikula y Tiemann, así como del propio LeDonne. Para aquellos
que disfrutan de un ritmo que se condimenta con blues, esta es una
sesión generalmente placentera que debe hacer que sus dedos de los pies
toquen a medida que usted avanza junto con Weeds y su quinteto / sexteto
de corazón abierto.
Tracklist:
1 - Let's Groove - 7:00
2 - Getaway - 6:46
3 - Devotion - 7:40
4 - You And I - 6:15
5 - That's The Way Of The World - 6:12
6 - Imagination - 5:53
7 - Shining Star - 8:23
8 - Kalimba - 10:38
9 - After The Love Is Gone - 6:35
Credits:
Alto Saxophone, Executive-Producer, Producer, Photography By – Cory Weeds
Drums – Jason Tiemann
Engineer – Robert Fernandez
Graphic Design, Layout – Ian Hendrickson-Smith
Guitar, Engineer [Assistant] – Dave Sikula
Mixed By, Mastered By – Chris Sulit
Organ [Hammond B-3], Producer – Mike LeDonne
Percussion – Liam MacDonald (tracks: 2, 5-6, 8)
Photography By – Randy Cole
Tenor Saxophone – Steve Kaldestad
Label: Cellar Live – CL041017
Released: 2017
Genre: Jazz, Funk / Soul
This file is intended only for preview!
I ask you to delete the file from your hard drive or device after reading it.
thank for the original uploader
No comments:
Post a Comment