The Dave Brubeck Quartet -][- TIME CHANGES

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Dave Brubeck, Jazz, Piano

Dave Burbeck - TIME CHANGES

The Dave Brubeck Quartet -][- TIME CHANGES – [Columbia, 1964]

I still own the original vinyl version of this album and must have played it 200 times over the last 4 decades. While there are lots of pops and scratches, the thing still sounds damn good. The CD version is first rate and has all the dynamics and nuances that make this my favorite Brubeck album. I own it for one reason, “Elementals.” If memory service me, the Eastman Conservatory asked Brubeck to write and perform a piece with their orchestra in celebration. What ensues is a truely inspired performance by both the orhestra and quartet.

As a bonus, the CD contains a shorter version of the piece with just the quartet that precedes the fully orchestrated recording. You don’t have to be a composition major to appreciate the structure that Brubeck created in this exercise in theme development and variation. I still hear things for the first time after all these years. –Robert C. | Music Reviewer Amazon

..:: SOURCE: Amazon.com ::..

BASSIST MICHAEL FEINBERG SHOWCASES A CONSTELLATION OF RISING JAZZ STARS ON “WITH MANY HANDS”

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Bass, Jazz, Michael Feinberg

“Back in the day, jazz was the music the cool kids listened to. Sure, it’s still cool. But between PBS documentaries and black-tie nights at upscale music halls, the genre’s downtown following has moved on up. Cue Michael Feinberg, the 22-year old Atlanta-raised, New York-based composer and bassist giving classical jazz an indie makeover.” — Spinner.com

Michael Feinberg

Jazz evolves and mutates at such a rapid rate that a distinctive new generation emerges every five years or so, steeped in the popular culture of the era and linked by a web of interconnecting relationships forged in music schools and elite summer programs. Bassist/ composer Michael Feinberg is a leading creative force among a protean group of improvisers in their mid-20s who just coming into their own, players raised on hip hop, international grooves, resurgent singer/songwriters and indie rock. His second album under his own name, With Many Hands, offers a vivid snapshot of a brilliant young cast of players fluent in jazz history but unfettered by canonical notions of tradition. The CD will be available on March 25, 2011; the group celebrates that night at Small’s NYC.

JAMAICAN JAZZ GIANT MONTY ALEXANDER TO RELEASE RIVETING LIVE ALBUM, UPLIFT, ON JAZZ LEGACY PRODUCTIONS, MARCH 29

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Jazz, Monty Alexander, Piano

Monty Alexander - UPLIFT

Monty Alexander -][- UPLIFT – [RETRIEVAL RECORDS, 2011]

ALEXANDER’S AUSPICIOUS LABEL DEBUT GIVES LISTENERS A FRONT ROW SEAT TO LIVE PIANO PERFECTION

Listen to exclusive streaming tracks from the album

Jamaican jazz piano virtuoso Monty Alexander is acclaimed the world over for his seemingly extraterrestrial technique and sublime, heartfelt swing. Now with the release of his Jazz Legacy Productions debut Uplift, the pianist opens his personal concert archives to eager listeners everywhere, for an unforgettably riveting recorded affair.

“Music is a healing force,” Alexander says, who is joined by bassist Hassan Shakur, drummer Herlin Riley, as well as drummer Frits Landesbergen (on one track). “My hope is that by the end of a concert, and by the end of this album too, everybody will be taken with a feeling of uplift. That’s what I always want to do.”

Native Soul -][- SOUL STEP [1-2-3-4 GO]

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Jazz, Native Soul

Native Soul - SOUL STEP

Native Soul -][- SOUL STEP – [1-2-3-4 GO, 2011]

Features dynamic drumming by Steve Johns, who has played with such artists as Sonny Fortune, Randy Brecker, and Stanley Turrentine.

Piano by one of New York s leading young pianists, Noah Haidu, who has played with such artists as the Winard Harper Sextet, Duane Eubanks, and Eddie Allen.

Bass virtuoso Marcus McLaurine has performed with such artists as Dizzy Gilliespie, Kenny Burell, and James Moody.

Brilliant saxophone performances from Peter Brainin, who has performed and recorded with Hilton Ruiz, Bobby Watson, Randy Weston, and more. –Product Description | Amazon

..:: SOURCE: Amazon.com ::..