Lenny White | Anomaly

Tags

African American, Drums, Jazz, Lenny White, Return to Forever

Lenny White | Anomaly – [Eagle Rock Ent / Eagle Records, 2010] – Available May 18th!!

Lenny White - Anomaly

Following his triumphant worldwide reunion tour with Return To Forever in 2008 and separate trio tours in 2009 with Chick Corea and Stanley Clarke and pianist Hiromi with Clarke, Lenny White was primed to put out his own recording, his first as a leader in ten years. With Anomaly, the pioneering jazz-rock drummer returns to his roots, blending powerhouse backbeats and improvisational abandon in a bold, unapologetically aggressive manner that characterized the early 70s fusion movement.

“We need to restart a revolution so that we can take back the music and stop the fluff, ” says White. “I’m hoping that this new album is are presentation of that ideal.”

Terry Callier | Occasional Rain

Tags

Jazz, Male Vocalist, Terry Callier

Terry Callier | Occasional Rain – [GRP, 2008] – Reissue

Terry Callier - Occasional Rain

I first heard this LP back in the early ’70’s in Providence, RI. Every Sunday afternoon Vincent Thomas did a show entitled the “360 Black Experience” on WBRU. This was before webcasting and on the cusp of amplified radio antennas so, for someone accustomed to New York radio, it was the only time the Providence airwaves came alive since I was never a big Salty Brian fan. I recall strolling down Thayer Street and perusing the record bins at the one record shop. The album “Occasional Rain” was stuck among the bunch. I picked it up and put it back. Later, after hearing “Trance on Sedgewick Street” over the air, I raced back, brought it and began a lifelong interest in this wonderful muscian’s stories. I later found out that he wrote the Dell’s hit, “The Love We Had Stays on My Mind“. Step back in time and give this one a listen. It doesn’t disappoint.

Brad Mehldau | Highway Rider

Tags

Brad Mehldau, Jazz, Piano

Brad Mehldau | Highway Rider – [Nonesuch, 2010]

Brad Mehldau - Highway Rider

Nonesuch Records releases ‘Highway Rider‘ a double-disc of original work by pianist and composer Brad Mehldau on March 16, 2010. The album is his second collaboration with renowned producer Jon Brion and features performances by Mehldau’s trio, drummer Jeff Ballard and bassist Larry Grenadier as well as drummer Matt Chamberlain, saxophonist Joshua Redman, and a chamber orchestra led by Dan Coleman. Mehldau also orchestrated and arranged the album’s 15 pieces for the ensemble.

In a Nonesuch Store Exclusive, orders of the album through nonesuch.com include as a bonus track a demo Mehldau recorded for Brion early on in the album’s development, in which Mehldau explains how he’d like for the title track to unfold and offers a run-through on piano. Also included, as with almost all orders in the Nonesuch Store, is the complete album as audiophile-quality 320 kbps MP3’s.