4 What we said: It's not quite the Lost Ark of the Covenant, but for some time researchers had been aware of the possibility of a long-lost recording featuring Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane. In 1996 I found an advertisement in the New York Amsterdam News that listed a Voice of America concert featuring Monk and Coltrane. I contacted the Library of Congress, which owns all the VOA tapes, but the LOC had no record of a VOA recording made at Carnegie Hall on 11/29/57. Staffers allowed that as they continued to organize and catalog this huge collection, it might indeed turn up--if it was there at all. I followed up with the LOC every now and then, but there was nothing--until February 2005. That's when I received an e-mail from the agency's jazz specialist, Larry Appelbaum, saying that he'd discovered it. As Appelbaum explains: "I was thumbing through some tapes awaiting digitization in early 2005 when I noticed eight 10-inch acetate reels of tape labeled 'Carnegie Hall Jazz 1957.' I examined the reels and noticed one of the tape boxes had a hand-written note on the back that said 'T. Monk' with some song titles. When we played the tape I recognized the sound of John Coltrane playing tenor saxophone with Monk's quartet and my heart started racing. The identification of the players was confirmed when I heard Willis Conover's M.C. announcements on the tapes." Conover was the M.C. at the concert as well as the host of the radio program. But as it turns out, the concert was most likely never broadcast--or at least there is no evidence that it was--another reason that no tapes were found until now. The collaboration between John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk was a high point of both of their lives. Coltrane had joined Monk after being fired by Miles Davis, and it was during this period with the pianist that he turned his life and his music around. On At Carnegie Hall Monk plays in a particularly virtuosic manner--this would be a good one to play for those who say he had no chops. Trane's tone is captured beautifully, and one can hear the ambience of the hall. I like the contrast between the first show ("Monk's Mood," "Evidence," "Crepuscule With Nellie," "Nutty," "Epistrophy") and the late show ("Bye-Ya," Sweet & Lovely," "Blue Monk" and an incomplete version of "Epistrophy"). You can hear by the applause that there is a smaller audience at the midnight show, and the quartet stretches out with longer solos. (There are no bass or drum solos in either set, to keep things within the allotted time.) As for Coltrane, he double-times during much of his solos at Carnegie Hall, in the style that Ira Gitler dubbed "sheets of sound." (Lewis Porter, Oct. 2005) What we say: What else can we say? This CD topped our critics' picks by a long shot, and the praise was universal for the sound quality and the performances. And since there are so few recordings of these two giants together, it makes sense that this CD would ignite the passions of the jazz world--and beyond. JazzTimes contributor Larry Appelbaum had plenty of well-earned time in the mainstream media spotlight, and Blue Note had another hit CD on its hands--a real hit CD, not a jazz hit CD. In many ways it's biting commentary that the biggest jazz CD of 2005 was recorded in 1957--and that the top three selections on this list are by dead legends. true 2007-06-07T14:05:44-04:00 false 16414 99 200602 true 0 109 2006-01-01T00:00:00-05:00

What we said: It's not quite the Lost Ark of the Covenant, but for some time researchers had been aware of the possibility of a long-lost recording featuring Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane. In 1996 I found an advertisement in the New York Amsterdam News that listed a Voice of America concert featuring Monk and Coltrane. I contacted the Library of Congress, which owns all the VOA tapes, but the LOC had no record of a VOA recording made at Carnegie Hall on 11/29/57. Staffers allowed that as they continued to organize and catalog this huge collection, it might indeed turn up--if it was there at all. I followed up with the LOC every now and then, but there was nothing--until February 2005. That's when I received an e-mail from the agency's jazz specialist, Larry Appelbaum, saying that he'd discovered it. As Appelbaum explains: "I was thumbing through some tapes awaiting digitization in early 2005 when I noticed eight 10-inch acetate reels of tape labeled 'Carnegie Hall Jazz 1957.' I examined the reels and noticed one of the tape boxes had a hand-written note on the back that said 'T. Monk' with some song titles. When we played the tape I recognized the sound of John Coltrane playing tenor saxophone with Monk's quartet and my heart started racing. The identification of the players was confirmed when I heard Willis Conover's M.C. announcements on the tapes." Conover was the M.C. at the concert as well as the host of the radio program. But as it turns out,...

