GROVER WASHINGTON JR. - THE DEFINITIVE COLLECTION
Grover Washington Jr is one of the most soulful soloists to
ever pick up a saxophone – and he's really given his full due here – in a
fantastic extended collection that not only spans labels to bring together his
best tracks, but also includes some important performances on other folks'
records too! Grover on his own is great enough – but when he steps in on tenor
or soprano sax with another singer, or a jazz musician, he can really make
magic – as you'll hear on the 24 tracks within – including "Inner City
Blues", "No Tears In The End", "Knucklehead", "A
Secret Place", "Black Frost", "Mister Magic",
"Winelight", "Let It Flow", "Strawberry Moon",
"Soulful Strut", "Time Out Of Mind", "Jammin",
"East River Drive", "Come Morning", and "It Feels So
Good" – all by Grover – plus "Loran's Dance" with Idris
Muhammad, "Morning Glory" with Eric Gale, "Just The Two Of
Us" with Bill Withers, "Brighton By The Sea" with Bob James,
"Asphalt Canyon Blues" with Kenny Burrell, and "The Best Is Yet
To Come" with Patti Labelle. ~ Dusty Groove
DAVE HOLLAND / CHRIS POTTER / LIONEL LOUEKE / ERIC HARLAND –
AZIZA
A really unusual group, with a sound that's certainly the
sum of its wonderful parts – but also different in ways you might not expect!
The lineup is excellent – the legendary Dave Holland on bass, Lionel Loueke on
guitar, Chris Potter on tenor and soprano sax, and Eric Harland on drums – all
working together in these very groovy styles that seem to have Holland pulling
a lot more bold basslines than usual – almost as if he's using an electric
version of the instrument, although it appears to just be an acoustic with a
pickup! There's a soulful vibe to the record that you might not expect – shades
of color and tone that are maybe closest to Loueke's music, but also very
different than his own records – and Potter's really great in this setting, and
blows with these open lines that are still as angular and sharp as usual, but
maybe a bit warmer too. Titles include "Blue Sufi", "Aziza
Dance", "Summer 15", "Walkin’ The Walk", and
"Finding The Light". ~ Dusty Groove
I. CED – WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR?
A stunner! If what you're looking for is the most personal
and boldy creative I Ced effort to date, well, this is that and more –
delivering boisterous modern funk beats and atmosphere underneath his soulful,
spiritually-heightened vocals – probably his best ever! Those traits carry the
vibe throughout, and leave plenty of room for adventurous stylistic exploration
– from tight funk, to looser spacey soul and beyond. I Ced handles a lot of the
vocal, instrumental and production work himself here, but there's an impressive
guest list, too – including Om'Mas Keith, Thundercat, Jimetta Rose and others.
Includes "What Are Looking For?", "Things We Like To Do",
"Run Run", "Go Hard", "Wildest Dreams", "I
Am Love" with Jimetta Rose and Erik Rico, "Forever", "Not A
Farewell", "Sign Signed Signal" (plus a bonus alternate version
with Quelle Chris, "Percu", "Baya" and more. ~ Dusty Groove
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