Tuesday, May 17, 2016

NEW MUSIC: CLAIRE MARTIN / RAY GELATO - WE'VE GOT A WORLD THAT SWINGS; MANU KATCHE - UNSTATIC; DE3: DUANE EUBANKS / ERIC MCPHERSON / DEZRON DOUGLAS - LIVE AT MAXWELL'S

CLAIRE MARTIN / RAY GELATO - WE'VE GOT A WORLD THAT SWINGS

Claire Martin and Ray Gelato are artists at the top of their game; with a wealth of bestselling jazz albums, extensive UK tours and established fan bases, this recording is a tour de force. Following sell out tour dates of their new swing show, the duo took to the studio; the combination of Ray's sax and Claire's voice has created an album which is irresistible. The song selection is a delicious serving of some of the most sumptuous morsels in the Great American Songbook including a classy R&B treatment of Billie Holiday's 'Now Baby Or Never'. The breadth of Claire's stylistic and vocal range is perfectly displayed among these tracks: listen to her boogaloo take on 'You Came A Long Way From St. Louis' or her interpretation of the melody on 'More Than You Know', which is a vocal masterclass. Ray's brilliant original 'A Swingin' Affair' sets the tone for an album that is the perfect antidote to 21st century life. The duo is accompanied by a trio of world-class musicians: pianist David Newton (Stacey Kent), bassist Dave Whitford (Bobby Wellins Quartet) and drummer Sébastian de Krom (Jamie Cullum). ~ Amazon

MANU KATCHE - UNSTATIC

French drummer Manu Katche came to prominence in the 80's playing for Peter Gabriel, Sting, Dire Straits, Jeff Beck, Youssou N'Dour and many more, before recording a series of works for ECM (aided by labelmates Jan Garbarek and Tomasz Stanko). The previous Manu Katche Quartet recording - 2014's "New Morning" was remarkable for its absence of a bassist. This time the band is enhanced by bassist Ellen Andrea Wang as Manu Katche returns to basics for "Unstatic". Includes Nils Landgren on trombone. Includes: Unstatic; Flame & Co; City; Blossom; Daze Days; Rolling; Ride Me Up; Trickle; Out Of Sight; and Presentation. ~ Amazon


DE3: DUANE EUBANKS / ERIC MCPHERSON / DEZRON DOUGLAS - LIVE AT MAXWELL'S

here are times when one needs a pause or a break from the path that has been charted. For the past few years, trumpeter/composer Duane Eubanks has been locked into his identity as a quintet leader, being tied up with all the details, good and bad,that are included in such ventures. Not to say that leading the quintet was especially difficult but a change of pace was called for. The opportunity for such action came in the form of two relaxed recording dates at Steve Maxwell s Drum Shop in Midtown New York City with a trio made up of mainstays from Eubanks Quintet, namely bassist Dezron Douglas and drummer Eric McPherson. The resulting collective ensemble called DE3 (Eubanks says the acronym stands for Dezron, Eric and I m three ) was invited to record by engineer and local jazz advocate Jimmy Katz in a setting where there were no time constraints or other issues demanding attention that are typical to most studio recordings. This freedom and approach was reflected in the attitude and performance of the musicians, as the informal proceedings capture them loose, relaxed and willing to experiment. Live At Maxwell s is one of those special recordings where the musicians get to let it hang out. While this is a happy circumstance for the players, it also provides its own challenges. The trio setting leaves all the performers more exposed and having to exert more into their performance. This meant that Eubanks, especially, had to be more assertive, or more so that he would typically have done with his Quintet. This loosening of artistic inhibitions is what makes this recording special. ~ Amazon


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