Hozan Yamamoto - 銀界 (Silver World) [from 1977 and features Gary Peacock] Here's one of my grails that really needs a proper reissue (hopefully by Mr Bongo since their other Hozan reissues are stunning). Featuring the shakuhachi (bamboo flute) master Hozan Yamamoto playing a mix of Sōkyoku and jazz. The sparse instrumentation and respect for space and silence really lets the characteristics of the shakuhachi shine through. A truly transcendental record.
If you want a compilation of the jazzier Columbia songs of George Benson, find a copy of "The Essence Of George Benson". Great CD. Ronnie Cuber is really good on these songs.
This was reissued in Japan in 2015 and I was still able to buy the CD in late March/early April of 2020 from CD Japan. I recommend trying their "proxy service" to see if you can still obtain one.
you do realize all but five cuts from this two CD set are pre Breezin? I have other early Benson releases. I'm good.
LAST DANCE | KEITH JARRETT | CHARLIE HADEN (ECM) CD Recorded March 2007 at Cavelight Studio. CD and 2LP edition released 2014. Tracks 7 and 9 are alternate takes of songs previously released on Jasmine (ECM 2165).
My mileage, despite familiarity with Kris Davis for years, varied hugely from the majority opinion on this set. I queued up the trio with Eric Revis and Andrew Cyrille on Clean Feed for relief and to reassure myself that Davis is everything I thought she is.
First of my morning and top of the morning to you… Adam Nussbaum – The Leadbelly Project Label: Sunnyside Communications, Inc. – SSC 1500 Format: CD, Album Country: US Released: 2018 Genre: Jazz, Blues
NP: Dr. Umezu Band - Live at Moers Festival (LP, Moers, 1984) Kazutaki Umezu (sax), Hiroaki Katayama (sax), Takeharu Hayakawa (b), Takashi Kikuchi (d) When I bought this album, I did not know any of the musicians. However, the fact that they played an early Ornette Coleman tune ("Jayne") and released their album on the Moers label was enough reason to take the gamble. The two horn lineup and the Coleman composition provide a first clue of the band's sound. There are more influences at play, however. Katayama's electric bass provides a driving, fusion-like groove to all tracks and especially his own composition "Pop Up", the extended 16:24 minute jam that opens side 2. The opening track of side 1, the almost 10 minute long "Gotô is Gone" adds yet another influence to the mix. It is an initially melancholy, later quite festive, klezmer tune, disrupted by kronky saxophone intermezzo's and groovy bass breaks. The musicians seem to have a lot of fun on this one - it must have been fun to attend the concert at the Moers Festival of May 1983.
Back in my 20s I used to listen what is now labeled soft/smooth jazz, a lot of Hubert Laws, Bob James, George Benson, etc., as well as the Crusaders (Southern Knights). It was enjoyable music but in retrospect not jazz. Fast forward twenty five years and I became a jazz fan. When Mosaic came out with this box, thinking back to my earlier years, I wondered what they were thinking and let it pass but picked it up cheaply on the secondary market where it’s basically sat for a number of years. Pulled it out yesterday and listened to disc 1. Disc 1 consists principally of their first two albums, Freedom Sound and Lookin’ Ahead. Their sound is like nothing you’d associate with the Pacific Jazz label; it’s more of a hard bop sound and you think you could be listening to a Blue Note or Prestige session, especially a Stanley Turrentine one as Wilton Feder sounds a lot like him. The front line of Feder and trombonist Wayne Henderson gives these sessions a different sound. Joe Sample could have been any BN pianist of that era. The other member was drummer Stix Hooper. In these two records their bassist is Jimmy Bond, who leaves a mark.
Only have time for one, maybe one and a half this morning: Various – Jazz For Hi-Fi Lovers Label: Modern Harmonic – MH-8069 Format: Vinyl, LP, Compilation, Mono, Clear Vinyl Country: US Released: Feb 16, 2018 Genre: Jazz Style: Bop, Cool Jazz Found this in the sale bin (for $9, unopened) last night while I was picking up my copy of Love Supreme Live in Seattle. This was originally released in 1956 on Dawn Records as something of a hi-fi test record. From what I can discern, most of the artists listed were making records for Dawn. Never heard of label until now, but just from a cursory search on discogs, it seems like a cool label to collect? Love the cover, but of course the lineup on this compilation is the draw. A bunch of cool west coast players that i've only heard a little from (like Paul Quinechette). This compilation is bop all the way around which I fancy early in the day. Shrink wrap sticker describes this as a collection of "beat-era" music, which I suppose is a more universal dating for the uninitiated than simply "bop", but I digress. Speaking of clear, this most recent reissue is pressed on clear vinyl, which is something I usually don't fancy (colored vinyl in general), but for some reason is works with this cover and at this pricepoint. Nice poly lined sleeve, too. Whew.
I don't really think of the Borderlands Trio as a Kris Davis band. It's a collective of course, but if there's a leader it kinda strikes me as Stephan Crump. He mixed the recording, he's selling the hard copy directly on his website (you can't find it on hers). And the band and the way it plays is kind of rhythm section/groove feel forward, it's like a big morphing free but grooving rhythm section jam moving amoeba like from beginning to end. (I'm also a big fan of Eric McPherson, who is great in the latter day Fred Hersch band too, his playing on Sunday Night at the Village Vanguard with Hersch is great.) But I don't really hear a lead voice so much as just collective rhythm flow as "lead voice."
I listened to this exact same CD 2 days ago! I don’t get this one out much but I always enjoy it when I do.