On nearly all his projects, trombonist Conrad Herwig is known for his tasteful arrangements, excellent playing, and keen instinct for top-notch personnel, characteristics he’s brought to bear on his Latin treatments of compositions by jazz legends like John Coltrane and Miles Davis. Herwig applies the same standard to his live recording, he Latin Side Of Wayne Shorter, taking on compositions by the great saxophonist, including “Ping Pong,” “Adam’s Apple,” and “Footprints,” and infusing them with healthy doses of Brazilian, Afro-Cuban, and other Latin rhythms. Shorter’s dynamic tunes provide the perfect backdrop for Herwig’s impressive facility for reinvention.
This guitar, bass, drums trio is headed up by French guitarist Maxime Fougères and features Antoine Paganotti and Yoni Zelnik. 2012 saw the release of Fougères’ first album, “Guitar Reflections”, a tribute to Duke Ellington. “Guitar Reflections Vol 2” includes 10 tracks which are a combination of original compositions and the music of Wayne Shorter, arranged and adapted by Fougères for the trio…
Astell&Kern, the leading hi res portable music player that boasts studio sound quality, has announced a special package partnership with Blue Note Records to commemorate the record company's 75th anniversary in the world of Jazz and Blues. 75 legendary Blue Note jazz albums that have been remastered in the Hi-Res digital format. Especially, five Blue Note albums make their exclusive hi-res audio debuts with this release: Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers' Mosaic, Tina Brooks' True Blue, Don Cherry's Complete Communion, Andrew Hill's Point Of Departure, and Bobby Hutcherson's Components.
Art Blakey's Like Someone in Love is a product of the fertile group that included saxophonist Wayne Shorter, trumpeter Lee Morgan, pianist Bobby Timmons, and bassist Jymie Merritt. While it is not usually considered an essential Blakey album, it is easily one of the best. This is due not only to the impressive Jazz Messenger musicianship, but more significantly to the stellar original compositions by Shorter, who was coming into his own not only as an improviser, but perhaps more significantly as an adept and forward-thinking songwriter.
Dutch-Surinamese multi-instrumentalist Ronald Snijders just released his new album Penta via the Night Dreamer label. A jazz heavyweight who draws Latin, Brazilian and Surinamese influences into dialogue with the electric sound of Wehter Report, Snijders released four albums between 1977 and 1983 that have become holy grails of deep, forward-thinking fusion. Over forty years, 50 releases and 5,000 compositions later, Penta represents a statement return from an unsung jazz great ready to pick up his dues.
4-CDs sporting Joni's complete recordings for Geffen during the '80s, including all four albums ( Wild Things Run Fast, Dog Eat Dog, Chalk Mark in a Rain Storm and Night Ride Home ) she recorded for the label plus some tasty rarities like a couple of demos, Two Grey Rooms and Good Friends , and a cover of Bob Dylan's It's All Over Now, Baby Blue that was recorded for the Night Ride Home sessions…