THE JAZZ CHILL CORNER NEW RELEASES - LES MCCANN, HANK CRAWFORD, QUINCY JONES BIG BAND |  |
- NEW RELEASES - LES MCCANN, HANK CRAWFORD, QUINCY JONES BIG BAND
- NEW RELEASES - SCHERRIE & SUSAYE, SAMUEL JONATHAN JOHNSON, BETTYE SWANN
- BLOOD SWEAT & TEARS - THE COMPLETE COLUMBIA SINGES - FEATURES 32 TRACKS
- FEATURED THIS WEEK ON THE JAZZ NETWORK WORLDWIDE: VOCALIST SHIRLEY CRABBE SHARED HER CD "HOME"
- DANILO PEREZ TO RELEASE PANAMA 500 ON FEB, 4, 2014
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Posted: 21 Nov 2013 12:26 PM PST
LES MCCANN - LIVE AT MONTREUX
The 70s genius of Les McCann – opened up here wonderfully in the space of a double-length live performance! Tracks are all nice and long – and Les steps out strongly on Fender Rhodes and clavinet, ringing out with amazing tones that are really wonderful – kind of the electric depth of the Circles record, mixed with some of the sharper soul of other early 70s albums! The small group features great conga work from Buck Clarke, who kicks in some great elements to really drive the rhythms – and the open space of the record really gives Les plenty of room to sing alongside his keyboards. Titles include "Carry On Brother", "Home Again", "Get Yourself Together", "Compared To What", "Cochise", and "Price You Got To Pay To Be Free". ~ Dusty Groove
HANK CRAWFORD - MR. BLUES
A sweet soulful stepper from the mighty Hank Crawford – a set that's got a bit of the bluesy lines promised by the title, but which also has some snappier soul jazz modes played by a larger ensemble! Hank plays a bit of piano, in addition to his trademark alto sax – and the set's got a style that bridges his roots with Ray Charles and some of the cooler, groovier modes of Atlantic Records jazz in the 60s. Other players include Wendell Harrison on reeds, and Sonny Forriest on guitar – and titles include the originals "Mr Blues", "Smoky City", "Hush Puppies", and "The Turfer" – plus versions of "Danger Zone", "Route 66", and "Lonely Avenue". ~ Dusty Groove
QUINCY JONES BIG BAND - FREE AND EASY
Rare live work from Quincy Jones – recorded in Sweden at the start of the 60s, with an ultra-hip lineup that really helps Q hit some wonderful lines throughout! The players are a mixed assemblage of American and European musicians – the kind of groups that Jones had been putting together on the continent for the past few years, in a way that really helped create a strong crossbreeding of jazz talents – with a legacy of expatriate players for years to come! The group features Benny Bailey and Clark Terry on trumpets, Melba Liston and Ake Persson on trombones, Phil Woods on alto, Budd Johnson on tenor, Jerome Richardson on tenor and flute, and Sahib Shihab on baritone sax – and the tunes include lively readings of "Ghana", "Birth Of A Band", "Big Red", "Walkin", "Moanin", "I Remember Clifford", and "Phantom Blues". ~ Dusty Groove
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Posted: 21 Nov 2013 12:20 PM PST
SCHERRIE & SUSAYE - PARTNERS
A surprisingly great album from these two former member of The Supremes – Scherrie Payne & Susaye Greene-Brown – put together with production help from Eugene McDaniels, who really helps give the whole thing a hipper spin than some of the girls' more famous work from before! There's a slight Minnie Riperton touch to the vocals a times – a really great sense of range – and the best tracks have a warm modern soul vibe that really lets the girls move forward strongly, especially at the few points when there's an undercurrent of funk. The material's arranged by Alan Silvestri, Odell Brown, and Leon Pendarvis – and the whole thing's definitely not the usual 70s bag from Motown. Titles include "You've Been Good To Me", "Luvbug", "I Found Another Love", and "Leaving Me Was The Best Thing You've Ever Done. ~ Dusty Groove
SAMUEL JONATHAN JOHNSON - MY MUSIC
