All That Music! Jazz

Return To Forever - Light As A Feather (1972)

2012-01-15T11:21:00.002+02:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: Jazz, Fusion

Original Release Date: 1972

Label: Verve

Review by Richard S. Ginell (allmusic.com)
The 1998 re-release of Return to Forever's Light As a Feather -- the second, final, and most popular album of the band's first edition -- as a two-CD set had the effect of nearly doubling the band's released output. The first disc contains the original album as sequenced, while the second contains over an hour of outtakes, including some new titles and tracks that were reconstructed from a number of takes. The actual album as originally released was a splendidly light, fluid, fleeting exercise in electric jazz with a strong whiff of Brazil, featuring Corea's lyrical, probing work on Rhodes electric piano and containing a number of Corea tunes -- especially the Rodrigo-based "Spain" -- that became standards. Airto Moreira was a whirlwind on trap drums and overdubbed percussion, Flora Purim's vocals gave the band some commercial appeal; Stanley Clarke made his first astounding impact on electric and stand-up basses; Joe Farrell contributed superb wind solos. The outtakes are of uniformly high quality, all but one unmarked by post-production, with excellent solos all around. The major surprise is four takes of a tune previously released on Corea's 1972 ECM album Return to Forever. "What Games Shall We Play Today?" is a great little Chick Corea boogaloo with a delicate wah-wah pedal applied to the Rhodes. It was heartening to see the jazz industry finally starting to document its electric music heritage with the same thoroughness once reserved only for acoustic jazz landmarks.

Al Di Meola - World Sinfonia (1990)

2012-01-07T18:50:00.002+02:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: Jazz

Original Release Date: 1990

Label: Inak

Review by Alex Henderson
Comparing early Al di Meola dates like Land of the Midnight Sun and Casino to his albums of the 1990s, it's clear how much his playing has softened. The exceptional World Sinfonia, an entirely acoustic CD, makes it clear that what hasn't changed is his unpredictable, spontaneous nature. Di Meola's right-hand man throughout this highly introspective date is the soulful bandonean player Dino Saluzzi, with whom he enjoys an undeniably strong rapport. A long-time lover of world music, di Meola incorporates South American, Spanish, and Middle Eastern elements, and makes Argentine tango a very high priority. The improvisor's reverence for Argentina's musical heritage is especially evident on Astor Piazzola's haunting "Tango Suite" and di Meola's soul-bearing ode to the tango legend, "Last Tango for Astor." But World Sinfonia's standout track and most pleasant surprise of all is a 12-minute interpretation of Chick Corea's 1975 Return to Forever classic "No Mystery," which works quite well in an acoustic setting.

Brian Bromberg - BASSically Speaking 1990

2012-01-02T07:27:00.002+02:00

Format: APE + cue + log

Genre: Bass virtuoso, Jazz-Fusion, Smooth Jazz

Original Release Date: 1990

Label: Nova Records

Brian Bromberg "Bassically Speaking" This cd is Brian's first record "A New Day" in CD form. Some new tracks were added and some original tracks have some new additions. This disc features the likes of: Alex Acuna, Joe Farrell, Freddie Hubbard, Ernie Watts and Brian's first top 5 single "You and I" This cd has the original recording of the quasi cult classic bass solo "Bassically Speaking".

Guy Moon (Keyboards)

Joel Taylor (Drums)

Ernie Watts (Sax Tenor)

Doug Webb (Sax Soprano)

Zachary (Voices)

Arthur Statman (Keyboards)

Kei Akagi (Piano, Keyboards)

Alex Acuña (Percussion, Drums)

Carl Cherry (Drums)

Joe Farrell (Flute)

Freddie Hubbard (Flugelhorn)

Brian Bromberg (Bass, Arranger, Bass Electric, Keyboards, Guitar Synthesizer, Bass Acoustic, Piccolo Bass)

Steve Reid (Percussion)

Nova Records in the early '90s had the great distinction of having two of the world's most stunning young bass players on their roster: Byron Miller and Brian Bromberg. Bromberg, whose virtuosic mix of funk and mainstream influences have earned him comparisons to Stanley Clarke, has found a magical way to ease his brilliant chops on nine different basses into a very commercial setting. His latest, BASSically Speaking, shows him all aces not only as a consummate player, but as a producer, arranger, and composer as well. Mellow fare like "Take a Walk in the Park With Me" offsets the more up-tempo numbers, and you've never heard "My Funny Valentine" played with this much vigor. Complemented by the likes of Freddie Hubbard and the late flutist Joe Farrell, Bromberg has arrived as the first bassman of contemporary jazz's future. ~ Jonathan Widran

Joe Farrell Quartet - Joe Farrell 1970

2011-12-26T10:00:00.002+02:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: Jazz

Original Release Date: 1970

Label: CBS

by Scott Yanow
Joe Farrell, known in the '60s as a solid hard bop tenor saxophonist, branched out in the '70s. On this near-classic album, Farrell switches between tenor, soprano, flute, and even oboe while being joined by a rather notable backup crew: keyboardist Chick Corea, guitarist John McLaughlin, bassist Dave Holland, and drummer Jack DeJohnette. In addition to a famous version of McLaughlin's "Follow Your Heart," the material includes originals by Farrell and Corea, and the leader makes a strong impression on each of his horns.

Biography~ Scott Yanow, Rovi

Joe Farrell's CTI albums of 1970-1976, which combined together his hard bop style with some pop and fusion elements, made him briefly popular among listeners not familiar with his earlier work. Farrell began playing clarinet when he was 11 and, after graduating from the University of Illinois in 1959, he moved to New York where he worked with the Maynard Ferguson Big Band (1960-1961) and Slide Hampton (1962), and recorded with Charles Mingus, Dizzy Reece, and a notable series with Jaki Byard (1965). A member of both the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra (1966-1969) and Elvin Jones' combo (1967-1970), Farrell's distinctive sound on tenor and general versatility were assets. A member of the original version of Return to Forever (1971-1972), Farrell was fairly prosperous during the 1970s when his solo CTI records sold well, but a drug problem gradually caught up with him. After performing with Mingus Dynasty in the late '70s and recording with Louis Hayes in 1983, he moved to Los Angeles where he scuffled during his last couple of years. Farrell died from bone cancer in 1986 at age 48. In addition to CTI, Farrell recorded as a leader for Warner Bros., Xanadu, Contemporary, RealTime, Timeless, and (with Airto and Flora Purim) Reference.

Sixun - Pygmees 1987

2011-12-18T09:11:00.002+02:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: Jazz, Jazz-Funk

Original Release Date: 1987

Label: Open

MJBrady Published on: 24 Feb 2002
On Pygmees, We are hearing the definitive sound of this French fusion bands personality. They are a highly talented band that plays fusion in the Weather Report style, with a much more funky edge to the backbeat. Imagine if Jaco Pastorius, Miroslav Vituous or Alphonso Johnson(all Weather Report bassists at one time or another), were to have been replaced by the likes of Alain Caron, Louis Johnson, or some other super funky bassist. That is what the vibe is like, very uptempo music with sax, key, and guitar doing tight chart section melodies, and a killer rhythm section that just won't quit. The musicianship is as good as it gets, and though the music has the funk factor, the Zawinul influence is present in the way the band is utilizing chord developement, and of course the dissharmonic sax really captures the style of Wayne Shorter to a tee at at times. Sixun also explores the more ambiant side of fusion with some world music songs, though this is not representing the majority of music, these are only side dishes for the energetic stuff. Sixun is music that is best played loud, with the bass on high, it can even motivate you to get things done while listening. If you have a liking for funky, jazz heavy, fusion, with a big influence from Weather Report, this is highly recommended.

Biography
Sixun a is World Jazz Fusion sextet from France. Stellar musicianship and great songwriting abound throughout all the group's albums. Sixun has been around for over two decades, I think.

Several of the band's musicians, such as bassist Michel Alibo, drummer Paco Sery and saxophonist Alain Deboissant have played on hundreds of other albums. Keyboardist Jean-Pierre Como has several solo albums of his own. Guitarist Louis Winsberg has a great Flamenco/Indian/Jazz fusion group, Jaleo, with two great album.

If you like Weather Report, Nguyen Le, Hiromi's Sonicbloom, Zawinul Syndicate, etc., check out Sixun, you won't be disappointed!

Stanley Clarke - Journey To Love (1975)

2011-12-13T23:21:00.004+02:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: Jazz, Fusion, jazz - rock

Original Release Date: 1975

Label: Sony (This copy = Epic/Columbia)

Stanley Clarke - electric bass, acoustic bass, organ, piccolo bass

Jeff Beck - electric guitar

Chick Corea - acoustic piano

George Duke - organ, synthesizer, Moog synthesizer, keyboard, Arp Odyssey, clavinet, acoustic piano, electric piano, bells, vocals

Earl Chapin - brass horn

John Clark - brass horn

Jon Faddis - trumpet

Steve Gadd - drums, percussions

Peter Gordon - brass horn

Tom "Bones" Malone - trombone

John McLaughlin - acoustic guitar on "Song to John"

Alan Rubin - trumpet

David Sancious - electric guitar, 12-string guitar

Lew Soloff - trumpet

David Taylor - trombone

Lenny White - drums on "Hello Jeff"

Wilmer Wise - brass horn

Description By P. McKenna "theowlwatches" (Atlanta GA.) [amazon.com]

01 - Silly Putty

Stanley and George Duke kick out the funk with TONS of melody and good vibes. Great horn charts that would do Tower of Power proud, plus, I used to LOVE playing this tune on bass myself to warm up with. Great fun.

02 - Journey To Love

The one real weak track that could've been a gem if the dippy L Ron Hubbard lyrics and vocals were eliminated altogether, would've been a cool instrumental though not groundbreaking by any means.

03 - Hello Jeff

Stanley rocks out w/ Jeff Beck and the creative sparks fly! A fun fiercely rocking piece, great to play when driving especially! Beck just tears it up with his searing bluesy melodicism!

04 - Song To John ( Part 1 )
05 - Song To John ( Part 2 )

Stanley, John McLaughlin and Chick Corea create a beautiful tapestry of heartfelt music that honors Coltrane and yet doesn't clone or copy him. Indescribably expressive and beautiful!

06 - Concerto For Jazz, Rock Orchestra Parts 1 - 4

The album's piece de resistance'. The ethereal intro was a bit over-long but once past that, when Stanley comes in with that piccolo bass, you're off on a wild ride like no other! Complex rhtyhms fly from drummer Steve Gadd, there's death-defying brass passages (I LOVE the brass arrangements on here!), Stanley nderpinning the whole thing and David Sancious, who normally plays keyboards lays into some ferocious, smoking post-Hendrix guitar. Great stuff that builds to an apocalyptic end!

All Good, December 8, 2004 By AustinTeddy "Teddy" (Austin, TX United States) [amazon.com]

Not one bad cut. The great thing about this album is you can take each of the musicians singly and explore what they are doing. Listen to Jeff Beck...not on "Hello Jeff" (actually DO listen to that too!) but on "Journey to Love". His haunting solo fits perfectly with the mood of the song...and gives it the Beck Edge. George Duke glides throughout. David Sanctious (sp?) is a monster...not just on keyboard but guitar as well. From Stanley's original "Stanley Clarke" through this album and then to "School Days" this three album era was Stanley stepping out and rippin' it up.

Dusko Goykovich - Swinging Macedonia 1966

2011-12-11T08:16:00.003+02:00

Format: ape + cue + log

Genre: Jazz

Original Release Date: 1966

Label: Enja

Japanese reissue of the classic jazz album originally released on Enja, digitally remastered with a limited edition miniature LP sleeve reproduction of the original artwork. Recorded in 1966. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Dusko Goykovich – Trumpet, Flugelhorn

Mal Waldron – Piano

Nathan Davis – Flute, Sax (Soprano), Sax (Tenor)

Eddie Busnello – Sax (Alto)

Peter Trunk – Bass

Cees See – Drums

By C. Katz "Chazzbo" - amazon.com

This s seminal album in 60's European Jazz.Led by Yugoslavian Trumpet/Flugelhorn mast Dusko Goykovich it is and album of modal free wheeling post bop treats from 1965 that just makes you say "Damn!" after hearing it for 30th time.Local compatriots of Yugoslavia scene are bolstered here by multi-reedist greats Nathan Davis on Tenor and Soprano.The incomparable Mal Waldron,so flexible,here just gives his best.But it is the sum of the parts that make this the classic collectors gladly pay $300+ to get an original of.Really stupefyingly beautiful this yet another small group session that has it's links to Clarke-Bollan big Band (of which Dusko played).Though he had many great LP's his first as a leader was his best.If you dig this check out nominally led Benny Bailey "Soul Eyes:Live At The Domicile In Munich" which also has Davis and Waldron.At same time check out Davis's classic SABA LP's "Happy Girl" and "Hip Walk".But this was the birth of a star which is "all killah no fillah".A stone classic.

DUSKO GOYKOVICH

Born in 1931 in Jajce (Bosnia), Dusko Goykovich [trumpet, flugelhorn, composer] studied at the Music Academy in Belgrade from 1948 to 1953. As a youth he played with several jazz and dixie bands, mostly for dancing audiences and eventually on parties at the embassies of the capital. When the 18-year-old joined the Radio Big Band of Belgrade, he was considered a talented young jazz man who also can read music.

When he left the band five years later, he had grown into a fine big band player and featured soloist. Dusko went to Germany where he quickly became an integral part of its uprising young jazz scene. In 1956 he made his first record as a member of the Frankfurt All-Stars.

After a short stint in the big band of Munich's Max Greger, Dusko stayed for four and a half years with Kurt Edelhagen's band, then Europe's leading jazz orchestra. Francy Boland, Claus Ogermann, Jerry van Rooyen and Rob Pronk were among the arrangers who worked for Edelhagen. In addition to being the band's premier trumpet soloist, Dusko performed with such as Stan Getz and Chet Baker. It came as no surprise when in 1958 he was invited to play with the Newport International Youth Band at the Newport Jazz Festival. Other members of the Newport band included Albert Mangelsdorff, Ronnie Ross, George Gruntz, and Gabor Szabo.

Following the performance at Newport, Dusko's trumpet became very popular in Europe. In 1961 the Berklee School of Music offered the 29-year-old a grant for studying composition and arrangement in Boston where Herb Pomeroy was to become one of his teachers. Looking forward to writing his own arrangements for his great love, the big band, Dusko concentrated on his studies at Berklee so exclusively that he regrettingly turned down offers by Count Basie, Stan Kenton and Benny Goodman to join their bands. While at Berklee Dusko (now also on flugelhorn) recorded with the Berklee School Quintet and Orchestra including fellow students such as Gary Burton, Mike Gibbs, Sadao Watanabe, Steve Marcus, Mike Nock, and Dave Young.

When he had just finished his studies and prepared his return to Germany, Dusko received a call from Canadian bandleader Maynard Ferguson offering him Rolf Ericson's place (who had just left to join Ellington). Of course, Dusko accepted. Ferguson, a virtuoso trumpeter himself, featured him as a second trumpet soloist and even used some of his big band arrangements. When Ferguson's band split in 1964, Dusko joined Woody Herman and stayed with him for a year. It was his work for Herman that founded Dusko's international reputation as an outstanding big band player and soloist. "Woody Herman encouraged me a lot," Dusko recalls. "He not only accepted my big band charts (with a single exception), but also recorded all of them."

The same year Dusko (together with Sal Nistico) left Herman's band and returned to Europe, eager to record his own music. Mal Waldron and Nathan Davis played on his sextet album "Swinging Macedonia" (1966) that emphasized Dusko's personal, Balkan-influenced style. In those years, Dusko - by then a member of the leading league of international jazz artists - also worked with Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Gerry Mulligan, Clark Terry, Lee Konitz, Sonny Rollins, Phil Woods, Duke Jordan, Thad Jones-Mel Lewis, Slide Hampton and many more. He continued his bigband career as a member of the Clarke-Boland Big Band in 1966 that assembled some of the best musicians living in Europe, among them US ex-patriates Benny Bailey, Idrees Sulieman, Johnny Griffin, Sahib Shihab, Jimmy Woode and - of course - Kenny Clarke. The CBBB was probably the finest jazz orchestra of the sixties, but it seldom played for live audiences at all.

After his time at Berklee, Dusko Goykovich began writing big band charts of all of his compositions and many standard tunes. He has been asked to play his arrangements with many European big bands, among them Dutch Skymasters and NDR big band. In Munich (where he settled down in 1968) Dusko soon started his own "rehearsal" big band including such as Rolf Ericson, Palle Mikkelborg, Rudi Fuesers, Ack van Rooyen, Ferdinand Povel, and Frank St. Peter. Due to the difficulties in organising a European free-lance orchestra, this band broke up in 1976 and was revived only for some performances in 1981/82. Yet in 1986 Dusko was able to re-found his own orchestra which has been on the scene ever since. In 1993, he also started a much-acclaimed international comeback as a recording artist with his prize-winning CD "Soul Connection" featuring Tommy Flanagan, Jimmy Heath, Eddie Gomez and Mickey Roker. Soul Connection was followed by " Bebop City" which featured young alto sax wizard Abraham Burton, Kenny Barron on Piano, Ray Drummond on bass and Alvin Queen on drums. 1996 saw the fullfillment of a long stanbding wish for Dusko: the recording of his own big band playing his music, "Balkan Connection". 1997 saw the release of the 2-CD set "Balkan Blue", another high point in his career. Disc One features a wonderfully relaxed quintet with Italian master saxophonist Gianni Basso and Disc Two is an extended work performed by the NDR Philharmonic with a jazz rhythm section and Dusko Goykovich as soloist. His compositions arranged by Palle Mikkleborg ( who had done a similar piece of work for Miles Davis ). Balkan Blue evokes strong memories of Miles Davis work with Gil Evans - a seminal recording of our days.

Dominic Miller - Second Nature 1999

2011-12-07T07:21:00.003+02:00

Format: ape + cue + log

Genre: Fusion, Acoustic Guitar

Release Date: 1999

Label: Rutis UK

REVIEW: The Times

As part of Sting's band, guitarist Dominic Miller sometimes gets overlooked. Even though the 40-year-old has the looks of a lean, shaggy-haired, Strat-toting youngster, he seems to get a little taken for granted in his role as guitar factotum. Nowhere was this more apparent than in the recent string of Sting gigs at the Albert Hall in which he was also accompanied by such jazz luminaries as keyboardist Jason Rebello and trumpeter Chris Botti. Now Miller's second solo album has arrived and it's time for him to take the spotlight. 'Second Nature' shows a very different side of this versatile Buenos Aires-born musician. Although Miller may have spent years playing rock'n'roll as a session player, his own music owes a huge debt to his Brazilian heroes Antonio Carlos Jobim and Baden Powell, and as a result the 12 songs here sing of South America - ringing, lyrical numbers plucked and strummed by a guitarist who remains true to his roots.

