Kenny Kirkland

Polish violinist Michal Urbaniak was already well known in Europe, and somewhat famous in America, with five previous overtly commercial efforts for the Columbia and Arista labels. This album for Inner City Records showcases a much more substantive, energetic, and contemporary type of jazz music perfectly suited for the fusion-oriented '70s. With wife Urszula Dudziak singing and Zbigniew Namyslowski playing alto sax in a David Sanborn-type dialect, these three form a hummable, tuneful front line whose symmetry and sonic footprint are hard to resist. Aside from the lead performers, fans of Kenny Kirkland should take note of his presence on this album, one of his earliest works. Kirkland plays brilliantly here on Fender Rhodes electric piano, Polymoog, and miniMoog synthesizers, buoying and supporting the others in bright dimensions and shimmering tones. Though adept at the straight-ahead mainstream style, R&B-oriented jazz-rock fusion is at the equally delightful and danceable core of Urbaniak's music.

Although he had been a major tenor saxophonist in the studios for nearly 20 years and was quite popular for his work with the Brecker Brothers, this MCA/Impulse set was Michael Brecker's first as a leader. Playing in a quintet with guitarist Pat Metheny, keyboardist Kenny Kirkland, bassist Charlie Haden, and drummer Jack DeJohnette, Brecker performs three of his originals, two by producer Don Grolnick, and Mike Stern's "Choices." The music in general is straight-ahead but far from predictable; the tricky material really challenges the musicians and Michael Brecker is in consistently brilliant form, constantly stretching himself.

In a fanciful press release for this record, Carla Bley wrote that she wanted to make a record that would "put people in a mellow, sensual mood" as opposed to getting them all riled up as usual. She must have meant some of this ironically, for while Heavy Heart is a somewhat bright, light-minded album, there are plenty of dark undercurrents to be heard. For example, take the fascinating "Light or Dark," where a light, happy texture is undercut by Hiram Bullock's intruding dissonant guitar and Kenny Kirkland's discordant comping.

Hiram Bullock's Warner Bros. debut as a leader is a mixed bag. Bullock was, upon arrival, already an expert session guitarist and producer when he cut this set. (One of the jewels in his crown is Mike Stern's first album as a leader, the almighty Neesh, which was released only in Japan and has never seen the light of day on American shores.) This self-produced set includes eight Bullock originals plus a nice reading of Don Grolnick's "Cactus." The band features many of the same musicians Bullock still works with: drummer Charley Drayton, bassist Will Lee, and Cliff Carter on keyboards, as well as some stellar guest appearances by the late Kenny Kirkland and saxophonist David Sanborn.

The high point of Branford Marsalis' third Columbia release as a leader is a 15-minute version of Jimmy Rowles' "The Peacocks" played in a trio with pianist Herbie Hancock and bassist Buster Williams. The remainder of the program matches Marsalis with pianist Kenny Kirkland, bassist Bob Hurst, and drummer Tony Williams on a pair of standards ("Just One of Those Things" and a live version of "St. Thomas"), J.J. Johnson's "Lament," and originals by Marsalis and Williams. Although he did not have an immediately recognizable sound on tenor and soprano at this point, it was obvious from nearly the start that Branford Marsalis would have a very significant career. This is one of his better early efforts.

After many years of recording one commercial effort after another, Tom Scott finally recorded a strong jazz set. By using Born Again as the CD's title, Scott sought to demonstrate that he was returning to his roots; unfortunately, this promising direction would only be a one-shot deal. Scott, who was always a strong musician, shows that he had not forgotten how to improvise despite all of his commercial work. He is heard on tenor, alto, and soprano performing seven mostly straight-ahead originals and Wayne Shorter's "Children of the Night."

Branford Marsalis' second album as a leader followed his first by three years, and he had grown a lot in the interim. He had switched permanently to tenor (doubling on soprano), left his brother Wynton's group, toured with Sting, and begun heading his own group. Although using quartets on each of the seven selections, Marsalis varies the personnel quite a bit, utilizing pianists Ellis Marsalis, Kenny Kirkland, Larry Willis, and Herbie Hancock; bassists Ron Carter, Charnett Moffett, and Ira Coleman; and drummers Ralph Peterson, Al Foster, Marvin "Smitty" Smith, and Jeff Watts.

Tom Scott has an impressive and diverse resume that includes: playing saxophone as a guest musician, composing film and TV scores, and numerous solo releases. Chances are you've heard him play but didn't realize who it was. "Born Again" is not a fusion outing, as many of Tom's discs are, but a return to a traditional jazz style. A more laid back affair. The players are: Randy Brecker (trumpet), Pete Christlieb (sax), George Bohanon (trombone), Kenny Kirkland (piano), John Patitucci (bass), Mike Fisher (percussion), Will Kennedy (drums), and of course, Tom Scott. The opening Wayne Shorter tune, "Children of the Night", smokes, and the remaining original Scott compositions are mellow but melodic, with great arrangements and improv work. Overall, a beautiful silky smooth groove filled disc with great playing. ~ Amazon