Junko Onishi Trio - Live At The Village Vanguard (1994)

This is a memorable set. When pianist Junko Onishi performs songs from the likes of Charles Mingus ("So Long Eric"), John Lewis ("Concorde"), and Ornette Coleman ("Congeniality"), she interprets each of the tunes as much as possible within the intent and style of its composer. "So Long Eric," although performed by her trio, gives one the impression at times that several horns are soloing together; in addition, polyrhythms are utilized part of the time, Ornette's "Congeniality" has a strong pulse but fairly free improvising, while "Concorde" sounds both distinguished and full of blues feeling, like John Lewis himself. Onishi's exploration of "Blue Skies" uplifts the warhorse through the use of colorful vamps and an altered melody, she takes the slow ballad "Darn That Dream" as a medium-tempo stomp, and her original, "How Long Has This Been Goin' On," is brooding but not downbeat and swings hard without losing its serious nature. There is not a weak selection in the bunch and the interplay between Onishi, bassist Reginald Veal, and drummer Herlin Riley is quite impressive. ~ by Scott Yanow, AMG. 

Somethin' Else Records, TOCJ-5570, 1994
Recorded 6th-8th May, 1994 at Village Vanguard, New York, NY 

Musicians:
Junko Onishi - Piano
Reginald Veal - Bass
Herlin Riley - Drums 

Tracks:
1. So Long Eric {Charles Mingus} (8:27)
2. Blue Skies {Irving Berlin} (9:16)
3. Concorde {John Lewis} (6:32)
4. How Long Has This Been Goin' On {Junko Onishi} (10:45)
5. Darn That Dream {Eddie DeLange, James Van Heusen} (6:31)
6. Congeniality {Ornette Coleman} (14:02) 

Total Time: 55:35 

Credits:
Producer - Junko Onishi
Executive Producer - Hitoshi Namekata
Engineer - Jim Anderson
Assistant Engineer - Brian Kingman, Mark Shane
Engineer, Mixing - Masuzo Iida
Mastering - Yoshio Okazaki
Art Direction - Kaoru Taku

Link

Darn That Dream

Hino-Kikuchi Quintet - Counter Current (2007)

A groundbreaking work and extreme art that challenges the frivolous and superficial state of society, created by two legendary figures!! In 2007, a new legend emerges for Terumasa Hino and Masaaki Kikuchi. Both are leading Japanese artists and close friends who share a deep trust in each other as musicians, and now they join forces once again. They recorded the "Hino-Kikuchi Quintet" in 1968 and have continued to collaborate on each other's works since, but this is their first joint production as a co-led quintet in 12 years since their 1995 reunion album (which won the gold prize at Swing Journal's Jazz Disc Awards). They relentlessly explore the secrets of improvisation with ultra-hardcore, authentic jazz, making a significant impact on the scene. Stripped down and honed to perfection, the interplay is exquisite. Not a single note is wasted, and an overwhelmingly high-level musical dialogue intertwines with breathtaking beauty. Amidst the tranquility, the inherent vitality and dynamism of jazz overflow, and Motian's seasoned drumming and the support of the two young musicians shine through. Its worldview, the antithesis of simplicity and accessibility, is truly worthy of being called a "controversial work," and while seemingly difficult to understand, it quietly heals the soul deep within the listener. Even if it becomes a "countercurrent" against the easily swayed trends of the times...the ultimate art of seekers who seek the essence of music is born here. ~ cdjapan.co.jp. [Translated From Japanese] 

Sony Records Int'l, SICP 10070, 2007
Recorded 9th & 10th June, 2007 at Avatar Studios, New York 

Musicians:
Terumasa Hino - Trumpet
Masabumi Kikuchi - Piano
Michael Attias - Alto Sax
Thomas Morgan - Bass
Paul Motian - Drums 

Tracks:
1. J.L.L. [Ver.1] (9:32)
2. Sky Over Rain Forest (9:09)
3. Blue In Yellow [For Mark Rothko] (3:00)
4. Misery On The Hudson (8:51)
5. Making The Elephant Run [Ver.1] (12:10)
6. Making The Elephant Run [Ver.2] (5:30)
7. J.L.L. [Ver.2] (10:43) 

All compositions by Terumasa Hino, Masabumi Kikuchi 

Total Time: 59:12

LINK

(Full Album)

Rosario Giuliani Quartet - Flashing Lights (1998)

Here we have one of Rosario Giuliani's earlier albums, produced by Paolo Piangiarelli and released in 1998 on the Italian Philology Records label. For this album Rosario assembles an all-Italian quartet comprising of himself playing both alto and soprano saxophones, pianist Pietro Lussu, bassist Joseph Lepore and drummer Lorenzo Tucci. Together they romp through eleven tunes, seven original compositions by Rosario, two by Joseph Lepore, one by Pietro Lussu and the remainder by Enrico Pieranunzi. Overall, it is an enthralling and very entertaining discourse of post-bop jazz. 

