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

Miguel Zenón - Awake (2007)

From the opening selection of Miguel Zenón's Awake, his fourth CD as a leader, the alto saxophonist demonstrates his diverse musical mind. His originals show surprising maturity, with the individual pieces sounding like part of a larger work, while Zenón's imaginative solos also belie his tender years. The melancholy "Awakening Prelude" provides a subtle introduction with a string quartet accompanying him. His quartet, with pianist Luis Perdomo, bassist Hans Glawisching, and drummer Henry Cole, is added for the "Camarón," a dizzying Latin number incorporating some hot bop licks, including a hilarious brief detour into Bud Powell's "Parisian Thoroughfare." "The Missing Piece" is a brooding ballad, with the piano accompaniment suggesting someone pacing the floor. "Awakening Interlude" is wild free jazz, augmenting the quartet with tenor saxophonist Tony Malaby, trombonist Ben Gerstein, and trumpeter Michael Rodriguez. The extended work "Santo" initially has a Middle Eastern flavor, with Glawisching playing an unusual arco bassline beneath Zenón's haunting alto, though the piece frequently changes tempo and mood. "Third Dimension" begins with a repeated angular riff, then switches gears, blending elements of hard bop and Latin jazz, culminating with an infectious rhythm, plus a sax theme that is carried over into his unaccompanied finale, "Awakening Postlude." It is little wonder that Miguel Zenón has attracted so much attention during the early part of his career with such strong outings such as Awake. ~ by Ken Dryden, AMG. 

Marsalis Music, 087496000925, 2008
Recorded 2nd-4th April, 2007 at Legacy Recording Studios, New York 

Musicians:
Miguel Zenón - Alto Saxophone, Composer
Luis Perdomo - Piano, Fender Rhodes
Hans Glawischnig - Bass
Henry Cole - Drums, Percussion 

Guests:
Michael Rodriguez - Trumpet (#6)
Ben Gerstein - Trombone (#6)
Tony Malaby - Tenor Saxophone (#6) 

Strings:
Nioka Workman - Cello (#1,8)
Judith Insell - Viola (#1,8)
Marlene Rice, Orlando Wells - Violin (#1,8) 

Tracks:
01. Awakening [Prelude] (3:44)
02. Camaron (7:43)
03. Penta (7:33)
04. The Missing Piece (7:42)
05. Ulyssess In Slow Motion (7:06)
06. Awakening - Interlude (5:24)
07. Santo (12:04)
08. Lamamilla (5:58)
09. Third Dimension (9:59)
10. Awakening [Postlude] (2:23) 

Total Time: 69:36 

Credits:
Producer - Branford Marsalis
Recording & Mixing - Rob "Wacko" Hunter
Mastering - Greg Calbi
Liner Notes - Miguel Zenón