Concord Jazz

Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers - Coast To Coast (2000) {Concord Jazz CCD2-4926-2 rec 1984-1986}
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© 1984-86, 2000 Concord Jazz | CCD2-4926-2
Jazz / Hard Bop

Coast to Coast by Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers is a two-CD set from Concord Jazz that features a pair of previously recorded "live" engagements in New York City and San Francisco. Disc one contains songs from their 1984 release titled New York Scene and disc two features songs from Live at Kimball's, originally released in 1986. Both discs feature the great drummer in concert with Terence Blanchard on trumpet, Donald Harrison on alto saxophone, Mulgrew Miller on piano, Lonnie Plaxico on bass, and Jean Toussaint on tenor saxophone.

George Benson - Guitar Man (2011) {Concord Jazz}
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© 2011 Concord Jazz | CJA-33099-02
Jazz / Smooth Jazz / Guitar

Guitar Man, George Benson's second offering for Concord stands in contrast to 2009's Songs and Stories, though is not an about face. While the earlier album focused on Benson's proven, decades-long formula for pop and smooth jazz – a group of of easy grooving tunes featuring his silky voice and shimmering guitar work – this set focuses (primarily) on Benson as a contemporary jazz guitarist.

There is no denying that Dave Brubeck's hit sides for Columbia permanently established him in the popular jazz consciousness, but that's also a limiting factor: he cut great music before and after his tenure there. The Definitive Dave Brubeck, a double-disc, 26-track collection issued just in time to celebrate the pianist's 90th birthday and to coincide with the documentary film Dave Brubeck: In His Own Sweet Time (whose executive producer is Clint Eastwood), fills in key points in the rest of the story. This compilation was assembled by Russell Gloyd, Brubeck's manager, producer, and conductor since 1976…

The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Blue Rondo (1986) {Concord Jazz CCD-4317}
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© 1986-87 Concord Jazz | CCD-4317
Jazz / Cool / West Coast Jazz / Piano

The 1987 edition of the Brubeck Quartet featured pianist Brubeck, his son Chris on electric bass and bass trombone, clarinetist Bill Smith and drummer Randy Jones. In addition to remakes of "Blue Rondo à la Turk," "Strange Meadowlark" and "Swing Bells," the leader contributed six new originals including "I See, Satie" and a tribute to Dizzy Gillespie and Stan Getz called "Dizzy's Dream." Bill Smith, who uses electronics with taste on his clarinet during a few songs, has long been a major asset to the later Brubeck Quartets. This is one of their better Concord CDs.

The Bob Brookmeyer Quartet - Oslo (1986) {Concord Jazz CCD-4312}
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© 1986 Concord Jazz | CCD-4312
Jazz / Post Bop / Cool / Modern Creative / West Coast Jazz / Trombone

Bob Brookmeyer has been so busy as a writer since the mid-'60s that his valve trombone playing has been somewhat underrecorded. This quartet set with pianist Alan Broadbent (who also plays a bit of synthesizer), bassist Eric Von Essen and drummer Michael Stephans) finds Brookmeyer in top form on four standards and a quartet of his originals (including "Later Blues," "Tootsie Samba" and "Who Could Care"). His valve trombone playing had grown and evolved through the years and, although he still had the cool tone, Brookmeyer's solos are often quite complex while not completely abandoning chordal improvisation. This Concord release is well worth picking up.

Hank Jones - Lazy Afternoon (1989) {Concord Jazz CCD-4391}
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© 1989 Concord Jazz | CCD-4391
Jazz / Mainstream Jazz / Post Bop / Piano

Hank Jones, the father of Detroit's piano legacy (preceding Tommy Flanagan, Barry Harris and Roland Hanna) is teamed on this Concord CD with the typically superb bass of Dave Holland, the supportive drumming of Keith Copeland and (on half the songs) Ken Peplowski's alto (with just a touch of his clarinet). Jones performs a diverse yet unified set of standards and originals. His use of celeste on a moody "Lazy Afternoon," his Monkish "Intimidation" and a trio romp on "Speak Low" are among the highpoints of the excellent release by an ageless master.

Scott Hamilton & Bucky Pizzarelli - The Red Door …remember Zoot Sims (1998) {Concord Jazz CCD-4799-2 rec 1995}
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© 1998 Concord Jazz | CCD-4799-2
Jazz / Mainstream Jazz / Saxophone / Guitar

As of 1998, when this CD was released, Scott Hamilton had recorded over 30 albums as a leader for Concord. Although all are quite worthwhile, the swing tenor's consistency and unchanged style since the 1970s have resulted in a certain sameness and predictability to his recordings. This release, however, definitely stands apart from the crowd, for it is a set of tenor/guitar duets that Hamilton performs with Bucky Pizzarelli. A tribute to Zoot Sims (one of Hamilton's early influences), this is a very successful outing. Pizzarelli's mastery of the seven-string guitar allows him to play basslines behind solos, so one never misses the other instruments.