Record Reviews

JACK DEJOHNETTE ~ ONENESS ECM 1637 (Barcode: 731453734326) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1997 Released: 1997 This is an excellent, but unfortunately little known album by the legendary drummer / composer Jack DeJohnetteFind albums by this artist. In parallel to his work as a sideman with the most important Jazz musicians for over 40 years, he also led his own ensembles, like this one. The album was recorded in a quartet setting with pianist Michael CainFind albums by this artist, guitarist / bassist Jerome HarrisFind albums by this artist and veteran percussionist Don AliasFind albums by this artist, and presents original music, written by DeJohnette or co-written by the quartet members. The music, firmly rooted in the Jazz tradition, embraces a cross-genre attitude, wandering into other territories, like atmospheric ambient or contemporary Classical music. This is definitely the more introvert and gentle side of this great musician. The album yet again emphasizes DeJohnette´s pivotal role in modern Jazz, always in the epicenter of creative breakthroughs. Recommended!

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HERBIE HANCOCK ~ THE NEW STANDARD VERVE 988403 (Barcode: 602498840351) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1996 Released: 2005 After playing jazz standards throughout all his life (in addition to original music of course), Herbie HancockFind albums by this artist decided to record an album dedicated to his rendition of contemporary Pop songs, which in his opinion deserve to enter the standard songbook. The BeatlesFind albums by this artist, Steve WonderFind albums by this artist and scores of other songwriters active since the 1960’s composed thousands of songs worthy of becoming classics, yet the jazz standards to this day are mostly tunes written in the first half of the 20th century. Hancock selected a dreamy sextet of some of the best contemporary jazz Masters to take part in this recording, with Michael BreckerFind albums by this artist – sax, John ScofieldFind albums by this artist – guitar, Dave HollandFind albums by this artist – bass, Jack DeJohnetteFind albums by this artist – drums and Don AliasFind albums by this artist – percussion. He takes the original tunes quite far from the source, transforming them into jazz with masterful touch and divine sensibility. Of course all the players perform beautifully, with Hancock taking a few fiery solos and so do Brecker and Scofield. The rhythm section provides solid and sophisticated background and the entire session just swings like there is no tomorrow. Absolutely delightful!

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JACO PASTORIUS ~ JACO PASTORIUS EPIC 64977 ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1976 1st album and one of the most revolutionary and influential Jazz debuts of all time. It takes about 10 seconds into the first track to understand that the role of the bass as an instrument and perhaps the entire Jazz idiom will not stay the same after this music hits the ears of the listeners. But it is not only the virtuosity of Jaco PastoriusFind albums by this artist as a player and his Promethean approach to playing the instrument, but also his skills as a composer and arranger, all these at the age of 25, that make this album and the man so unique. Pastorius presents here a widely diverse set of compositions, ranging in style from Soul / Rock to Classical, all perfectly crafted and surprisingly mature. A long list of superb Jazz players (Wayne ShorterFind albums by this artist, Michael BreckerFind albums by this artist, Don AliasFind albums by this artist and Hubert LawsFind albums by this artist to mention but a few) and classical string players were involved in making of this album, but the most sympathetic and supportive role was played by pianist Herbie Hancock, who is the main soloist – often more dominant than Pastorius himself. This album shook the entire Jazz (and Rock) world and it is no wonder that as a result Pastorius was asked to join the best band on the scene at that time – Weather ReportFind albums by this artist – where he stayed for about six years as an equal partner and a third lead voice alongside Joe ZawinulFind albums by this artist and Wayne ShorterFind albums by this artist. What a tragedy it was to hear about Jaco’s death in 1987 just over a mere decade after this masterpiece was recorded, mentally ill and addicted to drugs. This album belongs to the Pantheon of Jazz recordings and is an absolute must!

CD 1 Remastered Bonus Tracks Essential Recommend To A Friend

PORK PIE ~ OPERANOIA INTUITION 750447315822 (Barcode: 750447315822) ~ NETHERLANDS ~ Jazz-Rock-World Fusion Recorded: 1996 Released: 1996 This is a reunion album by the legendary European Jazz-Rock Fusion ensemble Pork PieFind albums by this artist, recorded half a century after the original band was formed in the early 1970s and recorded a couple of excellent albums for the MPSFind albums on this label label. The three founding members: Dutch keyboardist / composer Jasper van`t HofFind albums by this artist, American (living in Europe) saxophonist / composer Charlie MarianoFind albums by this artist and Belgian guitar virtuoso / composer Philip CatherineFind albums by this artist are joined by American drummer / percussionist Don AliasFind albums by this artist, who completes the reunion lineup. Together they perform ten original compositions, three each by van`t Hof, Mariano and Catherine and one by Alias. Although reunions often turn out to be pale reflections of glorious past achievements, this album is a beautiful example of a reunion that not only matches the original music, but in some respects surpasses it. In time pioneering spirit and the fire of creating a new musical genre gives place to reflection and contemplation, with the music aging like a good wine. With some World Music elements added to the mix, the music on this album is simply marvelous from start to finish and is executed brilliantly. All these musicians have mastered every trick in the book, but they never forgot the essence of music being based on writing great tunes and improvising intelligently and emotionally. This music is all about elegance, good taste, space and mutual understanding, lyricism and communication. There is a place for every member of the ensemble to showcase their respective skills, without a shadow of competition or domination. It´s music made by four equal partners, resulting in an effect being greater than the sum of its ingredients. Although this album achieved little attention at the time it was released, it remains a wonderful piece of contemporary Fusion, which is completely free of the dreaded endless and senseless doodling and consists simply of superbly executed marvelous music. In should be studied by Fusion players to learn what should be avoided and of course wholeheartedly enjoyed by intelligent Fusion fans the world over. Brilliant stuff!

