Steve Kaldestad with The Mike LeDonne Trio - Straight Up (2014)

The list of those jazz musicians past and present who play(ed) the tenor saxophone is long and varied. Those who were true innovators, and others who were great or near great, is not so long but nevertheless impressive. Trying to make the cut into either category is a daunting task. Steve Kalestad, who has a nice firm tone and easy manner will not fall into either, but that does not mean this album entitled Straight Up is not enjoyable or entertaining. 

Pianist Mike LeDonne was once described by Oscar Peterson as “one of the most promising and talented pianists of this era”. High praise indeed, but well deserved. His presence, along with Webber and Farnsworth, give an added luster to this session with his sympathetic support and exploratory solos. Fortunately, the band decided to forego the usual temptation of using only original material for this session and came up with a varied set list from both popular and jazz composers. 

The band opens with two tunes that fit into these categories starting with the Sammy Kahn/Julie Styne number “Beautiful Friendship” followed by Bobby Troup’s “Meaning Of The Blues”. The first starts off in a loping tempo with Kaldestad running through the melody then kicking in with a lengthy solo which shows he is an impressive improvisor. LeDonne then demonstrates his own solid credentials for several choruses before the band takes the tune out. Miles Davis included the Troup composition in his album Miles Ahead which gave the composition some cachet. Kaldestad and the band offer it in a bluesy frame which works well for all the principals. 

The Charlie Parker composition “Barbados” is well suited to the band’s strengths as it is simply a jumping off point to highlight their expressive versatility. Duke Ellington’s “Warm Valley” is a showcase for Kaldestad’s tenor wherein he captures some lovely turns of phrase and LeDonne gives full measure with some polished playing. The closing track is a minor blues entitled “Blues Straight Up” an original number from Kaldestad. Supported by some rock-solid drumming from Joe Farnsworth and Webber’s big toned bass, the band finds an earthiness and a swagger that is ear-catching. This is a cooly persuasive album from a dependable tenor saxophonist. ~ by John Sunier, Jazz CD Reviews. 

Cellar Live, CL120312, 2014
Recorded 3rd December, 2012 at Cory Weeds' Jazz Cellar, Vancouver, British Columbia 

Musicians:
Steve Kaldestad - Tenor Saxophone
Mike LeDonne - Piano
John Webber - Acoustic Bass
Joe Farnsworth - Drums

Tracks:
1. Beautiful Friendship {Jule Styne, Gus Kahn} (5:44)
2. Meaning Of The Blues {Bobby Troup} (5:41)
3. Let It Go {Stanley Turrentine} (5:47)
4. Barbados {Charlie Parker} (5:04)
5. Warm Valley {Duke Ellington} (5:04)
6. Sweet Siggi {Steve Kaldestad} (5:05)
7. Ligia {Antônio Carlos Jobim} (4:11)
8. Blues Straight Up {Steve Kaldestad} (8:20) 

Credits:
Producer, Executive Producer, Liner Notes - Steve Kaldestad
Executive Producer - Cory Weeds
Producer, Engineer, Mastering, Mixing - Dave Sikula
Graphic Design, Layout - Ian Hendrickson-Smith
Inside Photo - Jesse Cahill
Cover Photo - Steve Mynett 

Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis - Live At The Widder (1982)

Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis is heard during two-night club sets (1982) on this CD, one of his last recordings prior to his death in 1986. The gritty yet swinging tenor saxophonist is joined by veteran drummer Oliver Jackson, bassist Ilsa Eckinger, and pianist Gustav Csik during this engagement in Zurich, Switzerland. Davis is in top form, whether playing a brisk blues like "Oh Gee" or an up-tempo swinger such as "S'Wonderful." But Davis is especially enjoyable during the numerous ballad features. Typically starting off each one unaccompanied, his total mastery of the form during his stunning performance of "I Can't Get Started With You" and his lush interpretation of "Misty" demonstrate how much he could do with standards that had already been recorded hundreds of times. This Swiss CD is well worth the extra effort to track down. ~ by Ken Dryden, AMG. 

Divox Jazz, CDX 48701-2, 1995
Recorded 19th & 20th March, 1982 Live at the Widder Bar, Zürich, Switzerland 

Musicians:
Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis - Tenor Saxophone
Gustav Csik - Piano
Isla Eckinger - Bass
Oliver Jackson - Drums 

