Mulgrew Miller - Getting To Know You (1995)

Mulgrew Miller is in top form for these 1995 sessions. as he covers a wide range of compositions. With his regular trio on hand, including bassist Richie Goods and drummer Karriem Riggins, plus the addition of percussionist Steve Kroon and conga player Big Black, this marked the pianist's final recording for the Novus label. Miller's exotic "Eastern Joy Dance" and thoughtful "Second Thoughts" (which brings James Williams' writing style to mind) provide an excellent introduction. Standards include a breezy waltz treatment of "Getting to Know You" (from The King and I) and a driving rendition of "If I Should Lose You." The Beatles' "Fool on the Hill" takes flight in Miller's hands, as he adds a sprightly touch without sounding like a cocktail pianist. He also manages to make something of the usually lame "I Don't Know How to Love Him," as one wouldn't expect an introspective gospel flavor added to an Andrew Lloyd Webber composition, even if it is from Jesus Christ Superstar. Goods' contributed the soulful "Nandhi" to provide a strong finish to this rewarding, though now sadly out of print, CD. ~ by Ken Dryden, AMG. 

RCA/Novus Records, 01241 63188-2, 1995
Recorded & Mixed 20th-21st March, 1995 At Manhattan Center Studios, New York City 

Musicians:
Mulgrew Miller - Piano [Steinway Concert Grand]
Richie Goods - Bass
Karriem Riggins - Drums
Big Black - Conga (#1,2,4,7)
Steve Kroon - Percussion (#1,2,7,8) 

Tracks:
01. Eastern Joy Dance {Mulgrew Miller} (6:39)
02. Second Thoughts {Mulgrew Miller} (5:49)
03. Sweet Sioux {Freddie Hubbard} (6:52)
04. Getting To Know You {Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II} (6:19)
05. Whisper {Mulgrew Miller} (5:46)
06. Didn't We {Jimmy Webb} (5:15)
07. Fool On The Hill {John Lennon, Paul McCartney} (6:46)
08. I Don't Know How To Love Him {Andrew Lloyd Webber, Tim Rice} (5:11)
09. If I Should Lose You {Ralph Rainger, Leo Robin} (6:54)
10. Nandhi {Richie Goods} (5:36) 

Total Time: 61:07 

Credits:
Producer - Tim Patterson
Recording, Mixing & Mastering - James Nicholls
Assistant Recording & Mixing Engineer - Richard Clarke
Art Direction, Artwork, Design - Sean Mosher-Smith
Photography - Daniel Miller
Liner Notes - Samuel Fromartz

Paolo Fresu Quartet - Angel (1998)

A native of Sardinia, Paolo Fresu has established himself for several years as one of the great voices on the trumpet since the disappearance of Miles. In a remarkably fluid speech, he incorporates sound elements from various origins, including electronic effects which he uses sparingly. Very active, he has several regular formations, mainly a quintet. But it is with the quartet with which he has been touring for three years that he made this recording. First of all, Nguyên Lê, French guitarist who has managed to achieve a subtle mix of rock sounds and jazz harmonies and makes intelligent use of the synth guitar. And a first-rate Italian rhythm, di Castri being known elsewhere for his superb compositions. The themes, apart from two standards, Angel by Jimi Hendrix and a traditional Italian song, indicative of the personality of the musicians of the group, clearly show that we are dealing here with a real quartet. "Fellini" by Fresu is particularly moving, as we know, one of the finest musical tributes that we have made to the master. "Sueños" (Dreams) by di Castri shows us that the bassist is also a great soloist. It is therefore a very beautiful album which will undoubtedly become a reference. ~ by Alain Le Roux, Chronicart.com. [Translated from French]

BMG/RCA Victor, 74321558642, 1998
Recorded 25th to 29th September 1997 At Esagono Studio, Rubiera, Italy 

Musicians:
Paolo Fresu - Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Electronics
Nguyên Lê - Guitar, Guitar Synthesizer
Furio Di Castri - Acoustic Bass, Electronics
Roberto Gatto - Drums
Ornella Vanoni - Vocals (#6) 