Stellar spiritual soul from Samuel Jonathan Johnson -- an artist who only ever cut this one full album (in 1978 for Columbia Records) during his career, an album we'd rank right up there with the best '70s work by jazzy R&B contemporaries like Roy Ayers or Norman Connors! The record's got a wonderful blend of mellow moments and more groove-heavy tracks -- all handled with wonderful keyboards from Johnson, who gets nice and spacey at times. Our Real Gone/Dusty Groove reissue features liner notes by his daughter (and fine singer in her own right) Yolanda Johnson, with added photos and remastering by Maria Triana at Battery Studios in NYC. Very tasty, long-requested and oft-sampled '70s soul sounds! Tracks include: My Music; What the World Needs Now Is Love; Sweet Love; Because I Love You; It Ain't Easy; You; Just Us; Yesterdays and Tomorrow; Thank You Mother Dear; and Reason for the Reason
BETTYE SWANN - THE COMPLETE ATLANTIC RECORDINGS
Soul singer Bettye Swann first came to international prominence with her now-classic 1967 No. 1 R&B hit, "Make Me Yours." Following a couple of years of recording for Capitol Records, the Louisiana-born songstress was signed to Atlantic Records where she recorded for close to five years (1972-1976). Now, for the first time ever, "Bettye Swann: The Complete Atlantic Recordings" – compiled by noted soul music historian David Nathan for Real Gone Music and SoulMusic Records - documents her tenure with Atlantic with a 23-track collection containing everything she recorded for the label, featuring the seven singles released by Atlantic, two of which - "Victim Of A Foolish Heart" and "Today I Started Loving You Again" - became R&B charted hits. The set also features two tracks only released on UK compilations; five previously unissued cuts; and both sides of Bettye's one-off duet with noted R&B songwriter/recording artist Sam Dees. Liner notes by renowned UK music journalist Charles Waring include quotes from Bettye, who resurfaced from retirement in 2013 to perform a one-time show in Britain. Tracks: Victim of a Foolish Heart; Cold Day (in Hell); I'd Rather Go Blind; Today I Started Loving You Again; Your Until Tomorrow; I'm Not That Easy to Lose; 'Til I Get It Right; The Boy Next Door; Kiss My Love Goodbye; Time to Say Goodbye; When the Game Is Played on You; All the Way In or All the Way Out; Doin't for the One I Love; I Feel the Feeling (unreleased); Either You Love Me or You Leave Me (unreleased); This Old Heart of Mine (unreleased); Suspicious Minds (unreleased); I Want Sunday Back Again; The Jealous Kind (unreleased); Heading in the Wrong Direction; Be Strong Enough to Hold On
Storybook Children (w/ Sam Dees); and Just As Sure (w/ Sam Dees).
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Posted: 21 Nov 2013 12:10 PM PST
They were a pioneering jazz-rock outfit and a hit singles band (which shows how progressive pop music got in the late '60s/early '70s) that wowed fans and critics alike. They were Blood, Sweat & Tears—and this two-CD, 32-track set offers not only the most comprehensive collection ever compiled of their work, but also the most appropriate lens through which to view their long and often chaotic career.
Very few bands experienced the kind of turnover that Blood, Sweat & Tears did and lived to tell the tale—the group began with the Blues Project's Steve Katz and Al Kooper as their visionary leaders, but Kooper left after their first album, to be replaced by David Clayton-Thomas as lead singer, thus launching the band's "classic" period punctuated with such hits as "You've Made Me So Very Happy," "And When I Die" and "Spinning Wheel" (here in their rare mono single mixes). After their fourth album, B. S. & T: 4, Clayton-Thomas and original members Fred Lipsius and Dick Halligan left en masse, yet the band soldiered on, winding up with only one original member—drummer Bobby Colomby—by the time they called it quits with Columbia.
