VINDONISSA

Put Pittsburgh guitarist Jimmy Ponder in a recording studio & he acts like a magnet attracting the best names in jazz - Don Braden, John Hicks, Dwayne Dolphin & Cecil Brooks III join him, swinging, dreaming, grooving & making beautiful bossa nova - the session combines the excitement of a club date with the control of the studio & shows why the Pittsburgh Post Gazette hailed Jimmy as "the Segovia of jazz".

Etta Jones could do it all. You could hear it in every note she sang. You heard it best on up-tempo tunes when she would swing with a joyful abandon and an almost godlike authority. But even when she sang the most tragic and heart wrenching of ballads Jones conveyed a resilient inner core. Those traits are here in abundance on this live concert recording of Etta and her long-time partner Houston Person at the 2000 Tri-C Jazz Festival. Etta's voice remained remarkably consistent throughout her career and she sounds particularly vibrant here on her featured tracks.

Molvaer draws heavily on grooves and loops, mixing together ambient soundscapes and electronics with plethora of dance beats drawn from jungle, dub, hip-hop and trip-hop, house and nu-house, new soul underground and a dozen other sub-idioms, and has come up with a winning formula, very broad in it's appeal. Tracks include "Dead Indeed," Wilderness 1," "Merciful," "Solid Ether," plus more.

More recordings from the closely guarded vaults of the legendary Onyx Records, inc. 2 unforgettable sets of late Lester circa 1956, when Pres' playing was at it's most communicative & introverted; here he shines on a selection of standards & 2 signature tunes, "Lester Leaps In" & "Lester's European Blues," which have been unavailable since their initial release on LP in '73

REVIEW

Foot stompin', swingin' jazz is represented on this budget priced compilation feat. Joey DeFrancesco, "Papa" John Defrancesco, Eric Alexander, Charles Earland, Bootsie Barns, Houston Person, Melvin Sparks, Byron Landham, Randy Johnson, Uri Caine, Mickey Roker, Tracy Wormworth, Bernard Purdie, Jimmy Ponder & many more

Woody Shaw is widely revered across the globe as the last major innovator to significantly revolutionize modern jazz trumpet playing. Shaw's innovations vastly extended the harmonic and technical vocabulary of the instrument and remain largely unparalleled in the world of music. Shaw is also remembered as one of the great, modern jazz composers to have developed a distinct musical sound and identity through his original compositions. Here is a program of Woody Shaw playing his own works with some of his favorite sidemen.

The tragically short career of Shaw is fairly well documented on records; there is, however, a dearth of live material from him - here is the first installment in a series of live material recorded at the peak of his creative powers, feat. some safe, commercially recorded material, as well as cuts where Shaw stretches out and let's 'er rip on improvisational workouts

The inventive and open-minded approach of Wallace Roney's previous HighNote releases is maintained on HOME. Roney is taking the eclecticism of his influences and merging them into a coherent whole.

UNDERSTANDING

One of the finest masters of popular singing presents a handful of songs by Sammy Cahn, the Gershwins, Rodgers & Hart + others, feat. her long-time collaborater & pianist Mike Greensill

Jazz veteran plays alto sax, flute & bass flute, leading his quartet on standards, feat. Richard Wyands-pno, Ron McClure-bss & Tony Reedus-drms

Walking the tightrope that is stretched between history and progress is a difficult task for a young jazz musician. During the last five years, Jeremy Pelt has explored many post-war jazz trends, but for his HighNote debut recording he has settled into the acoustic, post-bop format with his regular band that includes the tenor sax of J.D. Allen with the rhythm section of Danny Grissett, piano, Dwayne Burno, bass and Gerald Cleaver, drums. One listen and it is easy to see why he was voted Rising Star on the Trumpet five years in a row by Downbeat and the Jazz Journalists Association.

Young trumpet genius (who has toured w. Branford & Wynton Marsalis) blazes new trails on originals, feat. Greg Tardy-sax, Sherman Irby-flt, Stefon Harris-vibe, James Hurt-pno, Eric Revis-bss, Ali Jackson-drms

I REMEMBER YOU

Fine young jazz player pushes the limits of jazz composition to the max - this album is a multi-movement suite which blurs the boundaries between jazz & other genres; he's surrounded by an accomplished group of young players

Tenor saxophonist presents a relaxed, easy-swinging session backed up by Virgil Jones-tpt, Richard Wyands-pno, Buster Williams-bss & Chip White-drms

Saxophonist Lee Konitz began his career in the wake of Charlie Parker but he became arguably the only saxophonist to offer an alternative to Bird's overwhelming influence at the time. It is not surprising then that free-thinking and improvising Konitz would gravitate to the post-modern sensibilities of Ethan Iverson, best known as the pianist in the Bad Plus and a composer of extremely wide range and versatility. Together they offer a wildly creative set list where past and present combine to teeter on the edge of the future.

Mary Stallings enchants audiences around the world with her divine musicality, elegant stage presence, and a voice that is, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, "supple and timeless, encompassing the whole history of music." the New York Times says she's "perhaps the best jazz singer alive today" and her 2013 HighNote recording offers ample proof. With the supremely gifted pianist, composer, arranger Eric Reed as Music Director, Mary offers ten tunes which show the full range of her considerable talents.

Joey DeFrancesco offers a hard-driving disc with a mixture of his own Hammond and the tried and true flavors of his regular bandmates Steve Cotter and Ramon Banda. This swinging threesome references everybody from saxophonist Sonny Rollins ("Way out West") and former boss Miles Davis ("I Don't Wanna Be Kissed") to Thelonious Monk ("Monk's Dream"), putting it's own stamp on this format in straightforward fashion. The band clearly delights in exploring the material, playing off one another and, in the case of DeFrancesco and Cotter, letting their envious chops off the leash.

New Orleans-born LaVerne Butler's voice exudes an established confidence and impeccable taste. Eschewing scatological pyrotechnics, she relies instead on nuances, caressing syllables and imbuing all sorts of speculative meaning into rests in a most sensuous, though never sensationalistic, way. With her accompanist-Music Director Bruce Barth, LaVerne turns her attentions to a group of standards and jazz tunes that highlight not just her sexy ribbon of a voice, but which also give her accompanying quartet plenty of space to show their wares.

Eric Alexander makes his first foray on HighNote Records into the hallowed halls of the 'ballad record', and joins the ranks of such tenor balladeers as Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, Houston Person, Hank Mobley and countless others. But this is not your mother's ballad record. Eric has selected an interesting program of music that will interest and please even the most seasoned collectors. From "Dinner for One Please, James" to Trane's "Central Park West," Eric displays a thoughtful sensitivity that is all the more effective for being so surprising.

WATER & EARTH

The first lady of jazz vocals is featured here on a set of standards inc. "Trav'lin' Light," "More Than You Know" & "Night Life," feat. Melvin Sparks, Aaron Graves, Houston Person & others