"homecoming"

Lots of other groups than the ones Bach would have known have decided they wanted a piece of him, from Stokowski's Philadelphia Orchestra to recorder consorts, brass groups, and even teams of electronic musicians. All these settings involve a degree of compromise. A string quartet, for example, brings a grammar of articulation to Bach that may give him a disagreeable accent. This project, originating in Russia, offers something of a middle ground for listeners who may enjoy the sound of Bach played by a contemporary ensemble: it has been carefully done so as to keep the structures of the Goldberg Variations front and center, with no more variety of texture than they would receive on a piano. Arranger Andrei Eshpai, whose career as a composer dates back into the Soviet era, chooses the combination of two oboes, an English horn, and a bassoon for his wind quartet – all double reeds.

Homecoming: The Live Album (stylized as HΘMΣCΘMING: THE LIVE ALBUM) is the fifth live album by American singer Beyoncé, which was released on April 17, 2019. Recorded on April 14 and 21, 2018, at the Coachella Music Festival in Indio, California, just over one year prior to the album's premiere, the set features the entirety of Beyoncé's performance at the music festival which has since been deemed as "historic" by a number of music critics and media outlets. Two studio tracks – a cover of Maze's song "Before I Let Go" (which was previously covered by Destiny's Child in the late nineties but never officially released) and "I Been On" – follow the live recording, bringing the album's length to just short of two hours. The album's release coincided with the release of Homecoming, a documentary about the Coachella set that premiered on the streaming platform Netflix on April 17, 2019.

Homecoming. It is hardly surprising that several jazz compositions are known by this name. Especially for the continuously travelling improvisers, those post-modern nomads, to return home to their families is something he/she is longing for during the continuous loop of aeroplane-hotel-stage-aeroplane (even if he/she is longing to be back on the road after a few days at home…). Home can mean many different things: for some it is being on stage, for others it is an imaginary place, only to be found in their dreams. However, you may also associate homecoming with Vince Mendoza’s return to his acknowledged first love, jazz. Or his reunion with the orchestra he feels deeply connected with for already more than two decades, the WDR Big Band. Maybe the word makes you think of the happy opportunity to once again write your own music. The word has all of these and many more meanings, all of them are coming together in this particular homecoming.

The Gateway Trio is a cooperative in the greatest sense of the word, as guitarist John Abercrombie, bassist Dave Holland, and drummer Jack DeJohnette are all respected players, composers, and bandleaders on the jazz scene. Even though this only the third Gateway recording and the group's first in 17 years, each group member collaborates frequently with the others. As a result there is always a great sense of interplay between Abercrombie's sometimes-mellow-sometimes-distorted guitar, Holland's huge toned bass, and DeJohnette's dancing drums. All of the compositions are by the band members and are wide-ranging in scope.

Dexter Gordon - Homecoming: Live at the Village Vanguard (1977) {2CD Set, Columbia C2K 46824 rel 1990}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 865 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 315 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 48 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1977, 1990 Columbia / CBS Records | C2K 46824
Jazz / Bop / Saxophone

The acclaim that met Dexter Gordon when he returned to the United States after 14 years in Europe was completely unexpected. Not only did the jazz critics praise the great tenor but there were literally lines of young fans waiting to see his performances. This double CD, recorded during his historic first American tour, improved on the original double LP with the inclusion of previously unreleased versions of "Fried Bananas" and "Body and Soul." Gordon – in a quintet with trumpeter Woody Shaw, pianist Ronnie Mathews, bassist Stafford James, and drummer Louis Hayes – frequently sounds exuberant on these lengthy performances; eight of the ten songs are at least 11 minutes long. The excitement of the period can definitely be felt in this excellent music.

This Art Farmer studio session from 1971 has a slight contemporary flavor to it, due to the addition of conga player James "Mtume" Forman and percussionist Warren Smith, Jr. to a core group of collaborators including Jimmy Heath, Cedar Walton, Sam Jones, and Billy Higgins. Unfortunately, the additional percussionists are too prominent in the mix, greatly distracting from the driving arrangements of Farmer's "Homecoming" and Kenny Dorham's "Blue Bossa" as well as a peppy bossa nova, "Cascavelo." Far better are the quintet tracks, including the laid-back and mellow interpretation of Leonard Bernstein's ballad "Some Other Time," featuring the leader's matchless flügelhorn and Heath's soprano sax, and an upbeat chart of "Here's That Rainy Day." Another annoying problem is the seemingly out of tune piano, though Walton makes the best of a bad instrument. Not an essential album in the vast Farmer discography, but worth acquiring if found at a reasonable price, though it will be difficult.