JILL SCOTT - GOLDEN MOMENTS
A pretty wonderful retrospective of Jill Scott's years at
Hidden Beach – timeless, richly emotional neo classic soul from one of the
leading lights of her generation! We've been fans of Jill's from the first
album onward, and if you're a younger fan, this excellent collection is a great
place to come on board. Her early work stood out tremendously back in the day,
bringing a natural realness to the contemporary scene, and it's held up
perfectly over the years. Includes the unreleased track "I Adore You"
– plus a sweet set of classics that includes "Golden", "He Loves
Me (Lyzel In E Flat", "Slowly Surely", "Whatever",
"The Way", "Cross My Mind", "Comes To Light
(Everything)", "Crown Royal", "Hate On Me", "My
Love", "It's Love", "Getting' In Thye Way",
"Slowly Surely" and more. ~ Dusty Groove
KU-UMBA FRANK LACY & MINGUS BIG BAND - MINGUS SINGS
Charles Mingus was a composer whose music spoke volumes without words. It was a rare thing to hear lyrics along with his highly wrought and incredibly emotive compositions, though Mingus had the heart of a poet, as can be seen in his song titles alone. However, there were projects where Mingus added lyrics to his compositional voice, using either his poetry or that of others. On Ku-umba Frank Lacy and Mingus Big Band s Mingus Sings, the tremendous repertory ensemble directed by Mingus s widow, Sue Mingus, has recorded an album of pieces that put vocals front and center, led in part by the triumphant voice of Ku-umba Frank Lacy. Of course, Mingus was best known as a composer, not a lyricist. He did write a number of pieces utilizing his own fine lyrics; four of them are presented here: 'Weird Nightmare,' 'Eclipse,' 'Duke Ellington s Sound of Love,' and 'Portrait.' The lyrics to the remainder of his pieces come from a handful of extraordinary talents. Four pieces come from Mingus s collaboration with the great singer/songwriter Joni Mitchell, while two have lyrics written by rock and roll legend Elvis Costello. The poetry of Langston Hughes accompanies 'Consider Me' from the 1958 recording, The Weary Blues , that Hughes made with Mingus. Two Mingus compositions are recorded here for the first time - 'Dizzy Profile' and 'Noonlight. ~ Amazon
GEORGE CABLES – IN GOOD COMPANY
When the classical composer Paul Dukas wrote, 'In every beautiful work, it is the man the work expresses that counts first and foremost,' he could not have known he was describing the art of George Cables. One of the world’s greatest jazz pianists - one who helped define the sound of the instrument as we know it today Cables has been making unostentatious music at the keyboard for decades. In Good Company, though focusing on people Cables knew in the past is not a tribute album, but rather a series of personal reminiscences from the keyboard. It looks back in time for its inspiration, but not in its musical vocabulary for George Cables playing remains as fresh and as surprising as the front page of tomorrow s newspaper. On display in every track are those wonderful turns of phrases, interesting voicings and that gorgeous tone which characterizes Cables playing. With musical compadres Essiet Essiet and Victor Lewis, Cables explores the music of Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn, John Hicks and offers a couple of his own intensely interesting compositions. ~ Amazon
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