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| Howard Alden |
J A Z Z M U S I C
LISTEN THE PLAYLIST ON DEEZER.COM
2002-2012
Howard Alden
Soul Eyes (Mal Waldron) 4:25
My Shining Hour (Harold Arlen / Johnny Mercer) 3:42
from My Shining Hour 2002
With all of the recording activity by guitarist Howard Alden in the dozen or so years prior to the 2002 release of My Shining Hour, it is hard to believe that this is his first unaccompanied date. Alternating between electric and acoustic archtop seven-string guitars, Alden delivers one masterful performance after another. His brilliant technique is showcased in a dazzling take of "My Shining Hour" (which begins with a very subtle introduction)... Howard Alden will have many shining hours ahead of him in the studio and on-stage, but this memorable CD should serve as an important landmark in his already very impressive career.
Jeremy Pelt
Weird Nightmare (Charles Mingus) 5:27
Take Me in Your Arms 4:36
52 Blues (Drinkin' & Drivin') (Jimmy Rowles) 7:30
from Close to My Heart 2003
At 27, this amazingly versatile jazz trumpeter has a resumé that leads to huge expectations. His ensemble work has encompassed Ravi Coltrane, Roy Hargrove, Ralph Peterson, Cassandra Wilson, Greg Osby, and the Mingus Big Band. Pelt topped the 2003 Down Beat magazine annual critics poll for Rising Star on Trumpet, and the Jazz Journalist Association selected him as one of the Best Emerging Stars in Jazz. On his debut for the Maxjazz Horn Series, he brings along luminaries Mulgrew Miller, Peter Washington, and Lewis Nash, but it's clear he could be jamming with a bunch of no-names and be equally as emotional and engaging. The joy here comes from the unexpected fluctuations in tone and vibe from track to track...
Donny McCaslin
Skyward (Donny McCaslin) 6:01
The Way Through (Donny McCaslin) 7:50
Flutter (David Binney / Donny McCaslin) 5:46
from The Way Through 2004
Donny McCaslin is a musician in constant evolution who moves on without looking back, and The Way Through documents another important stage in his career. Built around a core trio featuring drummer Adam Cruz and bassist Scott Colley, the session has a lot to offer. The saxophonist is truly emerging as a singular voice -- he shows a lot of integrity and delivers genuine emotion... In a nutshell, this brilliant session is a clear evidence of McCaslin's all-around talents.
Jenny Scheinman
The Frog Threw His Head Back and Laughed (Jenny Scheinman) 6:09
Moe Hawk (Jenny Scheinman) 6:36
The Bouy Song (Jenny Scheinman) 4:39
from 12 Songs 2005
No one can accuse violinist and composer Jenny Scheinman of promulgating any kind of jazz cliché, or even of fitting in especially well with the rest of the Cryptogramophone label's crew of off-kilter jazz experimentalists. Her obsession is with songs and with lyrics -- neither of which appear on this paradoxically titled album. The 12 compositions here aren't actually songs, but are meant to feel like songs, by which Scheinman means that they're intended to be clear, straightforward, singable, and emotionally direct... This kind of balance between directness, intensity, and complexity makes 12 Songs a more than usually impressive and compelling modern jazz album. Very highly recommended.
Medeski Scofield Martin and Wood
Medeski, Martin & Wood / John Scofield
Known for his distinctive, slightly distorted sound, jazz guitarist John Scofield is a masterful jazz improviser who has straddled the lines between straight-ahead post-bop, fusion, funk, and soul-jazz
Little Walter Rides Again (John Scofield) 3:53
In Case the World Changes Its Mind (Billy Martin / John Medeski / John Scofield) 3:39
What Now (Billy Martin / John Medeski / John Scofield) 4:52
Julia (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) 5:12
from Out Louder 2006
Out Louder reunites keyboardist John Medeski, drummer Billy Martin, and bassist Chris Wood with guitar great John Scofield, who employed the trio on his 1997 A Go Go album. That record opened the creativity gates for both the trio and Scofield, who fed off and goaded each other into territories neither party had previously gone separately. Out Louder isn't so much a rematch as an upgrade. Both Scofield and MMW have continued to explore in the near-decade since A Go Go, and they come to this project with a greater understanding of their collective abilities as well as a willingness to explore the possibilities further. Not unexpectedly, the four musicians work hard here, but they also have a ton of fun... If ever MMW and Scofield decided to make something more permanent of their meet-ups, one can only guess where else they might go.
Hiromi
Time Difference (Hiromi Uehara) 6:18
Time Travel (Hiromi Uehara) 8:37
Time Control, or Controlled by Time (Hiromi Uehara) 8:27
from Hiromi's Sonicbloom: Time Control 2007
Hiromi Uehara's version of jazz is unique without being willfully strange -- clearly deeply rooted in the straight-ahead jazz verities, she nevertheless writes with a distinctly postmodern sensibility, gleefully juxtaposing wildly disparate musical elements and infusing everything with a joyful energy. In fact, joyful energy is probably the most significant hallmark of her music; on her latest album, even her attempt at a ballad eventually winds up in swinging uptempo territory, and just about everything else either rushes headlong or rocks out strongly in midtempo. This is actually something of a concept album centered on the idea of time, the control of time, and the effects of time on humans...
