Mark Farina Mushroom Jazz (1997)

Mark Whitfield has long had an attractive tone, and his melodic style is in the forefront throughout this fairly varied date. Accompanied by a 21-piece string orchestra arranged by Dale Oehler, Whitfield and his quartet mostly stick to standards. Fortunately, tempos are varied (although there are a few sleepy ballads) and Diana Krall has guest vocals on "Some Other Time" and "Early Autumn." The strings generally do not add much, but Whitfield's inventive playing makes this a recommended set anyway. Highlights include "You Don't Know What Love Is," "My One And Only Love," an accompanied guitar feature on "I Want To Talk About You" and Whitfield's "Forever."

This is a rather unusual tribute to Herbie Hancock on a couple different levels. There is no piano on the date, so obviously no one is heard trying to sound like Hancock; the intimate all-star trio (bassist Christian McBride, trumpeter Nicholas Payton and guitarist Mark Whitfield) avoids such typical Hancock hits as "Watermelon Man" and "Maiden Voyage," and several of the songs are real obscurities. The 14 Hancock compositions date from 1962-79, with one tune from 1985, so they do not cover his later output. Among the lesser-known tunes are the title track (first played by V.S.O.P.), "Sly" (from the Headhunters LP), and two melodies taken from the 1965 soundtrack of Blow-Up. Several of the songs (most notably "Driftin'") deserve to be revived more widely…

Mark Whitfield was 28 years old at the time of this recording, but proves himself to be wise beyond his years in terms of his ability to improvise and interact with some of the best sidemen on the scene: Tommy Flanagan (piano), Dave Holland (bass), Al Foster (drums); Stephen Scott (piano), Christian McBride (bass), Gregory Hutchinson (ddrums). Whitfield's playing is always tuneful and tasteful. It is obvious that he has the technical capability to rip through the music and show off, but he is wise enough to lay back slightly and let the music swing and breathe rather than overpower the listener. He gets a beautiful, mellow, full sound out of his guitar, reminiscent of George Benson at his best. His style on this CD is a cross between early Wes Montgomery and non-commercial early George Benson.

An often overlooked and underrated part of War’s legacy was their instrumentals, many of which were quite imaginative. War’s members loved jazz, and they expressed that passion not because they had any illusions of trying to compete with Miles Davis or Joe Henderson, but simply for the enjoyment of it. Released as a two-LP set, Platinum Jazz gathered War’s previously released instrumentals (plus one vocal, “Deliver the Word”) with fine results. Jazz fusion material ranging from the unpredictable “City, Country, City” (arguably the band’s best instrumental ever, and certainly their best known) and the salsa-influenced “Nappy Head” to the mellow “H2Overture” and the congenial “Smile Happy” show just how effective War’s members could be without vocals. And when saxman Charles Miller and keyboardist Lonnie Jordan stretch out, it’s clear that as improvisers, they weren’t half bad.

The Atipico Trio's Gone with the Winds could also be called "Three Guys Passing Wind" or "Middle-Aged Farts at Play." No disrespect meant; in fact, quite the opposite. The clarinet, saxophone, and voice trio (each member does everything, sometimes at once) is comprised of Carlo Actis Dato, Sandro Cerino, and Stefano Corradi, sly dogs all. They would have you believe by their album cover – and the fact that they dedicate their works to aunts, pharmacists, dogs, etc…