montg Posted October 19, 2003 Report Posted October 19, 2003 (edited) Criss Cross has been described as the Blue Note of today. I'm just beginning to explore this catalog. So far, I've got Jeremy Pelt--Insight One for ALL--New Horizons Ralph Peterson --Test of time Wycliffe Gordon--Gospel truth. I like them all, probably in that order, and I'm wondering if othes have favorites from this label they'd recommend. ALthough I buy a lot of reissues, I also like to try and buy new stuff to support the guys on the scene today who are keeping the art alive. Criss Cross seems to be one of the top labels supporting the new stuff. crisscrossjazz.com Edited October 19, 2003 by montg Quote
John Tapscott Posted October 19, 2003 Report Posted October 19, 2003 I haven't bought many of the more recent Criss Cross CD's, but have perhaps 20-25 in total. Two which come to mind that I really dig are Ralph Lalama's "Momentum" and Gary Smulyan's "Saxophone Mosaic", both roughly a decade old. As I think of others I'll post them. Here's another - Jimmy Knepper's "Dream Dancing". Quote
Larry Kart Posted October 19, 2003 Report Posted October 19, 2003 All of tenor saxophonist Walt Weiskopf's Criss Cross albums are worth checking out. He's taken an aspect of early Wayne Shorter and run off with it to a place that's all his own, I think. And he swings like crazy. The one with Joe Locke as his frontline partner may be his best blowing date, but all the ones with several horns in the ensemble are strong -- he's a fine composer/arranger. Quote
Chuck Nessa Posted October 19, 2003 Report Posted October 19, 2003 I stopped paying attention to the label after Warne Marsh and Jimmy Raney died. Quote
kinuta Posted October 19, 2003 Report Posted October 19, 2003 (edited) I'd also suggest Walt Weiskopf. The one mentioned by Lawrence is ' Anytown', which also features Renne Rosnes. All the Gary Smulyans are interesting. I have over a hundred CC and can suggest many more if you are interested. Of recent ones I would definitely get the JD Allen, featuring Jeremy Pelt, that's a must have imho. I also like all the Orrin Evans titles very much especially ' Listen To The Band',but stay away from his recent one on Palmetto ! Edited October 19, 2003 by kinuta Quote
jazzbo Posted October 19, 2003 Report Posted October 19, 2003 I have to say that the Criss Cross I have heard from the last decade or so haven't sent me. I've little to recommend except the Johnny Coles "New Morning." I'll have to look for the Knepper. Quote
Jim R Posted October 19, 2003 Report Posted October 19, 2003 I have about 30, with a mixture of veterans and younger players, from the 1980's to the present. I've rarely been disappointed with a CC title. That website is really set up nice. It's easy to link to different titles that a given sideman appears on, see how many standards vs original tunes a CD has, find things numerically or by artist... The artist index is a great way to get an overview of the label. A few favorites: Jimmy Raney- Wisteria Clifford Jordan- Royal Ballads Cedar Walton- Manhattan Afternoon Peter Leitch- On A Misty Night Mel Rhyne- Mel's Spell Bill Charlap- All Through The Night Steve Davis- Systems Blue Sam Yahel- Trio Ryan Kisor- Battle Cry There are a lot of artists on the label that I've yet to really explore. I've been meaning to pick up something by David Hazeltine, for example. I would own a lot more CC titles if not for the fact that they've always been a tad expensive. Quote
Eric Posted October 19, 2003 Report Posted October 19, 2003 I like all of the Orrin Evans CDs. He plays piano and writes interesting tunes. He comes from a hard bop backbround, but moves "out" pretty nicely. He also seems to pull together good bands, but has some trio dates too. Some of the Criss Cross stuff has a sameness or blandness for me, but just some. Maybe the idea is to stick to certain artists? I would also second (third?) all the praise for Walt Weiskopf. I *really* like the JD Allen CD that has Evans and Pelt. It has an edge that makes it very tasty. The Don Braden dates are very good - I would just go with the sidemen you like. I have tended not to like their organ dates and Peter Bernstein is a guitarist that sorta bores me, although he gets a lot of love. They have been around for 20 years or so and there are a lot of one-off gems in the catalog. It seems that early on they went with more established artists and some of that stuff is wonderful. Eric Quote
montg Posted October 19, 2003 Author Report Posted October 19, 2003 This is EXACTLY the type of information I was hoping for. Thank you. For me, reissues tend to be a sure thing, but new issues are more hit and miss so guideposts like these recs are really helpful. Actually, I'd been considering Weiskopf before starting the thread based on the sound samples at Amazon but I hadn't heard much 'buzz' about him (maybe listening in the wrong places). Quote
montg Posted October 21, 2003 Author Report Posted October 21, 2003 (edited) There are a lot of artists on the label that I've yet to really explore. I've been meaning to pick up something by David Hazeltine here's a link to a review of his latest hazletine review I have over a hundred CC and can suggest many more if you are interested Kinuta, I'd be interested in hearing some of your favorites from CC! Thanks Edited October 21, 2003 by montg Quote
Jim R Posted October 21, 2003 Report Posted October 21, 2003 There are a lot of artists on the label that I've yet to really explore. I've been meaning to pick up something by David Hazeltine here's a link to a review of his latest hazletine review Thanks Montg. I'll check it out. Quote
sal Posted October 22, 2003 Report Posted October 22, 2003 For some of the newer titles here are my favorites: Conrad Herwig - Unseen Universe Wycliffe Gordon - United Soul Experience Ralph Petersen - Subliminal Seduction Ryan Kisor - Power Source Alex Sipiagin - Hindsight I HIGHLY recommend all of these. Quote
