Zoot Sims "The Swinger"

Zoot Sims

"The Swinger"

( LP Pablo Records, 1982 )

Catalog # 2310-861

Personnel & Tracklisting:
Ray Sims - Trombone, Vocals
Zoot Sims - Tenor Sax
Jimmy Rowles - Piano
John Heard - Bass
Shelly Manne - Drums
Hollywood, CA, December 10 & 11, 1979
The Moon Is Low
On The Alamo
Danielle
Mr. J.R. Blues
Jeep Is Jumping
She's Funny That Way
Dream Of You
Ray Sims - Trombone, Vocals
Zoot Sims - Tenor Sax
Jimmy Rowles - Piano
Michael Moore - Bass
John Clay - Drums
NYC, May 13, 1980
Now I Lay Me Down To Dream Of You
** Also issued on Fantasy OJCCD 855-2.

Review:
This Pablo recording gave tenor saxophonist Zoot Sims a rare opportunity to record with his brother Ray, a spirited trombonist who was greatly influenced by Bill Harris. Together they join forces with pianist Jimmy Rowles and one of two rhythm sections (John Heard or Michael Moore on bass and Shelly Manne or John Clay on drums) for a set of standards, obscurities (including Andy Kirk's "Now I Lay Me Down to Dream of You" and Al Cohn's "Danielle"), and Zoot's "Mr. J.R. Blues." The Sims brothers (who should have collaborated more often) blend together quite well and the music often swings quite hard; other highlights include "The Jeep Is Jumping" and "She's Funny That Way."
By Scott Yanow [AMG]

By Rob

Art Farmer ''The Summer Knows''

Art Farmer

''The Summer Knows''

Andy's note:
A nice album from Art Farmer on Inner City Records (IC 6004) that I picked up last weekend for the princely sum of $NZ6 (3 Euros!). It looks a reasonably clean copy so hopefully no jumps as I just left it playing.

Personnel:
Art Farmer - Fluegel Horn
Cedar Walton - Piano
Sam Jones - Bass
Billy Higgins - Drums

Notes:
Executive Producer Toshinari Koinuma
Producers Kiyoshi Itoh & Yasohachi Itoh
Recorded May 12,13 - 1976 at Vanguard Studios . NYC

Tracklisting:
1. The Summer Knows 7 40
2. Manha Do Carnaval 5 22
3. Alfie 4 54
4. When I Fall In Love 6 10
5. Ditty 4 42
6. I Should Care 5 30

Review:
This relaxed session features fluegelhornist Art Farmer in a quartet with pianist Cedar Walton, bassist Sam Jones and drummer Billy Higgins. The material (which includes such tunes as "Alfie," "When I Fall in Love" and "I Should Care") is given lyrical treatment by these masterful players on this ballad-dominated date.
By Scott Yanow (AMG)

Links in comments
Enjoy.

By Andy

Lee Ritenour ''Rit Special'' (Live in L.A 1984)

Lee Ritenour

''Rit Special'' (Live in L.A 1984)

Andy's note:
This is the music ripped from a dvd of Lee Ritenour Live At Concord Pavilion 29 June 1984.I have 2 other dvds of Ritenour,both in my opinion are better but this is still worth a listen.I will post the others soon along with a couple of Ritenour albums.
Lee Ritenour one of My Favourite Sounds.

Review:
Recorded live on a California summer night, this 1984 concert stars the Lee Ritenour Band in a taut, burnished performance of jazz-rock passions. Ritenour, typically self-effacing and less than loquacious on stage, nevertheless cheerfully leads his talented ensemble through an array of alternately introverted and extroverted moods. The opener, "Heavenly Bodies," sets an appropriate tone of nocturnal reflection, finding a seated Ritenour with electric guitar, telegraphing quick bursts of longing over the band's waves of chiming, folky blues. From there, vocalists Phil Perry and John Massaro share the spotlight and bring a personable touch to Ritenour's journeyman players, cracking wise on the businessman satire, "Mr. Briefcase," probing a psychic netherworld in "Voices," and handling the simmering, sexy grace of "Is It You?" with classy ease. Ritenour invokes watery mysteries in the ethereal "Dolphine Dreams" and makes good on the promising title "Rio Funk" via a chunky groove sprinkled with Latin flavors. "Rit Variations II" is the real workout Ritenour and friends have been hinting at all night, and the show ends on a popping rendition of "I'm Not Responsible." From an era of adult-contemporary sounds often derided as hot tub music, Ritenour's restrained skills here prove that polish does not preclude power. --Tom Keogh

