Harry Allen - For George, Cole and Duke (2014)

Here's mainstream jazz at it's very finest with tenor saxophonist Harry Allen and drummer/vibraphonist Chuck Redd, pianist Ahud Asherie and bassist/vocalist Nicki Parrott with a touch of Latin fire on three tracks from "Little Johnny" Rivero. Blue Heron Records LLC is proud to have produced this album, through the generous, unconditional support of many friends, this is a very first in a series of high-quality recordings of America's musical treasure, jazz. It is our intent to create and leave the planet a legacy, representative of the finest examples of jazz music available. The guiding principle behind this endeavor is "Artistic Integrity First," our label's theme. When this concept is extended to the artists at a recording session, the music they make becomes magic! Such was the case in New York, March of 2014. The chemistry was absolutely incredible among the players, engineer, artistic coordinator, and producers. These sessions were amazing. You will undoubtedly as a listener and most importantly as a jazz fan hear and feel the positive energy in this recording. 

Blue Heron Records, none, 2014
Recorded March, 2014 in New York 

Musicians:
Harry Allen - Tenor Saxophone
Ehud Asherie - Piano
Nicki Parrott - Upright Bass, Vocals (#2,6,13)
Chuck Redd - Drums, Vibraphone
"Little Johnny" Rivero - Shakere, Congas, Bongos (#5,10,13) 

Tracks:
01. Always True To You In My Own Fashion {Cole Porter} (4:35)
02. In A Mellow Tone {Duke Ellington, Milt Gabler} (5:09)
03. Happy Reunion {Duke Ellington} (4:41)
04. Silk Stockings {Cole Porter} (7:14)
05. Purple Gazelle [Angelica] {Duke Ellington} (4:27)
06. How Long Has This Been Going On? {George & Ira Gershwin} (6:34)
07. I Love You Samantha {Cole Porter} (6:10)
08. Shall We Dance? {George & Ira Gershwin} (5:19)
09. By Strauss {George & Ira Gershwin} (5:00)
10. Love For Sale {Cole Porter} (6:03)
11. They All Laughed {George & Ira Gershwin} (5:54)
12. Who Cares [So Long As You Care For Me] {George & Ira Gershwin} (6:09)
13. Mood Indigo {Barney Bigard, Duke Ellington, Irving Mills} (3:13) 

Total Time: 70:37 

Credits:
Producer - Chuck Redd
Executive-Producer - Michael Francis
Artistic Coordinator - Scott Edmunds
Engineer - Michael Brorby
Special Consultant - Marty Sheller
Mastering - Helik Hadar

Barbara Raimondi - Singin' Ornette!!! [Mr. Coleman's Music] (2013)

In 2013 Raimondi releases her new cd, a tribute to Mr. Ornette Coleman's music Singin' Ornette!!!, recorded with Mauro Negri (altosax and clarinet), Furio Di Castri (bass) and Enzo Zirilli (drums). The "Singin 'Ornette" project was born from a first love, which, several years ago, opened Barbara Raimondi's musical conception towards a so-called "parallel" universe, that of Mr. Coleman's music and more generally, towards the sincerity of his language. Obviously, being a vocal project, emphasis was placed on the most melodic trait of Coleman's expressiveness, highlighting a vein of singing that rarely appears so characteristic in his music. A real celebration of his world, therefore, and a sincere tribute from the whole group ..." 

Blue Serge, BLS 055, 2013
Recorded August, 2012 (#1-8,10) at Only Music Studio, Bruino, Torino, Italy;
October, 2012 (#9) at Quadra Recording Studio, London (UK) 

Musicians:
Barbara Raimondi - Vocals, Arranger
Mauro Negri - Alto Saxophone, Clarinet
Furio Di Castri - Bass
Enzo Zirilli - Drums
Ross Stanley - Hammond Organ (#8)
Orlando Manfredi - Additional Vocals 

Tracks:
01. The Missing [The Blessing] {Ornette Coleman; Barbara Raimondi} (5:57)
02. Una Muy Bonita {Ornette Coleman; Margo Gurian} (4:06)
03. Kathelin Gray [Intro] (2:02)
04. Kathelin Gray [Theme] {Ornette Coleman, Pat Metheny} (3:24)
05. Turn Around Me [Turnaround] {Ornette Coleman; Barbara Raimondi} (4:39)
06. Tone Dialing [Congeniality] {Ornette Coleman; Barbara Raimondi} (5:40)
07. Check Up {Ornette Coleman} (4:21)
08. Is It Forever? {Ornette Coleman; Barbara Raimondi} (7:39)
09. Mr. Ornette [Peace] {Ornette Coleman; Barbara Raimondi} (5:58)
10. Lonely Woman {Ornette Coleman; Margo Gurian} (8:16) 

Total Time: 50:02 

Credits:
Producer - Sergio Cossu
Recording - Carlo Miori (#1-8,10), Enrico Pinna (#9)
Front Cover, Graphic Artwork - Marina Vettorato
Mixing - Claudio Chiara
Front And Back Cover Photo - Valerio Grande
Inlay Photos - Stefano Barni
Liner Notes [English] - Jim Mullen 

"In taking on this most challenging of projects-- to sing the music of Ornette Coleman-- Barbara Raimondi has made it a triumph. Singing both wordlessly and with her own lyrics, she perfectly captures the bittersweet moods of Ornette's complex melodies. On a cd that contains many gems, I think "Is it forever" a masterpiece." ~ Jim Mullen. London, February 2013.