Updated: 06/02/2016Posted: 06/02/2016

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CARLOS SANTANA / JOHN MCLAUGHLIN ~ LOVE DEVOTION SURRENDER COLUMBIA 63593 (Barcode: 074646359327) ~ USA ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 1972 Released: 2003 This is the most quintessential Fusion album of all times. Although sadly neglected and almost forgotten (both by critics and listeners) over the years, it stands out as a beacon of musical enlightenment for posterity. The album came to be as a result of many parallel events and personal / musical paths crossings. Carlos SantanaFind albums by this artist and John McLaughlinFind albums by this artist became close after becoming disciples of Guru Sri Chinmoy. Although they were both aware of each other’s work before this musical cooperation, they operated in quite separate musical areas. McLaughlin at this point had already a glorious career stretch behind him with his pioneering work on the UK Jazz-Rock scene, his revolutionary work with Miles DavisFind albums by this artist, the visionary contributions in the Tony WilliamsFind albums by this artist LifetimeFind albums by this artist and of course his brilliant Mahavishnu OrchestraFind albums by this artist output. Santana’s roots were deep into Latin music and rock, but he was rapidly transforming his musical focus into jazz and Fusion. Influenced by his band’s drummer Michael ShrieveFind albums by this artist, who was a jazz buff, Carlos discovered a new musical world and was swallowing everything he could lay his ears on. This included the works of Mahavishnu Orchestra, of which he was a devoted fan, but also the work of Miles Davis and John ColtraneFind albums by this artist. The actual get together was most probably orchestrated by ColumbiaFind albums on this label’s chief Clive DavisFind albums by this artist (both Santana and Mahavishnu Orchestra were signed by Columbia Records), suggesting a John Coltrane tribute album featuring both guitarists. The album was recorded almost immediately after Santana finished recording the pivotal CaravanseraiFind albums with this title album, which marked a series of dramatic changes both in the band’s musical direction (a move towards jazz and Fusion) and personnel changes (the forming of Santana Mk. II). A meeting of two great talents is always a dangerous affair, and this one could have proven either disastrous or absolutely divine – fortunately the latter did happen. The reason it did turn out to be such a success is twofold: First the musicians truly loved Coltrane’s music and felt the spiritual side of it (Coltrane went through a process of soul searching and seeking enlightenment in Eastern beliefs as well). Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme” is really a musical mantra very similar to a Hindu chant, which of course is as much a spiritual music as it ever gets. The beautiful “Naima” (the other Coltrane composition featured here) is also deeply spiritual, as are the two McLaughlin’s compositions and the traditional chant, which serves as the base for the remaining track of the album. Having established the musical / spiritual base of the session the rest was up to the participating musicians, which (again) most fortunately turned out to be ideal. Both Santana and McLaughlin brought with them associate musicians – Carlos brought selected members of his band (Armando PerazaFind albums by this artist – congas, Doug RauchFind albums by this artist – bass and Michael Shrive – drums) and John brought Mahavishnu Orchestra members (Billy CobhamFind albums by this artist – drums and Jan HammerFind albums by this artist – drums(!)). Veteran jazz drummer Don AliasFind albums by this artist was also invited, but the greatest and perhaps most crucial role was entrusted upon the organ player Larry YoungFind albums by this artist – John’s former partner in Lifetime. Young provides the foundation and glue, which makes this session work. With two lead guitarists exchanging licks at the speed of light and the super-power expanded rhythm section pulsating mercilessly, this session would have never worked without Young’s brilliant work. He fills the spaces, provides the balance and the sanity, the ground on which the soloist are able to build their sky-high towers. Of course the main attraction is the spectacular work by the two soloists, so different and yet so completely complimentary of each other. Santana’s sublimely melodic feel (truly unparalleled to this very day) and McLaughlin’s extraordinary improvisational abilities just merge into one continuous flow of musical bliss. Their exchanges are in perfect harmony, not competing but supplementing each other – fire and grace incarnate. This remastered edition enhances the originally muddy sound tremendously and the two bonus tracks are priceless. There is nothing but Love of music, Devotion to talent and Surrender to divinity on this album, the Mother of all Fusion albums! Beyond essential!

CD 1 Remastered Bonus Tracks Essential Recommend To A Friend

MIKE STERN ~ GIVE AND TAKE WOUNDED BIRD 3036 (Barcode: 664140303621) ~ USA ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 1997 Released: 2007 9th album (8th on Atlantic) by American guitarist / composer Mike SternFind albums by this artist, who has been one of the most prominent figures in the Jazz and Fusion fields for the last three decades. His virtuoso performances and excellent writing are a source of musical joy and his consistently superb standards serve as a model, followed by generations of young guitarist around the world. On this album Stern continues the path established by its predecessors, presenting a set of his excellent compositions and three standards performed by a superb group of musicians, which includes saxophonists Michael BreckerFind albums by this artist and David SanbornFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Gil GoldsteinFind albums by this artist, bassist John PatitucciFind albums by this artist, drummer Jack DeJohnetteFind albums by this artist and percussionist Don AliasFind albums by this artist. As usual, the compositions move between atmospheric ballads to up-tempo energetic excursions, performed with finesse and passion. This is classic Fusion and Stern´s guitar playing is simply overwhelmingly excellent, with great flow, emotion and technical virtuosity. A must for any Fusion enthusiast!

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