Tracklisting:
Heavenly Bodies, Mr. Briefcase, Voices, Dolphin Dreams, Operator, Other Love, Sunset Drivers, Mandela, Amaretto, Rio Funk, Is It You?, Rit Variations II, I'm Not Responsible.

By Andy

DVD: Blue Note - A Story Of Modern Jazz (2008)

Blue Note - A Story Of Modern Jazz (2008)

NTSC (DVD) | 720x480 (16:9) | 90min |
Video Bitrate: 3312 kbps |
Audio: PCM 48K 16bit 2Ch. Stereo | 4.32 GB
Subtitles: English, Dutch, French, Spanish

The jazz label was home to such greats as Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock, Thelonious Monk, Art Blakey, Dexter Gordon, and Sonny Rollins. This film about jazz is a testimony to the passion and vision of label founders Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff, and certainly swings like the propulsive sounds that made the label so famous. Other performers include Bob Belden, Joachim Ernst Berendt, Bob Cranshaw, Lou Donaldson, Lorraine Gordon, Johnny Griffin, Freddie Hubbard, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Jay Jay Johnson, Ruth Lion, Taj Mahal, Gil Melle, Brigitte Mira, Francis Paudras, Bud Powell, Andre Previn, Max Roach, Carlos Santana, Horace Silver, Jimmy Smith, Bertrand Tavernier, Tommy Turrentine, and Cassandra Wilson.

Since the dawn of rock n' roll, record labels have become as famous for making stars and creating genres as the stars have themselves. The Blue Note label is one of the shining examples of this. Credited with shaping the course of jazz, swing, and blues music, the Blue Note released classic albums by such luminaries as John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, and Miles Davis. This documentary tracks the creation and history of this legendary record label, and features many of the stars on their roster in interviews.

Links to DL (From Avaxhome)

Not available on the free blog edition

Various Artists ''Blue Notables Vol.12 : Blue Note's Six Vital Organs - Home Of The Hammond''

Various Artists

''Blue Notables Vol.12 : Blue Note's Six Vital Organs - Home Of The Hammond''
( Compilation, Blue Note Records, 1996 )
Catalog # 7243 8 53234 2 3

Tracklisting & Credits:
1 Jimmy McGriff - All About My Girl
Drums - Jackie Mills
Guitar - Morris Dow
Organ - Jimmy McGriff
Written-By - McGriff
2 Big John Patton - The Turnaround
Drums - Otis Finch
Guitar - Grant Green
Organ - Big John Patton
Vibraphone - Bobby Hutcherson
Written-By - Mobley
3 Jimmy Smith - Back At The Chicken Shack
Drums - Donald Bailey
Guitar - Kenny Burrell
Organ - Jimmy Smith
Saxophone [Tenor] - Stanley Turrentine
Written-By - Smith
4 Baby Face Willette - Work Song
Drums - Ben Dixon
Guitar - Grant Green
Organ - Baby Face Willette
Written-By - Adderley
5 Brother Jack McDuff - Hunk O' Funk
Bass Guitar - Larry Steele
Drums - Norman Leonard
Flute - Dick Morrissey, Norman Leppard
Guitar - Terry Smith
Organ - Brother Jack McDuff
Piano - J.J. Jackson
Saxophone [Tenor] - Dick Morrissey , Norman Leppard
Trombone - John Bennett
Trumpet - Bud Parks, Martin Drover
Written-By - McDuff, Parren, Jackson, Leaford, Steele
6 Larry Young - Plaza De Toros
Drums - Elvin Jones
Guitar - Grant Green
Organ - Larry Young
Saxophone [Tenor] - Sam Rivers
Written-By - Young