2009-03-02T00:25:12-05:00

4 What we said: In a bit of hype worthy of Symphony Sid Torin, the New York Times lauded this long-lost recording as "the Rosetta Stone of bebop." It's not. It is a helluva find, though. Joining Diz and Bird are Max Roach on drums, Al Haig on piano and Curley Russell on bass. A fish-out-of-water Sid Catlett sits in for Roach on a couple of tracks, and the underrated tenor saxophonist Don Byas replaces a late-arriving Bird on the opening "Bebop." This is basically the same band that, a month earlier, recorded four tracks that helped define the bop movement. Here they recap some of that same material in concert. While the music on this disc isn't wildly different from the well-known recordings, it is, for the most part, terrific. The stylistic evolutionist in me is most intrigued by Bird's break on "A Night in Tunisia." Similar to his 1946 Dial studio version, it has a straighter 16th feel, lacking the rhythmic hiccup that made the ultimate take so mind-blowing. The performance is staid in places, but when it burns, as on "Salt Peanuts," watch out. This has to be the record of the year--unless someone uncovers those mythical Buddy Bolden cylinders. (Chris Kelsy, Nov. 2005) What we say: Our Chris Kelsey was off just a notch with his prediction--and not because those Buddy Bolden recordings popped up at the same antique store near Stamford, Conn., where these acetates were found. We suspect more of our writers heard the Monk and Coltrane CD, since Blue Note is a much larger operation than the one-man Uptown, which is run in his spare time by Dr. Robert E. Sunenblick. Plus, the sound quality of the Monk and Coltrane CD far surpasses this Gillespie and Parker find. But there's no denying that this CD and At Carnegie Hall provided a surprising one-two punch in 2005. It's like if Joe Lewis suddenly undied and came back still in his prime, kicking ass. true 2007-06-07T14:05:44-04:00 false 16415 99 200602 true 0 109 2006-01-01T00:00:00-05:00

What we said: In a bit of hype worthy of Symphony Sid Torin, the New York Times lauded this long-lost recording as "the Rosetta Stone of bebop." It's not. It is a helluva find, though. Joining Diz and Bird are Max Roach on drums, Al Haig on piano and Curley Russell on bass. A fish-out-of-water Sid Catlett sits in for Roach on a couple of tracks, and the underrated tenor saxophonist Don Byas replaces a late-arriving Bird on the opening "Bebop." This is basically the same band that, a month earlier, recorded four tracks that helped define the bop movement. Here they recap some of that same material in concert. While the music on this disc isn't wildly different from the well-known recordings, it is, for the most part, terrific. The stylistic evolutionist in me is most intrigued by Bird's break on "A Night in Tunisia." Similar to his 1946 Dial studio version, it has a straighter 16th feel, lacking the rhythmic hiccup that made the ultimate take so mind-blowing. The performance is staid in places, but when it burns, as on "Salt Peanuts," watch out. This has to be the record of the year--unless someone uncovers those mythical Buddy Bolden cylinders. (Chris Kelsy, Nov. 2005) What we say: Our Chris Kelsey was off just a notch with his prediction--and not because those Buddy Bolden recordings popped up at the same antique store near Stamford, Conn., where these acetates were found. We suspect more of our writers heard the Monk and Coltrane CD, since Blue Note...

2009-03-02T00:25:12-05:00

4 What we said: Try to imagine an over-the-air commercial radio station broadcasting a Cecil Taylor concert. You can't? Neither can I. But that sort of thing used to happen. Here's proof: two sets by John Coltrane's classic quartet at New York's Half Note, broadcast live on WABC-FM in March and May of 1965. The two-CD set captures Coltrane's music on the cusp of major change, just weeks before embarking on the last phase of his career--during which he expunged from his music every last speck of convention. Pianist McCoy Tyner and drummer Elvin Jones would soon depart, to be replaced by Alice Coltrane, Rashied Ali and a cast of thousands. This album documents the classic quartet near the end of its incredible run. Covered are a couple of the more familiar tunes in the group's book: "My Favorite Things" and "Afro Blue" as well as the lesser-known "Song of Praise" and the improvised title track. The music reveals the band at its creative peak, reaching heights of focused intensity on every tune, stretching rhythmic and harmonic conventions to the breaking point. The years-long musical confrontation/collaboration between Trane and Jones is at an apex, Tyner plays with ever greater rhythmic and harmonic invention and bassist Jimmy Garrison does things with time that foreshadow his work with Coltrane's later groups. It's interesting to hear Coltrane start "Afro Blue" on tenor instead of the usual soprano (he switches to the small horn for his solo). Qualitatively, however, nothing stands out; it's all great, on a par with the band's best. This music's been available for decades, albeit on bootlegs of dubious quality. This is its first "official" release, culled from tapes found in a Coltrane family closet. It's nice to hear it cleaned up and given a proper presentation. Feel free to lay some more on us, Impulse. (Chris Kelsey, Nov. 2005) What we say: From longtime bootleg to legal release, these well-known Half Note tapes have had quite a shelf life (even if those shelves were under the cash registers at some shady record stores, or floating around on the Internet). But now that Verve made this remarkable document a legal one, and in much better sound, we won't have to feel guilty about owning it. Not that we ever did. true 2007-06-07T14:05:44-04:00 false 16416 99 200602 true 0 109 2006-01-01T00:00:00-05:00

