Björg Post (1995)

Elastica's debut album may cop a riff here and there from Wire or the Stranglers, yet no more than Led Zeppelin did with Willie Dixon or the Beach Boys with Chuck Berry. The key is context. Elastica can make the rigid artiness of Wire into a rocking, sexy single with more hooks than anything on Pink Flag ("Connection") or rework the Stranglers' "No More Heroes" into a more universal anthem that loses none of its punkiness ("Waking Up"). But what makes Elastica such an intoxicating record is not only the way the 16 songs speed by in 40 minutes, but that they're nearly all classics. The riffs are angular like early Adam & the Ants, the melodies tease like Blondie, and the entire band is as tough as the Clash, yet they never seem anything less than contemporary.

Laurent de Wilde (born in Washington, D.C. in 1960) is a French jazz pianist, composer and writer. In 1987, he recorded the first of a series of four albums for Ida Records Off the Boat with Eddie Henderson, Ralph Moore, backed by Ira Coleman on bass and Billy Hart on drums. In 1989, Odd and Blue was released with Coleman and Jack DeJohnette (drums), followed in 1990 by Colors of Manhattan, with Coleman, Henderson and Lewis Nash. In 1995, de Wilde signed with Sony Jazz (Columbia) and recorded The Back Burner.

The working trio of pianist Walton, bassist David Williams, and drummer Billy Higgins is not only bulletproof but in lockstep with Walton's extraordinary musical talents. This set, done at Yoshi's Nitespot in Oakland, CA for radio broadcast over KJAZ-FM, is a perfect example of the Walton trio's brilliance. Of the seven pieces, four are Walton's and comprise his better writings. "Bremond's Blues," an underrated composition in the Walton repertoire, starts and ends by quoting "Giant Steps" and paraphrasing "Sweet & Lovely" in the middle, and spreads buttery melodicism throughout. "N.P.S." is a Walton classic, with Higgins' tango-to-light-swing rhythm accenting a bluesy melody. "Fiesta Espanol" is quicker, brighter, and quite familiar to fans, with Higgins digging in on his lengthy drum solo, while "Ironclad" features an elongated intro and coda, stating the chiming staccato melody in two spurts over 14 minutes…

The Jackie McLean-influenced alto saxophonist Abraham Burton was a member of Art Taylor's Wailers until the drummer's death in 1995. This was Burton's second album as leader, recorded live at Visiones on March 17 & 18, 1995 with pianist Marc Cary, bassist Billy Johnson & drummer Eric McPherson. The band is well-integrated and highlights of the seven impressive tracks are Jackie McLean's 'Little Melonae', the standard 'I Can't Get Started' and a stunning, Coltrane-inspired version of Erik Satie's 'Gnossienne #1'. Burton plays superbly throughout and the 63 minutes of moving and passionate music on 'The Magician' deserves a place in any modern jazz collection.

Jazz pianist Mal Waldron and soprano saxophonist Steve Lacy became acquainted at the Five Spot in 1958. The following year, the saxophonist approached Waldron to guest on his New Jazz debut, Reflections: Steve Lacy Plays Thelonious Monk. They continued playing concerts and making records together until Waldron's death in 2002. Both collaborated with multi-disciplinary artists including filmmakers, poets, painters, and sculptors. While their collaboration was by no means prolific, releasing less than 15 albums together - their duo offerings usually contained compositions by both men - and idiosyncratic readings of tunes by Monk or Herbie Nichols. The Mighty Warriors: Live in Antwerp is a previously unreleased 1995 quartet concert with drummer Andrew Cyrille and bassist Reggie Workman. Released by the Barcelona-based Elemental Music in collaboration with producer Zev Feldman, the double-disc package contains six long tracks spread over an hour-and-40 minutes…

For this modern straight-ahead set, Rick Margitza (heard on both tenor and soprano) performs six of his challenging originals plus "Embraceable You." The latter, whose melody is given some altered notes that do not help and make things sound sour, is a low point. However, Margitza sounds much stronger on his originals, particularly the boogaloo "Hip Bop," the medium-tempo blues "Forty Five Pound Hound," and the joyful "At Long Last." His rhythm section is excellent (bassist George Mraz is particularly responsive to the saxophonist's playing), and Margitza sounds in prime form, showing individuality on both of his horns.

Originally recorded for Period Records in 1954, this fairly obscure early Charles Mingus session is a collaboration with composer John LaPorta, who is heard on clarinet and alto saxophone. It's a fascinating effort that shows Mingus' awareness of both modern European classical composition and cool jazz.
The set includes a mix of Mingus and LaPorta originals, plus freshly arranged standards like "What Is This Thing Called Love" and "Stormy Weather." Also on hand are the great trumpeter Thad Jones and saxophonist/producer Teo Macero. The album features Mingus' debut on piano.

Even though Half Note Records is building a highly appreciated catalog of jazz CD's recorded at New York's Blue Note jazz club, Half Note—and musician/producer Mordy Ferber—throw the listener an unanticipated curve with the release of Mr. X. Instead of the crackling energy of a live club recording, Mr. X crackles with a different type of energy: an energy of multi-leveled recording engineering feats in support of visionary and unconventional guitar work.

The classic 1963 album Duke Ellington & John Coltrane showcased the rising jazz saxophone innovator performing alongside the long-established piano institution. While the pairing might have portended a dynamic clash of the musical generations, instead we got a casual, respectful, and musically generous meeting of like-minded souls. Similarly, while one might have assumed that Ellington would use his sidemen, instead producer Bob Thiele (who also produced similar albums for Ellington including pairings with Louis Armstrong and Coleman Hawkins) chose to bring in Coltrane's own outfit for the proceedings. Consequently, the duo is backed here at various times by bassist Jimmy Garrison and drummer Elvin Jones, as well as alternates bassist Aaron Bell and drummer Sam Woodyard…