Raffaele Casarano - Medina (2015)

Raffaele and his quintet meet two very special guests: the Norwegian star Erik Honoré, and a great orchestra from the region he has born. An album full of opposite sides that try to find a common place where a total and complete idea of music lives. The admirable balance between the various souls is fascinating, the result of Casarano's intuition of drawing a canvas where the individual parts could express themselves freely but coherently, and his meticulous direction in an ambitious project like Medina gives us proof of full artistic maturity.~ tukmusic.com. 

An album by my friend Raffaele Casarano of which I took care of direction, arrangements and orchestration. Unique project of its kind and full of jazz, electronic and symphonic sounds. Thanks to Marco Bardoscia, Mirko Signorile, Alessandro Monteduro, Cristiano Calcagnile, to the splendid timbres of Erik Honoré, to the fabulous Orchestra Ico Tito Schipa and to Paolo Fresu because he believes in these beautiful projects! ~ Alfonso Girardo, alfonsogirardo.com. 

Tǔk Music, TUK008, 2015 

Musicians:
Raffaele Casarano - Alto & Soprano Saxes, Electronics
Mirko Signorile - Piano
Marco Bardoscia - Double Bass, Electronics
Cristiano Calcagnile - Drums
Alessandro Monteduro - Percussion
Erik Honoré - Live Samples
Orchestra Sinfonica Tito Schipa
Alfonso Girardo - Arranger, Conductor

Tracks:
1. Remembering Esbjorn (4:43)
2. A Due (6:39)
3. Click Clock (10:34)
4. Il Paradiso Degli Sciocchi (4:23)
5. L'Istrione (5:22)
6. Se Vuoi Andare Vai (7:37)
7. Un Amico Immaginario (4:51)
8. Africa (3:54)
9. L'Allegra Tristezza (3:38) 

All compositions by Raffaele Casarano 

Total Time: 51:46

Remembering Esbjorn

Ron McClure Quintet - Descendants (1980)

Recorded in New York in July 1980. I participated in the work of Ron McClure, who was also with the Dave Liebman Quintet. Originally recorded for New Zealand's Ode Records, it was released by Ken Music when it was made into a CD. I read the liner notes, I couldn't find the word "Ode Records". Moreover, the album title has been changed from the original "Home Base" to "Descendants", and the jacket has been redesigned. What makes this CD great is that it has 2 more songs than the analog version, and the sound source was remixed in March 1990! I don't need analog records except for collectors. John Scofield has played a very notch performance over the whole volume, and it is by far the best guest participation work recorded in 1980. And Tom Harrell's flugelhorn is good! Maybe it's a synergistic effect, John Scofield and the trumpeter originally had a great compatibility, and Tom's play inspired him to play lively. ~ JohnScoMania, johnscomania.blog.com. 

Ken Music, 660-56-007, 1992
Recorded July, 1980 at Garden Studio, New York City 

Musicians:
Ron McClure - Acoustic Bass, Solo (#6)
Tom Harrell - Flugelhorn
John Scofield - Guitar
Mark Gray - Piano [Electric]
Jimmy Madison - Drums 

Tracks:
1. Boat People (8:37)
2. Dance Of The Scorpion (6:40)
3. Descendants (7:15)
4. Scorpitarius (8:46)
5. Line (5:32)
6. Life Isn't Everything (2:49)
7. Sunny Day (4:59)
8. The Calling (7:03)
9. M Street Shuffle (5:05) 

All compositions and arrangements by Ron McClure 

Total Time: 56:48 

Credits:
Producer, Liner Notes - Ron McClure
Executive Producer - Ken Fujiwara
Recording, Mixing, Editing & Remix - James H. Madison
Design & Edit - Peacock Pii 

Sunny Day

Makiko Hirabayashi, Klavs Hovman, Marilyn Mazur - Surely (2013)

