Stanley Clarke | Stanley Clarke

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African American, Bass, Jazz, Stanley Clarke

In my opinion, recordings like this is not only rare but transformational. Composer/bassist Stanley Clarke seamlessly cross-pollinated his musical influences to record this brilliant, innovative yet mind-boggling project when is was not only cool, but when record executives actually encouraged creativity. While visiting my sister in New York, I heard “Lopsy Lu” for the first time on WDAS-105.3FM out of Philly while in transit from the airport to my sister’s apartment!! Wow, simply remarkable I was blown away, and awe struck by inventiveness Clarke processed on this recording. Arguably to this day, I haven’t heard anyone record and album that can match the virtuosity Stanley Clarke displayed on this magnificent recording! —Rob Young

Stanley Clarke | Stanley Clarke – [Epic, 1974]

Stanley Clarke

While some jazz purists will detest this LP for it’s marriage of jazz improvisation and rock, the simple truth is, “Stanley Clarke” (both the LP and the man)are stunning and ingenious. The late, great Tony Williams is volcanic in his drumming, notice how he plays slightly behind the bass on “Lopsy Lu“, or plays in circles around guitarist Bill Connors on Part IV of the “Life Suite“?

There is not a wasted note here and listeners who are looking for ‘light‘ or ‘smooth‘ jazz are barking up the wrong tree! Clarke himself is an astounding bassist and takes on shades of Charles Mingus on “Phases for Strings and Bass” and all of the opening “Vulcan Princess“. Electro-funk, hard rock and jazz rarely live on the same street these days, but this kind of adventurous music making (a treasure for us more discriminating music lovers)tells me that the 3 should visit each other more frequently. Stanley Clarke is the man! —Willie A. Young II

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

Chicago Underground Duo | Boca Negra

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African Music, Brailian Music, Chicago Underground Duo, Drums, Jazz

Chicago Underground Duo | Boca Negra – [Thrill Jockey, 2010]

Chicago Underground Duo - Boca Negra

The fifth album from the Chicago Underground Duo — Chad Taylor on drums, vibes, mbira and electronics and Rob Mazurek on coronet and electronics — a hypnotic aural experience from a pair of modern masters who seamlessly craft a world of influences into their own dynamic sound! It’s pretty amazing stuff, with the pair working with sounds from the avant jazz underground of the previous several decades,jazz and world folk music that reaches from Africa to Brazil, and the subtle manipulations of the electronic experimentalists.

Some movements build to a dexterous intensity, with Taylor sometimes playing different instruments simultaneously, but it’s not about the brazen display of skill and craft, the compositions and the improvisations feel natural and vital. Wonderful stuff, we’re very proud of the Chicago underground jazz scene that inspired both players and their title! Titles include “Spy On The Floor“, “Green Ants“, “Left Hand Of Darkness”, “Quantum Eye”, “Vergence”, “Conflicition”, “Roots And Shooting Stars”, “Hermeto” and more. 10 tracks on the CD.

..:: Source: DustyGroove.com ::..

Hot Club Of Detroit Presents Seventh Annual Detroit Django Reinhardt Festival

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Hot Club of Detroit, Jazz

Features Special Guests Howard Alden and Anat Cohen

Hot Club - Group Press Photo

Mack Avenue recording artist Hot Club of Detroit presents their seventh annual Detroit Django Reinhardt Festival, Friday, March 19th through Sunday March 21st. Featuring special guests, guitarist Howard Alden and clarinetist/saxophonist Anat Cohen, Hot Club of Detroit is proud to bring this festival in celebration of Reinhardt’s centennial to Detroit and Cleveland; two cities that Reinhardt himself performed in during his one and only American tour.

By honoring the spirit of Reinhardt’s music and combining it with modern jazz, Hot Club of Detroit has become an international sensation, along with the Reinhardt resurgence. “Django Reinhardt is the showerhead from which we all come down,” says guitarist and Hot Club of Detroit bandleader Evan Perri.

