Chucho Valdés & The Afro-Cuban Messengers - Border-Free (2013/FLAC)

 Border-Free is a companion piece and a doubling-down on Chucho Valdés’ magnificent Chucho’s Steps album from 2010. Valdés has retained most of his Afro-Cuban Messengers (although the drummer and bassist are new, the percussionist, vocalist/bata player and trumpeter return), pays tribute once again to family members and key historical musicians and cultures, and reprises the previous album’s virtuosic hopping and condensing of genres.

But where Chucho’s Steps included a dedication to Chucho’s son, Julian, Border-Free includes tributes to his grandmother (“Caridad Amaro,” which concludes with an excerpt from a Rachmaninoff concerto she liked); his mother (“Pilar,” which interpolates compositions from Bach and Miles Davis that she favored); and his famous, recently departed father, Bebo Valdés (“Bebo,” which, despite the small ensemble, evokes Bebo’s Sabor de Cuba Orchestra from the ’50s).

While Chucho’s Steps featured an overt tribute to the Marsalis family, Border-Free actually brings saxophonist Branford Marsalis onboard for three songs, an inspired addition that bears fruit within the ’50s Cuban ambiance of the Bebo homage and the Afro-Arabic gnawa music of “Abdel.” As its title implies, Border-Free also ups the ante in terms of genre hopping and swapping. Along with the aforementioned forays into Euro-classical, Arab, old-style Cuban and postbop stylings, the centerpiece of the record is the 12-minute “Afro-Comanche,” featuring percussion and chants and dedicated to the mixed heritage Cuban offspring of the Comanches who were deported to the island in the 19th century.

But above all, Border-Free, like Chucho’s Steps, is carried forth on the crests of Valdes’ piano. The notes pour out like a force of nature, conjuring the nightclub and the conservatory, bop and clave, concerto and danzón via heart, hands and soul. The opening number, “Congadanza,” is the musical equivalent of a waterfall kicking up a rainbow in its mist. At 71, he’s found another gear these past two records. --Britt Robson, JazzTimes

 

 

• Chucho Valdés – piano
• Reinaldo Melián Alvarez - trumpet
• Dreiser Durruthy Bombalé - batás, lead vocals
• Rodney Barreto Illarza - drums, vocals
• Ángel Gastón Joya Perellada - double bass, vocals
• Yaroldy Abreu Robles - percussion, vocals
• Branford Marsalis - tenor sax on Tabú & Bebo - soprano sax on Abdel

Recorded: Abdala Studio, Havana, Cuba and in Comanche Recording Studio, Málaga, Spain, in December 2012

01. Congadanza (9:09)

02. Caridad Amaro (6:27)

03. Tabú (9:47)

04. Bebo (7:47)

05. Afro-Comanche (11:55)

06. Pilar (10:03)

07. Santa Cruz (6:23)

08. Abdel (9:06)

Randy Weston - Mosaic Select 4 (3 CD, 2003/FLAC)

 The three CDs that make up the Randy Weston Mosaic Select package comprise the complete sessions from six different albums, one of which was previously unreleased. Weston has had a long and varied career, and one that has established him in the consummate realm of piano soloists with his idiosyncratic, inclusive style. His deep jazz roots were accompanied, almost from the beginning, by the influences of Afro-Caribbean folk and the music of Asia, which he encountered during his tenure with the U.S. armed forces.

 As represented by this set, the only consistent thing in Weston's output from the years 1957-1963 is the high quality. Piano à la Mode was released on Jubilee with a trio that included Connie Kay and Peck Morrison; two big band albums, Uhuru Afrika and Highlife, were issued in 1960 and 1963, respectively; and there were three recordings in between: an unreleased date for Roulette, Little Niles, and Live at the Five Spot, the latter two for United Artists. Their personnel, producers, and material varied so widely that, if it weren't for Weston's telltale style in the middle register, we'd never know that the albums had the same bandleader. Little Niles, and Five Spot reflect the Weston we've come to know since 1989, creating a new pan-African classical music, structured outside of the Western cultural paradigm. How they came into being after the Five Spot date (the first of his recordings arranged by Melba Liston) -- which featured a band with Kenny Dorham, Coleman Hawkins, Roy Haynes, and Wilbur Little -- is a mystery. The late hard bop and bluesy swing from that date is nowhere in evidence on Uhuru or Highlife. But this set offers clues in the form of compositional development and the gradient incorporation of new ideas, rhythmic concepts, and contrapuntal strategies. As a bandleader, the gradual expansion from a trio to quintet to big band is also fascinating because Weston sounds more at home with each phase of his band. But at the time Highlife was issued, according to the music here, Weston sounded as if he had liked a big band playing trans-African music his entire life. These three CDs are nothing less than monumental in the revelation of Weston's musical thought and application. His interaction with small rhythm sections and various groups of soloists reveal his consummate status as one of the most generous bandleaders in history. This highly recommended package is indispensable not only because it fills the cracks in Weston's legacy, but for the merits of the music in it, as well.

