Mile Davis Xrcd

One of Duke Ellington's finest small group sessions from his final decade was this frequently exciting quartet date with guitarist Joe Pass, bassist Ray Brown and drummer Louie Bellson. Ellington's percussive style always sounded modern and he comes up with consistently strong solos on such numbers as "Love You Madly," "The Hawk Talks" and especially "Cotton Tail," easily keeping up with his younger sidemen. Highly recommended. ~ AllMusic

This 1962 Moodsville quartet date finds Coleman Hawkins in excellent form performing tunes from Broadway shows. It's an unusually lively date for this label that specialized mainly in slow ballad treatments in a jazz setting, and it's a terrific date because of that. Hawk stays down in the lower register of his tenor throughout most of the selections, and his breathy, smoky tone is most attractive. ~ Amazon Customer's Review

Tom Coster - From The Street
EAC+LOG+CUE | WV: 415 MB | Full Artwork | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: JVC # JVCXR-0010 | Country/Year: Japan 1996
Genre: Jazz | Style: Fusion, Funk

…Instead of avoiding the cerebral, Coster thrives on it. The Santana graduate has plenty of room to let loose and blow, as do such inspired sidemen as tenorist Michael Brecker and his disciple Bob Malach. And Dennis Chambers' intense drumming is superb throughout this fine and often abstract jazz/rock/funk CD.

Meant as a tribute to Ben Webster, Jacintha's album nonetheless expresses her Billie Holliday Influence as well. A well known singer and stage talent in the Singapore entertainment scene, Jacintha (in the tradition of one name jazz luminaries such as the Duke, Django and Ella) now pays her dues to the music she grew up listening to. This disc has been all the rage among jazz aficionados and audiophiles everywhere since its release, garnering endless positive reviews.

One of Basie's final albums, the very appealing title cut seems to sum up his career, a lightly swinging groove with a strong melody. Two small-group performances with guest Joe Pass on guitar and the tenor of Kenny Hing add variety to aparticularly strong set.

Miles Davis was one of the greatest and most important musical figures of the 20th century, he, along with a few others, was at the forefront of those developing Jazz throughout the 50s through to the 70s. We include here many of his most memorable studio recordings from the 40s, 50s and early 60s.

As the tenor sax is not in the same key as an alto, Sonny Rollins would have to transpose a lot of music to take a tribute to Charlie Parker to a high level. Instead Rollins has chosen standards associated with Parker, and recorded them within a year after Bird's passing. This idea poses some peculiar challenges, added on to the fact that the quintet of Rollins starts the proceedings with a 27-minute medley of seven tunes seamlessly stitched together. Pianist Wade Legge, an unsung hero of jazz in the '50s for sure, plays some wonderful music here, and laces the grooves of the tunes together, while bassist George Morrow and the always exceptional drummer Max Roach keep things moving forward…

Many straight-ahead bop musicians would never consider recording traditional folk songs from the British Isles, but that's exactly what Johnny Griffin does on The Kerry Dancers and Other Swinging Folk - and this Orrin Keepnews-produced album just happens to be one of his best releases of the 1960s. Joined by pianist Barry Harris, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Ben Riley, the big-toned Chicago tenor man turns his attention to four traditional folk melodies: "The Londonderry Air" (also known as "Danny Boy"), "Green Grow the Rushes" (a Scottish favorite), "The Kerry Dancers" (an Irish piece), and "Black Is the Color of My True Love's Hair" - all of which work perfectly well in an acoustic jazz setting. Not everything on this album (which was recorded in late 1961 and early 1962) is a folk song from the British Isles; the other half of the album ranges from Griffin's moody "Oh, Now I See" to the John Coltrane-influenced "25 1/2 Daze"…

Coleman Hawkins is frequently identified as the "father" of jazz tenor saxophone playing. With a perfect rhythm section featuring his working band - Tommy Flanagan on piano, Manor Holley, Jr. on bass, and Eddie Locke on drums, Hawkins showcases his illuminating artistry on this collection of love songs from Broadway shows. This "classic" Hawkins album has never before been available on CD.

Spirit Traveler was a 1993 project that brought together several session players who had been in high demand in the 1960s and/or 1970s: drummer James Gadson and guitarists Phil Upchurch, Wah Wah Watson, David T. Walker, and Eric Gale. All of them had played on numerous R&B and/or pop sessions, and some of them had jazz credentials as well - especially Gale, who led the '70s soul-jazz/crossover band Stuff, and Upchurch. Sadly, Spirit Traveler would be among Gale's last activities - he died the following year at the age of 55. Far from remarkable but fairly decent, this CD contains mostly soul-jazz versions of '60s Motown classics, including major hits associated with Smokey Robinson & the Miracles ("The Track of My Tears," "You've Really Got a Hold on Me"), Stevie Wonder ("Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours") and Diana Ross & the Supremes ("You Keep Me Hangin' On")…