Carter Brown The Teaser

Flautists tend to know that Quantz gave flute lessons to Frederick the Great and that he wrote about 300 concertos for the instrument. Only a few of these concertos have been easily accessible in print or on disc. However, in this welcome recording of five Quantz concertos, flautist Rachel Brown seems the perfect ambassador to bring a few of these unfamiliar but intriguing works back into the repertoire. Whether playing a Baroque-inspired fugue, a more ‘classically styled’ Allegro or languid slow movement, Brown’s daring expression and technical brilliance – together with the Brandenburg Consort’s focused sound and racy pace – seem intuitive. Quantz and Brown appear together again, briefly, in Concert in Sanssouci. ‘Sans souci’ means ‘without worry’, and was the name of Frederick the Great’s country house near Potsdam. A certain joie de vivre is in the air in this recreation of a typical evening’s concert chez Frederick. The Hanover Band, under Roy Goodman, plays with real spirit, although Nathalie Stutzmann’s rich contralto lends a more melancholic feel in arias by CH Graun. Although Frank de Bruine is a rather understated soloist in the CPE Bach oboe concerto, the band’s dynamic interpretations and composer’s inventiveness win through.

Taken from a live 1993 performance in London, Feed the Fire is an album filled with surprises. Betty Carter is known for her practice of featuring hot new up-and-coming musicians in her bands, but on this recording she is accompanied by established, world-class talent: Geri Allen, Dave Holland, and Jack DeJohnette. Dave Holland demonstrates why he is one of the greatest living bassists with his unerring sense of melody and pitch. Jack DeJohnette, an acknowledged master of the drums for 30 years, is nothing less than explosive, punctuating the solo statements of his bandmates with powerful flurries. Allen's touch is reminiscent of Keith Jarrett's at times, such as on her excellent solo on "Love Notes"…

Betty Carter's remarkable early-'70s LPs were initially available only on her own poorly distributed label. This live date captured Carter when her voice was its most pliable, her delivery in full bloom and her range and power at their peak. She could scat with a fury and rhythmic intensity that were almost magical, then turn a slow tune like "The Sun Died" or "Body and Soul" into a showcase by emphasizing key lyrics, subtly changing each stanza, or increasing the pace at an unexpected moment. This deserves full attention, as it represents Betty Carter still evolving and perfecting her matchless technique.

This special PBS soundtrack includes live recordings filmed at the Newport Jazz Festival for Ron's classic piece SOFT WINDS; a surprise bass duet session at The National Jazz Museum in Harlem with the enigmatic Christian McBride on WILLOW WEEP FOR ME; a session at the Blue Note with guitarist Bill Frisell on MY MAN'S GONE NOW; the first live performance of the two great bassists, Stanley Clarke and Ron playing BAG'S GROOVE, also at the Blue Note; and a joyful version of SWEET LORRAINE featuring Jon Batiste, released here for the first time.

There are so many James Brown compilations out there that it can be tough to pick which one is the most suitable for a particular listener's budget or pleasure. This set from Polydor in the U.K. is – for a single disc – quite solid if bare in places. Containing 20 tracks and presented for a very attractive price point, it contains all major hits – albeit edited single versions of some of them like "Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine." Of course, there is plenty missing, but it would be easy to come up with what is – tracks like "Mother Popcorn," "Hot Pants," and "Ain't It Funky Now" are all very conspicuously absent. But it's difficult to argue with what is here, even of the later 1970s material. There is no single compilation of James Brown's music that can really be considered complete, but this one, containing all original recording sources and stellar material, stands with the best of them despite lacking some cuts.