NEW RELEASES: ALPHONSE MOUZON - IN SEARCH OF A DREAM; DAVID HAZELTINE - I REMEMBER CEDAR; SPARKLER - I COLORED IT FOR YOU

ALPHONSE MOUZON - IN SEARCH OF A DREAM

No one had a better understanding of the melding of jazz polyrhythms with rocks pulsating beat than drummer Alphonse Mouzon is one of the originators of jazz-rock. With his furious propulsive style, he was welcome in both camps. Weather Report founders Joe Zawinul, Wayne Shorter, and Miroslav Vitous brought him into the premier edition of the band. And as he had shown with Weather Report, he demonstrates on his 1977 album In Search of a Dream how well he could integrate acoustic bass into a jazz-rock concept. In duo with Mouzon, Vitous bows the deep tones on his composition The Light; he grabs the electric bass on the other compositions. Vitous as well as saxophonist Bob Malik and keyboard player Stan Goldberg were all part of the 1977 version of Mouzons touring band. Pianist/keyboarder Joachim Kühn and guitarist Philip Catherine joined the troupe for the recording of In Search of a Dream. Thus, the session was a sort of summit meeting of the jazz-rock elite of that time. ~ Amazon

DAVID HAZELTINE - I REMEMBER CEDAR

The late, much beloved pianist Cedar Walton was a major influence to generations of jazz musicians and especially pianists. None, however, was a greater student of his work - playing and composing - than David Hazeltine. Over the years Hazeltine not only studied, inhabited and incorporated Cedar into his own jazz conception but became a friend as well. This heartfelt tribute to the great man contains some of his finest compositions - Holy Land, Clockwise, and Turquoise Twice - performed by Hazeltine, Cedar's longtime bassist David Williams, and drummer Joe Farnsworth. A session highlight is Hazeltine's solo performance of Cedar's favorite solo piece, Over The Rainbow. The great master is no longer with us - long may his music live! ~ Amazon

SPARKLER - I COLORED IT FOR YOU

Brooklyn-based multi-instrumentalist Peter Apfelbaum (New York Hieroglyphics) introduces the debut track by his newest band, Sparkler. Co-produced by Apfelbaum and Aaron Johnston (Brazilian Girls), featuring Natalie Cressman (vocals, trombone) and Jill Ryan (vocals, alto sax) I Colored it in for You is a multidimensional electronic world music track with lyrics as Apfelbaum explains, "about the act of creating art, and the desire to give it away." Also included with I Colored it in for You Pts 1 & 2 is a Mix Translation (dub remix) of Pt. 1 by Bill Laswell.