Another prodigious album, the third by the gifted Makiko Hirabayashi and her trio partners: bassist Klavs Hovman and drummer, percussionist Marilyn Mazur. Recorded in 2013 the trio entered the Realistic Sound studio in Munich and laid down thirteen tracks. Makiko is predominantly credited for writing eight of the tunes, but Marilyn Mazur also contributes three first-rate compositions and the remaining two small tracks are attributed to the trio as a whole. Fundamentally, the album showcases Makiko wonderful skills as pianist and compelling composer. Her sound is bright and alluring, sumptuously balanced by Klavs Hovman's exalting bass-lines, all the while backed by Marilyn Mazur's driving drum set. The listener is taken on a wide-ranging journey becoming truly lost in the scintillating rhythms and the majestic composure of Makiko's piano playing. In addition, on a few tunes Marilyn Mazur adds further colouring with her unique voicing. The interplay among the players is very sharp and crisp, utterly captivating and instantly enjoyable. In many ways, it is not an easy-listening album but one that engages the listener into a musical experience that is truly memorable, if not paradoxical. The trio ushers forth music that is seemingly full of contradictions, but this trifling simplicity is sustained by subtle complexity, creating an encounter that’s not diminished by further playtime, enjoy! 

Enja\Yellowbird Records, yeb7738, 2013
Recorded 22nd, 23rd April, 2013 at Realistic Sound, Munich, Germany 

Musicians:
Makiko Hirabayashi - Piano
Klavs Hovman - Bass
Marilyn Mazur - Drums, Percussions, Voice (#7,11) 

Tracks:
01. Surely {Makiko Hirabayashi} (4:14)
02. Moon Bells {Makiko Hirabayashi, Klavs Hovman, Marilyn Mazur} (1:08)
03. Asunder Asunder {Makiko Hirabayashi} (5:38)
04. Life Of A Cactus {Makiko Hirabayashi} (6:29)
05. Stepping On It {Makiko Hirabayashi} (4:08)
06. Black {Makiko Hirabayashi, Klavs Hovman, Marilyn Mazur} (1:28)
07. Ode To Okinawa {Makiko Hirabayashi} (4:31)
08. Eagles And Angels {Marilyn Mazur} (5:22)
09. Parachute City {Makiko Hirabayashi} (2:25)
10. Våd Vinkel [Wet Angle] {Marilyn Mazur} (5:19)
11. Paradox {Makiko Hirabayashi} (5:49)
12. Challenge {Marilyn Mazur} (2:05)
13. Indigo {Makiko Hirabayashi} (2:30) 

Total Time: 51:14

Credits:
Producer - Makiko Hirabayashi, Werner Aldinger
Recording & Mixing - Florian H. Oestreicher
Mastering - Christoph Stickel
Photography - Karolina Zapolska
Cover Design - Franziska Erdle [Gold-Unlimited.DE] 

Våd Vinkel [Wet Angle]

Randy Weston - African Rhythms [Blue] (1984) [vinyl]

Mr. Weston is a descendant of two strong musical personalities, Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk; but far from being absorbed by these influences, he has built a strong identity of his own... music filled with melody, rhythm and a dramatic flair that distinguishes him from any other contemporary pianist. ~ John S. Wilson, New York Times. 

His music is beyond category - not jazz, third stream, nor European classic - it is totally unique, serious, dramatic, infectious, delightful. ~ Duke Ellington. 

Randy Weston is a virtuoso, terribly sincere as an artist whose music reveals a fascinating mood. ~ Le Monde, Paris. 

Weston's ringing overtones in the extremes of the keyboard, his Middle Eastern melodies and stirring rhythms, and his lucid, nonlinear improvisation make for a mesmerizing set. ~ Village Voice. 

