BRIAN SIMPSON - JUST WHAT YOU NEED
There are no surprises on Brian Simpson's fifth solo release, Just What You Need. The ten cuts are comprised of catchy, laid-back smooth jazz arrangements with elements of lite R&B, executed with ease and a very clean production. The two standout tracks, for very different reasons, are both cover versions. "The Girl from Ipanema" (with Dave Koz on saxophone) has none of the romantic breezy haze of the original, and comes across too formal and somewhat sterile. On the other hand, "You Gotta Be," the 1994 hit song by Des'ree, has an infectious, relaxed groove, featuring vocalist Jeff Robinson, that is hard to get out of your head. Also making guest appearances on Just What You Need are celebrated smooth jazz musicians Gerald Albright, Marc Antoine, Elan Trotman, and Jonathan Butler. ~ CD Universe
WALLACE RONEY - UNDERSTANDING
Wallace Roney's sixth studio album for High Note, 2013's Understanding, is an expansive, often swinging work that finds the trumpeter digging even deeper into the straight-ahead if no less adventurous sound of his recent releases. These are bluesy, harmonically layered modal songs that bring to mind such touchstones as '70s Woody Shaw and late-'60s Miles Davis. Joining Roney here are saxophonists Arnold Lee and Ben Solomon, pianist Victor Gould, bassist Daryl Johns, and drummer Kush Abadey. ~ CD Universe
Saxophonist Joshua Redman’s new album, Walking Shadows, is due out May 7 on Nonesuch Records. The album is Redman’s first recording to include an orchestral ensemble and was produced by his friend and frequent collaborator Brad Mehldau. The record's core ensemble is a quartet featuring Mehldau, Larry Grenadier, and Brian Blade. Walking Shadows includes original tunes from both Redman and Mehldau along with works by a wide range of composers, like John Mayer and Pino Palladino, Kern and Hammerstein, and Lennon and McCartney. "Stop This Train," the tune by Mayer and Palladino, was featured on the latest episode of Jamie Cullum's show, which aired recently on BBC Radio 2. "It’s fascinating here how this band get into this very sweet melody and state it in a very simple, beautiful way," says Cullum, "and then start improvising on the melody and go more and more inside and outside the song in the soloing. A brilliant bit of improvisation from Joshua Redman.” Joshua Redman performed with his Quartet, featuring Aaron Goldberg, Joe Sanders, and Kendrick Scott, at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival this past Friday. As part of his European spring tour, Redman performs with bassist Christian McBride at London's Wigmore Hall on May 11, the final concert in the Wigmore jazz series under Redman's curatorship this season. ~ nonesuch records
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