George Lewis - The Recombinant Trilogy (2021) {New Focus Recordings fcr284}
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© 2021 New Focus Recordings | fcr284
Jazz / Modern Classical / Electronic / Experimental

Pioneering composer George Lewis releases "The Recombinant Trilogy," an album consisting of three works for solo instrument and electronics that use interactive digital delays, spatialization and timbre transformation to transform the acoustic sounds of the instrument into multiple digitally created sonic personalities that follow diverse yet intersecting spatial trajectories. Featuring virtuosic soloists flutist Claire Chase, cellist Seth Parker Woods, and bassoonist Dana Jessen, doppelgängers are created that blur the boundaries between original and copy, while shrouding their origin in processes of repetition.

Rob Blakeslee Quintet - Lifeline (1994) {Nine Winds Records NWCD 0147 rec 1992}
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© 1992, 1994 Nine Winds Records | NWCD 0147
Jazz / Avant-Garde Jazz / Post Bop / Contemporary Jazz / Trumpet

The opening ensembles of "Just off the Avenue" at first make it sound as if this is going to be a conventional hard bop quintet date, but that feeling is quickly dispelled. The music becomes progressively freer, and after a fairly straight-ahead trumpet solo from leader Rob Blakeslee (who contributed the five originals), pianist Tad Weed takes the music outside, where it remains during Vinny Golia's baritone solo before the band swings its way out. All five selections are lengthy and they often go in unexpected directions.

Sonny Rollins - The Way I Feel (1976) {Milestone OJCCD-666-2 rel 2006}
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© 1976, 2006 Milestone / Fantasy / Universal | 00025218666626
Jazz / Jazz-Funk / Post-Bop / Saxophone

This album often gets dismissed by Mr Rollins' devotees and to an extent I can understand why. It is very different to his major works. It is funkier and has more electric instruments. But putting that to one side, shouldn't the album be judged by the music therein? That music is great. There is plenty of Mr Rollins' fat and meaty playing, here used to more lyrical effect perhaps than on some other albums.

Chris Thomas King - The Legend of Tommy Johnson (2001) {21st Century Blues VE15156}
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© 2001 21st Century Blues Records | VE15156
Blues / Country Blues / Modern Acoustic Blues

After his screen debut as bluesman Tommy Johnson in O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Chris Thomas King released this ambitious concept album, which essentially tracks the history of country blues through to its electric blossoming in Chicago. Beginning a cappella and then working through covers of Tommy Johnson's "Canned Heat Blues" and Blind Willie Johnson's "Trouble Will Soon Be Over" mixed in with like-minded originals, King then plugs in and finishes with several Chicago-style electric numbers with a full band before closing out with his trademark post-Chicago approach. It's probably a bit more intriguing in concept than in actual execution, but the result is a pleasant and intelligent album.

Buddy Rich - Mercy, Mercy (1968) {Pacific Jazz ‎CDP854331 rel 1997}
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© 1968, 1997 Pacific Jazz / Capitol | CDP 7243 8 54331 2 2
Jazz / Modern Big Band / Mainstream Jazz / Bop / Drums

This CD reissue brings back the finest all-round recording by Buddy Rich's big band. The original version of "Channel 1 Suite" is a classic and contains tenor saxophonist Don Menza's most memorable solo, plus a couple of brilliant improvisations from the explosive drummer/leader. Another highlight is an inventive Phil Wilson arrangement of "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy," and even "Alfie" (a melodic feature for altoist Art Pepper) and "Ode to Billie Joe" come across well.

Tony Fruscella & Brew Moore - The 1954 Unissued Atlantic Session (1954) {Atlantic–Fresh Sound FSR-CD 660 rel 2011}
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© 1954-55, 2001 Atlantic / Verve / Fresh Sound Records | FSR-CD 66
Jazz / Cool / West Coast Jazz / Trumpet / Saxophone

Never before released in any format! These recordings are among the rarest treasures in jazz, unseen and unheard since Atlantic produced them in 1954, and their release can be considered an event for all the jazz community. This was a relaxed and easy session, essentially valuable for the musicians involved, trumpeter Tony Fruscella (1927-1969), and tenor Brew Moore (1924-1973), most particularly for the former, who died at 42.

John Zorn & Masada - Dalet (1994) {DIW Records Japan DIW-923 rel 1997} (Volume 4of10)
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© 1994, 1997 DIW Records Japan | DIW-923
Jazz / Avant-Garde Jazz / Klezmer / Post Bop / World Fusion / Ethnic Jazz

This is the fourth in the series of John Zorn's 10 Masada quartet albums (plus, as far as I know, one live recording released by Jazz DCOR and few more released on Zorn's own label, Tzadik). The four musicians of Masada quartet (John Zorn - alto sax, Dave Douglas - trumpet, Joey Baron - drums, Greg Cohen - bass) are all masters of their instruments. They have recorded the ten albums in only a few studio sessions, all of which feature very, very passionate and inspired playing. All of the albums are beautifully played, with exquisite sense for measure and taste, the musicians bringing their instruments to the edge of possible (and beyond, as it often seems, it's awesome!) but their virtuosity never being self-serving. Many compositions sound like folk themes, there are a lot of emotions, a lot of melancholy or sense of longing, but also some 'smoking', joyous faster tracks.

John Coltrane Quartet - Live In Austria (1962) {Stash Japan CECC00094 rel 1990}
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© 1962, 1990 Stash Records / Century Records Japan | CECC00094
Jazz / Post-Bop / Modal Music / Saxophone

This release presents the classic John Coltrane Quartet’s long unavailable 1962 concert in Graz, Austria. This recording comes from historical tapes. Although the sound quality is very good throughout, some small tape imperfections are noticeable, especially during “Impressions”. Every effort has been made to restore them using advanced technologies, but a few couldn’t be corrected without affecting this important music.

