Billy Robinson – Evolution’s Blend
A fantastic album from overlooked Canadian tenorist Billy
Robinson – a hell of a player, and one who might have been huge if this album
were issued on a regular label in the US – instead of as a project by Radio
Canada up north! Robinson has a wonderful vision here – gently spiritual, but
in a more straight ahead way – working in this relaxed soulful combo that
really sparkles with piano from Pierre Leduc and guitar from Peter Leitch – the
latter of whom is a chromatic genius, in the Sonny Greenwich school – and
really finds a great way to illuminate the tunes! Robinson's tone dominates,
but the album's also got rock-solid rhythms from Erroll Waters on bass and Jim
Norman on drums – on original tunes that include "Quebec On My Mind",
"Evolution's Blend", "The Family", "It's Raining
Ashes", and "Homing". ~ Dusty Groove
Justin Morell – Concerto For Jazz Guitar And Orchestra
On Concerto For Jazz Guitar And Orchestra, three master
musicians have joined forces to create a project of great beauty and depth. The
music is composed by Justin Morell and presented with virtuosic performances by
guitarist Adam Rogers and the Frost Concert Jazz Band under the direction of John
Daversa. The Concerto For Jazz Guitar And Orchestra incorporates elements of
concertos by Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven, and also the great concertos of the
Romantic period, while drawing on the musical languages of contemporary
classical and jazz music. The Concerto is in three movements (fast, slow,
fast). Although it uses the classical sonata form as the outline for two of its
movements, it does require the soloist to improvise much more extensively than
a work by Haydn or Mozart, and unlike classical concertos, it has moments of
backbeat grooves, Brazilian rhythmic influences, and harmony that is typical of
modern jazz or classical music.
Something Blue – Maximum Enjoyment
A record that definitely lives up to its promised title – as
the whole thing brims over with excellent work from players you might know from
other albums on the Posi-Tone label! The group name doesn't get at the heart of
the sound, though – as there's a sharp, soulful focus to the music throughout –
kind of a classic hardbop approach, but with maybe a more contemporary sense of
freshness, especially on the solo voices – which is no surprise, given that the
sextet features Nick Finzer on trombone, Alexa Tarantino on alto, Sam Dillon on
tenor, Art Hirahara on piano, Boris Kozlov on bass, and Rudy Royston on drums!
The album's also brimming over with original material – tunes composed by group
members or their labelmates – with tracks that include "Coppertone",
"Slick", "New Directions", "Why Aren't You
Excited", "Breeze", "Vast", and
"Overcooked". ~ Dusty Groove
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