Record Reviews

GERI ALLEN ~ THE LIFE OF A SONG TELARC 83598 (Barcode: 089408359828) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 2004 Released: 2004 This is one of those Jazz albums that have everything I love to have on a Jazz album: A brilliant female pianist and composer (Geri AllenFind albums by this artist), a divine rhythm section (Dave HollandFind albums by this artist - bass and Jack DeJohnetteFind albums by this artist – drums), a piano trio (my favorite Jazz format) and a superb audiophile sound quality (TelarcFind albums on this label DSD). Add to this the brilliant performances by the musicians, superb compositions, intricate polyrhythmic background and completely original treatment of standards and you have a formula for a perfect Jazz albums that holds surprises and pleasures for repeated listening sessions. The album includes eight Allen originals and three standards. On the last track, which is a long suite, the trio is transformed into a sextet with the addition of three horns. It’s no wander that Geri Allen is considered one of the finest pianist (and musicians in general) on the contemporary scene – this album proves how well deserved this appreciation is. Highly recommended!

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GERI ALLEN ~ TIMELESS PORTRAITS AND DREAMS TELARC 83645 (Barcode: 089408364525) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 2006 Released: 2006 Every new release by Geri AllenFind albums by this artist is always a source of joy and this one does not disappoint as well. Allen’s delicate lyricism (often resembling Bill EvansFind albums by this artist) and fantastic technique go hand in hand with her highly developed sense of melody, producing jazz which is both melodic and intellectual. This album is quite different from her previous releases, as in addition to the piano trio format (here with veterans Ron CarterFind albums by this artist – bass and Jimmy CobbFind albums by this artist – drums) Allen uses several guests, including Wallace Roney on trumpet, two vocalist and even a chorus. The reason for the presence of the vocalist becomes apparent when one realizes that Geri re-visits the gospel roots of jazz and brings them up to date as an integral part of her musical landscape. The performances are of course brilliant, as usual in her case, and the sound quality staggering (kudos to TelarcFind albums on this label again). I loved every moment of this and I’m pretty sure every serious jazz connoisseur will join me here. Includes bous CD single

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CHARLIE HADEN ~ THE COMPLETE REMASTERED RECORDINGS ON BLACK SAINT & SOUL NOTE CAM JAZZ 1001 (Barcode: 8024709111227) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1977 - 1990 Released: 2010 This superb Box Set collects all the albums recorded by the legendary US bassist / composer Charlie HadenFind albums by this artist on the twin Italian independent labels: Black SaintFind albums on this label and Soul NoteFind albums on this label. Haden needs no introduction to any serious Jazz connoisseur; suffice to say that from the early days with Ornette ColemanFind albums by this artist in the late 1950s, his bass playing would definitely establish "The Shape Of Jazz To Come", paraphrasing on the title of Haden´s first recording with Coleman. Later on he was a member of the legendary Keith JarrettFind albums by this artist US quartet and later cooperated with the most distinguished Jazz musicians around the globe. His virtuosic bass playing and excellent compositions are always a source of great musical joy. The musicians playing on these five albums include: drummer Billy HigginsFind albums by this artist, pianist Enrico PieranunziFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Chet BakerFind albums by this artist, drummer Paul MotianFind albums by this artist, pianist Geri AllenFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Don CherryFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Dewey RedmanFind albums by this artist and drummer Ed BlackwellFind albums by this artist. 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: 10/04/2020Posted:

