Jeb Patton - A Lovesome Thing (2006)

Jeb Patton, who has appeared as a leader with his trio in some of the more famous jazz spots around the globe, such as Smoke and the Village Vanguard, is already well recognized by the discerning New York audience. This work, which he independently produced in 2006, is truly a super-powerful piano trio. The fundamental development of this album never leaves the listener bored. This is attributed to the trio's undulating ability to express a meaningful and personable colorisation of each tune. Every song is full of excitement and fun. It is a work that can only be achieved by a skilled person who holds down the visceral energy of the trio. When Jeb's piano sings happily, the tune also becomes entwined in such joy and happiness. The trio explores five standards and five original tunes penned by Patton. Essentially, this album can easily be referred to as a masterpiece that any bona fide jazz lover will find delight in with multiple appraisals. It is especially true portrayed in "Hanna's Mood" ​​that Jeb dedicated to his late teacher Roland Hanna whom he studied under. Enjoy! 

Self-Produced - none, 2006
Recorded 6th May, 2005 at Systems Two Studio, Brooklyn, New York 

Musicians:
Jeb Patton - Piano
Vicente Archer - Bass (Except #9)
David Wong - Bass (#9)
Pete Van Nostrand - Drums 

Tracks:
01. Love Walked In {George Gershwin} (6:12)
02. Worlds Apart {Jeb Patton} (3:43)
03. A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing {Billy Strayhorn} (6:11)
04. Begin The Beguine {Cole Porter} (3:17)
05. Relaxin' At Camarillo {Charlie Parker} (4:48)
06. Hanna's Mood {Jeb Patton} (6:56)
07. TF {Jeb Patton} (7:17)
08. The Wise Ones {Jeb Patton} (3:58)
09. Fantasy In F-Sharp Minor {Jeb Patton} (5:10)
10. Yemenja {John Hicks} (5:46) 

Total Time: 53:25 

Credits:
Producer - Jeb Patton
Recording Engineer - Mike Marciano 

The Wise Ones

Winard Harper - Come Into The Light (2003)

There's certainly been no shortage of artistic statements about the September 11 attacks and their aftermath, and there'll no doubt be more. Few of those are as concise or as engaging as the one made by master drummer Winard Harper and his sextet on Come Into the Light. "911" is but one of the gems on this uncompromisingly excellent live recording (the first at Cecil Brooks III's New Jersey club). Saxophonist Brian Horton sets the tone on his brief introduction, which Harper follows up even more ominously, paving the way for trumpeter Patrick Rickman to launch a blistering attack of his own. Thereafter, the music represents the bedlam and uncertainty that followed the historic day's cataclysm, with both Horton and pianist Jeb Patton weaving tortured cries into Harper's authoritative trap breaks. While Harper is unquestionably the leader, the CD's feel is truly collaborative throughout, from compositional credits-"911" is Rickman's, Horton submits the funky "Specimen A" and Patton provides the Tommy Flanagan tribute "T.F."-to the seamless interplay on the Latin-bop workout "Float Like a Butterfly" and the Tadd Dameron staple "If You Could See Me Now." Another classic, "Corner Pocket," gets a similar treatment, with Horton and Patton again trading quicksilver expressions, all behind another fluid opening solo by Rickman. The rest of the rhythm section-bassist Ameen Saleem and percussionist Alioune Faye-help Harper lay down a solid yet swaggering swing foundation, and the front line keeps their solos mostly lean and mean. This is the unmistakable sound of a top-flight band that has come into its own and is capable of going just about anywhere musically. ~ by Michael Edwards, JazzTimes.com. 

Savant Records, SCD 2058, 2004
Recorded 26th & 27th December, 2003 Live at Cecil's, West Orange, New Jersey

Musicians:
Winard Harper - Drums, Percussion, Balafon
Patrick Rickman - Trumpet
Brian Horton - Soprano & Tenor Saxophones
Jeb Patton - Piano (#4-7,9,10)
Kelvin Sholar - Piano (#2,3,8,11-13)
Ameen Saleem - Bass
Alioune Faye - Djembe, Percussion, Sabar 

Tracks:
01. Spoken Intro by Cecil Brooks III (0:42)
02. Float Like A Butterfly {Winard Harper} (7:00)
03. Little Sunflower {Freddie Hubbard} (5:24)
04. Divine Intervention {Winard Harper} (4:37)
05. If You Could See Me Now {Tadd Dameron, Carl Sigman} (7:56)
06. 911 {Patrick Rickman} (5:08)
07. T.F. {Jeb Patton} (5:35)
08. Specimen A {Brian Horton} (3:50)
09. Polka Dots And Moonbeams {Johnny Burke, James Van Heusen} (5:47)
10. Corner Pocket {Freddie Green, Donald Wolf} (6:44)
11. Come Into The Light [Intro] {Winard Harper} (2:40)
12. Come Into The Light {Winard Harper} (6:13)
13. Korinthis {Winard Harper} (6:39) 

Total Time: 68:15 

Credits:
Producer - Cecil Brooks III
Executive Producer - Joe Fields
Engineer - Don Braden
Assistant Engineer - James Dellatacoma
Photography - R. Andrew Lepley
Design - Keiji Obata
Liner Notes - Laurence Donohue Greene 

Note:
Original CD was poorly compiled, tracks ended with the start of the next track.
Remedy rip to WAV, trim, remove excess applause, optimize, re-encode FLAC > tag.