REVIEW: Q Magazine by Rob Beattie

The scarily tasteful sideperson with, among others, Peter Gabriel, Sheryl Crow, The Pretenders and Sting, Dominic Miller gets a chance here to stretch out rather more than the bosses normally allow. Instrumental albums by accompanists invariably lack focus, but Miller's association with great songwriters has taught him that melody is king. As the band purrs jazzily behind him, he supplies plentiful hooks on top, particularly on 'Unify' and 'Foi Boa', the album's definingly delicate moment. A good phone book (need a bassist? here's Pino Palladino) means that Miller's undoubted dexterity is placed in a proper musical context and on this evidence he's unlikely ever to be out of work for long.

'Second Nature' is not like 'First Touch'. I didn't want to make it the same, because that's just not what I do. Obviously a lot of people wanted me to do the same kind of record, instrumentalists. 'First Touch' was what it said it was; it was a first instalment and formed the prelude to 'Second Nature' in a way. I wanted to use more sounds and textures - I used Manu Katché on drums and he contributed a lot to to the record: not just his drumming but his musicianship. I used Pino Palladino on bass, Adam Glasser on harmonica and I used flute on one track - just different textures. The music is coming from the same place; same writer, same guitarist, but it's probably a bit deeper. I certainly did a bit more with Brazilian styles. I started making the album during the world cup and do obviously I was quite influenced by football, the weather and Brazil! The winter came and the influences changed again...

The melodies to all the tunes that I write are always vocal. As you can hear on 'First Touch' and again on 'Second Nature', I'll play two guitar parts; I'll do something like the melody on the left and the harmony on the right. At solo gigs I try to do a combination of the two. There are some solo tracks, but not many. But the melodies are usually in my head - they are 'sung' and so they have 'breath'. Every so often I toy with the idea of singing, but I think that would be the end of my career!

'Truco' is the name of a card game in Argentina. It's quite aggressive card game - there's plenty of screaming and shouting. It's a cross between poker and bridge. I was in Buenos Aires and I had my Walkman and was sitting in this bar. People are so noisy in Buenos Aires, there's a lot of screaming, shouting and yelling. Some people were sitting next to me playing this card game and I remember recording the ambient noise of waiters and clanging and general noise for a whole cassette's worth. It inspired me to write this tune which is frenetic - a fast riff with Pino playing some awesome be-bop. I asked him if he could play the bass part again an octave higher and he had absolutely no problem with it! So when you hear the track, it's not an octivider, it's two basses. I also detuned the guitar; the bass E string went down to D and D string went down to C and I use that sort of harmonic tapping thing. Then the drum machine comes in with a sort of drum'n'bass riff. That was fun to do.

'Quiero Decirte' means 'I want to tell you' and it's totally Brazilian. It was written during the World Cup and it's a typical bossa nova sort of thing. I had the idea of there being narrative in it because I've always liked the way Barry White used to do all those things that went 'Hey baby, I want to...' and so I got this friend of mine [Diego Kovadloff] to write me this dodgy Spanish poetry and put that over the top. I'll probably regret it for the rest of my life! I just wanted to do a Barry White in Spanish.

'In A Whisper' was recorded live with Manu and Pino. I used a steel string guitar for that one. It's the last track on the album, officially; but the 'real' last track is an Elton John song called 'The Last Song' taken from his 'The One' album. I always liked that song. I'm not a huge Elton John fan, but I thought it would be wacky first of all to do a cover. I've always wanted to do a cover and it just happens to be an Elton John song which I really, really, like and so I've put that on the end. I pretty much copied the melody note for note and it really works well on guitar.
dominicmiller.com

Jeff Berlin - Taking Notes 1997

2011-12-04T17:09:00.002+02:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: Jazz, Fusion

Release Date: 1997

Label: Denon Records - AGAT

by Scott Yanow
Jeff Berlin is a superb electric bassist, and the music on this CD, although it has its rock and funk moments, is quite jazz-oriented. On some selections, Berlin is joined by four or five horns playing big-band-style riffs. While the bassist is in the spotlight much of the time (including a duet with keyboardist Clare Fischer on "Imagine" and an unaccompanied "Clinton Country," which is a medley of familiar patriotic songs), he was generous in allocating solo space; there are occasional spots for Rob Lockart (on tenor and alto) and trumpeter Howie Shear. Attention was paid to varying moods and styles, with the result being a satisfying release. And any musician witty enough to name an original "Hello Dali" deserves attention.

Gabor Szabo - Gypsy 66 1966

2011-12-02T07:18:00.003+02:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: Jazz

Release Date: 1966

Label: Impulse! Records

by Scott Yanow
Guitarist Gabor Szabo's debut as a leader (after an important stint with the Chico Hamilton Quintet) is surprisingly successful. The reason this LP is a bit of a surprise is that the repertoire (in addition to two originals apiece by the leader and Gary McFarland) has a few unlikely songs by the Beatles ("Yesterday" and "If I Fell") and Burt Bacharach (including "Walk On By"). Usually jazz adaptations of rock songs in the 1960s are lightweight, but Szabo's original sound, the unusual instrumentation (two or three guitars, Sadao Watanabe on flute, Gary McFarland on marimba, bass, drums and percussion) and McFarland's clever arrangements uplift the music. The playing time at 35 minutes is a bit brief, but the performances are better than expected.

Farmers Market - Speed,Balkan,Boogie 1995

2011-11-29T07:38:00.002+02:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: Folk, World, Jazz

Release Date: 1995

Label: Kirkelig Kulturverksted

Farmers Market released their 1st CD, “Speed/Balkan/Boogie”, 28th of February ‘95. The CD is a live recording of two concerts held by Farmers Market at Molde International Jazzfestival ‘94. Farmers Market brought with them four guest-musicians from Bulgaria of which two are singers in the world renown female choir “Lés Mystére Des Voix Bulgares”, now known as “Angelite”. The music on this CD takes the audience on a trip through the odds and even more odds of Bulgarian folkmusic. All is filtered through Farmers Market’s own musical upbringing.

Farmers Market thanks: Bulgarian sources of inspiration; musicians & moonshine-manufactors Molde Int. Jazzfestival ‘94; audience & promoters. Vesselina Illieva wishes to dedicate the CD to her sister.

Stian Carstensen (Accordion)

Nils-Olav Johansen (Guitars & vocal)

Jarle Vespestad (Drums)

Håvard Lund (Clarinet & soprano saxsphone)

Finn Guttormsen (Electric- & double-bass)

Guest musicians

Borislav Zgourovski (Kaval)

Georgi Andréev (Gadulka)

Sonia Iovkova (Vocal)

Vesselina Illieva (Vocal)

A rough reference point in terms of approach might be the wild wit and storming energy of Shooglenifty, but Farmers Market plays, as the title says, speed Balkan boogie, with occasional sly Norwegian traditional references, and features on this gig at Molde Jazz Festival two singers from Le Mystère Des Voix Bulgares.
There are a couple of members shared with another great Norwegian band, the Frode Fjellheim Jazz Joik Ensemble, here - reeds player Håvard Lund and guitarist-singer Nils Olav Johansen (at one point here contributing the distinctive joik/throat-singing/gadulka-like vocalising that is such a feature of the FFJJ Ensemble) - together with dazzling accordionist Stian Carstensen, fine kaval player Borislav Zgourovsky and the aching, sobbing sound of Georgi Andréev’s gadulka, on top of a driving rhythm section, and amongst it all Sonia Iovkova and Vessilina Illieva’s hard-edged duet vocals. It’s a well-varied show, not all speed, with space for the voices, kaval and gadulka to soar and keen. (The Molde set was a special event, but at Norrsken the current gigging band, a five-piece of Johansen, Carstensen, Trifon Trifonov and the same rhythm section of Finn Guttormsen and Jarle Vespestad, blew a storm too.)
This isn’t a bunch of Norwegians trying to be Balkan, or “knocking the dust off those old tunes” - it’s musicians of understanding and skill playing wild music, throwing around influences and ideas, giving an audience a hell of a time, and bouncing off the plastic in an excellent, upfront recording.
Andrew Cronshaw

Biography
Norwegian ensemble Farmers Market play a mix of jazz, Bulgarian folk, bluegrass, pop, and rock. Formed in 1991 while the members were all studying jazz at the Conservatory of Trondheim, Farmers Market eventually left their free jazz roots behind for a more eclectic, world music approach. The band began performing at various festivals, including Norway's Molde International Jazz Festival in 1994, from which the debut live album Speed/Balkan/Boogie was culled a year later. The band's sophomore effort, Music from the Hybrides, followed in 1997. After a sabbatical, Farmers Market returned with their self-titled Winter & Winter debut in 2008.

Leb i sol - Leb i sol (1977)

2011-11-26T07:55:00.002+02:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: Fusion, Jazz-Rock

Release Date: 1977

Label: PGP RTB

Bodan Arsovski - Bass

Garabet Tavitijan - Drums

Vladimir Stefanoski - Guitar, Vocals

Nikola Dimusevski - Keyboards

In the first half of the seventies of the last century, the music scene in Skopje was rather small so the future members of the LEB I SOL often worked in same bands. The first more serious project Vlatko and Garo had, was with the jazz-rock band BREG which leader was Miki Petkovski.

On 1st January 1976 Vlatko and Bodan founded LEB I SOL together with the keyboard player Kokan Dimushevski and the drum player Dimitrije Chochorovski. The first singles "Etida br.3", "Devetka" and "Pesna za nas" were recorded in the studio of Radio Skopje in only two hours. They had the first performance out of Macedonia in 1977 in Novi Sad. Based on that footage they were invited at the Youth Festival in Subotica. There they won a prize and were widely acknowledged for the fist time and they signed a contract with PGP-RTS. In August of the same year they performed as a foregroup of Bijelo Dugme at the legendary concert "Hajduchka Cheshma", as well as in Sarajevo, Novi Sad and Skopje. Garo is playing with them as well, after having joined them few weeks before.

LEB I SOL recorded their debut album LEB I SOL 1 at the studio of RTV Novi Sad in September 1977. The jazz-rock themes with ethno influences dominate the album, and six themes out of nine are instrumental. All four of the members are composing, though Vlatko is the most productive one. The song "Nisam Tvoj" can be singled out as the hit of that record.

Avishai Cohen - Colors (2000)

2011-11-22T07:44:00.002+02:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: Jazz

Release Date: 2000

Label: Stretch Records

By DON WILLIAMSON,

Releasing already his third CD on the Stretch label, Avishai Cohen is further elaborating on the vision he revealed on "Adama" and continued through his second CD, "Devotion."

Make no mistake about it: "Vision" is the appropriate word for explaining the aesthetic he expresses on "Colors." Not only does Cohen possess an broad artistic perspective that becomes more evident with each release, but also he quite literally compares the music he embraces with the literal sense of vision. Indeed, in the liner notes, Cohen goes so far as to compare an E-minor chord to dark red and a G-major chord to light green. Now, that's a fairly detailed order within an overriding vision. Nonetheless, Cohen's appreciation of the inter-relatedness of art forms helps him borrow from experiences and sights for musical expression.

Thus, it's entirely appropriate to describe Cohen's music in terms of palettes and hues and prisms and concentrations of elements for a resulting mixture of basic colors and basic notes that result in a shifting kaleidoscope of artistic endeavor. "Shuffle" involves a celebration of sorts in an loping introductory meter that dissolves into a 4/4 swing featuring the outstanding soloists of his band. "Balkan" refers to the folk origins of the music that Cohen investigates, Amos Hoffman making those origins explicit with his employment of the oud for Eastern European, and indeed Middle Eastern, shadings. Claudia Acuna joins Cohen's group for wordless expression in unison with the instruments on "Emotions," humanizing the songs through the use of the voice.

The point, it seems, of Cohen's music leads to the conclusion of the universality of his music, which of course borrows from jazz. It also incorporates elements of Latin rhythms, Sephardic phrasing, gypsy populism and classical harmonies performed by a string quartet.

Joined again by his boyhood friend, Avi Lebovich on trombone, as well as his working band, Avishai Cohen further expands upon his distinctly individual approach to music. On "Colors," he delves even more into the underlying artistic basis for his music—not to mention the converging concepts of all of the realms of art.

Abdullah Ibrahim (Dollar Brand) - Zimbabwe (1987)

2011-11-20T10:53:00.002+02:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: Jazz

Release Date: 1987

Label: Enja Records

This was a nicely blended, somewhat mellow and seemingly quite finished recording by Abdullah Ibrahim with Carlos Ward (alto sax, flute), Essiet Okun Essiet (bass), and Don Mumford (drums) called Zimbabwe. Interspaced with non-originals were four Ibrahim compositions, most of which were inspired by the imagery from Ibrahim's South African roots.
~ Bob Rusch, Cadence

A gifted player, excellent on ballads and able to combine African rhythms and a jazz sensibility in a totally original manner. He began playing piano at seven, and was part of a superb group the Jazz Epistles with Hugh Masekela. This band made the first genuine South African jazz record in 1960. Brand, now known as Abdullah Ibrahim, left South Africa with his wife Sathima Bea Benjamin in 1962 and moved to Zurich. He met Duke Ellington there, who arranged a recording session with him in 1963 and then two years later sponsored an appearance by him at the Newport Jazz Festival. Brand played with Elvin Jones in 1966, toured Europe as a soloist and played in groups with such musicians as Don Cherry, Gato Barbieri and Johnny Gertze. He converted to Islam in 1968. After a return to South Africa and some extensive recording sessions in 1976, Ibrahim moved permanently to New York. He formed his septet Ekaya in 1983.
By Ron Wynn, All Music Guide.

Adam Nitti - Balance 1998

2011-11-19T19:17:00.002+02:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: Fusion

Release Date: 1998

Label: Renaissance Man Records

Review by Richard Heath

Adam Nitti has emerged as one of the cutting edge bassists and composers in the world of instrumental jazz and rock. Based out of Nashville, Tennessee, Adam currently has 3 CD's released on his own Renaissance Man Records label. Adam has toured with the Dave Weckl band, Jeff Coffin Mu'tet, the Justice League, and Angie Aparo, and has also performed with such legendary jazz artists as Scott Henderson, Peter Erskine, Jimmy Herring, Mike Stern, Kirk Covington, Wayne Krantz, and many others. He is currently touring with Steven Curtis Chapman, a 4 time Grammy winning artist based out of Nashville. In addition to being a performer and composer, Adam is also Chief Learning Officer for MusicDojo.com, a new type of interactive online music school. He is also a bass clinician for SWR, D'Addario, and Warrior Instruments, and is a staff instructor for Victor Wooten's bass & nature camps. Adam is also a regular columnist for Bass Player magazine, an adjunct faculty member of Lagrange College's school of music, an instructor at Gerald Veasley's bass boot camps, and has done dozens of clinic/performance appearances at such events as the Bozeman Bass Bash, Bassquake, and others. He is currently working on his 4th solo record, which is due to be released Summer 2005.

Art Blakey and The Afro-Drum Ensemble – The African Beat (1962)

2011-11-18T06:51:00.002+02:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: Jazz

Release Date: 1962

Label: Blue Note Records

Art Blakey (drums, tympani, gong, telegraph drum)

Curtis Fuller (timpani)

Yused Lateef (oboe, flute, tenor sax, cow horn, thumb piano)

Ahmed Abdul-Malik (bass)

Afro-Drum Ensemble:

Chief Bay - Percussion, Conga, Drums, Gong

Robert Crowder - Percussion, Conga, Bata Drums

James Ola. Folami - Percussion, Conga

Solomon G. Illori - Drums, Vocals, Whistle (Instrument), Penny Whistle, Talking Drum

Garvin Masseaux - Percussion, Conga, Maracas, Chekere

Montego Joe - Percussion, Drums, Gong, Log Drums

Bridging cultures, Art Blakey combined powerful African rhythms and American jazz melodies on a session that Blue Note reissued recently because the album explores roots common to all of jazz. Blakey’s ensemble for this 1962 project included artists from both worlds: Solomon G. Ilori and James Ola. Folami are from Nigeria, Chief Bey is from Senegal, and Montego Joe is from Jamaica.

Man, does Art Blakey play loud on this session! Gentle melodic instruments are served with severe punctuation as Blakey attempts to add his drum set in contrast to the more natural sounds. Strong bass work from Ahmed Abdul-Malik holds it all together. Native drums and smaller percussion instruments set up hypnotic rhythms that form a seamless foundation. Yusef Lateef provides aural images of Northern African dancing women on "Obirin African" through an exotic flute arrangement. "Ayiko, Ayiko" serves to demonstrate a thorough combination of the two cultures as Lateef pours out spirited tenor saxophone jive alongside a relaxed folksong tune. The longest piece on the album, "Love, the Mystery of," places oboe in the featured role in front of various chants, hypnotic percussion and a strong syncopated bass. Art Blakey brought together an ideal membership for his searching project, but laid it on much too harshly each time he decided to add his own drum kit participation.
By JIM SANTELLA

Fela Ransome Kuti - Fela With Ginger Baker Live! (1971)

2011-11-10T08:01:00.003+02:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: Soul-Jazz, Jazz-Funk, Afrobeat

Release Date: 1971

Label: Universal

Lekan Animashaun - Baritone Saxophone

Maurice Ekpo - Bass Guitar

Akwesi Korranting, Friday Jumbo, Henry Koffi - Congas

Ginger Baker, Tony Allen - Drums

Isaac Olaleye - Percussion [Shekere]

Tony Abayomi - Percussion [Sticks]

Peter Animashaun - Rhythm Guitar

Igo Chiko* - Tenor Saxophone

Eddie Faychum, Tunde Williams - Trumpet [Solo]

Fela Kuti - Vocals, Saxophone

It's almost impossible to overstate the impact and importance of Fela Anikulapo (Ransome) Kuti (or just Fela as he's more commonly known) to the global musical village: producer, arranger, musician, political radical, outlaw. He was all that, as well as showman par excellence, inventor of Afro-beat, an unredeemable sexist, and a moody megalomaniac. His death on August 3, 1997 of complications from AIDS deeply affected musicians and fans internationally, as a musical and sociopolitical voice on a par with Bob Marley was silenced. A press release from the United Democratic Front of Nigeria on the occasion of Fela's death noted: "Those who knew you well were insistent that you could never compromise with the evil you had fought all your life. Even though made weak by time and fate, you remained strong in will and never abandoned your goal of a free, democratic, socialist Africa." This is as succinct a summation of Fela's political agenda as one is likely to find.