 

 

John Coltrane & Friends - Sideman: Trane’s Blue Note Sessions (3 CD, 2014/FLAC-HD)

  A collection of the legendary saxophonist’s sideman sessions for Blue Note Records from 1956-1957, when Coltrane was a regular member of the Miles Davis Quintet and played with pianist Thelonious Monk. This set, conceived by former Blue Note Records president Bruce Lundvall, marks the first time Coltrane’s sideman sessions for Blue Note have been collected in one place; albums include recordings led by Paul Chambers (Chambers’ Music, a.k.a. High Step, and Whims of Chambers), Johnny Griffin (A Blowing Session) and Sonny Clark (Sonny’s Crib).

• John Coltrane - saxophone
• Paul Chambers - double bass
• Sonny Clark - piano
• Johnny Griffin - saxophone

 

 

Enrico Pieranunzi — The Complete Remastered Recordings On Black Saint & Soul Note (6 CD, 2010/FLAC)

 

Born in Rome in 1949, Pieranunzi grew up to become one of Europe's established masters of mainstream modern jazz. His six-CD set opens with the album Isis, which was recorded in February 1980. Pieranunzi shared the date with trumpeter Art Farmer (heard on flügelhorn) and alto saxophonist Massimo Urbani. A handful of compositions by Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie bring extra warmth to an already substantial itinerary. Pieranunzi's next Soul Note album, Deep Down, was recorded in February 1986 with drummer Joey Baron and Marc Johnson, whose presence was significant as he was the last bassist to work with Pieranunzi's idol, Bill Evans. Those expecting to encounter the 1987 album Silence will not find it in this set, but rather in the Charlie Haden edition from the same series. Chronologically speaking, the next album in this box is No Man's Land, recorded in May 1989 with Johnson and drummer Steve Houghton. Flux & Change, which came together in August of 1992, is a suite of 23 studies (some of them quite brief) created in duet with percussionist Paul Motian. Seaward was recorded in March of 1994 with bassist Hein van de Geyn and drummer André Ceccarelli. Both players hailed from Dee Dee Bridgewater's backing band. This bundle of dependably enjoyable modern jazz closes with the album Ma l'Amore No. Recorded in February 1997, it features alto saxophonist Lee Konitz, trumpeter Enrico Rava, and vocalist Ada Montellanico. 

In later years Pieranunzi recorded a lot for the CAM Jazz label, variously collaborating with Charlie Haden, Paul Motian, and Kenny Wheeler; reuniting with Johnson and Baron; or devoting entire albums to reinterpretations of music by Domenico Scarlatti, George Frederick Handel, and Johann Sebastian Bach. Among denizens of North America, Pieranunzi's portion of the Soul Note reissue series may serve to increase awareness of his contributions to the inextinguishable, ever-changing braid of musical traditions called jazz. 

