Zoe Rahman Trio with Idris Rahman - Live (2009)

On her last recording (made with her clarinetist brother Idris, who guests with her fine jazz trio here), pianist Zoe Rahman explored her family origins on a repertoire of traditional songs from Bengal. This live set from Soho's Pizza Express Jazz Club returns her to the trenchant jazz-improvising style she learned from the formidable American Joanne Brackeen, among others, and it's perhaps the best example of her full-on jazz talents she has so far released. This terrific session suggests she has been inspired by the playful, post-Monk methods of that ornery octogenarian Stan Tracey. A train-rhythm feel and dissonant chord-melody theme kick things off on the Abdullah Ibrahim original The Stride. Drummer Gene Calderazzo follows Rahman's every rhythmic feint and diversion on Mário Laginha's Há Gente Aqui, and Friday the 13th particularly suggests the Tracey sound in its swinging chords and crisp runs surging out of unceremonious clangs. The folksier episodes echo Gilad Atzmon's brand of eastern-influenced world music, and the eager confidence and fluency of the way Rahman's solos break out of the themes confirm her ascent to an impressive new level. ~ John Fordham, TheGuardian.com. 

Manushi Records, MANUCD003, 2009
Recorded Live at London's Pizza Express Jazz Club in April, 2007 

Musicians:
Zoe Rahman - Piano
Oli Hayhurst - Bass
Gene Calderazzo - Drums
Idris Rahman - Clarinet (#2,5)

Tracks:
1. The Stride {Abdullah Ibrahim} (6:34)
2. Ha Gente Aqui {Mário Laginha} (7:18)
3. Friday 13th {Joanne Brackeen} (5:53)
4. Tuang Guru {Abdullah Ibrahim} (8:02)
5. Muchhe Jaoa Dinguli {Hemant Mukherjee} (4:05)
6. Harlem Blues {Phineas Newborn} (5:48)
7. Egyptian Dune Dance {Joanne Brackeen} (5:15)
8. Last Note {Zoe Rahman} (8:54) 

Total Time: 51:52 

Friday 13th

Charles McPherson - Live At The Five Spot (1966) [+ Bonus Tracks]

Charles On Fire
=============
This album is a must have for jazz alto players in particular, as well as the bebop connoisseur. The whole group is burn in', especially on Shaw ‘Nuff. You'll never hear it played this fast! The R-section is stellar, with a rare appearance by little known Detroit bassist, Ray McKinney who is rock solid throughout. ~ Paco, 5 Stars, Amazon.com. 

I happened to hear a single cut from this set ("Shaw 'Nuff") played one night by my local FM station here in Pittsburgh, and realized that I had to hear the rest. The intensity of McPherson's work here, as well as the other musicians on the set are a testament to the genuine timelessness of be-bop in the evolution of this music. ~ Old & Improved, 5 Stars, Amazon.com. 

A monster recording. ~ Boblyn Austin, 5 Stars, Amazon.com. 

Prestige Records, PRCD-24135-2, 1994
Recorded 13th October, 1966 Live at the Five Spot, New York City 

Musicians:
Charles McPherson - Alto Saxophone
Lonnie Hillyer - Trumpet
Barry Harris - Piano
Ray McKinney - Bass
Billy Higgins - Drums 

Tracks:
1. The Viper {Charles McPherson} (4:22)
2. I Can't Get Started {Vernon Duke, Ira Gershwin} (9:10)
3. Shaw 'Nuff {Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker} (10:24)
4. Here's That Rainy Day {James Van Heusen, Johnny Burke} (6:35)
5. Never Let Me Go {Jay Livingston, Ray Evans} (11:35)
6. Suddenly {Charles McPherson} (6:50)
7. I Believe In You {Frank Loesser} (8:13)
8. Epistrophy {Thelonious Monk, Kenny Clarke} (7:28)
9. Luminescence {Barry Harris}  (10:41) 

Total Time: 75:23 

Credits:
Producer - Don Schlitten
Engineer - Jerry Newman
Remastering - Phil De Lancie [Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, 1994]
Art Direction - Phil Carroll
Photography - Jim Marshall
Liner Notes - Ira Gitler 

Notes:
#1-6 originally released as Charles McPherson/The Quintet/Live! (Prestige 7480);
#7-9 previously unissued. 