Avishai Cohen Trio
Seattle (Avishai Cohen) 2:50
Lo Baiom Velo Balyla (Traditional) 5:25
Variations in G Minor (Avishai Cohen) 5:33
from Gently Disturbed 2008
Avishai Cohen has established himself over the past decade as one of the more versatile and curious bassists around. For Gently Disturbed he hooks up with the young pianist Shai Maestro, a fellow Israeli, and drummer Mark Guiliana, on a set that is never less than exciting, always seductive, and often quite challenging. The gently playful opener, "Seattle," is a teaser: a waltz-inspired rhythm percolates underneath, but its simple foundation is often obscured by the trio's complex interplay... Of course, Cohen makes sure to step into the spotlight often enough to reassure that he is in fact the leader here, and on tracks such as Cohen's own neo-classical "Variations in G Minor" and the traditional Israeli song "Lo Baiom Velo Balyla," Cohen's intricate maneuvering reveals once again the ceaseless creativity of his musicianship.
W. H.
XII 3:05
XXV 3:50
LXXV 4:11
from Shakespeare's Sonnets 2009
Utilizing Hungary’s top hip-hop diva MC Sena’s vocal skills and the three musicians’ improvisational aptitude together with Shakespeare’s lyricism, the group is determined to go against the grain of all popular conventions to exhibit a new form of entertainment, infused with education. Hence it is not easy to describe the outcome of the production, as the pieces display characteristics of different genres, such as klangfarbe musik, free jazz, contemporary improvisational music, abstract hiphop, spoken word. All of this eventually intermingles into an incomparable sound and an absorbing show indeed, with the greatest respect and decorum to the ever-living artistry and magnitude of William Shakespeare...
Trombone Shorty
Hurricane Season (Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews) 3:20
Backatown (Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews) 2:46
The Cure (Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews / Mike Ballard / Pete Murano) 3:38
from Backatown 2010
Backatown, the Verve debut from New Orleans composer, bandleader, and trombone and trumpet boss Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews, was one of the most hotly anticipated recordings of 2010. Given the well-deserved reputation Andrews and his Orleans Avenue band have for incendiary live performances, one had to wonder if it would translate in their studio offerings for independent labels. It didn't because they'd never had the budget to get the vibe right. Backatown is the first time that Orleans Avenue -- Dwayne "Big D" Williams (percussion), Mike Ballard (bass), Joey Peebles (drums), Pete Murano (guitar), and Dan Oestreicher (baritone sax) -- have had an actual budget to capture the Trombone Shorty experience, and they've made a studio record that offers a real taste of the live show's excitement. Shorty calls his music “supafunkrock,” and it's an accurate term for the aural gumbo on this fingerpopping, butt-shakin' mix set...
Tonbruket
Vinegar Heart 8:59
Dig it to the End 3:31
Trackpounder 6:08
from Dig it to the End 2011
For its eponymous debut (ACT, 2010) , this band was called Dan Berglund's Tonbruket. It was a new outfit, the first new venture by a member of Esbjorn Svensson after pianist Esbjörn Svensson's death in 2008, pretty much an unknown quantity. For Dig It To The End, bassist Berglund remains as an emphatic presence, but the band is simply Tonbruket... The somewhat scary cover illustration of Dig It To The End—Leatherface meets Elephant Man meets the Phantom of the Opera—might suggest a doom-laden collection of metal-infused tunes. The opening bars of "Vinegar Heart" sound like that's the direction things are heading. Then there's a sudden transition to the calmness of Johan Lindstrőm's guitars and Andreas Werliin's gentle percussion, and suddenly an Americana sensibility pervades the music...
Donny McCaslin
Stadium Jazz ((Donny McCaslin) 7:17
Losing Track of Daytime (Donny McCaslin) 7:38
Tension (Donny McCaslin) 5:47
Casting For Gravity (Donny McCaslin) 3:56
from Casting For Gravity 2012
If saxophonist Donny McCaslin stuck a toe into the ocean of electric jazz with his previous album Perpetual Motion (Greenleaf, 2010), then with Casting For Gravity he dives headfirst into the sea. But don't worry, with his musical dexterity and adeptness on horn, he is in no danger of sinking. In fact, he takes to these waters like a thirsty horse... The saxophonist surrounds himself with talent here, starting with producer/saxophonist David Binney, a fellow saxophonist and former member of the 1990s collective Lan Xang, with McCaslin. The album opens with the oxymoronic "Stadium Jazz," a melodic burner with ever- changing rhythms, and finds drummer Mark Guiliana powering all things ablaze. The pair feed off each other throughout, trading rounds on "Tension," as electric bassist Tim Lefebvre tinkers in thunder-making.
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