4 "Happy" is the key word for this CD reissue of a session that appeared as an LP on the Palo Alto label 25 years ago, then sank out of sight. The playing and writing by the Barone brothers and their colleagues has the buoyancy and radiance of eight people having a fine time. That is due, in no small measure, to the drumming of the late Shelly Manne. The infectious spirit extends to Mike Barone's solos on trombone, Gary Barone's on trumpet and those of alto saxophonist Dick Spencer and pianist Theo Saunders. Tom Scott lays aside his tenor sax in favor of the breath-controlled analog synthesizer known as a Lyricon. He achieves a wild seat-of-the-pants feeling with the instrument and a surprising range of tonal colors. John Heard is the bassist, Alex Acuna the percussionist. The tunes are all by the brothers, except for "Estate," a feature for Mike Barone, whose distinctive trombone style might be better known if he hadn't devoted much of his career to writing. Three joyous pieces, "Beef Stew," "Other Happy Moments" and "Song for Our Father," fade to oblivion, annoyingly. Surely a writer of Mike Barone's gift could have come up with endings for them. true 27 2007-06-07T14:05:44-04:00 16645 100 200603 true 0 72 2006-03-01T00:00:00-05:00

"Happy" is the key word for this CD reissue of a session that appeared as an LP on the Palo Alto label 25 years ago, then sank out of sight. The playing and writing by the Barone brothers and their colleagues has the buoyancy and radiance of eight people having a fine time. That is due, in no small measure, to the drumming of the late Shelly Manne. The infectious spirit extends to Mike Barone's solos on trombone, Gary Barone's on trumpet and those of alto saxophonist Dick Spencer and pianist Theo Saunders. Tom Scott lays aside his tenor sax in favor of the breath-controlled analog synthesizer known as a Lyricon. He achieves a wild seat-of-the-pants feeling with the instrument and a surprising range of tonal colors. John Heard is the bassist, Alex Acuna the percussionist. The tunes are all by the brothers, except for "Estate," a feature for Mike Barone, whose distinctive trombone style might be better known if he hadn't devoted much of his career to writing. Three joyous pieces, "Beef Stew," "Other Happy Moments" and "Song for Our Father," fade to oblivion, annoyingly. Surely a writer of Mike Barone's gift could have come up with endings for them.

2009-03-02T00:25:21-05:00

4 Sixteen Ruby Braff Arbors CDs ago, we got the first volume of Controlled Nonchalance. That was in 1995. Now comes a second installment from the same gig at the Regattabar in Cambridge, Mass. It is tempting to say that this is one of Braff's best recordings, but over the course of those many albums, covering the last decade of his life, he was at a uniformly high level. And so he is throughout this set, brimming with Louis Armstrong and Lester Young facets that he merged into one of the most recognizable--and one of the hippest--styles in all of jazz. Braff's "Ain't Misbehavin'" solo amounts to a distillation of that style. A great eclectic, in "Pennies From Heaven," he manages to be boppish while evoking Armstrong. Dave McKenna's solo on "Pennies" reminds us of his bop period and of how much we've lost with the great pianist out of action. Tenor saxophonist Scott Hamilton, in great form throughout, has a beautifully shaped chorus on "Them There Eyes." Guitarist Gray Sargent treats listeners by not just inserting, but blending, ingenious quotes into his solos. Bassist Marshall Wood and drummer Chuck Riggs are quiet but strong in support. true 27 2007-06-07T14:05:44-04:00 16646 100 200603 true 0 72 2006-03-01T00:00:00-05:00

Sixteen Ruby Braff Arbors CDs ago, we got the first volume of Controlled Nonchalance. That was in 1995. Now comes a second installment from the same gig at the Regattabar in Cambridge, Mass. It is tempting to say that this is one of Braff's best recordings, but over the course of those many albums, covering the last decade of his life, he was at a uniformly high level. And so he is throughout this set, brimming with Louis Armstrong and Lester Young facets that he merged into one of the most recognizable--and one of the hippest--styles in all of jazz. Braff's "Ain't Misbehavin'" solo amounts to a distillation of that style. A great eclectic, in "Pennies From Heaven," he manages to be boppish while evoking Armstrong. Dave McKenna's solo on "Pennies" reminds us of his bop period and of how much we've lost with the great pianist out of action. Tenor saxophonist Scott Hamilton, in great form throughout, has a beautifully shaped chorus on "Them There Eyes." Guitarist Gray Sargent treats listeners by not just inserting, but blending, ingenious quotes into his solos. Bassist Marshall Wood and drummer Chuck Riggs are quiet but strong in support.

