Record Reviews

COURTNEY PINE ~ MODERN DAY JAZZ STORIES ANTILLES 731452902825 (Barcode: 731452902825) ~ UK ~ Jazz Recorded: 1995 Released: 1996 This is an album by British Jazz saxophonist / composer / bandleader Courtney PineFind albums by this artist, recorded in the US with American musicians: keyboardist Geri AllenFind albums by this artist, bassist Charnette MoffettFind albums by this artist and drummer Ronnie BurrageFind albums by this artist and British turntablist DJ PogoFind albums by this artist. Three guest musicians appear on selected tracks: trumpeter Eddie HendersonFind albums by this artist, vocalist Cassandra WilsonFind albums by this artist and guitarist Mark WhitfieldFind albums by this artist. The album presents thirteen tracks, ten of which are original compositions by Pine, one is co-composed by him and Stanley ClarkeFind albums by this artist, one is by Gary BartzFind albums by this artist and one is a standard. The album is heavily influenced by various manifestations of “Black Music”, which include Hip Hop, Blues, Soul and other stylistic indices, which are more obvious in the various production aspects of this album than in his playing. His performances are brilliant as always and he remains one of the top British Jazz musicians, despite the fact that his popularity has somewhat weakened following his sensational debut success in the mid-1980s. Overall, although the album fails to present a focused musical direction, it nevertheless offers a splendid collection of original compositions and stunning saxophone performances by Pine. The American team, comprising of top Jazz performers, accompanies him amicably and the result is definitely worth exploring.

Updated: 10/11/2024Posted: 09/11/2024

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

HENRY THREADGILL ~ THE COMPLETE REMASTERED RECORDINGS ON BLACK SAINT & SOUL NOTE CAM JAZZ 1003 (Barcode: 8024709112422) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1976 - 1993 Released: 2010 This superb Box Set collects all the albums recorded by the legendary US saxophonist / flautist / composer Henry ThreadgillFind albums by this artist on the twin Italian independent labels: Black SaintFind albums on this label and Soul NoteFind albums on this label. Threadgill needs no introduction to any serious Jazz connoisseur; suffice to say that from the early days in his hometown of Chicago with the AACM members and later with the many incarnations of his AirFind albums by this artist ensemble he established for himself a position of one of the most iconoclastic musicians and outstanding composers around. His virtuosic playing and excellent compositions are always a source of great musical joy. The musicians playing on these five albums include: bassist Fred HopkinsFind albums by this artist, drummer Steve McCallFind albums by this artist (his steady partners in Air), drummer Pheeroan akLaffFind albums by this artist (who replaced McCall in later versions of Air), vocalist Cassandra WilsonFind albums by this artist and many others. Remastered, mini-sleeved, and with a great bargain price – this Box Set an absolute must for any serious Jazz collector. Side Note The Italian independent record label Black SaintFind albums on this label was founded by the music critic / author / producer Giacomo PellicciottiFind albums by this artist in 1975. It was taken over by the producer Giovanni BonandriniFind albums by this artist in 1978 and a year later (1979) a sister label, called Soul NoteFind albums on this label, was established. The twin labels were run by Giovanni and later his son Flavio BonandriniFind albums by this artist, until they were sold in 2008 to the Italian KEPACH Music Group, which already owned the CAM JazzFind albums on this label label, and which also bought another Italian independent record label Dischi Della QuerciaFind albums on this label. The mission of the Black Saint / Soul Note labels was to record and document the Free Jazz / Improvised Music / Avant-Garde scene, mostly from the US but also from Europe, which continued between mid 1970s and late 1990s and produced a staggering collection of almost 550 albums recorded by world's most important Jazz innovators active at the time, providing an opportunity to American (mostly Afro-American) musicians, who would have never managed to make these recordings at home, ridden by racism, alienation and closed-mindedness. Without these two labels most of this fantastic human creativity would have been never documented. However, the Black Saint / Soul Note Box Sets produced under the CAM JazzFind albums on this label moniker are an archetypal example of how good intentions turn sour. Although these new editions often bring back to life some of the best music ever made on this planet, which in many cases has been lost in the tides of time and was unavailable on the market for ages, they suffer from an unforgivable disregard to the essence of cultural values and general sloppiness, contrary to human decency, which requires us to treat our cultural legacy with respect and loyalty. These Box Sets have no booklet which presents researched historical background and exact discographical information of the albums included, and most importantly an overview of the music and its meaning and contribution to the Jazz Art form. Although the original LP sleeves are reproduced, the information is in most cases too small to be readable at all. In short the fact that these Box Sets are meant to be inexpensive, does not mean that they have to be cheap!

Updated: 12/04/2020Posted:

CD 7 Mini-Sleeve Box Set Remastered Recommend To A Friend

CASSANDRA WILSON ~ COMING FORTH BY DAY SONY 888750636225 (Barcode: 888750636225) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 2014 Released: 2015 Celebrating the 100th Birthday of Billie HolidayFind albums by this artist, American vocalist / composer Cassandra WilsonFind albums by this artist dedicates this album to her memory, performing some of the songs forever associated with Lady Day´s career. Of the twelve songs on this album two were written by Holiday and the rest are standards she used to perform often, except for the last song which is an original by Wilson. Wilson is performing these song accompanied by a basic piano trio, which comprises of pianist Jon CowherdFind albums by this artist, bassist Martyn CaseyFind albums by this artist and drummer Thomas WydlerFind albums by this artist. Several guest musicians add their input on selected tracks and lush orchestral arrangements are present on most tracks. The overall atmosphere is rather distant from the Jazz / Blues setting which surrounded the original interpretations of these songs, but sounds more like a cabaret / musical performance. Wilson´s throaty contralto sounds as good as ever of course, but sadly the passion and fire, which are present in Holiday´s performances, are lost in the process of wrapping these songs in cellophane. The album is beautifully overproduced, which means that a lot of listeners will love it to bits, but somehow it is like a meal in a fancy restaurant; you leave hungry but you can´t even think about food any more. Reading the liner notes I realize that there was a lot of good intensions invested in this album…

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend