Flux Music Essentials … [Davis, El Movimiento, McFerrin, Parks & Washington]

Tags

Aaron Parks, Bobby McFerrin, El Movimiento, Grover Washington Jr., Jazz, Miles Davis

Greeting’s jazz enthusiasts, I’m back with another tasty mix of jazz that’s undoubtedly shaken and well stirred from the shelves of the “Flux Music Essentials.” As can you see, the titles below may or may not fit in the category of hot selling artist/recordings. Nevertheless, they’re personal favorites that I’ve met and grown to love.

Flux Music Essentials

Miles Davis - Nefertiti

Miles Davis -|- Nefertiti – [Sony, 1967]

The fourth studio album by the second great Miles Davis quintet, and the second comprising material recorded in the pivotal year of 1967, NEFERTITI marked yet another metamorphosis in the career of a great musician noted for welcoming change. While Davis (1926-1991) did not make wholesale, far- reaching alterations on NEFERTITI, as he had on KIND OF BLUE and E.S.P and would on BITCHES BREW, one could say that the pace-setting trumpeter-bandleader modified his approach to the freebop that had for two-and-and-half years been his group’s bread and butter, at least for recording purposes.

On the title selection, and to a lesser extent on “Fall” (another indelibly aching piece) and “Pinocchio,” all high water marks in the catalog of tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter, the group’s principal composer, Davis had the front line and rhythm section reverse their traditional roles. While the horns repeated the theme again and again, pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Tony Williams shifted the beat’s emphasis, stretched the time, and offered a full dynamic/emotional range. The effect was like a series of time lapse photographs of a particularly beautiful scene, with light and color and shadows subtly, but continually changing, thus shifting the focus of one’s eye – or, in this case, ear. This made for some of Davis’ most mesmerizing music since KIND OF BLUE and SKETCHES OF SPAIN.

Expanded significantly to almost 66 minutes by the the inclusion of four consistently enthralling alternate takes, NEFERTITI presents Miles Davis’ second great quintet at the peak of their hypnotic, roiling, poetic powers. —Amazon.com

El Movimiento -|- The Movement

Tags

El Movimiento, Giovanni Rodriguez, Imer Santiago, Jazz, Rahsaan Barber

El Movimiento - The Movement

El Movimiento -|- The Movement – [Nueva Nota Records, 2010]

El Movimiento (The Movement) has quickly become a sensation in Nashville’s jazz scene, boasting an all-star collection of Music City’s finest Latin-jazz performers. The band’s powerful and original sound and original repertoire are the result of a unique multi-cultural partnership between a trio of accomplished young musicians – saxophonist and native Nashvillian Rahsaan Barber, Dominican percussionist Giovanni Rodriguez, and Puerto-Rican trumpeter Imer Santiago.

“Elmo”, as the band has come to be known by its fans, has, even since its very beginnings, been committed to both building on the heritage passed on by traditional Latin-jazz giants (such as Tito Puente and Eddie Palmieri) and also to incorporating the contemporary influences of modern jazz, rock and other popular American styles. The result of these two pursuits is a unique musical expression capable of satisfying both die-hard fans of Latin-jazz as well as enchanting a younger generation of listeners who are more familiar with the newer sounds of contemporary jazz, soul music and Latin pop.