Tuesday, September 18, 2012

NEW RELEASES – WEATHER REPORT, CHARLIE MINGUS, KLANG


WEATHER REPORT – LIVE IN BERLIN 1975

A massive mid 70s live set from Weather Report – a record that has the group stretching out even more than on their classic studio albums! There's an undercurrent of darkness here that we really love – an edge that always makes us feel like things are about to go off the rails, or maybe take one of the more avant Miles electric turns – even though the group really keep things tight throughout, and manage to swing searing sounds into soaring solos with effortless ease! Lineup includes Joe Zawinul on Fender Rhodes (a noisy one at that!), Wayne Shorter on tenor and soprano sax, Alphonso Johnson on bass, Chester Thompson on drums, and Alex Acuna on percussion – and titles include "Mysterious Traveller", "Freezing Fire", "Scarlet Woman", and the 20 minute long "Badia/Boogie Woogie Waltz". (Limited pressing of 2000 copies.)

WEATHER REPORT – LIVE IN COLOGNE 1983

A soaring set from Weather Report – captured here in an early 80s lineup that features great keyboards from Joe Zawinul and sublime saxophone from Wayne Shorter! The tunes are nice and long, and bristle with that power the quintet had at this point – a well-earned tightness that really made concerts some of their best moments – propelled by rhythms that really let the main solos fly free, especially in a live setting like this. Victor Bailey is on bass, Omar Hakim on drums, and Jose Rossy on percussion – and the set features loads of long tracks – including "Where The Moon Goes", "Fast City", "D Flat Waltz", "Two Lines", "Plaza Real", "Procession", and a great long medley of classics.

CHARLIE MINGUS – OH YEAH

Quite a crazy little record from Charles Mingus! Mingus plays piano and sings (yes, you read that right!) in a tight sextet with Booker Ervin and Roland Kirk on reeds, and Jimmy Knepper on trombone. Mingus is trying out a kind of messed-up, blues-inspired sound here – but for some reason the tracks sort of fall short of their potential, perhaps because they're not infused with the same clarity and anger as his earlier works, or perhaps because Mingus' work on the piano just isn't as fierce as his bass playing. Still, the album's a nice one, and way better than the other Mingus piano album, on Impulse. Titles include "Oh Lord, Don't Let Them Drop That Atomic Bomb On Me", "Wham Bam Thank You Ma'am", "Devil Woman", and "Passions Of A Man".

KLANG - BROOKLYN LINES...CHICAGO SPACES

Tremendous work from this young group – a set that embraces a range of modern jazz traditions, then pushes them forward strongly to the next generation! The lineup here features some of the sharpest talents of the current Windy City underground – James Falzone on clarinet, Jason Adasiewicz on vibes, Jason Roebke on bass, and Tim Daisy on drums – all players who feel each others' strengths instantly, and find ways of coming together that are even greater than the sum of the already-strong parts! Falzone's clarinet is especially amazing – a fresh new voice on the instrument that pushes past even John Carter or Jimmy Giuffre – showing us that the instrument can really carve strong modern lines, when in the right hands. Adasiewicz's vibes are always a treat – and ring out beautifully – and both Roebke and Daisy have the right sort of freewheeling rhythms to set even more fire to the other two players. Titles include "Ukranian Village", "Carol's Burgers", "Chicago Spaces", "Brooklyn Lines", "Jazz Searching Self", and "Alone At The Brain".

:::: SOURCE: Dusty Groove ::::

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