2009-03-02T00:25:21-05:00

4 Jenkins left Los Angeles five years ago to teach at the Eastman School in Rochester, N.Y., but maintains his West Coast ties. He records for Jazz Compass, the L.A. label he formed with Joe LaBarbera, Larry Koonse and Tom Warrington, but his band on Matters of Time is East Coast, with an exception: Karrin Allyson, a Midwesterner, sings on two tracks. Jenkins has a straight, vibratoless tone. He likes living on or beyond the fringe of harmonies. He takes unanticipated interval leaps. He often emphasizes phrases by setting them off with pauses. He is likely to start a piece with improvisation and not get around to playing the melody until the performance is well underway. He does that to great effect, strolling with bass and drums, on Thelonious Monk's "Trinkle Tinkle." Tenor saxophonist Rich Perry and pianist Harold Danko, regular colleagues of the trumpeter, luxuriate in Jenkins' approach. On Jerome Kern's "In Love in Vain" and "Yesterdays," Allyson accommodates herself to Jenkins' edgy methodology. Her delivery of "Yesterdays" is haunting. Jenkins dedicates the song to the late tenor saxophonist Bill Perkins, who encouraged and inspired his adventuresome ways. His title tune and Danko's "Chet's Maze" are stimulating originals. true 27 2007-06-07T14:05:44-04:00 16647 100 200603 true 0 72 2006-03-01T00:00:00-05:00

Jenkins left Los Angeles five years ago to teach at the Eastman School in Rochester, N.Y., but maintains his West Coast ties. He records for Jazz Compass, the L.A. label he formed with Joe LaBarbera, Larry Koonse and Tom Warrington, but his band on Matters of Time is East Coast, with an exception: Karrin Allyson, a Midwesterner, sings on two tracks. Jenkins has a straight, vibratoless tone. He likes living on or beyond the fringe of harmonies. He takes unanticipated interval leaps. He often emphasizes phrases by setting them off with pauses. He is likely to start a piece with improvisation and not get around to playing the melody until the performance is well underway. He does that to great effect, strolling with bass and drums, on Thelonious Monk's "Trinkle Tinkle." Tenor saxophonist Rich Perry and pianist Harold Danko, regular colleagues of the trumpeter, luxuriate in Jenkins' approach. On Jerome Kern's "In Love in Vain" and "Yesterdays," Allyson accommodates herself to Jenkins' edgy methodology. Her delivery of "Yesterdays" is haunting. Jenkins dedicates the song to the late tenor saxophonist Bill Perkins, who encouraged and inspired his adventuresome ways. His title tune and Danko's "Chet's Maze" are stimulating originals.

2009-03-02T00:25:21-05:00

4 Kaye's trumpet and his quintet are in the spirit of the Lee Morgan, Blue Mitchell and Freddie Hubbard Blue Note sessions of the 1960s. If not innovative, the veteran of Ray Charles' big band is fleet in his uptempo soloing, capable of blistering passages like those on his "Other Steps" and Dizzy Gillespie's "That's Earl, Brother." Still, he is most affecting in quieter moments, as in his flugelhorn solos on the languorous "J.B.'s Waltz," "Everything I Have Is Yours," "Sozhino" and "Jay," a tribute to the late tenor saxophonist Jay Migliori. George Harper, another Charles alumnus, brings to his searching tenor-sax solos elements of Hank Mobley and middle-period John Coltrane--especially the latter on Harper's composition "Shalabunga." Old hand John Campbell and newcomer Josh Nelson divide piano duties. Campbell accompanies and solos with accumulated wisdom about harmony and rhythm, Nelson with linear continuity and a lovely soft touch. Campbell's solos on drummer Paul Kreibich's "Partido in Mar Vista" and on "J.B.'s Waltz" are highlights. Except for a comfortable solo on the waltz, the Swiss bassist Isla Eckinger confines himself to providing time, good notes and the intro to "Shalabunga." Kreibich, as usual, is top-notch throughout. true 27 2007-06-07T14:05:44-04:00 16648 100 200603 true 0 72 2006-03-01T00:00:00-05:00

Kaye's trumpet and his quintet are in the spirit of the Lee Morgan, Blue Mitchell and Freddie Hubbard Blue Note sessions of the 1960s. If not innovative, the veteran of Ray Charles' big band is fleet in his uptempo soloing, capable of blistering passages like those on his "Other Steps" and Dizzy Gillespie's "That's Earl, Brother." Still, he is most affecting in quieter moments, as in his flugelhorn solos on the languorous "J.B.'s Waltz," "Everything I Have Is Yours," "Sozhino" and "Jay," a tribute to the late tenor saxophonist Jay Migliori. George Harper, another Charles alumnus, brings to his searching tenor-sax solos elements of Hank Mobley and middle-period John Coltrane--especially the latter on Harper's composition "Shalabunga." Old hand John Campbell and newcomer Josh Nelson divide piano duties. Campbell accompanies and solos with accumulated wisdom about harmony and rhythm, Nelson with linear continuity and a lovely soft touch. Campbell's solos on drummer Paul Kreibich's "Partido in Mar Vista" and on "J.B.'s Waltz" are highlights. Except for a comfortable solo on the waltz, the Swiss bassist Isla Eckinger confines himself to providing time, good notes and the intro to "Shalabunga." Kreibich, as usual, is top-notch throughout.