montg Posted December 12, 2003 Author Report Posted December 12, 2003 (edited) I picked up Wycliffe Gordon's new one recently...Dig This. The trombone, tenor, organ combo is kind of unusual, but it works really well. Nice work by Sam Yaehl in particular. Never expected to hear Limehouse Blues with a trombone-organ combo played at be bop speed, but it comes off really interesting. Edited December 12, 2003 by montg Quote
montg Posted January 18, 2004 Author Report Posted January 18, 2004 All of tenor saxophonist Walt Weiskopf's Criss Cross albums are worth checking out I'd also suggest Walt Weiskopf. Thanks for this recommendation-someone I never would have picked up on otherwise. I received his CD 'Song for my Mother' right before Christmas and it's been in heavy rotation since then. There's some really nice writing here, imho... even the flutes sound hip. Quote
fasstrack Posted January 18, 2004 Report Posted January 18, 2004 It's gratifying that people have mentioned Jimmy Raney. Someone mentioned Wisteria (with Tommy Flanagan and George Mraz). To that I'll simply add: there's also The Master. He's in great form on that: warm, loose, digging in. Raney '81 is good, too. I also want to mention a few recordings by Richard Wyands on the label. I think jazz fans in the know aware of recordings of the last 40+ years might agree he's very underrated. He hasn't pursued a solo career and is the most self-effacing of men (and one of the sweetest). But he has the goods and these recordings are a good place to make his acquaintence. He has a well-deserved reputation among players (and singers) for swinging his behind off and being one of the best accompanists in the biz. I think his ideas and flow as a soloist are top drawer, too. (I've worked with him going back 19 years and part of this plug is based on what my own ears have heard on the bandstand). I think one CD is called Reunited. Can't recall the other title but it has Ellington's Lady of the Lavender Mist on it. Lisle Atkinson on bass seems to ring a bell. Maybe the recordings can be had through Amazon.com. Think I've seen them there. But you can't go wrong with Richard. Quote
Joe G Posted January 18, 2004 Report Posted January 18, 2004 I have tended not to like their organ dates and Peter Bernstein is a guitarist that sorta bores me, although he gets a lot of love. Ever seen him live? Quote
fasstrack Posted January 18, 2004 Report Posted January 18, 2004 Seen who live? Richard or Pete? I know both for years, so the answer would be yes. NY is a small town when it comes to jazz. Quote
mikeweil Posted January 18, 2004 Report Posted January 18, 2004 Richard Wyands is very, very good - I would rank him up there with Cedar Walton and the like. He has grown to be one of the best "modern classic" pianists on the scene without the general jazz public noticing. One of the last of the musicians born in the 1920's that are still alive and kicking. I think his latest recording issued was with Jimmy Cobb's Mob on Milestone. I have a Benny Carter Quartet CD on MusicMasters where he displays all of his mastery. He certainly deserves more credit. On a list of great musicians who never recorded for Blue Note, he would rank high Quote
fasstrack Posted January 18, 2004 Report Posted January 18, 2004 He's 75 and still sounds great. Plus, he's such a down-to-earth, unassuming guy. (But he has to know how good he is. Just doesn't talk about it.) I try to get him on gigs any chance I get. Wish I was leading more jobs so I could play with Richard more. Quote
sonnyhill Posted January 18, 2004 Report Posted January 18, 2004 I saw JD Allen last year the the Jazz Gallery in NYC in a quintet w/ Roy Hargrove. Great set. I'll be picking up his "Pharoah's Children." Great thread. Quote
Joe G Posted January 18, 2004 Report Posted January 18, 2004 Seen who live? Richard or Pete? I know both for years, so the answer would be yes. NY is a small town when it comes to jazz. I was asking Eric if he had seen Peter Bernstein live. IMO, Peter is an incredibly soulful guitarist who plays great lines, comps with taste, and has impeccable time and swing. Was just curious as to why he found him boring. Quote
robviti Posted January 18, 2004 Report Posted January 18, 2004 i own quite a few criss cross titles, and many of them expand beyond the "blue note of the 90s" hardbop category. some of my favorites dates are: billy drummond - dubai clifford jordan - royal ballads mike dirubbo - human spirit tim warfield sextet - jazz is greg gisbert - the court jester conrad herwig - heart of darkness ryan kisor - power source wycliffe gordon - united soul experience Quote
RDK Posted May 1, 2009 Report Posted May 1, 2009 Bump 'cause Criss Cross just showed up on emusic! Looking for recs! Quote
nathan Posted May 1, 2009 Report Posted May 1, 2009 The 3 Criss Cross albums I return to most often are: 1. Warne Marsh - Star Highs (w/Hank Jones -- classic!) 2. David Binney - Cities and Desire (one of my favorite recent albums and an amazing band w/ Mark Turner, Craig Taborn, Thomas Morgan and Dan Weiss) 3. Kurt Rosenwinkel - Intuit (bebop tunes & standards -- really nice) I'm also pretty fond of Orrin Evans' Blessed Ones (nice trio date with interesting tune selections and some great Nasheet Waits) and Adam Rogers' Art of the Invisible (it's a little note-happy, but the band is top-notch and the tunes archieve a kind of epic feel that rewards repeated listenings). nathan Quote
John Tapscott Posted May 1, 2009 Report Posted May 1, 2009 Bump 'cause Criss Cross just showed up on emusic! Looking for recs! I like Reeds and Deeds by Grant Stewart and Eric Alexander; Manhattan Afternoon by Cedar Walton Quote
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