STEVE LEHMAN OCTET - MISE EN ABIME
Mise en
Abîme is the highly anticipated return of the Steve Lehman Octet, and the follow-up
to 2009’s Travail, Transformation, and Flow, which was named the #1 Jazz/Pop CD
of 2009 by the New York Times and described as a breathtaking accomplishment for
its unprecedented synthesis of spectral harmony, complex rhythms, and torrid
soloing. It was also named one of the Top 10 Jazz CDs of the Year by over 30
media outlets, including ArtForum, Newsweek, Village Voice, and NPR,
universally heralded as futuristic, funky, and engaging in both the jazz and
new classical communities.
LOUIS PRIMA JR. AND THE WITNESSES - BLOW
Louis
Prima Jr. and the Witnesses are bringing Prima music into the 21st century. Not
content to sit on the legacy they so passionately protect, LPJ and the band are
taking a page from his father’s playbook, by wailing Prima Swing for the new
millennium. Building
off of the success of their critically acclaimed debut CD, Return of the
Wildest!, the band has injected many years of diverse musical tastes into their
second offering, BLOW -- a collection of original music (save for a couple of
surprises) as eclectic and unique as each member of this powerhouse band,
co-produced by Warrior Records’ president, Jim Ervin, and Louis Prima Jr. From
the first thunderous stomps of the title track, it is evident that this ain’t
your daddy’s swing music, but a raucous roller coaster ride of tail-shakin’,
foot-stampin’, horn-driven smiles. If
you’ve seen them in concert, you know a bit about what to expect from the
musical minds of the Witnesses. As energetic and over-the-top as the band’s
live shows, BLOW continues the ever-changing musical journey that Prima Sr.
began in the ‘30s. "With the band’s collective talents and diverse musical
tastes, we wind up with a sound unique to this band, while staying true to the
boisterous Prima style,” says Louis. “We didn’t set out to simply write music
we thought the fans wanted to hear. We wanted to challenge ourselves musically
and also challenge the listener. You can’t fool the fans by trying to force the
word ‘daddy-o’ into every song. If music does not come honestly from your soul,
it will ultimately be short lived.” ~ Amazon.com
BILLY HART QUARTET - ONE IS THE OTHER
The
second ECM album by the Billy Hart Quartet is a major musical statement, and
one of the outstanding jazz albums of the season. The groups reach already
broad on 2011s widely-acclaimed All Our Reasons - is yet more expansive here.
Strong compositions - by leader-drummer Hart, tenorist Mark Turner and pianist
Ethan Iverson reflect upon a wide swathe of the musics history, and are
distinguished by vivid and imaginative solos and wonderful interplay. A basic
premise, that this should be a band in which the vastly-experienced Billy Hart
gets to play everything he wants to play, has led to a sense of almost
unlimited possibility for all participants. There is freedom and joy in this
music, and tenderness, too, not least in the sets sole standard, a beautifully
played version of Some Enchanted Evening. Recorded in New York in 2013, and
produced by Manfred Eicher. ~ Amazon.com
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