2009-03-02T00:25:21-05:00

4 Ryan Kisor still lives in New York but has migrated from a Dutch label to a Japanese company. Since The Awakening, his last album for Criss Cross in 2003, he has made six for Videoarts. His Videoarts CDs are hard to find in the U.S., pricey at $29 and, if This Is Ryan is typical, worth the search and the heavy hit. Fourteen years into his professional career, Kisor is still working in the postbop tributary of the mainstream, still one of the most talented of the young lions who popped up in the 1990s. He brings to the Japanese label most of the sidemen he had on Criss Cross: tenor saxophonist Grant Stewart, pianist Peter Zak and bassist John Webber, with drummer Jason Brown in for Willie Jones III. In addition to a tone of unusual breadth and warmth up and down the range of the trumpet, Kisor brings imagination, daring, humor and storytelling continuity to his solos. His development of ideas is as logical and joyous on a blistering "You and the Night and the Music" as it is on Don Cherry's wry, reflective "Art Deco" and his own waltz composition "Solitaire." true 27 2007-06-07T14:05:44-04:00 16649 100 200603 true 0 72 2006-03-01T00:00:00-05:00

Ryan Kisor still lives in New York but has migrated from a Dutch label to a Japanese company. Since The Awakening, his last album for Criss Cross in 2003, he has made six for Videoarts. His Videoarts CDs are hard to find in the U.S., pricey at $29 and, if This Is Ryan is typical, worth the search and the heavy hit. Fourteen years into his professional career, Kisor is still working in the postbop tributary of the mainstream, still one of the most talented of the young lions who popped up in the 1990s. He brings to the Japanese label most of the sidemen he had on Criss Cross: tenor saxophonist Grant Stewart, pianist Peter Zak and bassist John Webber, with drummer Jason Brown in for Willie Jones III. In addition to a tone of unusual breadth and warmth up and down the range of the trumpet, Kisor brings imagination, daring, humor and storytelling continuity to his solos. His development of ideas is as logical and joyous on a blistering "You and the Night and the Music" as it is on Don Cherry's wry, reflective "Art Deco" and his own waltz composition "Solitaire."

2009-03-02T00:25:21-05:00

4 Despite evidence to the contrary at hundreds of trad revival festivals and parties, the classic-jazz repertoire is doomed neither to molder nor fester. Warhorses can be winners if their riders know how to handle them. As if to prove the point, Reinhart is out of the gate with one of the oldest warhorses of all, "At the Jazz Band Ball," age 88. He has a clear legitimate cornet tone, a nice way with slurs and bends and good phrasing. His wah-wah mute work, as on "Yellow Dog Blues," is restrained and effective. If he overuses phrases made of falling chromatic seconds, it's a miniscule flaw in his assured, swinging conception. Reinhart also gives attractive straight readings of "Too Late Now" and "More Than You Know." Clarinetist Kenny Davern, trombonist Dan Barrett and guitarist James Chirillo each provide fine solo moments. It's a kick to hear Davern's occasional allusions to Pee Wee Russell and Barrett's to Jack Teagarden. Reinhart and pianist John Sheridan tackle "Weatherbird Rag" a la the Louis Armstrong-Earl Hines duet and pay it respectful homage. Frank Tate is the bassist, Tony DeNicola the drummer. This is a solid, engaging band. true 27 2007-06-07T14:05:44-04:00 16650 100 200603 true 0 72 2006-03-01T00:00:00-05:00

Despite evidence to the contrary at hundreds of trad revival festivals and parties, the classic-jazz repertoire is doomed neither to molder nor fester. Warhorses can be winners if their riders know how to handle them. As if to prove the point, Reinhart is out of the gate with one of the oldest warhorses of all, "At the Jazz Band Ball," age 88. He has a clear legitimate cornet tone, a nice way with slurs and bends and good phrasing. His wah-wah mute work, as on "Yellow Dog Blues," is restrained and effective. If he overuses phrases made of falling chromatic seconds, it's a miniscule flaw in his assured, swinging conception. Reinhart also gives attractive straight readings of "Too Late Now" and "More Than You Know." Clarinetist Kenny Davern, trombonist Dan Barrett and guitarist James Chirillo each provide fine solo moments. It's a kick to hear Davern's occasional allusions to Pee Wee Russell and Barrett's to Jack Teagarden. Reinhart and pianist John Sheridan tackle "Weatherbird Rag" a la the Louis Armstrong-Earl Hines duet and pay it respectful homage. Frank Tate is the bassist, Tony DeNicola the drummer. This is a solid, engaging band.

