Mark Soskin

Herbie Mann ‎- Jasil Brazz (1987) {RBIC 1401}
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© 1987 RBI | RBIC 1401
Jazz / Latin Jazz / Crossover Jazz / Flute

Herbie Mann makes another of his periodic returns to Brazilian fare on this CD, but the country the ever-restless flutist visits is contemporary Brazil, not echoes of the bossa nova past. A lovely place it is, too, full of melodic, evocative material from the pens of Djavan and Ivan Lins, inspiring Mann to sail lightly and playfully like a kite above the modern samba beat. This was 1987, so the backing textures are mostly digital synthesizers, but Mark Soskin's touch is light, and he doesn't interfere with the grooves.

Sonny Rollins - Don't Ask (1979) {Milestone OJCCD-915-2 rel 1996}
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© 1979, 1996 Milestone Records / Fantasy / Universal | OJCCD-915-2 / 00025218691529
Jazz / Post Bop / Jazz Funk / Saxophone

Well it's the disco era by the time this album is released and so many people in the jazz and funk world were effected in different ways. Usually it met with mixed results but because Sonny's music was taking on a unique sound that I choose to call funk-bop (there's more on that in my other Sonny Rollins reviews) this wound up being one of his most energized,memorable and creatively satisfying albums of the decade. Not only is Sonny and his band here endlessly abound with creative ideas but also managed to bring the very best out of the musicianship. Miles Davis' drummer Al Foster and guitarist Larry Coryell, himself one of the very earliest architects of jazz fusion in the 60's are the musicians here aside from Sonny who really help a lot in the inspired sound of the music.

Ricky Ford, tenor sax legend, needs no introduction, but he'll get one anyway because it's important to hear his lineage before diving into his new recording. After getting his start filling the Paul Gonsalves chair in the Duke Ellington Orchestra (under Mercer Ellington's leadership), Ford's gone on to play with Charles Mingus, Lionel Hampton, and Abdullah Ibrahim, to name but a few of his more illustrious stints. He is, quite simply, a national treasure. His latest recording, a tip of the hat to his early roots and a focused, fabulous blast of multi-hued bebop and traditional jazz, reflects tremendous taste and virtuosity, with nods to his heroes (Hawkins, Duke, Mingus, and others) and affirmation that the guy can still play with the best of them. While he may not have the same public profile as our present-day tenor heroes, he deserves every ounce of respect that they get and more. The Wailing Sounds of Ricky Ford: Paul's Scene, made with his accompanists pianist Mark Soskin, bassist Jerome Harris, and drummer Barry Altschul, is wondrous and his playing sounds as fresh today as it did decades back, when he was a true legend in the making.