Bluesiana Triangle - Bluesiana II (1991)

After Blakey's death, the group released this second album, featuring drummer Will Calhoun (who replaced Art Blakey), trombonist Ray Anderson, bassists Essiet Okon Essiet and Jay Leonhart (on different tracks), and percussionist Joe Bonadio. 

Previously, Windham Hill Records released Bluesiana Triangle, a jazz trio album by drummer Art Blakey, pianist Dr. John, and reed man David "Fathead" Newman. Blakey passed away in 1990, but in the spring of 1991, Dr. John and Newman organized this second Bluesiana session, featuring trombonist Ray Anderson, drummer Will Calhoun, bassists Essiet Okon Essiet and Jay Leonhart (on different tracks), and percussionist Joe Bonadio. The resulting music again justifies the name, blues played in a funky Louisiana style with plenty of room for extended jazzy soloing. Though much of the material was written by Dr. John and he does sing occasionally, this is not a conventional Dr. John vocal album. It does contain some excellent playing, however. ~ by William Ruhlmann, AMG. 

Windham Hill Records, 01934 10133 2, 1991
Recorded 22nd-25th April, 1991 at Acme Studios, Mamaroneck, New York 

Musicians:
Dr. John - Piano, Guitar, Vocals
Ray Anderson - Trombone
David "Fathead" Newman - Saxophone, Flute
Essiet Okon Ossiet - Bass (#6-9)
Jay Leonhart - Bass (#1-5)
Will Calhoun - Drums
Joe Bonadio - Percussion 

Tracks:
01. Fonkalishus {Ray Anderson, David Newman, Mac Rebennack} (5:59)
02. Doctor Blooze {Mac Rebennack} (3:33)
03. Cowan Woman {Mac Rebennack} (6:51)
04. For Art's Sake {Ray Anderson, Mac Rebennack} (8:13)
05. Skoshuss {Mac Rebennack} (5:19)
06. Love's Parody {Will Calhoun} (3:30)
07. Santa Rosalia {Mac Rebennack} (5:33)
08. San Antone {Public Domain} (4:30)
09. Montana Banana {David "Fathead" Newman} (5:30)
10. Tribute To Art {Will Calhoun} (6:52) 

Total Time: 55:50 

Credits:
Producer - Dr. John, David "Fathead" Newman
Producer, Mixing Engineer - Joe Ferry
Executive Producer, Mixing - Sam Sutherland
Producer, Engineer, Mixing - Peter Denenberg
Assistant Producer - Shari Weingarten
Engineer - Thom Leinbach
Mixing - Will Calhoun
Mastering - Ted Jensen [Sterling Sound, NY]
Art Direction, Design - John Sullivan, Dennis Gallagher
Photography - Ray Anderson, Jay Leonhart, John F. Cooper, William Claxton
Illustration - Debbie Drechsler 

Cowan Woman

New York Trio - Essential Best (2009)

The New York Trio features three gifted musicians, pianist Bill Charlap, bassist Jay Leonhart and drummer Bill Stewart. In 2001, Charlap, Leonhart, and Stewart came together in The Studio, New York City to record a straight-ahead, post-bop style "Blues In The Night" for the Japanese Venus Jazz label. The album was well-received by classic jazz fans. From there similar album collections have been recorded: The Things We Did Last Summer (2002), Love You Madly (2003), Stairway To The Stars (2004), Begin The Beguine (2005), Thou Swell (2006) and Always (2007). For this "Essential Best" the trio have selected the best songs, performances, and recordings from all the albums. 

Venus Records, VHCD-8002; 2009
7th, 8th June, 2001 at The Studio, New York City
3rd, 4th April, 2002 at The Studio, New York City
7th April, 2003 at Avatar Studio, New York City
11th, 12th November, 2004 at Avatar Studio, New York City
23rd & 24th August, 2005 at The Studio, New York City
30th September & 1st October, 2006 at Clinton Recording Studio, New York City
30th & 31st May, 2007at Clinton Recording Studio, New York City 

