GEORGE
MCCRAE – LOVE
The
first new album from Miami soul legend George McCrae since, well, we're not
quite sure how long – but we're sure happy he's back! Love is a joyous,
irresistible paean to early-to-late 70s soul sound he made his name on back in
the day – and it's really endearing stuff! He's not setting out to reinvent the
wheel, nor hop onto contemporary trends – and it's a charming winner all the
way. What a joy it is to hear George's voice in such fine form after all these
years on a sweet batch of tunes. Includes "Love", "We Got
Love", Longing For You", "Call Me", "Count On
Me", "Ooh Baby Baby", "Sexy Woman", "Taste Of
Heaven", "Living Out A Dream", "Rosanna", "Brand
New Man", "Beautiful" and more. ~ Dusty Groove
CARLA
BLEY / ANDY SHEPPARD / STEVE SWALLOW – ANANDO EL TIEMPO
Beautiful
trio work from pianist and composer Carla Bley – with longtime partners Andy
Sheppard on tenor and soprano saxes and Steve Swallow on bass – whose work
together has only gotten more lyrical, poetic and sublime over the years! The
3-part "Andando El Tiempo" is framed to represent the stages of
addiction, subtly building from haunting and meditative, to knowingly sad
(though no less beautiful), to brighter and hopeful in mood over it's 3 longish
pieces. "Saints Alive!" is a slow-building gem itself, with the most
brilliant interplay between the piano and bass of the entire session, and the
closer "Naked Bridges/Diving Brides" evokes a variety of moods in
it's 10+ minutes. ~ Dusty Groove
JACK
DEJOHNETTE / RAVI COLTRANE / MATTHEW GARRISON - IN MOVEMENT
Wonderful trio
session with lengendary drummer Jack DeJohnette working with incredibly
talented next generation scions Ravi Coltrane and Matthew Garrison! Includes a
loose, slow-building mood setter of an opener in their take on John Coltrane's
"Alabama", which nicely set up the excellent originals "In
Movement" and "Two Jimmys" – the former a great showcase for
Ravi's solos and the latter doing the same trick for Garrison's sly, almost
sinister bass groove. It's strong from beginning-to-end, too, DeJohnette being
such a vital creative spark to this day! Other titles include "Blue In
Green, a shadowy take on Earth Wind & Fire's "Serpentine Fire",
"Lydia", "Rashied" and "Soulful Ballad". ~ Dusty Groove
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