The Long Goodbye

Since gaining fame as a member of Charlie Haden's excellent Quartet West, Alan Broadbent has seen his own catalog rise in stature. A welcome development, since a wider audience should check out the many fine recordings this unique pianist/composer/arranger has made. And in spite of the admission that his highly lyrical bent and soft touch come out of the work of Bill Evans, Red Garland, and Nat "King" Cole, among others, Broadbent is able to produce fresh solo conceptions and plenty of original material of his own. In fact, as the title implies, Personal Standards consists almost entirely of self-penned cuts, save for one by bassist Putter Smith. (This seamless piano trio is rounded out by drummer Joe LaBarbera.) Along with material also heard on various Quartet West recordings like "The Long Goodbye" and "Song of Home," the disc features a nice mix of ballads ("Ballad Impromptu"), mid- to up-tempo swingers ("Consolation"), as well as some blues ("Uncertain Terms").

Ernie Watts has been quietly playing the part of an influential saxman for over 20 years. His expressive solos have graced the recordings of countless greats in nearly every genre of music. "Music is a language," says Watts, "and with language there are all these dialects - Rock, Classical, Jazz, Be-Bop and R&B among others. As for me, I'm interested in speaking all those dialects." On The Long Road Home, Watts returns to his favorite dialect…jazz. The results are simply glorious. Joining Watts on this blues tinged release are Kenny Barron on piano, Reggie Workman on acoustic bass, Mark Whitfield on electric guitar and Carmen Lundy, who performs two vocal numbers.

The Eagles are unquestionably the biggest mainstream American rock band to have emerged in the 1970s. Not only did they sell more records and concert tickets than their peers – Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975) and Hotel California are two of the biggest-selling albums of all time – but they captured the shifting zeitgeist of the '70s, riding the country-rock hippie hangover at the end of the '60s until it reached the slick, expensive, and expansive pop/rock of Southern California in the late '70s.