KENNY BARRON - FLIGHT PATH
The cultured piano style of Kenny Barron has graced
many albums in the last half century. He is an easy swinger, deeply admired for
his nonpareil musicianship and innate sensitivity to the needs of his musical
companions of the moment. Born in 1943 he was gigging with Philly Joe Jones at
sixteen and soon playing in a band with his tenor saxophonist brother Bill. In
1962 he was hired by Dizzy Gillespie and the five year stint he had with Dizzy
established him firmly on the jazz scene throughout the world. This celebration
of Kenny's fifty years on that scene is marked by this program of highlights
from his Candid recordings in a variety of settings. Amongst his companions are
vibes star Steve Hobbs, saxophonists Bud Shank, Gary Bartz, Donald Harrison,
Paquito d'Rivera and Ricky Ford as well as trumpeters Claudio Roditi, Mark
Morganelli and others. Together with several of Kenny's fine original
compositions, the piano duets with Barry Harris and John Hicks on show here add
spice to this truly tasty offering. ~ Amazon
THE RODRIGUEZ BROTHERS - IMPROMPTU
A working unit since 2002, The Rodriguez Brothers -
trumpeter Michael Rodriguez (Reverence - CRC 1356) and pianist Robert Rodriguez
- present their kinetic, masterfully rendered concept of 'Jazz
Latin, 'incorporating traditional and modern Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, bolero and
hardcore jazz flavors. The brothers, each in their mid-thirties, are virtuoso
storytellers on their respective instruments, as are their generational peer
group bandmates Carlos Henriquez (the bassist with the Jazz at Lincoln Center
Orchestra since the early '00s after several years with Gonzalo Rubalcaba),
Cuban traps drummer Ludwig Afonso, and the eminent Columbian-born percussionist
Samuel Torres. ~ Amazon
PEARL DJANGO – TIME FLIES
Time Flies . . . is the twelfth release by Pearl
Django in a little over 20 years of performing. For the period of the past four
CDs the group has moved away for Django style covers and has exploited the
composing skills of the band members. On this CD you will find nine PD
originals and a beautiful cover version of Black Orpheus by Luiz Bonfa. While
there is still strong evidence o for the influence of Django Reinhardt, with
titles, Django Bop, Djangolatry and Something Borrowed, there are a few
compositions which, push the boundaries of what may be considered Gypsy jazz or
Hot Club Swing. The compositions are quite good, quite good indeed. ~ Amazon
No comments:
Post a Comment