Low Reeds

Between 1995 and 2004, Detroit saxophonist James Carter released several conceptual discs: a salute to Django Reinhardt (Chasin' the Gypsy), electric-era Miles Davis (Layin' in the Cut), jazz ballads (Real Quiet Storm), and a lush Billie Holiday tribute (Gardenias for Lady Day). With the release of each disc, the unavoidable question remained: would Carter ever put out another straight-ahead session in the vein of his early-'90s recordings JC on the Set and Jurassic Classics? Happily, Live at Baker's Keyboard Lounge makes up for lost time. Carter and an amazing array of musicians took flight for three nights in June 2001 at Baker's in Detroit, featuring guest appearances by David Murray and Johnny Griffin alongside fellow Motor City natives Franz Jackson, Kenny Cox, Dwight Adams, Larry Smith, and Gerard Gibbs.

X-Legged Sally (XLS) is a Belgian avant-garde rock/jazz-band founded in 1988 by composer Peter Vermeersch, and disbanded in 1997. They were one of the first bands from Belgium to combine a set of very different musical styles (jazz, rock, improvisation and classical), becoming a starting point for the Belgian indie music scene that developed in the nineties. Initially, X-Legged Sally was formed to compose and perform the music Peter Vermeersch wrote for dance productions, such as Immer das Selbe Gelogen (Always the Same Lies), released as a live cd in 1991. Vermeersch' composing style was becoming too demanding for the constraints of sheet music such as was used in his earlier band Maximalist! From the beginning, improvisation played an important role in XLS' songs. The first X-Legged Sally concert took place in November 1988. Soon, XLS became a band in its own right, although there would be cooperations with dance ensembles throughout the existence of the group.

Andrew Hill - The Day the World Stood Still (2003) {Stunt Records STXCD 20412}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 408 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 177 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 67 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2003 Stunt Records | STXCD 2041
Jazz / Post Bop / Avant-Garde Jazz / Piano

When Rossini was asked for his opinion of Wagner, he replied, “Wagner has some beautiful moments, but many boring hours.” At first hearing Andrew Hill’s latest, recorded because he won the Jazzpar Prize, I was tempted to be equally flip about the CD. But there’s an inherent danger in commenting on first hearings, particularly when there’s so much going on in the music. There is always a gap between innovation and acceptance. Think about the 1913 premiere of Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring.” Fistfights broke out at the Paris concert hall; today its language sounds pretty tame. The language of this recording is so highly personal, so mystical, it requires careful, repeated listening until the fog lifts.

The Music for Lovers series from EMI and Blue Note spotlights the balladic nature and romantic side of the artists who have recorded for its associated labels. Dianne Reeves performs in a variety of settings here, singing standards from the vocal jazz world as well as R&B and art rock. Beginning with an excellent 1982 reading of "My Funny Valentine" with Billy Childs, the volume picks up two Reeves performances from the late '80s.