Phil Markowitz

This Qwest project was a typical crossover project for Ernie Watts, who recorded a series of commercial sets for Elektra and Qwest. The rhythms are danceable; Watts displays attractive tones on tenor, alto, and soprano; the supporting cast includes top L.A. studio musicians (who were used to sounding anonymous and playing funk clichés); Don Grusin contributes keyboards and electronic rhythms; among the many vocalists are Larry Williams and Phil Perry; and guitarist Lee Ritenour pops up on a few numbers.

Legendary jazz pianist Bill Evans is most often thought of as a "trio" player, as most of his albums have been piano/bass/drums, with the occasional solo or duo album. But he did record a select few albums with orchestras, and that's what makes SYMBIOSIS a special and unique entry in Evans' hugh catalog. Recorded in 1974, it was released in 1994 on CD for the first time. Further, this albums contains no standards or Evans originals–the title piece is a multi-part suite composed, arranged and conducted by Claus Ogerman (who also collaborated with Stan Getz and Frank Sinatra, among many others).

Color Rit begins right where Festival left off, with Brazilian-flavored electric jazz and Rit handling the acoustic guitar, but soon veers closer to a more generic L.A.-based series of sounds and textures. Ritenour adds electric guitar to several tracks, although the acoustic instrument dominates the album. Ernie Watts is back on a couple of cuts, but the bulk of the backup is provided by the likes of keyboardists Dave Witham, Larry Williams and Russ Ferrante, bassist Jimmy Johnson, percussionist Paulinho Da Costa and drummer Carlos Vega. "All the Same Tonight," "Malibu" and "I Can't Let Go," with vocals by Phil Perry, thankfully don't sound quite as commercial as previous attempts on earlier Ritenour albums. Yet this CD represents a slight dip for Ritenour at a stage in his career when his albums were gradually becoming classier and more musical.

This was an interesting phase for Mr. Di Meola. It was the 1980s after all, not an easy time for any musician who'd been around as long as he, and he found himself adapting to that brave new musical world the best way he could.

Brandon Fields, whose main influence is David Sanborn, has proved many times that he can play creative R&B-influenced jazz. This CD has a few such moments (particularly during a heated "The Face on Mars" and an all-too-brief "You Got It") but Phil Perry's Al Jarreau soundalike pop vocals on "Know How" and "Old San Juan" lower the jazz content of the disappointingly routine (and out-of-print) CD.

Lee Konitz - You and Lee (1959) {Japan Verve DSD Mini LP UCCV-9329 rel 2007}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 202 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 79 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 21 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1959, 2007 Verve Music Japan | UCCV-932 | DSD mastering
Jazz / Cool / Bop / Big Band / Saxophone

A beautiful lost session from Lee Konitz – one that has him blowing beautifully over larger backings penned by Jimmy Giuffre – all done with that great blend of modern and swing that Jimmy was bringing to his best work of the 50s! Bill Evans and Jim Hall provide support in the rhythm section, using their fluid styles of piano and guitar to gently swing the tunes without pushing too much on the bottom – so that Lee's flowing solos on alto are allowed to glide majestically over the top! The Konitz presented here is a rare one, and an extremely charming player who's more concerned with tone and soul than on some of his other more modern outings of the time.