Dick Griffin - Now Is The Time (1979, 1997)

Here we have a great example of a deep and spiritual jazz album from trombonist Dick Griffin. He is joined by a stunning line-up including Clifford Jordan on tenor sax, Bill Saxton on both tenor & soprano, Hubert Eaves on piano, flute, piano, vocals from Lonnie Liston Smith's brother Donald Smith and then if that's not enough to exhilarate a listening frenzy there’s Calvin Hill on bass, Lawrence Killian on percussion, congas and finally Billy Hart, Freddie Waits sharing drums. The initial LP release on provided six tracks but with the CD reissue another two bonus tracks are added. All compositions are penned by Dick Griffin, a truly an underrated trombonist and composer. A classic of its time, Enjoy! 

Trident Records, TRS-504, 1979
Boplicity Records, CDBOP 021, 1997 

Musicians:
Dick Griffin - Trombone
Clifford Jordan - Tenor Saxophone
Bill Saxton - Tenor & Soprano Saxophones
Donald Smith - Flute, Piano, Vocals
Hubert Eaves - Piano
Calvin Hill - Bass
Billy Hart, Freddie Waits - Drums
Lawrence Killian - Percussion, Congas 

Tracks:
A1. Now Is The Time (6:18)
A2. Madrid (8:20)
A3. Multiphonic Blues (5:10)
B1. Waltz My Son (5:40)
B2. The Queen (7:21)
B3. Peaceful Thinking (6:25) 

CD Bonus Tracks:
7. Darkness Of Duke (4:46)
8. Come Dance With Me aka Come And See (6:26) 

All Compositions by Dick Griffin 

Total Time: 50:20

Joanne Brackeen - Where Legends Dwell (1992)

Jazz pianist Joanne Brackeen is not well known, so her unabashed confidence may seem brash or cocky to those unfamiliar with her music. But, at 53, Brackeen is in peak form, being compared favorably by critics to the great jazz pianists who came before her. In truth, she's merely a realist in touch with her own substantial abilities. Brackeen's newest recording, "Where Legends Dwell," released in February, has impressed critics. This reunion with bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Jack DeJohnette, which features 12 of her original tunes, earned a respectable 4 1/2 of a possible five stars in Downbeat. The jazz magazine also heaped praise on the re-issued "Special Identity," Brackeen's initial 1981 recording with Gomez and DeJohnette. Produced by Helen Keane, who also produced the late jazz pianist Bill Evans, "Where Legends Dwell" finds Brackeen running the gamut from McCoy Tyner-like percussive attacks to Cecil Taylor-ish free-form storms and more introspective, lyrical moments reminiscent of Evans. Brackeen wrote five of the songs in a whirlwind four-day artistic maelstrom, working on a tight deadline with her much-in-demand sidemen. She is pleased with the results. "Our energy level is in an amazing place, but it’s always been like that. If we never see each other for 10 years, when we get together it’s the same thing, very, very close, some kind of spiritual level," said Brackeen, who looks younger than her age and attributes her vitality to a daily two-hour regimen of martial arts. ~ Extract by Dirk Sutro, latimes.com. 

Ken Music, KEN-021, 1992
Recorded 3rd & 4th September, 1991 at Giant Sound, New York City 

Musicians:
Joanne Brackeen - Piano, Arranger
Eddie Gomez - Bass
Jack De Johnette - Drums 

Tracks:
01. Where Legends Dwell (6:31)
02. Oahu Lizard (6:48)
03. Picasso (8:43)
04. Helen Song (6:10)
05. Cosmic Ties And Mud Pies (2:47)
06. Doris And Anders (6:11)
07. Edgar Irving Poe (6:12)
08. For Stan (6:11)
09. Can This McBee? (5:09)
10. Asian Spell (7:10)
11. Jump In Jack (4:43)
12. How To Think Like A Millionaire (3:56) 

All Compositions by Joanne Brackeen 

Total Time: 70:24 

Credits:
Producer - Helen Keane
Executive-Producer - Ken Fujiwara
Recording - Malcolm Addey
Recording [Assistant] - Ron Allaire
Digital Mastering - Joe Brescio, Kevin Flynn
Photography [Cover] - Frank Lindner
Photography [Inside] - Lesley Peacock
Liner Notes - Gene Lees

