mjzee

I'm listening now to "Martial Solal Dodecaband Plays Ellington." I like what Solal wrote in the liner notes: "The choice of Ellington, beyond my own interest in his music, was predicated by the desire to show, by means of well-known pieces, that the job of the arranger is actually a compositional task. These most famous tunes get a complete reworking here, yet the original melodies remain omnipotent."

The Cleveland Quartet - The Complete RCA Album Collection, disc 9.

I knew that, but you made my point anyway. ECM wouldn't have released it if that sound didn't appeal to Eicher.

Riccardo Muti - The Complete Warner Symphonic Recordings, disc 48.

I think a key part of the ECM aesthetic is the disparagement of rhythm. Eicher just doesn't believe in the beat. Even if there's a drummer, the effect is more decorative - the drummer plays around the beat but doesn't really keep time. So, yes, but also add a drum machine. See if there's some juice in these wan tracks.

The Cleveland Quartet - The Complete RCA Album Collection, disc 8.

Riccardo Muti - The Complete Warner Symphonic Recordings, disc 47.

I much prefer if musicians record standards, or at least recognizable tunes, but they don't make any royalties off tunes written by someone else. They're fighting for every penny. I understand that, even if I usually don't want to listen to it.

The Cleveland Quartet - The Complete RCA Album Collection, disc 7.

I couldn’t agree more.

Release date June 6: Many of us old-timers remember George "Big G" Coleman in the late 50s and 60s performing with almost every single legendary name in that golden era of American jazz, a.o. Miles Davis. Coleman who turns 90 this year is still going strong and surrounds himself with the elite artists of younger generation including the leader of this album Brian Charette (Hammond-B3). This album can be seen as the sequel to 2018's "Groovin' With Big G" (SCCD 31857) again with Charette in charge of keeping the music flowing. "This is a mellow date, a blowing date to be sure but Charette's B-3 rarely goes the funk route and is closer to Wild Bill Davis. Coleman's tenor is as strong as ever and while not aggressive, it is still forceful." (Papathomas on SCCD 31857)

Release date June 6: For generations, the music of Richard Rodgers has been capturing listeners' ears and imaginations. The legendary composer's songs have become a part of the musical zeitgeist, many outlasting the musicals or films they were created for. It is no surprise that Denny Zeitlin chose to spotlight Rodgers and his exemplary work on the pianist's new solo recording, With a Song In My Heart: Exploring The Music of Richard Rodgers.Richard Rodgers is considered one of the finest composers of the 20th century. He mastered the challenge of integrating harmony and melody, accomplishing this in a seamlessly natural way. Rodgers' limitless ideas insured that his music remains forever fresh and never dated. It is easy to see why jazz musicians have long appreciated Rodgers' work, as it is easy to breathe new life into.Beginning in 2009, Zeitlin enjoyed a decade of annual solo concerts at Oakland's Piedmont Piano Company. By 2014, he was devoting each concert to an exploration of a single composer. Having done Wayne Shorter, Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, Billy Strayhorn, and George Gershwin, Zeitlin set his sights on the music of Rodgers. Zeitlin had first encountered Rodgers' work as a child when he saw Oklahoma! On the stage and screen. He was immediately hooked and Rodgers' music became regular components of Zeitlin's sets from high school on. To prepare for his December 2019 performance at Piedmont Piano, Zeitlin took to the internet to remind himself of the Rodgers songs he loved and, also, discover new ones. After making his selection, he began improvising and working with the material, alert to ways he could breathe new life into these compositions while honoring their specialness. Loose arrangements of the songs emerged, often involving free improvisation, new time signatures, reharmonization, and restructuring through repetition and focus on motifs. Zeitlin's goal was to present the compositions in a fresh way that would unearth new challenges within the arrangement for improvisation. In performance, he hoped to get out of the way of the music and trust his unconscious to surprise himself with new musical solutions.With a Song In My Heart presents eleven pieces that Zeitlin reimagines in his own brilliant and expansive way. The first half of the program was recorded live at Piedmont Piano Company on December 13, 2019, while the other half was recorded at Zeitlin's Double Helix Studio at his home during sessions in November and December. Denny Zeitlin has an incredible ability to infuse new light into well-known repertory works. The pianist's reinvestigation of the music of Richard Rodgers is particularly illuminating, as the great composer's works seem to beg for thoughtful readings. With a Song In My Heart showcases the brilliance of both men, the creator and the rejuvenator.

Release date April 18: The Americana-infused influences Baltimore-based guitarist Charlie Ballantine naturally fell into during his years growing up in Indiana, blend seamlessly with his Indianapolis jazz pedigree - instilled by the residual sounds of Wes Montgomery and Freddie Hubbard in the city's air. Since moving east several years ago, the environment, the new colleagues and the energy lent an added dynamic, displayed here in Ballantine's musical connection with the acclaimed New York drummer, Dan Weiss. Bassist Quinn Sternberg, a decades-long compatriot from Indiana, rounds out the trio, adding his years on the New Orleans music scene to the mix. In the vein of fellow guitarists like John Scofield, Bill Frisell and Julian Lage, Ballantine reconciles his background in jazz with the stylistic background of his instrument the gratifying tonal and harmonic language of rock/roots with the groove, ambition and improvisational focus of a jazz musician - JAZZIZ"A Guitarist teeming with intricate grooves and maniacal precision." - JazzTimes Release date May 16: On a quest of growth and mastery as a saxophonist, composer and musician, Jordan Vanhemert found equally important his efforts to contextualize difficulties of his life experiences. Within some deeper themes, including coming of age as a Korean adoptee, he's discovered in the process, resilience, optimism and joy. Jordan's music is meant to convey empathy and solidarity to others, and this album, Jordan's fifth as a leader, effectively fulfills these simultaneous pursuits. His stellar band includes Terell Stafford, Michael Dease, Helen Sung, Rodney Whitaker, and Lewis Nash. "an emotive, adventurous and timeless spirit of jazz that's globally enjoyable." -Take Effect Magazine"Brilliance, sparkle and punctuation are the key words of this album, to which we must also add melodicism and the intelligent spontaneity of harmonic interactions." - Couleurs Jazz, Paris

