Chesky Records

Much in the same fashion as Three Psalms for String Orchestra, on this release, David Chesky takes the listener on a dramatic, orchestral journey. This time David focused on the tragic and dehumanizing effects of ethnic hatred that enables people to kill en masse, as seen in the Jewish Holocaust and others since. David creates a powerful and emotional message by taking the listener through three unique phases of human suffering: "Sorrow", "Aftermath", and "Rage and Despair" to ultimately show that holocausts will continue to occur until our innate ability to empathize with our fellow human beings is realized.

Larry Coryell, Victor Bailey, Lenny White - Electric (2005) {Chesky Records JD308}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 386 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 138 Mb
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© 2005 Chesky Records | JD308
Jazz / Fusion / Jazz-Rock / Guitar / Bass / Drums

This trio set featuring guitarist Larry Coryell, drummer Lenny White, and bassist Victor Bailey is issued by Chesky, purveyor of uncompressed audiophile recordings. And while the sound is wondrous, it's the performances here that take front and center. The mix of jazz, funk, and rock tunes on Electric is infectious, especially when played with such incendiary inspiration. Members of this trio wrote four of the nine tunes here. White's furied funk freak-out "Wolfsbane" opens the proceeding on a hot note, and Coryell's "BB Blues" takes the jazz-inflected blues to a new intensity.

The Look of Love is Valerie Joyce's much anticipated follow-up to her Chesky debut, featuring elegantly chic original arrangements of the classic pieces in Burt Bacharach & Hal David's catalogue. This super audio CD was recorded in multi-channel surround sound using Chesky's state of the art minimalist miking techniques and the world's finest custom-made electronics to assure the purest, most natural sounding recording available.

Rosa Passos made her recording debut as a leader in 1979, but this 2003 Chesky CD may be her first to be released outside of South America. The Brazilian singer is paired with veteran bassist Ron Carter, who provides a solid melodic foundation for her throughout the date; the delightful Brazilian guitarist Lula Galvao; percussionist Paulo Braga, and, on a few tracks, veteran session musician Billy Drewes on tenor sax or clarinet. While the focus is clearly on the soft, effective vocals of Passos, who is extremely effective in her interpretations of bossa nova classics such as "Insensatez," "Desafinado," "Caminhos Cruzados," and "O Grande Amor," Carter's solos are also subtly swinging.

Wayne Shorter has written a number of landmark jazz compositions that have found favor among fellow jazz musicians, but Mysterious Shorter marks a rare occasion when an entire CD is devoted to his music. Trumpeter Nicholas Payton heads a strong quintet, including saxophonist Bob Belden (who doubles on soprano and tenor saxes, like Shorter, and contributed all of the arrangements), organist Sam Yahel, guitarist John Hart, and drummer Billy Drummond. Since six of the eight songs are from Shorter's early Blue Note CDs prior to his move toward fusion, the substitution of Yahel's laid-back organ for the more striking sound of the piano softens the sound of Belden's charts, giving them a bit more of a mysterious flavor, especially in the brisk, playful setting of "Footprints." Payton is known for his powerful trumpet playing, but displays a quiet lyrical touch in "Teru."