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The arctic freeze is seriously kicking the eastern half of the U.S.  Apparently, I forgot to complete this … it’s obvious posting while sleepy isn’t exactly the best thing to do while blogging. Let’s kick off Friday with another diverse mix of “The Weekend Spin,” with four tasty yet challenging jazz titles delve into. Enjoy!

Roy Hardgrove

Roy Hardgrove

Roy Hargrove | RH Factor: Hard Groove [Jazz/Funk/Verve/2003]

This is an album that reveals as much about the perspective of the listener as about the music itself. Are you coming at this from a pure jazz perspective? There isn’t too much straight ahead stuff on this album and you may be with the critics that bashed Roy for making something more accessible than typical jazz fare. Hoping for a jazz-hip-hop hybrid? To me this is one of the more successful combinations because Roy toured with the soulquarians and has immersed himself for the past few years in this music. He’s willing to be lyrical when the time comes. I especially enjoy the track “How I Know” for example. I don’t know what neo-soul fans are going to make of this and I’m curious to see how the album does saleswise. I dig the Erykah Badu/Q-Tip combination [some of Q-Tip’s better recent work] “Poetry”. ~ Source: Amazon.com/Souldrummer


David Sanborn

David Sanborn

David Sanborn | Upfront [Jazz Funk/Elektra-Wea/1992]

I’ve heard bits & pieces of several Sanborn albums in the past & must admit I never cared much for his music. So, I was totally unprepared for the thoroughly upbeat & enjoyable music I heard on this cd. With great playing & arrangements by Marcus Miller, funky B-3 backing by Ricky Peterson, a tight horn section featuring Randy Brecker & even a nice solo by Eric Clapton on one song, a five star rating was a no-brainer. There are lots of blues, funky grooves, brass & extended solos with Sanborn “Upfront” on most of the selections while still allowing time for the supporting cast to showcase their talents. As for negatives, I have to side with the anti Bang Bang group. It’s not that I dislike the song, it just doesn’t seem to fit. Another minor criticism – I have been unable to find the times of each song listed anywhere on the cd. Overall – a very impressive effort. ~ Source: Amazon.com/M.P. Wright

Charles Frambrough

Charles Frambrough

Charles Frambrough | The Proper Angel [Modern Jazz/CTI/1991]

“The Proper Angle”, is a brilliant debut and one of the finest contemporary jazz discs I’ve ever heard. This is lively and exciting music played by outstanding musicians. Some major grooves happen on “Uncle Pete”, or “Our Father Who Art Blakey”, while “Broski”, “Earthlings”, and “One For Honor” incorporate a high-energy swing feel to the record, and softer tunes like “The Dreamer”, “Sand Jewels” and “Dolores Carla Maria” help balance out the disc and give it a modern feel. The players on this are: Charles Fambrough (bass), Kenny Kirkland (piano), Wynton Marsalis and Roy Hargrove (trumpet), Branford Marsalis and Joe Ford (saxophone), Jeff Watts (drums), and Jerry Gonzalez, Steve Berrios, Mino Cinelu (percussion). Of the eleven songs on the record, Fambrough penned seven, three are band members compositions, and one is a traditional number, I believe. ~ Source: Amazon.com/WillieB

Dave Valentin

Dave Valentin

Dave Valentin | Come Fly With Me [Latin Jazz/High Note/2006]

All time master shines once again! Dave is a sort of “new-old” discovery to me. I have a few old Dave cd`s from GRP era (I am a sucker for that old GRP sound), but never took the time to listen to new stuff! But, when I heard samples from this cd, not only that I bought it, I also bought “World on a String”! This cd is so natural, so rich, so vivid…it doesn’t sound like it was released a few months ago! Anyway, buy it if you love the old fusion-jazz-latin sound! You will be very pleased! ~ Source: Amazon.com/Mario Toni