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Hi everyone, this week concludes on the flip-side with some seriously radical jazz sounds featuring the likes of trumpeter Terence Blanchard, and Urban Knights which features Grover and Ramsey is possibly the best all-star group projects of the 90’s.  Also the cool timbre of tenor hornman Joshua Redman is always an enjoyable experience and finally one of my favorite female vocalists Dianne Reeves rounds out the playlist for this weeks segment of the Weekend Spin.

Terence Blanchard | Flow [Modern Jazz/Blue Note/2005]

Terence Blanchard

Terence Blanchard

For a musician like Terence Blanchard, flow is about finding the moment when the struggle finally seems worthwhile, when all the years of study and work make sense. At the start of filming, Terence happily speculated that he may have finally assembled the perfect creative unit, a band that grows individually, and simultaneously as a group: “With this band, I just feel born-again! [laughs] It’s given me new life, piqued my curiosity, made me work hard again to really try to redefine myself, to develop and just be an artist. At the same time, I’m really having so much fun…”  In the course of Flow’s visual collage of narrative, travelogue, and tunes — filmed on four continents — Blanchard, chillmaster of the urban film score (Mo’ Better Blues, Malcolm X, Barbershop, She Hate Me, The 25th Hour) and his young, incredibly innovative band nightly pushed the edges, inventing new music that touched the souls of audiences from Paris to New Orleans, at a huge venue in Tokyo and an intimate club in Osaka, and from the street scene of South Africa to the swimming-pool-studded canyons of Hollywood. But the exotic settings serve to frame the human background of the very real daily lives of six musicians, constantly on the move physically and creatively. ~ Source: Amazon.com/Jim Gabour

Urban Knights | Urban Knights [Contemporary Jazz/GRP Records/1995]

Urban Knights

Urban Knights

This CD by the Urban Knights released in 1995 is one of my favorites by them. The line-up features Ramsey Lewis, Grover Washington, Jr., Omar Hakim, and Victor Bailey. It’s jazzy, bluesy, and more. The opening track On The Radio is a nice song, but the CD gets better than this. Wanna Be With You features some vocals by The Emotions, and some fine sax playing by GWJR. Chill is a funky, acid-jazz style song. Although, I don’t personally care for this type of music. It is well-done. Hearts Of Longing is one of my favorite songs on this CD. It’s just plain, mellow, smooth jazz. Friendship is a lively song featuring some great keyboards and horn playing. I absolutely love this song!!! Miracle is a beautiful song with some nice vocals. The Rose is another smooth jazz style song with some nice sax playing by GWJR and some scat-style vocals. Urban Samba…well, the title to this one tells it all. Forever More features Mike Logan on vocals. What a beautiful song!!! The final track is Senega it is a Latin-style song that is kind of reminds me of Spyro Gyra. Urban Knights are clearly and overlooked super group!!! If you don’t have any of there music here is the place to start! Enjoy!!!! ~ Source: Amazon.com/Mr. Music Critic … CD Cover Art by Charles Bibbs

Joshua Redman | Joshua Redman [Jazz/Warner Bros/1993]

Joshua Redman

Joshua Redman

This album was recorded and released by Warner Brothers not long after Joshua won the T. Monk jazz competition. I think it’s an all around strong and entertaining 1st album. Joshua Redman is the bomb! He’s so chill and watching him on the Ken Burns Jazz interviews he seems like a really cool dude. {I heard he got straight A’s in school!} This self titled album also has another really bomb musician… Christian McBride on bass! My favorite numbers are the covers actually. Blues on Sunday I think is an original though. What an awesome song to stretch out on. It sounds alot like the solos on “Blue Train” from back in ’57. Its so cool that these “young lion’s” did James Brown’s “I feel good” its so funky and joyus! {probably McBride’s suggestion!} Their version of Dizzy’s “Salt Peanuts” is just slammin! they really cook on that one! It makes me crack up when they shout it at the end “salt peanuts salt peanuts!” Redman plays a really pleasant duet with McBride during “On the sunny side of the street” These guys are some of the coolest cats in modern jazz! They can play very serious in a straight ahead manner. ~ Source: Amazon.com/Pat Sharp

Dianne Reeves | That Day [Jazz Vocals/Blue Note/1997]

Dianne Reeves

Dianne Reeves

Sometimes keeping it simple is the best way to go, and Dianne Reeves
proves that notion on “That Day…,” a warm and organic work that
boasts subtle arrangements, tasteful vocals, and the most seductive of
moods. Things are off to a sultry start with the most gorgeous
arrangment of “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” ever recorded; a Bossa
Nova-esque rhythm and stellar piano and horns lay the foundation while
Reeves’ masterful vocal builds the track to the sky. The pop chestnut
“Just a Little Lovin” lights a quiet fire and begs to be cuddled to,
and the title track benefits from a racy-but-tasteful lyric and a
seductive samba flavor. ~ Source: Amazon.com/John Jones