Tuesday, October 22, 2013

NEW RELEASES - TOM HARRELL WITH ESPERANZA SPAULDING, HOUSTON PERSON, STAN GETZ

TOM HARRELL WITH ESPERAZA SPAULDING - COLORS OF A DREAM

A beautiful beautiful set from trumpeter Tom Harrell – a record that goes even beyond his other recent gems – and that's saying a lot, given how much we love those albums! The combo on the record features some key vocal work from Esperanza Spaulding – who's sounding quite different here than her more recent sides, and has moved back to using her vocals more like an instrument – soaring out soulfully in a sharp lineup that includes Tom's trumpet and flugelhorn, Jaleel Shaw's alto, and Wayne Escoffery's tenor! This side of Spaulding is really wonderful – and really helps realize the deeper tones and ideas in Tom's wonderful compositions for the record – a set of tunes that include "Velejar", "Phantasy In Latin", "Tango", "State", "Seventy", "Blues 2013", and "Family". ~ Dusty Groove

HOUSTON PERSON - NICE 'N' EASY

Nice and easy – and plenty soulful and swinging too – a great little set from tenor giant Houston Person, played with a quintet that features some excellent vibes from Chuck Redd too! The use of vibes is a nice mix with Person's bold horn – and Redd rings out in a way that recalls some of the Lem Winchester work on classic 60s sessions for Prestige Records, but recorded here with a slight modern bent, given the production. The rest of the group features John Di Martino on piano, plus the smoking rhythm team of Ray Drummond on bass and Lewis Nash on drums – on tracks that include "Stolen Sweets", "It's All In The Game", "Sweet Life", "Ill Wind"," All My Tomorrows", and "Bluesology". ~ Dusty Groove

STAN GETZ - BORN TO BE BLUE

Three different slices of rare European work from tenorist Stan Getz – showing his key interaction with the scene at the start of the 60s! The first two batches of tracks show Stan in the company of key Scandinavian players – perfect for his icy tone and amazing sense of sound! One group is led by pianist Jan Johansson on Stockholm titles that include "Born To Be Blue", "Ack Varmeland Du Skona", "Move", and "Ah Moore" – and the other features tracks recorded in Denmark with backing from Bengt Hallberg's trio – on the titles "Get Happy", "Without A Song", and "Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most". The last 5 tracks on the CD feature work by Getz with a Polish rhythm section – performing live in Warsaw in 1960, right at a key point in his career, when he was opening up his sound a lot from the iciness of the 50s – letting in freer modes of expression, and going for a slightly warmer sound that was really great. The work features Getz blowing with a clarity and exploratory sound that we wouldn't have expected until much later in the 60s – even though the tracks are standards like "Out Of Nowhere", "The Folks Who Live On The Hill", "But Not For Me", and "Darn That Dream". ~ Dusty Groove


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