Over the course of the last century and beyond, there have been few songs that have stood the test of time and continue to inspire hope in times of adversity. Marking the 60th anniversary of the recording and composition of Oscar Peterson’s “Hymn to Freedom” (from his seminal album Night Train), Two Lions Records (released by Mack Avenue) has enlisted pianist Benny Green (Peterson’s protégé), bassist John Clayton and drummer Jeff Hamilton to pay homage to the composition while honoring the journey the song has taken as the unofficial anthem of the Civil Rights Movement, its performance on the United States Capitol steps during President Obama’s first inauguration and its performance by choirs worldwide 60 years after its inception. "What makes this one piece of music so special, so beloved? Perhaps its simplicity," reflects Kelly Peterson (Two Lions Records). "It is a melody that reaches deeply into our cores and touches us all on a profound emotional level. This hymn carries with it the universal human longing for peace, love, and freedom. Its message and its melody are timeless. This is why today we are commemorating the 60th anniversary of the day Oscar Peterson composed 'Hymn to Freedom' with a new recording."
In May, Craft Recordings launched the Acoustic Sounds Series, which celebrates 70 years of Contemporary Records and highlights gems from legendary jazz label's extraordinary catalog and featuring artists who both defined and expanded the sound of West Coast jazz. Following reissues of Art Pepper’s +Eleven: Modern Jazz Classics and Barney Kessel's The Poll Winners, Craft releases Benny Carter's Jazz Giant on vinyl today. Jazz Giant features performances by André Previn, Shelly Manne, Barney Kessel and Ben Webster amongst others. First released in 1958 and recorded by legendary engineer Roy DuNann, this new edition features all-analog mastering from the original tapes by Bernie Grundman. The record is pressed on 180-gram vinyl at QRP and presented in a Stoughton Old Style Tip-On Jacket. The Acoustic Sounds Series continues on February 24, 2023 with the release of Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section, the altoist’s auspicious 1957 Contemporary debut pairing him with pianist Red Garland, bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Philly Joe Jones, three-fifths of Miles Davis’ nonpareil quintet. The sixth album in the series is the September 15, 2023 release of Shelly Manne’s hugely popular 1956 trio session My Fair Lady with bassist Leroy Vinnegar and pianist André Previn, paved the way for hundreds of jazz albums dedicated to Broadway shows.
There's a nice variation here to the previous album from Francisco Mela with this title – and that difference is pianist Cooper-Moore, who steps into the place that Matthew Shipp held in the previous trio – and brings all sorts of wonderful sounds and flavors into play! Mela's a great leader for the set – as his approach to the drums is as open and elliptical as the bass of William Parker and the piano of Cooper-Moore – who really has a way of circling around these sonic passages in a great way – almost slowly winding up, and pulling Parker and Mela along with him – then generating sparks that allows all three players to bristle with energy in all sorts of different directions. The set features two long tracks – "Musical Literacy" and "Mental Scenario". ~ Dusty Groove
A wonderful record – one that takes off from the spare sound of earlier albums by guitarist Fabiano Do Nascimento, and adds in some smaller group instrumentation that really sends things over the top! Fabiano's still got all the amazing touches on his instrument – played at a level that's in a legacy of Brazilian acoustic right up there with Baden Powell or Luiz Bonfa – mixed this time around with a shifting palette of instrumentation that includes percussion, flutes, violin, cello, and tenor – all elements used in ways that are still spare, yet shade the music in wonderfully! While we've loved Fabiano's airy explorations in the past, we love him even more here – as the album's as full of color and scope as you'd guess from the image on the cover, or its evocative reference to Rio Bonito – on titles that include "Strings For My Guitar", "Coletivo Universal", "Kaleidoscope", "Retratos", "Theme In C", and "Emotivo". ~ Dusty Groove
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