RAY BRYANT TRIO - CON ALMA
Pure
genius from Ray Bryant – the kind of a record that few other players could ever
hope to cut, and a fantastic demonstration of Ray's extremely soulful approach
to the trio format! Bryant's working here with Bill Lee on bass and Mickey
Roker on drums – in a triple-burning setting that has all players contributing
equally to the groove – and often working strongly to create a great sense of
counterpoint in the rhythms. Roker's drums are magically playful throughout –
snapping and skipping along the top of the snare in a way that only furthers
the rhythmic agenda of Bryant's piano. And Lee's bass has a laidback and mellow
delight – one that rings out alongside the keys of the piano, and fleshes them
out with some additional depth and color. The title track is a brilliant
reading of "Con Alma", and the set also features Bryant's famous tune
"Cubano Chant" – as well as the titles "Autumn Leaves",
"Milestones", "Ill Wind", and "C Jam Blues". (Blue
Spec CD.) ~ Dusty Groove
BOBBY CALDWELL - LIGHT MELLOW
The
title certainly gets it right – and the set's way more than a "greatest
hits" collection of work by Bobby Caldwell – and a massive batch of some
of his best numbers of the 70s and 80s, all flowing together beautifully with a
sweet little Free Soul vibe! The 20 track package features a few familiar
Caldwell numbers, but also includes some really wonderful gems pulled from the
deeper catalog of his albums over the years – tracks that are often eclipsed
next to the hits, and which show the depth of his talents in a blue-eyed soul
mode, and how strongly his work kept on going well into the 80s! There's a
warmly compressed sound to most numbers that perfectly fuses jazz and soul –
and titles include "Come To Me", "All Or Nothing At All",
"Mazatlan", "In The Name Of Love", "Don't Ask My
Neighbor", "Never Loved Before", "Open Your Eyes",
"Coming Down From Love", "Sherry", "Love Won't
Wait", "Words", and "Jamaica". ~ Dusty Groove
MOREIRA DA SILVA - ANOS 50
A great
collection of vintage work from Brazilian singer Moreira Da Silva – including a
fair bit of tracks originally only issued as 78rpm singles! The collection
features two CDs' worth of material from 78s, plus the full album O Tal from
later in the decade – but even that is presented with a whole heck of a lot of
bonus tracks too! The package is an excellent counterpart to the 60s box of
Moreira's music – and shows an even more charming, more compelling version of
the singer – working in lively samba arrangements that are heavy on percussion,
and really illustrate the raw energy of Brazilian music in the pre-bossa years.
The set features 48 tracks in – remastered with a sound that's as colorful as
the image on the cover! ~ Dusty Groove
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