Enj Sociiety

Bennie Wallace - Mystic Bridge (1982) {Enja ENJ-2108 2 rel 2006}
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© 1982, 2006 Enja records | ENJ-2108 2
Jazz / Post Bop / Saxophone

Tenorist Bennie Wallace has a rock-solid group here – a quartet that features pianist Chick Corea hitting some of his more hard-edged acoustic modes – alongside the excellent bassist Eddie Gomez and Charles Mingus' drummer Dannie Richmond! The lineup is almost unusual, but works together wonderfully – with that strong sense of surprise that really can make a jazz album memorable – especially one like this, which might be initially understated in terms of appearance! Bennie's great in the setting – blowing with a sharper edge than on some other sets, and most tracks are nice and long too.

Ed Blackwell Project - What It Be Like? (1994) {Enja ENJ-8054 2}
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© 1994 Enja | ENJ-8054 2
Jazz / Contemporary Jazz / Avant-Garde Jazz / Drums

Ed Blackwell made a name for himself in the early '60s drumming with Ornette Coleman's band (Blackwell plays on the free jazz classics THIS IS OUR MUSIC, FREE JAZZ, and ORNETTE ON TENOR). His distinctive approach to timekeeping, which highlights tribal rhythms and New Orleans marching band cadences, is on excellent display on WHAT IT BE LIKE, one of his few dates as a leader. "Nebula," the opener, features a tumbling horn melody with Blackwell providing almost martial accents on the snare, and is an excellent example of his style.

Wayne Krantz - 2 Drink Minimum (1995) {Enja Records ENJ-9043 2}
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© 1995 Enja Records | ENJ-9043 2
Jazz / Jazz Funk / Post Bop / Fusion / Guitar

On 2 Drink Minimum, the same trio that created 1993's excellent Long to Be Loose is captured live at New York's 55 Bar, a little dive that remains Krantz's regular haunt as of this writing. Stylistically, the two records are quite similar, though Long to Be Loose is subtler and more polished. The tendency on these rough-edged live tracks is toward all-out funk assaults, extended solos, and high-speed ensemble riffing. Krantz's guitar playing is raw and heavily rock-influenced, yet his touch is extraordinarily precise and his compositions are derivative of no one. Bassist Lincoln Goines and drummer Zach Danziger can create rhythmic hurricanes when called upon, but they're also capable of great sensitivity. Essential listening for fans of gritty, non-commercial fusion music.

Wayne Krantz - Long To Be Loose (1993) {Enja Records ENJ-7099 2}
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© 1993 Enja Records | ENJ-7099 2
Jazz / Jazz Funk / Modern Jazz / Fusion / Guitar

This is a group effort that finds Krantz in the company of young stars Lincoln Goines and Zach Danziger. This became a regular band for Krantz, who later put out a live recording with the same personnel. The tunes are all played with passion by all, and feature Krantz's penchant for extended and at times self-indulgent solos. Like most good jazz players, Krantz explores new territories and takes chances when he's playing. He is one of the few fusion-style players to emerge during the '90s who can improvise for long periods of time and make it interesting for the duration. This is more consistent than Signals, but it would have been an extra bonus to hear some more of his solo pieces.

Eric Dolphy - Stockholm Sessions (1961) {Enja Records ‎ENJ-21152 rel 2007}
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© 1961, 2007 ENJA Records | ENJ-2115 2
Jazz / Post Bop / Avant-Garde Jazz / Saxophone / Flute

The music on this CD (the original LP program plus a second version of "Sorino") is taken from a radio aircheck and a TV special, both originating from Stockholm. The remarkable Eric Dolphy (switching between alto, bass clarinet, and flute) performed two of his originals plus "Don't Blame Me" with a sympathetic quartet on the aircheck while the television show (does this film still exist?) features him in a quintet with trumpeter Idrees Sulieman playing three more originals, Mal Waldron's "Alone," and his unaccompanied bass clarinet feature "God Bless the Child." This innovative music can serve as a strong introduction of Eric Dolphy's talents to bebop fans who have not yet grasped the avant-garde.

Attila Zoller - When It's Time (1995) {Enja Records ENJ-9031 2}
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© 1995 Enja Records | ENJ-9031 2
Jazz / Post Bop / Guitar

Lester Young, the influential tenor sax great of Count Basie's 30's-40s bands said "you got to be origanal man!" in response to all the cats trying to play like he did. "Prez" as he was called even had a saxist around nick named the "vice-pres" as Paul Quinichette the younger was called. So, you gotta play yourself and some musicians follow the lead. The Hungarian jazz guitarist Attilla Zoller was an original, as fate would have it for fellow Hungarian Gabor Szabo. Not a lot of Zoller is around but this one recording is my favorite.

John Scofield - Shinola (1981) {Enja Records 24bit Master Edition ENJ-2146 2 rel 2009}
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© 1981, 2009 Enja Records | 24bit Master Edition | ENJ-2146 2
Jazz / Contemporary Jazz / Post Bop / Guitar

John Scofield is documented in his pre-Miles Davis period on Shinola, a 1981 date with Steve Swallow (electric bass) and Adam Nussbaum (drums). The guitarist's distinctive style is highly developed even at this stage in his career, combining elements of rock and rhythm 'n' blues with post-bop leanings and an uncanny, 'left-handed' lyricism, all colored with a lightly distorted, subtly phase-shifted tone, his legato lines embellished with bent notes, picked octaves and sweet 'n' sour cluster chords.

Cecil Taylor - The Owner of the River Bank (2003) {Enja Records ENJ-9465 2 rec 2000}
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© 2000, 2003 Enja Records | ENJ-9465 2
Jazz / Post Bop / Modern Creative / Piano

The single piece by Cecil Taylor lasts an hour. It was recorded during the second of two concerts given to celebrate the first ten years of the Italian Instabile Orchestra. This was part of the Talos Festival in Ruvo di Puglia, in Southern Italy, on September 10, 2000. From the sounds of an orchestra warming up, to a subdued conclusion that rumbles deeply and insignificantly, Taylor’s piece takes his audience on a journey through scenery that changes gradually and often. Indistinct human voices can be heard along the way; so can the sounds of trumpet valves clacking, saxophone keys tapping, reed mouthpieces chattering, brass mouthpieces kissing, and tympani rolling along.

Myriam Alter - Where Is There (2007) {Enja Records ENJ-9513 2}
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© 2007 Enja Records | ENJ-9513 2
Jazz / Post Bop / Piano

As on her last two albums, Myriam Alter doesn't play the piano herself on her fifth record, she "merely" composed eight songs and assembled a sextet to perform them: bassist Greg Cohen, drummer Joey Baron, clarinet player John Ruocco (these three were also on her last album, If), pianist Salvatore Bonafede, cellist Jaques Morelenbaum, and soprano saxophonist Pierre Vaiana. And even though she doesn't play a note on the album, her presence is strongly felt at any given time in the compositions that encompass jazz, classical music, and various European influences.