Yet, through it all, Blood, Sweat & Tears maintained a remarkably high level of musicianship and material throughout their stint with the label, and their innovative use of jazzy horn arrangements in a rock context paved the way for such bands as Chicago, Cold Blood, Chase and If. Along the way, they also integrated elements of psychedelia, R&B, folk and classical music into their jazz-rock framework to produce an eclectic mix of recordings unlike that of any other band of the era. Blood, Sweat & Tears: The Complete Columbia Singles follows the band through every phase and configuration, and features five single versions/mixes making their first appearance on CD. Producer Ed Osborne's notes include fresh quotes from Steve Katz, and the entire set is beautifully remastered by Vic Anesini at Battery Studios in NYC. The ultimate look at an underrated band.
Disc One: I Can't Quit Her / House in the Country / You've Made Me So Very Happy / Blues—Part II / Spinning Wheel / More and More / And When I Die / Sometimes in Winter / Hi-De-Ho / The Battle / Lucretia Mac Evil / Lucretia's Reprise / Go Down Gamblin'/ Valentine's Day / Lisa, Listen to Me / Cowboys and Indians
Disc Two: So Long Dixie / Alone / I Can't Move No Mountains / Velvet / Roller Coaster / Inner Crisis / Save Our Ship / Song for John / Tell Me That I'm Wrong / Rock Reprise / Got to Get You into My Life / Naked Man / No Show / Yesterday's Music / You're the One / Heavy Blue
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Posted: 21 Nov 2013 12:02 PM PST
With rich and sumptuous vocals, award winning jazz vocalist Shirley Crabbe fronts a band of stellar musicians. The music is swinging, sophisticated, always up lifting, and overflowing with soul on her current CD "Home". Featuring Crabbe with Donald Vega, Jim West, John Burr, Alvester Garnett, Brandon Lee, Dave Glasser, Matt Haviland and Special Guest Houston Person.
New York City ~ Shirley Crabbe's debut album "Home" announces the arrival of a major new artist who invests love and conviction in every note as someone deeply grateful to be pursuing her calling. Being given a 'second chance' at her first love after a bout with surgery on her vocal chords she considers herself blessed receiving a series of awards that placed her in the top five at the 2010 Jazz Mobile "Best of The Best" vocal competition.
"I love the American Songbook," Crabbe says. "It's so hard to find things that everybody hasn't done already, but there are treasures out there if you look beyond the usual jazz sources." Possessing a voice as rich and plush as any singer on the scene concentrating on rendering each melody with precision and care adding some skilled 'scat lines' in her performances.
Crabbe casts a wide net when it comes to undiscovered treasures. From the album's title track "The Wi" to McCoy Tyner's "You Taught My Heart to Sing," and Roland Hanna's "Seasons," a tune he wrote for Sarah Vaughan's classic 1982 album "Crazy And Mixed Up." Turning Carole King's "So Far Away" into an ache-filled lament while making Stephen Sondheim's "Not While I'm Around" a tender jazz interpretation that would be chilling in its original "Sweeny Todd" context. She isn't afraid to tackle some well-worn standards. She effortlessly navigates trombonist Matt Haviland's brisk and sassy arrangement of "Detour Ahead," while transforming the lullaby "Summertime" into a rousing, wake-the-baby West African polyrhythmic celebration.
While "I always feel I'm just a singer that likes to sing jazz, more than a jazz vocalist," Crabbe says. "I love singing classical music, when my whole body is resonating. Intellectually I love it, but with jazz I just feel like I'm free. I can rely on some technique, but I can forget it too, so it's more about color, flexibility and musical ideas."
"The Jazz Network Worldwide is happy to feature Shirley's artistry to the jazz community and beyond. You can feel her musicality, her style is clearly a strong force honoring the epic stylists of our time yet a unique originality embroiders her delivery in song" says Jaijai Jackson, creator of The Jazz Network Worldwide social network.
Finding the right accompanists has been an essential part of Crabbe's creative process. Pianist Donald Vega, Crabbe's musical director and co-producer on "Home" offered a steady stream of wise musical and career council throughout the project. "He is a generous musician and a great advisor," Crabbe says. Drummer Alvester Garnett and veteran bassist John Burr provided the sophisticated and sensitive support in the rhythm section.