2009-03-02T00:25:21-05:00

4 Reflections follows up Roditi's earlier 341 (2002) and Light in the Dark (2004), both also with pianist Klaus Ignatzek and bassist Jean-Louis Rassinfosse. The absence of a drummer does nothing to impede swing on the faster tunes, and on the medium pieces frees the time, producing a sensation of floating. That feeling is enhanced by Roditi's fluency on trumpet and flugelhorn, but its origin is in the chemistry among the three musicians, which seems to intensify with each new album. Don't be misled by the term "floating." This is not soft jazz or smooth jazz in the sense of the mindless stuff marketed under those rubrics. The tunes include Dizzy Gillespie's "Con Alma" and "Ow!" plus eight originals on harmonic patterns that give the soloists interesting changes for their improvisations. Of the originals, Ignatzek's "One for Chet" and "Warm Breeze" are particularly satisfying. Roditi's rotary-valve flugelhorn solo on "One for Chet" captures the combination of wistfulness and grit that made up Baker's best latter-day playing. "Warm Breeze," the album's only outright ballad, sets a mood rather like Mal Waldron's "Soul Eyes," although it is unrelated harmonically. This is another A+ CD for Roditi. true 27 2007-06-07T14:05:44-04:00 16651 100 200603 true 0 72 2006-03-01T00:00:00-05:00

Reflections follows up Roditi's earlier 341 (2002) and Light in the Dark (2004), both also with pianist Klaus Ignatzek and bassist Jean-Louis Rassinfosse. The absence of a drummer does nothing to impede swing on the faster tunes, and on the medium pieces frees the time, producing a sensation of floating. That feeling is enhanced by Roditi's fluency on trumpet and flugelhorn, but its origin is in the chemistry among the three musicians, which seems to intensify with each new album. Don't be misled by the term "floating." This is not soft jazz or smooth jazz in the sense of the mindless stuff marketed under those rubrics. The tunes include Dizzy Gillespie's "Con Alma" and "Ow!" plus eight originals on harmonic patterns that give the soloists interesting changes for their improvisations. Of the originals, Ignatzek's "One for Chet" and "Warm Breeze" are particularly satisfying. Roditi's rotary-valve flugelhorn solo on "One for Chet" captures the combination of wistfulness and grit that made up Baker's best latter-day playing. "Warm Breeze," the album's only outright ballad, sets a mood rather like Mal Waldron's "Soul Eyes," although it is unrelated harmonically. This is another A+ CD for Roditi.

2009-03-02T00:25:21-05:00

4 If neurologists are correct about the right brain being creative and the left practical, it would be reasonable to conclude that a trumpet player whose left brain is dominant will be a lead player and one whose right brain is dominant will be an improvising soloist. If the sides of a trumpeter's brain are in balance and he plays powerhouse lead and solos at a high level of creativity, it would be reasonable to conclude that he is Carl Saunders. During all of the years that he played lead in Las Vegas show bands and then with Bill Holman, Bob Florence and Gerald Wilson, Saunders' solo ability was mostly under wraps. Not until Out of the Blue, his 1995 recording debut as a leader, did it emerge fully. On four albums since, he has astonished listeners with the inventiveness of his solo work. On this CD, with pianist Christian Jacob, bassist Dave Stone and drummer Santo Savino, Saunders' flow of creative ideas and subtlety of expression are in balance with his phenomenal technique. The repertoire includes standards and several substantial Saunders compositions. The rhythm section is superb. Jacob establishes again why he is one of the most admired pianists of the day. true 27 2007-06-07T14:05:44-04:00 16652 100 200603 true 0 72 2006-03-01T00:00:00-05:00

If neurologists are correct about the right brain being creative and the left practical, it would be reasonable to conclude that a trumpet player whose left brain is dominant will be a lead player and one whose right brain is dominant will be an improvising soloist. If the sides of a trumpeter's brain are in balance and he plays powerhouse lead and solos at a high level of creativity, it would be reasonable to conclude that he is Carl Saunders. During all of the years that he played lead in Las Vegas show bands and then with Bill Holman, Bob Florence and Gerald Wilson, Saunders' solo ability was mostly under wraps. Not until Out of the Blue, his 1995 recording debut as a leader, did it emerge fully. On four albums since, he has astonished listeners with the inventiveness of his solo work. On this CD, with pianist Christian Jacob, bassist Dave Stone and drummer Santo Savino, Saunders' flow of creative ideas and subtlety of expression are in balance with his phenomenal technique. The repertoire includes standards and several substantial Saunders compositions. The rhythm section is superb. Jacob establishes again why he is one of the most admired pianists of the day.

