Gestures Arif Mirbaghi

Arif Mardin's second solo effort assembles a veritable who's who of funk and jazz greats, but Journey is no ego-stroking vanity project. A richly cinematic fusion suite appointed with all the texture and detail one would expect from a producer of Mardin's stature, it effortlessly melds the street-smart groove of blaxploitation-era soul with the cerebral expansiveness of jazz. Despite a roster of heavy-hitters including vibist Gary Burton, saxophonists Joe Farrell and Seldon Powell, flutist Hubert Laws, pianist Richard Tee, and drummers Steve Gadd and Bernard Purdie, Journey never buckles under the collective weight of its talent – Mardin's production yields an end result greater than the sum of the music's individual parts, forging a tight, cohesive sound more suggestive of a veteran studio crew than a collection of all-star soloists.

The second of the three-part Soul Gestures in Southern Blue finds Wynton Marsalis at a transitional spot in his career. While his pianist Marcus Roberts had largely found his own style, the trumpeter was still searching and had not yet thrown off the dominant Miles Davis influence. This quintet outing (which also features the tenor of Todd Williams, bassist Reginald Veal, and drummer Herlin Riley) lacks any memorable melodies, although the playing is fine.

The three volumes that Wynton Marsalis subtitled Soul Gestures in Southern Blue (of which this CD is the first) are overall rather disappointing. This initial CD is the strongest of the three due to the inclusion of tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson and (on two of the five numbers) drummer Elvin Jones, but overall Marsalis (who was in the final section of his Miles Davis period), although playing quite well, seemed to have hit a dead end. His five compositions lack any memorable melodies and his own virtuosic solos do not have any distinctive qualities; pianist Marcus Roberts occasionally emerges as the top soloist. However, once he had gotten his three-part tribute to the blues out of the way, Marsalis would once again make some giant leaps forward.

Between 1958 ansd 1961, the Azerbaijani composer, Arif Melikov brought together the strongest elements within the Russian and Soviet ballet tradition to create the score titled Legend of Love. It was the first large-scale work written by the 28-year-old composer, and eventually brought him worldwide fame. “The Legend helped me see the world”, he remembered.

It’s just over 40 years since global music icon Dionne Warwick signed with Arista Records marking a defining fifteen-year chapter in the star-studded career of the Lifetime Achievement and multi-Grammy-winning songstress, celebrated here with this first-of-its-kind box set of her (159) recordings for the label. Included are (29) bonus tracks, with nine of the twelve albums as expanded editions of the original Arista LPs, with remastering by Nick Robbins. The deluxe 64-page booklet (with artwork by Roger Williams) includes detailed essays on each album by SoulMusic.com/SoulMusic Records’ founder David Nathan (who credits Dionne’s mid-60s hits as fuelling his passion for soul music), with quotes from Dionne, Clive Davis and producer Steve Buckingham.