Born in Abeokuta, Nigeria, north of Lagos in 1938, Fela's family was firmly middle class as well as politically active. His father was a pastor (and talented pianist), his mother active in the anti-colonial, anti-military, Nigerian home rule movement. So at an early age, Fela experienced politics and music in a seamless combination. His parents, however, were less interested in his becoming a musician and more interested in his becoming a doctor, so they packed him off to London in 1958 for what they assumed would be a medical education; instead, Fela registered at Trinity College's school of music. Tired of studying European composers, Fela formed his first band, Koola Lobitos, in 1961, and quickly became a fixture on the London club scene. He returned to Nigeria in 1963 and started another version of Koola Lobitos that was more influenced by the James Brown-style singing of Geraldo Pina from Sierra Leone. Combining this with elements of traditional high life and jazz, Fela dubbed this intensely rhythmic hybrid "Afro-beat," partly as critique of African performers whom he felt had turned their backs on their African musical roots in order to emulate current American pop music trends.

In 1969, Fela brought Koola Lobitos to Los Angeles to tour and record. They toured America for about eight months using Los Angeles as a home base. It was while in L.A. that Fela hooked up with a friend, Sandra Isidore, who introduced him to the writings and politics of Malcolm X, Eldridge Cleaver (and by extension the Black Panthers), and other proponents of Black nationalism and Afrocentrism. Impressed at what he read, Fela was politically revivified and decided that some changes were in order: first, the name of the band, as Koola Lobitos became Nigeria 70; second, the music would become more politically explicit and critical of the oppression of the powerless worldwide. After a disagreement with an unscrupulous promoter who turned them in to the Immigration and Naturalization Services, Fela and band were charged with working without work permits. Realizing that time was short before they were sent back to Nigeria, they were able to scrape together some money to record some new songs in L.A. What came to be known as the '69 Los Angeles Sessions were remarkable, an indication of a maturing sound and of the raucous, propulsive music that was to mark Fela's career. Afrobeat's combination of blaring horn sections, antiphonal vocals, Fela's quasi-rapping pidgin English, and percolating guitars, all wrapped up in a smoldering groove (in the early days driven by the band's brilliant drummer Tony Allen) that could last nearly an hour, was an intoxicating sound. Once hooked, it was impossible to get enough.

Upon returning to Nigeria, Fela founded a communal compound-cum-recording studio and rehearsal space he called the Kalakuta Republic, and a nightclub, the Shrine. It was during this time that he dropped his given middle name of "Ransome" which he said was a slave name, and took the name "Anikulapo" (meaning "he who carries death in his pouch") . Playing constantly and recording at a ferocious pace, Fela and band (who were now called Africa 70) became huge stars in West Africa. His biggest fan base, however, was Nigeria's poor. Because his music addressed issues important to the Nigerian underclass (specifically a military government that profited from political exploitation and disenfranchisement), Fela was more than a simply a pop star; like Bob Marley in Jamaica, he was the voice of Nigeria's have-nots, a cultural rebel. This was something Nigeria's military junta tried to nip in the bud, and from almost the moment he came back to Nigeria up until his death, Fela was hounded, jailed, harassed, and nearly killed by a government determined to silence him. In one of the most egregious acts of violence committed against him, 1,000 Nigerian soldiers attacked his Kalakuta compound in 1977 (the second government-sanctioned attack). Fela suffered a fractured skull as well as other broken bones; his 82-year old mother was thrown from an upstairs window, inflicting injuries that would later prove fatal. The soldiers set fire to the compound and prevented fire fighters from reaching the area. Fela's recording studio, all his master tapes and musical instruments were destroyed.

After the Kalakuta tragedy, Fela briefly lived in exile in Ghana, returning to Nigeria in 1978. In 1979 he formed his own political party, MOP (Movement of the People), and at the start of the new decade renamed his band Egypt 80. From 1980-1983, Nigeria was under civilian rule, and it was a relatively peaceful period for Fela, who recorded and toured non-stop. Military rule returned in 1983, and in 1984 Fela was sentenced to ten years in prison on charges of currency smuggling. With help from Amnesty International, he was freed in 1985.

As the '80s ended, Fela recorded blistering attacks against Nigeria's corrupt military government, as well as broadsides aimed at Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan (most abrasively on the album Beasts of No Nation). Never what you would call progressive when it came to relationships with women or patriarchy in general (the fact was that he was sexist in the extreme, which is ironic when you consider that his mother was one of Nigeria's early feminists), he was coming around to the struggles faced by African women, but only just barely. Stylistically speaking, Fela's music didn't change much during this time, and much of what he recorded, while good, was not as blistering as some of the amazing music he made in the '70s. Still, when a Fela record appeared, it was always worth a listen. He was unusually quiet in the '90s, which may have had something to do with how ill he was; very little new music appeared, but in as great a series of reissues as the planet has ever seen, the London-based Stern's Africa label re-released some of his long unavailable records (including The '69 Los Angeles Sessions), and the seminal works of this remarkable musician were again filling up CD bins. He never broke big in the U.S. market, and it's hard to imagine him having the same kind of posthumous profile that Marley does, but Fela's 50-something releases offer up plenty of remarkable music, and a musical legacy that lives on in the person of his talented son Femi. Around the turn of the millennium, Universal began remastering and reissuing a goodly portion of Fela's many recordings, finally making some of his most important work widely available to American listeners.
John Dougan, All Music Guide

A Helmet of Gnats - A Helmet of Gnats II 2004

2011-11-03T07:04:00.003+02:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: Jazz-Fusion

Release Date: 2004

Label: Ambient Records

The US band HELMET OF GNATS was formed in the early '80s. They started as a cover group, playing songs by Brand X, UK, Happy The Man and Return To Forever, amongst others, but later turned to all-original material. The band, as well as their label Ambient Records, presents this CD as their second (eponymous!) album, but doesn't give any concrete information on its predecessor, saying only it was independently released in 1996 and is now out of print.

Chris Fox - electric & acoustic guitars

Matt Bocchino - acoustic & electric keyboards

Wayne Zito - electric fretted & fretless basses

Mark Conese - drums & percussion

Of course, the band's natural predisposition for Jazz-Fusion didn't change with years, and the experience they've gained while playing the works of the genre's brightest representatives has stood them in good stead. All this, however, does not signify that the album is done exclusively in the classic Jazz-Fusion traditions, i.e. not without the influence of the band's favorites. The music is highly original, with no cliches, not to mention borrowings. I would've been really surprised if it were vice versa. After all, this band has been around for nearly a quarter of a century. The album is excellent in its entirety, but the first two compositions: Almost Babylon and Chinese Leftovers (cool titles, as well as most of the others) are notable for some brave, really non-typical decisions. The parts of the rhythm section are mostly fixed, displaying a lot of hypnotic energy, especially when being accentuated by slow, pronouncedly heavy guitar riffs, which are available only here. The guitar and organ solos vary in tempo, tirelessly crossing the length and breadth of the basic themes and always contrasting with them. All in all, the music on said tracks appears as a really unique combination of quasi Jazz-Fusion and Cathedral Metal, though of course, it could have not managed without some leftovers:-) of Chinese music in the second case. Then follows Yesterday's Brain, where the guitar riffs and, thus, the heavy component as such, were out once and forever. The keyboards, particularly piano and synthesizer, apart from the Hammond, have not only widened their realms, but also prolonged the episodes with quiet arrangements, which resulted in the appearance of symphonic Space Rock and related textures. This is another brilliant composition in the set, though the story's climax is yet to come. On Crumbs and Misfit Toys, the number of composed themes and solos exceeds that of authentic improvisations, as well as everywhere on the album. However, these two are closer to a traditional Jazz-Fusion in sound. Partly, this event can be explained by the absence of Metal-related textures, though above all, it's due to the fact that here, the band often resorts to using such typical jazzy features (or methods, if you will) as swingy rhythms, syncopations, slap-solos on fretless bass, etc. Both are very good tracks, but aren't masterworks, as most of the others. Nevertheless, it's only the presence of Lesser Beings (among the Titans, figuratively speaking), which prevents me to rate the album with all the six stars I have. Performed by keyboardist Matt Bocchino alone, this short piece of spacey symphonic music, blended with synthesizer effects and naturalistic sounds, isn't bad, but being almost completely out of the general musical context, it looks like foreign matter here. In my view, the picture would've been more coherent without it. Although not as highly mesmerizing as the first two tracks, the 13-minute Chimps in Space surpasses them compositionally and is actually the highlight of this recording. The band shines with inventiveness and virtuosity, equally at easy working with improvisational and symphonic harmonies, sometimes turning even to Classical music forms, provided by the parts of acoustic guitar and piano. By the way, it's for the first time here that Chris Fox actively uses both of the guitars he has in his equipment.

Conclusion. Helmet of Gnats is a clever, genuinely inspired band, offering the listener a real progressive music, tasteful, original and highly intriguing all alike. Only to those frigid to Jazz-Fusion I wouldn't recommend this album. However, please note: this is predominantly a quasi Jazz-Fusion, with most of the themes and solos being thoroughly composed. Finally, here is the quote from the CD booklet. "The basic tracks for this SACD (Super Audio CD) were recorded live in the studio without the use of headphones. A highly analog multi-track tape machine was employed with no noise reduction at all, and all tracks were recorded to it as direct as possible. The mixes were made without the use of automation, directly to DSD (Direct Stream Digital). This SACD represents the sound of an all-analog production and can be played on any standard CD player, as well as on any SACD player." I don't have such a player, but I have ears to hear that this CD has an audiophile sound quality.

VM: Febrary 1, 2005

Zakir Hussain & Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan - Golden Krithis - Colours (1992)

2011-10-28T07:09:00.006+03:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: Fusion, Tabla & Violin Solos, Indian Percussion, Symphonic, Indian Classical, Indian Raga, World Music

Release Date: 1992

Label: HOM Records/Crescendo

About The Album

The album is a fussion of mainly two instruments, tabla and violin. Ustad Zakir Hussain is on the tabla and the violin is played by Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan. The album is a perfect blend of Western, Hindustani and Carnatic classical music..

A. R. Rahman has assisted Ustad Zakir Hussain and Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan on their World tours as Keyboard player. At that time his name was Dileep. Later this concert was converted to album named "Colours-Golden Krithis". C. Jeyasekar was the music director.

Ustad Zakir Hussain (Tabla)

Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan (Violin)

Featuring

A.S. Dilip Kumar, A.R. Rahman (Keyboards)

Sivamani (Drums)

Srinivasan (Mridangam)

Jayasekhar (Conductor, Orchestration)

Kalyan (Viola, 2nd Violin, Cello & Double Bass)

Wildstrings Comments:
Originally recorded in 1991/92, Golden Krithis: Colours is really unusual album of 'Ustad Zakir Hussain' (Tabla) and 'Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan' (South Indian Violin) which is featuring 'A.R. Rahman' on Keyboards under his original name i.e. A.S. Dilip Kumar. This album is perhaps influenced with two early fusion albums of 'Ilaiyaraaja' namely 'How to Name It' (1987) & Nothing But Wind (1988) as the approach, background orchestra are quite similar to Iliayaraaja style (This may perhaps because many musicians featured in this album including Sivamani, Jayasekar and particularly A.R. Rahman has worked as keyboard player for a longtime in Ilaiyaraaja Orchestra). Coming to music of this album, it starts with a short piece called "Quest For Music" composed in 'Raga Maaya Malava Gowla' which is quite symphonic and introduces the artists in a very gigantic style. Next comes, 'Valliya Naayaganae' (Composed In Raga Shanmukha Priya) where you can observe the intro and the entire background score is a kind of blueprint for A.R. Rahman's future style. Next comes Evolution, a kind of experimental track which features the dark, dreamy and Avantgardish intro with maestro Zakir Hussain's woven tabla solo parts which later turns into different approach when Sivamani's drums enters the scene. Next comes, 'Samajavaragamana' a beautiful 'Thyagaraja' song set in 'Raga Hindolam' which incorporated amazing violin and tabla skills of Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan and Zakir Hussain which is the only song of this album done in pure Classical style without featuring any fusion instruments. 'Abharama Bhakti' the last song of the album composed in 'Raga Binduvarali' features the good piece of Orchestration which reminds the glory of 'Maestro Ilaiyaraaja' style and future inventions of A.R. Rahman. IMO, It's not only a Very good album but gives us a chance to look into the early days of A.R. Rahman's career. Very Recommended. Enjoy.

Alex Acuna - Acuarela De Tambores - Rhythms for a New Millennium (2000, DCC)

2011-10-23T20:08:00.004+03:00

Format: ape + cue + log

Genre: Jazz Fusion, Jazz, Latin Jazz, Folk, World, & Country, Latin

Release Date: 2000

Label: DCC Compact Classics Inc.

Alex Neciosup-Acuna (whistle, drums, percussion, background vocals)

Giovanni Hidalgo, Anthony Carillo, Luis Conte, Tiki Pasillas (vocals,percussion)

Luis Velazquez (vocals)

Allan Phillips (piano, background vocals)

Alberto Salas, Otmaro Ruiz (piano)

Felix Casaverde (guitar, background vocals)

Pee Wee Hill, Abraham Laboriel (bass)

Walter Rodriguez (drums, percussion, background vocals)

Paoli Mejias, Meia Noite (percussion, background vocals)

Paulinho Da Costa, Michito Sanchez, Rudy Regalado (percussion)

Alejandro "Alex" Acuna is a percussionist extraordinaire who has been in demand for around twenty years, playing with everyone from Joni Mitchell to Julio Iglesias. His forte is hand percussion, meaning drums and other items that are beaten sans sticks. He had always wanted to do a record where hand percussion was the focus, and when he finally got the chance, he did himself proud. Top Percussion is just that: beautiful performances by a roomful of world-class percussionists accompanied by low-profile bass and occasional guitar. In the Latin tradition there are plenty of calls and chants, as well as some fine ensemble singing. The main attraction, of course, is the percussion, and if you're a fan of Latin percussion -- or Latin music of any sort, for that matter -- you're almost sure to fall in love with Top Percussion from the first minute of track one. It's very nearly a perfect album, which is surprising when you learn that they didn't really know what they were going to do when they went into the studio. The music was composed on the fly. How'd they do that? Dunno. I just know this is the most exciting Latin album I've heard all year, and I've heard some dandies. ~ DJ Johnson

Airto Moreira - Free (1972)

2011-09-21T06:24:00.004+03:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: Jazz Fusion, Jazz, Latin Jazz, Jazz-Funk

Release Date: 1972

Label: Sony/Epic

Other than a couple of obscure efforts for Buddah in 1970, this was percussionist Airto's debut as a leader, and this is still his most famous record. A brass section arranged by Don Sebesky is heard on two tracks, and such all-stars as keyboardist Chick Corea, flutist Hubert Laws, the reeds of Joe Farrell, and even pianist Keith Jarrett and guitarist George Benson make worthwhile appearances. Flora Purim joins Airto in the one vocal piece ("Free"), and "Return to Forever" receives an early recording. The music combines together jazz, Brazilian music, and aspects of fusion and funk quite successfully. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

Biography
The most high-profile percussionist of the 1970s and still among the most famous, Airto Moreira (often simply known by his first name) helped make percussion an essential part of many modern jazz groups; his tambourine solos can border on the amazing. Airto originally studied guitar and piano before becoming a percussionist. He played locally in Brazil, collected and studied over 120 different percussion instruments, and in 1968 moved to the U.S. with his wife, singer Flora Purim. Airto played with Miles Davis during part of 1969-1970, appearing on several records (most notably Live Evil). He worked with Lee Morgan for a bit in 1971, was an original member of Weather Report, and in 1972 was part of Chick Corea's initial version of Return to Forever with Flora Purim; he and Corea also recorded the classic Captain Marvel with Stan Getz. By 1973, Airto was famous enough to have his own group, which was signed to CTI and appeared on Purim's sessions. Since then, he has stayed busy, mostly co-leading bands with his wife and recording as a leader for many labels, including Buddah, CTI, Arista, Warner Bros., Caroline, Rykodisc, In & Out, and B&W. Not all of his music as a leader would be called jazz, but Airto remains a very impressive player.~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

Alex Skolnick Trio - Goodbye To Romance 2002

2011-09-16T07:56:00.002+03:00

Format: wv + cue + log

Genre: Modern Jazz, Fusion, Guitar Virtuoso

Release Date: 2002

Label: Skol Productions

Take classic hard rock tunes from the 70s and 80s by the likes of Kiss, Scorpions, Black Sabbath and others. Rearrange them with rich harmonies and pulsating grooves of swing, funk and Latin. Throw in fiery improvisations on hollowbody guitar, double-bass and drums. What do you get? The Alex Skolnick Trio. At age eighteen, Alex Skolnick became a guitar hero with the metal band Testament. A few years and several albums later, he went on to perform and study jazz in New York, earning a music degree. Now, the worlds of metal and jazz have come together. Hear the result on "Goodbye To Romance: Standards For A New Generation."

Alex Skolnick Trio, (aka Skol Trio), is a New York based group consisting of guitar, upright bass and drums. This may not seem unusual at first, but upon closer inspection, there are a few things, which set it apart from the many other trios ... Full Descriptionperforming in the New York area. One is that the group is fronted by guitarist Alex Skolnick.

In 1992, after several years as a heavy metal guitar hero with Testament, Alex decided to risk it all and devote his life to the process of music closest to his heart: improvisation. Eventually, he ended up in New York City, pursuing a BFA in jazz from New School University (received June 2001). It was here that he met two young twentysomethings: Matt Zebroski (a Pittsburgh Pa. Native who studied with Roger Humphries and Billy Hart) and John Graham Davis (who, in addition to being a working bassist, also runs live sound for the likes of Michael Brecker, John Pattitucci and others). Another thing that sets this group apart is their choice of repertoire: Skol Trio is performing music that has never before been done in the acoustic trio context. After years of absorbing the songs of the traditional repertoire (such as "All The Things You Are" "Green Dolphin St. etc..."), Alex wondered would happen if he were to take some of the hard rock tunes he listened to in his youth, reharmonize them and open them up to improvisation? Would it be possible to take these songs out of the arena rock shows of the 70's and 80's, and move them into smoky lounges and nightclubs in the new millennium? The result was a most interesting creation: An early 80's hit song by Scorpions turned into a delicate Bossa Nova; a hard rock anthem by Kiss became a tour de force of swing, funk and Latin. And this was just the beginning. The group has gone on to do arrangements of Black Sabbath, Aerosmith, Ozzy Osbourne, and the Who which, along with a couple of Alex's original compositions, resulted in their debut recording "Goodbye To Romance: Standards For A New Generation (Skol Productions)."

Since then, the Trio have toured throughout the country to packed houses in such places as Cleveland, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Texas and New York City. They've recently appeared on XM Sattelitte Radio and Fox Morning News in Cleveland and they have been contacted by MTV2 for a possible appearance. Their album was chosen by Zakk Wylde (guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne) as his pick of the month in Guitar World (January, 2003) and have been featured in all the major guitar mags.

