Matt Wilson, Larry Goldings, Dennis Irwin, Terell Stafford - Arts and Crafts (2001)

For his fourth Palmetto CD, Matt Wilson sends his regular quartet on a brief vacation and recruits Terell Stafford on trumpet, Larry Goldings on piano (not organ), and Dennis Irwin on bass. Previous efforts with the Matt Wilson Quartet and with Dewey Redman have gained Wilson a left-of-center reputation, but on Arts and Crafts the drummer confounds expectations altogether. He begins with Rahsaan Roland Kirk's "Stompin' Grounds," a no-frills ride through "Stompin' at the Savoy" changes. Two tracks later, the band runs down Bud Powell's "Webb City," packing an enormous punch without exceeding four minutes. But just when it seems this might be a bebop record, the band puts a boogaloo spin on Ornette Coleman's "Old Gospel" and throws yet more curves on Wilson's three adventurous originals. "Lester," written in honor of the late Lester Bowie, develops into a slow shuffle blues; "Final Answer," a diatonic free bop theme, features Goldings challenging the ears with some bracingly "outside" playing; and the title track, a slow groove, again finds Goldings reaching in subtle but marked contrast to the superb bop playing he does elsewhere on the disc. (Indeed, Goldings' presence is one of the album's biggest draws, not least because his outings on acoustic piano are so rare.) Back in straight-ahead mode, the group offers George Gershwin's "Love Walked In," Hal Hopper's "There's No You," and Nelson Cavaquinho's bossa classic "Beija-Flor." The disc wraps up with a soothing, simple arrangement of the folk melody "All Through the Night." On balance, this could be considered Wilson's most straight-ahead record yet, but it's clearly not Wilson's intention to fit neatly into any category. If anything, with Arts and Crafts he seems to insist, quite eloquently, that musicians need not declare allegiance to any of jazz's warring camps. ~ David R. Adler, AMG. 

Palmetto Records, PM 2069, 2001
Recorded 2nd October, 2000 At Maggie's Farm, Buck's County, Pennsylvania 

Musicians:
Matt Wilson - Drums
Terell Stafford - Trumpet
Larry Goldings - Piano
Dennis Irwin - Bass 

Tracks:
01. Stompin' Grounds {Rahsaan Roland Kirk} (5:37)
02. Lester {Matt Wilson} (5:21)
03. Webb City {Bud Powell} (3:43)
04. Beija-Flor {Nelson Cavaquinho} (5:40)
05. Final Answer {Matt Wilson} (4:43)
06. There's No You {Hal Hopper} (3:16)
07. Arts and Crafts {Matt Wilson} (5:35)
08. Old Gospel {Ornette Coleman} (5:12)
09. Love Walked In {George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin} (6:55)
10. All Through The Night {Traditional} (5:04) 

Total Time: 51:06 

Credits:
Producer, Engineer - Matt Balitsaris
Design - Jason Grotrian
Photography - Jimmy Katz

Scott Hamilton & Harry Allen - Heavy Juice (2004)

This CD has been a recording waiting to happen for twenty years. Back then, highschooler Harry Allen joined Scott Hamilton on stage at the Newport Jazz Festival for a cameo performance with the George Wein-led Newport All-Stars. Allen grew up in Rhode Island, which also claims Hamilton as a native son. And Hamilton certainly was a role model as Allen blossomed then—and fast became a welcome young player on the New York swing jazz scene. They've had occasional chances to collaborate on the bandstand. And now, Heavy Juice enables them to join a line of great tenor summit session pairings that through the years have included Ben Webster and Coleman Hawkins, Gene Ammons and Dexter Gordon, Ammons and Sonny Stitt, and Al Cohn and Zoot Sims. This is a splendid session in which two good musical friends mine common musical ground with very similar sounds. Both favor a breathy, growling Webster tone at times. These days, Allen comes more out of a Stan Getz melodic bag, which Hamilton explored in an earlier phase. At times, when they're playing in unison or locked into the same tone, it helps to know that Hamilton is on the left stereo channel, Allen on the right. The crack rhythm section provides a strong cushion, with John Bunch's dancing hands providing some elegant twists and turns at the piano. Nothing here disappoints, but their bop-meets-R&B take on "Blues Up and Down" by Ammons and Stitt ranks as my clear favorite. It's filled with an exuberant spirit of one-upmanship until they blend together for the final shout chorus. In contrast, the Duke Ellington ballad "Warm Valley" enables them to share a Websterish blend. From start to finish, through all eight tracks, this blend of Heavy Juice is very, very good. ~ by Ken Franckling, AAJ.

Concord Jazz, CCD-2258-2, 2004

Recorded 11^th & 12^th February, 2004 At Sound On Sound Recording, New York

Musicians:

Scott Hamilton - Tenor Saxophone

Harry Allen - Tenor Saxophone

John Bunch - Piano

Dennis Irwin - Bass

Chuck Riggs - Drums

Tracks:

1. Heavy Juice {Leroy Bass, Wilburt Prysock, Tiny Bradshaw} (6:04)

2. Did You Call Her Today? {Ben Webster} (6:57)

3. Groovin' High {Dizzy Gillespie} (7:03)

4. If I Should Lose You {Leo Robin, Ralph Rainger} (6:48)

5. Blues Up And Down {Gene Ammons, Sonny Stitt} (6:29)

6. If Dreams Come True {Benny Goodman, Edgar Sampson, Irving Mills} (8:32)

7. Warm Valley {Duke Ellington} (5:47)

8. Ow! {Dizzy Gillespie} (9:06)

Total Time: 56:46

Credits:

