JOSH BERMAN TRIO – A DANCE AND A HOP
Tremendous work from the great Josh Berman – one of the most
important musicians on the Chicago underground scene of the past decade or so –
not just for his work on cornet, but also for his warmly collaborative and
supportive spirit! That quality really comes through here – on a trio date that
has Josh's horn with Jason Roebke on bass and Frank Rosaly on drums – all
working together in this very special, very individual style – one that seems
to embrace so many different decades of jazz at once – from the early trad
phraseologists admired by Berman, to the postwar modern that's resurfaced in
the recent Chicago scene, to the 21st Century experiments that all three
members have engaged in! All the music is composed, but the performance has a
looseness that almost feels improvised – save for the sense of cohesion in the
tunes, and that no player ever steps too far outside – even though all of them
are pretty darn freewheeling. We're not sure we've ever even heard a cornet
trio before – but even if we had, there's never been anything like this – as
you'll hear on titles that include "Cold Snap", "Today's
Date", "Mint", "Your Uncle", "Time/Trouble",
"Wooden", "Bridges", and "Luggage". ~ Dusty
Groove
HENRY FRANKLIN & 3 MORE SOUNDS – HAPPINESS OF PURSUIT
Henry Franklin pays tribute to the great Gene Harris – in
particular, the tremendous albums that Harris made for Blue Note in the 60s
with his Three Sounds combo – hence the name of the group! Franklin's bass is
wonderfully full, rich, and soulful – just like that of Andy Simpkins back in
the original trio – and piano here is from Bill Heid, who opens up the more
gutbuckety side of his spectrum – with these lines that step along beautifully
with the bass, yet still hit loads of lyrical passages too. The balance is
wonderful, and complemented perfectly by the drums of Carl Burnett – who, like
Franklin, was also in the Three Sounds for a point in the 60s. Titles include
"Blue Daniel", "Searchin", "Boomph", "It
Don't Mean A Thing", "Little Miss Laurie", and "Autumn
Serenade". ~ Dusty Groove
MASSIVE SUITS QUARTET - FULL MOON WIZARD
A contemporary set, but one that's trying for a sound
library vibe – in particular, the kind of moody, more electronic work that was
coming from the French and UK scenes in the 70s! There's some funky elements
here, but they're all moving nice and slow – brooding bass stepping slowly
underneath spacey keyboards – all composed and arranged by Gregoire Marty, with
a retro vibe that's somewhere in a late 70s/early 80s style. Titles include
"March From The Moon", "Full Moon Wizard", "The
Lake", "Dancing With Her", "Nymphs", "Spaceship
Jazz", and "Grand Empty". ~ Dusty Groove
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