Friday, June 26, 2015

NEW RELEASES: ADAM ROGERS / DAVID BINNEY - R&B; RON CARTER AND THE WDR BIG BAND - MY PERSONAL SONGBOOK; JACQUI NAYLOR - SUNSHINE AND RAIN

ADAM ROGERS / DAVID BINNEY - R&B

From his many Criss Cross dates as a leader to his extraordinary sideman work with Chris Potter, the late Michael Brecker and many more, Adam Rogers continues to blaze a path as one of jazz's most compelling guitarists. His longtime associate David Binney, alto saxophone great and an influential composer and producer, has also distinguished himself with numerous innovative sessions for Criss Cross and others. On 'R&B', Rogers and Binney unite to co-lead a lean and hard-swinging quartet with bassist Reuben Rogers (no relation) and drummer Gerald Cleaver. In a departure from their usual focus on original material, Rogers and Binney aim straight for bebop, ballads and classics by Thelonious Monk, Freddie Hubbard and Wayne Shorter, among others. The feel is rock-solid, the improvisations bracing. It's a fresh, unexpected take on the jazz tradition, viewed through a modern prism. Personnel: Adam Rogers (guitar), David Binney (alto saxophone), Reuben Rogers (bass), Gerald Cleaver (drums). ~ Amazon

RON CARTER AND THE WDR BIG BAND - MY PERSONAL SONGBOOK

Ron Carter's elegant, eloquent and delicate tone, as well as his extraordinary sense of timing, has informed generations of bassists, and has had a tremendous impact on Jazz as a whole. 'My Personal Songbook' is the first recording of the grand master's original compositions, performed by a large ensemble, to be released. Given that the outcome is so successful one may wonder why he's so rarely worked in this setting - it was only in 2011, after all, that he formed a big band of his own. Includes: Eight, Receipt, Please, Ah Rio, Doom Mood, Blues For D.P., Wait For The Beep, Little Waltz, For Toddlers Only, Sheila's Song, and Cut and Paste. ~ Amazon


JACQUI NAYLOR - SUNSHINE AND RAIN

Jacqui Naylor is not an easy artist to categorize. There are times when she performs straight-ahead vocal jazz, but at other times she favors more of a folk-rock/adult alternative approach. Depending on the mood she is in at a given moment, the northern Californian can bring to mind anyone from Cassandra Wilson or British jazz vocalist Claire Martin to Sarah McLachlan or Shawn Colvin -- she is as comfortable among jazz improvisers as she is in the singer/songwriter world. During one of her live performances, Naylor has no problem singing smoky jazz one minute and folk-rock or adult alternative the next -- and there are times when she blurs the line between the two. Naylor, who is very jazz-friendly but far from a rigid jazz purist, brings a long list of influences to her introspective work -- influences ranging from Billie Holiday, June Christy, and Nina Simone to Tracy Chapman, Natalie Merchant, Carole King, and Sheryl Crow. That is an unlikely combination of influences, certainly, but it is one that works well for Naylor (who has used all of them to fashion a personal, recognizable style of her own). Naylor has a highly diverse repertoire; on-stage, she is likely to perform a Tin Pan Alley standard right after something by the Rolling Stones or Talking Heads (in addition to performing songs of her own). Naylor is not an overly aggressive or forceful type of singer; she favors subtlety, restraint, and understatement, which are things that Holiday and Christy (one of the goddesses of jazz's cool school) were both masters of. ~ Amazon


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