The Modern Jazz Quartet Jazz Dialogue

Primarily known for his work with the time honored saxophone quartet “ROVA”, Bruce Ackley’s 1999 solo effort The Hearing deserves some special attention and is one of those modern jazz jewels that has seemingly suffered from a lack of publicity and/or widespread exposure. Along with the dynamic rhythm section consisting of drummer Joey Baron and bassist Greg Cohen, the leader of this date performs solely on soprano sax as the overall results prove to be truly rewarding! Essentially, this release signifies modern jazz at it’s best and brightest. No messing around as this potent trio gets to the point in a flurry via the musician’s vigorous and often ferocious interplay, augmented by Ackley’s memorable compositions amid a bevy of twists, turns, circuitous paths and surging developments.

Otis Brown III - The Thought Of You (2014) {Blue Note B002100202}
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© 2014 Blue Note / Revive | B002100202
Jazz / Post Bop / Modern Jazz / Drums / Percussion

Drummer Otis Brown III is a well-known, in-demand sideman and the founding drummer in Joe Lovano's Us Five. The Thought of You, his debut as a leader, was co-produced with Derrick Hodge. Pianist Robert Glasper, saxophonist John Ellis, trumpeter Keyon Harrold, and bassist Ben Williams – the only one of these men who was not Brown's classmate at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music – are the core of this lineup. Bilal Oliver (another schoolmate), Gretchen Parlato, and Nikki Ross all make vocal appearances. Hodge and Brown obviously share a love for the classic Blue Note quartet and quintet sounds of the late '50s through the middle '60s: tight, crisp, clean.

The New Miles Davis Quintet made its first visit to the recording studios on November 16, 1955. By October 26, 1956, when they made their last session for Prestige, Davis had signed with recording giant Columbia, he had featured the most influential band in all of jazz (which would spawn the most charismatic musician of the '60s), and was well on his way toward international stardom…

Miles Davis - Miles: The New Miles Davis Quintet (1955) {2009 Prestige RVG Remaster}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 155 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 81 Mb
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© 1955, 2009 Concord / Prestige | 0888072313439
Jazz / Bop / Cool / Hard Bop / Trumpet

The New Miles Davis Quintet made its first visit to the recording studios on November 16, 1955. By October 26, 1956, when they made their last session for Prestige, Davis had signed with recording giant Columbia, he had featured the most influential band in all of jazz (which would spawn the most charismatic musician of the '60s), and was well on his way toward international stardom. Listen to The Musings of Miles, an earlier quartet date with bassist Oscar Pettiford, then listen to the difference bassist Paul Chambers and tenor saxophonist John Coltrane make.

Bassist Eric Revis typically has so many ideas in play that it's virtually impossible for him to limit himself to one ensemble at a time. This is one of the reasons why he's used a variety of groups over the years to deliver his music. His trio with pianist Kris Davis and drummer Andrew Cyrille released City of Asylum (Clean Feed) in 2013, and then another iteration of the trio, Crowded Solitudes (Clean Feed) in 2016, with Gerald Cleaver taking over the drum chair. His quartet project makes excellent use of tenor saxophonist Bill McHenry and altoist Darius Jones, and adds drummer Chad Taylor to the mix: see 2014's In Memory of Things Yet Seen (Clean Feed). Another version of the quartet swapped Jones and McHenry for Davis and saxophonist Ken Vandermark, on 2017's Sing Me Some Cry (Clean Feed). And then there are his many collaborations with other artists, not the least of which was his appearance on Branford Marsalis' excellent 2019 album, The Secret Between the Shadow and the Soul (Marsalis Music).

French violinist Clement Janinet composes music for quartet inspired by the lyricism of the free jazz melodies of the 60s (Ornette Coleman, Phoraoh Sanders, &c.) and the timbral and rhythmic textures of repetitive music (Steve Reich, Philip Glass, John Adams, &c) in several quartet configurations including bass clarinet, tenor sax, bass, drums, guitrar, and cello.