What we said: Try to imagine an over-the-air commercial radio station broadcasting a Cecil Taylor concert. You can't? Neither can I. But that sort of thing used to happen. Here's proof: two sets by John Coltrane's classic quartet at New York's Half Note, broadcast live on WABC-FM in March and May of 1965. The two-CD set captures Coltrane's music on the cusp of major change, just weeks before embarking on the last phase of his career--during which he expunged from his music every last speck of convention. Pianist McCoy Tyner and drummer Elvin Jones would soon depart, to be replaced by Alice Coltrane, Rashied Ali and a cast of thousands. This album documents the classic quartet near the end of its incredible run. Covered are a couple of the more familiar tunes in the group's book: "My Favorite Things" and "Afro Blue" as well as the lesser-known "Song of Praise" and the improvised title track. The music reveals the band at its creative peak, reaching heights of focused intensity on every tune, stretching rhythmic and harmonic conventions to the breaking point. The years-long musical confrontation/collaboration between Trane and Jones is at an apex, Tyner plays with ever greater rhythmic and harmonic invention and bassist Jimmy Garrison does things with time that foreshadow his work with Coltrane's later groups. It's interesting to hear Coltrane start "Afro Blue" on tenor instead of the usual soprano (he switches to the small horn for his solo). Qualitatively, however, nothing stands out; it's all great, on a par with the band's...

2009-03-02T00:25:12-05:00

4 What we said: Sonny Rollins had been home in his Manhattan apartment, six blocks north of the World Trade Center, when the attacks occurred on 9/11. From the street, he watched the second tower go down. The National Guard evacuated him from his apartment on 9/12. Three days later, he drove with his band to Boston (all airports were, of course, closed) and played this concert at the Berklee Performance Center. A compelling story, but Without a Song doesn't always contain compelling music. The tracks are too long (especially noticeable when someone other than Rollins is soloing), and the saxophonist is not functioning at 100 percent. (He says he was "numb" and has "no real memories" of the evening.) Also, the audio quality is only adequate. For Rollins' fourth live recording in 33 years on the Milestone label, engineer Richard Corsello blended two tapes of the concert: one by a fan and one by Rollins himself. Perhaps in an instinct to circle the wagons, the program is almost all standards from Rollins' youth. If his paraphrases of the title track and "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" are less imaginative and more repetitive than usual, the music is still powerfully affecting because it contains the new, raw emotional wounds that bound everyone in the room together on this night. (Thomas Conrad, Oct. 2005) What we say: The highest charting CD by a living artist in our critics' poll was a bit of a surprise. Not that people don't love Rollins--everybody loves Sonny--but that this somewhat average CD placed so highly is a testament to the saxophone colossus' grandeur and standing. See, sentiment aside, we agree with Conrad's assessment: The sound quality is iffy, the sideman solos feel like an eternity and the performance feels off. Still, we're happy this CD came out--because, really, any Sonny is good Sonny--and we're happy that so many people loved it and we're happy to be "proven wrong" in our assessments (once in a while). true 2007-06-07T14:05:44-04:00 false 16417 99 200602 true 0 109 2006-01-01T00:00:00-05:00

What we said: Sonny Rollins had been home in his Manhattan apartment, six blocks north of the World Trade Center, when the attacks occurred on 9/11. From the street, he watched the second tower go down. The National Guard evacuated him from his apartment on 9/12. Three days later, he drove with his band to Boston (all airports were, of course, closed) and played this concert at the Berklee Performance Center. A compelling story, but Without a Song doesn't always contain compelling music. The tracks are too long (especially noticeable when someone other than Rollins is soloing), and the saxophonist is not functioning at 100 percent. (He says he was "numb" and has "no real memories" of the evening.) Also, the audio quality is only adequate. For Rollins' fourth live recording in 33 years on the Milestone label, engineer Richard Corsello blended two tapes of the concert: one by a fan and one by Rollins himself. Perhaps in an instinct to circle the wagons, the program is almost all standards from Rollins' youth. If his paraphrases of the title track and "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" are less imaginative and more repetitive than usual, the music is still powerfully affecting because it contains the new, raw emotional wounds that bound everyone in the room together on this night. (Thomas Conrad, Oct. 2005) What we say: The highest charting CD by a living artist in our critics' poll was a bit of a surprise. Not that people don't love Rollins--everybody loves Sonny--but that this somewhat average...