Notes:
Format:Sampler
Country:Netherlands
Released:1996

Interesting article on the Hammond on Sound On Sound:
''VITAL ORGAN''
The History Of The Hammond

*Also on BeeQ Blog

By Pier

Harold Mabern ''A Few Miles From Memphis''

Harold Mabern

''A Few Miles From Memphis''
( LP Prestige Records, 1968 )
Catalog # PR 7568

Tracklisting:
A Few Miles From Memphis
B&B
Syden Blue
To Wane
A Kind Of Hush
Walkin' Back
A Treat For Bea

Personnel & Notes:
George Coleman, Buddy Terry (ts)
Harold Mabern (p)
Bill Lee (b)
Walter Perkins (d)
Recorded at Rudy Van Gelder Studio,
Englewood Cliffs, NJ, March 11, 1968

Review:
A transplanted Chicagoan by way of Memphis, pianist Harold Mabern gigged with an incredible array of jazz talent during his youth. His colleagues, recounted in the liners to this recent two-fer, read like a VIP list of hard and post-bop talent: Miles Davis, Donald Byrd, Hank Mobley, Freddie Hubbard, Jackie McLean, Frank Strozier, Wes Montgomery, Grant Green, Art Farmer... I could easily go on, filling the limited word count of this review with a bevy of other names. Suffice it say Mabern’s substantial talents were discovered early. As a consequence of his early bloomer status sessions as a leader became a precious commodity. Fortunately he did find time to front groups and the two albums here point to how well his talents as a sideman translated to the lead.
There’s some overlap between the sessions, but the first sets up a quintet with Mabern’s old Memphis friend George Coleman sharing the frontline with fellow tenor Buddy Terry. Bassist Bill Lee (father to famous film director Spike) and drummer Walter Perkins round out the rhythm section. Perkins and Mabern would also share the spotlight as the Modern Jazz Two (MJT). The strong emphasis is on Mabern-scripted tunes, all of which balance the more soulful predilections of the late-60s era with expansive post-bop structures ripe for improvisation. Coleman responds especially well to the balance and his solos on tunes like the title track straddle gutbucket blowing with subtle modernist leanings. Terry is of an older school, his rotund lines sometimes laced with an odd reverb, but he holds his own in the fast company. Lee and Perkins make for a responsive fit, tugging and twisting at the tempos together and crafting elastic support for the soloists. Mabern defers quite often to the horns, but doesn’t relinquish his marquee role entirely, rolling out steady statements of his own on pieces like “Walkin’ Back” and the Bossa-scented “A Treat for Bea.”
The second date, originally released as Rakin’ and Scrapin’ , trades up Terry’s tenor for the cool burn of Blue Mitchell’s trumpet. There’s also a swap behind the drum kit with the youthful Hugh Walker assuming stick traps duties in place of Perkins. Lee sculpts lines of equal weight here, but he shares less of an affinity with the new drummer. The soul jazz trappings are on more prominent display with an exception being the elegant reading of the original ballad “Such Is Life. Mabern’s infectious title track gets the groove percolating by way of a drawn out blues line. Mitchell digs in first after the unison head, peeling off brassy bent notes atop the plush undercarriage of his partners. Coleman sounds less urgent here, but undiminished in terms of focus. Walker contents himself with keeping accent-rich time.
Mabern even annexes room for an electric-piano propelled take on Norman Whitfield Motown chestnut “Heard It Through the Grapevine” where Walker resorts to a regrettably metronome-like rock beat. In sum it’s the lesser of the two dates, but Mitchell’s sassy solos nearly even the score. Mabern would shortly join Lee Morgan’s quintet and create more history with the ensemble’s monumental stand at The Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach. The seeds of his expansive solos in that context lie right here in two albums made an even greater bargain by their opportune pairing.
From All About Jazz

By Pier

Eric Kloss ''Consciousness!''

