On the TT: Wayne's BN catalog is so deep with quality that this get overlooked but it shouldn't. Another great Wayne Shorter album from the 60's on Blue Note.
(CD Columbia Sony Music Japan SICP-30269 Blu-Spec CD2) .... after a stormy and sleepless night having been in need for some power play injections and this platter was definitely the right choice .... bought this japanese Sony Music Blu-Spec CD2 edition from 2013 recently for little money and the sound is outstanding ....
Eero Koivistoinen – 3rd Version (Porter Records / Warner Music Finland) — Eero Koivistoinen (tenor, soprano & sopranino sax), Heikko Sarmanto (Fender-Rhodes piano), Jukka Tolonen (guitar), Pekka Sarmanto (bass), Craig Herndon and Reino Laine (drums & percussion)
Sneaking in one more disc before hitting the road: Herbie Hancock, GERSHWIN'S WORLD (Verve, 1998). I have only listened once so far to this incredibly well-recorded hybrid SACD - I know, very late to the party - so I'm still formulating impressions. It's a bit of a mixed bag - something I figured would be the case and one reason I delayed for so long - and not everything here has grabbed me yet. The opening track - a 54 second "Overture - Fascinating Rhythm" - is a puzzler - a very odd and rather inauspicious way to start things off, a theme that is (to my listening) never referenced again. I find a lot of Herbie's concept albums tend in this kind of "over-thinking it" direction. But the strongest pieces for me so far really hit hard, like a remarkable "The Man I Love" sung to absolute perfection by Joni Mitchell (and with some nice tenor sax work, I believe by James Carter - doesn't sound like Wayne Shorter who appears on some tracks too). Profound, moving, deeply sexy. "Summertime" which Joni also sings is nearly as good. This is an album that I look forward to continuing to explore, even if so far some of the parts are much greater than the whole.
Thelonious Monk – Monk's Music [CDs 4b & 5a from the Complete Riverside Recordings sessions 10 & 11 ] (Riverside Records) — Thelonious Monk – piano; Ray Copeland – trumpet; Gigi Gryce – alto saxophone; Coleman Hawkins – tenor saxophone; John Coltrane – tenor saxophone; Wilbur Ware – double bass; Art Blakey – drums Thelonious Monk – Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane [CD 5b from the Complete Riverside Recordings session 12 ] (Jazzland Riverside Records) — With Thelonious Monk – piano; John Coltrane – tenor saxophone; Wilbur Ware – double bass; "Shadow" Wilson – drums; the three 7/57 studio tracks
This album feels way too short, would have loved to hear some live recordings with this band getting to stretch these tunes out.
Eric Dolphy – Last Date (Fontana) — With Misha Mengelberg, Jacques Schols, Han Bennink; live in Hilversum, Holland
Taking time off from listening to jazz to spin the brand new OKNOTOK remaster of Radiohead's classic OK Computer. Definitely my favourite all-time band... outside of jazz!
Full House - Wes Montgomery (Riverside) CD Recorded 'live' at Tsubo - Berkeley, California with Wes Montgomery (guitar), Johnny Griffin (tenor sax), Wynton Kelly (piano), Paul Chambers (bass) & Jimmy Cobb (drums) 24 bit mastering | Joe Tarantino / Keepnews Collection edition Recorded 1962
Yes! To me the music is kind of like the sextet Messengers of the slightly earlier 60s, much more than any of Shorter's other Blue Notes - especially "Tom Thumb" - but definitely getting a bit further out there, and with Spaulding's distinctive alto and flute substituted for trumpet that brings a somewhat different angle too. Would have made for an amazing working band.
CHET BAKER SEXTET / CHET IS BAKER / RCA ITALIANA / 1962 / ORG MUSIC 2x45RPM LP REISSUE OF LMP 10307 PERSONNEL: CHET BAKER (trumpet); BOBBY JASPAR (tenor sax, FLUTE); RENÉ THOMAS (guitar); AMADEO TOMMASI (piano); BENOÎT QUERSIN (bass); DANIEL HUMAIR (drums) TECHNICAL: RECORDED AT THE RCA ITALIANA STUDIOS ON JANUARY 5, 1962 IN ROME, ITALY. COVER PHOTOGRAPHY BY GLAUCO CORTINI. ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHUCK STEWART. COVER DESIGN BY FERRUCCIO PILUDU. MASTERING BY BERNIE GRUNDMAN AND CHRIS BELLMAN AT GRUNDMAN STUDIOS, CA. If I was being held at gunpoint, I would probably choose this date (along his "Chet" album on Riverside) as my favourite Baker album. The line up is almost of historical importance (Jaspar, Thomas, Quersin) and the tracks let Baker rise up to one if his best perfomances I've ever heard. It may not be his usual setting, he's forced to blow hard and there's not much time for single notes to "breath" as much as they do on earlier and slower records of his, but I guess that wouldn't have worked with either Jaspar and Thomas, who, imho, are genuine powerful players. I highly recommend this album to everyone who has the slightest interest in both Baker and the best european jazz musicians. This 2x45RPM LP set does the album justice, though it isn't an upgrade compared to the K2HD version that came out several years ago. In fact, I find the latter to sound slightly better in some regards, especially in low end extension, but it's nice to have the cover in LP size (a gatefold, but rather thin cardboard stock used, unfortunately). Plus, since this album has pretty long sides (~24-26 min), this double LP is the first AAA edition to avoid inner groove distortion.
Mr. Blakey keeping the faith with a new crop of talent in the 70s: With Woody Shaw, George Cable, "Stan" (Stanley) Clarke, Ramon Morris and others. Rudy behind the glass.
I was playing, while cleaning up the kitchen after a delicious cookout, several tracks off of: Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works Vol. 2 (Disc 1) But, now that all the dishes are put away, time to move to the living room and play a little of this new CD that arrived today: Jeff Parker - The New Breed
Tomeka Reid Quartet (2015) Tomeka Reid (cello), Mary Halvorson (guitar), Jason Roebke (bass), Tomas Fujiwara (drums). Thirsty Ear CD (2015)