Release date May 9: An Afternoon in Norway: The Kongsberg Concert is a previously unreleased recording of alto saxophone icon Art Pepper, captured live at the Kongsberg Jazz Festival in Norway in 1980, featuring pianist Milcho Leviev, bassist Tony Dumas and drummer Carl Burnett. Digipak 2 CD set with audio transferred from the original tape reels. An elaborate booklet features liner notes by acclaimed author and jazz scholar Marc Myers, plus interviews with artists who knew or were inspired by Art Pepper. Limited Edition.

Riccardo Muti - The Complete Warner Symphonic Recordings, disc 46.

A few months ago, Stereophile magazine published a piece on Andy Summers. I found this portion of the interview interesting: Summers listens to a lot of music on the ECM label, he says. "There's an oud player on ECM who is amazing, this guy called ..." He blanks on the name. Anouar Brahem, I offer. "Exactly," he says, smiling. "I have at least six of his albums. A lot of the music on ECM has been huge for me. I almost got on that label myself, but it's led by a very strange man." He means label boss and producer Manfred Eicher, with whom he had a minor kerfuffle eight or nine years ago. "I recorded a beautiful album called Triboluminescence, and I recorded it right, with all the necessary care and musicianship. Someone I knew contacted Eicher and said, 'Wouldn't you like to put out this record by Andy?' And Eicher was interested, but he essentially said, 'You must come and record it again.' My feeling was, 'Fuck off, it's already done.' He felt he had to be in charge—could be a very German thing I suppose. I don't make records with someone like that. But I would've felt at home there, I think. ECM has super musicians like [Norwegian saxophonist] Jan Garbarek, so I thought, that's where I belong. But it didn't come to pass, and I'm not crying in my milk about it." (Full article can be found here: https://www.stereophile.com/content/policed-complex-simplicity-andy-summers)

Ah, the strong opinion dilemma. We feel a certain protectiveness towards jazz; we know how few people enjoy it. We feel an extra protectiveness towards living musicians, because we know how hard it is to make a living, and a bad review or two can destroy someone's livelihood. I've held my tongue when discussing certain living musicians, especially elder statesmen, simply out of respect and not trying to harsh the vibe. On the other hand, one of the joys of listening to jazz is the analysis of the experience. This is difficult for someone like me, who hasn't had any sort of musical training or study, but who listens to a lot of music. I know what I like, even if it's hard to express. There is a desire to describe the listening experience, to compare musicians, to compare performances. I think this is universal: there are some musicians we like and some we don't. What's fascinating, and speaks to the human condition, is that we all don't like and dislike the same musicians, and I think we're puzzled by that: Why doesn't that person like what I like? Why aren't they hearing what I'm hearing? There's a desire to express and compare experiences; if they're strong experiences, we express that description strongly. That directly collides with the previous paragraph. So, what to do? I think a troll is someone who criticizes or tries to upset a particular person or group of people who post on a particular forum. The OP wasn't criticizing anyone here, he was just expressing his opinion about Lovano (and Lage). Therefore, I don't think he was trolling. Further, his opinions were based on his personal investment in the process: buying tickets and spending time at the concert. My opinion is closer to Rooster_Ties's. What Lovano plays just doesn't interest me. His tone is flat and unvigorous (which is strange considering he's a big guy, and should be able to blow harder, more distinctly), and his solos just seem to take up time. I don't enjoy his playing; that's me. But a lot of people disagree: he's put out many records in his almost 40 years as a leader, he continues to record so his records must sell, and his boosters included Michael Cuscuna (a big plus in my book). I saw Lovano once with Pat Martino at the Blue Note, and his playing bored me; others must have felt differently. So I think, in general, there's a real need to express opinions honestly and, yes, forcefully. That's just life. Perhaps this thread should be retitled to "Joe Lovano (trigger warning!)" to warn readers who might find a strong opinion to be unpleasant.

The Cleveland Quartet - The Complete RCA Album Collection, disc 6.

I am so angry that I can’t read this article!!! 😝

Lovano's not one of my favorites.

They must have had a great agent to strike them that deal. That was a time when lots of groups got their vanity labels (Jefferson Airplane - Grunt, Zappa - Bizarre/Straight, The Beach Boys - Brother are some others that come to mind). There was so much money flowing around back then, I think they threw it at anyone halfway popular who asked.

Raccoon also released the first bluegrass album I ever heard: I honestly didn't know what to make of it, but I think I liked it.