No doubt growing up in a Caribbean family surrounded by music and dance is what gave Shirley the musical heartbeat she exudes today. From being intrigued by Ella Fitzgerald as a teenager to exploring classic recordings by Carmen, Billie and Sarah, she attended workshops produced by Cobi Narita where she performed with Harold Mabern and Jamil Nasser and got positive encouragement and advice from Etta Jones and Dakota Staton.
Crabbe's formal training focused on operatic technique and repertoire, but once she started studying voice at Northwestern University she joined a band with a jazzy R&B feel influenced by Steely Dan. Since regaining her voice, she appeared in "Coming to the Mercy Seat" at Shetler Studio's Theater 54 and "Ain't Misbehavin'" at the Elmwood Theater.
Always honing her craft and developing her approach, her debut CD "Home" makes a clear statement that Crabbe is one of today's contemporaries. She's an artist overflowing with soul who has found the ideal repertoire for expressing her gift.
Visit THE JAZZ NETWORK WORLDWIDE "A GREAT PLACE TO HANG" at: http://www.thejazznetworkworldwide.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network
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Posted: 21 Nov 2013 11:59 AM PST
In 1513, Spanish explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa crossed the Isthmus of Panama, becoming the first European to reach the Pacific Ocean and founding the first permanent European settlement in the Americas. Those events continue to resonate five centuries later as Panama celebrates the landmark anniversary. On his new Mack Avenue release Panama 500, favorite son Danilo Pérez adds his voice to the tributes with a stunning portrait of his native land, its storied history, rich culture and fierce struggles.
Panama 500 is Pérez' most ambitious project to date, the furthest evolution yet of what the pianist/composer calls "three-dimensional music." His blend of influences makes him the ideal musical chronicler of his country's history: already a land bridge between the Americas with a vibrant indigenous culture, Panama also began to absorb European culture into its own following Balboa's arrival. Pérez similarly weaves together jazz and Pan-American folkloric traditions with influences from European classical music.
"I have been working for years to make music that has an identity very similar to the role that Panama plays in the world," Pérez says. "It's a place where a lot of influences from all over the world come together."
Pérez refers to Balboa's arrival as a "rediscovery," a word that succinctly encapsulates both the importance of his accomplishment and the controversy inherent in European colonization. As he traces Panama's evolution over the 12 tracks on Panama 500, he gives literal voice to the indigenous Guna Indians of Panama, who provide intermittent narration to lend their own perspective on that history.
As Harvard professor Davíd Carrasco writes in his liner notes, "The magical performances in this album emerge from the encounters of indigenous shamans, Spanish migrants of desire, the human agony of African slaves, multicultural love, and transcendent improvisations on agony and love."
To realize his expansive vision for this music, Pérez pulled together a host of musicians from his various endeavors. The album features both of his longest-running rhythm sections-trio mates Ben Street and Adam Cruz; as well as bassist John Patitucci and drummer Brian Blade, with whom Pérez works in the acclaimed Wayne Shorter Quartet. "There's a specific spectrum of language that I've developed with both trios," Pérez says. "With Ben and Adam, we use Latin American vocabularies to connect closer with jazz and to expand on the idea of clave. And with John and Brian, it's that language that we've developed playing with Wayne over the years that is indescribable. There's a zero-gravity component to it, where things come out of nowhere."
The rhythmic density is compounded throughout Panama 500 by percussionists from three different countries: Roman Díaz from Cuba, Rogério Boccato from Brazil; and Milagros Blades and Ricaurte Villarreal from Panama. The classical influence, as well as evidence of Pérez' commitment to education, arrives in the form of violinist Alex Hargreaves, a former student of the Berklee Global Jazz Institute, the globally-minded program for which Pérez serves as artistic director.
