ROSCOE MITCHELL WITH CRAIG TABORN AND KIKANJU BAKU - CONVERSATIONS
Roscoe
Mitchell returns to a mode that he explored freely back in the 70s – loose,
improvised collaborations with other musicians – done at a level that offers up
a richly organic blend of sonic elements and musical moments! Some of Mitchell's
later work has been more structured, but the approach here is very much in the
best early AACM mode – or maybe a bit like Roscoe's classic Sackville
recordings – extended "conversations" between his own flutes and
saxes, the drums and percussion of Kikanju Baku, and the piano, organ, and
keyboards of Craig Taborn. All players are nicely restrained – and as with
Mitchell and the Art Ensemble, the mix of instruments is never used in any way
that's gimmicky at all – but with subtle shifts that really emphasize the need
of the players to communicate together. Titles include "Splatter",
"Rub", "Cracked Roses", "Last Trane To Clover
Five", and "Knock & Roll". ~ Dusty Groove
MIKE LEDONNE - I LOVE MUSIC
Hammond
hero Mike LeDonne's working here in the very well-named Groover Quartet – a
rock-solid lineup that features Eric Alexander on tenor, Peter Bernstein on
guitar, and Joe Farnsworth on drums! All players have recorded often with each
other, and fit together like hand in glove – soaring forth in a set of tenor,
organ, and guitar-based cuts that really revive the soul jazz 60s years of
Prestige Records – while allowing for some great personal inflections on all
the solos. Alexander's warmth works perfectly to push LeDonne's work on Hammond
– and Bernstein nicely balances between rhythm and melody throughout – almost a
classic Pat Martino sort of mode. Titles include "Blues For Ball",
"Do I Do", "The World Is A Ghetto", "I Love Every
Little Thing About You", and "I Love Music". ~ Dusty Groove
DENA DEROSE - WE WON'T FORGET YOU...AN HOMAGE TO SHIRLEY HORN
Dena
DeRose serves up a tribute to the great Shirley Horn – and works here with the
kind of hip jazzy combo that Horn definitely would have loved! Like Horn,
DeRose both sings and plays piano – plus a bit of Hammond on a few tracks too –
and in addition to core trio instrumentation on bass and drums,t he set also
features tenor work from Eric Alexander, trumpet from Jeremy Pelt, and baritone
from Gary Smulyan – each players who drop in on certain tracks and make things
shine wonderfully – like those key instrumental solos on later Shirley Horn
records for Verve. Dena's own vocals and piano are great, though – perfectly
timed to replicate that soulful swing that always set Shirley apart – a
richness of feeling that's never overdone, and which always knows how to groove
even at the most expressive moments. Titles include "Sunday In New
York", "Big City", "Don't Be On The Outside",
"Quietly There", "A Time For Love", "The Great
City", and "Wild Is Love". ~ Dusty Groove
No comments:
Post a Comment