Art Tatum - The Complete Capitol Recordings Recording Date: 1949 - 1952
Release Date: 1997
Style or Subgenre: Swing, Stride, Piano Jazz
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29 cuts, all right around three minutes, most solo piano, and the few later trio recordings (with guitarist Everett Barksdale and bassist Slam Stewart) remain within the same basic style. Sounds like a recipe for boredom. But this is Art Tatum. I was never bored. All I can say is he is a continually inventive artist. A wizard! His right hand/left hand independence is absolutely technically stunning. The way he continually and seamlessly flows between chordal melody and wicked licks is something to be hold. Possessed of jaw dropping technical facility, but always tasteful and even lyrical, I can't help but think of Tatum as a musician's musician, but one who us novices can thoroughly enjoy as well.
Karl Strømme - Dynalyd Year: 2019
Style or Subgenre: Contemporary Jazz, Nordic Jazz
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I'll always remember when I was getting deeper into classical, discovering the wonders of Nordic music. Not just Sibelius and Grieg mind you, but I fell in love with a whole slew of second-tier and lesser known Nordic composers; Nielsen, Rautaavara, Tubin, Stenhammar, Hurum.... the list goes on. More so than in other regions, it seemed there was this thread of organic, elemental continuity that ran through Nordic classical music.
Well, I doesn't get any more Nordic than this! (just look at the album cover, eh? You can kinda' judge an album by its cover with this one.)
Trumpeter/leader Karl Strømme brings that same thread to this rather ECM-ish (this is actually not an ECM label album, but rather the Riverboat label), contemporary, almost smooth but never rote, release. It has that classic Nordic feel throughout; sparse but never empty, spartan but never bleak. This should have some appeal to fans of Sibelius to Rypdal.
Eric Revis - Slipknots Through a Looking Glass Recording Date: 2019
Release Date: 2020
Style or Subgenre: Post Bop, Avant Garde
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Each song on this album seems to range from accessible post-bop to aggressive avant garde. There's a lot going on here and it rarely settles into a groove, but paradoxically, it still sounds like listening to groove music much of the time, even as various members of the ensemble are having outbursts. Corresponding with that dichotomy a parallel dichotomy between structured songs and free ranging solos and wanderings. Again, even when things get crazy, they still sound as if part of a coherent whole.
For me, much of the love of this album is courtesy of drummer Justin Faulkner. I've really come to appreciate great avant garde drumming and Faulkner fits the bill here. But he's not just running the wild side; at times, he's doing some fairly straightforward hard rock drumming, but making it work brilliantly in this crazy blend.
Giulio Gentile - Insight
Year: 2022
Style or Subgenre: Contemporary Piano Jazz
This came as a recommendation courtesy of my son. Not quite as stirring as the last rec he threw my way (Alice Coltrane's Journey into Satchidananda), but still this evening a most welcome one. What a glorious way to wind down in a nice quiet home after a hectic work week. This is very nice, highly listenable piano trio music. It's not exactly smashing any barriers or expectations, but it's a more than pleasant listen, and I'll venture to say unique enough to warrant repeated listenings.
Steve Coleman - Curves of Life Year: 1995
Style or Subgenre: Free Funk, M-Base, Post Bop, Jazz-Rap
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This is a very creative album. It sounds ahead of its time for 1995, and fresh today in 2022. Coleman handles his alto with a sort of free dexterity that can settle into a groove and keep you guessing at the same time. Gene Lake's drums are particularly creative, laying down those groovy yet unpredictable patterns that Coleman so deftly meshes with. When he gets the mike, pianist Andy Mine blends some beauty into the free funk that defines much of the album. The crowd are clearly into it with this live set. I would have liked to have been in the audience. Even the extended rap in the closer didn't turn me away.