Lalo Schifrin - THX 1138 (1970) {Warner–FSM Vol. 6 No. 4 rel 2003}
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© 1970, 2003 Warner Bros. / Film Score Monthly | FSM Vol. 6 No. 4
Modern Classical / Experimental / Stage & Screen

Most of us know Lalo Schifrin for his jazz music and scores to Dirty Harry and Bullitt. That's how I first became aware of him and found other scores of his over the years that are completely different. THX 1138 is definitely one of those scores. Sure there are some jazz cues in here but mostly this score is more laid back, in a sense that is underscores the forbidden romance and mystery of the world this movie projects.

The Paris All-Stars - Homage to Charlie Parker (1989) {A&M Records 7502153002 rel 1990}
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© 1990 A&M Records | 75021 5300 2
Jazz / Bop / Bebop

The city of Paris celebrated bop and the spirit of Charlie Parker with several days of all-star concerts in 1989, highlighted by this performance featuring eight giants who either played with the late alto saxophonist or built upon the foundation of his contributions, though the repertoire doesn't draw exclusively from Parker's recordings. The concert was led by trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, with alto saxophonists Phil Woods and Jackie McLean, tenor saxophonist Stan Getz, vibraphonist Milt Jackson, pianist Hank Jones, bassist Percy Heath, and drummer Max Roach. Egos are never apparent as the men joyfully support one another and no one goes out of his way to showboat during a solo.

Gilberto Gil - Gilberto Gil (Frevo Rasgado) (1968) {Mercury–Universal 73145428132 rel 1998}
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© 1968, 1998 Mercury / EmArcy / Universal | 73145428132 / 542 813-2
Jazz / Brazilian Jazz / MPB / Brazilian Traditions / Brazilian Pop

Gilberto Gil's second album is packed with some of the best songs of his career – jubilant pop extravaganzas like "Domingo No Parque," "Pega a Voga, Cabeludo," and "Frevo Rasgado" that were equally inspired by the irresistible, brassy bombast of Carnaval and intelligent rock & roll from America and Britain. Even more than the other tropicalistas, though, Gil blends his rock and native influences seamlessly, resulting in songs like "Êle Falava Nisso Todo Dia" that chart an intriguing fusion of Brazilian and British Invasion (before he breaks into Portuguese for the first verse, the intro sounds exactly like a few early Rolling Stones productions).

Eddie Harris - Come on Down! & The Reason Why I'm Talking S–t (2006) {Atlantic–Collectables COL-CD-7672 rec 1970-1975}
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© 1970-75, 2006 Atlantic / Collectables Records | COL-CD-7672
Jazz / Jazz-Funk / Soul Jazz / Blue Humor / Comedy / Saxophone

This repackages two of Eddie Harris' 1970s albums: Come on Down! was recorded in Miami in 1970 and The Reason Why I'm Talking S–t is a bizarre live album from 1975. Released as a two-disc collection, this is one of the stranger things Collectables has ever done. The first disc is a solid soul-jazz, rock, and funk date with Ira Sullivan, pianist Dave Crawford, Duck Dunn on bass, and Cornell Dupree on guitar with an all too rare appearance by Tubby Zeigler on drums. Harris wrote all but one track. Produced by Tom Dowd, it's a gritty, greasy burner with the guitars allowed front space with the horns and paired with Harris' electric sax. It's FONKIFIED.

Johnny Otis - Rhythm & Blues Caravan: The Complete Savoy Recordings (1999) {3CD Set, Atlantic–Savoy 92859-2 rec 1949-1952}
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© 1949-52, 1999 Atlantic / Savoy Jazz | 92859-2
Jazz / Blues / Early R&B / Jump Blues

A deluxe three-disc set summing up Otis' pre-Hand Jive days as an R&B bandleader of some renown who employed various singers on a number of singles for the Savoy label. The recording debuts of the Robins, Little Esther Phillips, Mel Walker, guitarist Pete Lewis, and Linda Hopkins are all here, and you hear how Otis kept his ear to the ground, changing and moving to keep pace with a big-band scene that was slowly dying out, while making some marvelous DIY records along the way. Incredible notes from Billy Vera make this a box set well worth having in the collection.

Hank Jones - Piano Solo (1956) {Savoy–Fresh Sound FSR-CD 483 rel 2008}
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© 1956, 2008 Savoy Jazz / Fresh Sound Recorsd | FSR-CD 483
Jazz / Bop / Mainstream Jazz / Piano

Savoy jazz director, Ozzie Cadena, was the first a&r man to give Hank Jones the amount of record time he deserved. In addition to Jones’s steadying presence as a sideman on many sessions, Cadena saw to it that he was finally brought before a wider audience than at any previous point in his career. This time Cadena chose to present him as a solo performer, an inspired choice, since Jones is a complete jazz pianist in that he can be his own rhythm section if he has to.

Larry Coryell, Victor Bailey, Lenny White - Electric (2005) {Chesky Records JD308}
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© 2005 Chesky Records | JD308
Jazz / Fusion / Jazz-Rock / Guitar / Bass / Drums

This trio set featuring guitarist Larry Coryell, drummer Lenny White, and bassist Victor Bailey is issued by Chesky, purveyor of uncompressed audiophile recordings. And while the sound is wondrous, it's the performances here that take front and center. The mix of jazz, funk, and rock tunes on Electric is infectious, especially when played with such incendiary inspiration. Members of this trio wrote four of the nine tunes here. White's furied funk freak-out "Wolfsbane" opens the proceeding on a hot note, and Coryell's "BB Blues" takes the jazz-inflected blues to a new intensity.