Alexa Tarantino, Dariusz Terefenko - Crossing Paths (2014)

Alexa Tarantino, a gifted, 22-year-old alto saxophonist who grew up in West Hartford, has plenty to celebrate as she performs in a duo concert with the Polish-born piano virtuoso Dariusz Terefenko. The emerging saxophonist has a new CD out with Terefenko called Crossing Paths. Crossing Paths demonstrates Tarantino’s impressive ability as a fluent, resourceful soloist, and as an empathetic collaborator in tune with Terefenko, a professor of jazz studies and theory at Eastman. He's as learned in the works of Frederic Chopin as he is with those of Keith Jarrett, and is an explorer of creative, interactive links between the two seemingly disparate worlds of classical composition and jazz improvisation. At this early point in her career, Tarantino's new CD marks the culmination of her deep devotion to the alto saxophone, which began in elementary school. Tarantino said. "You can get so many colors from the instrument, and it’s so versatile. You can play fast. You can play ballads. You can fit yourself in anywhere with that saxophone." While absorbing everything she could about her chosen craft, Tarantino developed her own personal pantheon of alto saxophone heroes. "Phil Woods was my big number one idol when I started in high school after I heard his American Songbook album with his quintet," she said. "Now with the duo project with Dariusz, we're exploring a lot of Lee Konitz and Lennie Tristano music. I’m trying to cover the whole spectrum." 

Infinite Records, 2014 

Musicians:
Alexa Tarantino - Alto Saxophone
Dariusz Terefenko - Piano 

Tracks:
01. Crossing Paths {Alexa Tarantino} (5:55)
02. Kary's Trance {Lee Konitz} (7:54)
03. On A Misty Night {Tadd Dameron} (6:59)
04. Line Up {Lennie Tristano} (4:58)
05. In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning {Bob Hilliard, David Mann} (8:03)
06. It's You And Me {Alexa Tarantino, Dariusz Terefenko} (5:25)
07. Dolphin Dance {Herbie Hancock} (8:33)
08. Final Breaths {Alexa Tarantino} (7:38)
09. Opus 2 No. 2 {Alban Berg; Arr. Alexa Tarantino, Dariusz Terefenko} (6:08)
10. Angel's Lament {Alban Berg; Arr. Alexa Tarantino, Dariusz Terefenko} (6:01)
11. A Beautiful Friendship {Stanley Styne, Donald Kahn} (4:58) 

Total Time: 01:12:32 

Co-Producer, Co-Arranger - Alexa Tarantino, Dariusz Terefenko

A saxophone/piano duo presenting fresh takes on jazz standards and re-inventions of classical works, along with original music and improvisation.

Barbara Raimondi Quartetto feat. Emanuele Cisi - Vita Da Altoparlante (1998)

Barbara Raimondi started her professional career when she was very young, working in live and recording sessions as a vocalist for dance music, acid jazz and pop productions. At the age of 24 she had her first touch with jazz music, attending the Civic Jazz Centre in Turin studying with Francesca Oliveri, a well-known Italian singer of gospel and jazz, and then with lyrical teachers getting her a deeper knowledge of vocal technique. Later on, she participated in several jazz seminaries, where she met international teachers such as Mal Waldron. In 1998 she recorded this her first CD as a soloist, called "Vita Da Altoparlante", including jazz standards and some of her own compositions, making use of the Italian language in a jazz musical form, and this record give her the very interesting participation to "Roccella Ionica Jazz Festival", taking part in an original project written and conducted by Enrico Pieranunzi. Her live activity is combined to a teaching work in both Cuneo and Palermo Conservatories and in Scuola Civica di Musica of Turin, and she leads singing and vocal technique clinics. Her mezzo - soprano voice and her versatility allow her to approach different music languages and styles, from Brazilian bossa nova and classical spanish songs from south american tradition, to classical jazz standards, as well as in her own compositions and her repertoire always carries her peculiar jazz imprint. Jazz musicians she has worked with include: Enrico Pieranunzi, Furio Di Castri, Andrea Pozza, Luigi Bonafede, Emanuele Cisi, Giampaolo Casati, Paolo Porta, Claudio Chiara, Enzo Zirilli, Riccardo Fioravanti, Roberto Taufic, Dado Moroni to name a few. Well worth an introduction if not already a fan. ~ extract from BarbaraRaimondi.net. 