Quincy Jones | Gula Matari

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African American, Jazz, Quincy Jones

By now, you’ve probably figured out I love the body of work by the incomparable voice of composer, and arranger Quincy Jones! Remarkably, Jones imprint as musician and producer has impacted artists and music fans alike and continues to do so. If you don’t have it, do consider “Gula Matari” the 1970 classic will indeed make a great addition to your already extensive music collection. —Rob Young | The Urban Fllux

Quincy Jones | Gula Matari – [A&M/Universal (Japan), 1970]

Quincy Jones - Gula Matari

A real step forward for Quincy Jones — a record that really shows the jazzman moving into sophisticated new territory — a sound that’s just right for the CTI generation! The album’s got a vibe that’s a bit similar to Quincy’s Walking In Space album, but it’s a lot deeper too — touched with some of the African elements you might guess from the title — arranged in ways that are often quite spacious, so that the tunes really take some time to find just the right groove!

Backings are large, but show the leaner elements that Jones was bringing to his soundtrack work — and instrumentation includes vibes from Milt Jackson, marimba from Don Elliott, flute from Hubert Laws, soprano sax from Jerome Richardson, trumpet from Freddie Hubbard, trombone from Al Grey, and guitar from Eric Gale. Keyboards figure strongly — played by Herbie Hancock and Bob James — and special features include a bit of guitar and whistling from Toots Thielemans, plus some soulful vocals from Valerie Simpson. “Gula Matari” is an incredible 12 minute tribal groove — and other titles include a killer take on Nat Adderley’s “Hummin“, plus “Walkin” and “Bridge Over Troubled Water“.

..:: Source: DustyGroove.com ::..

Caribbean Jazz Project | The Gathering

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Caribbean Jazz Project, Jazz

Caribbean Jazz Project | The Gathering – [Concord Jazz, 2002]

Caribbean Jazz Project - The Gathering

The Gathering is the Caribbean Jazz Project’s third release; principals Dave Samuels and Dave Valentin are joined by Paquito D’Rivera, once a regular with the group, on the lively opener, “Rendezvous,” as well as a Latin reworking of Monk’s “Bemsha Swing.” Oliver Nelson’s classic “Stolen Moments” comes in for a moody 7/4 treatment. Pianist Dario Eskanazi, bassist Ruben Rodriguez, and percussionists Dafnis Prieto, Richie Flores, and Robert Quintero provide strong backing for the front-and-center solo exchanges of Samuels and Valentin.

The band is consistently melodic and accessible, not just on romantic themes like “Libertad” and “The Path” but also on more adventurous fare like Prieto’s “El Guarachero Intrigozo (The Scheming Party Animal)” and the big finish, “Masacoteando (In the Groove).” —David R. Adler | All Music.com

..:: Source: AllMusic.com ::..

New Project titled “Reverse Thread” by violinist Regina Carter coming in May 2010

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African American, Jazz, Regina Carter, Violin

Regina Carter

Regina Carter is completing work on her new album “Reverse Thread” to be released in May 2010. “Reverse Thread” is a collection of infectious African folk melodies in a beautiful, contemporary interpretation as only Regina can provide. It’s a celebration of old and new – and that of a musician of internationally acclaimed as among the most transcendent voices of contemporary violin. —Regina Carter.com

..:: Source: ReginaCarter.com & MaryamLovesJazz ::..

Dave King | Indelicate

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Bad Plus, Dave King, Drums, Jazz

Dave King | Indelicate – [Sunnyside, 2010]

Dave King - Indelicate

When the adventurous jazz trio the Bad Plus is onstage, it’s quite possible that no one in the room is having a better time than drummer Dave King. Gifted with an intensely athletic, time-bending approach, King’s face is often locked into a manic grin as his body contorts around his kit in a syncopated high-wire act that anchors the group’s sound.