 

CD 1 • Enrico Pieranunzi Quartet & Quintet featuring Art Farmer – Isis (1980)

CD 2 • Enrico Pieranunzi, Marc Johnson, Joey Baron – Deep Down (1987)

CD 3 • Enrico Pieranunzi Trio With Marc Johnson And Steve Houghton – No Man's Land (1989)

CD 4 • Enrico Pieranunzi, Paul Motian – Flux And Change (1995)

CD 5 • Enrico Pieranunzi Trio With Hein Van de Geyn & André Ceccarelli – Seaward (1996)

CD 6 • Enrico Pieranunzi Trio & Ada Montellanico with Lee Konitz & Enrico Rava – Ma L'amore No (1997)

 

Blue Note Works 4000-4100 series [4017-4030]

 

...The Modern Jazz Series continued into the 1970s with the LPs listed below. Many were issued in both monaural versions (BLP series) and stereo versions (BST 84000 series).  Most of the 4000 series have been reissued by Toshiba-EMI in Japan ("Blue Note Works 4000" series); the catalog numbers are TOCJ-4###



 

BN.4017- Horace Silver- 1959- Blowin' the Blues Away {RVG Remaster}
BN.4018- Walter Davis Jr.- 1959- Davis Cup {RVG Remaster}
BN.4019- Donald Byrd- 1959- Byrd In Hand {RVG Remaster}
BN.4020- The Three Sounds- 1959- Good Deal
BN.4021- Kenny Burrell with Art Blakey- 1959- On View at the Five Spot Cafe
BN.4022- Duke Pearson- 1959- Profile {RVG Remaster}
BN.4023- Dizzy Reece- 1959- Star Bright
BN.4024- Jackie McLean- 1959- Swing, Swang, Swingin' {RVG Remaster}
BN.4025- Lou Donaldson- 1959- The Time Is Right
BN.4026- Donald Byrd- 1959- Fuego {RVG Remaster}
BN.4027- Freddie Redd Quartet with Jackie McLean- 1960- The Connection {RVG Remaster}
BN.4028- Horace Parlan- 1960- Movin' & Groovin'
BN.4029- Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers- 1960- The Big Beat {RVG Remaster}
BN.4030- Jimmy Smith- 1960- Crazy! Baby

Rahsaan Roland Kirk - Complete Recordings 1956-1962 (4 CD, 2013/FLAC)

 Of the eight albums compiled on this Enlightenment box set, five of them belong under Roland Kirk's name as a leader. They include Triple Threat (1956, King), Introducing Roland Kirk (1960, Argo, with Ira Sullivan), Kirk's Work (1961, Prestige, with Jack McDuff), We Free Kings (Mercury, 1961), and Domino (Mercury, 1962). There are also three dates on which he is a featured soloist. Of these, Quincy Jones' Big Band Bossa Nova, while a fine recording, is completely unnecessary in this context. Better is the Roy Haynes Quartet's Out of the Afternoon from Impulse! Records in 1962, with pianist Tommy Flanagan and bassist Henry Grimes. But the best of these non-Kirk-led dates, however, is Tubby Hayes' Tubby's Back in Town, from 1962 on Smash. It placed Kirk in heavy duty company. The British saxophonist/leader plays tenor and vibes, James Moody (as "Jimmy Gloomy") also plays tenor, and the rhythm section features pianist Walter Bishop, Jr., bassist Sam Jones, and drummer Louis Hayes. Kirk plays not only tenor but also manzello, flute, and nose flute, and adds immeasurably to the force and texture of the record. There are 62 tracks on these four discs, and the sound is decent, but not remastered. The set is exceptionally cheap. One thing the consumer should be aware of, however, is that Enlightenment, being a British label, is not bound by the same copyright laws as the United States, and neither the artists nor their estates see compensation from this reissue. 

 

 

Tony Williams - Mosaic Select 24 (3 CD, 2008/FLAC)