Philology Records, W180.2, 1998
Recorded 5th-7th October, 1998 at Orange Studio, Genova, Italy 

Musicians:
Barbara Raimondi - Vocals
Riccardo Ruggieri - Piano
Alessandro Maiorino - Bass
Enzo Zirilli - Drums, Surdo 

Guests:
Emanuele Cisi - Tenor & Soprano Saxes (#4-6,9)
Gilson Silveira - Repinique 

Tracks:
1. Glad To Be Unhappy {Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers} (5:21)
2. Vita Da Altoparlante {Barbara Raimondi} (4:32)
3. It Could Happen To You {Johnny Burke, Jimmy Van Heusen} (4:36)
4. Alfie {Burt Bacharach, Hal David} (4:13)
5. Come Rain Or Come Shine {Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer} (5:23)
6. Una Bugia {Barbara Raimondi} (5:29)
7. Nice Work {George & Ira Gershwin} (3:33)
8. Shaker Song {Jay Beckenstein, David Lasley} (5:48)
9. Retrato Em Branco E Preto {Antônio Carlos Jobim, Chico Buarque} (4:35) 

Total Time: 43:34

Credits:
Recording - Marco Canepa
Mixing - Pippo Monaro
Photography - Grazia Laura
Graphics - Marina Vettorato
Liner Notes - Luigi Bonafede

David Sauzay - Real Blue (2007)

It's no overstatement to say that David Sauzay is the French equivalent of Eric Alexander and has no trouble in putting together a seriously good hard bop album. Released in 2007 it is sure a testimony of his talent and a strong indicator that he wasn't going to disappear overnight. As a master saxophonist and flute player David Sauzay demonstrates he has a fine listening ear and controls exquisitely his blowing delivery. On this date he joined by equally talented French and Italian nationals and together they have produced a collection of tunes that truly swing. Many of these emerging musicians have gone on to release a bundle of individual albums. The album consists of a quartet backed by a piano trio, and with added guitar and trumpet, resulting in the creation of a breathtaking inter-play of musicianship. Overall band sets about to produce a gem worth repeated appraisal, enjoy! 

Black And Blue, BB 700.2, 2007
Recorded 26th November, 2006 at Studio Du Petit Pont, Maurepas, France 

Musicians:
David Sauzay - Saxophone, Flute
Fabien Mary - Trumpet (#9,10)
Alain Jean-Marie - Piano
Yves Brouqui - Guitar (#1-7)
Luigi Truuardi - Bass (#1,3-5,7,10), Cello (#8,9)
Michel Rosciglione - Bass (#2,6,8,9)
Mourad Benhammou - Drums 

Tracks:
01. Looking At Bird {David Sauzay} (4:15)
02. Just One Of Those Things {Cole Porter} (4:10)
03. Hugo's Place {David Sauzay} (4:07)
04. Two Little Cats {David Sauzay} (7:18)
05. One For My Love {David Sauzay} (6:17)
06. Samba Del Camion {David Sauzay} (5:35)
07. My Ideal {Newell Chase} (7:11)
08. Cliff Cliff {Jacques Bernard Hesse} (6:39)
09. Quasimodo {Charlie Parker} (4:41)
10. Blues From Gillespiana {Dizzy Gillespie} (6:03) 

Total Time: 56:16 

Credits:
Producer - David Sauzay
Recording - Guillaume Billaux
Mastering - Antoine Demantke
Cover Photo - Catherine Lancien
Graphic Design - Johanna & Jean-Marc Fritz

Sumi Tonooka, Rufus Reid, Akira Tana - With An Open Heart (1984) [vinyl]

'With An Open Heart' represents Sumi Tonooka's first exposure on record, and there's going to be excited talk about her upon its release. The tracks that show her off to best advantage are those that catch fire from her fulgurous phrasing - horn-like in its linearity and melodic signification, percussive in its density and spring. "Piano is a percussion instrument," she says, and not surprisingly she lists among her influences a number of pianists of like mind, including Thelonious Monk, McCoy Tyner, Ahmad Jamal, and Nina Simone. But she's also been influenced by horn players. She says "I went through a period of listening to nothing but Dexter Gordon, admiring the way he swings so hard, and without overstatement. The composer Tonooka most admires is Duke Ellington, and writing music often becomes a synesthetic experience for her, as it was for him. Even with jazz suffering from a virtual mass-media blackout, it is easy for new recordings from unfamiliar artists to get lost in the shuffle. But 'With An Open Heart' is one album worth taking a gamble on. A gamble with a sure payoff, for Sumi Tonooka is an artist likely to be with us for years to come. ~ Extract from Liner Notes by Francis Davis. 

Radiant Records, RR5601, 1986
Recorded 8th & 9th August, 1984 at Classic Sound, New York 

Musicians:
Sumi Tonooka - Piano, Solo (#A5)
Rufus Reid - Bass
Akira Tana - Drums 

Tracks:
A1. Subterranean Dream (6:28)
A2. It's About Time (5:34)
A3. Now That I Know (4:13)
A4. Spur Of The Moment (4:01)
A5. Phantom Carousel (2:57)
B1. Sweet And Bitter Suite: Bittersweet (5:28)
B2. Sweet And Bitter Suite: Without You (4:49)
B3. Sweet And Bitter Suite: With An Open Heart (4:01)
B4. How Can This Be (6:29) 

All Compositions by Sumi Tonooka 

Total Time: 44:00

Credits:
Co-producer - Sumi Tonooka
Executive-Producer - Gei Zantzinger
Engineer - David Baker
Art Direction, Layout, Design - Harry Bates
Photography [Front] - Rich Dunoff
Photography [Back] - Corky Lee
Liner Notes - Francis Davis 

Rufus: "What impresses me the most about Sumi is that she knows what she wants to hear, and has taken the time to learn the roots of jazz and has synthesized it with her heritage, which gives her playing and music a different flair.” 

