Night Song

Arthur Blythe - Night Song (1997) {Clarity Recordings CCD-1016}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 315 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 143 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 32 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1997 Clarity Recordings | CCD-1016
Jazz / Contemporary Jazz / Post Bop / Saxophone

This is a particularly intriguing and enjoyable release. Arthur Blythe, who has always had a piercing, passionate, and fairly accessible sound on alto, is joined by Bob Stewart on tuba, Gust Tsilis (doubling on marimba and vibes), three hand drummers (Arto Tuncboyaciyan, Josh Jones, and David Frazier), and occasionally his producer, Chico Freeman, on bass clarinet and percussion. The instrumentation varies from cut to cut, with several duets (including one in which the bass clarinet and tuba blend perfectly together), opportunities for Blythe to play with just the percussionists, and rather unusual versions of Thelonious Monk's "We See" and Billy Strayhorn's "Blood Count." Whether it be hints at New Orleans parade rhythms, Afro-Cuban jazz, older styles of jazz, or freer explorations, this is a fascinating set that is well worth several listens.

Ketil Bjornstad & Svante Henryson - Night Song (2011) {ECM}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC+CUE+LOG -> 299 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 182 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 8 Mb
© 2011 ECM Records | ECM 2108
Jazz / Contemporary Jazz / Piano

Ketil Bjørnstad returns to the piano/cello duo, instrumentation which defined two of his best-loved albums, “The River” and “Epigraphs” with David Darling, back in 1996 and 1998. This new collaboration with Svante Henryson, however, tells a different story. As cellist, Henryson currently works in duos and trios with distinguished classical musicians including pianists Roland Pöntinen and Bengt Forsberg, clarinettist Martin Fröst, mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter and baritone Mikael Samuelson. ECM listeners, however, first heard him as a member of Jon Balke’s Magnetic North Orchestra on “Kyanos” (2001).