CHINA MOSES & RAPHAEL LEMONNIER - THIS ONE'S FOR DINAH
It could
never be said that China Moses and Raphaël Lemonnier were fated to join forces
on a project, given their rather different career paths and the seeming absence
of any compelling reason for the two artists to meet. It was Dinah Washington,
their mutual idol. So why not put together a show devoted to Dinah Washington?
Known as The Queen of The Blues, Dinah Washington was one of the most important
female singers during the 1950s and 1960s. The disc was recorded in the old
style: all the musicians performed together and the best take was used in its
entirety for the actual release. So the bar was set quite high for China, who
had the artistic intelligence and good taste to pay tribute to Dinah by
emphasizing spirit over form—in other words, by relying on her own talent.
Thoroughly immersed in Dinah’s world, she sings the blues with a lovely
authority highlighted in Dinah’s Blues, one of China’s own compositions. And
it’s a good thing too, because with songs like “Evil Gal Blues”, “Fat Daddy”
and “Fine Fine Daddy“, a close approximation won’t do. China is also a
remarkable interpreter of standards, as seen in her clever handling of “Cry Me
A River” and “Goodbye“, whose arrangements show off her voice to such
impressive effect, and in the authentic emotion that emerges from “Mad About
The Boy” and “Teach Me Tonight“, performed with great sensitivity and
restraint. It’s the beautiful tribute that Dinah deserved. ~ chinamoses.com
KYOTO
JAZZ SEXTET – MISSION
Kyoto Jazz
Massive is on a soulful mission this time around – stepping out on Blue Note
with a wonderful tribute to the rich legacy of the label! The music is directed
by Shuya Okino, and played by a super-sharp quintet who really recall the
genius of Blue Note in the 60s – especially that time when the label was
perfectly balanced between modern and hardbop modes, as evidenced by the
selection of compositions here by Lee Morgan, Hank Mobley, Wayne Shorter,
Herbie Hancock, and Joe Henderson! None of the tracks are straight remakes, and
there's definitely a fresh, acoustic spin on the rhythms – played by a lineup
that includes trumpet, tenor, piano, bass, and drums – plus some guest
instrumentation as well. Tracks include the group's own "Eclipse" –
plus "Search For The New Land", "Succotash", "The
Melting Pot", "Mr Jin", "Jinrikisha", "Up A
Step", and "Speak No Evil".
~ Dusty Groove
DOUG WEBB - TRIPLE 3 PLAY
A
triple-tenor powerhouse – as Doug Webb invites Walt Weiskopf and Joel Frahm in
for the sessions – and things really begin to cook! The trio get this raw,
spare accompaniment from Brian Charette on Hammond and Rudy Royston on drums –
which leaves the tenors plenty of room to open up, stretch out, and really do
their thing – coming together as unified voices on the heads, then breaking out
into really well-crafted, well-defined individual solos. The feel is a bit like
some of those great Don Patterson albums of the 60s, but even more modern – and
titles include "Jazz Car", ~ , Dusty Groove
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