"Goodbye To Romance" recently was awarded 4 A1/2 stars by Downbeat (March, 2003), and has been featured in magazines such as Jazziz (March and April, 2003), Downbeat (February, 2003), Billboard (Jazz Notes; April, 2002), The Village Voice (February 26th, 2003) and more. They've reached #26 on the JazzWeek radio charts (August, 2002) and were listed on Jazziz' Top 50 HitList (November, 2002). Alex and the Trio have performed at such notable music industry conferences as CMJ (New York, NY, 2002) and at SXSW (Austin, TX, 2003).

Alex, Matt and John are representative of many young players today who, at one time, were mainly interested in hard rock before moving on to explore jazz and other styles. In fact, Alex recalls being pleasantly surprised during his first semester at the New School, as one after another of his classmates nervously approached him and confessed to being fans of his during his Testament days, a few even crediting him with being the inspiration for them to start exploring jazz. It goes to show that in today's world, many musicians and fans start in one place and end up somewhere completely different, without ever losing touch with their past. The Alex Skolnick Trio is where the past, present and future come together.

City Of Sound - Beneath The Smooth Surface (2002)

2011-09-03T05:31:00.003+03:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: Jazz, Acid Jazz

Release Date: 2002

Label: Liquid

Cosmosquad - Cosmosquad 1997

2011-08-06T08:04:00.004+03:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: Fusion / Metal / Progressive

Release Date: 1997

Label: Marmaduke Records

Edwin Dare and solo guitarist Jeff Kollman has teamed up with ex-Yngwie Malmsteen and MSG rhythm section Barry Sparks (bass) and Shane Gaalaas (drums) to form the all-instrumental project Cosmosquad. The trio stretches beyond its classic hard rock/heavy metal background into funk and jazz all over this 10-song album. "El Perro Vaila" starts things off with a fluid, ktorsterjazzy feel, some great soloing, and a Latin-style drum break. The jazz aspects of the album range from the funk/jazz rock combo of "Epapo Funk" to the slower, smoky feel of "Slowburn" to the full-on jazz of "The Scene" and "Pugs In Central Park". (In fact, these last two sound like they'd be right at home as backing music in a "Peanuts" TV special--and that is *not* an insult!) Of the heavier/more straight ahead rock tunes, "I.N.S. Conspiracy" and "Stretch Hog" resemble Dream Theater in places and closer "Galactic Voyage" is a bass-driven number that's both laid back and commercial. All in all this is a pretty diverse album that might surprise fans of the band members' previous efforts.

A stellar instrumental collaboration of Jeff Kollman, Barry Sparks, and Shane Gaalaas, Cosmosquad weaves elements of jazz fusion, latin rhythms, blues and rock into an eclectic musical blend with their self-titled debut release.

Guitarist Jeff Kollman has had an active career as an instrumental artist, producer, studio session player and mastermind of the hard rock group Edwin Dare, a band that has received international acclaim for their outstanding musicianship and songwriting talents. Jeff wrote and recorded over 50 songs for television, including ESPN, ABC, TNN, Nickelodeon, the Discovery Channel, and MTV. Budweiser, Nissan, and Mountain Dew are among his many commercial credits. Jeff's producing history includes two Edwin Dare albums, two solo instrumental albums, Schizoid and Into the Unknown, and the new Cosmosquad release. As a studio guitarist, Jeff has worked with artists such asBruce Hornsby, Linda McCartney, Lyle Lovett, and studio aces Kenny Aronoff, Lee Sklar, Abe Laboriel, Tim Pierce, and Nashville great Matt Rollings. Jeff received the honor of "Ohio's Best Guitarist" in the 1991 Guitar Wars contest and was featured as a guest teacher in the May 96 issue of Guitar Techniques magazine.

Bass player Barry Sparks began performing at the age of ten, and has over a dozen records on his resume, including MCA guitarist Guy Mann Dudes, Fight's Robbie Lochner, and Shrapnel vocalist John West. Yngwie Malmsteen's Magnum Opus, I Can't Wait, and the video Live at Budokan are among Barry's many recording experiences. Barry accompanied Malmsteen on two world tours before joining the legendary MSG, recording Written in the Sand and the new 25 year anthology The Michael Schenker Story Live, taped in Tokyo on a Japanese tour with the renowned guitarist. Barry's mastery of the groove imparts great substance to Cosmosquad. He also lends his talents to an upcoming project with Jeff, Shane, and Swedish vocalist Lief Sundin, tentatively titled Truth.

Drummer Shane Gaalaas is a classically trained musician, fluent on guitar, piano, and percussion; Shane studied at Canada's Grant McEwan Music College as well as the Musicians Institute of Technology in Los Angeles, where he graduated with honors. Since his graduation, Shane has subbed for teachers at MI. Shane has been involved with bands such as Canada's Hells Bells, The Heat (with Loverboy guitarist/producer Paul Dean) and Diesel, as well as traveling to Europe to record with Czech star Melos Dolesial. Recommended by celebrated drummer Deen Castronova, Shane joined Yngwie Malmsteen's band for the recording of Magnum Opus and Live at Budokan and a two year world tour. Shane appears on Written in the Sand and The Michael Schenker Story, in which he not only handles percussion duties, but also accompanies Michael on guitar for an acoustic segment of the record. Shane has been featured in numerous publications worldwide, including Modern Drummer,Guitar Player and Burrn magazines.

With such a wealth of talent and experience, Cosmosquad emerges as a multidimensional collaboration of stylistic inspiration, polished musicianship, and unique songwriting. So much more than just another guitar hero record, the musical storytelling and versatile rhythm section make the definitive statement of Cosmosquad.

David Torn, Mick Karn, Terry Bozzio - Polytown (1994)

2011-07-23T08:03:00.003+03:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: Jazz, Fusion, Progressive Rock

Release Date: 1994

Label: Creative Music Prod. Records

Guitarist David Torn, bassist Mick Karn, and drummer Terry Bozio play a total of over 20 instruments in this far-reaching musical experiment, released in 1994 on avant- fusion label CMP Records. Led by Torn's scattered almost-melodies, these ten tracks present a tribal jazz ambiance and near-constant guitar and bass noodling that fans of Torn and Karn's prior work will enjoy. Bozio's expressive percussion stylings are up to the drummer's world-class standard, and carry Polytown beyond the new age oblivion similar records inhabit. Despite the virtuoso, heavily-nuanced performances, however, this challenging collection still might not posses the cohesion necessary to interest listeners unfamiliar with so much obsessive compulsive instrumentalism. There is an uncredited nugget of prose inside the CD case that says it best; "Rivers of warm sand like snakes coil around Polytown often flooding into larger reptiles." Impossibly meaningless, but odd and beautiful -- that's the dichotomy of Polytown. ~ Vincent Jeffries, All Music Guide

Mick Karn - Biography:

Born July 24, 1958, Mick Karn first studied wood and wind instruments such as bassoon and clarinet. However, it is his highly distinctive fretless bass voice for which he is most renowned, an accolade placing him next to Jaco Pastorius. According to Karn, bass went unnoticed and his mission was to get it noticed. Even on early Japan recordings, his wiggly bass can be heard. By their swan song, Tin Drum in 1981, he was dubbed one of the best bass players in the world. He'd already supplied bass and sax work to Gary Numan's Dance album and was the first Japan member with a solo record -- Titles. In 1983, Japan's live album, Oil on Canvas, brought his playing to new ears: jazz legend Jan Garberek. The following year brought an unlikely collaboration with Peter Murphy of Bauhaus. The Waking Hour became Dalis Car's only album and soon Karn was again a solo agent teaming up with close friend Steve Jansen to produce Dreams of Reason Produce Monsters. Session work with Kate Bush and Joan Armatrading bridged Karn's solo efforts, which were few and far between, often odd in title and texture (Beard in the Letter Box, Plaster the Magic Tongue). The early '90s saw a more prolific Karn who formed the label Medium with Jansen and Richard Barbieri. All three joined guitarist David Torn to produce his best efforts: Bestial Cluster (1993) and The Tooth Mother in 1995. Between these came an experimental project, Polytown, again with Torn and drummer Terry Bozzio. Its muscular and at times funky prog rock is not for the feint hearted. Karn found time to spend on his sculpture work and a San Francisco sabbatical eventually bore the album Each Eye a Path. ~ Kelvin Hayes, All Music Guide

David Torn - Biography

New York-based composer, multi-instrumentalist, producer, singer, writer, and self-described "texturalist/guitarist" David Torn lent his distinctive style to numerous films and documentaries and collaborations. He worked with composers Howard Shore, Carter Burwell, and Ryuichi Sakamoto, as well as appeared on recordings from k.d. lang, David Bowie, Jim Carroll, Laurie Anderson, and a host of others. His solo works include Best Laid Plans (1984), Cloud About Mercury (1986), Door X (1990), Tripping Over God (1995), What Means Solid, Traveller? (1996), Splattercell's Oah (2000), the soundtrack to the Heath Ledger thriller The Order (2003), and the ECM release Prezens (2007). ~ James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide

Terry Bozzio - Biography

Terry Bozzio first got his start as the drummer for Frank Zappa's backing band during the '70s, but would go on to become one of rock's most versatile session men, and form one of new wave's most visually exciting outfits, Missing Persons, along with then-wife, Dale Bozzio. Born Terry John Bozzio on December 27, 1950 in San Francisco, California, Bozzio began playing on makeshift drums at an early age, before taking formal lessons at the age of 13 (inspired by the Beatles' infamous appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show). After playing in various local garage bands during the mid-late '60s, Bozzio majored in music while attending Sir Francis Drake High School and College of Marin - as he studied timpani and various forms of percussion. By the early '70s, Bozzio had landed gigs with such rock musicals as Godspell and Walking in my Time, in addition to playing in several jazz/fusion outfits and appearing on his first record - backing trumpeter Luis Gasca on his 1972 release, Born to Love You. 1975 saw Bozzio catch his big career break, when he auditioned for and got a spot drumming for Frank Zappa. Bozzio's tenure with Zappa lasted only three years, but the drummer was featured on ten albums and countless tours (Bozzio also appeared in the Zappa concert movie, Baby Snakes). Bozzio also served as the inspiration for several Zappa compositions during their time together, including "the Black Page" and "Punky's Whips." After leaving Zappa in 1978, Bozzio nearly landed spots with a pair of potentially interesting outfits - a jazz supergroup called Group 87 (consisting of bassist Patrick O'Hearn and keyboardist Mark Isham, among others) and already-established hard rockers Thin Lizzy. Unfortunately, both wound up not working out for Bozzio (although he would play on Group 87's self-titled debut recording a couple of years later). But Bozzio didn't have to wait long to join his next project, as he got the thumbs up to join prog rockers UK in 1979. The same year, he played on a pair of UK albums, (Danger Money and Night After Night), plus their subsequent supporting tours. Up next for Bozzio was a new wave project with his wife Dale Bozzio and former Frank Zappa guitarist Warren Cuccurullo, called Missing Persons. The group's space age sound and look turned heads right off the bat, as they enjoyed a pair of hit singles/videos ("Words" and "Destination Unknown"), as well as a gold certified debut album, 1982's Spring Session M. But the band (and Bozzio's marriage) didn't last much longer, as Missing Persons issued only two more albums before splitting up - 1984's Rhyme and Reason and 1986's Color in Your Life. Subsequently, Bozzio has focused primarily on either recording or touring with a wide variety of acclaimed artists, including Robbie Robertson, Gary Wright, Don Dokken, Paul Hyde, Herbie Hancock, Dweezil Zappa, Richard Marx, Jeff Beck, Duran Duran, Explorer's Club, Billy Sheehan, Steve Vai, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, among others. Bozzio also began performing clinics for fellow drummers across the country, in addition to issuing an instructional home video in 1992, Solo Drums. The late '90s saw the drummer issue albums as part of the all-star trio Bozzio Levins Stevens (Black Light Syndrome and Situation Dangerous), plus collaborative albums with Chad Wackerman (Solos & Duets Vol. I & II), and solo releases (Drawing the Circle, Chamberworks, Solo Drum Music Vol. I & II). 2001 saw Terry rejoin Missing Persons for a series of reunion concerts. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide

Trilok Gurtu - Living Magic 1990

2011-07-16T07:09:00.004+03:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: Jazz, World Fusion

Release Date: 1990

Label: CMP Records

by Michael G. Nastos
With Jan Garbarek (saxes), Nana (per), Daniel Goyone (k). This is a septet doing Indian, Turkish, Scandinavian, and Brazilian world fusion, which is very well conceived. One of Garbarek's better efforts as collaborator or leader.

By Marius Cipolla
Trilok Gurtu and fellow percussionist Nana Vasconcelos are consummate magicians who produce an astonishingly sophisticated variety of rhythms from "primitive" instruments.

Both are capable of leading other musicians in a merry dance, and together the effect is dazzling. This is a complex and exciting recording which I never tire of, evoking rites, dances, incantations and other magical events.

Shanthi Rao on veena and European masters Jan Garbarek (in tense, excited mood) and Daniel Goyone (playfully evoking a termite-eaten piano in the jungle) fill out the melodic dimension. Nicolas Fiszman on bass is brilliant.

Alfonzo Blackwell - Body Of Soul (1998)

2011-07-10T17:09:00.004+03:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: Saxophone, Smooth Jazz

Release Date: 1998

Label: Scotti Brothers

Original Release Date: June 30, 1998
Soulful jazz! Reaching beyond smooth jazz, Alfonzo has created a masterpiece that reaches deep into the body of one's soul. Blackwell's music is very mellow AND refreshing!

Listeners will discover that it "Feels Good" to experience love and "Passion" "Anytime".This soulful jazz music will touch your heart, body and soul. Let it move you!

Alfonzo Blackwell - vocals, guitar, saxophone, keyboards, bass, drums

Tesa Williams, Chance - vocals

Duane Neillson - acoustic guitar

Sheldon Reynolds - guitars

Preston Glass - sitar, keyboards, bass, programming, background vocals

Noel T. Closson - drums

Biography:
HOT, BLAZING, SCORCHING, SEXY are just some of the beginning adjectives that one must use to describe the young musicial genius ALFONZO BLACKWELL. From his strikingly handsome good looks, to his sculptured physical allure and funky-edge style to his sexy saxophone tones and riffs, Alfonzo Blackwell has been pioneering his own trail that many have tried to follow for over seven years now. Alfonzo Blackwell blazed on the contemporary jazz scene with his chart-busting debut album "Let's Imagine" in 1995. He has been following hit after hit from album to album with such songs as "Alfonzo's Love Theme," "Hermina" (the ever-sentimental tribute to his mother), "Passion," and his current hot single, "Funky Shuffle."

Alfonzo, the innovator, with his soulful ease of his saxophones, has created an unmatched sound that has developed into a new musical genre. In the elite and exclusive tradition of Aretha Franklin and Michael Jackson, he has joined the ranks of musical royalty by being crowned the King of "Rhythm and Cool."

Aside from being incredibly handsome Alfonzo works out four times a week to maintain his chiseled muscular structure. In fact, after he won first place in numerous bodybuilding competitions in his early years, he considered a professional career in bodybuilding. In recent years, he has competed in both regional and city wide competitions, which has garnered him additional first place trophies. He bench presses 335 pounds of raw steel. It is no wonder he is a favorite of the ladies.

Twice nominated for Billboard's Best Jazz Video (Love No Limit and A Little Bit of Sax) this virtuoso not only masters the alto, soprano and tenor saxophones, but he also is a well accomplished pianist, guitarist, bassist and drummer. Listeners can hear his artistic mastery on all of his compositions. He hones his songwriting, producing, arranging, composing, lyrical and band leader skills and craft by combining an infectious blend of Jazz, R&B, Hip Hop and straight-up SOUL.

Alfonzo Blackwell has graced the stage with numerous R&B legends from Gladys Knight, The Whispers and Freddie Jackson to the R&B giants of today such as Brian McKnight and Faith Evans. Within the course of two years he scored deals and was featured on two theme tracks for separate projects. The first was his song "Love Sick" from the movie "Never Talk to Strangers", which starred Antonio Banderas and Rebecca DeMornay. The second was "Baywatch Nights, The Nights Will Never Be The Same" from the popular television show "Baywatch Nights," which starred David Hasselhoff and Angie Harmon. (Alfonzo was featured playing the theme song at the end of each episode alongside of David Hasselhoff.) In between tapings, David Hasselhoff requested to hear Alfonzo play accapella on the set. Hasselhoff said "There's so much sweet soul coming out of your horn, you can really play that thing..."

Mr. Blackwell stays fashionable with the help of urban designers such as Sean "P. Diddy " Combs' "Sean John" Collection, Russell Simons' "Phat Farm Collection" and the "Fubu Collection" while combining different looks and a funky blend of style with such designers as Calvin Klein, Moschino, Donna Karan, Versace and Jean Paul Gaultier. For over seven years Alfonzo has developed his own unique sense of personal style. His fashion flair is just as important to him as him giving an outstanding show. Alfonzo says, "My image is the first thing that people see and can relate to before they hear me play a note." In addition to his fashions, Alfonzo Blackwell loves to wear an assortment of hand picked jewelry. He demonstrates extreme dexterity when he adorns rings on each of his fingers while he plays his saxophones so effortlessly during his stellar concerts.

He is a favorite amongst many of the top Smooth Jazz Radio Stations across the country. He has been dubbed "The Man With the Big Arms" from many top female radio disc jockey personalities. Hands down he is one of the most electrifying performers of this entire musical era. He dominates the scene and he sets the mood with such fire and intensity by paying tribute to jazz legends Miles Davis and John Coltrane while putting his audience in a trance of funkadelic grooves with such tunes as "Funky Shuffle" and "Can't Stop the Funk," which gets them clapping their hands and stompin' their feet. Alfonzo demolishes the stage after each and every performance. He was Born To Play. Alfonzo says, "I'm here to show the world that music will never stop evolving and I have something to share with the world that is as unique and innovative as the creation of jazz in its early evolutional stage." His musical journey has turned into an empire on the rise.

Alfonzo sums it up best, "It's not the type or style of music, but good music, is good music,is good music!"

Matrix - Wizard (1978)

2011-07-08T14:33:00.005+03:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: Jazz

Release Date: 1978

Label: Wounded Bird Records

There's a wizard on the cover, but the set's way more fusion than fantasy – tightly jamming work from Matrix, a combo who shone brightly at the end of the 70s! There's more horns here than you'd find in the usual fusion group – as the group's a nonet, with Larry Darling and Jeff Pietrangelo on trumpets, Kurt Dietrich on trombone, Mike Hale on flugelhorn and trumpet, John Kirchberger on sax and flute, and Brad McDougall on trombone. John Harmon plays keyboards – both acoustic and electric – and some of the other group members handle keys as well. Titles include "Spring", "Mountolive", "Brown Boy", "Smile At The Foot Of The Ladder", and "Wizard".

by Jazzis

2nd album by the excellent instrumental US Jazz-Rock Fusion nonet Matrix, which continued the tradition of early 1970s brass influenced Fusion bands like Blood, Sweat & Tears, Chicago, Dreams and Chase. Led by keyboardist John Harmon, who wrote and arranged most of the band's material, the band also included trumpeters Larry Darling, Kurt Dietrich, Mike Hale and Jeff Pietragelo, saxophonist John Kirchberger, trombonist Brad McDougall, superb bassist Randy Tico and drummer Mike Murphy. They played very interesting composition, elegantly arranged for the brass section, which was supported by a brilliant rhythm section. The band never received the appropriate exposure at the time, and therefore their recordings true hidden gems of the genre. This reissue brings them back to life, which is a great opportunity to get familiar with their output, as it is definitely some of the 1970s Fusion ever made. Most warmly recommended!

