Wednesday, February 04, 2015

NEW RELEASES: JOSE JAMES – YESTERDAY I HAD THE BLUES – THE MUSIC OF BILLIE HOLIDAY; AKIRA JIMBO JIMBO DE CTI; THE REBIRTH – BEING THRU THE EYES OF A CHILD

JOSE JAMES – YESTERDAY I HAD THE BLUES – THE MUSIC OF BILLIE HOLIDAY

A sublime take on the music of Billie Holiday – served up in the tremendous vocals of Jose James! In the notes, James recalls that the music of Holiday is one of his first memories of childhood – and goes onto explain how much her music has meant to him over the years – a relationship we can clearly hear in the love and care he brings to the music! The setting is one of the most straight jazz that James has ever worked with – and backing is by a hip trio that features Jason Moran on piano and Fender Rhodes, John Patitucci on bass, and Eric Harland on drums – all of whom usually lay back with this slow-stepping vibe that's wonderful – and very different than the kind of accompaniment you'd hear on Holiday's original recordings. Yet Jose's raspy vocals really get at the same sort of heartbreaking feel in the lyrics, but from a different masculine perspective – an approach that's simple, subtle, and extremely effective. Titles include "God Bless The Child", "Strange Fruit", "Body & Soul", "Good Morning Heartache", "Lover Man", "Tenderly", and "Fine & Mellow". (SHM-CD pressing!)  ~ Dusty Groove

AKIRA JIMBO JIMBO DE CTI

A sweet little tribute to the legendary CTI Records – done here by drummer Akira Jimbo, with a trio style that's even leaner than the label's classic albums from the 70s! The tracks are all older gems you'll know from the rich legacy of CTI jazz, funk, and soul – and Jimbo works with bassist Abraham Laboriel and keyboardist Otmaro Ruiz to craft cool new takes on the tunes – often just reduced to their core rhythms and sweet keyboard parts, with some occasional other elements thrown into the mix. The whole thing's great – very much in the best spirit for such a project, and packaged just the right way too – and titles include "Red Clay", "Stone Flower", "Spirit Of Summer", "Carly & Carole", "Tomba In 7/4", "Skycrapers", "Super Strut", and "2001".  ~ Dusty Groove

THE REBIRTH – BEING THRU THE EYES OF A CHILD


Rebirth really stunned us with their massive debut – This Journey In – and nearly a decade later, they win us all over again with this long-awaited follow-up album! The set's got the group even sharper and more soulful than before – really steeped in that classic brew of righteous soul and jazzy funk – served up in a mode that puts them right in a legacy that includes the coolest cats from way back – like Roy Ayers, George Duke, or Norman Collors – with a similar blend of all the best elements at once, shaped at a level that few other artists could get this right! The set's not just a welcome breath of fresh air in the contemporary soul underground, but a record that easily matches your favorites from decades back – one of those rare instant classic records we hear these days – and a set that's got us really excited. Titles include "This Is Coming To", "Wasteland", "Religion To Me", "Show Em", "Come On Over", "Halfway", "Surrender The Pretender", and "Caterpiller".  ~ Dusty Groove


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