1750 Arch Records, S-1802, 1984
Recorded March, 1983 at Northwest Recording Studio, Seattle, Washington, DC 

Randy Weston - Piano [9 Foot Steinway Concert Grand Piano] 

Tracks:
A1. Penny Packer Blues {Randy Weston} (7:16)
A2. Earth Birth {Randy Weston} (4:34)
A3. The Last Day {Randy Weston} (4:45)
A4. Lagos {Randy Weston} (5:13)
B1. Blue In Tunisia {Randy Weston} (7:04)
B2. Mystery Of Love {Guy Warren} (5:07)
B3. Ellington Tusk {Randy Weston} (7:32) 

Total Time: 41:31 

Credits:
Producer - Tom Buckner
Production Assistant - Teo Sutton
Recording Engineer - Gerald Oshita
Cover Concept - Wm. Tony Gable
Front Illustration, Album Design - F. Glen Jones
Photography [Back Cover] - Preston M. Wadley
Sleeve Notes - Randy Weston 

Earth Birth

Jun Usuba - Jazz Roots (2001)

Jun Usuba, born May 8, 1968 in Tokyo. At the age of 14, he taught himself to play the alto saxophone, and at the age of 16, he switched to the tenor saxophone. In 1996, he started his own group "Jun Usuba Jazz Roots". On February 21, 2001, his first leader album "Jazz Roots" was released from Jazz Bank\Polystar. For this album, Jun showcases all his own original compositions, whereby he actively incorporates a wide range of genres such as funk and Brazil music, etc., into his vibrant interpretation of Jazz. In many ways his music is a modern remake of the sound of the Crusaders, a popular band that dominated the jazz fusion scene in the 70's and 80's. Indeed, he is noted for being a close friend of Wilton Felder and Joe Sample. To this day, Jun Usuba continues to perform, evidence of which can be seen at his website. 

Jazz Bank\Polystar, MTCJ-1006, 2001
Recorded 11th & 12th December, 2000 at Gok Sound, Kichijoji, Tokyo 

Musicians:
Jun Usuba - Tenor Sax, Soprano Sax, Percussion
Satoshi Sano - Trombone, Percussion
Shusei Murai - Keyboards, Piano
Takashi Yofu - Guitar
Shinichi Sato - Bass
Shu Matsuyama - Drums, Percussion
Guest:
Tsuya Honda - Percussion (#7,8)

Tracks:
1. Kagu (4:19)
2. Good Looking (5:38)
3. Spring Calypso (6:07)
4. Cheers (6:37)
5. Southern Wind (5:55)
6. Song For G-Clef (5:41)
7. Joker (6:10)
8. Sunday Brunch (2:15)
9. Dear [My Friends] (4:55) 

All tunes composed and arranged by Jun Usuba 

Total Time: 46:41 

Credits:
Producer - Jun Usuba
Executive Producer - Yoichi Nakao
Recording & Mixing Engineer - Atsushi Tanaka
Design & Photography - Yumiko Takeoka 

Dear

Bryan Savage - Soul Temptation (1998)

Fellow multi-reedsman Nelson Rangell could learn a valuable lesson from Bryan Savage, who takes the risk of switching off between flute and saxes on his Higher Octave debut Soul Temptation. Equally adept at being a classically influenced postmodern Tim Weisberg and edging robustly on alto and tenor towards the steamy Gato Barbieri sound, Savage offers a little spunky something for everyone: a rich, improvisational fireball of "Georgia on My Mind"; a disco-minded slappiness on "Party Line"; and a flashy Tower of Power-type vibe on the catchy "Kaleidoscope." Written by Rick Braun (who also adds Savage to his production resume here), that tune finds Savage like a kid in the proverbial music store carrying the slamming melody by tripling flute, alto, and tenor and wrapping that brew around Braun's punchy flügelhorn. Everyone wants the Braun horn sound on their recordings, and it's to Savage's credit that the trumpet only shows up on two cuts as harmony; Braun, however, does lay some slick grooves via his underappreciated skills as a keyboardist/programmer. ~ by Jonathan Widran, AMG. 