Stanley Cowell Trio - Illusion Suite (1972)

2011-07-03T10:09:00.005+03:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: Contemporary Jazz

Release Date: 1972

Label: ECM

AMG Review by Andrew Hamilton
Six trio selections by the Stanley Cowell Trio, featuring Stanley Clarke on bass and Jimmy Hopps on skins. Elastic and flowing best describe the mellow "Maimoun"; Cowell's crisp keyboarding is determined and feisty, and Clarke's dark, moody bass solo consummates the excursion. Cowell and Clarke display amazing technique on "Ibn Mukhtarr Mustapha," and Hopps' impressionistic drumming is head clearing. On "Cal Massey," Hopps plays as if he has four hands with a drumstick in each, Cowell's rolling piano chords are matched in fever by Clarke's bass work. "Miss Vicki" has a stalking beginning, and Clarke's bass preys like a big cat on the LP's most commercial track. The spacing is remarkable on "Emil Danenberg" and gives Clarke ample room to work his magic between Cowell's pensive playing that becomes bolder as the song progresses. An invigorating finale, "Astral Spiritual" finds each player exploring seemingly different territory keeping the listener in a tizzy trying to take it all in. Cowell composed all the material, and Manfred Eicher coordinated this pleasing production.

AMG Biography by Scott Yanow
An excellent modern, mainstream pianist who is adaptable to many acoustic jazz settings, Stanley Cowell has long been underrated except among knowing musicians. He studied the piano from the time he was four, and Art Tatum made an early impact. After attending Oberlin College Conservatory and the University of Michigan, Cowell (who had played with Rahsaan Roland Kirk while at Oberlin) moved to New York in 1966. He played regularly with Marion Brown (1966-1967), Max Roach (1967-1970), and the Bobby Hutcherson-Harold Land quintet (1968-1971). In the early '70s, Cowell worked in Music Inc. with Charles Tolliver, and they co-founded the label Strata East. He played regularly with the Heath Brothers during 1974-1983, and since 1981 has been a busy jazz educator. Cowell has recorded as a leader for Arista-Freedom (1969), ECM (1972), Strata East, Galaxy, Unisson, DIW, Concord, and SteepleChase.

The Brecker Brothers - The Brecker Brothers (1975) {Japan Mini-LP K2}

2011-07-02T14:44:00.008+03:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: Jazz, Fusion, Jazz-Funk, Jazz-Rock

Release Date: 1975

Label: BMG / Arista

(AMG)
In the ’70s, brothers Michael and Randy Brecker co-led a band of New York session big shots that included, at various times, David Sanborn, Don Grolnick, Will Lee, and George Duke, among others. When they chose, the Brecker Brothers Band could be one of the most intelligent and creative fusion outfits. Chief composer/trumpeter Randy’s best tunes were structurally unpredictable, melodically intricate, and harmonically complex, inside/out bop heads played in an impossibly precise manner over a bed of funk rhythms. Unlike the bulk of jazz-funk (then and now), the Breckers — on their first record, at least — kept the pandering to a minimum. Though it had a certain commercial appeal, 1975?s Back to Back was an artistic success as well. The Brothers’ music was a smart combination of extended pop forms, top-notch jazz improvisation, and sophisticated compositional techniques. On later albums, the temptation to sell lots of records apparently became too great to resist. Even the otherwise excellent first record bore some marks of disco, and with each subsequent album, the band’s creative IQ shrank by several points. Still, virtually every record had something of substance to recommend it. In the early ’90s, RCA issued a pair of compilation CDs that combined the best of the band’s purely instrumental, jazz-based work. By 1982, the brothers had ceased working together, but did reunite for touring and recording in the early ’90s.
First date for brothers from 1975. Side one is solid jazz/funk/fusion. They called it “skunk-funk.” With David Sanborn (as) and Don Grolnick (k).

Charlie Haden, Jan Garbarek & Egberto Gismonti - Folk Songs (1981)

2011-06-26T10:12:00.004+03:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: Free Jazz, Fusion, Avantgarde, Contemporary Jazz

Release Date: 1981

Label: ECM Records

One of the better ECM recordings, this collaboration by bassist Charlie Haden, Jan Garbarek on tenor and soprano, and Egberto Gismonti (switching between guitar and piano) is filled with moody originals, improvisations that blend together jazz and world music, and atmospheric ensembles. This date works well both as superior background music and for close listening.

It would be easy to dismiss this album as newage mush, but it's far from that. Yes, the melodies are beautiful, but you know, that's OK with me. Throughout the hsitory of music, the great masters have been able to write a pretty tune when the moment called for it. Sometimes music wants to dress up a bit and be lovely, and she chose Garbarek, Gismonti and Haden as her vehicles on this occasion. These are three world class players who make music with integrity, depth and passion. There's good chemistry between the steely Norwegian saxophone master Garbarek, the earthy tones of American bassist Haden, and the emotionally charged, nuanced imagination of Brazilian guitar virtuoso Gismonti. This is not the most challenging work of any of these three musicians, but neither is it mindless ear candy. Relax and enjoy. ~ Folksongs (Audio CD)

Sean Malone - Cortlandt (1996)

2011-06-25T08:55:00.003+03:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre:Jazz/Progressive Rock/Fusion

Release Date: 1996 [2007]

Label: Free Electric

By John Kelman

Sometimes people become misrepresented early on. Sean Malone first came to attention as the bassist for death/technical metal band Cynic, but has since garnered more notice for his versatile playing with his fusion/progressive group Gordian Knot. That Malone—who also plays the tapped stick—recorded Cortlandt in 1996, not long after Cynic's Focus (Roadrunner, 1993), makes it even more remarkable. Originally a limited release on Audioimage, it's become something of a cult record—and for good reason. This welcome reissue finally brings it into wider release and includes a bonus track that says plenty about Malone's reach—Pat Metheny's "Unquity Road."

But that's not the only jazz-centric track on Cortlandt, an eclectic blend of fusion, classical, progressive, world music and more. Guitarist Geoff Caputo takes the knotty, fiercely up-tempo fusion burner "Splinter" and gives it a dense metal vibe, but it's Malone's high octane, Jaco-esque bass solo that's the highlight. "Controversy" is equally energetic, but with Bob Bunin on guitar, it's a lighter, more swinging kind of fusion.

Half the tracks are trios, with the balance duets and one solo—"Sinfonia," where Malone flawlessly adapts J.S. Bach to stick Elsewhere, Malone fleshes out the landscape with programming and loops. There are some notable guest spots. Guitarist Reeves Gabrels (David Bowie/Tin Machine) lends some edge and filtered sonics to the world music rhythms of "At Taliesin," supported by Malone's percussion loops. Ex-King Crimson touch guitarist Trey Gunn is featured on the atmospheric/cinematic "Big Sky Wanting," another percussion heavy track where the soundscape is expanded by programming from both Malone and drummer Sean Reinert.

Reinert—a founding member of Cynic—is another of Cortland's many surprises—unless, that is, you've heard him with Gordian Knot. Not only can he swing fiercely on "Controversy," but, with Bunin and Malone, he turns John Coltrane's iconic "Giant Steps" into another fusion burner, with a curiously staggered pulse. Clocking in at less than three minutes, Bunn navigates its dense changes with surprising ease and begs the question: who is he, and where does he come from?

While there's plenty of muscular soloing throughout, for Malone it's as much about the writing and creating a variety of contexts, each with their own defining characteristics that still tie together as a whole. "Fischer's Gambit" is undeniably funky, but with ambient textures layered underneath. "Hand Full of Earth" begins as another high velocity vehicle, but morphs into a Fripp-esque soundscape for its final third.

Metheny's powerful "Unquity Road" provides further evidence of Malone's significant jazz cred. Honeydogs guitarist Adam Levy (not to be confused with the guitarist of Norah Jones fame) goes for an overdriven tone, playing bluesy bends that Metheny never would, while Malone turns in a final, impressive solo. It's a strong finish to an album that may not surprise those familiar with Gordian Knot, but will be a wake-up call to those think that metal-capable players are only good for Beavis and Butt-head.

Steve Smith George Brooks Prasanna - The Raga Bop Trio (2010)

2011-06-18T08:11:00.005+03:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: Jazz, Music, World

Release Date: 2010

Label: Abstract Logix

Product Description
The music of the Raga Bop Trio is an organic blend of jazz, rock, funk, afro-caribbean and Indian classical music. In this music there is the strong influence of western harmony and melody as well as U.S. style grooves and Euro-jazz atmospheric feels. From the Indian side, George Brooks brings his expertise in the north Indian Hindustani style and Prasanna - being from Chennai, India - is an expert in the south Indian Carnatic style. I grew up with the U.S. jazz/groove concept and starting in 2002 I've incorporated north and south Indian rhythms into my playing. For me, the distinctive quality of the Raga Bop Trio is that the writing and playing employ a seamless amalgamation of all the individual components.

Bio

Drummer Steve Smith, saxophonist George Brooks, and guitarist Prasanna - three remarkable musical talents expressing a distinctly twenty-first century perspective on global music - have collaborated on a new recording entitled Raga Bop Trio. Steve Smith, George Brooks and Prasanna released Raga Bop Trio on July 20, 2010 on the AbstractLogix label. The Raga Bop Trio undertook an extensive USA tour during November and December of 2010 in support of their debut release.

The music of The Raga Bop Trio is unique in that the group’s direction is grounded in jazz, with its focus on groove, atmosphere and harmonic adventure, yet also deeply rooted in the rhythmic and melodic traditions of Indian classical music.

The rhythmic foundation of the trio comes from drummer Steve Smith.
After spending 1972-76 at the Berklee College of Music, Steve arrived on the international stage in his early twenties touring and recording with Jean-Luc Ponty and Ronnie Montrose. Steve is renowned as the creative underpinning of rock super group Journey, which he joined in 1978. In 1985 Smith left Journey to pursue his original passion, jazz. A short list of the jazz luminaries with whom Steve has worked includes Mike Mainieri’s Steps Ahead, Michael Brecker, Soulbop Band with Randy Brecker and Bill Evans, Ahmad Jamal, Zakir Hussain, Mike Stern, Stanley Clarke, Victor Wooten, Richard Bona, and Dave Liebman. Steve remains a first call session player and has appeared on hit records with Mariah Carey, Bryan Adams, Zucchero, Andrea Bocelli, Ray Price and Savage Garden. Smith is the bandleader of the fusion juggernaut Vital Information.

Steve consistently wins polls in jazz and drum publications as one of the world’s most extraordinary drummers. Modern Drummer Magazine’s readers voted him the #1 All-Around Drummer five years in a row. In 2001 Modern Drummer Magazine named Steve as one of the Top 25 Drummers of All Time, in 2002 he as voted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame and in 2003 his Hudson Music DVD Steve Smith Drumset Technique - History of the U.S. Beat was voted #1 Educational DVD of 2003. The 2008 and 2009 Drum! Magazine readers poll voted Smith #1 Jazz Drummer and voted Steve Smith Drum Legacy - Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants the #1 educational DVD of 2009. Not content to rest on these laurels, Steve has further distinguished himself by becoming fluent in the rhythmic language of southern India. He has taken the complex phrasings of mridingam and kanjira and translated them to the drumset. In addition he has mastered konnakol, the complex vocalization of traditional Indian drum rhythms.

George Brooks is a prolific and diverse saxophonist and composer, acclaimed for successfully bridging the worlds of jazz and Indian classical music. He is the founder of several important Indian fusion groups including Summit with Zakir Hussain and Steve Smith, Bombay Jazz with Larry Coryell and Ronu Majumdar and the Kirwani Quartet with Dutch harpist Gwyneth Wentink and Indian flute maestro Hariprasad Chaurasia.
Brooks’ deep understanding of raga has lead to collaborations with many of India’s most respected artists. He has performed at major festivals throughout India and was a featured soloist on John McLaughlin’s 2008, Grammy nominated Floating Point CD. His facility with genre bending music has led to distinctive collaborations with Terry Riley, Yo-Yo Ma, The Mark Morris Dance Company and Merchant/Ivory Productions. Admired as an innovator, Brooks remains grounded in American vernacular music and has worked with blues greats Etta James, Albert Collins and Roy Rogers, R&B legends the Temptations, Mary Wilson and the Shirelles, jazz innovators Henry Kaiser, Wadada Leo Smith, Anthony Braxton and Jaki Byard and contemporary singer song writers Jackie Greene, Barbara Higbie, and Leni Stern.

Brooks has performed on many of the world’s great stages including the Barbican and Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Esplanade in Singapore and the Hong Kong Cultural Center. He has appeared at major international festivals throughout North America, Europe, India and Japan.

“How can you play South Indian Carnatic music on a guitar?” This is the question that was on everyone's mind when Prasanna daringly took to performing one of the world's most ancient musical forms on one of the world's most modern instruments - the electric guitar! Prasanna has crafted a unique approach that combines the subtlest of microtones and elaborate ornamentation essential to Carnatic music, and then spans the centuries by skillfully incorporating ultra-modern jazz melodies, greasy funk and stadium-rock distortion. In a world studded with brilliant guitarists, “Prasanna plays like nobody else on the planet”! As a guitarist and composer, Prasanna's prolific body of work is as diverse as it is integrated. He has recorded over eleven traditional Carnatic albums and several original CDs including Be the Change and the highly acclaimed Carnatic/Rock Hendrix tribute album Electric Ganesha Land.

Prasanna is an acclaimed film composer having scored for feature films and the 2009 Oscar award winning documentary film Smile Pinki. Prasanna has worked regularly on multi-platinum Indian film soundtracks for such top composers as Illayaraja and Oscar winner A.R. Rahman. His orchestration and arranging credits include the title score of the Oscar nominated Bollywood film Lagaan.

Prasanna has a degree in Naval Architecture from the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology, Madras and an honors degree from the famed Berklee College of Music in Boston from where he graduated Magna Cum Laude. He has performed with such diverse musicians as Joe Lovano, Umayalpuram Sivaraman, Vijay Iyer, Dave Douglas, Hariprasad Chaurasia, Victor Wooten, Trilok Gurtu, Anthony Jackson, Airto Moreira, Dr. T.K. Murthy, Omar Hakim, ‘Vikku’ Vinayakram, Jeff Coffin and others. Some of the top international festivals at which Prasanna has performed are the North Sea Jazz Festival, Middelheim Jazz Festival, Festival Guitares Du Monde, La Fete de la Musique, Les Orientales De St. Florent Le Vieil, and the Festival Jazz En Artois.

Prasanna is the President of Swarnabhoomi Academy of Music, India’s first international college for contemporary Jazz, Rock and World Music.

Together, as The Raga Bop Trio, Steve Smith, George Brooks and Prasanna create a musical form that is instantly recognizable, rhythmically dynamic and breathtakingly original.

Bodurov Trio - Stamps From Bulgaria 2008

2011-06-11T07:47:00.002+03:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre:Jazz, Ethnic/Jazz

Release Date: 2008

Label: Challenge Records

"Stamps from Bulgaria" is the result of a long-term investigation into Bulgarian Folklore and its correlation with other music traditions and instruments. For me, there were two personal challenges in this project: as composer and as pianist.

My approach as composer was to avoid rearranging these songs, but rather to treat them as any other compositional element such as a major triad, a rhythmical phrase, intervals, etc. Thus establishing a process of de- and re-construction, which will eventually result in a new musical form, which is sometimes closer to the original than others.

On selecting the songs, I searched carefully for any personal and emotional connection and/or something unique (such as odd time measure, lyrics, or just a melody), which also contained enough dramatic potential, yet leaving room for exploration.

As a pianist I referred to the traditional singing and instruments in an attempt to apply their specific characteristics on the piano keyboard. I treated the piano as a melodic rather than harmonic instrument, which is its most common function.

All songs come from different regions of Bulgaria. Some are more popular than others. It is of course arguable which songs are actually Bulgarian, but this issue gives another dimension to my research and poses the question of national identity - a much discussed issue in a modern multi-cultural society.
-Dimitar Bodurov

Dimitar Bodurov - piano

Misho Ivanov - bass

Jens Dueppe - drums & percussion

ABOUT THE BAND

BODUROV TRIO led by the Bulgarian pianist and composer Dimitar Bodurov has been in demand since September 2001. In November 2003, the band has released its debut album
‘Melatonic’ ACR 9817, for the Norwegian label Acoustic Records, with exclusively own compositions, which John Taylor commented as: ‘A marvelous debut! ’. And their latest
CD ‘Stamps from Bulgaria’ 2008 CR73267 for Challenge Records (NL).

Bodurov’s fascination with Bulgarian folklore evolved in unique and distinctive style, which is embodied in ‘The Resumption Suite’ 2004, a multi partial piece for piano, bass, drums and samples, based on Bulgarian rhythms; and the band’s latest project, ‘Stamps from Bulgaria’ - set of compositions based on traditional Bulgarian folk songs and dances.

THE TRIO has been touring in Benelux, Germany, Austria and Bulgaria.

PRIZES: In 2002 Bodurov and his band was awarded with three prizes- Laidse Stad Jazz Award, Leiden; Erasmus Jazz Award, Rotterdam; Pim Jacobs Jazz Prize, Rotterdam. In July 2005 Dimitar was selected, among 12 young pianists world wide, to participate the ‘Time Montreux Jazz Solo Piano Competition’, Switzerland. And in January 2007 he was the winner of the ‘Young Pianist Foundation Jazz Concours 2007’ at Bimhuis, Amsterdam.

Ibrahim Maalouf - Diasporas (2007)

2011-05-29T10:17:00.003+03:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre:free jazz, free music, modern jazz, folk jazz, avant-garde jazz

Release Date: 2007

Label: Mi'ster Productions

By CHRIS MAY

Paris-based trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf's moody mix of jazz, groove and Lebanese traditional music comes across rather like a cut-up novel by William Burroughs or a collection of short stories by Paul Bowles, or at least a shot in that direction. Partly it's the source material, in which Maalouf's east Mediterranean musical heritage replaces those authors' fascination with Morocco; partly it's the structure of the album, in which a series of relatively brief, cross-referential tracks, most lasting between two and less than five minutes, are assembled in an episodic collage. Though carefully put together over three years, the music has an attractively rough-edged feel: hot, sun baked and m'hashish, as Moroccans would say (and as the title of the fourth track confirms).
Diasporas was Maalouf's debut album, and was originally released on his own Mi'ster Productions label in 2007. It's been followed by Diachronism (Mi'ster, 2009), which inhabits similar territory but spread over two discs. Diasporas, pithier and more rigorous, is the more enjoyable of the two albums and its release into the wider European marketplace is a welcome development.

