FUN HOUSE

Garnett is now considered one of jazz's most incendiary tenor saxophonists. Taking his Coltrane influences & mixing them with the experience gained from playing the likes of Miles Davis, Pharoah Sanders & Art Blakey, he sprinkles his sound with the fiery Latin rhythms of his native Panama. For this, his Savant debut, he has assembled a "little big band" that roars, purrs, soars & sails through nine sizzling tracks. He pays tribute to Coltrane, Clifford Brown & his Latin heritage.

Most people recognize Stan Hope as the favorite pianist of Houston Person (who appears on this album), Etta Jones & others - here he makes his debut as a leader, sprinkling some Erroll Garner tunes in with a selection of other great standards

Heid's amazing B-3 chops have made him the musical heir to the Larry Young/Don Patterson throne, shooting off wildly imaginative & hard-driving sounds w. 2 reed players rounding out the mix

Born in Panama, raised in New York, and residing for a period in Paris, the unique & highly original sound of Debriano is hardly cryptogenic. Santi has successfully blended the emotional & rhythmic character of his Latin American birth with the jazz sound of New York & tied it together with a logic & cosmopolitanism that may be considered somewhat French. Terms such as "world music" & "Latin jazz" come to mind, but Santi's music defies categorization. Joining him is Israeli-born violinist Miri Ben-Ari, tenor sax man Abraham Burton, Brazilian pianist Helio Alves, and Latin percussionist Willie Martinez playing all sorts of exotic instruments.

THANKS TO YOU

LIVE AT SWEET BASIL 2

MOVIN OUT

Nothing hones a pianist's sense of color, rhythm & harmonic subtlety more than accompanying vocalists - Norman brings that experience to playing, giving unique insight & meaning to this program of standards & originals, featuring Eric Alexander, Henry Johnson & others

Tenor saxophonist leads his group through the "groove" sounds of the 70's w. Bernard Purdie-drms, Joey Defrancesco-organ, Rodney Jones-gtr, Tracy Wormsworth-bss

SYNTHESIS

SPIRITS IN THE FIELD

Blythe is one of those rare talents in jazz who has the uncanny ability to appeal to both mainstream & avant garde tastes simultaneously. His latest outing highlights those similarities while also exhibiting Blythe's totally unique sound & individual approach. Of course, there are some Coltrane tunes, some standards & a few originals too. Through it all, his playing remains emotionally direct & ably supported by the monster piano chops of John Hicks. Bassist Dwayne Dolphin & drummer Cecil Brooks III provide the rhythmic thrust.

Alto saxophonist is joined by his friend Russell Gunn on his latest hard-bop album, produced by drummer Cecil Brooks III; Bruce shows versatility with tunes like the bluesy "Elijah's Blues," the swinging Parker-esque "Three Crows On Guard" & the unique take on "You Are So Beautiful"

Emerging from the Don Patterson/Larry Young school of playing, Heid has succeeded in developing a new sound for the Hammond keyboard, transposing hard-bop licks to the organ; here is a hard-driving, take-no-prisoners quartet session feat. saxophonist Scott "E-Dog" Peterson, trumpeter Joe Magnarelli & drummer Randy Gelespie

E-BOP

Arthur Blythe is "the magic figure of reconciliation, the force of consensus, that modern jazz has ben looking for in vain since the death of John Coltrane - Jazz Times". This album is a must HEAR!

Though the term "visionary" is rather overused, it certainly applies to tenor saxophonist and composer JD Allen. A musical sponge of sorts, Allen is a remarkable amalgam of a wide variety of musical styles and influences, blurring the boundaries of contemporary jazz by creating a dynamic fusion of tradition and modernity. There is a decidedly "third stream" quality to Allen's compositions, combining as they do advanced classical compositional techniques, the incorporation of electronic sounds and the distillation of historic jazz genres such as call and response, field hollers and, of course, the blues. This type of music relies on the total dedication of all the performers and Allen's latest recording features three of his regular colleagues, the acoustic and electric basses of Gregg August and Ian Kenselaar and the remarkably expressive drummer, Nic Cacioppo. These men have worked with Allen on his previous Savant recordings, perhaps most notably on the unofficial trilogy of "Americana," "Americana Vol. 2" and "Barracoon," and can be considered kindred spirits with their leader. Together, they delve into themes of culture and history, offering moving narratives through their sophisticated approach and profound improvisational skills.