CD 5 Mini-Sleeve Box Set Remastered Recommend To A Friend

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

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WAYNE SHORTER ~ THE COMPLETE COLUMBIA ALBUMS COLLECTION SONY 886979202429 (Barcode: 886979202429) ~ USA ~ Jazz-Rock-World Fusion Recorded: 1971 - 1988 Released: 2011 There are very few Jazz musicians, who can claim being at the epicenter of the most innovative and creative music making for decades and also be called one of the greatest Jazz composers, but saxophonist / composer Wayne ShorterFind albums by this artist certainly is one of them. His role as a member of the legendary second Miles DavisFind albums by this artist quintet and than as co-founder and co-leader of the no less legendary Weather ReportFind albums by this artist are already more significant than the achievements of most other musicians, but Shorter also has a most impressive solo career, which spans from the late 1950s to now, i.e. for over half a century. Shorter´s recordings as a leader, which were chronologically released on the Vee-JayFind albums on this label, Blue NoteFind albums on this label, ColumbiaFind albums on this label and VerveFind albums on this label labels present a magnificent body of work both as a performer and a composer. The Blue Note recordings, eleven albums released between 1964 and 1970 and recorded while he was a member of the Miles Davis quintet, are perhaps the most impressive and pivotal as far as Jazz development is concerned, but all the others are also great showcases of his talent. Shorter recorded four albums for Columbia; one in 1974 and the other three in the late 1980s, all of which are included in this Box Set. The first album, ("Native DancerFind albums with this title") recorded with the brilliant Brazilian musician / composer Milton NascimentoFind albums by this artist is the most memorable and impressive of the Columbia recordings and a beautiful example of Jazz-World Fusion at its best. In addition to several great Brazilian musicians playing on the album, including Airto MoreiraFind albums by this artist, it also features Herbie HancockFind albums by this artist on piano. The other three albums are somewhat Fusion oriented and feature different lineups of first class musicians, especially keyboard players like Chick CoreaFind albums by this artist, Stu GoldbergFind albums by this artist, Jim BeardFind albums by this artist, Patrice RushenFind albums by this artist, Geri AllenFind albums by this artist and others and of course almost exclusively the superb compositions by Shorter. This Box Set also includes two bonus CDs, which collect all Weather Report tracks, which were composed by Wayne Shorter and recorded during the group´s entire lifespan. Although not adding anything new, these CDs present a great historic document of Shorter´s contribution as a composer to the group´s monumental accomplishments. This Box Set is a must to all Wayne Shorter fans, especially in view of the fact that the individual albums have been out of print for ages. The musical content is of course top notch in every respect, a part of the legacy of a great musician, which deserves to be heard and remembered!

Updated: 26/01/2019Posted:

CD 6 Mini-Sleeve Box Set Remastered Recommend To A Friend

AGA ZARYAN ~ REMEMBERING NINA & ABBEY PARLOPHONE 5099940988122 (Barcode: 5099940988122) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2013 Released: 2013 This is the eighth album by the Queen in residence of the Polish Jazz scene since several years, the wonderful Aga ZaryanFind albums by this artist. As the title clearly points out, Zaryan creates here a tribute to two remarkable Afro-American female vocalists, which she admires not only for their superb vocal abilities but also for what they stood for as public figures fighting against discrimination, abuse of human and civil rights, chauvinism and sexism, both openly voicing their opinions and willing to pay the price associated with such behavior at the time. The album presents thirteen songs, all of which are either written by or associated with Nina SimoneFind albums by this artist and Abbey LincolnFind albums by this artist. Zaryan is accompanied by a formidable team, which includes pianist Geri AllenFind albums by this artist, guitarist Larry KoonseFind albums by this artist, harpist Carol RobbinsFind albums by this artist, bassist Darek OleszkiewiczFind albums by this artist and drummer Brian BladeFind albums by this artist. Zaryan is known for her artistic courage, which she already proved several times during her career. This project is undoubtedly the boldest step she ever undertook, as Nina & Abbey are among the most idiosyncratic vocalist ever and in most cases any attempt to interpret their original work leads to miserable failure. Zaryan decided to approach this repertoire on her own ground, treating the songs with a new approach, reshaping them rather than trying to simply interpret them, and by doing this she managed to escape the intrinsic dangers and traps. Of course such treatment might be considered disrespectful by purists, but listening to sticklers is by definition contradictory the spirit of artistic innovation. One of the transformations Zaryan applied to all these songs was to slow them down, sometimes just slightly and in other cases considerably. As a result this album as a whole is deeply melancholic, a state of mind which Zaryan always uses to her advantage, as she is a Grand Mistress of lyricism and its dark corners and flickering lights. Yes, it is that famous Polish melancholy, which adds a new dimension to the original songs, amalgamating the black soul of Afro-American lyricism with the tormented Polish spirit. Another decisive factor, which creates the special atmosphere that this album conveys, is the limited and sparing usage of the instrumental accompaniment and the inclusion of the delicate harp, which ideally suits the mood. The musicians present here are all masters of their trade, which of course is easily audible, but the way Zaryan is positioned in the center of the stage with the instruments sympathetically supporting her, is simply remarkable; a classic example of personal graciousness, respect and modesty on their part. This is another important step for Zaryan, which expands yet again her overall position as complete Artists, this time putting aside the role of a composer of original material and concentrating on interpreting the work of other women. Hopefully we´ll hear her again soon singing her new original material. In the meantime this one should keep us worm for a while. Thank you Dear!

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