2009-03-02T00:25:21-05:00

4 Self surrounds himself with 44 of his closest jazz and studio friends, 26 of whom are a string section. His tuba has been featured on more than a thousand movie sound tracks and in hundreds of television shows. Self's fluency astonishes on the instrument and the fluba, his own invention that's a sort of thyroidal flugelhorn in the sonic range of the tuba. Although his instruments may belong in the miscellaneous category in polls, Self's playing does not. He solos with focus and purpose, as he demonstrates in a performance of "There Is No Greater Love," which also features tenor saxophonist Pete Christlieb. Guests include Gary Foster, Terry Trotter, Mike Lang, Tom Warrington, Dave Carpenter and other Los Angeles stalwarts. Brad Dechter's arrangements provide natural-sounding blends of Self's low instruments and the strings as well as piquant unison passages for tuba, strings and flute on "No More Blues." Alto saxophonist Dan Higgins and Self share solo space on the leader's "That Morning in May." Self and Christlieb spar amusingly on Dechter's "The Underdog Has Arisen," which has a stirring bass solo by Carpenter and ends on Self's D-flat, one note short of three octaves below middle C. This is an entertaining and musical album. true 27 2007-06-07T14:05:44-04:00 16653 100 200603 true 0 72 2006-03-01T00:00:00-05:00

Self surrounds himself with 44 of his closest jazz and studio friends, 26 of whom are a string section. His tuba has been featured on more than a thousand movie sound tracks and in hundreds of television shows. Self's fluency astonishes on the instrument and the fluba, his own invention that's a sort of thyroidal flugelhorn in the sonic range of the tuba. Although his instruments may belong in the miscellaneous category in polls, Self's playing does not. He solos with focus and purpose, as he demonstrates in a performance of "There Is No Greater Love," which also features tenor saxophonist Pete Christlieb. Guests include Gary Foster, Terry Trotter, Mike Lang, Tom Warrington, Dave Carpenter and other Los Angeles stalwarts. Brad Dechter's arrangements provide natural-sounding blends of Self's low instruments and the strings as well as piquant unison passages for tuba, strings and flute on "No More Blues." Alto saxophonist Dan Higgins and Self share solo space on the leader's "That Morning in May." Self and Christlieb spar amusingly on Dechter's "The Underdog Has Arisen," which has a stirring bass solo by Carpenter and ends on Self's D-flat, one note short of three octaves below middle C. This is an entertaining and musical album.

2009-03-02T00:25:21-05:00

4 Swartz's support comes from the power-in-reserve rhythm section of Bob Florence's big band. There is something about Florence's piano playing that attracts adventurous young trumpet players. His occasional partnership with Ingrid Jensen has produced memorable moments. He and Swartz also meld well and strike sparks. When Swartz goes on risky little harmonic side trips away from the changes, as he does on "All the Things You Are" and "Star Eyes," a less calm and assured pianist would be tempted to go off into space with him, and neither might get back alive. Florence gives Swartz plenty of slack but keeps him tethered to the ship. Bassist Trey Henry and drummer Dick Weller fit the modus operandi, swinging freely but firmly. Henry gets plenty of solo space. Henry deserves plenty of solo space. Florence's soloing here is on a level with his best recorded playing. As for Swartz, he goes for unorthodox sequences of notes without sacrificing a sense of melodic line that is reminiscent of Art Farmer's or Tom Harell's. His vehicles for these adventures are standards, giving his audience something familiar to hold on to. He and Florence give them a nearly unalloyed "Stardust," and a fine gift it is. true 27 2007-06-07T14:05:44-04:00 16654 100 200603 true 0 72 2006-03-01T00:00:00-05:00

Swartz's support comes from the power-in-reserve rhythm section of Bob Florence's big band. There is something about Florence's piano playing that attracts adventurous young trumpet players. His occasional partnership with Ingrid Jensen has produced memorable moments. He and Swartz also meld well and strike sparks. When Swartz goes on risky little harmonic side trips away from the changes, as he does on "All the Things You Are" and "Star Eyes," a less calm and assured pianist would be tempted to go off into space with him, and neither might get back alive. Florence gives Swartz plenty of slack but keeps him tethered to the ship. Bassist Trey Henry and drummer Dick Weller fit the modus operandi, swinging freely but firmly. Henry gets plenty of solo space. Henry deserves plenty of solo space. Florence's soloing here is on a level with his best recorded playing. As for Swartz, he goes for unorthodox sequences of notes without sacrificing a sense of melodic line that is reminiscent of Art Farmer's or Tom Harell's. His vehicles for these adventures are standards, giving his audience something familiar to hold on to. He and Florence give them a nearly unalloyed "Stardust," and a fine gift it is.