Maalouf's ace up the sleeve is his use of an unusual four-valve trumpet invented by his father, Nassim Maalouf, in the 1960s. The extra valve allows the accurate production of quarter-tones, on which Arabic makams (modes) are built. Accompanied by Francois Lalonde's insistent drum and percussion rhythms, which pare the complexities of classical Arabic meters down to their ritual music origins, and complemented by guest musicians playing oud (lute), ney (end-blown flute), kanoun (zither) and buzuk (bouzouki), the effect is tradition-based but unmistakably modern.

On four tracks, Maalouf uses a string section which evokes the style of "Egyptian" film music. But most of the music is made by himself and Lalonde. Electronicist Alex McMahon, who completes the core trio, adds sparingly applied loops and layers, the last especially effective on "Missin' Ya (Night In Tunisia)."

Occasionally, the geography evoked on Diasporas isn't so much Arabic as Mexican-shot spaghetti western. It must be all that sun, sand and austere trumpet. The Ennio Morricone resonance is particularly marked on "Last Wishes," which ends, perhaps with more of a nod to Federico Fellini, with a faded-in minute or so of "Que Sera Sera" played on a fairground organ. It's one of several unexpected twists and turns during 46-minutes of ultimately uncategorizable but compelling music.

Kora Jazz Trio - Part Two (2005)

2011-05-22T09:11:00.002+03:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: Ethnic Jazz, World, Ethnic Fusion, Folk

Release Date: 2005

Label: Rue Stendhal

Kora Jazz Trio

This is a formation of three jazz griots that provides further evidence of the musical links between the western coast of Africa and North America’s eastern shores. In the KJT, Guinean kora player Djeli Moussa Diawara (who is none other than Mory Kantй’s half-brother) joins forces with Senegalese pianist Abdoulaye Diabatй and percussion master Moussa Cissoko, also from Senegal. Their albums are the fruits of intense exchanges in the Paris studios of the Celluloпd label, and mix a Mandingo heritage with American jazz standards.

Part two

A couple of years after the trio’s first opus, “Part one”, the piano, percussions and kora once again unite to offer an alchemy you could roughly label Mandingo jazz. Aboulaye Diabatй, Moussa Cissoko and Djeli Moussa Diawara proved in 2003 that they could re-interpret classic African American standards with a consummate ease, infusing songs like “Now is the time” by Charlie Parker, with a joyous spontaneity. The trio hoped to reproduce that unbridled energy in the follow-up album, but the result is uneven as the virtuosic qualities of each artist fails to gell on interpretations like “Rhythm’ning” (composed by Thelonious Monk), a miasmic “La mer” and the flat composition “Djame”.

Fortunately, songs like “Sunugal”, “Folly” and the luscious closing track “Djanya” prove what pedigree these three fine musicians have, particularly when they are joined by the “Prince” of the calabash, Mamadou Konй. Ten of the twelve songs are originals composed during the long tours the band have been involved in. The refined touch of Diabatй’s piano keys and rippling swing of the 32 kora strings tweaked by Diawara provide a solid backbone for the album’s most successful songs. When the band swings into spontaneous motion there is a wonderful freedom and joy that is released, confirming the rich African heritage at the root of jazz.

The bridge the three West African artists have built over the Atlantic is the result of the three-year-old vision of producer Gilbert Castro. For years before, he had produced albums for Diawara, bringing to the fore the musician’s acoustic adaptability and singing ability. In 2003, Castro allied these skills with the aesthetic touch that Diabatй has picked up over the years with the likes of Manu Dibango, Sekouba Bambino, Salif Keita and Papa Wemba. The griot percussions of Moussa Cissoko had also found their place in the Afro-European scene as the Senegalese backed top musicians such as Ray Lйma, Jacques Higelin, Bernard Lavilliers and groups like the Afro Celt Sound System. Castro has not hesitated in encouraging Cissoko to take a more central role in these semi-improvised recordings, providing complex and rapid-fire polyrhythms that give the album a dancy touch.

But it is when the musicians allow the Mandingo traditions that all three are so well versed in to take off - slightly pushing the classic jazz mode to the side - that “Part two” develops an exciting originality of its own.

Daniel Brown

Hadouk Trio - Live a FIP 2003

2011-05-15T08:31:00.002+03:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: Ethnic Jazz, World, Ethnic Fusion, Folk

Release Date: 2003

Label: Melodie

Jonny Greene's comments

Totally superb, near faultless live double CD

I can't rate this release highly enough, the playing, recording and artwork are all near perfect. It was recorded in Paris at Radio France on 9th October '03 for a live radio broadcast. Such 'pressure' sometimes makes a band freeze a little and the resulting recording is clean, but stiff. However shear depth of musical experience and excellence in Hadouk is so immense that they rose to the occasion quite magnificently from the very first notes.

The playing is fluid and sinuous - we all know how good Didier's flute playing is, but his Doudouk playing! When it's not soulfully mysterious and deep is positively sexy, can there be a better non-Armenian practitioner of that unique instrument? Steve Shehan's percussion breaths effortless life through the CDs, he's got to be one of the very best around. And Loy Erlhich's sensitive expertise on all the stringed instruments is a wonder. All three of them takes turns to shine individually - and collectively they just flow telepathically. Each of the three guests enhance the tracks they appear on, which is not always the case with guests when a gig is going so obviously well, but they all bring something good to the feast.

The perfection of the recording and playing is carried through to the triple-fold didgi-pak cover which is exceedingly elegant. This could be the ultimate Hadouk CD. Quite, stunning - totally cosmic in places, track 7 on the first CD, 'Barca Solaris' - wow!

From the warmth of the audience reception you can tell they knew they were at a very special concert indeed. Highly recommended.

Boud Deun - Astronomy Made Easy (1997)

2011-05-08T08:44:00.002+03:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: Fusion, jazz - rock, Prog-Rock

Release Date: 1997

Label: Cuneiform

by Glenn Astarita
The Virginia-based quartet known as Boud Deun render an amalgamation of '70s-style progressive rock along with asymmetrical doses of fusion on their inaugural release for Cuneiform Records. No doubt, this is high-octane stuff, as the musicians' surge forward with contemporary motivations while conjuring up notions of King Crimson amid some of the fireworks and pounding polyrhythms exhibited by the Mahavishnu Orchestra. On this 1997 effort, listeners are treated to guitarist Shawn Persinger and violinist Greg Hiser's blistering unison lines atop a plethora of twists, turns, and burgeoning undercurrents. However, it is not all about pyrotechnics and cutting contests, as the compositional frameworks enable the musicians to expound upon previously explored motifs via a series of tightly coordinated arrangements. One minor complaint here is that drummer Rocky Cancelose's kit may have been mixed a bit too high during the engineering process, as he inadvertently contends with the soloists, although this may be a matter of preference. Nevertheless, progressive rock needs more outfits like Boud Deun.

Formed in 1994 in Warrenton, Va., the instrumental quartet Boud Deun has built a reputation for its virtuoso playing and spirited live performances. The group attracts listeners of all ages and interests. Boud Deun's music reflects rapid-fire playing reminiscent of the Mahavishnu Orchestra, the lyricism of the Dixie Dregs and the dark angularity of King Crimson, but one can also hear punk, bluegrass and classical elements.

Guitarist and composer Shawn Persinger graduated from the Musicians Institute in Los Angeles, Calif. in 1992. His influences include Leo Kottke, AC/DC's Angus Young and John McLaughlin. Bassist and composer Matt Eiland played saxophone as a child, switching to bass guitar at age 15. He played in Weak Old Rice, a DC-area metal fusion band, in 1991-1992. He is a jazz studies major at the Shenandoah University Music Conservatory.

Violinist Greg Hiser studied from 1985 to 1987 with Andrej Grabier, Concert Master of the Wichita Symphony. He has performed around Washington, DC with bluegrass bands New Mountain and Virginia and the Blue Dots. Drummer Rocky Cancelose has studied at the Drummers Collective in New York City.

The group released Fiction & Several Days on its own E.H.P. label in late 1995. Cuneiform issued Astronomy Made Easy in 1997. A General Observation: The Live Album was released in 1998 on E.H.P., as was The Stolen Bicycle on Cuneiform. The band was slated for inclusion on a Shanachie compilation CD, tentatively titled The Gobi Compilation, in 1998. ~ Jim Dorsch, Rovi

Jonas Hellborg - Bass 1987

2011-05-01T08:33:00.003+03:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: jazz-rock

Release Date: 1987

Label: Day Eight Music

Spyro Gyra - Morning Dance 1979 [MCA 1985]

2011-04-29T07:58:00.005+03:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: Smooth Jazz

Release Date: 1979

Label: MCA Records

This was it...THE Smooth Jazz ablum.

Before Kenny G, before Richard Elliot, before many of the others, this album defined the Smooth Jazz sound, and it's as fresh a sound today as it was when it first came out

I can still hear the songs in my head just by reading the titles.

It still feels like a fresh spring morning on an Italian terrace by the sea with the hummingbirds sweeping around you...and this is almost 25 years later!

This truly is a classic.

What is old is new again, and like the first true love, Morning Dance never seems to lose it's lustre... Amazon Review by Daniel Kolton

Bela Fleck and the Flecktones - Bela Fleck and the Flecktones (1990)

2011-04-17T09:09:00.002+03:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: Jazz, jazz fusion

Release Date: 1990

Label: Warner Bros

After disbanding New Grass Revival, Bela Fleck began re-creating the role of the banjo in the same way Charlie Parker redefined the role of the saxophone. But Fleck may be the least-innovative member of this quartet: Howard Levy gets chromatics from his blues harp, Victor Wooten picks banjo rolls on his bass, and Roy "Future Man" Wooten plays a Frankenstein-monster drum-machine/guitar synthesizer. For all the flash, there's little pretense; the group's astonishing musicianship keeps an "aw-shucks" accessibility that lets everybody follow the melody while they marvel. ~ Brian Mansfield, Rovi

Fragile - Fragile 1996

2011-04-10T08:58:00.002+03:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: J-Fusion

Release Date: 1996

Label: SubConscious

1. Bluff
2. Back Skip
3. Caribbean Funk Method
4. Crocodile In The Garden
5. Urgent
6. Careca
7. Beat Kids
8. Biting A Cat Cornered Rat

MVP - Centrifugal Funk (1991)

2011-04-09T07:23:00.002+03:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: Fusion

Release Date: 1991

Label: Tone Center

Recently reissued by Tone Center for 2004, this 1991 Legato Records release of MVP (The Mark Varney Project), "Centrifugal Funk", displays a warning, "Contains guitar performances of unparalleled speed, taste and virtuosity. Not for the faint of heart!" The lead guitar performances spoken about in such glowing terms are turned in by none other than Brett Garsed (lead guitar), Shawn Lane (lead guitar) and Frank Gambale (lead guitar). Mark Varney and Jimmy Earl produced the album of eight instrumentals, two of which ("Love Struck" and "So What", both clocking in at over eight minutes) feature all three gutiarists. The album also features Mike O'Neill on rhythm guitar, Steve Tavaglione on sax, Freddy Ravel on keyboards, Jimmy Earl on bass (he takes a solo on "So What"), Joey Heredia on drums and Kevin Ricard on percussion. T.J. Helmerich also makes an appearance on guitar, cuttiing the first solo on "Love Struck". Mesmerizing, extreme, attention-grabbing, aggressive, thrilling - all have been used to describe the music on "Centrifugal Funk" - and, like it's companion record "Truth In Shredding", recommended for fans ranging from fusion to progressive to jazz.

Casiopea - Eyes of the Mind (1981/2001) [Jap Mini-LP Ltd Edn 1st Press DSD Master]

2011-04-03T09:25:00.004+03:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: J-Fusion

Release Date: 1981

Label: Alfa

If you have never heard Casiopea, you should. Especially if you are a jazz/fusion band. Casiopea is quite simply the tightest, most melodic jazz fusion band I have heard. If you like the original Yellowjackets album, you will love Casiopea.

Although this album is nearly thirty years old, it is probably one of the best the band's ever done. For those of you who are recording afficionados, the album was originally done on a 32 track digital recorder, which was unheard of in those days. Most bands are in the studio six months to a year making an album; Casiopea typically records an ENTIRE album in the studio over a two to six week period!

I can't say enough about this album. The members of Casiopea had by this point refined their sound to a razor sharp perfection, while at the same time staying creative. I have owned literally hundreds of albums in my life, and this one still rates as one of my favorites. The first track, Asayake is the best instrumental song I've ever heard to wake up with. The YAMAHA-tone of this band is fully expressed in this album.

I don't think anyone would dispute that this is Casiopea's best album ever (closely followed by two more of theirs like "Photographs" and "Makeup City").
Casiopea is here at their best, at the apex of the career with a solid album; every single cut is a winner; and 5 of them hit the Jazz charts around the world in the early 80s like nothing we've seen out of Casiopea nor anybody else out of the vast Japanese Jazz world; cuts like:

- Asayake, A Place in the Sun, Eyes of the Mind, a cut that you cannot find in any compilations of Casiopea and that has become a true sought-after gem: La Costa (with a superb Brazilian flavor) and ... Space Road (Has the most infectious Batucada-Jazz by any non-Brazilian I've ever heard; absolutely fantastic)

Minoru Mukaiya, Issei Noro, Tetsuo Sakurai and Akira Jimbo have a superb talent and this is their best showcase.

Caldera - Caldera (1976) [2004]

2011-04-02T18:53:00.006+03:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: Jazz-Funk, Fusion

Release Date: 1976

Label: EMI Digital Remaster

WDR Big Band - Blues & Beyond 1994

2011-03-29T06:51:00.013+03:00

Format: wv + cue + log

Genre: Big Band, Jazz

Release Date: 1994

Label: BHM Productions

Panzerballett - Starke Stucke 2008

2011-03-25T22:25:00.007+02:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: Metal-Jazz, Fusion

Release Date: 2008

Label: Act

1. Pink Panther
2. M.w.M.i.O.f.R
3. Smoke On The Water
4. Friede, Freude, Fußball
5. Wind Of Change
6. Birdland
7. Dreamology
8. Thunderstruck
9. Zickenterror
10. Paranoid

Jan Zehrfeld - guitar, bass, vocals

Andreas Dombert - guitar

Gregor Bürger - saxophone

Florian Schmidt - bass

Sebastian Lanser - drums

Ulf Wakenius - guitar solo (5)

Nguyen Le - guitar solo (6)

Peter O'Mara - guitar solo (1)

Alexander V. Hagke - saxophone solo (4)

Heiko Jung - bass (5)

Conny Kreitmeier - vocals (9)

Andy Lind - vocals (2 & 4)

Jan Vacik - keyboard solo (7)

Naomi Isaacs - vocals (2)

Those who bemoaned the breakup of the short-lived quintet version of mid-1990s group Lost Tribe which, along with saxophonist David Binney, bassist Fima Ephron and drummer Ben Perowsky, featured the twin guitar salvo of David Gilmore and Adam Rogers, will welcome the ACT debut of guitarist Jan Zeherfeld's Panzerballett. With a similar lineup, Panzerballett is as intrepid as Lost Tribe ever was in finding unexpected ways to bring together styles many would consider incompatible.

Unlike Lost Tribe, however, which devoted itself exclusively to original composition, Panzerballett's Starke Stücke is divided between largely Zehrfeld-penned tracks and covers of material ranging from AC/DC and Deep Purple to Henry Mancini and Joe Zawinul. And while Lost Tribe occasionally delved into metal-tinged aggression but also incorporated elements of hip hop, Panzerballett more exclusively emphasizes a hardcore aesthetic.

Both "M. w. M. i. O. f. R" and the lengthier "Friede, Freude, FuÃŸball" feature guest vocalist Andy Lind's near projectile-vomiting screams, but that needn't turn off those looking for clearer jazz emphasis. Both tracks are episodic—a defining characteristic of Zehrfeld's writing—and, while Panzerballett's relentless energy is in full force, so too is the hint of a lighter touch. Guest saxophonist Alexander von Hagke solos with abandon over a complex, M-Base-tinged rhythmic foundation from bassist Florian Schmidt and drummer Sebastian Lanser on "Friede," while a power chord-driven coda to the saxophonist's solo is followed by a subdued passage featuring Zehrfeld and Schmidt in an ethereal two-way before ultimately leading back to a more head-banging finish.

As intriguing as the Zehrfeld compositions are, with "Zickenterror" a fiery piece of avant-metal sporting an abstruse vocal exchange between Conny Kreitmeier and Zehrfeld, it's the cover material that reveals the most breadth. One might expect a group with this kind of heavy metal predilection to pull out all the stops for Black Sabbath's "Paranoid" but, instead, it's a gentle duet between Zehrfeld and Dombert that renders the song nearly unrecognizable. The markers of Deep Purple's "Smoke on the Water" are more readily apparent, although it's not guitar but saxophone that delivers the iconic opening riff. Again, the approach is more M-Base than metal, although the pounding guitars and staccato rhythms keep it well within Panzerballett's overall context.

The Scorpions' "Wind of Change" is reinvented as a soft ballad, with sophisticated reharmonization setting the stage for a dexterous solo by guest guitarist Ulf Wakenius that actually swings. Another ACT alum, guitarist Nguyên Lê, delivers a reckless solo filled with rapid legato runs and whammy bends on Joe Zawinul's "Birdland" where, for once, this over-covered Weather Report is turned into something truly new.

Despite its overall intensity and throbbing rock rhythms, Starke Stücke is an album that could only have been made by a group knowledgeable of the jazz tradition. While certainly not for the faint-at-heart, Jan Zehrfeld's Panzerballett is a group that, like Lost Tribe before it, brings new meaning to the term fusion.
By JOHN KELMAN

Rabih Abou-Khalil - Al-Jadida (1991)

2011-03-19T06:58:00.005+02:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: Jazz, World Fusion

Release Date: 1991

Label: Enja

1. Catania
2. Nashwa
3. An Evening With Jerry
4. When The Lights Go Out
5. Story Teller
6. Ornette Never Sleps
7. Nadim
8. Wishing Well

Rabih Abou-Khalil - oud

Sonny Fortune - alto saxophone

Glen Moore - bass

Ramesh Shotham - South Indian drums, percussion

Nabil Khaiat - frame drums, percussion

Rabih Abou-Khalil, among the rare Arabic musicians who have recorded and played extensively with jazz musicians, successfully navigates the middle ground between traditional North African sounds and hard bop. Besides the leader's oud and flute, alto saxophonist Sonny Fortune provides the blues bite; bassist Glen Moore, the rhythmic connection, and percussionists Ramesh Shotham and Nabil Khaiat, provide the African seasoning. ~ Ron Wynn, All Music Guide

Uncle Moe's Space Ranch - Uncle Moe's Space (2001)

2011-03-13T18:56:00.005+02:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: Fusion

Release Date: 2001

Label: Tone Center

While Uncle Moe's Space Ranch is definitely a fusion group, their music complete with complex arrangements and blazing instrumental wizardry, they differentiate themselves from many other fusion bands by distancing themselves far from their 70's forefathers. There's a very modern sound to this music, which draws heavy influences from electronica, but never makes the mistake of trying to crossover too far into that genre. This is the ultimate fusion of jazz, rock, and electronic music, and also includes some wildly experimental passages that border on industrial. The band is essentially a super-session, with drummer Dennis Chambers of Niacin (and many other projects), bassist Garry Willis and keyboardist Scott Kinsey from Tribal Tech, as well as noted guitarists Brett Garsed and TJ Helmerich.