Musicians:
Bill Charlap - Piano
Jay Leonhart - Bass
Bill Stewart - Drums 

Tracks:
01. I Could Have Danced All Night {Frank Loewe} (6:40)
02. Blue Skies {Irving Berlin} (5:05)
03. As Time Goes By {Herman Hupfield} (5:44)
04. How High The Moon {Morgan Lewis} (7:50)
05. Star Crossed Lovers {Duke Ellington} (4:30)
06. Lover Come Back To Me {Sigmund Romberg} (6:18)
07. Lullaby Of The Leaves {Bernice Petkere} (6:39)
08. My Heart Belongs To Daddy {Cole Porter} (6:16)
09. You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To {Cole Porter} (8:07)
10. I Didn’t Know What Time It Was {Richard Rodgers} (5:23)
11. Cheek To Cheek {Irving Berlin} (5:46)
12. They Say It’s Wonderful {Irving Berlin} (4:02) 

Total Time: 01:12:22 

Credits:
Producer - Tetsuo Hara, Todd Barkan
Engineer - Katherine Miller
Engineer [Assistant] - Eiji Takasugi
Mixing, Mastering - Shuji Kitamura, Tetsuo Hara
Design - Taz

Harold Ousley - Sweet Double Hipness (1980) [vinyl>flac]

Released in 1980, Sweet Double Hipness is a compilation of two of Ousley’s previous recordings from the early 1970s. The music is as good as the cover beginning with the bass get down on Uncle Funky. Come Get It, I Got It is just as funky with its drum heavy intro and organ playing. It’s a definite head nodder. Also, worth a listen is the title track with its female vocals singing the harmony to Ousley’s sax line mixed with some traditional Bop interludes, and some background percussion. Prodigal Son isn’t a bad Soul-Jazz piece either.”  ~ Soul Strut.

Muse Records, MR 5141, 1980

Recorded 28^th March, 1972 At Sound Ideas, New York City

Musicians:

Harold Ousley - Tenor Saxophone

Norman Simmons - Piano (#A1,B1,B3)

Neal Creque - Piano (#A2,A3,B2)

Bob Rose Guitar (#A2,A3,B2)

Victor Sproles - Bass (#A1,B1,B3)

Jay Leonhart - Bass (#A2,A3,B2)

Steve Butler - Drums (#A1,B1,B3)

Jim Young - Drums (#A2,A3,B2)

Ralph Dorsey - Congas (#A1,B1,B3)

Steve Kroon - Percussion (#A1,B1,B3)

Danny Barrajanos - Percussion (#A2,A3,B2)

Holly Hamilton, Edna Holt - Vocals (#A1,B1,B3)

Tracks:

A1. Uncle Funky {Harold Ousley} (7:08)

A2. The Prodical Son {Harold Ousley} (5:51)

A3. One For The Masses {Harold Ousley} (8:16)

B1. Sweet Double Hipness {Harold Ousley} (5:38)

B2. Come Get It, I Got It {Harold Ousley} (5:12)

B3. Feel Like Makin' Love {Gene McDaniels} (7:20)

Credits:

Producer - Harold Ousley, Frederick Seibert, Bob Rose

Engineer - George Klabin

Cover Photo - Hugh Bell

Cover Design - Ron Warwell

Liner Notes - Arnold Jay Smith

This is a compilation of his albums as a leader: bubbly, energetic and romantic, with a pleasant mixture of funk, soul, blues and bop.

Harold Ousley - The People's Groove (1977) [vinyl>flac]

Communication, a much-abused word in the world of music has special relevance in the case of saxophonist Harold Ousley. His basic goal is "to develop the ability to give people a complete musical experience that inspires, consoles and nourishes." In pursuit of that goal, Harold's activities have fanned out to include several separate yet interrelated directions. Harold's big vibrant sound and rhythmic finesse immediately evoke waves of tapping toes, popping fingers and undulating bodies. He makes everyone feel good. This album will help bring Harold Ousley's music to a wider audience. That is good because Ousley's musical humanism does indeed have the capacity to inspire console and heal. ~ Extract from Liner Notes by Chuck Berg (Downbeat).

Muse Records, MR 5107, 1977

Recorded Live and in Studio throughout 1972 approximate dates not listed.

