New Releases [Jazz] … for the Week of 7/19/2010

Tags

George Brooks, Jazz, New Releases, Prasanna, Steve Smith

Greetings’ jazz aficionados, I’m back with an intricate canvas of what’s -cool- and maybe not so -cool- from a optimistic perspective we don’t usually find in the diet of the chromatic pop music culture. The origin of new music featured each week encompasses various branches of jazz, which exudes a wealth of complex and distinctive styles, insinuating textures, immaculate melodies, and relentless rhythms exalted by the definitive voices of creative artists serves up sounds to quench our immutable thirst for quality music.

Featured Album of the Week

Smith, Brooks & Prasanna

Steve-Smith–George-Brooks–Prasanna -\\- Raga Bop Trio – [Abstract Logix, 2010]

The music of the Raga Bop Trio is an organic blend of jazz, rock, funk, afro-Caribbean and Indian classical music. In this music there is the strong influence of western harmony and melody as well as U.S. style grooves and Euro-jazz atmospheric feels. From the Indian side, George Brooks brings his expertise in the north Indian Hindustani style and Prasanna – being from Chennai, India – is an expert in the south Indian Carnatic style.

I grew up with the U.S. jazz/groove concept and starting in 2002 I’ve incorporated north and south Indian rhythms into my playing. For me, the distinctive quality of the Raga Bop Trio is that the writing and playing employ a seamless amalgamation of all the individual components.

Flux Music Essentials … features [Choulai, Elling, Maupin, Moreno, & Perez]

Tags

Aaron Choulai, Bennie Maupin, Danilo Pérez, Jazz, Kurt Elling, Mike Moreno

Flux Music Essentials

Greeting’s fellow jazz aficionados, I’m back in the mix with another tantalizing yet satisfying blend of original jazz that’s shaken and stirred to perfection from the shelves of “Flux Music Essentials.”

Danilo Perez, Panamonk

Danilo Perez -//- Panamonk – [Impluse! Records, 1996]

If you have ever wondered what the music of Thelonious Monk would sound like if played with a Latin flair (you may have never wondered that before, but now that you have started to read this review, you may well be wondering just that already–kind of like the old psychological trick, telling someone “try not to think about an elephant”), young pianist Danilo Lopez has the answers you have been looking for.

Playing both Monk originals and some of his own compositions, accompanied by bass and drums, Perez spiritedly communicates a zest for music and life that resonates with Monk’s musical personality. This is one of the freshest, most energetic jazz recordings I have heard in some time, and I recommend it highly to all jazz fans, especially to those with a love for the music of Thelonious Sphere Monk. —Karl W. Nehring/Amazon.com

[Classic Jazz Revisited] … featured artist of the week pianist Sonny Clark -||- Leapin’ & Lopin’

Tags

African American, Bebop, Jazz, Sonny Clark

Flux Classic Jazz Revisited

Sonny Clark - Leapin' & Lopin'

Sonny Clark -//- Leapin’ & Lopin’ – [Blue Note Records, 1961]

Sonny Clark had something special in regards to his instrument: he had an identity. Like Dexter Gordon or Ike Quebec on the tenor sax, Charlie Parker or Jackie McLean on the alto, Clifford Brown or Miles Davis on the trumpet, Scott La faro or Paul Chambers on bass, and Thelonious Monk, Herbie Nichols, or Bud Powell on piano, you didn’t need a program to tell you that Sonny was on the ivory. Along with “Cool Struttin‘” this is the album that captures what Clark could do when some brass was along for the ride. Charlie Rouse, who was so superb with Monk, shows that there was none better on sax when it came to giving his pianist/leaders what they wanted. The older, lesser known Turrentine does honor to the family name, and Butch Warren and Billy Higgins are excellent as always, but an added treat is hearing the deep voice of Ike Quebec’s tenor on ‘deep in a dream’, a elegant, languid, tune whose wistful, romantic quality was tailor made for the emotional musings of Quebec.

In many ways this song reminds me of the great version of “In a sentimental mood” that was the highlight of the album Coltrane and Ellington created. In any case this is an album that has the unity of a certain mellow-cool-tone, while at the same time shows enough jagged edges beneath the smooth-liquid-surface to keep things very interesting. Sonny Clark was always appreciated in accompaniment, but personally I appreciate the opportunity to hear something of his own conception. Sonny Clark was one of the great individualists on ivory, a rare and beautiful breed. *Note: this is a review of the non-RVG edition of this album. —Todd Stellhorn/Amazon.com

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

Wolfgang Maiwald Trio -||- Two Faces [Maiwald Music]

Tags

Jazz, Piano, Wolfgang Maiwald Trio

Wolfgang Maiwald Trio - Two Faces

Wolfgang Maiwald Trio -\\- Two Faces [Maiwald Music Productions, 2010]

“TWO FACES” is the new jazz trio album of pianist Wolfgang Maiwald, together with bassist Guus Bakker and drummer Joost Kesselaar. Two Faces illustrates the two worlds of a pianist whose roots lie in the rock and pop music of the seventies and eighties, and who later became inspired by pianists like Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock and Keith Jarrett. Wolfgang Maiwald, a cum laude conservatory graduate in piano jazz studies, offers on this CD his vision on music of these two worlds.

Two Faces is a disc that is not inundated with “”show-off” pianistic virtuosity. Rather, Wolfgang Maiwald gives all the space necessary to allow his fellow musicians to contribute and add color to his compositions. Technical brilliance occurs only where it is a natural process in improvisation. Two Faces is jazz music with nuance, currently, a rare find.

The seven melodies of composer Maiwald, roam from pop to jazz. From the most pop influenced “THE RIDDLE”, to the purest jazz influenced “CONDUCTION”. “MIDNIGHT LOUNGE”, a very relaxed and “groovy” tune, shines in its subdued playing and gentle crescendo. The beautiful interpretations of the jazz classic “I FALL IN LOVE TOO EASILY” and Herbie Hancock’s “CHAN’S SONG” demonstrate Maiwald’s ability to put his own stamp on a jazz standard.

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