Akira: "The material on this album, composed by sumi reveals her inner strength, soul and beauty. Her playing is a personal statement of the highest order. Sumi Tonooka plays and composes 'with an open heart'.”

Terence Blanchard - Simply Stated (1992)

Terence Blanchard is in top form throughout this highly enjoyable outing. The trumpeter is most memorable on "Dear Old Stockholm" (a song from the 1950's that he helped revive), an emotional "When It's Sleepy Time Down South" and a medley of his "Glass J," the theme from "Mo' Better Blues" and Ornette Coleman's "Lonely Woman." Blanchard, who also plays "Detour Ahead" and four of his originals, is joined by tenor-saxophonist Sam Newsome, pianist Bruce Barth, bassist Rodney Whitaker, either Troy Davis or Billy Kilson on drums and (on "Dear Old Stockholm") the up-and-coming altoist Antonio Hart. The music is tied to the hard bop tradition yet is quite fresh and open to more modern influences. ~ by Scott Yanow, AMG. 

Columbia Records, CK 48903, 1992
Recorded 1992 at BMG Studios, New York, New York 

Personnel:
Terence Blanchard - Trumpet, Piano [Solo] (#5)
Antonio Hart - Alto Saxophone (#4)
Sam Newsome - Tenor Saxophone
Bruce Barth - Piano
Rodney Whitaker - Bass
Billy Kilson - Drums (#7)
Troy Davis - Drums, Cymbals 

Tracks:
1. Lil' Fawdy {Terence Blanchard} (5:23)
2. Central Focus {Terence Blanchard} (4:38)
3. Simply Stated {Terence Blanchard} (8:24)
4. Dear Old Stockholm {Traditional} (10:03)
5. Little Miss Olivia Ray {Terence Blanchard} (2:32)
6. Glass J {Terence Blanchard} / Mo' Better Blues {Bill Lee}
/ Lonely Woman {Ornette Coleman} (11:25)
7. Detour Ahead {Lou Carter, Herb Ellis, John Freigo} (11:41)
8. When It's Sleepy Time Down South {Clarence Muse, Otis & Leon René} (8:34) 

Total Time: 62:44

Credits:
Producer - Terence Blanchard
Executive Producer - Dr. George Butler
Recording, Mixing & Mastering - James P. Nichols
Studio Technician - Marian Conaty, Major Little
Art Direction, Design - Joel Zimmerman
Photography - Jim Galante

Pia Boda - Chasing Pixies (2015)

The debut album of Los Angeles-Born, Danish saxophonist and educator Pia Boda is an evocative attempt to relive old Viking stories about elves and fairies. The symbolic images about a living nature, the chase of the invisible elves and fairies who were supposed to hover in the air, and we can only sense "contours of creatures moving to somewhere," motivated Boda to create her own personal musical universe. Chasing Pixies, features Boda's Copenhagen-based quartet which formed a few years back. The quartet is an international unit - Tokyo-born pianist Makiko Hirabayashi, a leader of her own Nordic trio and member of percussionist Marilyn Mazur trio, Swedish double bassist Erik Olevik and native Danish drummer Andreas Fryland, who replaced original percussionist Lisbeth Diers. This quartet charges the typically Nordic-sounding, lyrical and melodic images of Boda with edgy yet emphatic, improvised interplay. Boda knows how to compose a cycle of arresting, story-like narratives, and even titled one of of the most beautiful pieces, "Storyteller." She and Hirabayashi, are the obvious narrators, and both enjoy an emphatic, conversational interplay that highlight each other's qualities. Boda's tone is warm, gentle and suggestive, focused on concise, linearly-flowing ideas, while Hirabayashi always offers highly original and more improvised abstractions of these ideas. Olevik and Fryland envelope while Boda and Hirabayashi exchange ideas with solid yet open pulse, except on the brief, free-improvised "Haiku #1" and "Haiku #2." The drama in these stories is usually quite minor and subtle but "Mammoth March" evokes a sense of mysterious adventure and the playful "African Flavour" that offers a kind of imaginary dance. Promising, evocative and beautiful. ~ by Eyal Hareuveni, AAJ. 

