Ronnie Laws | Voices in The Water

Tags

African American, Flute, Male Vocals, Ronnie Laws, Saxophone

Ronnie Laws | Voices in The Water – [Century 22 Productions, 2009]

Ronnnie Laws - Voices in The Water

YouTube. Google. MySpace. Enter “Ronnie Laws” in any search engine, and you’ll find worldwide die-hard admirers of his unique and compelling musical voice. They describe his work as outstanding, timeless, funky, bad-ass, high-quality, and real music to make you MOVE! People continue to sample his grooves, and admire his style. For more than 35 years, this musical legend has used his saxophone and his voice to satisfy his audience.

Ronnie’s most recent album, “Voices in the Water,” is his 26th solo release. It blends R&B with Jazz Fusion, and a surprising drop of rock and blues. This new album follows the success of his albums “Dream a Little” in 2000 (which yielded the Urban Adult and Smooth Jazz smash hit, “Old Days/Old Ways), an “Everlasting” in 2004.

Kittyhawk | Kittyhawk

Tags

Jazz, Kittyhawk

Kudos to Jeff for helping me close out 2009 to re-discover three fusion classics by the Canadian fusion group Kittyhawk!

Kittyhawk | Kittyhawk – [Hightower Recording Artists, 2007]

Kittyhawk

This is the LP that introduced me to the concept of jazz and improvisation. I LOVE this album so much I went and bought a USB turntable to convert my old copy to digital, buzzes, scratches and all.

My ONLY complaint about this MP3 release is that it hasn’t been remastered for the new medium, and the bass and overall level is much lower than modern recordings – a problem that could have and should have been remedied before releasing it into the digital domain.

That being said, I’m very glad to have a scratch/buzz free version in my iPod. —John M. Marsaden

You can also find more fusion classics by Kittyhawk … Fanfare, and Race for the Oasis at Amazon.com.

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

Pharez Whitted | Transient Journey

Tags

African American, Jazz, Pharez Whitted, Trumpet

Pharez Whitted | Transient Journey – [Owl Studios, 2010]

Pharez Whitted - Transient Journey

Since 1982, jazz trumpeter, composer, and producer Pharez Whitted has performed throughout the United States and overseas, including gigs at the 1988 Presidential Inauguration, The Arsenio Hall Show, The Billboard Music Awards, Carnegie Hall, and the MoTown Music Showcase. His electrifying live performances are legendary from Paris to Los Angeles.

Pharez Whitted has performed with such notable jazz giants and popular musicians as Wynton Marsalis, Branford Marsalis, George Duke, Kirk Whalum, Elvin Jones, Slide Hampton, John Mellencamp, The Temptations, Roy Meriwether, The O’Jays, Lou Rawls, Ramsey Lewis, and former Tonight Show bassist and classmate Bob Hurst. Whitted wrote, produced, arranged, and played on his two compact discs for MoTown’s Jazz record label, entitled Pharez Whitted and Mysterious Cargo. He also co-produced the MoJazz album People Make the World Go ‘Round.

Joan Hickey | Between The Lines

Tags

Jazz, Piano

Joan Hickey | Between The Lines – [Origin Records, 2007]

“ A vibrant harmonic glow…” – Chicago Sun Times

Joan Hickey, Between The Lines

Performing in trio, quartet and quintet settings with some of Chicago’s finest, pianist Joan Hickey’s modern takes on standards, pop tunes and her own originals are fresh, vital and swinging. Joining the rhythm section of drummer Dana Hall and bassist Dennis Carroll, are trumpeter Tito Carrillo and saxophonist John Wojciechowski performing arrangements of “Black Magic Woman,” “My Funny Valentine,” “The Man I Love,” and more.

Hickey has been performing and recording around Chicago since 1980 with her own groups and in appearances with Nat Adderly, Milt Hinton, Buster Williams, Von Freeman, Joe Williams and many others.

JOAN HICKEY – piano
DENNIS CARROLL – bass
DANA HALL – drums
JOHN WOJCIECHOWSKI – saxophone
TITO CARRILLO – trumpet

Produced by JOAN HICKEY

..:: Source: Origin Records ::..

Arturo O’Farrill | Risa Negra

Tags

Arturo O'Farrill, Percussion, Piano, Trumpet

Arturo O’Farrill | Risa Negra – [ZOHO Music L.L.C., 2009]

Arturo O'Farrill, Risa Negra

On “Risa Negra” (“Black Laughter”), 2009 GRAMMY winner O’Farrill presents his multi-cultural sextet in ten exciting originals, defining contemporary Latin Jazz in the 21st century.

The jury is out on the iPod generation. It would take years of non-stop listening to get through the music on some people’s players. For these types, it’s not love of music, it’s ownership. They tend to use music as wallpaper. There are not many serious music listeners left, the kind that turn off all electronic diversions, sit down in a comfy chair, close their eyes and allow the music to take them away.

