SO Warm

Sonny Criss - The Joy of Sax & Warm and Sonny (2011) {2CD Set, Impulse! 2-on-1 Series Remaster rec 1976-1977}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 520 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 196 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 16 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1976-77, 2011 Impulse! / Verve / Universal Music | 06025 2780947
Jazz / Soul Jazz / Jazz Funk / Saxophone

The Impulse 2-on-1 series is a mixed bag: "The Joy Of Sax" (1977) and "Warm And Sonny" (1976). Despite the fact that these recordings are over-produced in the extreme by Esmond Edwards, who jammed up the music with too much percussion, boring guitar solos and strings that were not needed, Sonny Criss and his brilliance on the alto saxophone still shines through. As these were Sonny's last two recordings, done just before his tragic death in 1977, they are worth having, and Sonny sounds beautiful, as always.

Exactly how Warm Dust is so unknown to the public is a bit of a mystery, but eventually, one might see that the small Trend label might have lacked the power to push the band through.

The veteran tenor Ben Webster had a very warm tone on ballads that contrasted with the aggressive biting sound he used on faster material. For this 1961 set Webster is joined by a string quartet (arranged by Johnny Richards) and a rhythm section for his melodic interpretations of a dozen standards. Even when simply stating the melody, Webster brings out unexpected beauty in the songs.

Ingrannagi della Valle delivered a dazzling and brilliantly performed debut, `In Hoc Signo', back in 2013 on the Black Widow label, a thrilling shot-in-the-arm for the traditional vintage symphonic RPI sound, fuelled by endless searing violin and extravagant vocals. It was the classic sound of Italy's proud prog past meeting a youthful and exuberant future, one for lovers of bands such as Quella Vecchio Locanda. So having accomplished that, what was next for the band? How about aiming even higher in something of a different direction and possibly setting the standard for modern progressive rock overall? Because that's what the band have achieved with 2016's `Warm Spaced Blue', a defining work that not only almost completely eclipses their first work, but more than ever sets the band up for a bright future that lifts their status considerably.

Bernd Lhotzky has been Germany’s most important exponent of classic jazz piano for the past three decades. However, his approach to music from the early days of jazz on his new solo album ‘Rag Bag’ is anything but museum-like. He says: ‘What fascinates me in music, art and life in general are the contradictions and contrasts, the syncopations, the cracks in time.’ ‘Rag Bag’ is a journey between times and worlds, a patchwork of the most diverse motifs, styles and associations. The nucleus of the album's music is Ragtime, one of the earliest forms of jazz. Lhotzky says: ‘To this day, what I love about this music is that it is so warm, life-affirming and undisguised and simply bursts with vitality and honest joy.’