The Viper

Doug Webb - Renovations (2010) + Bonus Tracks

Saxophonist extraordinaire Doug Webb builds on forward momentum and keeps working straight ahead with second release of 2010, "Renovations." This collection of timeless classics features some amazing performances by the heavy cats in the rhythm section (including pianist Larry Goldings and bassist Stanley Clarke) doing the heavy lifting behind the sensational melodicism and harmonic direction of the leader. With "Renovations," Doug Webb continues to proclaim that he is certainly a saxophonist to keep an eye on, and casual listeners and avid jazz fans everywhere will certainly want to check out Doug Webb's "Renovations." ~ dougwebb.bandcamp.com. 

Posi-Tone Records, PR8075, 2010
Recorded 24th April, 2009 at Entourage Studios, North Hollywood, California 

Musicians:
Doug Webb - Saxophones
Joe Bagg - Piano (#1,5,6,9)
Larry Goldings - Piano (#2,4,8,11)
Mahesh Balasooriya - Baby Grand Piano (#3,7,10)
Stanley Clarke - Bass
Gerry Gibbs - Drums 

Tracks:
01. Satin Doll {Billy Strayhorn, Duke Ellington} (7:02)
02. Then I'll Be Tired Of You {Arthur Schwartz, E.Y. Harburg} (6:45)
03. I Can't Get Started {Vernon Duke} (4:03)
04. I've Never Been In Love Before {Frank Loesser} (6:46)
05. You've Changed {Carl Fischer} (8:02)
06. They Can't Take That Away From Me {George Gershwin} (3:59)
07. Bluesette {Toots Thielemans} (7:12)
08. Slow Hot Wind {Henry Mancini} (8:11)
09. Once I Loved {Antônio Carlos Jobim, Vinícius de Moraes} (8:32) *
10. Feliscia {Doug Webb} (7:28) *
11. Moose The Mooche {Charlie Parker} (7:50) * 

* Bonus Tracks 

Total Time: 75:55 

Credits:
Producer - Marc Free
Associate Producer - Nick O’Toole, Barry Shapiro
Recording Engineer - David Horner
Tracking Engineer - Ashburn Miller
Mixing and Mastering - David Horner
Photography - Ray Newton
Package Design - Jamie Brunson 

Akiko Grace - Tokyo (2004)

This is a good album that includes some dynamic songs, but also some sounds that create a calm atmosphere. After listening to jazz for a while, I feel that only talented artists can play calm songs. The arrangement is based on a piano trio, with strings and shakuhachi. This album is a departure from the theme of "Japaneseness" by a pianist who lived in New York. As soon as you hear the sound of the shakuhachi in songs like "A Hazy Moonlit Night," you are drawn into a different world from "chic jazz." You can feel a transience that is different from that of the flute. The nostalgic melodies of “Kagome Kagome” are easy to listen to. I think the familiar melodies of "Harusaki Kobeni" and "Shima Uta" will fit your ears well. I think this album is familiar to people other than jazz fans. And yet, it also includes songs that jazz fans are likely to be familiar with, such as "Giant Step" and "Donna Lee". "Tokyo Rhapsody" is a powerful original song, and I think people who are not familiar with Akiko Grace will enjoy it. "Eternal Road" also has a sense of grand scale with strings in the background. As the title suggests, it is a song that could be used as the background for some travel program, and makes you think, "Is this what eternity feels like?" It is said that you will forget that it is a jazz album. I recommend "Donna Lee", Charlie Parker's favorite piece is performed without brass. The beat created by Kiyoto Fujiwara's bass gives the song a sense of tension. Her fans should definitely give this album a listen. ~ Amazon.com. 

Savoy Records, COCB-53128, 2004
Recorded 22nd Nov-10th Dec, 2003 at Columbia Akasaka Studios, Tokyo, Japan 

Musicians:
Akiko Grace - Piano
Kiyoto Fujiwara - Bass
Tappy Iwase - Drums
Guests:
Dozan Fujiwara - Shakuhachi (#8,10)
Chieko Kinbara - Strings
Toshihiro Nakanishi - Violin (#4,13) 

Tracks:
01. Prelude ~ Kagome Kagome [Short Version] {Traditional} (1:29)
02. Tokyo Rhapsody {Akiko Grace} (5:58)
03. Harusaki Kobeni {Traditional} (6:43)
04. Eternal Road {Akiko Grace} (5:14)
05. Memory {Akiko Grace} (4:46)
06. In Front Of The Skywheel {Akiko Grace} (5:47)
07. Donna Lee {Charlie Parker} (3:44)
08. A Hazy Moonlit Night {Traditional} (4:51)
09. Shima Uta [Island Song] {Traditional} (6:30)
10. Kurosawa {Akiko Grace} (4:45)
11. Giant Steps {John Coltrane} (5:20)
12. Calmness {Akiko Grace} (6:13)
13. First Light ~ Secretary {Akiko Grace} (5:44)
14. Kagome Kagome [Long Version] {Traditional} (5:25) 