Higher Octave Jazz, HOJCD 45623, 1998
Recorded at: Auravision, Brauntosoarus Studios, Megatracks,
Savage Studios, Studio City, California 

Musicians:
Bryan Savage - Alto Sax, Tenor Sax, Flute, Keyboards, Programming, Synthesizer
Rick Braun - Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Keyboards, Programming, Synthesizer
Bob Carpenter - Keyboards
Joel Gaines - Keyboards, Strings
Vin D'Onofrio, Chris Standring, Todd Sharp - Guitar
Larry Antonino, Cliff Hugo, John Menzano - Bass
Joe Finger. Dave Karasony, Dee Palmer - Drums
Scott Breadman - Percussion 

Tracks:
01. Soul Temptation {Rick Braun, Bryan Savage} (4:46)
02. Mulholland Drive {Rick Braun, Bob Carpenter, Bryan Savage} (4:48)
03. Last Summer {Joe Gaines, Keith Rouster} (4:44)
04. Party Line {Bryan Savage} (4:18)
05. Saturday Night {Rick Braun, John Mahon, John Menzano} (4:05)
06. River Of Dreams {Rick Braun, Bryan Savage} (4:36)
07. Two Cool {Vin D'Onofrio} (4:53)
08. Kaleidoscope {Rick Bruan} (3:57)
09. We Have It All {Bryan Savage} (4:21)
10. Georgia On My Mind {Hoagy Carmichael, Stuart Gorrell} (5:43) 

Total Time: 45:46 

Credits:
Producer - Bryan Savage, Rick Braun
Producer, Engineer, Mixing, Editing - William Aura
Executive Producer - Matt Marshall, Dan Selene
Production Director - Maria Ehrenreich
Engineer, Mixing - Eddie King
Mastering - Stephen Marcussen
Art Direction, Design - Robert Fisher 

Soul Temptation

Gianfranco Menzella Quintet - Miriam (2009)

With Miriam, Gianfranco Menzella presents the public a study that is certainly classic in stylistic terms, linking itself to the references of black music and introducing an experimental touch for the harmonizations that evolves in the direction of free jazz, blues and fusion. The Quintet's work, however, is extremely elegant and also reflects a high basic cultural provenance which is the receptive environment, a sophisticated spatial soul that is impossible not to love. In the foreground is Menzella's tenor sax, followed by an alto sax, a sumptuous piano, as well as the classic instruments of the rhythm session such as bass, drums and trumpets, which often join together and seek a swing direction together. It must be admitted that all these categorizations in genres do not best express a work which is, instead, very fine in keeping together all the different nuances of the same musical matrix. In fact, essentiality, stylistic balance, clean lines are perceived. The only concession to greater freedom is probably an image, this one: try to close your eyes for 40 minutes of listening and you will find the right dimension to dream of New York at the end of the 40s. Miriam's aesthetic is probably in the search for solutions that are refined and at the same time understandable by everyone. The title of the album - a woman's name - who knows if it wants to be in part a tribute to the female universe, or a suggestion to approach it with much more fluidity or, why not, even an invitation to women to open up, since they often manage to make themselves unhappily unintelligible. And Miriam, just by chance, means "beloved": if therefore in jazz notes there is passion, feeling and imagination, capable of speaking to the heart, isn't Miriam perhaps the best title that could be found as a symbol of this musical choice? It must be recognized, to an excellent Italian saxophonist like Gianfranco Menzella, the ability to potentially be appreciated by a large audience. Menzella doesn't seem to have even reached the full maturity of his artistic expression yet, yet the results are already excellent. Let's look forward to other pearls on the Italian jazz scene which, we like to say, in recent years has been increasingly enriched by skilled young talents. ~ Extract by Rosanna Perrone, Jazzitalia.net. [Translated from Italian] 

Philology Records, W 416.2, 2010
Recorded 25th March, 2009 at Studio Mediterraneo di Santeramo Colle, Bari, Italy 

Musicians:
Gianfranco Menzella - Tenor Saxophone
Alfonso Deida - Piano, Alto Saxophone (#8)
Tomaso Scannapieco - Bass
Giovanni Scasciamacchia - Drums
Special Guest:
Fabrizio Bosso - Trumpet (#1,2,4,6) 