Gateway Music, CD 0915-01, 2015 

Musicians:
Pia Boda - Soprano & Tenor Saxophones
Makiko Hirabayashi - Piano
Erik Olevik - Double Bass
Andreas Fryland - Drums 

Tracks:
01. The Dark Side Of The Night (5:36)
02. Chasing Pixies (5:35)
03. Storyteller (5:42)
04. Homeland (4:18)
05. Mammoth March (5:42)
06. Haiku #1 (2:05)
07. Metamorphosis (4:30)
08. Time Of The Wind (2:43)
09. African Flavour (5:36)
10. Drifting (6:54)
11. Haiku #2 (1:55) 

All Compositions by Pia Boda 

Total Time: 50:36

Pia Boda & Chasing Pixies - Drifting (2013)

Sumi Tonooka - Here Comes Kai (1992)

Named for her toddler son, this 1991 trio album from Sumi Tonooka is a pleasure to listen to from start to finish. Accompanied by Rufus Reid on bass and Lewis Nash on drums, it's an an album of good, uncomplicated but inventive post-bop jazz; the trio format naturally provides an intimate listening experience and it's a fairly relaxed (and relaxing) album with some new takes on some jazz standards (Giant Steps, Warm Valley, UMMG) and five originals including the title track. A fine example of Tonooka's musicianship from a discography that is lamentably small for a pianist of her calibre. ~ J. McDonald, Amazon. com.

Candid Productions, CCD 79516, 1992
Recorded 28th March 1991 at Clinton Studios, New York City 

Musicians:
Sumi Tonooka - Piano
Rufus Reid - Bass
Lewis Nash - Drums 

Tracks:
1. Giant Steps {John Coltrane} (6:08)
2. It Must Be Real {Sumi Tonooka} (7:23)
3. At Home {Sumi Tonooka} (8:41)
4. In The Void {Sumi Tonooka} (8:04)
5. Warm Valley {Duke Ellington} (6:49)
6. Upper Manhattan Medical Group {Billy Strayhorn} (7:22)
7. The Mystery {Sumi Tonooka} (7:45)
8. Here Comes Kai {Sumi Tonooka} (4:52) 

Total Time: 57:04

Credits:
Producer - Yoshio Maki
Executive-Producer - Alan Bates
Engineer - Gene Curts
Design - Harry Bates
Liner Notes - Brian Priestley

Christina von Bülow Trio - Prelude To A Kiss (2015)

A fantastic trio ranging from Denmark and Sweden. 

Recorded 6th March, 2015 at the Glenn Miller Café in Stockholm, Sweden 

Musicians:
Christina von Bülow - Alto Saxophone
Erik Söderlind - Guitar
Daniel Franck - Bass 

Prelude To A Kiss {Duke Ellington} (11:06)

Renee Rosnes Trio - I Hear A Rhapsody (1989)

A beautiful piece played by young Renee and her then trio recorded in 1989 at the ‘Mind Medicine Jazz Festival’ in Japan. 

Musicians:
Renee Rosnes - Piano
Ira Coleman - Bass
Billy Drummond - Drums 

I Hear A Rhapsody {George Fragos, Dick Gasparre, Jack Baker} (10:46)

Fabio Morgera - Slick (1999)

Slick is a brand-spanking new release from Sergio Veschi's Red Records. It is a disc in keeping with both his goals of capturing only the top-drawer of jazz and documenting Italian jazz musicians. Fabio Morgera is a talented trumpeter/flugelhornist who has assembled an exceptional medium sized group of his fellow countrymen. Morgera and his group play a smart accessible brand of Hard/Post-Bop that is full of life and invention whether an up-beat barn- burning blues or an ethereal, smoldering ballad. Little-Big Band. Morgera drives a septet that includes a tenor saxophone (J.D. Allen), trombone (Jason Jackson), vibes (Bill Ware), and guitar (Peter Griesinger) in addition to Morgera and his rhythm section (Eric Revic on bass and Alvester Garnett on drums). This combination accomplishes an overall very mellow and bottom-heavy tone to support Morgera's pensive trumpet and flugelhorn playing. This is most evident on the ballads and slower pieces. Morgera is a master at playing the trumpet at a slow tempo. He is always on the note and never drags. The Italian Renaissance. Morgera arranged all of the music and wrote all but three of the compositions on this disc. One of the pieces credited to him, "Things" is actually a take-off of "All The Things You Are." The disc highlight (aside from all of the slow pieces) is Roland Kirk's "Serenade to a Cuckoo." Morgera is at his slurring, swaggering best. But it is the slow stuff...Morgera's flugelhorn on "Flores" and "Napoli," the latter piece having a decidedly Middle Eastern flavor, that make this disc. Morgera's playing is smooth and seamless. A delight, as are the performances of the rest of his band. In the final analysis, Slick is an urbane, beautifully dense yet light as a feather performance of rarified jazz. This music is very much a reflection of the label president, Sergio Veschi. Slick should be considered a super value for anyone's entertainment dollar. Spend it. ~ C Michael Bailey, AAJ. 