Tracks:
01. Oh Gee {Matthew Gee} (7:43)
02. I Can't Get Started {Vernon Duke, Ira Gershwin} (5:17)
03. Comin' Home Baby {Bob Dorough, Ben Tucker} (6:04)
04. If I Had You {Jimmy Campbell, Reginald Connelly, Ted Shapiro} (4:44)
05. 'S Wonderful {George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin} (5:02)
06. Hey Jim {Babs Gonzales, James Moody} (5:19)
07. Meditation {Norman Gimbel, Antônio Carlos Jobim, Newton Mendonça} (6:24)
08. Misty {Johnny Burke, Erroll Garner} (5:06)
09. Speak Low {Ogden Nash, Kurt Weill} (7:12)
10. Love Is Here To Stay {George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin} (6:20)
11. Intermission Riff {Ray Wetzel} (6:20) 

Total Time: 65:36 

Credits:
Producer, Liner Notes, Executive-Producer - Arnold Burri
Executive-Producer - Konrad Baeschlin, Wolfram M. Burgert
Engineer, Recording - Peter Pfister
Editing - Hans Krüsi 

'S Wonderful

Brent Jensen - Brent Jensen Meets The Dave Peck Trio (2000)

Here we have an earlier album by the formidable altoist Brent Jensen. For this date he assembles a tight quartet formation comprising of pianist Dave Peck, bassist Chuck Deardorf and drummer Dean Hodges. Together they present a wonderful array of well-known jazz standards with great acumen. All seven tunes will truly enthrall even the most fastidious jazz lover, enjoy! 

TGR Records, TGR101, 2000
Recorded 21st May, 2000 at the Morrison Center Recital Hall in Botse, Idaho 

Musicians:
Brent Jensen - Alto Saxophone
Dave Peck - Piano
Chuck Deardorf - Bass
Dean Hodges - Drums

Tracks:
1. You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To {Cole Porter} (7:14)
2. Just Squeeze Me {Duke Ellington} (7:12)
3. Star Eyes {Gene De Paul, Don Raye} (7:30)
4. Darn That Dream {Jimmy Van Heusen} (5:52)
5. Alone Together {Arthur Schwartz, Howard Dietz} (8:12)
6. Moon And Sand {Alec Wilder} (6:10)
7. All The Things You Are {Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II} (6:05) 

Total Time: 48:17 

Credits:
Producer - Brent Jensen
Executive Producer - Jim DeBlasio
Engineer - John Fransen
Design, Photography & Layout - Jeff Fox 

All The Things You Are

Adam Rongo - Tell Your Story (2013)

Young saxophonist Adam Rongo introduces himself to a national audience on the appropriately-titled Tell Your Story, delivering a sparkling debut of straight-ahead post-bop material featuring a seasoned cast of players superbly interpreting a selection of new and exciting cover tunes—all telling a musical story that is unfolding quite nicely. Originally from Essexville, Michigan, and coming from a musical family, Rongo gravitated to the saxophone, studied in Chicago as well as at Michigan State University and learned the jazz ropes from such masters as Dick Oatts, Rob Parton, Tom Garling, Mike Smith and Diego Rivera just to name a few. 

Based in New York where the saxophonist has been performing as a sideman and bandleader, Rongo has established himself as one of the rising young guns in the area's jazz scene performing with some of the finest musicians in the world. Trombonist Michael Dease and drummer Ulysses Owens, Jr. are just two of the players he has collaborated with and does so again here as part of a core quintet for this album. Eight other players appear as guests bringing the vibraphone, guitar, and baritone sax into the mix. 

Having declared a personal goal of "not just to make my own music flourish, but the music of others...," Rongo draws upon the music of jazz greats like Hoagy Carmichael, Johnny Griffin, Jimmy Heath and others to light the fire beginning with Steve Wilson's "Turnin' The Corner" and continues on the following Gene De Paul classic "You Don't Know What Love Is." Wielding the alto saxophone like a wild man, Rongo performs his first of three compositions with the fast-paced "Temporary Paralysis" featuring the great Etienne Charles on trumpet, Behn Gillece on vibes and Rodney Whitaker on bass with solos of their own. 

The soft piece of the set goes to the lovely Johnny Green standard " You're Mine, You " performed in a duet with guitarist Randy Napoleon for one of the memorable tunes of the recording. The exciting original "Doppelganger" captures the sax man's finest performance on the alto as well as featuring Emmet Cohen on excellent piano work. One of the most challenging charts of the album has to be the Dease original "Good & Terrible" showcasing some of Rongo's chops along with fine key work from pianist Miki Hayama and stellar cymbal accents from drummer Owens. The Wager is a hard-driving original falling squarely within the hard bop genre while, "Two Tees" and Carmichael's "Stardust" are traditional in texture. 

The session rounds out with the title track and closes on the energetic Griffin standard "Fifty-Six" capping an attention- grabbing set of splendid jazz. Perhaps little known at this junction in his young career, saxophonist Adam Rongo has one heck of a musical tale to tell on the impressive Tell Your Story and does so with intensity, elegance and grit in delivering a gem of a debut, well done! ~ by Edward Blanco, AAJ. 

