PHIL WOODS & THE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA - NEW CELEBRATION
Phil
Woods' New Celebration is the long-awaited follow-up to his 1997 Grammy®
Award-nominated release Celebration, and features many of the same players,
along with a number of other world-class musicians from Woods' Poconos home
region comprising the 18-piece Festival Orchestra. All but two of the
compositions - Johnny Mandel's "Here's to Alvy" and Al Cohn's
arrangement of Raye & de Paul's gorgeous "You Don't Know What Love
Is" (featuring vocalist Najwa Parkins) - were specially written and
arranged by Woods for this recording, which was done in April of 2012. Woods'
extraordinary writing creates an ideal setting for his solo virtuosity, as well
as some excellent contributions by other members of the orchestra. But more
than being a launching pad for solos, the arrangements display a mastery of
context that makes each piece a fully conceived and compelling musical story.
Woods' longtime friend Quincy Jones contributes liner notes for the CD, Woods'
second album as a leader on Chiaroscuro.
CARLA BEY / ANDY SHEPPARD / STEVE SWALLOW - TRIOS
Sublime
trio recordings from Carla Bley on piano, Steve Swallow on bass, and Andy
Sheppard on tenor and soprano sax – musicians who've been working together in
different ways for many years, and who really come together here in a very
special way! Although all three players were once known to enforce the more
modern sides of their identities, that tendency seems left behind and replaced
by a more confident maturity – one that still allows for knowledge of all the
dark corners and sharp edges of sound, but worked out into a mode that's
beautifully lyrical, poetic, and surprisingly rich in feeling. There's nothing
cold or academic about the set at all – and although the presentation is
definitely in an ECM mode, there's this sense of deeper heart that recalls some
of the recordings that Swallow made with Jimmy Giuffre decades back – or even
Giuffre's trio before Swallow joined in. Sheppard is wonderfully expressive –
very vivid in his solos – and Bley's doing so much with so little, her sense of
tone and texture are mindblowing. Titles include "Vashkar",
"Utviklingssang", "The Girl Who Cried Champagne", and
"Wildlife". ~ Dusty Groove
WILL PRESTON - #REACQUAINTED
We're
getting reacquainted with the music of Will Preston all over again – thanks to
this sweet little set and its really fresh sound! Will's vocals are very much
at the level of his previous two sets – but the groove here is even greater,
and bristles with lots of nice crackle right from the outset – a renewed sort
of energy that sets the record on fire right from the start, then keeps things
burning with a steady flame that really works great for Preston's vocals. Will
sings with a sense of personality that keeps the set far from any overdone
cliches – and there's an upfront feel to the whole record that we really love.
Titles include "Bring Back The Days", "I Gave My All",
"Emotions In It", "Falling In Love", "My Book",
"Painful Times", and "Candy Coated Raindrops". ~ Dusty Groove
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