Red Record, RR123278-2, 1999
Recorded & Mixed January, 1998 @Studio, New York 

Musicians:
Fabio Morgera - Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Tuba [F-Tuba], Arranger
Jason Jackson - Trombone, Bass Trombone
J.D. Allen - Tenor Saxophone
Bill Ware - Vibraphone
Peter Griesinger - Guitar
Eric Revic - Bass
Alvester Garnett - Drums 

Tracks:
01. Ny Pace {Fabio Morgera} (4:49)
02. Things {Fabio Morgera} (6:42)
03. Flores {Fabio Morgera} (5:19)
04. Serenade To A Cuckoo {Roland Kirk} (3:06)
05. Troupe {Fabio Morgera} (8:43)
06. Napoli {Fabio Morgera} (4:08)
07. Slick {Fabio Morgera} (6:23)
08. Two Lovers {Fabio Morgera} (2:08)
09. Asia Minor Blues {Fabio Morgera} (4:50)
10. Con Alma {Dizzy Gillespie} (7:17)
11. The Kicker {Joe Henderson} (3:27)
12. Step Out {Fabio Morgera} (3:27)
13. Old Devil Moon {Burton Lane, E.Y. "Yip" Harburg} (5:46)
14. And Again {Fabio Morgera} (3:30) 

Total Time: 01:09:35 

Credits:
Producer, Arranger - Fabio Morgera
Executive-Producer - Sergio Veschi
Recording, Mixing & Mastering - Hiroyuki Sanada
Editing, Mastering - Ryoji Hata
Art Direction - Marco Pennisi

Christina von Bülow Trio feat. Jan Allan - West Of The Moon (2001)

The pure Christina von Bülow trio consists of musicians who all have a unique melodic sense. At a time when many jazz musicians are busy following new currents or looking for musical expressions that are "different" to mark their personality, one may be inclined to overhear those musicians who stay strictly within the conventions, as well may be unique artists. For that is exactly what the alto saxophonist Christina von Bülow, the guitarist Jacob Fischer and the Swedish trumpeter Jan Allan are. All three possess a melodic sense of extraordinary dimensions, but just as unusual is the way in which they rhythmically manage to rest in the music. This seems most striking to Allan. For there is no other trumpeter who is instrumentally able to unfold as freely as a saxophonist when, with his slightly dusty-sounding, legato tone, he moves around or across the metric pulse with an incomparable effortlessness, without noticing to lose touch with it. And I also know no one who plays like Christina von Bülow. With a melodic line and a tone that in its mild warmth and timbre lies somewhere between that of Paul Desmond and Stan Getz. Accordingly, Jacob Fischer knows all those other guitarists can too. He just makes it so much more compelling than most others, and when it comes to creating melodic continuity in his chord playing, he hardly has his equal. If one has to further emphasize a common feature of these three musicians, then that is the way in which they manage to seize each other's impulses in the air and then let them develop on their own. For bassist Jens Skou Olsen, it must be pure ‘sting’ to have such a trio standing in front of him, and that was also the case for us who watched the quartet's concert in Copenhagen JazzHouse. A joy that you can recall or retrieve as needed if you acquire the group's just released CD. For it is the repertoire from this that also made up the evening's program. A string of pearls ranging from Lennie Tristano's intricate "317 East 32nd" over evergreens like Brooks Bowman's "East of the Sun" and Richard Rodgers' "With a Song in My Heart" to such immensely beautiful features as Tom Harrell's "Sail Away", Billy Strayhorn's "Isfahan" and Lars Gullin's "Silhouette". So, it's just saying "have fun". ~ Boris Rabinowitsch, Politiken. [Translated from Danish] 

Music Mecca, CD 3059-2, 2001
Recorded 7th-9th May, 2001 at OAL Studios, Stockholm, Sweden 

Musicians:
Christina von Bülow - Alto Saxophone
Jan Allan - Trumpet
Jacob Fischer - Guitar
Jens Skou Olsen - Bass 

Tracks:
01. East Of The Sun {Brooks Bowman} (8:27)
02. Sail Away {Tom Harrell} (8:06)
03. With A Song In My Heart {Richard Rodgers} (8:26)
04. Isfahan {Billy Strayhorn} (6:37)
05. 317 East 32nd {Lennie Tristano} (6:37)
06. Silhouette {Lars Gullin} (6:05)
07. Decent Eyes {Lars Gullin} (5:40)
08. Tunnelbanelåten [The Subway Song] {Lars Gullin} (6:05)
09. Dig {Miles Davis} (2:45)
10. Sand I Mit Øje [Sand In My Eye] {Traditional} (2:32)
11. Jag Ligger På En Äng [I'm Lying On A Meadow] {Georg Riedel, Barbro Lindgren} (2:02)
12. Visa Från Järna [View From Iron] {Traditional} (1:53)
13. Joanne Julia {Kenny Barron} (6:45) 