2009-03-02T00:25:21-05:00

4 It is good for the psyche to return now and then to the man who made jazz a soloist's art. We needn't go all the way back to Louis Armstrong's duets with King Oliver or his Hot Five recordings. The earliest of these previously unreleased performances find him on tour in Copenhagen and Stockholm in 1933, firmly established as a major star and greeted with wild enthusiasm. Storyville suggests that these six tracks may be the earliest known concert recordings by a jazz artist. "I Cover the Waterfront," "Dinah" and the others hew to the routines Armstrong established with his studio versions, but they have the excitement of his relationship with live audiences. The remaining 34 tracks are from concerts by three editions of the All-Stars from 1949 to 1955. The gems among his solos here may astonish detractors of Armstrong's work after the 1920s. His repertoire did not change much in the '40s and '50s, but he was no carbon-copy soloist. He performed his hits along with his jazz staples, and even on "A Kiss to Build a Dream On" and "Can Anyone Explain?" we get trumpet playing that soars and singing that warms the heart. true 27 2007-06-07T14:05:44-04:00 16133 95 200510 true 0 72 2005-10-01T00:00:00-04:00

It is good for the psyche to return now and then to the man who made jazz a soloist's art. We needn't go all the way back to Louis Armstrong's duets with King Oliver or his Hot Five recordings. The earliest of these previously unreleased performances find him on tour in Copenhagen and Stockholm in 1933, firmly established as a major star and greeted with wild enthusiasm. Storyville suggests that these six tracks may be the earliest known concert recordings by a jazz artist. "I Cover the Waterfront," "Dinah" and the others hew to the routines Armstrong established with his studio versions, but they have the excitement of his relationship with live audiences. The remaining 34 tracks are from concerts by three editions of the All-Stars from 1949 to 1955. The gems among his solos here may astonish detractors of Armstrong's work after the 1920s. His repertoire did not change much in the '40s and '50s, but he was no carbon-copy soloist. He performed his hits along with his jazz staples, and even on "A Kiss to Build a Dream On" and "Can Anyone Explain?" we get trumpet playing that soars and singing that warms the heart.

2009-03-02T00:24:59-05:00

4 Billy Butterfield, one of the great jazz trumpeters, is seldom mentioned these days, so this 1970s appearance with a Florida traditional band is a welcome reminder of his brilliance. He had unforgettable solos on recordings of "Stardust" with Artie Shaw, "I'm Free (What's New?)" with Bob Crosby and with Eddie Condon a gorgeous half-chorus following Jack Teagarden on "When Your Lover Has Gone." He did sterling work with Shaw's Gramercy Five and with the World's Greatest Jazz Band. Butterfield's glorious tone and fluidity, including his trademark octave slurs, were intact on this date nearly two decades before his death in 1988. Since Andy Bartha is also a trumpeter and they often trade phrases, it would have been helpful for the producers to provide a play-by-play guide. Still, anyone familiar with Butterfield's playing will have slight difficulty distinguishing between the two. The setting is a good Dixieland band (term used advisedly) with splendid trombone work by Ed Hubble and harmonically resourceful bass saxophone solos by the severely underrated John Dengler. Aside from the warhorse repertoire, the only downside is relentless four-to-the-bar bass drumming that all but wipes out the bass player. Butterfield's fine moments make it easier to ignore that irritation. true 27 2007-06-07T14:05:44-04:00 16134 95 200510 true 0 72 2005-10-01T00:00:00-04:00

Billy Butterfield, one of the great jazz trumpeters, is seldom mentioned these days, so this 1970s appearance with a Florida traditional band is a welcome reminder of his brilliance. He had unforgettable solos on recordings of "Stardust" with Artie Shaw, "I'm Free (What's New?)" with Bob Crosby and with Eddie Condon a gorgeous half-chorus following Jack Teagarden on "When Your Lover Has Gone." He did sterling work with Shaw's Gramercy Five and with the World's Greatest Jazz Band. Butterfield's glorious tone and fluidity, including his trademark octave slurs, were intact on this date nearly two decades before his death in 1988. Since Andy Bartha is also a trumpeter and they often trade phrases, it would have been helpful for the producers to provide a play-by-play guide. Still, anyone familiar with Butterfield's playing will have slight difficulty distinguishing between the two. The setting is a good Dixieland band (term used advisedly) with splendid trombone work by Ed Hubble and harmonically resourceful bass saxophone solos by the severely underrated John Dengler. Aside from the warhorse repertoire, the only downside is relentless four-to-the-bar bass drumming that all but wipes out the bass player. Butterfield's fine moments make it easier to ignore that irritation.