The album features just over an hour of scorching music. Favorite tracks of mine included tjhelmerich@earthlink.net, which is not only a strange title for a piece of music (I presume it's the e-mail address of TJ Helmerich), it's also one of the strangest tracks on the album, with exotic, eastern sounding voice samples and some truly freaked out stop and start soloing. SighBorg, as the title might suggest, has the most overt electronica influences. It's crazy synthesizer freakouts and machine inspired rhythms will have space rock fans drooling. He's Having All That's His To Be Had is both funky and mellow, but also gets spacey and experimental in parts. This band definitely doesn't what their pieces pigeonholed. Minx is the most straightforward fusion rocker on the album, and features some bluesy guitar-work and the most melodic moments of the album.

If you got tired of fusion a long time ago, as I sort of did, this album may just re-ignite your interest in it. Truly innovative and exciting! - Reviewed by Jeff Fitzgerald

Victor Wooten - A Show Of Hands (1995)

2011-03-12T08:09:00.004+02:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: Fusion

Release Date: 1995

Label: Vanguard

Review by Bob Gottlieb

This is one of the most ambitious albums I have run across. The only instrument on it other than bass guitar is voice. Before you come to a sliding stop, give it a moment and listen to the beauty that comes forth from the speakers. "It won't hold my interest!" you say. "Horse feathers!" say I. This is an album from the heart of a thinking and feeling human, who has so much to give. I was skeptical for about 20 seconds, then I was hooked into it. It is complex/it is simple. It is here/there. Confusing/Straightforward. Straight/Narrow. Big/Small. Top/Bottom. Put it on and open up to the music.

Marco Zurzolo Band - 7 e mezzo (2005)

2011-03-05T07:04:00.003+02:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: Jazz

Release Date: 2005

Label: EGEA Records & Distribution

The jazz in the style of Marco Zurzolo
The rite of the Madonna of the Arch, the poems of Raffaele Viviani and the mask of Pulcinella. Three icons of the Neapolitan, and three times of the career of the saxophonist and composer Marco Zurzolo " Votive "," Naples belly of the South "and" Pulcinella ", all published by ' Egea Records . And, again for the ' Aegean Records , released " Seven and a half , "his latest album. Although Naples, intended more as a way of being inside a geographical place, is always very present in his music today, " Seven and a half, is the beginning of a new way of looking at music, more intimate and romantic. I named this work as a game of cards because as players we just concentrated on our way on our end, without thinking that sometimes you have to wait and watch what happens to the world around us. I called like a game of cards Neapolitan because Naples is always present in my life and, at this particular time, is emblematic of this attitude " ( Marco Zurzolo )

The turning point in art could be reflected not only in the compositions and arrangements, including the choice of musicians. The Mamma Mia Vita Band , the pleasantly chaotic ensemble with a variable geometry that had accompanied him on previous albums, gave way to a quintet, which is enriched by the presence of such guests, Marc Johnson (bass) and Gabriel Mirabassi (clarinet). While a leading role, and in all the songs, they have the guitars (acoustic and classical) to Carlo Fimiani . Not to mention that Vittorio Riva , here also involved in the role of percussionist, musical alter ego is the real (and not just rhythmic) of Marco Zurzolo , always. A remain unchanged, it is also the fusion of jazz and folk tradition that has created over the years, a unique genre.

L 'album begins with " I'm going south . " After an introduction very evocative (on the talent of Erasmus Petringa ), the composition takes on a similar pattern to that of tamurriata, but with more modern sounds. Very characteristic is also the only one of Marc Johnson , which must be recognized the rare ability to immerse themselves in a musical tradition other than their own. Deserve attention in the elegant use of brushes by Vittorio Riva and the combination of the baritone sax Gabriel Grossi and alto sax Marco Zurzolo .

I n " Five and a bit ' , the most obvious references are to the sounds band, so those that had characterized the album " Ex vote . " The song is a succession of different moments, all of great intensity and energy. If the theme is to highlight the relationship between the trombone Alessandro German and bass Joseph Stamp , in part B is truly remarkable overlap of the odd time to work with binary subdivisions of Vittorio Riva , who also plays the darbouka here. Without doubt one of the most beautiful pieces of Marco Zurzolo , also for his ability to get the sax very different voices.

U na folk ballad in 3 / 4. Here " E Duje piscature , "which opens with the guitar Carlo Fimiani and (soon) the clarinet Gabriel Mirabassi . Listening to this song gives the impression of listening to an Italy that no longer exists. Feeling exacerbated by the use of such percussion-type band, the snare drum, bass drum and cymbals symphony. Not at all taken out of context, the two parts where the song takes on an atmosphere in the Middle East 12 / 8. Fans of Marco Zurzolo will find themselves, in fact, already some inspiration topics in " Belly of Naples South . "

M to a title was thus able to give the sense of a song as in the case of " Viento 'and sea . " Here too we are faced with a popular ballad, but even more romantic than the last. Very interesting jazz cadence and the use of brushes, which here give an idea of the waves. Not to mention the only Marc Johnson , who has only one drawback: it is too short. In the foreground, more than elsewhere, the voice of Marco Zurzolo .

A Absolutely the spirit of the disk, but unlike any other composition is the title track . It is risky to talk about a funky fusion with vague nuances, but strictly acoustic. Among the stylistic features of Marco Zurzolo , the ability to surprise the listener. Almost all of a sudden, comes a section, introduced dall'oud of Erasmus Petringa , which completely changes the cards on the table. Really good work of all musicians, and highly effective rhythmic overlap of 7 / 8 with the progress of 4 / 4 marked by the Charleston. Finally, it is not unreasonable to suppose that some of the sax sounds are a tribute to one of the great "masters" of Marco Zurzolo : James Senese .

I n " Napoletana "cup ", the opening is again left to the stringed instruments. The trend is that of popular music, but there are percussive and harmonic sophistication that make it something different and original. A want to describe with words, is reminiscent of a winter's night, and a journey that has already started, but we do not know where it can bring. Among the best moments, the intensity of issues beyond those of solo by Marco Zurzolo and Carlo Fimiani .

A ncora one night, but in Bayamo. The composition is characterized by a structure comprising several moments. It almost seems that Marco Zurzolo wanted to tell a love story, but from different angles and points of view. Probably, it's " Night in Bayamo , "which is in the best sense of the whole album. In this passage, contained in it, in fact, inspired by all matrices which comes to life. Simply amazing work of all musicians and wonderful ending.

S ARA title, but " Red Pomigliano "the music evokes the memory of a historical group, was born in Pomigliano D'arc," and 'Zezi . The rhythmic element and, in particular, the percussion plays a key role in marking this popular ballad, especially towards the end. Because of its expressive power, it would be like an artist like Fabrizio De Andrè.

The voice of Sofia, the tiny daughter of Marco Zurzolo , opens the song dedicated to her. It is an act of love of a father, and every word is superfluous.

The jazz and the Marco Zurzolo , indeed, the jazz in the style of Marco Zurzolo . This could be the subtitle of " ... and I'm bbene ", a term that is used in the game of seven and a half when you do not want more cards. For its energy, is definitely one of those songs that lend themselves to a live performance. Here we find one of the most beautiful moments solo album: that of Gabriele Mirabassi . It is striking, then, the specialist Marco Zurzolo .

A scoltando " Seven and a half "is understood, therefore, the reason for the success of an artist who was the only guest of the Italian last Montreal Jazz Festival, and among the most acclaimed Australian edition of Umbria Jazz 2005 . Those who already knew the disks Marco Zurzolo , find an artist who has reached a new stage of his artistic development. Who has not heard his music, has the opportunity today to hear his finest album, " Seven and a half . "
Massimiliano Cerreto for Jazzitalia

Niacin - Niacin (1997)

2011-02-26T20:34:00.004+02:00

Format: ape + cue + log

Genre: Neo-Fusion

Release Date: 1997

Label: Stretch Records

Review:Robert Taylor, All Music Guide

This is the debut recording of the power trio Niacin, comprised of organist John Novello, bassist Billy Sheehan, and drummer Dennis Chambers. The pet project of Sheehan, it is part acid jazz, part progressive rock, and part jazz-rock fusion, all built around Novello's dominating sound. They have obviously learned from some of fusion's previous pitfalls and keep the pyrotechnics to a minimum in deference to strong grooves, patient tension building, and memorable melodies. Chambers in particular exercises restraint and seems content to play "in the pocket," favoring his typically busy (in a good way) style. The session really belongs to Novello, who seems to have appeared from out of nowhere, as did this band, and emerged as a key voice on an underutilized instrument. His sound is steeped in the Jimmy Smith and Joey DeFrancesco schools, but he avoids sounding retro or like an imitator. Listeners were hungry for this type of music and were quick to respond to Niacin's soulful fusion. An excellent debut.

Christophe Rime - Heavy Loud Funk Menuet 2003

2011-02-26T11:12:00.004+02:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: Jazz / Nu-Jazz / Fusion

Release Date: 2003

Label: Night and Day

A robust and vigorous rhythmic dusted with a soft lyric madness. Thus Rime describes his new album. Rime is a guitarist warm and spontaneous. His playing intense and energetic, his complex compositions, but obvious musicality, we quickly unveil his musical influences: Wes Montgomery, Van Hallen or Herbie Hancock.A away from austere and impersonal musical moods of our century, invented an electric Rime Jazz-old.

Biography

Rime fell into the magic cauldron of music as a child. After an early start on drums, he soon found himself enchanted by the guitar. His first experiences as a young performer were at private parties after school. At 16, he received his first commission: to write the score of a short film by the daughter of the monumental French actor, Jean Gabin.
He began to play regularly in Paris jazz clubs, including the Utopia, Sunset, Petit journal Montparnasse, and New Morning.

His guitar-playing talent attracted attention. At the tender age of 19, he crossed the Atlantic to study at the mythical Berklee College of Music in Boston. On guitar, he enjoyed collaborations with Dany Walsh, Makoto Ozone, the Boclé brothers and Stéphane Allard (Montreal Symphonic Orchestra).

On his return to France, Rime continued his craft as a studio and live session guitarist for French mainstream singers. Alongside this career as a sideman, he put together a band with the evocative name "Kab Kabinet et les chasses du Comte Zaroff". He also played on the first Ultramarine album "Programme Jungle", then embarked upon a 'lyrical fusion' experiment with Nguyên Lê in the weird and wonderful group Soap Op. Dominique di Piazza (John Mc Laughlin) and Stéphane Huchard were among the other talents involved in Christophe Rime's musical adventures around this time.
From the 1990s Rime turned his hand increasingly to production and arrangement. He worked on the "Magic Hands " album by the Indian star Kakoli (co-produced by Peter Gabriel), produced the " Soul Preserves " album and singles "Stairway to Heaven" and "The Darkstone will Shine " by the singer Audren, plus the Georges Seba album, to mention a few.

1995 saw the release of his first album, entitled "RIME", on Night and Day records. Christophe is accompanied by Mokhtar Samba, Michel Alibo and Pierre Olivier Govin. " RIME " received favourable reviews and his melodies are used as title sequences for a number of radio shows.
An eclectic artist, Rime is also a composer and arranger of music for video games, such as Motoracer II (over 1,700,000 copies sold), Darkstone (880,000 copies) and Motoracer World Tour/ Motoracer 3 (800,000 copies), featuring Luc Van Acker (Ministry, Won Ton Ton ).

In June 2000, he was awarded the "Sound for 2000" prize by the Val de Marne regional council, the resulting work "Vert l'an 2000" was performed in public from October. He has since composed music for television advertisements, documentaries and series on all French national broadcasters (TF6, FR2, FR3, FR5, MCM, Arte, Eurosport..).
2003 finally sees the release of his second album " Heavy Loud Funk Menuet ", which had been in the cooking pot for over two years. Released on Night and Day, and featuring such prestigious guests as Paco Sery, Linley Marthe and Laurent De Wilde, the album treats the listener to a blend of electro and jazz-fusion. It stayed several months in the top 5 of the TSF (#1 French Jazz Radio) playlist.

In 2005, the album " Blues Back Home " (Night and Day) wins wide acclaim. Sitting somewhere between Blues and World music, the record enables Rime to return to his first love : the Delta Blues. Etienne Mbappé, Djeli Moussa Diawara, Roger Biwandu, Allen Hoist are among those bringing their warmth to this enchanting musical voyage. Several songs from the album are included in the film soundtrack of " Frankie " (with Diane Kruger) in 2006.
Christophe Rime has been also Director of the Centre des Musiques Actuelles, music school in Valenciennes from 2004 to 2007.

Cheiro De Vida - Vivo 1988

2011-02-19T07:23:00.004+02:00

Format: ape + cue + log

Genre: progressive-jazz, Jazz-rock, fusion

Release Date: 1988

Label: CV

Cheiro De Vida was formed by ANDRE GOMES (bass guitar), CARLOS MARTAU (guitars) and ALEXANDRE FONSECA (drums) in 1980 and were initially based in the Rio Grande do Sul, (in the southern part of Brazil). [Prior to this, the trio had been a jam band but with the addition of PAULO SEPEKOVIA (also on guitar), the newly formed CHEIRO DE VIDA moved in jazz rock fusion]. Moving to Sao Paulo in 1981, they recorded an album as the backing band for Brazilian singer DIANA PEQUENO, subsequently becoming her touring band travelling all over the country.

At the end of 1982, the band returned to their hometown, Porto Alegre, and recorded a second album again as the support band for the singer BEBETO ALVES, for the live "Noticia Urgente". AT this time they also became the support band for singer VICTOR RAMIL whilst being able to maintain their own solo band activities. In 1983 they began to record their first album "Cheiro de Vida", which would see release a year later. To finance the recording costs, 850 special editions were presold to friends and fans. Then as luck has it, a few weeks before the album was due to be pressed, a small record label ACIT offered to take care of its promotion and distribution, in exchange of releasing it on their imprint. The offer was accepted but unfortunately this turned out to be a bad business decision: whilst not receiving any proper promotion nor royalties, it would take the band 10 years to recover their recording masters.

In 1983, CHEIRO DE VIDA became a five-piece band, with the addition of DUDU TRENTIN (keyboards). Things started happening, with the writing and recording of soundtracks for plays such as "Cem Modos" for a successful theatrical company that toured the country. Following this, CHEIRO DE VIDA decided it was time to move to Rio de Janeiro to take their chances. Four of the band came to live together in the same apartment with their wives and children; DUDU TRENTIN moved on and to Austria, where he recorded a solo album.

By 1987 Cheiro De Vida were effective the house-band in the Rio de Janeiro night club, Jazzmania, which had the reputation for being the coolest place around for instrumental music. So whenever there was a open slot, the band would play their own material; ANDRE GOMES also had the opportunity to show off his sitar playing during these sessions. A word-of-mouth reputation spread because of their Jazzmania performances, and so their fan-base developed. As a result some of Brazilian's top musicians visited the club to check them out, such as PEPEU GOMES, RICARDO SILVERIA, NICO ASSUMPCAO, and like others became friends with the band. During this period CHEIRO DE VIDA included some songs in their repertoire, with ANDRE GOMES on vocals. Whilst Warner Records showed some small interest in the band at this time, they could only afford to a 6 song demo at the "Nas Nuvens" studios, which alas remains unreleased to this day. Instead, with the need to make money to survive, band members were forced to work with other artists: ANDRE GOMES and ALEXANDRE FONSECA recording for PEPEU GOMES and CARLOS MARTAU for MARINA on her "Virgem" album. With PAULO SEPEKOVIA leaving the band to return home, by 1988 Cheiro De Vida was back to their original trio line-up
1988 started with a lot of concerts, first at Rio's Planetario da Gavea, then Ipanema's Theater before moving to Porto Alegre for a couple of gigs at OASP. At this time they recorded a show for the local TV station, with the intention of the soundtrack becoming their second album "1988". However, unable to release the album and with CARLOS MARTAU joining DJAVAN for a world tour, the band took a long break through to 1991. Then with DUDU TRENTIN back in the country and having rejoined the band they quickly started writing and playing with a new approach, which was more jazzy. In 1992 they began playing clubs again, as well as recording what should have been their second studio album, with RICARDO SILVEIR guesting on one track. Continuing their history of misfortunes, this album nearly got completed, (apart from a couple of unrecorded solos), before Cheiro De Vida decided to temporarily take a break — which continues to the present day.
CARLOS MARTAU opened his "Guitar Clinic" and becoming a much in-demand luthier and live sound engineer, as seen in his work with top-line artists such as FRANK GAMBALE, MIKE STERN, CASSIA ELLER and most recently MARINA LIMA. ANDRE GOMES, after leaving Pepeu Gome's Band, recorded some soundtracks and an album "A Idade dos Homens", with his father, the violin player ZE GOMES; he has also worked with pop-rap singer GABRIEL O PENSADOR. Today he produces his wife and singer HANNAH LIMA's recordings. ALEXANDRE FONSECA left PEPEU to play with the pop band KID ABELHA, and can also be found playing with industrial metal band INFIERNO, as well as being on MARCIO ROCHA's "Juno" album. DUDU TRENTIN has just released a solo album "Wherever I Go". (www.guiamarau.com.br/dudu)

Scott Henderson & Tribal Tech - Spears 1985

2011-02-12T15:15:00.004+02:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: Jazz, Fusion

Release Date: 1985

Label: Passport Jazz

by Alex Henderson
Scott Henderson's perfectly summarized his outlook when, in 1991, he told L.A. Jazz Scene: "Fusion isn't a dirty word to me. I'm proud to call myself a fusion player." Indeed, real jazz-fusion -- spontaneous, risk-taking and improvisatory -- is exactly what the electric guitarist passionately and enthusiastically embraces on Spears, his debut album. Drawing on such influences as Return to Forever, John McLaughlin and Weather Report, the hard-edged guitarist set the uncompromising tone for his career and that of his band Tribal Tech which, in 1985, included Gary Willis on electric bass, Pat Coil on electric keyboards, Michael Brecker-disciple Bob Sheppard on tenor and soprano sax and flute, Steve Houghton on drums and Brad Dutz on mallets & percussion. Often showing a complex and cerebral sense of melody and harmony, this CD (first released on Passport and reissued by Relativity in 1990) underscores the fact that when fusion is played with integrity, it's very much an extension of the jazz tradition.