D Clef Records, DCR 160, 2013
Recorded 13th July, 2013 at Tedesco Studios, Paramus, New Jersey;
14th July, 2013 at Trading 8's Recording Studios, Paramus, New Jersey 

Musicians:
Adam Rongo - Alto Sax, Tenor Sax, Arranger (#2,7,9-11)
Michael Dease - Trombone
Emmet Cohen - Piano
Rodney Whitaker - Bass
Ulysses Owens Jr. - Drums 

Guests:
Anthony Stanco - Trumpet (#1,2,6)
Etienne Charles - Trumpet (#3,5)
Tim Mayer - Tenor Saxophone (#1,2,6)
Tony Lustig - Baritone Saxophone (#1,2,6)
Miki Hayama - Piano (#6)
Behn Gillece - Vibraphone (#3,7,10)
Randy Napoleon - Guitar (#4,8,9), Arranger (#4,8)
Evan Sherman - Drums (#11) 

Tracks:
01. Turnin' The Corner {Steve Wilson} (5:41)
02. You Don't Know What Love Is? {Gene De Paul} (5:12)
03. Temporary Paralysis {Adam Rongo} (6:05)
04. You're Mine, You {Johnny Green} (4:16)
05. Doppelgänger {Adam Rongo} (5:27)
06. Good & Terrible {Michael Dease} (6:12)
07. The Wager {Adam Rongo} (3:43)
08. Two Tees {Jimmy Heath} (4:52)
09. Stardust {Hoagy Carmichael} (4:11)
10. Tell Your Story {Behn Gillece} (4:32)
11. Fifty-Six {Johnny Griffin} (5:52) 

Total Time: 56:26 

Credits:
Producer - Michael Dease
Recording Engineer - Tom Tedesco, Chris Sulit
Mixing, Mastering Engineer, Graphic Design, Layout - Andrew Swift
Photography - D Dipasupil 

Good & Terrible

Dave Valentin - Red Sun (1993)

This was flutist Dave Valetin's 15th release for GRP and, as with his previous ones, it features impeccable musicianship, subtle funk grooves, some heated Latin rhythms and rather lightweight melodies. Despite some passionate moments, the music always sounds a bit controlled, never exceeding prescribed time limits or emotional boundaries. There are some strong moments of interest on this relatively pleasing CD, particularly a restrained melodic statement by trumpeter Arturo Sandoval on "We'll Be Together Again" and a groovin' version of "With a Little Help from My Friends." ~ by Scott Yanow, AMG. 

GRP Records, GRD-9699, 1993
Recorded at Sound On Sound Studios, New York City 

Musicians:
Dave Valentin - Flute (#1-4,6,9) Flutes (#5,7,8), Arranger (#8,9)
Arturo Sandoval - Flugelhorn (#4)
Steve Turre - Trombone, Shells (#8)
Bill O'Connell - Piano, Synthesizer (#1,2,5,6,8,9), Arranger (#1-5,7,8,9)
Bernd Schoenhart - Guitar (#1)
Lincoln Goines - Bass (#1,2,6-9), Acoustic Bass (#4), Arranger (#6)
Dave Samuels - Vibraphone (#3)
Richie Morales - Drums (#2,3,4,6,7), Cymbals
Robert Ameen - Drums (#1,5,8), Percussion [Cymbals, Stick]
Milton Cardona - Percussion, Congas (#1), Cowbell (#1), Shekere/Cajon (#5)
Sammy Figueroa - Percussion (#2,3,5,7,8), Congas (#7)
Jon Lucien - Vocals (#2)
Steve Shapiro - Synthesizer Programming

Tracks:
1. With A Little Help From My Friends {John Lennon, Paul McCartney} (5:20)
2. Red Sun {Bill O'Connell} (5:11)
3. Two Steps Ahead {Bill O'Connell} (3:46)
4. We'll Be Together Again {Carl Fischer, Frankie Laine} (5:17)
5. Beyond The Ridge {Bill O'Connell} (4:33)
6. Lia's Song {Lincoln Goines} (4:29)
7. Loco Motion {Bill O'Connell} (5:04)
8. Little Sunflower {Freddie Hubbard} (6:23)
9. Pensativa {Clare Fischer} (4:15) 

Total Time: 44:28 

Credits:
Producer - Dave Valentin
Producer, Recording, Mixing - Josiah Gluck
Executive-Producer - Dave Grusin, Larry Rosen
Mastering Engineer - Ted Jensen
Assistant Engineer - Devin Emke, Fred Kevorkian, John Siket, Peter Beckerman
Photography - Carol Weinberg
Art Direction - Scott Johnson
Graphic Design - Dan Serrano, Jackie Salway, Alba Acevedo 

Two Steps Ahead

Dick De Graaf Quartet - Moving Target (2007)

