mjzee

Count Basie - Fancy Pants. Perhaps his last recorded album, definitely his last big band recording. So good. Lively, great arrangements, the band sounds integrated and together.

Release date February 21: This beautiful 7CD clamshell boxset contains Chet Baker's complete Timeless Records album collection with the 7 albums in separate wallet sleeves with a 16-page booklet with photos and liner notes. Chet Baker's first Timeless recording was actually as a featured sideman on a date led by pianist Kirk Lightsey, performing "Ray's Idea" and "Everything Happens To Me" (which he also sings effectively). His Mr. B album finds the trumpeter making such songs as Hancock's "Dolphin Dance, " Horace Silver's "Strollin', " and Sam Rivers' "Beatrice" sound as if they were written for him. While Mr. B. is an instrumental set, Chet Baker Sings Again has Baker singing and playing eight standards including "My Funny Valentine" which had been his trademark song ever since his days with Gerry Mulligan. Baker always enjoyed the versatile and tasteful playing of guitarist Philip Catherine. They recorded several memorable trio albums together but There'll Never Be Another You, made in Zagreb, Yugoslavia in 1985, was their only duet set. Cool Cat and As Time Goes By are both from the trumpeter's extended recording sessions of Dec. 17-18, 1986. Pianist Harold Danko, bassist Jon Burr, and drummer Ben Riley were not only subtle accompanists, but they pushed the trumpeter a bit and the result is some of his finest playing from this period. The final Chet Baker album on Timeless, Live In Rosenheim from April 17, 1988, was the last time that he recorded with a small group. Baker, who takes a vocal on "I'm A Fool To Want You" and plays piano on "Portrait In Black And White, " shows that he was still an impressive trumpeter this late in his career. Just 26 days later Chet Baker was gone. Despite that, his recordings and his musical legacy live on.

Release date March 7: Steve Swallow who is one of the pioneers of electric double bass in jazz noted that Millhouse "is using it to help define and refine what the electric bass can do to refresh jazz music." Eminent practitioner of this unique six-string instrument Millhouse as bassist and guitarist in one creates again on this second album with the saxophone trio format refreshing and formidable jazz."With the rich saxophone and drum sounds the 6 strings incorporates chord playing techniques and moves around freely showing the way electric bass should be in modern jazz.' (K. Harada- Bass Magazine on SCCD 31942 Unwinding) Release date March 14: This album is all about Tadd Dameron (1917 - 65), one of the most important American jazz composer/musicians. The master baritone saxophonist and perennial pole winner Gary Smulyan conceived the brilliant idea of recording Dameron compositions with lyrics. The vocal part is phenomenally rendered by the young talent Anais Reno. Three songs including the lovely This Night Of Stars have hitherto never been recorded. "While Smulyan solos brilliantly throughout, Reno is the real treat here." (Bill Milkowski - DownBeat on SCCD 31936). "Smulyan here brings to light Dameron's heretofore unknown Library of Congress trove of standard-quality off-Broadway gems." (Fred Bouchard - NYCJR on SCCD 31936)

Artur Rodziński - New York Philharmonic, The Complete Columbia Album Collection, disc 1.

Nice vibe; sad it had to be held because of Walcott's passing. What a passel of musicians, most of whom wound up on ECM. I wonder who shot the video and where it was shown; I counted at least 2, maybe 3 cameras. Thanks for posting.

Nice. DeJohnette really drove the band, and Jarrett's playing was pretty funky. https://www.plosin.com/milesahead/Sessions.aspx?s=710311

Riccardo Muti - The Complete Warner Symphonic Recordings, disc 16.

Riccardo Muti - The Complete Warner Symphonic Recordings, disc 17.

Mine is supposed to arrive on Monday.

Release date January 31: Trumpeter Jeremy Pelt's latest project, Woven, is a fascinating album that fuses more traditional aspects of 21st-century jazz with the myriad possibilities of electronic synthesized sound. This collection of mostly original compositions showcases Pelt's instrumental artistry together with his commitment to composing works that explore new dimensions in jazz. Each track on Woven is meticulously crafted, perfectly balancing innovation with communicative emotional depth. The full range of contemporary jazz can be found here, from neo-bop, hard-driving rhythms to touchingly intimate balladic utterances. But Pelt's trumpet can also weave through electronic textures, creating a sonic landscape where the group's kaleidoscopic tone colors become a fundamental part of the melodic content. Joined by an impressive ensemble of musicians, Pelt and his collaborators create a fluid interplay of acoustic and electronic sounds, displaying their skill in integrating bold, contemporary elements while simultaneously underlining the very essence of jazz.