2009-03-02T00:24:59-05:00

4 In his mid-40s, Orbert Davis is a Chicago institution becom-ing more widely known elsewhere, in part through extra-curricular activities like arrang-ing music for the motion picture Road to Perdition. Still, he established himself as a gifted trumpeter. "The Day" in Davis' composition "Back in the Day" may refer to December 21, 1963. That's when Lee Morgan recorded "The Sidewinder." Davis' CD has that '60s Blue Note feeling without wallowing in nostalgia or imitating specific players, although the fire, precision and power in his trumpet work on "Back in the Day" recall Morgan's intensity. Davis is eloquent and intriguing on flugelhorn in his "Dear D'Lana" and "Glass Walls" and in Herbie Hancock's "Driftin'." Davis gives Blue Notes a variety of moods, from the reflective title tune, nicely sung by Dee Alexander, to ripping sextet versions of Wayne Shorter's "Hammer Head" and Dizzy Gillespie's "Shaw 'Nuff," the latter with Latin percussionists added. Tenor saxophonist Ari Brown, trombonist Tracy Kirk, bassist Stewart Miller and drummer Kobie Watkins make important contributions, but the player in addition to Davis who came as a revelation to me is pianist Ryan Cohan. As an accompanist and as a soloist with touches of Wynton Kelly, Cohan is impressive. true 27 2007-06-07T14:05:44-04:00 16135 95 200510 true 0 72 2005-10-01T00:00:00-04:00

In his mid-40s, Orbert Davis is a Chicago institution becom-ing more widely known elsewhere, in part through extra-curricular activities like arrang-ing music for the motion picture Road to Perdition. Still, he established himself as a gifted trumpeter. "The Day" in Davis' composition "Back in the Day" may refer to December 21, 1963. That's when Lee Morgan recorded "The Sidewinder." Davis' CD has that '60s Blue Note feeling without wallowing in nostalgia or imitating specific players, although the fire, precision and power in his trumpet work on "Back in the Day" recall Morgan's intensity. Davis is eloquent and intriguing on flugelhorn in his "Dear D'Lana" and "Glass Walls" and in Herbie Hancock's "Driftin'." Davis gives Blue Notes a variety of moods, from the reflective title tune, nicely sung by Dee Alexander, to ripping sextet versions of Wayne Shorter's "Hammer Head" and Dizzy Gillespie's "Shaw 'Nuff," the latter with Latin percussionists added. Tenor saxophonist Ari Brown, trombonist Tracy Kirk, bassist Stewart Miller and drummer Kobie Watkins make important contributions, but the player in addition to Davis who came as a revelation to me is pianist Ryan Cohan. As an accompanist and as a soloist with touches of Wynton Kelly, Cohan is impressive.

2009-03-02T00:24:59-05:00

4 This is trumpeter Yves Francois' album in name and in fact, but he organized these dates in the 1980s to give exposure to two Chicago saxophone heroes, Franz Jackson and Eddie Johnson. Some of the tracks were released 20 years ago on an obscure label. Several are previously unissued, though, and Francois edited in new trumpet solos in place of some of his old ones (he says that he plays better now), so it amounts to a new CD. The repertoire and the musical approach are mainstream swing with traditional tendencies. Jackson's tenor sax style resembles that of his contemporary Coleman Hawkins, although more in tone than harmonic complexity. On clarinet, alto and soprano, his antecedents are less obvious, but he plays each horn with clarity and vigor. Johnson leans more toward the Don Byas-Lucky Thompson tenor school, as he makes plain in his solos on "Roll 'Em Pete" and "Melancholy Baby." There is a stimulating contrast between the two when Jackson plays tenor. Whenever they were recorded, Francois' choruses have muscle, swagger and a generous quotient of growls. Two of his tunes, "Kathy" and "Just a Feeling," achieve a floating Johnny Hodges ballad mood. true 27 2007-06-07T14:05:44-04:00 16136 95 200510 true 0 72 2005-10-01T00:00:00-04:00

This is trumpeter Yves Francois' album in name and in fact, but he organized these dates in the 1980s to give exposure to two Chicago saxophone heroes, Franz Jackson and Eddie Johnson. Some of the tracks were released 20 years ago on an obscure label. Several are previously unissued, though, and Francois edited in new trumpet solos in place of some of his old ones (he says that he plays better now), so it amounts to a new CD. The repertoire and the musical approach are mainstream swing with traditional tendencies. Jackson's tenor sax style resembles that of his contemporary Coleman Hawkins, although more in tone than harmonic complexity. On clarinet, alto and soprano, his antecedents are less obvious, but he plays each horn with clarity and vigor. Johnson leans more toward the Don Byas-Lucky Thompson tenor school, as he makes plain in his solos on "Roll 'Em Pete" and "Melancholy Baby." There is a stimulating contrast between the two when Jackson plays tenor. Whenever they were recorded, Francois' choruses have muscle, swagger and a generous quotient of growls. Two of his tunes, "Kathy" and "Just a Feeling," achieve a floating Johnny Hodges ballad mood.