Tracks:
1. Miriam {Gianfranco Menzella} (6:48)
2. Marco Smiles {Gianfranco Menzella} (5:34)
3. Falegname {Giovanni Scasciamacchia} (3:45)
4. Tidal Breeze {Harold Danko} (5:39)
5. Hermitage {Pat Metheny} (5:40)
6. Muddy In The Bank {Steve Swallow} (4:02)
7. Amico {Giovanni Scasciamacchia} (5:03)
8. Blues For Max {Gianfranco Menzella} (4:11) 

Total Time: 40:42 

Credits:
Producer - Paolo Piangiarelli
Recording, Mixing & Mastering Engineer - Massimo Stano
Photograhy - Claudia Calavelta, Marco Lopomo
Graphic Design & Cover Concept - danilosantinelli.it 

Muddy In The Bank

Saori Yano - Best (2007) [CD + DVD]

Here we have a wonderful compilation drawn from Saori's albums pre-dating 2007. The CD is made up of thirteen choice tracks, and included is I &I, not released on her studio albums, but from an advertising promotion that brought her further fame. Incorporated in the fantastic package is a DVD that showcases video frontage of that commercial, as well as four other promotional videos. These clips give the Saori fan an insight as to the formidable company she was associated with throughout those classic early years. Looking back, she hung out with an assemblage of great jazz musicians during her recording tenure in New York City. The reader can easily see from personnel listed that she gave and was given great respect when performing. In this regard, it is important to note that she is not just a player, but also a fine composer and to this extent within this selection are five of her own tunes. Listeners can only marvel this brilliant jazz musician on the job at such an early age, enjoy! 

Savoy Records, COZY 263 + COZY 264, 2007 

Yano Saori (2003)
#5,10
02 (2004)
#2,4,11,13
Sakura Stamp (2005)
#1,3,12
Groovin' High (2006)
#6,8,9
DVD "ASIENCE" TV-CF
#7 

Musicians:
Saori Yano - Alto Saxophone
Nicholas Payton - Trumpet (#1,3,12)
Randy Brecker - Trumpet (#6,8,9)
Slide Hampton - Trombone (#6,8,9)
Eric Alexander - Tenor Saxophone (#1,3,4,12)
Jimmy Heath - Tenor Saxophone (#6,8,9)
James Moody - Tenor Saxophone, Flute (#6,8,9)
Gary Smulyan - Baritone Saxophone (#6,8,9)
Masaaki Imaizumi - Piano (#5,6,8,9,10)
Harold Mabern - Piano (#2,4,11,13)
Mike LeDonne - Organ (#1,3,12)
Peter Bernstein - Guitar (#1-3,11-13)
Shin Kamimura - Bass (#5,10)
Nat Reeves - Bass (#2,4,11,13)
Ray Drummond - Bass (#6,8,9)
Masahiko Osaka - Drums (#5,10)
Joe Farnsworth - Drums (#1-4,11-13)
Adam Nussbaum - Drums (#6,8,9)

Tracks:
01. Donna Lee {Charlie Parker} (1:55)
02. Sand And Skirt {Saori Yano} (6:56)
03. Crazy He Calls Me {Bob Russell, Carl Sigmon} (7:56)
04. RIZLLA {Saori Yano} (5:32)
05. In A Sentimental Mood {Duke Ellington} (6:51)
06. Manteca {Dizzy Gillespie} (6:55)
07. I & I {Saori Yano} (3:58)
08. Greenism {Saori Yano} (4:44)
09. My Ideal {Newell Chase, Richard A. Whiting} (6:10)
10. How To Make A Pearl {Saori Yano} (4:14)
11. Lover Man {Roger Ram Ramirez, Jimmy Davis} (6:13)
12. Tico Tico {Zequinha Abreu} (5:31)
13. Open Mind {Takashi Matsunaga} (4:37) 

Total Time: 71:38 

DVD:
1. I & I {Saori Yano} (Movie)
2. Greenism {Saori Yano} (PV)
3. I Got Rhythm {George Gershwin} (PV)
4. RIZILLA {Saori Yano} (Movie)
5. How To Make A Pearl {Saori Yano} (PV) 

Crazy He Calls Me