Musicians:

Harold Ousley - Tenor Sax (#A1-B1,B3), Alto Sax (#B1,B2)

Gary Chandler - Trumpet (#A1)

Bobby Forrester - Organ (#A2,B2)

Neal Creque - Piano (#A3,B3)

Norman Simmons - Piano (#A4,B1)

Bob Rose - Guitar (#A3,B3)

Nate Stokes - Guitar (#A1-A2)

Ray McKinny - Bass (#A1)

Jay Leonhart - Bass (#A3,B3)

Victor Sproles - Bass (#A4,B1)

Al Dreares - Drums (#A1)

Steve Butler - Drums (#A2,A4,B1-B2)

Jim Young - Drums (#A3,B3)

Ralph Dorsey - Congas (#A2,A4,B1)

Danny Barrajanos - Percussion (#A3,B3)

Steve Kroon - Percussion (#A2,A4,B1)

Edna Holt - Vocals (#A2,A4,B1)

Holly Hamilton - Vocals (#A4,B1)

Tracks:

A1. The People's Groove {Harold Ousley} (3:19)

A2. Little Virgo {Harold Ousley} (6:40)

A3. Me & Bobby McGhee {Kris Kristofferson} (7:45)

A4. Positivity {Harold Ousley} (7:48)

B1. El Exi-Hente {Harold Ousley} (4:38)

B2. Why Did I Choose You? {Harold Ousley} (10:30)

B3. The Kid {Harold Ousley} (5:47)

Credits:

Producer - Fred Seibert, Harold Ousley

Photography [Cover], Album Design - Ron Warwell

Liner Notes - Chuck Berg (Downbeat)

In 1977, the Chicago-born saxophonist Harold Ousley put out the album "The People's Groove". In essence it is a Soul Jazz/Jazz Funk masterpiece. Some of tunes are taken from a live context and as a result are full of energy. With "Little Virgo" the listener is treated to a great piece of jazz funk. Another definite highlight is the Samba-Fused recording "El Exi-Hente" with its thrilling high-speed electric piano intertwined with nicely delivered scat vocals. The rest of the compositions are of equal merit, in fact there are no disappointments. Ousley as a producer has chosen some of the great jazz luminaries of the time together with an impressive rhythm section of players noted within the black music movement. Overall, the album is very entertaining whereby Ousley gets to showcase his skills on both tenor and alto.

Harold Ousley - The Kid! (1972) [vinyl>flac]

Harold Says "I try to play in a style that everyone can relate to. I view each tune as an individual thing, so I play in many different ways, trying to reach the individuality of the tune." When referring to this album Ousley states the "Songs fall in categories--rock, funky rock, funky jazz, ballads. I try to keep somewhat within the idiom, even in the solos. On this album we play straight jazz, a ballad, a thing out of the country field, an R&B tune, and some funky stuff. In each case we try to create the proper mood."

Beside the strong Ousley horn, the element that holds the music together is the cohesion among the sidemen. Neal Creque plays acoustic piano, electric piano and organ. Guitarist Rose who produced the album, is one of the most versatile musicians on the New York scene. Bassist Jay Leonhart, drummer Jim Young and percussionist Danny Barrajanos round out the rest of the rhythm section. ~ Excerpts taken from Liner Notes, by Don Lass.

Cobblestone Records, CST 9017, 1972

Recorded 28^th March, 1972

Musicians:

Harold Ousley - Tenor Saxophone

Neal Creque - Piano, Organ, Electric Piano

Bob Rose - Guitar

Jay Leonhart - Electric Bass

Jim Young - Drums

Danny Barrajanos - Percussion [Miscellaneous]

Tracks

A1. The Kid {Harold Ousley} (5:46)

A2. Forget It, I've Got It {Jimmy Miller, Gary Wright} (5:14)

A3. Me And Bobby McGee {Kris Kristofferson} (9:07)

B1. The Prodigal Son {Harold Ousley} (5:53)

B2. Come Sunday {Duke Ellington} (5:47)

B3. One For The Masses {Harold Ousley} (8:16)

Credits:

Producer – Bob Rose/Alstan Productions

Recording Engineer - George Kablin

A&R Coordinator - Joe Field

Design, Photo - Don Schlitten

Liner Notes - Don Lass

Christmas with Houston Person & Etta Jones (1997) [re-rip]

Tired of those bland Christmas jazz records that fail to capture the emotion and fervor of the season? Looking for an album that puts heart and soul into this momentous holiday? Then look no further than this album by Etta Jones and Houston Person (neither of whom are on all cuts) and other musicians who also not only want to play these songs for their holiday value, but for their musical value as well. With Jones' blues- and R&B-inflected vocal delivery, coupled with the sensuous and passionate sax of Person, this CD turns out to be one of the more attractive jazz Christmas albums extant. Instead of a sugar-coated version of the king of all Christmas pop tunes, "White Christmas," Jones and the trio of Horace Ott, Wilbur Bascomb, and Cecil Brooks III take this tune down a gently swinging lane. Peter Martin Weiss' bass and Stan Hope's piano are featured on "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and demonstrate that even a religious Christmas carol offers improvisational opportunities without detracting from the carol's solemn message. With Randy Johnson's rangy guitar kicking it off, Jones knocks the stuffings out of "Merry Christmas Baby" with her blues-soaked delivery, as the front line of Bill Easley and Johnny Coles make this a true jazz offering whose theme just happens to be a Yuletide one. But the album's pièce de résistance is Jones' rendition, complete with catch in the voice, of one of the saddest, most forlorn of all Christmas tunes, "I'll Be Home for Christmas" from World War II. This is one of those albums where it's best to listen with heavily spiked egg nog or another favorite alcoholic bracer. ~ Dave Nathan, AMG.

