Fluid Potter

Dayna Stephens is a contemporary jazz tenor saxophonist whose sound is roundly hailed as warm, effusive, and sophisticated, much like his admitted influences Joe Henderson and Wayne Shorter. As a performer in the neo-bop post-Michael Brecker tradition, he'll also be compared in blindfold tests alongside Joe Lovano, Bob Mintzer, Chris Potter, and Seamus Blake. Nonetheless, Stephens has come out of the gate with a collection of original modern mainstream compositions backed by some established heavyweights of American music to support him. "Contagious" is the best track on the date to feature the young and brilliant pianist Taylor Eigsti, a chip off the ol' Chick Corea block. His complex, probing intricate rhythm changes spur the band on to a high level, while in a modal and beautifully spiritual area during the standard "But Beautiful," Eigsti coaxes Stephens to a cozier radiance tempered by restraint…

Artie Shaw - The Last Recordings, Volume 2 - THe Final Sessions (1954) {2CD Wyastone-Nimbus NI 2721~22 rel 2009}
XLD rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 381 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 248 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 29 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1954, 2009 MusicMasters / Wyastone / Nimbus | NI 2721~22
Jazz / Bop / Swing / Clarinet

Conversing with Artie Shaw – as Loren Schoenberg and I did in preparation for annotating these further treasures from his last recordings – is an exhilarating experience. This is because this master of the clarinet excels at making connections. Just as he always knew how to get from one note the next in such a way that the result was a cohesive statement – a story, as jazz musicians used to put it – he knows how to link one idea to another, to make allusions, to place things in context, within a frame of reference that ranges wide and far. Artie Shaw always told a story when he played, and he had that sound – immediately, unmistakably identifiable as his and his alone. It is a treat to hear him tell us some timeless stories we hadn’t heard before. Dan Morgenstern.