Tracks:
01. Everything Happens To Me {Matt Dennis, Tom Adair} (5:38)
02. Walkabout {Paolo Fresu} (6:31)
03. Fellini {Paolo Fresu} (5:57)
04. Elogio Del Discanto [In Praise Of The Discanto] {Paolo Fresu} (4:01)
05. Saïgon {Furio Di Castri} (7:28)
06. Accarezzame [Caress Me] {Pino Calvi, Nicola Salermo} (3:55)
07. Variazione Cinque [Variation Five] {Paolo Fresu} (2:48)
08. El Saola [The Saola] {Dominique Borker, Nguyên Lê} (4:31)
09. Song One {Dominique Borker, Nguyên Lê} (3:10)
10. Sueños [Dreams] {Furio Di Castri} (8:00)
11. Dove Niente Accade [Where Nothing Happens] {Paolo Fresu} (3:35)
12. Il Gatto E La Volpe [The Cat And The Fox] {Paolo Fresu} (6:07)
13. Real Time {Dominique Borker, Nguyên Lê} (2:22)
14. Angel {Jimi Hendrix} (4:22)
15. I Fall In Love Too Easily {Sammy Cahn, Jule Styne} (3:06) 

Total Time: 71:31

Credits:
Producer - Jean-Jacques Pussiau
Executive-Producer - Daniel Baumgarten
Recording, Mixing - Marti Jane Robertson
Mastering, Editing - Jean-Pierre Chalbos
Engineer [Assistant] - Andrea Rovacchi
Photography - Pino Ninfa
Art Direction, Design - Bernard Amiard
Liner Notes [French] - Daniel Soutif

Ahmed Abdul-Malik - East Meets West (1959)

The late Ahmed Abdul-Malik was best known to jazz listeners as a bassist with Thelonious Monk, Randy Weston, Coleman Hawkins, and many others. He made a few records as a leader, with this one being his most exotic and also the hardest to find. The Brooklyn native was of Sudanese descent; in addition to playing bass on this interesting blend of Middle Eastern instruments with those from the world of jazz, he also plays oud, the forerunner to the lute. The musicians on Malik's eight originals vary from track to track. On the mournful "La Ibky (Don't Cry)," Malik's oud shares the spotlight with a tenor sax (either Benny Golson or Johnny Griffin) plus trumpeter Lee Morgan. "Rooh (The Soul)" features the 72-string kanoon (which is sort of a brittle sounding and much smaller harp) played by Ahmed Yetman, along with Malik's arco bass and the droning violin of Naim Karacand. The Middle Eastern instruments are absent during "Searchin'," which is sort of a hard bop vehicle featuring trombonist Curtis Fuller and Jerome Richardson on flute, along with the tenor sax. "Takseem (Solo)" omits the jazz instruments; the slowness of the variations of the music and rather piercing vocal make it harder for Western ears to comprehend. Not a release of interest to everyone but, for the most part, this fusion of vastly different styles of music is quite enjoyable; it's obvious from the start that the musicians were enjoying themselves as it was recorded. This long out print LP will be difficult to locate. ~ AMG review by Ken Dryden.

I obtained a sealed copy of the LP.

01 - El-Lail (The Night)
02 - La Ikby (Don't Cry)
03 - Takseem (Solo)
04 - Searchin'
05 - Isma'a (Listen)
06 - Rooh (The Soul)
07 - Mahawara (The Fugue)
08 - El Ghada (The Jungle)

Lee Morgan* (t) Curtis Fuller (tb) Jerome Richardson (fl) Benny Golson, Johnny Griffin (ts) Naim Karacand (vln) Ahmed Abdul-Malik (b, oud) Al Harewood (d) Bilal Abdurrahman, Mike Hamway (darabeka) Ahmed Yetman (kannon)
*NYC, March 16, 1959; NYC, March 31, 1959

Lee Konitz - Stereokonitz (1968) [re-rip]

Lee Konitz has had many opportunities to record with European artists over the decades, but this session is a bit unusual, in that all the compositions are by bassist Giovanni Tommaso; and Konitz doesn't stick strictly to alto saxophone. Joining them are pianist Franco D'Andrea, trumpeter Enrico Rava and drummer Gegé Munari. Tommaso's charts delve into bop and cool, with Konitz primarily playing the varitone, though he does play some alto sax and also makes a rare appearance on flute (doubling on it in "Take Seven"). While the music from this 1968 session is enjoyable, even though the sound quality of the varitone pales when compared to a regular saxophone, this remains one of Lee Konitz's more obscure recordings from the '60s. ~ Extracts taken from review by Ken Dryden, AMG.

