Victor Gould - Clockwork (2016)

Pianist Victor Gould's debut utilizes a variety of large gears, pinions, and regulators to help fashion his own ideas. You just never know who'll be standing in for which of those parts. The high-octane combination of Gould, bassist Ben Williams, and drummer E.J. Strickland is at the center of each scene, but they're joined, at different times, by a variety of other musicians and instruments - saxophones, trumpet, flute, strings, and percussion - which help to create an intricate sonic mesh and add a variety of tonal colors to the mix. It's heady modernistic jazz language and high art rolled into one. The album opens on the title track, a bubbly Latin cauldron fired and forwarded by the aforementioned trio in cahoots with percussionist Pedrito Martinez. The pieces that follow - "Room," a sunny yet contemplative work in three, and "Chaancé," a mellow, strings-enhanced feature that puts the spotlight on Jeremy Pelt's flugelhorn and the composer's piano - stand apart in mood and musical complexion, marking Gould as a composer of great ambition and skill. While shifting focal points, different emotional tides, and the track-to-track addition and subtraction of musicians all allow the listener to indulge in a variety of musical worlds and fantasies, Gould's voice rings true in each and every one. He excels at every turn, regardless of where those turns may lead. He brilliantly works the beautiful-to-brooding range on the prelude to "Apostle John"; he shows patience and restraint over a throbbing base/bass on that tune proper, standing in stark contrast to the raw intensity that comes from his colleagues; and he delivers a scene-stealer statement full of daring and darting maneuvers on "Blue Dales." It's easy to see what his A-list employers - trumpeter Wallace Roney, drummer Ralph Peterson, and saxophonist Donald Harrison, among others - see in Gould. He's got the musical world on a string, in his mind, and at his fingertips. ~ by Dan Bilawsky, AllAboutJazz. 

Fresh Sound New Talent Records, FSNT 502, 2016
Recorded 14th Dec., 2015 & 19th Jan., 2016 At Systems Two Studios, Brooklyn, New York

Musicians:
Victor Gould - Piano, Composer
Jeremy Pelt - Trumpet (#1-3,6-8,11)
Godwin Louis - Alto Saxophone (#1-3,5-8,11)
Myron Walden - Tenor Saxophone (#1-3,6-8,11)
Anne Drummond - Flute (#3,7)
Ben Williams - Bass (#1-5,7,9-11)
E.J. Strickland - Drums (#1-5,7-11)
Pedrito Martinez - Percussion (#1,4,7)
Yoojin Park - Violin (#3,6,7)
Heejin Chang - Viola (#3,6,7)
Veronica Parrales - Cello (#3,6,7) 

Tracks:
01. Clockwork (7:39)
02. Room (7:09)
03. Chaancé (5:22)
04. Blue Dales (5:21)
05. The Return (7:55)
06. Apostle John [Prelude] (3:09)
07. Apostle John (9:00)
08. Sir Carter [Intro] (0:45)
09. Sir Carter (4:52)
10. Nefertiti (5:37)
11. Three Souls (8:06) 

All songs composed & arranged by Victor Gould, except #5 by Wayne Shorter 

Credits:
Co-Producers - Victor Gould, Myron Walden
Executive Producer - Jordi Pujol
Recording Engineer - Max Ross
Mixing & Mastering Engineer - Dave Darlington
Painting - Martel Chapman
Photos - Anne Yatskevich
Liner Notes - David R. Adler

LINK

Sean Jones - Gemini (2005)

Trumpeter Sean Jones certainly covers a great deal of musical ground on Gemini. The music ranges from the hard boppish "In Her Honor," a hint of 1960s lyrical Freddie Hubbard on "Rain of Patience," and the medium-tempo "Blues for Matt B." to some more electronic, funky, and even fusionish selections. The music on Gemini keeps one guessing throughout and Jones plays well in every setting. The other soloists, which at various times include Tim Fuller on alto and flute, the tenors of Ron Blake and Walter Smith III, trombonist Andre Hayward, and pianist Mulgrew Miller among others, are utilized to their best advantage, but it is the warm sound and versatility of Jones that makes Gemini a consistent success. ~ by Scott Yanow, AMG. 

Superb: Sean Jones' tone, intonation and musicality are stellar. On this CD, the material is interesting and appealing, the other musicians are outstanding and Jones is great. The bop and funkier tracks blend well. The uses of synth keyboard on a few tracks is tasteful and adds to rather than detracting from the overall sound and musical quality. This is a CD I have found myself listening to every day, and I am sure I will be enjoying this for years. IMO, one of the best jazz CDs in recent years. ~ Kindle Customer, Amazon.com. 