So maybe it was only a matter of time until King gave a solo album a try. But instead of crafting a collection of layered beats, King makes the unconventional choice of showcasing his piano chops as well. His bent sense of melody sometimes recalls the “ugly beauty” of Thelonious Monk, such as on the jagged “Bees.” Other times a fragile beauty emerges — on the piano ballad “I See You, You See Me,” for example — that flies against the album’s self-deprecating title. —Chris Barton

Read the complete review by visiting LATimes.blogs.latimes.com …

..:: Source: LATimes.blogs ::..

Thousands of Jazz enthusiasts will meet in Panama City Beach, FL

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African American, Nick Colionne, Seabreeze Jazz Festival

Nick Colionne - Festival Host

The 12th Annual Seabreeze Jazz Festival will be held April 16th-18th at the Pier Park Amphitheater in Panama City Beach, Florida. Pier Park became the new home for the ResortQuest Seabreeze Jazz Festival last year and the response from attendees was overwhelming positive. Pier Park is Northwest Florida’s largest shopping, dining, and entertainment venue and a perfect fit for a festival of this size. The Jazz Festival offers attendees the opportunity to combine a weekend of cool jazz with a great beach vacation getaway.

ResortQuest has hundreds of Gulf-front vacation rentals in Panama City Beach including such popular resorts as Tidewater Beach Resort, Palazzo Beach Resort and Sunrise Beach Condos which are all located less than a mile and a half from Pier Park. Accommodations near the festival site are filling up quickly and ResortQuest encourages those planning to attend this year’s festival to make their reservation early to avoid being disappointed. Reservations can be booked online at ResortQuestPanamaCityBeachVacations.com or by calling our 24 hour vacation hotline at 800-380-4808 (mention the Seabreeze Jazz Festival).

Frank Kimbrough | Chant

Tags

Frank Kimbrough, Jazz, Piano

Frank Kimbrough | Chant – [Palmetto Records, 1998]

Frank Kimbrough - Chant

Chant is a relaxed yet inspired trio date featuring pianist Frank Kimbrough with two of his closest associates from the Jazz Composers Collective: bassist Ben Allison and drummer Jeff Ballard. Along with brief, delightfully understated readings of Ornette Coleman’s “Feet Music” and Jimmy Giuffre’s “Phoenix,” the trio wades through three collaborative improvisations. “Chant,” a loosely structured piece, begins with a riff that vaguely recalls McCoy Tyner’s “Effendi“; “Broadside” is propelled by a funky, unchanging swing motif that sets up clearly demarcated solos by Kimbrough and Allison; and “Motility” brings the trio to a rolling boil, with Kimbrough soloing over a swinging medium tempo, framed by bass and drum solos at the start and finish, respectively. —David Adler

According to Palmetto Records, “Chant” is available for download only [MP3 or FLAC].

..:: Source: Palmetto Records ::..

Hot Club Of Detroit To Release “It’s About That Time” on Mack Avenue Records

Tags

African American, Jazz

HOT CLUB OF DETROIT BRANCHES OUT ON NEW CD IT’S ABOUT THAT TIME SET FOR APRIL 27 RELEASE ON MACK AVENUE RECORDS

Hot Club of Detriot - It's About Time

The family tree that traces its roots to the Quintette du Hot Club de France has sprouted countless branches across the globe in the seventy years since Django Reinhardt first jammed with Stéphane Grappelli. It seems like a new city lays claim to its own Hot Club on a virtually daily basis, but the Hot Club of Detroit is undoubtedly the apple that has fallen farthest from that tree.

The blistering fretwork on the opening track of the group’s third CD, It’s About That Time, pays explicit homage to one of their six-string heroes – just not the one you might think. “On the Steps” is based on the chord changes of Pat Martino’s “On the Stairs” (with a brief borrowing from John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps” to complete the pun), and states at the outset what fans of these gypsy jazz revisionists have long known – that Django Reinhardt is far from the beginning and end of the Hot Club of Detroit’s vocabulary of influences.