In the 40 years since Dave Hollands recording debut as a leader with his landmark recording CONFERENCE OF THE BIRDS he has produced a remarkable series of recordings documenting his musical journey. For PRISM, his latest recording, he's assembled a quartet of outstanding players and composers who are also leaders in their own right, Kevin Eubanks on guitar, Craig Taborn on piano and Fender Rhodes and Eric Harland on drums. The recording is representative of the wide range of musical references that these musicians incorporate into their music and it features compositions written by each of them for the group.
CD reissue. Elvin Ray Jones was an American jazz drummer of the post-bop era. He moved to New York City in 1955 and worked as a sideman for Charles Mingus, Teddy Charles, Bud Powell and Miles Davis. From 1960 to 1966 he was a member of the John Coltrane quartet. Following his work with Coltrane, Jones led several small groups, some under the name The Elvin Jones Jazz Machine. Summit Meeting was originally released in 1976 on Vanguard Records. Musicians appearing on this album include saxophonists James Moody and Bunky Green, trumpeter Clark Terry and guitarist Roland Price.
Dave Douglas is a prolific trumpeter, composer and educator from New York City. His unique contributions to improvised music have garnered distinguished recognition, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, an Aaron Copland award and two Grammy nominations. Douglas has developed his work for several unique ensembles with whom he's currently active, including his new quintet, an electric sextet (Keystone), and Sound Prints Quintet, co-led with saxophonist Joe Lovano. His quintet released it's debut recording, Be Still, in September 2012 with singer Aoife O'Donovan, the first time Douglas has featured a vocalist on a recording. Time Travel is their follow-up album. Features Jon Irabagon, Matt Mitchell, Linda Oh, and Rudy Royston. Recorded & Mixed by Joe Ferla.
Known globally for his uncompromising musical vision, staggering virtuosity and deep reserves of soul, Wayne Krantz is one of very few modern guitarists to venture beyond the instrument's limitations and create an identifiably original style and sound. Good Piranha/Bad Piranha is his full-throttle double-take on four contemporary pop and hip-hop songs, from which he plunders the textural, rhythmic and harmonic intrigue that has come to define each of his unique projects. Krantz has scaled back the setting and material for his tenth outing as a leader. Good Piranha/Bad Piranha finds his trio in the studio revisiting a selection of cover tunes they performed during legendary recent appearances at the 55 Bar in Greenwich Village.Joining Krantz on Good Piranha/Bad Piranha are his longtime trio mates Keith Carlock (Steely Dan, Sting) on drums and Tim Lefebvre (Tedeschi Trucks Band) on bass. Recent cohort Nate Wood (Kneebody) reprises his chameleonic role in Krantz' touring band, appearing here on bass for the first versions of the four tunes and then on drums for the second. The material is delicately enhanced by occasional vocal interjections courtesy Gabriela Anders.
Willie Jones III's indomitable will to swing infuses My Point Is..., the newest musical statement from one of today's most prolific figures in modern jazz. Featuring a nonpareil rhythm section (Jones on drums, pianist Reed and legendary bassist Buster Williams) who propel a multi-generational, all-star cast of improvisers (trumpeter EddieHenderson and tenor saxophonist Ralph Moore), My Point Is... is straight ahead swing at it's finest. As a leader and artist who surrounds himself with musicians who compose great works, Jones selected tunes composed by himself and members of this ensemble to appear on this title. Stunning interpretations of "Peace" by Horace Silver and "The Maze" by Herbie Hancock add to this new collection.
2019 release. When she recorded her solo piano debut, Place to Be, in 2009, Hiromi was on the eve of her 30th birthday. She realized that the album would offer a snapshot of the chapter just ending, the ways in which her experiences and personal growth had shaped her sound over the course of her 20s. She decided then that she would revisit the solo format at least once a decade, building a sonic portrait of her evolution and artistry. Ten years later, the prolific pianist goes it alone once again.
A leading bassist of his generation, Matt Brewer has distinguished himself in groups led by Greg Osby, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Vijay Iyer, John Escreet and many others. His Criss Cross appearances on Mike Moreno's First In Mind and David Binney's Anacapa have also left a lasting impression. On Mythology, his debut as a leader, the Oklahoma City-born, Albuquerque, New Mexico-raised Brewer leads a sextet with some of the fiercest individualists on the jazz scene today: alto saxist Steve Lehman and tenorist Mark Turner in the frontline; guitarist Lage Lund and pianist David Virelles as ensemble voices and featured soloists as well; drummer Marcus Gilmore bringing a flexible, swinging, highly structured rhythmic vocabulary to the table.With his mostly original pieces Brewer reveals an adventurous, lyrical bent as a composer. The band's uptempo reading of Ornette Coleman's "Free" truly catches fire as well.
Vinyl LP pressing. The 3LP-set Uncharted Territories reunites double bassist/composer/bandleader Dave Holland with saxophonist Evan Parker, a longtime friend from their early days in London. They're joined by Craig Taborn, on piano and electronics, and Ches Smith on percussion. In addition to quartet improvisations, they also break off into every possible subset of duo and trio configurations here. Featuring two compositions by Smith and one by Holland, the 23-track collection presents a series of deep, multi-layered conversations between the musicians, some of whom were interacting for the first time.
(2-CD set) "On Call" is the 3rd album by Peter Erskine & The Dr. Um Band, a double-CD package with six studio and five 'live' tracks, featuring keyboardist/arranger John Beasley, saxophonist Bob Sheppard, bass phenom Benjamin Shepherd and legendary drummer Peter Erskine. With an album cover that recalls Weather Report's "Night Passage" album (which featured live & studio cuts), the Dr. Um Band realizes the musical potential of fusion and completes a picture that Joe Zawinul and Wayne Shorter began painting 50 years ago. From the first track's uncanny and authentic evocation of WR to it's thrilling concert cuts, "On Call" is the album fusion fans have been waiting for. Plus, it swings & sounds great.
Pianist Hal Galper's series of trio recordings over the last 10 years incorporates his development of "Rubato" playing as a means of melding melodic lyricism with the rhythmic excitement and "sound of surprise" of the bebop tradition. Being a passionate advocate for the apprenticeship system, Galper formed the Youngbloods in 2015 to further explore rubato while providing him the platform to work with vital young musicians on the New York scene, passing on lessons from his 50 year career. With saxophonist Nathan Bellot, bassist Dean Torrey, and drummer David Frazier, Galper revisits some of the compositions, fire, and adventurousness of his seminal recordings from the '70s during this set from the 2016 COTA Jazz Festival in Delaware Water Gap, where they celebrated the life of Galper's longtime employer, saxophonist Phil Woods."Successfully taking bop into the new century, Galper is on the money throughout with restless creativity that draws you in and keeps you there..." - Midwest Record.
On his third leader release for Criss Cross, guitarist Lage Lund returns to the quartet format that he navigated on the brilliant 2010 release Unlikely Stories (CRC 1321), recruiting young piano giant Aaron Parks to join world-class bass-drum partners Ben Street and Bill Stewart. It's another triumph for the 2005 Thelonious Monk Guitar Competition winner, who puts his lovely tone to work on a program of six originals and three off-the beaten track covers marked by informed harmonic dialogue, keen attention to melody, and an endless will to swing.
