Bobby Bradford - Love's Dream Recording Date: 1974
Release Date: 1974 (Alternate track listing on 2003 CD reissue)
Style or Subgenre: Avant Garde, Free Jazz
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In a week filled with great new discoveries, this may be my fave. Bobby Bradford plays an incredibly accessible free jazz trumpet, as does his fellow front liner, alto saxman Trevor Watts. Of course Kent Carter's bass is solid, but I really got into John Stevens's drumming.... adequately free to support this quartet, yet fluid and structured enough to maintain accessible continuity. This really was a fun listen.
Interestingly, the 2003 CD reissue not only adds, but actually changes tracks a bit. All tracks on either release are from the same 1973 session. Either release is great, but what is missing from either doesn't make having both essential (the best cuts can be found on both releases).
Catalyst - Catalyst Year: 1972
Style or Subgenre: Jazz-Funk
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This is the group that released a 1999 comp entitled "The Funkiest Group You Never Heard," and I can't imagine a better description. This is their 1972 debut and funky it is. The grooves here are massive. But that's not to say Catalyst are a one trick pony; the quartet shows great range across their consistently jazz-funk expression. What a fun album!
Hugh Lawson - Colour Year: 1983
Style or Subgenre: Hard Bop, Piano Jazz
Hugh Lawson, along with bassist Calvin Hill and drummer Louis Hayes, deliver some solid and entertaining hard bop oriented piano trio jazz here. The set opens with a clever jazz take on the main theme from Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition." Rather unexpected, but quite a bit of fun. Then comes the equally entertaining blues bop "The Tinkler." Even with Lawson's wonderfully subtle shadings, I can generally skip the other non-original on the album, a cover of Bread's "if." The fun returns on the totally straight ahead hard bop "Georgie Porgie." The album's centerpiece is the wonderfully varied and expressive 8-minute "The Beast from Bali-Bali." After that, it's back to the blues with the delightful "23rd Street Blues" before closing with "Creepy Chicken," which has a beauty that totally belies the off kilter title.
Luismi Segurado - Hocicology Year: 2020
Style or Subgenre: Straight Ahead Jazz, Piano Jazz
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Piano trio + Vibes
Lush, beautiful, almost unbearably pleasant, and in the end, largely forgettable. This dog really has no bite, which is why I think he's yawning on the cover.
Great dinner-for-two background music.
Sončna Pot - Sončna Pot Year: 1980
Style or Subgenre: Jazz-Rock, Fusion
Soncna Pot formed in 1980 Lubjana (then Yugoslavia, now Slovenia). Most of these musicians came and went from multiple behind-the-iron-curtain fusion outfits before and after this group. Which means I have some more groups to seek out, because I really, really liked this. Think of it as fusion with a progressive rock vibe.
Mara Rosenbloom Trio - Respiration Year: 1980
Style or Subgenre: Modern Creative, Piano Jazz
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A totally fresh take on the piano trio here. You have an album titled "Respiration" with song titles like "Daydream" and "Uncertain Bird," but don't be fooled, there is real power on this album. While capable of, and occasionally producing delicate melody, Rosenbloom spends a lot of time on the low end of the keyboard. She frequently uses repetitive motifs and although completely acoustic, she and drummer Chad Taylor employing unusual percussion, create a deep trance vibe at times. This whole album covers a lot of stylistic ground, and sounds like something altogether new, yet also familiar and even homey. This is a fine musical accomplishment and Rosenbloom is one of a rapidly growing group of female instrumentalists who are grabbing an every increasing piece of my listening pie.
Vicki Burns - Lotus Blossom Days Year: 2022
Style or Subgenre: Vocal Jazz
A very nice Sunday Morning Vocals session today with the seldom recorded Vicki Burns. She has a great voice for traditional songbook stuff, but knows when to swing and sometimes really shines on the more exotic pieces where her more unique sense of timing can really bring out the personality of a song.
Yotam Silberstein- Future Memories Year: 2019
Style or Subgenre: Hard Bop, Neo Bop, World Jazz, Folk Jazz, Guitar Jazz
Well, I've found another guitarist to intensely capture my interest. Fretmaster Yotam Silberstein sometimes wears his Israeli heart on his sleeve and can also produce some very straight ahead, unaccented modern hard bop, and when going more mellow has some real Metheny moments. But whatever he's doing, he's doing it with tone, technique, and most importantly heart. This is really good stuff and should be of interest to any fan of contemporary guitar music.
Horeace Silver - The jody Grind Year: 1966
Style or Subgenre: Hard Bop, Soul Jazz
The Mod Squad cover certainly hasn't aged well, but the music still totally slays. Everybody boppin' and swingin' in high style. Extra kudos to Woody Shaw for giving the ensemble some real flavor with his trumpet. The opening title cut in particular is an all time winner.
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