Marie Bergman - Fruit Year: 1996
Style or Subgenre: Vocal Jazz
My first ever listen to Sweden's Marie Bergman got off to a fantastic start as she lays down a positively swinging vocal in her rendition of "Down With Love." Things cooled off thereafter as she got all emo in vibe with the very R&B "Wish Someone Would Care." But in the end, no complaints, as that is just part of the amazing overall variety she gives on this album. After that, it's a straight, but very effective blues with "let Me Be the First to Know," followed by a classic slow jazz ballad in "Crazy He Calls Me." All in all, there's 15 cuts, and little chance of falling into a rut or getting bored along the way.
Joey DeFrancesco with Joe Doggs - Falling in Love Again Year: 2003
Style or Subgenre: Standards, Mainstream Jazz, Soul Jazz, Vocal Jazz
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Joey DeFrancesco plays a mean Hammond B3. The band swings, as does guest vocalist Joe Doggs. I still haven't developed much of a taste for male jazz vocals, but this is a fine album.
Sathima Bea Benjamin - Love Light Year: 1987
Style or Subgenre: Standards, Mainstream Jazz, Soul Jazz, Vocal Jazz
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After listening to Joe Doggs, it was time to cleanse my musical palette with some female jazz vocals. Continuing in the vein of seeking out new-to-me classics, I looked up South African songbird Sathia Bea Benjamin and her acclaimed Love Light album, which contains a nice mix of standards and Benjamin originals. To be fully honest, I wasn't always 100% on board with her material selection or the arrangements (most of which were excellent), but oooooohhhhhhh, that voice! Silky smooth, sweetly seductive, and utterly enchanting. I'm putting her in that Karen Carpenter category..... you know, the one where she could sing the owners manual to a 1986 Ford Taurus and I'd still want to listen.
Lars Danielsson - Tarantella Year: 2009
Style or Subgenre: Post Bop, Modern Creative
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Composed By – Lars Danielsson
Double Bass, Cello, Violin – Lars Danielsson
Drums, Percussion – Eric Harland
Guitar – John Parricelli
Piano, Celesta, Harpsichord – Leszek Możdżer
Trumpet – Mathias Eick
This is a very pleasingly understated album. And while it's never in your face with hot licks, it's full of intrigue and creativity. It's also a great exposition of how a great bassist can really bring out the beauty of compositions. Despite the title, there's nothing overtly Italian in these compositions or their arrangements, but I did hear shades of Paolo Fresu in Mathias Eick's trumpet playing. Pianist Leszek Możdżer shines on most cuts, but never more so than on the title cut, and percussionist Eric Harland puts his minimalist stamp on The Madonna. Regardless of nationality, influences, or who's got the lead, this one is a joy.
Gary Bartz - West 42nd Street Year: 1990 Style or Subgenre: Post Bop, Modal Jazz, Mainstream Jazz
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Gary Bartz and Maisha - Night Dreamer Direct-to-Dish Sessions Year: 2020
Style or Subgenre: Jazz-Funk, Crossover Jazz
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I was introduced to Gary Bartz via his collaboration with Maisha, and instantly took a shine. It would seem he was a very nice choice to work with Maisha in the absence of usual reedist Nubya Garcia. The funky, world flavored urban jazz they brought forth did all kinds of wonderful things for my musical mind. With that in mind, I thought it high time to explore some of his other work as well. So before today's listen to Night Dreamer, I grabbed his live at Birdland session, West 42nd Street. Well, this was a different sound from this cat and his crew. More mainstream, slightly modal, and largely middle of the road hard bop. Proving himself to be a versatile artist, this album really tickled me from start to finish. Just moments in, I could feel all the happy little neurons firing across my brain. That kept going through every song, with a nice strong closer; a song like The Night Has a Thousand Eyes can really go south fast in the wrong hands, but Bartz brings such a unique lyricism to it that it just gets and stays amazing. I love his employment of trumpeter/flugelhornist Claudio Roditi on most songs and pianist John Hicks brings the joy de vivre to the session. In fact, it truly sounds as if all these cats are having a blast. Therefore, so did I.
The Night Has a Thousand Eyes (from West 42nd Street)
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