This LP is one of my favourite Lee Konitz albums. It’s a truly distinctive session revealing a brilliant class of sound! For this album Konitz tries out a varitone sax, as well as playing flute and alto. This session is a rather different undertaking in that Lee comes together with an elite grouping of some of Europe’s top musicians, at this time 1968, playing some very contemporary tunes that are partly modal and in a soul jazz style. This uniqueness being mainly due to the absorbing compositions penned by the bassist Giovanni Tommaso. The group includes other Italian stars Enrico Rava on trumpet and Franco d'Andrea on piano. This assemblage of great artists allows Konitz to in reality to stretch out more so, especially noticeable when soloing. All tracks showcase the musical talents of all the players. It is wonderful to hear matching of both Rava and d’Andrea throughout this fine LP. Highlights include “Five, Four And Three”, “Komonia”, “Midnight Mood”, “Terre Lontane” and “Tune Down”. However in essence the whole LP is fantastic, Enjoy!

Recorded in October, 1968 in Rome, Italy

DejaVù Records, DJV 20000 42, 2008

Personnel:

Lee Konitz - Alto Sax (#A3,B1), Flute (#B2), Varitone (#A1,A2,A4,B2-B4)

Enrico Rava - Trumpet
Franco d'Andrea - Piano

Giovanni Tommaso - Bass

Gegé Munari - Drums

Tracks:

A1. A Minor Blues (4:37)

A2. Five, Four And Three (3:32)

A3. Komonia (4:43)

A4. Midnight Mood (3:50)

B1. Terre Lontane (5:25)

B2. Take Seven (3:11)

B3. Giovanni D'Oggi (4:20)

B4. Tune Down (4:51)

Credits:

All Compositions by Giovanni Tommaso

Arranger - Thomas Giovannio
Sound Engineer - Guilio Spelta

Assistant Music - Guido Cenciarelli

Photos and Design - ZOOM

Other releases include:

RCA Italiana [Original Cast]; Catalog#: OLS 2; 1969

RCA Records [Jazz Masters - France]; PL 31257; 1969

Roy Hargrove - Approaching Standards (1994)

This compilation serves as a fine entrance point into Hargrove's work. The playing is measured and a fine representation of he the jazz played by the Young Lions of the early 90's. Hargrove would evolve and his sound would change. These 10 songs are the sound of promise, later albums would arguably deliver on that promise. This is a must have if you're interested in the early sound of Hargrove's ballads. ~ by Dave Rullo, AMG.

Here Is Beauty Pure And Simple

Every track is a delight, just put it on and let it go. It very beautifully showcases the trumpet as a jazz instrument and reaffirms Roy Hargrove as a main interpreter of the standards. This CD is a good introduction into jazz for anyone not yet acquainted. It is also one of my favorites to put on at night for go-to-sleep music. ~ Paul Phelps, Amazon.com

RCA/Novus Records, 01241 63178 2, 1994

Jazz Heritage, 513900W, 1995

Recorded December, 1989 to February, 1993
At BMG Studios & Clinton Recording, New York

Personnel:

Roy Hargrove - Trumpet, Flugelhorn

Frank Lacy - Trombone

Ran Blake - Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone

John Hicks - Piano

Stephen Scott - Piano

Christian McBride - Bass

Rodney Whitaker - Bass

Scott Colley - Bass

Al Foster - Drums

Billy Higgins - Drums

Gregory Hutchinson - Drums

Tracks:

01. Easy To Remember {Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers} (6:17)

02. Ruby My Dear {Thelonious Monk} (6:17)

03. Whisper Not {Benny Golson} (7:31)

04. What's New? {Johnny Burke, Bob Haggart} (5:10)

05. September In The Rain {Al Dubin, Harry Warren} (7:23)

06. You Don't Know What Love Is {Gene DePaul, Don Raye} (6:20)

07. End Of A Love Affair {Thelonious Monk} (8:05)

08. Things We Did Last Summer {Sammy Cahn, Jule Styne} (5:38)

09. Everything I Have Is Yours {Burton Lane, Harold Adamson}
/Dedicated To You {Sammy Cahn, Hy Zaret} (4:48)

10. My Shining Hour {Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer} (6:09)

Credits:

Producer - Larry Clothier

Mastering - Jimmy Nichols At BMG Studios, NYC

Photography - Ruedi Hofmann

Art Direction - Jacqueline Murphy

Design - Amy Wenzler

LEE WILEY - with BILLY BUTTERFIELD - A TOUCH OF THE BLUES 1957 - VINYL (FLAC)

1957
RCA LSP-1566
My Vinyl Rip
DR Value 14
Front & Back Covers
FLAC

AllMusic Review by Jason Ankeny

The stellar A Touch of the Blues pairs Lee Wiley with an exceptional band led by trumpeter Billy Butterfield, whose warm, beautiful tone proves a sympathetic counterpoint to Al Cohn and Bill Finegan's otherwise dark, melancholy arrangements. While a title like A Touch of the Blues guarantees the listener few surprises, the album consistently avoids the familiar bluesy clichés -- Wiley's sensuality and sophistication suggest emotional depths to make such gestures redundant anyway. And like her more celebrated songbook sessions, the material here is expertly selected, complementing Wiley's inherent strengths while affording her the latitude to stretch out in new directions.

The Tracks:
01 The Memphis Blues / 02 From The Land Of The Sky Blue Water / 03 The Ace In The Hole / 04 Someday You'll Be Sorry /
05 My Melancholy Baby / 06 A Hundred Years From Today / 07 Blues In My Heart / 08 Maybe You'll Be There /
09 Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea / 10 I Don't Want To Walk Without You / 11 Make Believe / 12 A Touch Of The Blues

J.J. Johnson - J.J.!

This album is a 5 star gem.  Johnson figured out how to arrange and conduct a big band, while featuring himself as the star soloist.  Sounds a bit ego driven doesn't it, well who else but this master of jazz to pull it off?!?!  The band tear through bebop and hard bop tunes like no other.  Although Johnson's 'bone is the featured solo chair, we do infact hear from many other players.  The personnel reads like a who's who of bop, a real "dream band" if there was ever any.  Not a dud to be found in these 9 tracks.


Click For Personnel Details



I worked obsessively for hours on this to make it perfect, and to get it done for tonight.  I think the results speak for themselves, I was really happy with the final product.  My LP is a minty stereo RCA/Victor original, ripped at 24/44.1 wav and dithered to 16/44.1 FLAC.

RCA Victor – LSP-3350
1965

Recorded in Webster Hall, New York City.

Muggsy Spanier's Ragtime Band - The Great 16!!

Folks, I know that I am generally excited to share my music with you - but this is different.  Infact, next to the Sidney Bechet Rhythm Kings sides, this is probably my proudest moment.

For those who are unfamiliar with The Geat 16!, get a place on your shelf ready - next to Kind Of Blue, A Love Supreme, Time Out, Saxophone Colossus, etc, etc.  This is a jazz album which every fan must, at the very least, have a listen to.  Recorded in 1939, Spanier helped to push the revivalist movement forward and recorded what became a bedrock of Dixieland.  "Chicago Style" was born along with the help from cats like Bobby Hackett.

Of course, this side has been reissued countless times, but this is the original.  A joint project between Downbeat and RCA to present the listening public with some choice cuts by the genre's best.  My copy is near mint.  You will be super pleased with the fantastic quality of this rip and the fidelity of the recording.  To be able to share such a quality rip for this type of album is half of my joy.  Fantastic swingin combined with individualistic playing.

I should just add, for anyone who is unfamiliar with this style of jazz, or doesn't care for it - you must listen to the differences closely to appreciate how great the players are.  For example, bebop and hard bop tunes are judged by how tight the ensemble work is.  When the players attack the head, they do so as a unit.  The absolute beauty of Chicago Style is the free approach of this very scenario.  During the head, each player is jammin on the melody in their own unique style.  Hmmmmm, less structure and more improvisation... sound familiar?  Oh yes that's right... it's JAZZ!!!

Ripped at 24/44.1 wav and dithered to 16/44.1 FLAC...
Enjoy!!!

OK everyone, here's the back cover... simply save it into your folder...