Pérez explains that he composed the music for Panama 500 almost as the score for an imaginary film about the country's past and present. It opens with "Rediscovery Of The South Sea," which serves as an overture to the suite and loosely describes the Spaniards' journey through the jungle. Díaz' percussion and chanting are meant to invoke the indigenous people contrasted against the more classically influenced melody; Hargreaves later plays an Asian-inflected melody, hinting at the connection with the East that the opening of the Pacific would facilitate. A dense, freely improvised passage with Street and Cruz was added, Pérez laughingly says, because "I'm sure the Spaniards got lost many times. So we went into the studio and I told Ben and Adam to play in that section as if they were lost in the jungle."The track ends with the first of the Guna narrations, adding the insight of someone who was there to witness this portentous arrival. It briefly credits the "Great Father" and "Great Mother" with the creation of the Earth and claims that "this immense continent was granted to us as a loan so that we take care of it."
The title track builds upon the rhythm of La Denesa, a traditional Panamanian folkloric dance, and builds into a celebration of how far the nation has come. And as with any celebration, by the end of the festivities things have loosened up a bit. "When the piano brings the melody back," Pérez says, "I'm trying to play like it's two o'clock in the morning and the left hand is drunk."
"Reflections On The South Sea" opens with an elegant contrapuntal dance between the piano and Sachi Patitucci's cello. After the robust spirit of the previous track, Pérez intended this piece to lend a more somber remembrance from the perspective of the ocean itself. "It hasn't been completely easy," he says of the isthmus' history. "It's been full of struggles as well as victories. I always feel like the sea is the main witness to what happened. I wish we could understand what it has to say."
Named for the Guna term for the Americas, "Abia Yala" begins with a duet between the piano and the native pan flute before segueing into a trio piece with Patitucci and Blade. Both the old world/new world collaboration and the multi-cultural aspect of the trio, Pérez says, "are striving to send a message of hope, acceptance, respect and peace." The music, he continues, is an extension of his work as a UNESCO Artist for Peace. "I'm working every second to make examples of how music can become a tool for the commonality of humanity."
"Gratitude" is an example of the expanded clave approach developed with Street and Cruz, and simply expresses the titular sentiment to so many of the mentors and loved ones in Pérez' life. "I started thinking about everyone from my father and mother to my teachers, Dizzy Gillespie to Steve Lacy to Jack DeJohnette and Roy Haynes, all the way to Wayne Shorter, my wife, my kids. I felt so much gratitude while I was making this record. If you look at the world there's a lot of people not eating or living in warzones. I have the opportunity to be here and do this, and I listen to this piece with tears coming out of my eyes."
2014 marks the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Panama Canal, an occasion which Pérez marks in his three-part "Canal Suite." Largely improvised in the studio, the piece further highlights Pérez' educational endeavors by featuring percussionist Milagros Blades, a young student of the Panama City-based Fundación Danilo Pérez. Another Patitucci/Blade trio exploration follows, aptly titled "The Expedition."
A pair of Guna narrations frames the final track, "Panama Viejo," a standard penned by Ricardo Fábrega, whose lyrics serenade old Panama, left in now-beautiful ruins by brutal pirate attacks. These final pieces end the suite on a combination of reflection, reminiscence, hope and respect.
"More than focusing on rediscovery we should focus on celebrating our histories, our stories, our music, our culture," Pérez concludes. "My vision is to create music that serves as a cultural passport, hopefully with Panama as the bridge of the world."
Upcoming Danilo Pérez Tour Dates:
* January 17 / Panama Jazz Festival / Panama City, Panama
** February 6-9 / Jazz Standard / New York, NY
** February 10 / World Cafe Live / Philadelphia, PA
** February 11-12 / Blues Alley / Washington, DC
** February 15-16 / Scullers Jazz Club / Boston, MA
** March 9-23 / European Tour / TBA
*** May 9 / Miami International Jazz Festival / Miami, FL
May 22 / SFJAZZ (special guest w/ Miguel Zenon) / San Francisco, CA
*** August 1 / Deer Isle Jazz Festival / Stonington, ME
August 3 / Newport Jazz Festival (w/ Ben Street, Adam Cruz & Roman Diaz) / Newport, RI
* = w/ John Patitucci, Adam Cruz, Roman Diaz and Alex Hargreaves
** = w/ Ben Street, Adam Cruz, Roman Diaz and Alex Hargreaves
*** = w/ Ben Street & Adam Cruz
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