Recorded in September and October 1968. Includes original liner notes by Tom Reed and reissue liner notes by David Nathan. Her own best accompanist (especially during the crossover-happy '60s), Nina Simone sings and plays on this 1970 LP. With strident vocals and a thoughtful piano backing, Simone makes her own a pair of radically different (though similarly fatalistic) compositions, Blind Willie Johnson's "Nobody's Fault But Mine" and Randy Newman's "I Think It's Going to Rain Today." Her version of "Everyone's Gone to the Moon" leans dangerously close to avant-garde overkill, but she returns with good performances on "Compensation" and "Who Am I?" A great moment comes when a tambourine finally joins her midway through "Another Spring," and the lone jazz standard ("I Get Along Without You Very Well") is given a touching performance. In an era when Simone often veered from crossover to experimental, Nina Simone and Piano! is undeniably difficult, but frequently rewarding. ~ John Bush 2013 Japanese pressing BLU-SPECCD2 scheduled to include bonus material. Sony Digitally remastered by Mike Harty and Bill Lacey. Solo performer: Nina Simone (vocals, piano, organ, tambourine). Mojo (Publisher) (2/02, p.106) - "...The album she wanted to be remembered by....Astounding..." ~ CD Universe
SONNY ROLLINS - THE BRIDGEThe 1962 release of THE BRIDGE marked the end of Sonny Rollins's two year-plus hiatus from live performance and recording. An absolutely stunning comeback, the album clearly shows both the technical and spiritual benefits that can be gained from intense woodshedding. Sonny's tone, already legendary, is even more wonderfully full and mellow here. The whole band, especially the amazing Bob Cranshaw on bass, swings so breezily and blows so delicately, even on the up-tempo numbers, that "hard" bop almost seems a misnomer. The album's title refers to an actual bridge (the Willamsburg, which connects Manhattan and Brooklyn), where Sonny spent long hours practicing alone, and the record possesses a deep, meditative quality which conjures perfectly the image of the city rushing by while a solitary man sits immersed in his music. Guitarist Jim Hall in particular seems to instinctively pick up on Sonny's vibe. On Billie Holiday's "God Bless the Child," Hall unfolds long, lush lines that are a model of taste and restraint, perfectly complementing every note of Sonny's sexy, bluesy solos. One of Sonny Rollins's finest albums, THE BRIDGE gives the listener an overwhelming sense of rightness.2013 Japanese pressing BLU-SPECCD2. Audiophile BSCD2 uses phase transition mastering, the technology developed for mastering of Blu-ray discs. Playable on standard CD player. Sony Recorded at RCA Victor Studios, New York, New York on January 30 & February 13 & 14, 1962. Originally released on RCA (2527). Includes liner notes by FRancis Davis and George Avakian. Personnel: Sonny Rollins (tenor saxophone); Jim Hall (guitar); Bob Cranshaw (bass); Ben Riley, Harry T. Saunders (drums). Down Beat (3/97, p. 59) - 3.5 Stars (out of 5) - "Rollins' 'first comeback' from '62 has alreadcy appeared on CD (THE QUARTETS FEATURING JIM HALL), replete with extra material which is for some reason not included here. the music is unquestionably masterful, with the lean rhythm section... and Hall and Rollins working magic together..." Down Beat (7/5/62) - 5 Stars (out of 5). ~ CD Universe
Recorded between October 31, 1964 and February 23, 1965. Originally released on Columbia (9149). Includes liner notes by Martin Williams, Peter Keepnews. From the virtuosic stride of Art Tatum to Sun Ra's brand of outer-limits logic, these sides read like a holistic jazz piano guide. Recorded during a 1964 run at California's "It Club," the performances contained herein offer an intensely personal experience of the "mad genius" alone at the keyboard. Most of the cuts clock in at less than three or four minutes. More than half of this material is standards, the Tin Pan Alley of Monk's youth. "Dinah" is a sweet 1925'er, rendered in fairly straight fashion. Monk's percussive emphasis gives his bass notes the oom-pah of a tuba as his right-hand dances gaily through the golden melody. "Ruby My Dear" is a lovely ballad, given an almost unsettling spaciousness here. The improvisation is relatively spare, with several rounds of the melody grounded in heavily-planted voicings and occasional lead-ins. "Monk's Point" has the simple insistency of many other Monk blues tunes, his left and right hands having a grand time tossing the spotlight back and forth in the solo.2013 Japanese pressing BLU-SPEC CD2 scheduled to include bonus material. Sony Solo performer: Thelonious Monk (piano). ~ CD Universe
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