John McLaughlin & Paco de Lucia: Paco and John - Live at Montreux 1987 it's truly a shame that, all too often, artists with diverse careers become pigeon-holed, defined by the primary genre in which they first achieved notoriety. Take guitarist John McLaughlin, for instance. Ask most jazz fans about him and what will first come out of most of their mouths will include either the words "fusion," "jazz-rock" and/or Miles Davis, in any permutation/combination (not that there's anything wrong with that). Those a little further in the know might also be aware of his longstanding investigation into the nexus of eastern and western music with his Indo-collaboration, Shakti.
Everything falls into place very nicely on this initial volume from Mulgrew Miller's two-day gig at Yoshi's in the summer of 2003. With the strong support of bassist Derrick Hodge and drummer Karriem Riggins, Miller's volcanic virtuosity on the piano is simply stunning. Taking no prisoners with his hard bop dash through the standard "If I Were a Bell," Miller immediately afterward soothes the crowd with Donald Brown's lovely, but only occasionally dissonant, tribute "Waltz for Monk," which might sound to many listeners like more of a salute to Oscar Peterson.
Trios Live was recorded during stands with two different trios: Redman and drummer Gregory Hutchinson with bassists Matt Penman (at Jazz Standard in NYC) and Reuben Rogers (at Blues Alley in Washington, DC). Trios Live features four original tunes by Redman and interpretations of three additional songs. Joshua Redman, one of the most technically accomplished saxists in jazz today, parades his powers on this live set," writes the Guardian's John Fordham. "Redman performs with a skill that sometimes justifies comparison with early Sonny Rollins—notably on the old Rollins vehicle 'Moritat (Mack the Knife),'" such that "the crowd goes wild.
With her recorded projects ranging from post-bop arrangements of Israeli songs from youth to commissioned new works for classical saxophone, Idit Shner has been a tireless advocate for 'making things happen' since receiving her DMA from the University of North Texas 15 years ago. On the faculty of the University of Oregon in Eugene, Idit continues to inspire others while using the city's central jazz gathering spot, The Jazz Station, to workshop ideas and perform regularly with her quartet. Recorded in June, 2019, Live at the Jazz Station captures the joy and exuberance heard each night there, with a high-energy group of friends exploring a favorite standard or their own compositions. From pianist/organist Torrey Newhart's hard-swinging, B-3 led "Shake it 'Til You Hear it Sizzle," to bassist Garrett Baxter's haunting ballad, "Present," or drummer Ken Mastrogiovanni's loose and swinging closer, "Artificial Flavors," Shner lights a fire, making the idea of presenting a live album more than just a good idea. "…confident and assured. (Shner's) bringing a welcome liveliness to post-bop jazz…"
Jazz fans of a certain age who remember McCoy Tyner’s great 1973 album Enlightenment may have wondered what became of Azar Lawrence. He dropped off jazz radar for most of three decades, but he is back. The Seeker is his fifth record since 2007. He also plays in drummer-composer Franklin Kiermyer’s quartet on Further. Lawrence has been compared to John Coltrane his whole working life, but he is not a replica. He plays Coltrane’s instruments but not his licks and patterns. Even Lawrence’s sound is a variant. On soprano saxophone he is somewhat more rounded, and has slightly more vibrato on tenor. What he shares with Coltrane is an intensity of passion that overwhelms everything in its path.