Let's George Masso

George Duke says he “stretched a little more into the funk area on this one because I had so many people ask me to.” Think he’s kidding? The first half of Is Love Enough?, which is much more like his previous Warner Bros. albums Snapshot and Illusions than last year’s Muir Woods Suite, is heavy on the funk and slow jams.

Trumpet legend Dr. Eddie Henderson celebrates the 50th anniversary of his debut album with a stunning new recording, WITNESS TO HISTORY, reflecting on his musical evolution with pianist George Cables, saxophonist Donald Harrison, bassist Gerald Cannon and drummers Lenny White and Mike Clark.

The satin Shearing sound is in perfect form here - backed by added strings and woodwinds conducted by Billy May - and key proof that Billy could come up with some richly subtle arrangements when he wanted! Most prominent instrumentation comes from George's piano, and the group's trademark vibes, guitar, and wonderful percussion - but the backings also nicely compress some strings and reeds in ways that flesh out the sound, yet never take it over! It's almost as if Billy's just flavoring the Shearing combo sound just a bit - adding just a dose of magic to cuts.
In Black Satin, the George Shearing Quintet - with added orchestrations - all in a blend that's got that pillow-soft sound that Shearing did so well back in the 50s! Arrangements are by George and Billy May - the latter of whom is especially subtle here, bringing things in with the best ballad mode he'd use behind Sinatra…

George Adams & Don Pullen - Melodic Excursions (1982) {2015 Japan Timeless Jazz Master Collection Complete Series}
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© 1982, 2015 Timeless Records / Solid Records Japan / Ultra-Vibe | CDSOL-6378
Jazz / Post Bop / Avant-Garde Jazz / Piano / Saxophone

Reissue with the latest remastering. Features original cover artwork. Comes with a descripton in Japanese. One of the most beautiful albums ever cut by the team of reedman George Adams and pianist Don Pullen – a spare set of duets that really lets both players open up in their most soulful styles! The set begins with a pretty freewheeling vibe – one that might almost make you doubt the "melodic" in the title – but soon settles into that gently spiritual style that both players brought to their work at the time – almost lyrical at points, but always with deeper ideas at play – and perfectly balanced out between the solo passages of Adams and Pullen!

Mal Waldron And George Haslam - Two New (1995) {Slam SLAMCD306}
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© 1995 Slam Productions | SLAMCD 306
Jazz / Post Bop / Piano / Saxophone

Following the success of their earlier collaboration, Mal Waldron and George Haslam continue with a sly collection of standards and originals. As before, there is a remarkable telepathy between the players, which translates to some delightful interaction between these two masters. Haslam must be one of the most underrated players on saxophone. Here, he shows a strong command of both the baritone and soprano saxophones, as well as the taragato, which he blows on "From Charleston 'til Now."

George Russell Sextet - Stratusphunk (1960) {1995 Riverside Remaster}
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© 1995 Riverside / Fantasy / OJC | OJCCD-232-2
Jazz / Post Bop / Piano

George Russell has been an important and innovative contributor to contemporary jazz ever since he wrote for Dizzy Gillespie's first Carnegie Hall concert in the Forties. He remains a most highly regarded composer, bandleader, and theoretician (the "Lydian" concept) both in the United States and in Europe, where he lived and worked for a number of years. In the Sixties, he formed a unique small group that rather amazingly combined "outside" experimentation and firmly-rooted funk (the personnel included, at times, Eric Dolphy and Don Ellis). The aptly-named Stratusphunk was the first of his four albums for Riverside; in addition to some notable Russell compositions, it features an early work by Carla Bley.

These are world premiere recordings and these Handel specialists have once again scored a major coup. Alessandro Severo is based on the life of a Roman emperor of the third century and is in the form of a pasticcio. Manzaro composed the Greek national anthem and the discovery of an opera by him was a major find by the Greek conductor George Petrou. Armonia Atenia perform on period instruments.

Let's face it: so many, perhaps too many, piano trio jazz CDs are released every month, and it's not every day when you find something special. But this CD - originally released in the Czech Republic and became a huge hit in Japan - has that special quality, the one that lets you know that it's a good record within the first 10 seconds. Pianist Jan Knop (b. 1972), who began to spell his name backwards as Najponk, is one of the greatest stars of his generation. He was connected to George Mraz (b. 1944), the most famous Czech bassist in the world, through drummer and jazz impressario Martin Sulc (b. 1961). The representatives of three different generations are connected by the strong unifying force of the post-bop mainstream…