John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman

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African American, Bebop, Jazz, John Coltrane, Johnny Hartman, Male Vocalist, Saxophone

Join yours truly and listen to two of the greatest voices in jazz. The bold and vibrant timbre of saxophone legend John Coltrane binded to the warm and intimate vocals of Johnny Hartman joined at the hip to blend a unique volume of soulful classics and arrangements like no other, before or after them … is a definite plus for any music enthusiast. The Urban Flux

John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman
– [Impulse Records, 1963] – Original Recording Remastered

Cotrane and Hartman

This is one of the three all-ballad albums that John Coltrane recorded in late 1962 and early 1963. Johnny Hartman was apparently Coltrane’s suggestion, and his deep, dark voice meshes perfectly here with Coltrane’s tenor. The material is well-chosen, including definitive readings of “My One and Only Love” and “Lush Life.” McCoy Tyner fills out the chords, augmenting the harmonies and keeping the tone of these ballads respectful but not overly sentimental.

All the players get to the deep structure of the songs and are not afraid to play in the most essential and elegant manner. This is beautiful jazz. —Michael Monhart

..:: Source: Amazon.com ::..

Massimo Biolcati | Persona

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Bass, European Jazz, Gretchen Parlato, Lizz Wright, Massimo Biolcati, World Music

Massimo Biolcati | Persona – [ObliqSound, 2008]

For several years, bassist Massimo Biolcati has provided strong support for a variety of acclaimed jazz artists, including Terence Blanchard, Lizz Wright, Ravi Coltrane, Paquito D’Rivera, and Lionel Loueke. Fans of these artists know Biolcati’s sound, even though they may be less than familiar with his name. Now, with the release of Persona, Biolcati takes a giant stride into the spotlight as a leader.

Biolcati titled the album in homage to the Ingmar Bergman film “Persona,” and thematically structured the project’s music to reflect the film’s concept of duality. “Bergman’s film features two clearly opposite characters, but at the end, we’re not left with a simple good/bad distinction between them,” Biolcati says. “It’s a more subtle distinction, which actually brings the two opposites closer together. In the same fashion, I chose to musically divide the songs on Persona into two groups of five songs each: “Motion” and “Stillness,” which are obviously opposite, and which convey a clear almost masculine/feminine difference, without any positive or negative connotations.”

Persona’s players include label-mate Lionel Loueke (guitar/vocals), with whom Biolcati has been collaborating since both attended the Berklee School of Music and USC’s Thelonious Monk Institute, and who tapped Biolcati for his own recent Independent Music Award winning ObliqSound recording, Virgin Forest. They’re joined by Peter Rende (Rebecca Martin, Jen Chapin) on piano, accordion and vocals, and Jeff Ballard (Brad Mehldau, Chick Corea) on drums. Singers Lizz Wright (Verve recording artist) and Gretchen Parlato each contribute a vocal track.

..:: Source: ObliqSound.com ::..