Maurice Brown | The Cycle of Love

Tags

African American, Jazz, Maurice Brown, Trumpet

Maurice Brown | The Cycle of Love – [Maurice Brown – 2010]

Maurice Brown - The Cycle of Love

If your hips are swaying, fingers are snapping and heart is skipping, don’t call the doctor just yet—It might be the Maurice Brown Effect. Feeling good has become symptomatic of audiences from the banks of the Mississippi to the streets of New York, courtesy of soulful jazz trumpeter Maurice “Mobetta” Brown.

Exciting the ears of bebop enthusiasts and hip-hoppers alike, Maurice’s passionate and improvisational rhythms have been electrifying the music industry. Innovation is the key to Maurice’s soulful melodies, which have graced both legend Aretha Franklin and urban legend Talib Kweli’s versatile recordings. The response from both old and new schoolers pushed Maurice’s 2004 debut album, Hip to Bop, onto top ten charts across the country.

..:: Source: Maurice Brown.net ::..

Anat Cohen | Poetica

Tags

Anat Cohen, Clarinet, Jazz

Anat Cohen | Poetica – [Anzic Records, 2007]

Anat Cohen - Poetica

I found out about this CD because it was one of Slate magazine’s top 10 Jazz CDs for 2007. I checked it out further and found out it was also in the Top 20 Jazz CDs of 2007 in the Village Voice Poll. Then I found out the artist, Anat Cohen, won several awards last year from Downbeat Magazine and The Jazz Journalists Association, and was the first woman horn player to lead a band at the Village Vanguard. So, naturally, I was curious to hear it. When I did, I understood why Anat Cohen is one of the fastest rising stars in jazz. She has an unbelievably beautiful tone on the clarinet, an extraordinary gift for interpreting melodies, and most importantly, exquisite improvisational skills. What is most impressive about her, however, is her restraint.

Though she clearly is a virtuoso in terms of technique (I know this from listening to some of her other CDs and, especially, hearing her play live since I bought “POETICA”), she never succumbs to the temptation to show off. She always serves the music. And, in the case of Poetica, it is beautiful music indeed. In fact, I think this is the best CD of its kind I’ve heard since Jim Hall’s “Concierto”. I highly recommend it to anyone who appreciates that subtlety can be the soul of a musical masterpiece. —Earscape/Amazon.com

Original Release Date: November 30, 2006

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