Philology Records, W. 128.2, 1998

Musicians:
Rosario Giuliani - Alto Sax, Soprano Sax
Pietro Lussu - Piano
Joseph Lepore - Bass
Lorenzo Tucci - Drums

Tracks:
01. To John {Rosario Giuliani} (6:24)
02. Dicembre {Rosario Giuliani} (7:11)
03. Sphere's {Joseph Lepore} (7:48)
04. Hindsight {Enrico Pieranunzi} (7:44)
05. Puzzle {Joseph Lepore} (8:15)
06. Love For My Mother {Rosario Giuliani} (5:39)
07. Flashing Light {Rosario Giuliani} (4:34)
08. My Flower {Rosario Giuliani} (5:27)
09. Dark Beauty {Pietro Lussu} (4:33)
10. Other Times {Rosario Giuliani} (8:28)
11. Coffee Shop {Rosario Giuliani} (4:04) 

Total Time: 70:11

LINK

Flashing Light

Dezron Douglas Quintet - Live At Smalls (2012)

The album captures a performance by the Dezron Douglas Quintet, recorded live at Smalls Jazz Club in Greenwich Village, NYC, over two sessions in late March, 2012. Bassist Dezron Douglas is joined by trumpeter Josh Evans, tenorist Stacy Dillard, pianist David Bryant and drummer Willie Jones III. Dezron showcases three of his own tunes (The Puppet, Let's Ride, Power Of One) plus one by David Bryant (Nita). The remaining two compositions are jazz standards penned by Barry Harris (Bish Bash Bop) and Gigi Gryce (Minority). Like most of the concerts at Smalls they are inspirational and dynamic, whereby all players involved excel creating some wonderful jazz. 

SmallsLIVE Records, SL0028, 2012
Recorded 23rd, 24th March, 2012 Live at Smalls Jazz Club, New York City 

Musicians:
Dezron Douglas - Bass
Josh Evans - Trumpet
Stacy Dillard - Tenor Sax
David Bryant - Piano
Willie Jones III - Drums 

Tracks:
1. Bish Bash Bop {Barry Harris} (10:36)
2. The Puppet {Dezron Douglas} (10:33)
3. Let's Ride {Dezron Douglas} (9:49)
4. Nita {David Bryant} (5:31)
5. Minority {Gigi Gryce} (13:08)
6. Power Of One {Dezron Douglas} (9:03) 

Total Time: 58:35 

Credits:
Producer, Mixing Engineer - Ben Rubin
Executive Producer, Producer, Liner Notes - Spike Wilner
Engineer - Geoff Countryman, Tyler McDiarmid
Mastering Engineer - Gene Paul
Photography, Design - Michelle Watt
Liner Notes - Dezron Douglas

LINK

Nita

Jun Miyake - Jun! (2003)

Discovered by legendary jazz trumpeter Terumasa Hino, Miyake began his career as a jazz musician after studying at the Berklee College of Music. For this 2003 album Japanese saxophonist and flautist Jun Miyake assembles a quartet utilising fellow Japanese musicians; guitarist Satoshi Inoue, bassist Yosuke Inoue and drummer Taro Koyama. Together they interpret eight well-known jazz standards and one of Jun's own compositions. It is a tight unit and Jun clearly showcases his abilities on both sax and flute, backed firmly by the other players whom also get to shine. In all, there is a lot to enjoy here.

Jun Miyake is a highly versatile Japanese composer and multi-instrumentalist, widely acclaimed for his "hybrid sound" that seamlessly blends jazz, classical, electronic, and world music. ~ roughtrade.com.

What'sNew Records, WNCJ-2121, 2003

Musicians:
Jun Miyake - Tenor Sax, Flute
Satoshi Inoue - Guitar
Yosuke Inoue - Bass
Taro Koyama - Drums

Tracks:
1. Sugar {Stanley Turrentine} (4:45)
2. There Will Never Be Another You {H. Warren, M. Gordon} (4:21)
3. Blue Bossa {Kenny Dorham} (3:02)
4. You Don't Know What Love Is {Don Raye, Gene DePaul} (6:46)
5. Darn That Dream {Jimmy Van Heusen, Eddie DeLange} (6:01)
6. Jun! {Jun Miyake} (2:28)
7. Day Of Wine And Roses {Henry Mancini, Johnny Mercer} (4:18)
8. Just Friends {John Klenner, Sam Lewis} (4:43)
9. Sunny {Bobby Hebb} (4:59)