Jaco Pastorius - Word of Mouth (1981)

2011-02-06T09:57:00.004+02:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: Bass, Jazz

Release Date: 1981

Label: Warner Bros

In 1981, while still with Weather Report, Jaco Pastorius amassed this unremitting, topnotch big band into which he threads anything that appealed to his vast jazz imagination--from the bell-clanging Caribbean to the burning soul of R&B to the jaunty European boulevards. On board are Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Peter Erskine, Jack DeJohnette, Michael Brecker, Don Alias, and others. The result is skirmishing, scurrying, all-in slabs of sound that suddenly give way to fluid quietude with chorus and strings and, most wonderfully weirdly, to harmonica features from Toots Thielemans. Pastorius is always close to the front, a fretless-bass phenom who out-guitared most guitarists. He also wrote and arranged well, taking care not to let vim and pepper do all the talking.
- Peter Monaghan

Jacques Loussier Trio - Antonio Vivaldi - The Four Seasons 1997

2011-02-05T07:02:00.005+02:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: New Jazz

Release Date: 1997

Label: P&C /Россия/

Pianist Jacques Loussier has certainly had an unusual career, much of it spent performing jazz interpretations of Bach's music. While his original works have been noteworthy, Loussier's most famous projects have been his transformations of Bach's music. In 1997 he tackled Vivaldi's Four Seasons, four concertos that he performed and recorded with his trio. As with Bach's pieces, Loussier pays respect to Vivaldi's melodies and the development of the works while swinging the music. He divides each of the concertos into three parts, improvises tastefully while keeping the themes in mind, and leads his trio through some uncharted territory. Loussier occasionally recalls the style of John Lewis and Allegro Non Molto from the Summer piece has some resemblances to Lewis' "Django." Due to Loussier's impressive technique, respect for both idioms and his well thought-out concept, this unique set is a complete success. ~ Scott Yanow

Shakti With John McLaughlin - Shakti With John McLaughlin (1975)

2011-01-29T07:13:00.004+02:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: Jazz/World,Fusion

Release Date: 1975

Label: Columbia

John McLaughlin - Guitar

L. Shankar - Violin

R. Raghavan - Mridangam

T. H. Vinayakaram - Ghatam and Mridangam

Zakir Hussain - Tabla

Review by Richard S. Ginell (allmusic.com)
For his next act, the decibel champion of electric jazz shocked the world by unplugging and returning to South Indian music before an excitable audience at South Hampton College. Yet the alert John McLaughlin follower will note that beyond the reliance upon South Indian instruments and scales, there are unbroken links to records like My Goal's Beyond and the high-speed electric music that McLaughlin was casting aside at the moment. McLaughlin called his new quintet Shakti, which means "creative intelligence and beauty and power" and the music here has all of that and something else, a ferocious streak inherited from the Mahavishnu days. McLaughlin ignites "Joy" by playing at a blazing speed, his cohorts Lakshminarayana Shankar (violin), Ramnad V. Raghavan and T.H. Vinayakram (mridangam), and Zakir Hussain (tabla) keeping up with the furious unison tempos with great dexterity and discipline, while a reworking of "Lotus Feet" forms a meditative interlude. Side two is taken up by a single, lengthy raga-like track in which McLaughlin combines his rapid-fire Western manner with note-bending techniques clearly emulating a sitar, and the Indians get plenty of dueling room. In its way, this fire-eating acoustic music is just as energizing as the most electrified Mahavishnu flights.

Kim Plainfield + Lincoln Goines - Night and Day 2002

2011-01-23T10:31:00.005+02:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: Jazz/Funk,Fusion

Release Date: 2002

Label: MetaLimbo

2002 release. Drummer Kim Plainfield, known for his work with Bill Connors, and Lincoln Goines known for his work with Mike Stern and Wayne Krantz join together for this mostly instrumental fusion studio project. In the 'Where have you been dept' Guitarist Bill Connors makes a guest appearance on one track. Although this is a drummer and bassist's project, and both Kim and Lincoln play their asses off, the guitar playing on this cd shines throughout. Pat Thrall, Dan Carillo, Rudy Eisenhauer, Bill Connors, guitar; Didier Lockwood, 6 string violin; Adam Holzman, keys; Bill O'Connell, piano; Alex Foster, sax; Jon Lucien, vocals-(one track); Lincoln Goines, bass; Kim Plainfield, drums, keys; Mino Cinelu, Myra Casales, percussion. Note: Lincoln Goines fans also see Kozo Suganuma-Kozo

Oregon - Crossing (1985)

2011-01-22T15:59:00.003+02:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: Jazz

Release Date: 1985

Label: ECM Records

Paul McCandless - oboe, bass clarinet, soprano saxophone, English horn

Glen Moore - bass, flute, piano

Ralph Towner - Prophet 5 synthesizer, piano, cornet, classical guitar, 12-string guitar, percussion

Collin Walcott - tabla, percussion, sitar, snare drum, bass drum

One of the earliest and finest exponents of world jazz, Oregon began life in 1970 as an offshoot of the Paul Winter Consort, in which the group's original members had played. From the beginning, the band eschewed most jazz conventions. Percussionist Collin Walcott played tabla, sitar, and dulcimer, among other instruments, but did not use a trap set; bassist Glen Moore doubled on clarinet, viola, and piano, and its front line was formed by a double-reedist (Paul McCandless) and an acoustic guitarist (Ralph Towner). The band's music differed from much of what had heretofore been considered jazz. The concept of blues and swing was given a much-reduced prominence in favor of other, less literal forms of tonal and rhythmic organization. For example, Indian ragas would occasionally replace chord changes, and talas would supplant swing time. The group's dynamic approach was quieter than typical by jazz standards, and their overall aesthetic somewhat introspective. Improvisation was central to the band's work, however, and in this sense their music is most firmly in the jazz tradition. Oregon's music is characterized by a heightened method of ensemble interaction, a rapt attention to timbral contrast, and an openness to any and all cultural influences. After Walcott's death in a car accident in 1984, the group disbanded for a time, before eventually replacing him with percussionist Trilok Gurtu. ~ Chris Kelsey, Rovi

Chick Corea - Return to Forever 1972

2011-01-16T19:54:00.003+02:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: Jazz/Fusion

Release Date: 1972

Label: ECM

by Steve Huey

The legendary first lineup of Chick Corea's fusion band Return to Forever debuted on this classic album (titled after the group but credited to Corea), featuring Joe Farrell on soprano sax and flute, the Brazilian team of vocalist Flora Purim and drummer/percussionist Airto Moreira, and electric bass whiz Stanley Clarke. It wasn't actually released in the U.S. until 1975, which was why the group's second album, Light as a Feather, initially made the Return to Forever name. Nonetheless, Return to Forever is every bit as classic, using a similar blend of spacy electric-piano fusion and Brazilian and Latin rhythms. It's all very warm, light, and airy, like a soft breeze on a tropical beach -- hardly the sort of firebrand approach to fusion that Miles Davis, Tony Williams, and the Mahavishnu Orchestra were exploring, and far less rooted in funk or rock. Corea also bathes the album in an undertone of trippy mysticism, not only in the (admittedly dated) lyrics, but in his cosmic keyboard wanderings, which remain melodic and accessible through most of the record. There's one genuine pop song in the groovy samba "What Game Shall We Play Today," and while "Sometime Ago" has similar elements, it's part of an ambitious side-long medley that features a stream-of-consciousness intro and a jubilant, Spanish/Mexican-style closing section called "La Fiesta," complete with castanets and flamenco modes. The title track is another multi-sectioned work, featuring Corea and Purim in wordless unison on two different, catchy themes, plus breezy work from Farrell and lots of Brazilian-flavored rhythmic interplay. And the dreamy, meditative "Crystal Silence" is an underrated gem waiting to be rediscovered. Certainly, this edition of Return to Forever wasn't inclined toward high-voltage jazz-rock (as the next one was), but this group's two albums still stand as some of the most imaginative and distinctive early fusion recordings.

Joe Zawinul - To You With Love (1959)

2011-01-16T11:13:00.004+02:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: Jazz

Release Date: 1959

Label: FRESH SOUNDS SPAIN

Music journalism defines him a "Legend".
It may be a word overused but there isn't truly a more appropriate way to describe keyboardist/composer Joe Zawinul.
Austrian born, Joe Zawinul emigrated to the US in 1959 where he played with Maynard Ferguson and the great Dinah Washington before joining alto saxophonist great Cannonball Adderley in 1961 for nine years. Zawinul then moved on to a brief but fateful encounter and collaboration with Miles Davis, just at the time Miles was moving into the electric arena. In 1970, Zawinul and saxophonist Wayne Shorter put together what was to become the most important jazz group of the ‘70s and beyond, Weather Report. Bandmembers came and went, including Miroslav Vitous, Alphonso Johnson, Jaco Pastorius, Victor Bailey, Peter Erskine and Omar Hakim.
At age 73, Joe Zawinul is still leading the way and has something fresh to say.
A few months after his arrival in NYC in 1959, Zawinul got the chance to record the present album, the first time since arriving in United States as a leader of his own trio.

Billy Cobham - Crosswinds (1974)

2011-01-15T17:53:00.004+02:00

Year: 1974

Style: Jazz/Fusion

Format: Flac+CUE+LOG

Label: Atlantic Master

Billy Cobham - drums, percussion

John Williams - guitar (acoustic), bass, bass (acoustic), bass (electric)

Randy Brecker - trumpet

Garnett Brown - trombone

John Abercrombie - guitars

George Duke - keyboards, vocals

Lee Pastora - percussions

3rd World Electric - Kilimanjaro Secret Brew (2009)

2011-01-09T15:30:00.006+02:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Year Of Release: 2009

Genre: Jazz-Rock / Jazz-Fusion

Label: Reingols Records

1. Waterfront Migration
2. Ode To Joe
3. Capetown Traffic
4. Downbeat Dakkar
5. The Lava Juggler
6. Kilimanjaro Secret Brew
7. Tin Can Robots
8. Children Of The Future

Zoltan Csörsz, Dave Weckl - Drums

Ayi Solomon - Percussion

Lalle Larsson - Piano, Rhodes, Synth

Karl-Martin Almquist - Tenor & Sopran-Saxofon

Jonas Reingold - Bass

Roine Stolt - Guitar, Rhodes, Minimoog

Wow! What do you mean groovy?!! Times of Weather Report revive. This septet swings through the roof with instrumental fusion and jazzrock. 3rd World Electric has been launched by Jonas Reingold, The Flower Kings bass player, who is not holding back his funky talent here. The Swede reveals himself as the Jaco Pastorius of the new millennium, but that’s no news. In our time he is top of the bill. He got the idea for this new band together with Roine Stolt (The Flower Kings and TransAtlantic), a well-known musician who considers this music as a tribute to keyboardist Joe Zawinul (one ballad has been name after him). It struck me that he doesn’t step in the limelight with solos, except his wahwah-contributions in the Brecker Brothers-like Tincan Robots, or the jazzy moments of the title track.

There is much more space for the amazing saxophonist Karl Martin Almqvist, sometimes with big band proportions (Downbeat Dakar). And what a beautiful fast played tune in The Lave Juggler. The rhythm breaks here are seductive and from no less than the American master of session Dave Weckl. Yes, the Swedes managed to engage him for three songs. During the other five songs the unsurpassed Zoltan Csцrsz (ex-Flower Kings) does all the drumming, really not a newbie and totally in his place in this swinging fusion band. Ayi Solomon interlarded everything with congas and percussion, for sure colourfully played in the long latin-feel of the light Children Of The Future.

Lalle Larsson (Karmakanic) professionally touches the Fender Rhodes, piano and other keyboards in the important part he plays in each song.

You get it, 3rd World Electric is an actual hit, in the footsteps of legendary names from the seventies, like George Duke, Passport, Herbie Hancock, Mahavishnu Orchestra and Billy Cobham.

What a party it will be to eat this stew on the Kilimanjaro mountain. ~Freek Wolff ( IO pages - Nerherlands)

Shadowfax - Shadowfax (1982)

2011-01-08T18:56:00.004+02:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: New Age, World, Jazz

Style: Fusion, Contemporary Jazz, Neofolk

Year: 1982

Label: Windham Hill Records

Shadowfax is the eponymous second release from the atmospheric fusion group, and the twenty-second release on Windham Hill. With a strong Asian and Native American influence on the music, there is a different feel to this release than the folk, classical and chamber jazz releases of their label-mates. And while this is fusion and not rock – there are rock underpinnings throughout the album. While this release isn’t as dynamic as all later albums, there is a drive and flow that comes through even on the quietest tracks.

As for the sound – this recording is an excellent litmus test of your system. While you can enjoy the music anywhere, it will sound compressed and more like atmospheric background music than the eastern-inspired jazz that it is. If you play the vinyl and your system doesn’t sound detailed and dynamic, then your system could use some extra resolving power. You can follow each instrument throughout every song and each piece comes to life. Phil’s bass is tight and yet full-bodied, and the ever-present percussion sparkles throughout each track. When I see someone dismiss this album as lacking any engagement or dynamics, I blame their reproduction of it, not the music. That being said, for the first 10 years I owned this album, I mainly played it on a home-made cassette through an old Sony receiver, and enjoyed it just as much as I do today.

Count Basie - Basie Jam 1973 [24 k Gold Limited Edition CAPJ 022]

2011-01-01T15:11:00.004+02:00

Format: ape + cue + log

Genre: Jazz, Swingin Blues

Label: Analogue Productions [24 k Gold Limited Edition CAPJ 022]

Year: 1973

Mastered by: Doug Sax

Curt Cress - Sing 1997

2010-12-26T07:17:00.007+02:00

Genre: Fusion, Jazz-Rock

Label: Wea

Format: flac + cue + log

Year: 1997

1. Tom + Fill
2. Welcome to Japan
3. The Crezz
4. Azteka
5. Sing
6. Azzoo
7. Power of Echoes
8. Between the Lines
9. Rainplay

Udo Arndt: Producer, Keyboard, Programming

Curt Cress: Producer, Drums, Percussion

Stanley Clarke: Bass

Reinhold Heil: Percussion, Keyboards, Effects

Falco: Voice

Peter Weihe: Guitar

Ken Taylor: Bass

Paul Botter: Voice

Bio by rateyourmusic.com
After playing in various German bands Curt Cress started releasing albums under his own name in 1975. The personnel used on Curt Cress Clan became the nucleus of Snowball in 1978, and already ceased to exists three years later, in December 1981. Ever since, Curt was recruited as a session drummer for the likes of Falco, Mike Batt, Alphaville, The Scorpions and Saga (to name just a few) and was never a steady member of any formation again. He also commenced writing and producing film soundtracks in the 80s, and published three more solo efforts. Most recently, at the beginning of the new millennium, he was a part of the intended reunion of Triumvirat.

Bob James & Hilary James - Christmas Eyes (2008)

2010-12-24T07:18:00.005+02:00

Release Date: 2008

Genre: Jazz, Christmas

Label: Koch Records

Format: flac + cue + log

There are 13 tracks in all, ten vocals – all performed by Hilary and Kevin. Along with traditional favorites like ‘Silent Night’, ‘Winter Wonderland’, ‘Greensleeves’ among others, also featured here are three instrumentals with arrangements by Bob James. Very special guest artists include Al Gorgoni, James Genus, Billy Kilson, Chuck Loeb and Dave Koz.

1. Christmas Eyes - Bob James, James, Hilary
2. Winter Wonderland - Bob James, Bernard, Felix
3. Bells of Paradise
4. Silent Night
5. Mercy - Bob James, Bach, Johann Sebast
6. A Star Was His Nightlight
7. On This Day (Personent Hodie)
8. The Little Drummer Boy
9. Ye Shepherds
10. Ballulalow
11. Greensleeves
12. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Bob James, Blane, Ralph
13. Christmas Eyes (Reprise) - Bob James, James, Hilary

Bob James (piano, synthesizer)

Kevin DiSimone (vocals, flute, trumpet, keyboards, background vocals)

Hilary James (vocals, background vocals)

Al Gorgoni, Chuck Loeb (guitar)

Dave Koz (saxophone)

Billy Kilson (drums)

Review by Bob James (Traverse City, MI)

My daughter Hilary & I poured our heart & soul into this project. We tried to create a similar atmosphere that we experience in our home during the holiday season. These are our interpretations of both traditional carols and contemporary songs. The highlight for me is the title song composed by Hilary & her husband Kevin DiSimone. We're very confident that this CD will be a perfect way to help you celebrate the holidays. Seasons greetings!!

Players - Players (1987)

2010-12-22T07:24:00.005+02:00

Label: AGAT Company Ltd. (Russian Pressing). Original label is Passport

Date: 1987

Genres: Jazz, Fusion

Format: flac + cue + log

Dave Weckl - Heads Up (1992)

2010-12-19T09:31:00.004+02:00

Label: GRP

Year: 1992

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: Jazz

"Heads-Up" was the 1992 follow up recording to "Master Plan. A lot had changed for Dave, as he had recently moved to California.

This record was the first recording completed in his home studio. Like all the GRP-era recordings, "Heads Up" was a "project record," with no band concept in mind. Jay Oliver and Dave used the computer quite a bit for composition and production, and most of the bass on this record was programmed.

However, Jimmy Earl made an appearance on a few tunes, as well as Gary Novak (the drummer!) also playing bass on a tune Dave co-wrote with him!

1. 7th Ave. South
2. Heads Up
3. Taboo
4. Tomatillo
5. Peripheral Vision
6. Tee Funk
7. Against The Wall
8. Full Moon
9. Trigger Happy

Dave Weckl Drums

Randy Brecker (1) Trumpet, Flugelhorn

Jeff Beal (5) Trumpet

Eric Marienthal (1-3, 6) Saxophone

Steve Tavaglione (5, 7, 8) Soprano Saxophone, EWI

Jay Oliver (1-8) Keyboards, Piano

John Patitucci (3, 8) Bass

Jimmy Earl (1, 3-6) Bass

Gary Novak (1, 7) Drums

On drummer Dave Weckl's GRP set the rhythms are funky but complex and intelligent, Weckl's sidemen are very complementary and the grooves are quite infectious. Altoist Eric Marienthal and tenor saxophonist Steve Tavaglione get to blow up a storm twice apiece over vamps, Jay Oliver's synth spot recalls Chick Corea on "Tomatillo" and there are strong cameos by trumpeters Randy Brecker and Jeff Beal. Listeners who hate the sound of electronics would best avoid this date, but within its genre Heads Up is a superior effort. ~ Scott Yanow