Mack Avenue Records, MAC1023, 2005
Recorded at Avatar Studios, New York, NY 

Musicians:
Sean Jones - Trumpet
Tia Fuller - Alto Sax, Flute
Walter Smith III - Tenor Saxophone (#4,6)
Ron Blake - Tenor Saxophone (#9-10)
Mulgrew Miller - Piano (#1-6)
Orrin Evans - Keyboards (#7-13)
Kenny Davis - Acoustic & Electric Bass, Bass Guitar
E.J. Strickland - Drums (#1-6)
Corey Rawls - Drums (#7-12)
Andre Heyward - Trombone (#10)

Tracks:
01. Gemini [Phase 1] {Sean Jones} (1:37)
02. In Her Honor {Sean Jones} (5:40)
03. Rain Of Patience {Tia Fuller} (5:54)
04. Blues For Matt B {Sean Jones} (5:41)
05. BJ's Tune [Life In The Hand, Divine] {Sean Jones} (10:15)
06. Mission Statement {Quamon Fowler} (7:35)
07. Gemini [Phase 2] {Orrin Evans} (1:53)
08. Into The Sun {Sean Jones} (5:37)
09. Chillin' At Da Grill {Sean Jones} (5:33)
10. T.V. Land {Sean Jones} (7:27)
11. Momma's Groove {Corey Rawls} (4:53)
12. Gemini {Kenny Davis} (4:34)
13. Gemini [Phase 3] {Traditional} (1:32) 

Total Time: 68:17 

Credits:
Producer - Al Pryor
Executive Producer, Liner Notes - Gretchen Carhartt
Recording & Mixing Engineer - Jim Anderson
Recording Engineer [Assistant] - Anthony Ruotolo
Mixing Engineer [Assistant] - Kaori Kinoshita
Mastering Engineer - Greg Calbi
Mastering Engineer [Assistant] - Steve Fallone
Art Direction, Design, Photography - Raj Naik

LINK

Rain Of Patience

Ravi Coltrane - Spirit Fiction (2012)

A career on the saxophone with one of the most freethinking saxophonists in music history for a father has to be a tough call. Now 46, Ravi Coltrane, son of John, has often chosen to be a sympathetic sideman rather than the boss. But his Blue Note Records debut as a leader feels like a giant step. The tracks are split between two groups (a quartet with Luis Perdomo on piano, and a superb quintet with Geri Allen at the keys, and Ralph Alessi on trumpet), playing an arrestingly original postbop repertoire, plus covers of pieces by Ornette Coleman and Paul Motian. There are delicate improv conversations between Coltrane and Alessi, passages in which Geri Allen and drummer Eric Harland uncannily recall the sound of the young Herbie Hancock and Tony Williams in the Miles Davis quintet, quiet tone-bending sax ruminations and a deliciously ramshackle version of Ornette Coleman's Check Out Time. It genuinely sounds like a coming-of-age for Ravi Coltrane. ~ John Fordham, The Guardian. 

Blue Note Records, 509999 18937 2 7, 2012
Recorded (#1,3,4,7,11) at Bennett's Studios, Englewood, New Jersey
Recorded (#2,5,8,9,10) at Sear Sound, New York City
Recorded (#6) at Systems Two Recording, Brooklyn, New York 

Musicians:
Ravi Coltrane - Tenor & Soprano Saxes
Joe Lovano - Tenor Sax (#9,10)
Luis Perdomo - Piano (#1,3,4,7,11)
Drew Gress - Bass (#1,3,4,7,11)
E.J. Strickland - Drums (#1,3,4,6,7,11)
Ralph Alessi - Trumpet (#2,5,8,9)
Geri Allen - Piano (#2,5,8-10)
James Genus - Bass (#2,5,8,9)
Eric Harland - Drums (#2,5,8,9)

Tracks:
01. Roads Cross {Gress, Strickland, Perdomo, Coltrane} (5:04)
02. Klepto {Ralph Alessi} (7:30)
03. Spirit Fiction {Gress, Strickland, Perdomo, Coltrane} (52:28)
04. The Change, My Girl {Ravi Coltrane} (6:46)
05. Who Wants Ice Cream {Ralph Alessi} (6:32)
06. Spring & Hudson {Ravi Coltrane} (2:21)
07. Cross Roads {Gress, Strickland, Perdomo, Coltrane} (5 (4:03)
08. Yellow Cat {Ralph Alessi} (6:50)
09. Check Out Time {Ornette Coleman} (7:26)
10. Fantasm {Paul Motian} (4:08)
11. Marilyn & Tammy {Ravi Coltrane} (5:42) 

Total Time: 58:57 

Credits:
Producer, Mixing - Ravi Coltrane
Producer, Mixing, Liner Notes - Joe Lovano
Executive-Producer - Bruce Lundvall
Recording Engineer - Dave Kowalski (#1,3,4,7,11)
Recording & Mixing Engineer - Chris Allen (#2,5,8-10)
Recording Engineer - Joe Marchiano (#6)
Mixing Engineer - Ravi Coltrane, Steve Genewick (#1,3,4,6,7,11)
Mixing Engineer - Joe Lovano (#2,5,8-10)
Mastering Engineer - Allan Tucker
Art Direction, Design - Hayden Miller
Photography - Darlene Devita 

Spirit Fiction