To celebrate the memory of John Lennon, rediscover all the greatest songs of the leader of the Beatles in a tribute from the Jazz scene. A selection of the finest covers ever made : from Imagine to Jealous Guy or even Come Together by such talented artists as Curtis Stigers, Lucky Peterson, Joe Jackson…
This release is very interesting set of nostalgic sides from sessions in Art Blakey's name, with a big band he formed independently of the Jazz Messengers. Featuring Trane in an ensemble setting with Al Cohn (writer of most of the charts, according to Charles Waring's liner notes) Donald Byrd, Sahib Shihab and Bill Graham, the record has a slick but not superficial, swinging sound, bright and cheering. This package also features a second disk of alternate takes and one bonus track ("Oasis") making the set a nice catch.
This release is very interesting set of nostalgic sides from sessions in Art Blakey's name, with a big band he formed independently of the Jazz Messengers. Featuring Trane in an ensemble setting with Al Cohn (writer of most of the charts, according to Charles Waring's liner notes) Donald Byrd, Sahib Shihab and Bill Graham, the record has a slick but not superficial, swinging sound, bright and cheering. This package also features a second disk of alternate takes and one bonus track ("Oasis") making the set a nice catch.
John Williams In Vienna’ featuring the legendary composer’s debut concert with the Vienna Philharmonic will be released in August 2020.
Made in England could as easily be the follow-up to Elton John's self-titled 1970 album as his first recording since the success of his songs for the Lion King soundtrack. John has brought back some of his old associates, including percussionist Ray Cooper, guitarist Davey Johnstone, and, particularly, orchestrator Paul Buckmaster, who gave the Elton John album its distinctive sound 25 years ago and contributes four string charts here…
The two albums on this CD were the first John Handy recorded as a leader. This young alto saxophonist he also plays tenor on the first album - from Texas had gained exposure and experience working with Charles Mingus and Randy Weston in 1959. They taught me self-confidence, he said, and these recordings are full of it. His flawlessly controlled playing is strong and inventively contemporary without succumbing to the tyranny of Bird. For his well-received leader debut, In the Vernacular, he shared the front line with the brilliant trumpeter Richard Williams supported by a near-perfect rhythm section with pianist Roland Hanna…
The late '80s were wrought with equal measures of tremendous professional popularity and personal crisis for Elton John. As he would reveal later, this inspired double-LP live collection released in 1987 captures the artist at one of the best and worst times of his life. In fact, John cites the emotionally charged "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" and "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" as triggering what would become a "severe mental breakdown," the results of nearly a decade of substance-fueled decadence. On top of it all and perhaps most tellingly is John's tattered voice. So dire was the situation that literally within weeks of the concert he would undergo a surgical procedure that could have easily ended his career had it failed.
In Search of the Miraculous is an album by composer John Zorn released as a part of Tzadik's Archival series in 2010. Allmusic awarded the album 4 stars. Writing for All About Jazz, Warren Allen stated "Some may find it difficult to embrace the mystical/minimalist aesthetic captured here, but there is so much art present. For Zorn as a composer, the writing is an important step in the development of his file card music. For the musicians, the songs contain deeply passionate performances that sound effortless, even where they are certainly not. And for the listener, there are pleasures to be found either just in listening or in trying to unwind some of the layers within this suite of music. This is simply an album to lose oneself within".