32 Jazz, 32034, 1997
Jazz Heritage, 515591L, 1999

Recorded June, 1990 - August, 1994 at Englewood Cliffs, NJ and New York, NY

Personnel:

Houston Person - Tenor Saxophone

Etta Jones - Vocals

Bill Easley - Flute, Tenor Saxophone

Johnny Coles - Flugelhorn

George Devens - Vibraphone

Horace Ott - Keyboards

Stan Hope - Piano

Benny Green - Piano

Mike Renzi - Piano

Randy Johnston - Guitar

Jay Leonhart - Bass

Cecil Brooks, III - Drums

Grady Tate - Drums

Chip White - Drums

Sammy Figueroa - Percussion

Della Griffin - Vocals

Tracks:

1. Medley: I'll Be Home For Christmas/You're All I Want for Christmas (2:42)

2. Blue Christmas (6:48)

3. I'll Be Home For Christmas (3:09)

4. Merry Christmas, Baby (9:15)

5. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (4:23)

6. Merry Christmas, Baby (5:29)

7. What Are You Doing New Year's Eve? (8:06)

8. Christmas Song (5:14)

9. [I'm Dreaming Of A] White Christmas (3:36)

Credits:

Producer - Houston Person, Joel Dorn

Arranger - Houston Person

Engineer - Rudy van Gelder, Tony Viamontes

Assistant Engineer - Roger Scheepers

Mastering - Gene Paul

Art Direction - Nancy Dwyer, Page Simon

Liner Notes - Joel Dorn

Morgana King - Portraits (1984) [vinyl>flac]

Competent set presenting actress/vocalist Morgana King doing jazz-oriented pop, standards, and ballads backed by a tight combo. She has good technique, delivery, and style; there is nothing innovative or particularly original about either the material or the performances, but they are thoroughly professional and often enjoyable. ~ by Ron Wynn, AMG.

======================

When I was much younger, I asked a big question of a man named John Levy. The question was, "What is the essential ingredient for a musician to be great?" I have never forgotten his answer, which was, "To have your own sound." That answer has worn well with me over the years. Morgana King is the epitome of this criteria and it is a joy always to hear great quality which is instantly identifiable. She indeed has her own sound in the best sense of this concept. ~ by Bill Evans; extract from Liner Notes.

Muse Records, MR 5301, 1984

Recorded 19^th & 21^st October, 1983 At Songshop, New York City

Tracks:

A1. What's Going On?,  Save The Children {Al Cleveland, Marvin Gaye, Renaldo Benson} (5:49)

A2. You Go To My Head {Haven Gillespie, J. Fred Coots} (3:27)

A3. Moment Of Truth {Frank Scott, Tex Satterwhite} (3:24)

A4. Time Was [Duerme] {Anna Sosenko} (3:37)

B1. Send In The Clowns {Stephen Sondheim} (3:10)

B2. Lush Life {Billy Strayhorn} (4:09)

B3. You're Not The Kind {Irving Mills, Will Hudson} (3:44)

B4. If You Could See Me Now {Carl Sigman, Tadd Dameron} (5:47)

Personnel:

Morgana King - Vocals

Ben Aronov - Keyboards

Clifford Carter - Synthesizer

Joe Puma - Guitar

Art Koenig - Bass

Jay Leonhart - Bass (#A2,B2)

Ed Caccavale - Drums

John Kaye - Percussion

Credits:

Producer - Chuck Irwin, Mitch Farber

Executive Producer - Morgana King

Engineer - Chuck Irwin, John Tamburello, Wayne Vlcan

Mastering Engineer - Joe Brescio, The Cutting Room, NYC

Album Design - Ron Warwell

Album Photography - Arthur Paxton

Liner Notes - Bill Evans