Eric Kloss

''Consciousness!''
( LP Prestige Records, 1970 )
Catalog # PR 7793

Tracklisting:
A1 Sunshine Superman 10:37
A2 Kay 10:24
B1 Outward Wisdom 6:05
B2 Songs To Aging Children 6:58
B3 Consciousness 8:36

Personnel & Credits:
Bass - Dave Holland
Drums - Jack DeJohnette
Guitar [6 String, 12 String] - Pat Martino
Other [Liner Notes] - Greg Hall
Piano, Electric Piano - Chick Corea
Producer - Don Schlitten
Recorded By - Paul Goodman
Saxophone [Alto, Tenor] - Eric Kloss

Notes:
Recorded January 6, 1970
Format:Vinyl, LP
Country:US
Released:1970
Jack DeJohnette appears courtesy of Milestone Records

Biography:
Eric Kloss, a talented high-powered altoist with an open mind toward funk and certain aspects of pop music, recorded a long series of fine albums for Prestige and Muse from the mid-'60s into the late '70s. Blind since birth, Kloss began playing professionally in Pittsburgh in the early '60s. He worked with Pat Martino in 1965, the same year he started recording as a 16-year-old for Prestige. Through the years, Kloss used such players on his records as Martino, organist Don Patterson, Jaki Byard, Richard Davis, Alan Dawson, Cedar Walton, Jimmy Owens, Kenny Barron, Jack DeJohnette, Booker Ervin, Chick Corea, and Barry Miles, in addition to collaborations with Richie Cole and duets with Gil Goldstein. But Eric Kloss seemed to disappear after his 1981 Omnisound album and has not been heard from by the jazz world in quite some time.
By Scott Yanow (Content provided by All Music Guide Copyright ©)

By Pier

Gizelle Smith & The Mighty Mocambos ''This Is Gizelle Smith & The Mighty Mocambos''

Gizelle Smith & The Mighty Mocambos

''This Is Gizelle Smith & The Mighty Mocambos''
( Légère Recordings Records, 2009 )

Tracklisting:
1. Working Woman 3:07
2. The Time Is Right For Love 2:51
3. Hold Fast 3:32
4. Coffee High 3:03
5. Everything Holds Blame 3:16
6. Free Vibes 2:16
7. Gonna Get You 3:46
8. Love Alarm 3:53
9. Snake Charmer 2:49
10. Magic Time Machine 3:09
11. Out Of Fashion 3:50
12. Nothing For Nothing 3:05

Note:
Original Release Date: October 19, 2009

Review:
A fantastically funky full length set from Gizelle Smith -- a hell of a great singer who's really been winning our ears with her funky 45s -- now stepping out with an even more badass sound in the space of this album! Gizelle's groove is right up there with the hippest female singers in the deep funk underground -- and the backings by The Mighty Mocambos are forged in years of funky 45 experience -- razor sharp, with an especially great edge on the drums -- which seem to drive all the other instruments in the combo! There's no hoke at all in the production, either -- no fake-retro styles, just a clean, clear, classic approach to funky soul that makes the set an instantly timeless gem -- one of those records you could have picked up 30 years back, and will definitely be playing again 30 years from now. Titles include "Snake Charmer", "Coffee High", "Everything Holds Blame", "Gonna Get You", "Out Of Fashion", "Love Alarm", "Hold Fast", "The Time Is Right For Love", "Magic Time Machine", and "Nothing For Nothing" -- plus an instrumental of "Free Vibes".
© 1996-2010, Dusty Groove America, Inc.

http://www.myspace.com/gizellesmithmusic

Not available on the free blog edition

By Pier

The Mighty Chevelles “Black Gold” Re-Uploaded

The Mighty Chevelles

“Black Gold”
( LP Flaming Arrow Records, 1970 )