Total Time: 72:33 

Credits:
Producer - Akiko Grace, Ken Komoguchi
Recording Engineer - Genichi Kitami, Toshiyasu Shiozawa
Mixing Engineer - Dan Gellert 

Eternal Road

Michael Dease - Coming Home (2012)

Trombonist Michael Dease's Coming Home is the evolutionary culmination of all of the small group work of which he has been a part. Dease's musical personality reveals itself fully on the disc, one he has populated with a very fine band and thoughtfully composed and selected pieces for that band. Dease's previous work as a leader on Dease Bones (Astrix Media, 2007), Clarity (Blues Back Records, 2008) and Grace (Legacy Jazz Productions, 2011), as well as with multi-reedist Sharel Cassity on Just For You (DW Records, 2009) and Relentless (Legacy Jazz Productions, 2009). Where Curtis Fuller is the patriarch, Wycliffe Gordon the earthy keeper of the flame (and Dease's teacher) and Luis Bonilla the Latin soul of the trombone, Dease is its intellectual heart. Following his fellow Augusta Georgia trombonist teacher to Juilliard, Dease established himself as part of an ambitious group of young musicians who were combining smarts, chops, bandstand and practice and translating that into recordings. Members of this group include Sharel Cassity, trumpeter Carol Morgan, and pianist Orrin Evans. Dease's compositional and performance approaches are ruled by passionate precision. His playing is exact and well-practiced. His tone is expansive and uniform through all registers. These characteristics are demonstrated immediately on the opening tune, "Solid Gold" where Dease shows great velocity in both head and solo playing. He adds mass to this velocity, creating an infectious momentum when playing with a mute as on Duke Ellington's "In a Sentimental Mood." Tony Lustig drops in with his tenor saxophone for the piece giving it a throaty presence. Lustig adds foundation to "Good and Terrible" with his crack baritone playing. His solo is at once gentle and virile on this angular, post-bop piece. Alto saxophonist Steve Wilson turns the gas on high, navigating Dease's complex circuitry. Dease rolls up his sleeves and gets his hands dirty on a searing performance of Oscar Peterson's "Blues Etude." While playing with his typical precision in the head, Dease begins to properly slur and wail in his solo, throwing off notes like pale blue sparks. He shares his solo space with bassist Christian McBride who amply demonstrates why he is Christian McBride and no one else. The instructive presence of pianist Renee Rosnes is heard throughout this fine disc as its timekeeper and drummer Ulysses Owens, Jr. Dease could not have put together a better band for this recording. He has come fully into his own as a leader. ~ by C. Michael Bailey, AllAboutJazz. 

D Clef Records, DCR 157, 2013
Recorded 12th August, 2012 at Alleycat Studios, South Orange, New Jersey 

Musicians:
Michael Dease - Trombone
Steve Wilson - Alto Saxophone
Renee Rosnes - Piano
Christian McBride - Bass
Ulysses Owens, Jr. - Drums
Eric Alexander - Tenor Saxophone (#11)
Tony Lustig - Tenor Sax (#4), Baritone Sax (#5)
Andrew Swift - Percussion (#10) 

Tracks:
01. Solid Gold {Michael Dease} (6:58)
02. Motherland {Michael Dease} (5:46)
03. Blues Etude {Oscar Peterson} (7:46)
04. In A Sentimental Mood {Duke Ellington; Arr. Michael Dease} (4:56)
05. Good & Terrible {Michael Dease} (7:01)
06. Lifewish {Renee Rosnes} (7:42)
07. The Shade Of The Cedar Tree {Christian McBride} (6:42)
08. Just In Time {Jule Styne} (3:41)
09. All Heath {Michael Dease} (6:30)
10. The Release {Michael Dease} (5:41)
11. Take It To The Ozone {Freddie Hubbard} (6:18) 

Total Time: 69:05 

Credits:
Producer - Michael Dease
Producer [Assistant], Mixing, Mastering, Graphic Design, Layout - Andrew Swift
Producer [Assistant] - Ulysses Owens Jr.
Engineer - John Lee
Photography [Cover] - Ernest Gregory
Photography [Inside] - Simon Yu
Liner Notes - Christian McBride 

Coming Home EPK