WHAT YOU HEAR IS WHAT YOU GET

As far as drummer Brandon Sanders is concerned, everyone should have a grandmother who runs a jazz club. It was at the Casablanca, his grandmother's nightspot in Kansas City, that he was first exposed to the music of such greats as Jimmy Smith, Grant Green, and Lou Donaldson. Sanders may be long removed from those formative days, but on this CD, his sophomore recording for Savant, he pays homage to the influence and memory of his grandmother, Ernestine Parker, in the the album's first track, "Miss Ernestine." With his understated, whispery light touch on the drums, Sanders breathes fresh life into favorites, such as Parker's "Moose the Mooche" and Monk's "Four in One." The group shifts into pop mode on the Michael Jackson hit "Human Nature," which features guest vocalist Christie Dashiell, who also delivers a sensuous version of Ellington's "Prelude to a Kiss." Featuring vibraphonist Warren Wolf, pianist Keith Brown, bassist David Wong and saxophonist Chris Lewis, "The Tables Will Turn" marks another important chapter in Brandon Sander's career.

Winard Harper is one of the most dynamic drummers in jazz today. His sound melds traditional jazz with exotic African instruments pushing the boundaries of jazz with COME INTO THE LIGHT, his latest album. Recorded live at Cecil's, the newest jazz hangout in the Metro-New York area, featuring jazz standards and original tunes.

I WANNA BE LOVED

Alan Broadbent is one of New Zealand's favorite musical sons and perhaps the most well-known and multi-talented of them all. Many are familiar with his arranging and conducting for Sir Paul McCartney, Diana Krall, Pat Metheny and Michael Buble. Others may know Broadbent has received 8 Grammy nominations and won 2 Grammy Awards for Best Orchestral Arrangement Accompanying a Vocal, one for Natalie Cole and one for Shirley Horn. On Like Minds, Broadbent takes a seat on the piano bench for his third Savant recording with his trio featuring the great bassist Harvie S and the colorful drumming of Billy Mintz. Together these men play with notable clarity and poise, and their performances - even those of familiar standards - are wonderfully tuneful, sometimes whimsical and often moving, with the overall effect always coming across as coolly engaging and totally spontaneous. "I'm averse to playing what I jokingly call 'big band trio arrangements,' where everybody plays the rhythmic hits," Broadbent explains. "I'll get a big band if I want to do that. For me, for the trio, I want it to change every time." Spontaneous and off-the-cuff these 9 tracks may be but the closer you listen, the more inventive and exquisitely crafted they sound, with the recording showing that, without a doubt, these three superb musicians are of like minds indeed.

For three decades Mike LeDonne has been an exceptional avatar of the Hammond B3 organ. Forged by his impressive jazz apprenticeship, with the likes of Milt Jackson, George Coleman and Benny Golson, LeDonne comes from a long and distinguished line of masters of that instrument. And for eighteen years, he's lead the Groover Quartet his formidable foursome consisting of tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander, guitarist Peter Bernstein and drummer Joe Farnsworth. Joining the quartet is the great drummer Mike Clark. After collaborations with Herbie Hancock, Christian McBride, Nicholas Payton and others, Clark has influenced a generation of percussionists and brings his own unmistakable style to two tracks on the CD.

Boston doesn't get enough credit as a jazz town. From the days of the Storyville club and Cambridge-based Transition label to the star factory that is Berklee College of Music, the city stands tall against more celebrated places like Chicago and Detroit. One big part of that high level of creative output is Jerry Bergonzi who, for this date, leads his most Bostonian band in recent memory, reuniting with trumpeter pal Phil Grenadier and drummer Luther Gray. Bassist Harvie S came up from New York for the gig and it was he who suggested guitarist Sheryl Bailey for the album. She completes the Boston connection with her position as the Assistant Chair of Berklee's legendary Guitar Department. "To work with Jerry and study and perform his music is the definition of a dream come true," says Bailey who has played with artists ranging from Ken Peplowski to Shingo Okudaira. Here, Bergonzi has convened a fine band for a compelling album, another feather in Boston's tricorn hat.