Dick de Graaf's Moving Target is well named, as the tenor saxophonist doesn't stick to one style during these 2006 sessions. Leading a quartet with pianist Jeroen van Vliet and bassist Guus Bakker (both of whom double on electric instruments) plus drummer Pascal Vermeer, the leader starts off very much in a post-bop setting with his potent "Cascade". Several of the leader's pieces were inspired by 20th century composer Béla Bartók, including the haunting "Stolen Dream" and the quirky swinger "Why Birds Always Sing" (the latter with de Graaf switching to soprano sax). Van Vliet's hand-muting of the piano strings in the opening to "Handiclap" gives the piece the feeling of a kalimba (African thumb piano), while this percolating composition never loses steam. The switch to electric instruments is a bit uneven, as the lively "Démasqué" works well but "Climate Change" sounds like warmed-over Weather Report from the 1970s. Still, this is a commendable outing by the veteran musician. ~ by Ken Dryden, AMG. 

Soundroots Records, SR02, 2007
Recorded 19th, 20th October & 9th November, 2006 at Tafelberg Studio Tilburg, NL 

Musicians:
Dick De Graaf - Tenor and Soprano Saxes
Jeroen van Vliet - Piano, Fender Rhodes
Guus Bakker - Acoustic and Electric Bass
Pascal Vermeer - Drums 

Tracks:
01. Cascade (6:59)
02. A Touch Of Bela (5:37)
03. Deka Deka (6:17)
04. Stolen Dream (4:23)
05. Climate Change (4:33)
06. Why Birds Always Sing (5:59)
07. Moving Target (5:32)
08. Handiclap (4:28)
09. Somsok Orkim Saleb II (5:21)
10. Démasqué (7:44) 

All compositions by Dick de Graaf 

Total Time: 56:53 

Credits:
Recording and Mixing - Bernard Jussen
Mastering Engineer - Peter Brussee
Photos and Art Design - Bernadette Leijdekkers
Liner Notes - Dick de Graaf, Rotterdam, January 2007 

Hiroki Miyano - Manhattan Skyline (1981, 2007)

Hiroki's own creative life began in Sapporo. As noted elsewhere on the web, Hiroki grew up collecting jazz records of early personal music idols like John McLaughlin and Django Reinhardt. By the age of 10, Hiroki had already bought a guitar and in short time began taking his first steps to play out around Tokyo’s storied jazz clubs. Somehow, in 1981, the noted editor of J-Jazz magazine Swing Journal clued in one Teo Macero (of Miles Davis fame) to the stylings of this young upstart. Shortly, Hiroki was signed to a contract with huge Japanese label Phillips and was sent out to NYC to record an album of originals with Teo functioning as producer. Working with truly gifted/prolific jazz session cats like Marcus Miller, Buddy Williams, and Ryo Kawasaki, they’d use his debut album (Manhattan Skyline) to launch off his career. ~ Extract by Diego Olivas, fondsound.com. 

Philips Records, 27PJ-1, 1981
Philips/Universal, DCT-1921, 2007
Recorded 17th-18th November, 1980 at Media Sound Studios, New York 

Musicians:
Hiroki Miyano - Acoustic Guitar, Arranger
Jeff Mironov - Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar
Warren Bernhardt - Fender Rhodes
Jorge Dalto - Acoustic Piano
Ryo Kawasaki - Guitar Synthesizer
Marcus Miller - Electric Bass
Carol Steele - Percussion
Buddy Williams - Drums
Guests:
George Young - Soprano Sax, Sopranino (#1,3,5,7,9)
Dave Valentin - Flute (#2,4)
Ilana Morillo - Vocals (#3,8,9)

Tracks:
1. Let's Make Merry {Hiroki Miyano} (3:32)
2. Sunset City {Hiroki Miyano} (6:26)
3. Teo's Dance {Hiroki Miyano} (5:22)
4. Bird On The Wind {Hiroki Miyano} (5:23)
5. Slow Down For Love {Earl Klugh} (4:00)
6. Song Of Clouds {Ryo Kawasaki} (4:15)
7. Summer Light {Teo Macero} (3:28)
8. Go Away From Summer {Hiroki Miyano} (3:15)
9. Manhattan Skyline {Hiroki Miyano} (5:33) 

Total Time: 41:20 

Credits:
Executive Producer, Liner Notes - Hiroki Miyano
Producer, Arranger - Teo Macero
Recording & Mixing Engineer - Carl Beatty
Assistant Engineer - Lincoln Clapp
Cutting Engineer - Hiroshi Yuasa
A&R - Hiroshi Mitsuka
Design - Masao Ohgiya
Photography [Cover] - Tadayuki Naitoh
Photography - David Tan 

Bird On The Wind