Tradition Magazine From 1999 02 (142)

The Complete Works for Flute and Clarinet: In both original works and transcriptions, the Ebony Duo explores Scelsi’s use of special sound colors and his coloring of sound. Transcriptions especially prepared by the clarinetist (and pianist) Michael Raster provide the basis for some of the works on the present album. Yet Scelsi’s original intentions incurred no damage as a result of this recrafting. To the contrary! “The formidable technical demands that playing on two strings with in part opposite dynamics places on the solo violinist certainly justify an adaptation for two instrumentalists – all the more so as Scelsi himself had already been concerned with the “third dimension”, the depth of sound, in connection wind instruments before, especially in the piece Ko-Lho for flute and clarinet.”

The album title refers to Daddy Mack's (aka Mack Arthur Orr) day job as an auto mechanic, but if he applies as much soul to his car repair business as he does his vocals and laid-back guitar work, he might be able to quit that gig. While he's not attempting anything unique or even doing it in an unusual way, Mack and his three-piece backing band personify Memphis soul/blues in a consistently satisfying set of mostly original (if highly derivative) tunes. Whether rewriting Albert King's "I'll Play the Blues for You" as "I Don't Understand You Baby" or laying into a jaunty, upbeat shuffle on the appropriately titled "Daddy Mack Shuffle," Mack effortlessly finds the heart of his R&B-laced blues. His fluid guitar lines are smooth and unruffled, yet create a powerful groove…

Seemingly coming from nowhere, Mighty Mo Rodgers packs a massive punch that makes you ask, where in hell he came from? A brief stint in music (his was the organ solo on the '67 hit, "Gimme Some Kind Of Sign," and he acted as producer for Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee) ended in disillusionment with the industry. A retreat into a Masters degree (with a focus on "Blues as A Metaphysical Music"), he has returned to make music with "something to say." His brand of "spiritual" blues is for the people and of the real world. This is no revivalist camp, however, but a richly musical charge that recalls the work of the late Curtis Mayfield. Rodgers' deep, warm vocals embrace gospel and R&B, and his voice alternates between a powerful growl and a gentle caress across arrangements designed around solid hooks that first seduce the listener before driving home their message…

Cotton has played for many labels over his career, Vanguard being but one of those labels. This CD is basically a compilation of two excellent Vanguard recordings. Tracks 1 though 5 are from the album "Chicago/The Blues/Today Volume 2", which was recorded in 1966. Tracks 6 through 15 are from the album "Cut You Loose" which was recorded two years later in 1968. The bonus track, "Next Time You See Me" was previously unreleased. When listening to the CD you will notice two distinct styles. The first five tracks, Cotton performs with a stripped down band consisting only of James Madison on guitar, Otis Span on piano and S.P. Leary on drums.

Niels Lan Doky: "My A&R director Thomas Rohde and my new manager at the time, Anders Tidemann, organized for me to go on a research trip to Vietnam to explore my roots in the hope of finding some inspiration that could lead to a new innovative album that would merge modern jazz with both traditional and contemporary Asian elements. When my father Thai heard I was going out there, he decided to join me on the trip and it ended up being not only my first (of many) trips to Vietnam but also my father’s first trip back in 53 years. It turned out to be a very exciting, adventurous and emotional experience for both of us. During my process of connecting with my father’s homeland, I met some utterly amazing Vietnamese and Chinese musicians, not least the great composer and producer Quoc Trung and the mesmerizing female vocalist Thanh Lam…

This slick electric guitarist seemed to come out of nowhere in 1997, becoming The Gavin Report's artist of the year based on the enormous reception of her radio smash "South of Market" and her Heads Up debut Playing It Cool (pun intended). In reality, she had been (and still is) one of the Bay Area's premier club and festival performers, trading off between straight-ahead jazz, Brazilian rhythms, and the funky, lighthearted kind of perfection we find on her even better follow-up (pun still intended and not quite yet wearing thin). Her precise, crisp, and relaxed style serves melodies that are instantly catchy throughout; she and her keyboardist/partner have emerged from years of playing more free-form music in clubs and have the smooth jazz hook thing down pat. What makes this so much more fun than the average genre guitar release are the varied trappings that reflect a myriad of influences…