Michel Camilo | One More Once

Tags

Jazz, Michel Camilo, Piano

Michel Camilo | One More Once – [Columbia, 1994] – Weekend Spin

Michel Camilo, One More Once

One More Once is quite possibly the easiest recommendation in my entire jazz collection, and that’s saying something. Every track is laced with passion and expression, and beauty. “Why Not?” is in-your-face Latin Jazz at its finest, with a freakishly tight horn section that blows my hair back every time I hear it. “Suite Sandrine” and “Dreamlight” are a welcome reprieve from the intensity of previous tracks, and offer captivating grooves that make the 8+ minutes per song more than welcome.

The second half of the album is a return to upbeat material that’s crisp and engaging, with memorable themes throughout. Michel Camilo shows his brilliance as a musician, composer, and arranger on every track — this CD is quite possibly his finest work. A must-have for any jazz lover. —Mr. Mixer

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

Soul Cycle | Mosaic

Tags

African American, World Music

Soul Cycle | Mosaic – [Soul Cycle Music, 2009]

Soul Cycle, Mosaic

Soul Cycle brings an infectious blend of jazz, funk, and world music to Mosaic, their eagerly awaited third release. Featuring guest vocals from Rogiérs (Alicia Keys, Platinum Pied Pipers), as well as the core lineup of keyboardist Jesse Fischer (Laura Izibor), saxophonist Brian Hogans (Sean Jones), bassist Josh David (Q-Tip), drummer Corey Rawls (Kenny Garrett), and percussionist Shawn Banks, Mosaic presents seven fresh compositions by bandmembers, as well as captivating renditions of the jazz standard “Blue in Green” and Al Green’s classic “Simply Beautiful.”

Inspired by artists as diverse as Herbie Hancock, Richard Bona, Meshell Ndegeocello, J Dilla, James Brown, Chopin, and Bach, Brooklyn-based Soul Cycle has developed a distinctive brand of world fusion, incorporating sounds from jazz, funk, hip-hop, R&B, gospel, reggae, Latin, Jewish, African, and classical music. DustyGroove.com calls them “one of the hippest contemporary soul combos we’ve ever heard,” and Christopher Whaley of SoulTracks.com described Soul Cycle’s last album as “the year’s first must-have project… highly recommended.”

Miguel Zenón | Esta Plena

Tags

Afro-Caribbean, Jazz, Latin Music, Miguel Zenón, Saxophone

Miguel Zenón | Esta Plena – [Marsalis Music, 2009]

Miguel Zenón, Esta Plena

Marsalis Music is pleased to announce the release of Esta Plena a new studio album by alto saxophonist and composer Miguel Zenón. Last year, Zenón was a recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, also called the genius grant. Remarkably, in 2008, he also received a Guggenheim Fellowship for musical composition, making Zenón the fi rst jazz musician to receive both awards in the same calendar year. Esta Plena, a product of his Guggenheim Fellowship, reinterprets plena, a traditional Afro-Caribbean music from Puerto Rico, with the sensibility and techniques of modern jazz. Initially, what drove these projects was a personal desire to know more about my own culture, he says. After I left Puerto Rico, I immersed myself in jazz for a very long time so I wasn’t really dealing with Puerto Rican music. I had been exposed to it growing up, but it wasn t until I began writing my own music that I really started to pay close attention to it. That s when I decided to explore this music and fi nd out more about my roots.

Esta Plena features Zenón s long-standing quartet Luis Perdomo on acoustic piano, Hans Glawischnig on bass, and Henry Cole on drums, spectacularly augmented with Héctor Tito Matos, Obanilú Allende, and Juan Gutiérrez on vocals and panderos (hand-held single-head drums).

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