Tracklisting:
A1. Jungle Baby
A2. Jumpin’ With Music
A3. Lovin’ You Is So Hard To Do
A4. Disco Hustle
B1. Black Gold
B2. Shadow Boxing
B3. Tropical With The Moon Light
B4. Gift Of Love

Review:
Heavy duty funk from Atlanta!
The Mighty Chevelles were a great
little 70s combo , very tight ensemble funk
with a sound that’s clearly inspired by the
work of Kool & The Gang, but which also has
a deeper southern groove, and more emphasis
on percussion. The album’s a rare gem only
ever issued in a small batch of copies and
it’s filled with great little groovers that
have a solid funky 45 kind of sound! Titles
include “Jungle Baby”, “Black Gold”,
“Shadow Boxing”, and the great “Tropical With Moonlight”.
From Dustygroove

Note:
Ripped From Original Vinyl.

Old post by Celo (20/10/2007) here.

By Celo

Paolo Fresu ''Night On The City''

Paolo Fresu

''Night On The City''
( Universal Records, 2001 )
Catalog # OWL081

Tracklisting:
1. Notti Eluse E Attese Deluse
2. Satie
3. Lungo Addio
4. Danza Delle Ombre
5. Pour une Femme
6. Ninna Nanna Per Vale
7. Giuletta Degli Spiriti
8. Palazzina Americana
9. Slow Down John
10. Retro
11. To Gil
12. Pezzo X
13. To M.
14. Ossi Di Seppia

Note:
Original Release Date: March 12, 2001
With Paolo Fresu on trumpet, Tino Tracana on tenor and soprano saxophone, Robert Cipelli on piano, Attilio Zanchi on contrabass & Ettore Fioravanti on percussion.
If you like the sound of Chet Baker or Miles Davis, you will appreciate this recording. I did not know Paolo Fresu until a few days ago, when I saw him in a trio at the 2004 Montreal Jazz Festival. He impressed me a lot with its characteristic way of playing trumpet or flugelhorn. I bought this record yesterday and it is a gem. It's cool and relax. Highly recommended.
From Amazon


Paolo Fresu Biography:
At the beginning of the '80s, trumpeter Paolo Fresu attended the Siena Summer Jazz Seminars and amazed Enrico Rava with his creativity, talent, and technique. Over the next ten years, he became a major player on the Italian scene, first with his own quintet (which is still going), then branching out in a variety of projects. After finishing his Conservatory studies, he became a teacher at the same Jazz Seminars in Siena; he lives half the year in Paris, from where he coordinates the major Time in Jazz Festival he created in his hometown. His discography numbers an astonishing 130 titles since he's been invited to play all over Europe in a variety of projects, from contemporary music to straight jazz, from dance to jazz/folk fusions.
His style is based on the classic Miles Davis sound of the '50s, and the very lineup of his quintet is reminiscent of Davis' group, with excellent tenor Tino Tracanna. They mostly play originals and the music flows fresh and engaging, never a mere imitation. Live in Montpellier (1990) and Ossi di Seppia featuring Gianluigi Trovesi, both on Splasc(h), are good representations of the different facets of the group; Shades of Chet is an affectionate tribute with Rava on Label Bleu (2001) featuring new piano talent Stefano Bollani. Sonos 'E Memoria (ACT 2001) and Metamorfosi (BMG 1999) are respectively inspired by Sardinian musical heritage and European classical Richard Strauss, their success being proof of his commitment to an open musical aesthetic. In addition to Fresu's quintet, he played in an unusual duo with bassist Furio di Castri, this became the PAF trio with the addition of Antonello Salis on piano and accordion, and another trio with English pianist John Taylor (Contos, Egea 1995), while his European quartet includes French-Vietnamese guitar player Nguyên Lê (Tales From Viêtnam, ACT, 1995). ~ Francesco Martinelli, All Music Guide
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Courtesy of Soultrane