Pinocchio V1.0

Stormy Six from Milan, Italy was one of the original bands in the RIO movement and appeared in the famous on March 12th 1978 in the New London Theatre in London. However, as opposed to the other bands appearing with them, they did not start out their musical career as a RIO sounding band…

The virtuosic duo of multi-reedist Gianluigi Trovesi (performing here on clarinets) and accordionist Gianni Coscia makes its first ECM appearance with In cerca di cibo. Over the course of an affectionate hour, these two points of light join to create a binary star that shines in full spectrum. The album’s title means “In search of food,” thus indicating seeds sown and re-sown until they bear new fruit to nourish the ears. It also points to the music’s folk origins, glazed and fired to perfection.

Clifford Jordan & The Magic Triangle - On Stage, Volume 1 (1975) {SteepleChase SCCD31071 rel 1989}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 270 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 97 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 22 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1975, 1989 SteepleChase | SCCD31071
Jazz / Hard Bop / Post Bop / Saxophone

The first of three CDs featuring tenorman Clifford Jordan and his "Magic Triangle" (pianist Cedar Walton, bassist Sam Jones and drummer Billy Higgins) has fairly lengthy versions of "Pinocchio," "That Old Devil Moon," Walton's "The Maestro," and Jordan's "The Highest Mountain." Recorded live in Amsterdam, the musicians sound inspired by each other's presence, and there are many strong solos from Jordan and Walton. Well worth investigating.

This double-CD has 24 different groups of fusion musicians (including some from Europe) paying tribute to Weather Report. Despite the personnel and often the instrumentation changing from track to track, there is a unity to the project and many of the bands sound quite a bit like Weather Report, either purposely as part of the tribute or naturally. The programming is somewhat random and the bands bring back the sound, grooves, and spirits of Weather Report rather than necessarily always sticking to their compositions. All in all, this is a heartfelt and very well-played tribute that can also serve as an introduction to a cross-section of some of today's top fusion musicians, many of whom are not household names yet.

While most of the discussions of Frank Zappa have to do with his satirical and off-color lyrics, the fact remains that he was one of the finest and most underappreciated guitarists around. This collection places the spotlight squarely on Zappa's mastery of the guitar. Recorded for the most part in 1979 and 1980 (with a few tracks dating as far back as 1977), Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar is simply a collection of guitar solos. Even though most of the tracks were just edited out of their original song context, they fare well as stand-alone pieces, as Zappa was an ever-inventive player. Take, for example, the three versions of "Shut Up." These tracks were simply the guitar solos from "Inca Roads," but thanks to Zappa's ability for "instant composition," each version has its own complete story to tell, without ever being redundant…

While most of the discussions of Frank Zappa have to do with his satirical and off-color lyrics, the fact remains that he was one of the finest and most underappreciated guitarists around. This collection places the spotlight squarely on Zappa's mastery of the guitar. Recorded for the most part in 1979 and 1980 (with a few tracks dating as far back as 1977), Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar is simply a collection of guitar solos. Even though most of the tracks were just edited out of their original song context, they fare well as stand-alone pieces, as Zappa was an ever-inventive player. Take, for example, the three versions of "Shut Up." These tracks were simply the guitar solos from "Inca Roads," but thanks to Zappa's ability for "instant composition," each version has its own complete story to tell, without ever being redundant…

The first of these is an album dedicated to 11 compositions by the American tenor and soprano saxophonist Wayne Shorter. Inspired by John Coltrane, Shorter made the news in the 1960s through his association with the Jazz Messengers, after which he worked intensively with the Miles Davis Quintet for many years, replenishing Davis’s band book with his own compositions. From 1971 to 1986 Shorter was on the move with the successful jazz rock group Weather Report, and since then he has been active with his own groups. The Pieranunzi Trio plays Wayne Shorter with an eye for the finishing touch and a feeling for style.

The renowned Cuban jazz drummer Ignacio Berroa's debut album as a bandleader is a percolating fusion of African rhythms, neo bop passages, and Berroa's own trademark technically brilliant yet intuitive playing. "Joao Su Merced" takes a litany of Berroa's personal influences as a foundation for extended forays into Afro-Cuban fusion, while "La Comparsa" alternates between straight-ahead jazz and Cuban-influenced solos. Berroa's supple, supportive accompaniment is an education in jazz drumming, though school was never like this.