Andy Sheppard - Movements in Colour ****
- Friday, March 27, 2009
ECM 179 5042 Andy Sheppard (ts, ss), John Parricelli (g), Eivind Aarset (g, elec), Arild Andersen (b) and Kuljit Bhamra (tabla, perc). Rec. Feb. 2008
Album Reviews
Branford Marsalis Quartet - Metamorphosen ****
- Friday, March 27, 2009
EmArcy 4600110 Branford Marsalis (ts, ss), Joey Calderazo (p), Eric Revis (b) and Jeff “Tain” Watts (d). Rec. 2008
Grover Washington Jr - Feels So Good ***
- Friday, March 27, 2009
Verve 0602517910492 - Washington Jr (ts, ss), Louis Johnson, Gary King (el b), Eric Gale (g), Bob James (keys), Steve Gadd, Jimmy Madison, Ken Rice (d), Ralph McDonald (perc) plus horns and strings. Rec. 1975
Gilad Atzmon - In Loving Memory Of America
- Friday, February 27, 2009
Enja/Tiptoe TIP888 850-2 ****Gilad Atzmon (as, ss, clt), Frank Harrison (p, ky), Yaron Stavi (b), Asaf Sirkis (d) plus the Sigamos String Quartet, Huw Stephen, Emil Chakalov (vln), Rachel Robson (vla) and Daisy Vatalaro (clo). Rec. date not statedLike the best of albums, In Loving Memory Of America works on many levels. Ostensibly it’s a re-imagining of Charlie Parker’s iconic releases with strings. Some of the tracks are done reasonably straight: the opening ‘Everything Happens To Me’...
Ravi Coltrane - Blending Times
- Friday, February 27, 2009
Ravi Coltrane (ts), Luis Perdomo (p), Drew Gress (b), EJ Strickland (d) with guests Charlie Haden (b) and Brandee Young (hp). Rec. 2008Ravi Coltrane’s development as a musician, under the harsh glare of the world’s jazz media, has been one of measured strides rather than giant steps. Throughout, he has given evidence of consistent artistic growth, at its most apparent with 2005’s In Flux, widely acknowledged as his first mature statement as an artist. He has now moved some distance from that...
Michael Garrick Sextet - Troppo
- Friday, February 27, 2009
Vocalion CDSML8444 ****Michael Garrick (p, el p), Henry Lowther (t, flhn, vn), Art Themen (ts, ss, fl), Don Rendell (ts, ss, fl), Norma Winstone (v), Coleridge Goode (b – on Fellow Feeling only), Dave Green (b) and Trevor Tomkins (d). Rec. 13, 25 and 26 October 1973
Eliane Elias - Bossa Nova Stories
- Friday, January 30, 2009
Blue Note ****Eliane Elias (p) plus various personnel including Oscar Castro-Neves (g), Marc Johnson (b) and Paulo Braga (d). Rec. date not stated
Johnny Griffin - Live at Ronnie Scott’s
- Friday, January 30, 2009
In + Out records IRCD77095-2 ***Johnny Griffin (ts), Roy Hargrove (t), James Pearson/Dave Newton (p), Reggie Johnson (b), Billy Cobham (d) and Paul Kuhn (p, v, 1 track). Rec. 26-27 May 2008
Don Cherry, Nana Vasconcelos, Collin Walcott - The Codona Trilogy
- Friday, January 30, 2009
ECM 2033-35 ****Don Cherry (t, doussn’gouni, fl, org, melodica, v), Nana Vasconcelos (berimbau, cuica, talking dr, perc, v) and Collin Walcott (sitar, hammered dulcimer (santoor), sanza, timpani, v). Rec. September 1978, May 1980 and September 1982
The Blue Notes - The Ogun Collection
- Friday, November 28, 2008
Ogun OGCD024-028**** Mongezi Feza (t), Dudu Pukwana (as, ss), Nick Moyake (ts), Chris McGregor (p), Johnny Dyani (b) and Louis Moholo (d). Rec. 1964-1987 Nick Moyake was the first to go, not long after The Blue Notes split South Africa. But there was never any question of replacing him. The group continued with its remaining five original members. The same was true when Mongezi died in 1975 and when Johnny passed in 1987. They were in every meaningful sense indivisible. That two of these four...