 For the 24th Mosaic Select box set of reissues from the Blue Note vaults, series producer Michael Cuscuna has chosen five recordings in a seven-year span from 1985-1991 by drummer/bandleader Tony Williams. Note that this is not the complete Tony Williams on Blue Note, excluding his sessions after having left the Miles Davis Quintet, especially Life Time, Spring, and his sideman work with Jackie McLean, Eric Dolphy, and Sam Rivers. The complete latter-period group recordings included are Foreign Intrigue, Civilization, Angel Street, Native Heart, and The Story of Neptune. All are solidly in the modern mainstream post-bop mode, featuring the forceful, driving drumming of Williams, and all the sets feature the brilliant pianist Mulgrew Miller with Miles devotee trumpeter Wallace Roney. Tenor and soprano saxophonist Bill Pierce is paired on the sides except Foreign Intrigue. Ron Carter, Charnett Moffett, and Ira Coleman are the bassists, with Robert Hurst making a cameo on three tracks. These are individualistic, solid players, giving Williams the opportunity to not only jam with the best, but write music geared toward their personalized sounds and stances. Four of the five sessions were done in New York City; only Civilization was done elsewhere, in Los Angeles. Of the 38 selections, four are unaccompanied drum solos, and three are covers or standards. There are a few waltzes and no ballads as one might expect, though Miller's piano rhapsodically introduces two tracks. The remainder are original compositions of Williams. Give the drummer some credit, as a total musician and composer. The recordings are programmed in chronological order, starting with Foreign Intrigue, which likely is overall the best of the lot. Williams introduces some of these compositions and utilizes his acoustic kit with a drum machine and electronic drums. There are some classics on this one, like the title track, the hard bopper "Clearways," the cool bluesy "Takin' My Time," and the loping by-now standard "Sister Cheryl." Bobby Hutcherson's presence on vibes truly uplifts this session, as does Donald Harrison's alto sax, the only alto on the compilation. 

 

 

VA - The Black Box Of Jazz (4 CD, 1995/FLAC)

 An excellent four-CD compilation of top-flight performances by members of the upper tier of the jazz world. This collection is a mixture of studio and live performances focusing on musicians from bop and post-bop era, although there's a healthy presentation of swing and pre-bop musicians. Moreover, many of these tracks had not been released when this set was issued in 1995. In addition, a lot of the performances from the late '80s and early '90s. But there are some cuts from the 1950s as well, most notably "Off Minor" from a 1957 set with Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, and Coleman Hawkins. With 50 tracks covering more than five hours of different styles of jazz music, this box set is a veritable jazz smorgasbord. Woody Herman typically limited his solo opportunities, passing them onto the preeminent jazz musicians who worked in his various aggregations, Herds, and otherwise. But this compilation includes a version of "Mood Indigo" with Herman's clarinet working with Lionel Hampton's vibes and Roland Hanna's piano that can be best described as breathtaking. Playing mostly in the middle and lower registers, his clarinet captures the sense of "blueness" which is conveyed with this Duke Ellington classic masterpiece. Hampton, in fact, appears several times throughout this set in a variety of scenarios as leader and sideman and with players representing a variety of styles from Gerry Mulligan to Charles Mingus. Hard bop master Art Blakey shows up with a 1980 version of "Moanin" with a Jazz Messengers iteration that includes Wynton Marsalis and Billy Pierce. It are Marsalis' trumpet and Peirce's tenor that are highlighted on this track. Another treat is Louis Bellson's dazzling drumming on "Caravan," on a 1987 Phil Woods track. There's a fine Freddie Hubbard Quintet track, "Bolivia," from a live 1991 performance at a jazz festival in Warsaw, Poland. 

 

 

Jack Teagarden - Chronogical Classics 1930-1947 (6 CD)

 

Weldon Leo "Jack" Teagarden (August 20, 1905 – January 15, 1964), known as "Big T" and "The Swingin' Gate", was a jazz trombonist, bandleader, composer, and vocalist, regarded as the "Father of Jazz Trombone".

Teagarden's trombone style was largely self-taught, and he developed many unusual alternative positions and novel special effects on the instrument. He is usually considered the most innovative jazz trombone stylist of the pre-bebop era, and did much to expand the role of the instrument beyond the old tailgate style role of the early New Orleans brass bands. Chief among his contributions to the language of jazz trombonists was his ability to interject the blues or merely a "blue feeling" into virtually any piece of music.

 

Paco de Lucía discography [1964-2016]

 

Francisco Gustavo Sánchez Gomez (21 December 1947 – 25 February 2014), known as Paco de Lucía [ˈpako ðe luˈθia], was a Spanish virtuoso flamenco guitarist, composer and producer. A leading proponent of the new flamenco style, he helped legitimize flamenco among the establishment in Spain, and was one of the first flamenco guitarists to have successfully crossed over into other genres of music such as classical and jazz. Richard Chapman and Eric Clapton, authors of Guitar: Music, History, Players, describe de Lucía as a "titanic figure in the world of flamenco guitar", and Dennis Koster, author of Guitar Atlas, Flamenco, has referred to de Lucía as "one of history's greatest guitarists".