Total Time: 01:12:00 

Credits:
Producer - Christina von Bülow
Executive-Producer - Henning Schädler
Engineer - Lennart Strøm
Design, Design [DTP] - Kjeld Brandt
Photography - Gorm Valentin

Hank Mobley - Far Away Lands (1967)

Of all the Blue Note artists of the 1960s, tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley may very well be the most underrated. A consistent player whose style evolved throughout the decade, Mobley wrote a series of inventive and challenging compositions that inspired the all-stars he used on his recordings while remaining in the genre of hard bop. For this lesser-known outing, Mobley teams up with trumpeter Donald Byrd, pianist Cedar Walton, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Billy Higgins for four of his songs (given such colorful titles as "A Dab of This and That," "No Argument," "The Hippity Hop," and "Bossa for Baby"), along with a song apiece from Byrd and Jimmy Heath. An excellent outing, fairly late in the productive career of Hank Mobley. ~ by Scott Yanow, AMG. 

Blue Note, BST 84425, 1985
Blue Note, CDP 7 84425 2, 1988
Recorded 26th May, 1967 at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey 

Musicians:
Hank Mobley - Tenor Saxophone
Donald Byrd - Trumpet
Cedar Walton - Piano
Ron Carter - Bass
Billy Higgins - Drums 

Tracks:
1. A Dab Of This And That {Hank Mobley} (5:11)
2. Far Away Lands {Jimmy Heath} (5:32)
3. No Argument {Hank Mobley} (6:31)
4. The Hippity Hop {Hank Mobley} (5:39)
5. Bossa For Baby {Hank Mobley} (6:06)
6. Soul Time {Donald Byrd} (6:48) 

Total Time: 35:47 

Credits:
Producer - Alfred Lion
Recording Engineer - Rudy van Gelder
Reissue Producer, Liner Notes - Michael Cuscuna
Digital Transfer - Ron McMaster
Design - Richard Mantel

Edward Simon, Scott Colley, Clarence Penn - A Master's Diary (2006)

It may be that he is not as famous as his compatriot Ennio Morricone, but Fiorenzo Carpi (1918-1997) is also valued in professional circles and his oeuvre is rated as equal. Even if the name has been forgotten by now, the melodies of the Italian are certainly not. The public-shy Milanese wrote the music for countless cinema, television films, movie soundtracks and stage productions. Some of the most beautiful examples from Maestro Carpi's extensive catalog of works can be heard on "A Master's Diary" in emphatically lyrical jazz adaptations. Here the Edward Simon Trio preserves the narrative magic of the film themes and at the same time emphasizes their timeless beauty. It is, for example, quite magical how Simon gently touches the sequence "Nel Parco" from "Maggio Musicale" on the grand piano. And the rhythmically free flowing "In Cerca di Cibo" from the TV series "Le Avventure di Pinocchio" presents the pianist and his colleagues as extremely sensitive. We then experience them from another side in the quickly swinging "Valzer Lento". Edward Simon, who comes from Venezuela and has lived in the USA since the mid-1980s, has earned a reputation as a versatile and extremely clever pianist. At the side of Terence Blanchard, Avishai Cohen, Brian Blade, Don Byron or Herbie Mann, he made people sit up and take notice as well as leading his own ensembles. In particular, his work in the jazz trio, from which acclaimed studio albums and celebrated appearances in jazz temples such as the Village Vanguard have grown, earned the South American the highest merits. For "A Master's Diary" he collaborated with bassist Scott Colley and drummer Clarence Penn putting together a wonderfully harmonious trio cast. On the album opener "Eugenia's Theme", Diego Urcola joins as a guest on the muted trumpet. Over all a beautiful set of compositions brought to life, Enjoy! ~ Extract by Lena Carle, qrious.de. [Translated from German] 

C.A.M. Jazz, CAMJ 7843-2, 2012
Recorded 26th & 27th July, 2006 at Sear Sound, New York 

Musicians:
Edward Simon - Piano, Solo (#5,10)
Scott Colley - Bass
Clarence Penn - Drums
Diego Urcola - Trumpet (#1) 

Tracks:
01. Eugenia's Theme (6:01)
02. Passeggiata Nel Parco (7:34)
03. In Cerca Di Cibo (5:51)
04. Nel Parco (3:07)
05. Diario Di Un Maestro (3:34)
06. Valzer Lento (5:18)
07. Eugenia's Theme (6:19)
08. Passeggiata Nel Parco [Reprise] (6:32)
09. Diario Di Un Maestro (3:40)
10. In Cerca Di Cibo (3:57) 

All Compositions by Fiorenzo Carpi 

Total Time: 51:53 

Credits:
Producer - Ermanno Basso
Engineer, Mixing - Joe Barbaria
Mastering - Danilo Rossi
Photography - Andrea Boccalini
Liner Notes - Federico Scoppio