Total Time: 41:25

LINK

Sugar

Sean Jones - Kaleidoscope (2007)

Trumpeter Sean Jones emphasizes various vocalist friends for his fourth recording as a leader. His previous CDs have leaned toward a more produced pop-oriented approach within a definite modern jazz framework, and this effort leans toward a balance of combining those elements without being overtly commercialized. The first eight cuts all feature the singers, the most effective being rising star Gretchen Parlato. Her beautiful voice levitates Kendrick Scott's ballad composition "Journey," done on his debut CD, receiving a different, less expansive treatment, while the sunny swing waltz "It's Just a Matter of Time" has Parlato and Sachal Vasandani swapping opposing transposed crowded vocal lines. Parlato is special; please pay attention to her in the future. Even more impressive are two spiritualistic pieces, reminiscent of the recent work by pianist Robert Glasper. The opener, "Allison," drips with emotion, informed by the lovely piano playing of Orrin Evans, slight Latin spice, and the wordless vocals of J.D. Walter, while "Esperanto" (not sung in Esperanto) has Carolyn Perteete's siren-song singing, pristine as morning dew. At this point one barely notices the trumpet player, until you hear four consecutive instrumentals. "Say Brah" is a cooking typical neo-bopper, "Blak Music" a less clichéd hard bopper, the title track a more modern near-fusion Fender Rhodes-infused piece, and "The Sluice" revealing Jones as a singsongy Lee Morgan/Freddie Hubbard-influenced Young Lion. The pacing and programming of this recording could have been more effectively revisited; it feels like block formatting. It is another fine, not yet definitive musical effort from Jones, easily a Top Ten rising star of contemporary jazz trumpet. ~ by Michael G. Nastos, AMG. 

Mack Avenue, MAC 1037, 2007
Recorded at:
Audible Images, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Avatar Studio, New York, NY
Dirtysoap Studios, New York, NY 

Musicians:
Sean Jones - Trumpet (#2,4,5,7-13), Flugelhorn (#1,3,6)
Antoine Drye - Trumpet (#5)
Brian Hogans - Alto Sax (#5,9-12), Flute (#1,7,8), Rhodes (#1)
Walter Smith III - Tenor Sax (#5,9-12)
Tia Fuller - Flute (#1)
Orrin Evans - Piano (#1-3,6-10,12), Rhodes (#4,5,11)
Alton Merrill - Keyboards (#4,13), Organ (#5), Rhodes (#5), Piano (#13)
Luques Curtis - Acoustic Bass (#2,3,7-13), Bass (#1,6), Percussion (#1)
Mike Boone - Electric Bass (#4,5)
Obed Calvaire - Drums (#1-13), Percussion (#1)
Jay Ashby - Percussion (#1)
Gretchen Parlato - Percussion (#2), Vocals (#2,7,8)
J.D. Walter - Vocals (#1,3,5), Arranger
Kim Burrell - Vocals (#4,13)
Carolyn Perteete - Vocals (#6)
Sachal Vasandani - Vocals (#7,8)

Tracks:
01. Allison {Sean Jones} (6:48)
02. Journey {Kendrick Scott, Gretchen Parlato} (5:19)
03. Never Let Me Go {Ray Evans, Jay Livingston} (4:48)
04. I Come To Thee {Orrin Evans, Tiffany Jones, Heidi Martin} (6:28)
05. So Wonderful {J.D. Walter} (5:53)
06. Esperanto {Vince Mendoza, Kurt Elling} (6:13)
07. It's Just A Matter Of Time [Intro] {Ron Westray} (0:50)
08. It's Just A Matter Of Time {Ron Westray} (6:18)
09. Say Brah {Walter Smith III} (5:56)
10. Blak Music {Brian Hogans} (6:33)
11. Kaleidoscope {Walter Smith III} (5:03)
12. The Sluice {Orrin Evans} (6:40)
13. You're The Reason {Alton Merrill} (6:34) 

Total Time: 73:31 

Credits:
Producer, Audio Production - Al Pryor
Producer, Audio Production, Vocal Producer - Orrin Evans
Producer, Director, Creative Services Coordinator - Maria Ehrenreich
Production Assistant, Production Coordination - Will Wakefield
Audio Production, Engineer, Audio Engineer, Vocal Producer - Antoine Drye
Audio Engineer, Audio Production, Engineer, Vocal Producer - Donald Edwards
Audio Engineer, Engineer - James Farber, Jay Dudt, Dave Stoller, Hollis Greathouse
Audio Engineer, Assistant Engineer - Anthony Rutolo, Brian Montgomery
Mastering Engineer - Doug Sax, Sangwook "Sunny" Nam
Photography - Frank Stewart

LINK

The Sluice