Producer - Scott Hamilton

Executive-Producer - John Burk

Recording & Mixing Engineer - Josiah Gluck

Mastering Engineer - Seth Presant

Design [Package Design] – Kurt Sievert

Photography - Jay Andersen

Liner Notes - Ira Gitler

Michael Cochrane Quintet - Elements (1986) [vinyl]

Michael Cochrane (born September 4, 1948 in Peekskill, New York) is an American jazz pianist. This album is Cochrane's first of two recorded as a leader, and released on the Italian Soul Note label in 1986; the follow-up being "Song Of Change" in 1993. Essentially in recent years Cochrane has recorded extensively for SteepleChase Records and needs no introduction as a preeminent pianist. As a sideman, he has recorded with Marvin Peterson, Oliver Lake, Sonny Fortune and Jack Walrath. On this LP he is joined by trumpeter Tom Harrell, saxophonist and flautist Bob Malach, bassist Dennis Irwin and drummer James Madison. All tunes are penned by Michael and showcase a broad range of styles ranging from bop, hard bop through to post-bop. The group as a whole show great prowess and there are many opportunities for individual players to display their talents. The tracks are dotted with a number of brilliant solos. Inherently Cochrane is the anchor and clearly drives the group in manner that truly expresses his skills as a composer. A truly entertaining LP from start to finish, something that most listeners would wish never to end. Even though, it was released briefly on CD in 1993 the music has been ripped from the original vinyl resulting in a DR of 16. Artwork has been amassed from both releases, especially the liner notes from CD for clarity, enjoy!

Soul Note, SN 1151, 1986

Recorded 23^rd & 24^th September, 1985 At Titanic Sound Studios, New York

Musicians:

Michael Cochrane - Piano

Tom Harrell - Trumpet, Flugelhorn

Bob Malach - Tenor Saxophone, Flute

Dennis Irwin - Bass

James Madison - Drums

Tracks:

A1. Reunion {Michael Cochrane} (6:05)

A2. Tone Row Piece No. 2 {Michael Cochrane} (7:15)

A3. Bossa For Quintet {Michael Cochrane} (7:24)

B1. Elements {Michael Cochrane} (6:58)

B2. Song From Within {Michael Cochrane} (7:02)

B3. Proof Of The Pudding {Michael Cochrane} (2:57)

B4. Waltz No. 1 {Michael Cochrane} (6:29)

Credits:

Producer - Giovanni Bonandrini

Recording Engineer - Guillermo Mager

Mastering Engineer - Gennaro Carone (PhonoComp, Milano)

Design [Cover] - Michael Cochrane

Photography - Gene Bagnato

Liner Notes - Art Lange

This album is dedicated to the loving memory of my late mother, Mrs. Mildred Cochrane 1920-1986

Riccardo Fassi - Riccardo Fassi New York Quintet (1998)

This CD represents an emblematic example of the high level of Italian jazz, which has nothing to envy for quality projects of its exponents to what is practiced overseas. The esteem that Riccardo Fassi enjoys with American musicians is well known to fans of African American music, as evidenced by his past collaborations with Steve Lacy, Tim Berne, Oliver Lake, Gunter Schuller, and especially his beautiful record of 1993 New York Trio (also for the YVP) with Rufus Reid and Marvin Smith. An elegant and refined writing of mainstream derivation permeates the CD, in which the pianist has carved out the difficult and discrete role of the orchestra more than the soloist, leaving room for the delicious solos now responsorial now in unison by Gary Smulyan engaged in the baritone saxophone and of vibraphonist Bryan Carrott, whose great rhythmic verve recalls the best Bobby Hutcherson of the '60s. Already the first notes of the CD, suggest a perfect balance between the components of the quintet, which leads the musicians to interact as if they were in an orchestra, aiming for short and dense solos, without ambitions of hyper-virtuosity pleased in a continuous game of tension and distension. A soft and relaxed atmosphere, never however glossy or mushy, permeates the development of most of the pieces including "Just Love", "Alluminio" and "Lamu", from the suave melodic performance. Carrott's performance is enhanced by the record, to which the recording industry has not (incredibly) granted until today the opportunity to show off with engravings on its behalf. And this seems all the truer given that today the creation of CDs no longer denies anyone. The forty-three vibraphonist New Yorker, who had already contributed with Fassi to the success of the "Conduction 43" by Butch Morris during the course of Verona Jazz in 1994, gives his instrument greater harmonic freedom and timbre variety to the weaving of the songs, on which the relaxed and relaxed interplay of the quintet. The beauty of the themes - all fascinating and seductive as few - and the rapid melodic and rhythmic changes, finally avert the predictability that generally characterizes the mainstream production, rigid in the structuring of the solos and the monochordal path. 4 Stars, ~ by Maurizio Zerbo [Translation from Italian].

YVP Music, 3092 CD, 2001

Recorded 3^rd February, 1998 At Systems Two, Brooklyn, New York

Musicians:

Riccardo Fassi - Piano

Gary Smulyan - Baritone Saxophone

Bryan Carrott - Vibraphone

Dennis Irwin - Double Bass

Adam Nussbaum - Drums

Tracks:

1. Lamu (6:54)

2. Last Dance (6:08)

3. No Space For The Eggs (7:23)

4. Mars (7:08)

5. Miss B (3:59)

6. Market (7:58)

7. Just Love (7:36)

8. Prophet (7:49)

9. Alluminium (6:34)

All Compositions and Arrangements by Riccardo Fassi

Credits:

Producer - Riccardo Fassi, York v. Prittwitz

Recording Engineer - Michael Marciano, Joseph Marciano

Digital Mastering - Philipp Heck, Bauer Studios, Ludwigsburg

Cover Photo - Jorge Lardone

Photo - Riccardo Fassi

Cover Design - York v. Prittwitz

Liner Notes - Yvp Music Archive