I wonder if there are any recordings from this tour. I see Bob Cranshaw with his bass.

R.I.P.

Well, Feather was Jewish, so the notion probably resonated unpleasantly for him.

Bracha Eden and Alexander Tamir - The Complete Decca Recordings, disc 12 (last).

Obviously, you could buy the Mosaic box "The Complete Commodore Jazz Recordings Volume I," but that could be overkill. There was this LP, released in 1981 (ignore the ugly cover): https://www.discogs.com/master/1618384-Willie-The-Lion-Smith-The-Original-Fourteen-Plus-Two-19381939 Besides the earlier recommendation of "The Memoirs of...", I'd like to put in a good word for this, probably his last studio album: Smith shares the keyboard with Mike Lipskin, who was the interviewer for "The Memoirs of..." as well as a student of Smith's. The liner notes are a little unclear about who's playing when, and on some tracks they're backed by a band (Stan Monteiro, clarinet; Chuck Rainey, bass; Elvin Jones, drums!).

Release date January 1: OASIS, the new recording from the award-winning guitarist Rez Abbasi and the captivating French harpist Isabelle Olivier, makes the pairing of their respected instruments sound predestined. The confluence between harp and guitar offers unique opportunities in harmony, rhythm and texture, which they magnificently capture and magnify in order to create a personal sound. Joining the two highly empathetic leaders are gifted percussionists Prabhu Edouard on tabla and David Paycha on drums. The album will be released November 15, 2019 on Enja/Yellowbird and the group will support the album with performances in Paris, Chicago, Washington, DC and NYC. Together the texture of the quartet creates a sanctuary of sound, but along with the compositional and arranging prowess of both leaders, the collective flourishes in originating a bold statement. During the opening Abbasi arrangement of the well-known Richard Rodgers song "My Favorite Things, " we get a firm sense of what will proceed. Along with their free-spirited willingness to traverse the avant-garde, they remain sensitive to each other and all musical elements. Other tracks such as Olivier's "Timeline" convey a film-like quality and push her use of electronics, while Abbasi's harmonically bountiful "Stepping Stone" echoes with classical influence. Throughout OASIS (an acronym for Olivier Abbasi Sound in Sound), the music surges with a uniquely propulsive groove, with sinuous melodies that follow surprising, exotic contours. As soloists, each member displays virtuosity without overbearing the music. Collective improvisations also abound with breathtaking results. As a conceptual team, Abbasi and Olivier are able to combine their compositional spheres to create a varied yet singular program of music.

Release date February 7: Pianist François Couturier and violinist Dominique Pifarely, major figures in French improvisation, have played together in many projects over the last 30 years, including their duo, which made its recording debut for ECM with the remarkable Poros in 1997. With sensibilities informed by jazz and contemporary composition, Couturier and Pifarely channel the wide-ranging repertoire into compelling, starkly expressive music. Preludes and Songs was recorded in October 2023 and produced by Manfred Eicher.

Release date January 10: Release date February 14: Anthony Ferrara for his third album here teams up again with the dream rhythm section of Versace/Anderson/Drummond. Ron McClure who was one of Ferarra's teachers at NYU once commented on this group, "This is a four-way conversation between four men who have a mutual respect of the process of making music, always cognitive of the group effort. Had they played the Manhattan phonebook, they would have made it work." "What is particularly impressive about Ferrara is that he not only has a mature, confident and appealing sound, but also is finding his own voice. Ferrara is also a capable composer, penning a diverse set of songs that invite repeated hearings, a huge challenge for any musician at the beginning of their career." (Ken Dryden - NYCJR on SCCD 31938 Cold Faded)

The liner notes to this album consist of Eric Miller's brother (Eric being the producer who later worked extensively at Pablo) detailing the fights he and his brother had when they were teenagers.

Riccardo Muti - The Complete Warner Symphonic Recordings, disc 15.

Someone on this board (I don't remember who) recommended this album, and I can't thank him enough. It's a great album with a great feel - they really nailed a laid back groove that's irresistible. Great playing by all involved: Jeremy Pelt, trumpet; Vincent Herring, alto sax; Wayne Escoffery, tenor sax; Paul Bollenbeck, guitar; David Kikoski, piano; Essiet Essiet, bass; Otis Brown III, drums. If you find it, grab it (it's also on Bandcamp).

I'm in.

Riccardo Muti - The Complete Warner Symphonic Recordings, disc 14.

I was transfixed by this, which turned out to be his last concert. I included a track on my last BFT. A great artist, a great musician, a great mind. RIP.