2009-03-02T00:24:59-05:00

4 On the brief "Gemini (Phase 1)," accompanied only by drummer E.J. Strickland, Sean Jones is all over his horn in an access of high, fast, busy, trumpet playing. The liner-note essay says, "He spits out a series of notes that swirl, dart and soar...." They do so to no discernible purpose beyond spitting, swirling, darting and soaring. The exhibition is apparently intended to disclose the passionate side of Jones' Gemini personality. That may make sense to an astrologer, but it is unfortunate as a musical first impression. Deeper into the album, Jones has lovely passages. One of them, "Gemini (Phase 3)" ends the CD with a reflective gospel melody wrapped in his rich, broad tone. Elsewhere on this collection of original compositions by Jones and his sidemen, he captures something of Freddie Hubbard's mid-'60s combination of wistfulness and toughness. That is notably true of his solo on "Rain of Patience," but on "Blues for Matt B." and the waltz "B.J.'s Tune" he seems in direct debt to no one. Young Walter Smith III and the veteran Ron Blake have fine tenor sax turns. Piano is by Mulgrew Miller and Orrin Evans but, with one exception, we're not told who is on which track. true 27 2007-06-07T14:05:44-04:00 16137 95 200510 true 0 72 2005-10-01T00:00:00-04:00

On the brief "Gemini (Phase 1)," accompanied only by drummer E.J. Strickland, Sean Jones is all over his horn in an access of high, fast, busy, trumpet playing. The liner-note essay says, "He spits out a series of notes that swirl, dart and soar...." They do so to no discernible purpose beyond spitting, swirling, darting and soaring. The exhibition is apparently intended to disclose the passionate side of Jones' Gemini personality. That may make sense to an astrologer, but it is unfortunate as a musical first impression. Deeper into the album, Jones has lovely passages. One of them, "Gemini (Phase 3)" ends the CD with a reflective gospel melody wrapped in his rich, broad tone. Elsewhere on this collection of original compositions by Jones and his sidemen, he captures something of Freddie Hubbard's mid-'60s combination of wistfulness and toughness. That is notably true of his solo on "Rain of Patience," but on "Blues for Matt B." and the waltz "B.J.'s Tune" he seems in direct debt to no one. Young Walter Smith III and the veteran Ron Blake have fine tenor sax turns. Piano is by Mulgrew Miller and Orrin Evans but, with one exception, we're not told who is on which track.

2009-03-02T00:24:59-05:00

4 First recorded at 19 by Columbia in the days when labels were chasing young talent in the wake of Wynton Marsalis, Marlon Jordan had heavy components of Marsalis and Miles Davis. He still has, but they are further beneath the surface of his style, which finds him, at 35, developing individuality as evidenced on his first album in eight years. In this New Orleans family gathering, he calls on his father, Kidd Jordan, to provide a tenor sax solo on "My Favorite Things." Dad takes a wild avant-garde ride. Sister Stephanie sings on several tracks, to great effect on "You Leave Me Breathless." We're certain to hear more of her. Sister Rachel is a violinist in the small string section. Uncle Alvin Batiste reminds us in a couple of solos that he is a major clarinetist too seldom heard. Brother Kent, a crossover flute star, goes mainstream in a splendid blues solo, followed by Marlon Jordan in his most original work of the album, without the excessive engineered echo that distracts from some of the tracks. Of the non-Jordans, pianist Darrell Lavigne is a standout. true 27 2007-06-07T14:05:44-04:00 16138 95 200510 true 0 72 2005-10-01T00:00:00-04:00

First recorded at 19 by Columbia in the days when labels were chasing young talent in the wake of Wynton Marsalis, Marlon Jordan had heavy components of Marsalis and Miles Davis. He still has, but they are further beneath the surface of his style, which finds him, at 35, developing individuality as evidenced on his first album in eight years. In this New Orleans family gathering, he calls on his father, Kidd Jordan, to provide a tenor sax solo on "My Favorite Things." Dad takes a wild avant-garde ride. Sister Stephanie sings on several tracks, to great effect on "You Leave Me Breathless." We're certain to hear more of her. Sister Rachel is a violinist in the small string section. Uncle Alvin Batiste reminds us in a couple of solos that he is a major clarinetist too seldom heard. Brother Kent, a crossover flute star, goes mainstream in a splendid blues solo, followed by Marlon Jordan in his most original work of the album, without the excessive engineered echo that distracts from some of the tracks. Of the non-Jordans, pianist Darrell Lavigne is a standout.

2009-03-02T00:24:59-05:00