Winard Harper - A Time For The Soul (2003)

Listening to this release from drummer Winard Harper's group, it is very easy and logical to think of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. The music is mostly straight-ahead hard bop, and even overlooking Bobby Timmons' "Dat Dere" (which is straight from Blakey's repertoire), most of the cuts are very much in the same style. Trumpeter Patrick Rickman is a fine player influenced by Lee Morgan and Freddie Hubbard; Brian Horton contributes some excellent saxophone solos, and pianist Jeb Patton excels quite well in the modern mainstream setting. The biggest surprises are an instrumental medium-tempo version of "Here's to Life," and a couple percussion features. Fans of straight-ahead jazz will easily enjoy this fine effort. ~ by Scott Yanow, AMG. 

Savant Records, SCD 2048, 2003
Recorded 3rd January, 2003 at Leon Dorsey Studios, New York City 

Musicians:
Winard Harper - Drums
Patrick Rickman - Trumpet
Brian Horton - Soprano & Tenor Saxophones
Jeb Patton - Piano
Ameen Saleem - Bass
Kevin Jones - Percussion
Scott Harper - Auxiliary Percussion (#7) 

Tracks:
01. Soul Time {Winard Harper, Graham Parker} (5:48)
02. Mr. Baggy Pants {Winard Harper} (5:50)
03. Here's To Life {Artie Butler, Phyllis Molinary} (6:32)
04. Dat Dere {Oscar Brown, Jr., Bobby Timmons} (9:54)
05. About Face {Michael Hedges} (4:23)
06. When The Time Is Right {Winard Harper} (5:12)
07. All Praise To G-D {Winard Harper} (4:05)
08. Alone Together {Howard Dietz, Arthur Schwartz} (6:01)
09. Catanya {R. Brown} (4:56)
10. Glorify {Winard Harper} (6:14) 

Total Time: 59:01 

Credits:
Producer - Winard Harper
Executive Producer - Joe Fields
Engineer - David Baker
Assistant Engineer - Leon Lee Dorsey
Photography - Udo Spreitzenbarth
Design - Keiji Obata, Peter Muller [Littlefield & Company]

Lewis Nash - It Don't Mean A Thing (2005)

For this session Lewis is accompanied by vibist Steve Nelson, pianist Jeb Patton and bassist Peter Washington. Most of the tunes are trio performances with drums, vibes and bass, with only three songs in a quartet formation with pianist Jeb Patton. There are a number of instances on this disc, where Nash as the leader plays some great solos, but never dominates. In addition, Steve Nelson is well featured playing in a crisp mid-tempo across many of the tracks. Meanwhile the driving rhythm of Peter Washington's running basslines push a tight sound are a standout. Not to overlook the comping of Jeb Patton adding further dynamism with differing chords, rhythms, and countermelodies. Overall, this album is a showcase of well-known jazz standards including "Skeeter Blues" by Nash, that that truly swing! 

M&I Jazz, MYCJ-30250, 2005
Recorded 2003? 

Musicians:
Lewis Nash - Drums
Steve Nelson - Vibraphone
Jeb Patton - Piano (#3,9,10)
Peter Washington - Bass 

Tracks:
01. It Don't Mean A Thing {Duke Ellington, Irving Mills} (6:56)
02. Caravan {Duke Ellington, Juan Tizol} (9:27)
03. Sophisticated Lady {Duke Ellington} (6:44)
04. Tico Tico {Zequinha de Abreu} (4:08)
05. Strollin' {Horace Silver} (5:25)
06. Body And Soul {Green, Heyman, Sour, Eyton} (7:13)
07. Close Your Eyes {Bernice Petkere} (6:01)
08. How Insensitive {Antônio Carlos Jobim} (5:27)
09. We'll Be Together Again {Carl T. Fischer, Frankie Laine} (5:11)
10. Skeeter Blues {Lewis Nash} (3:41) 

Total Time: 60:13 

Producer - Makoto Kimata, Todd Barkan 

"Everything depends on how daring you want to be," he said. "Parameters exist in any musical situation, and they force you to get the most from the least. You try not to limit yourself to 'this is how you're supposed to play this kind of music.' You jump in, let your ears dictate, and keep all options on the table. I might borrow some sound or approach from an avant garde context that works in the middle of trading fours on a blues. Sound can cross genres and styles. It's just a sound. It's your job to figure out how to use that sound tastefully and in context. The more things you've done, the more you'll be able to interject something new." ~ Lewis Nash.