ExChange | Tales & Turtles

Tags

European Jazz, Jazz

ExChange | Tales & Turtles – [MFLRecords, 2009]

ExChange - Tales & Turtles

Warm, smooth and energetic – this album of the upcoming Modern Jazz band ExChange has it all. Vibrant improvisations and eccentric arrangements are the keystones which made this band an insiders’ tip of the German jazz scene.

This album comes along highly recommended by one of the leading Big Band arrangers of our time – Peter Herbolzheimer:«A promising new album of a group of talented, young and professional musicians! Not a doubt – they belong to the elite of Jazz musicians in Germany. Attractive compositions with an amazing spectrum of sounds, elegance and skill!« On this album ExChange presents their idea of the European Modern Jazz.

..:: Source: CDBaby.com ::..

Jimmy Smith | Back at the Chicken Shack

Tags

African American, Jimmy Smith, Organ

Jimmy Smith | Back at the Chicken Shack – [Blue Note Records, 1960]

Jimmy Smith, Back at The Chicken Shack

Heres the fabulous Jimmy Smith playing Hammond B3 and driving a top notch band along. The title track is drenched in the blues, and after the theme statement Smith plays a superb two and half minutes solo. Then of course there is Kenny Burrell on Guitar and Stanley Turrentine on Tenor Sax who are no slouches themselves.

On “When I grow too old to dream” Jimmy Smith lets Turrentine take the first solo and after a subtle start to his Sax solo he builds up quite a head of steam. After a short Smith solo Turrentine is back for more with another solo. Its that sort of album. I’m guessing that they were having great fun in the studio when they recorded this. The rest of the album maintains the same high standard of the first two tracks.

The album was recorded in 1960 and of course has another of those classic Blue Note album covers. The original sleeve notes by Ira Gitler give plenty of background information on the album including how the album cover came about. A great recording. —SJ Buck

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

Ricky Sweum | Pulling Your Own Strings

Tags

Jazz, Ricky Sweum, Saxophone

Ricky Sweum | Pulling Your Own Strings – [Origin Records, 2009]

Ricky Sweum, Pulling Your Own Strings

“Streaming hypnotic lines together one by one, he tells the story of a soul who must sing and does so with unadulterated beauty and intelligence” – Cicily Janus, author of the New Face of Jazz.

Ricky Sweum’s debut on Origin Records showcases the saxophonist in a light of gratitude, as he pays homage to one of his musical heroes, Michael Brecker, through a set of finely-tuned originals. Showcasing his talents as a writer and creative force, Sweum leads his band in a direction that is uniquely his own. Sweum has recorded and performed throughout the country, was a member of New York City’s jazz scene for over a decade and presently is lead tenor with the U.S. Air Force band, The Falconaires.

Ricky Sweum – tenor & soprano saxophones
Wayne Wilkinson – guitar
Jason Crowe – bass
Henrique De Almeida – drums

Produced by Ricky Sweum

..:: Source: Origin Records ::..

Kristina | Offshore Echoes

Tags

African American, Female Vocalist, Kristina

Kristina | Offshore Echoes – [Patois Records, 2009]

Kristina- Offshore Echoes

A female vocalist with a low vocal spectrum is not supposed to sound as joyful as Kristina does on Offshore Echoes. And she sounds joyful no matter what she sings. Many singers would sound solemn. However, Kristina, being the wonderful practitioner of the vocal arts that she is gives a fine account of herself. Not only is she a versatile vocalist in terms of how many languages she can actually sing with accurate diction, but to be able to communicate the soul of the song, no matter what that language… And this is truly special. The secret is probably the fact that Kristina is three: part Cherokee, part African and part German. Not that this specific cultural mixture matter, but that she has a soul dipped in the spirits of the ancients of African and Native American and German gives her fearless courage and a true sense of Algeria.

Go here, for the full review by Raul da Gama!

..:: Source: LatinJazzNet.com ::..

David Sanborn | Only Everything

Tags

David Sanborn, Jazz, Saxophone

Coming January 26, 2010, the new David Sanborn recording on Decca “Only Everything.”

David Sanborn | Only Everything – [Decca, 2010]

David Sanborn - Only Everything

The genius is back with his new album Only Everything, scheduled for release on Decca, on January 26, 2010. “Among the great saxophonists of the past four decades,” says one Rolling Stone writer, “David Sanborn has earned an identity all his own. He’s jazz, he’s funk, he’s soul, he’s pop, he’s blues, he’s rock. Most remarkably, he excels in each of these genres with a voice that is both forceful and tender, sensuous and subtle.”

With Only Everything, the second of Sanborn’s homage to the aesthetic of Ray Charles, he revisits his roots with fresh perspective. The New York Times called David’s 2008 Here and Gone, the first of his tribute series, “a disarming delight.” He returns to this territory with renewed passion.

“If anyone would ask me what Ray—or Ray’s musicians—meant to me, my answer might be, `only everything,” says David. “As a concept, Only Everything, is about gratitude. I’m grateful not only for the musical life I’ve been able to live, but the original sources of inspiration that continue to inform and excite me fifty years after encountering them.”