2009-03-02T00:25:12-05:00

4 <strong>What we said:</strong> Beyond the Sound Barrier picks up where its predecessor left off: It's another compilation of concert recordings from the band's extensive travels. But where the epochal Footprints--Live! raided the classic Shorter catalog for material, this album sprinkles in several new tunes. They tend toward a mysterious rippling quality that justifies long and cosmic titles. The best of the bunch is the title track, which spins a seductive ostinato into a vast and mysterious koan. It's impossible to talk about these songs without mentioning the interpretive actions of the band. Shorter's soprano and tenor saxophones are bright and bracing as always, whether they're serving as the focal point or as ornamental filigree. Bassist John Patitucci and drummer Brian Blade manage the tricky task of abstracting tonality and rhythm without forsaking earthly roots. And pianist Danilo Perez provides both gossamer harmonics and punchy accents. But the musicians' individual contributions are inextricable from the ensemble whole. There's a magic moment on "Over Shadow Hill Way" where Perez and Blade hit an unlikely accent in unison, and react with audible surprise. Similarly, near the end of "Joy Ryder," a rhythmic peek-a-boo actually causes a slip-up--which serves as a humanizing gesture. Beyond the Sound Barrier is not without its faults. At times the band gets too emphatic--Perez lets loose a particularly torrid run on "As Far as the Eye Can See"--and the group lumbers where it's clearly seeking to soar. More frustrating is the album's reliance on fade-ins and fade-outs--a necessary evil, but no less evil for being necessary. (Perhaps Verve will someday issue a complete box set, a la ECM with Keith Jarrett.) Still, these are minor quibbles with a major success. "We'd rather go for elusiveness than clarification," Shorter instructs his musicians in Michele Mercer's book Footprints: The Life and Music of Wayne Shorter. This album will fascinate any listener willing to take them up on the pursuit. <span class="article_byline>Nate Chinen, June 2005</span> <strong>What we say:</strong> By far the most thorny of Shorter's recent spate of CDs, Beyond the Sound Barrier presents Shorter's band as a living, breathing, seething entity that makes great but difficult music. Will it displace any of our favorite Shorter CDs? No. Will it take up an honored spot next to Speak No Evil and JuJu? Surely. (OK, maybe not next to them, but close.) true 2007-06-07T14:05:44-04:00 16418 99 200602 true 0 109 2006-01-01T00:00:00-05:00

What we said: Beyond the Sound Barrier picks up where its predecessor left off: It's another compilation of concert recordings from the band's extensive travels. But where the epochal Footprints--Live! raided the classic Shorter catalog for material, this album sprinkles in several new tunes. They tend toward a mysterious rippling quality that justifies long and cosmic titles. The best of the bunch is the title track, which spins a seductive ostinato into a vast and mysterious koan. It's impossible to talk about these songs without mentioning the interpretive actions of the band. Shorter's soprano and tenor saxophones are bright and bracing as always, whether they're serving as the focal point or as ornamental filigree. Bassist John Patitucci and drummer Brian Blade manage the tricky task of abstracting tonality and rhythm without forsaking earthly roots. And pianist Danilo Perez provides both gossamer harmonics and punchy accents. But the musicians' individual contributions are inextricable from the ensemble whole. There's a magic moment on "Over Shadow Hill Way" where Perez and Blade hit an unlikely accent in unison, and react with audible surprise. Similarly, near the end of "Joy Ryder," a rhythmic peek-a-boo actually causes a slip-up--which serves as a humanizing gesture. Beyond the Sound Barrier is not without its faults. At times the band gets too emphatic--Perez lets loose a particularly torrid run on "As Far as the Eye Can See"--and the group lumbers where it's clearly seeking to soar. More frustrating is the album's reliance on fade-ins and fade-outs--a necessary evil, but no less evil for being...

2009-03-02T00:25:13-05:00

4 What we said: Two years ago, Terence Blanchard documented his jump from Sony Classical to Blue Note with an album titled Bounce. This year's sequel is just as aptly and succinctly named: Flow not only flows but also shows what's possible when a band has flow. Blanchard has crafted a stirring and soulful contemporary outing and one of the strongest albums of his distinguished career. Flow is, start to finish, an ensemble effort. Each of Blanchard's musicians plays a critical role in the group's expansive sound, and each contributes a song or two. Lionel Loueke, Blanchard's former charge at the Thelonious Monk Institute, delivers the session's most distinctive number, a nearly 15-minute long "Wadagbe" that convincingly bridges the gap between West African folk forms, spacious postbop and 21st-century groove. The most purely evocative piece comes from the pen of bassist Derrick Hodge: "Over There" begins as a quiet lament and gradually builds to a fever pitch, its cinematic cadence provoking a monumental and expressive solo from Blanchard. Saxophonist Brice Winston provides the most intricate theme, a Herbie Hancock ode called "Child's Play." Hancock is more than a specter here. The pianist sits in on Loueke's "Benny's Tune" and, more spectacularly, on drummer Kendrick Scott's "The Source." He also produced the album, which explains its occasional Mwandishi vibe. But make no mistake: Blanchard runs this show. What's even more impressive than his stalwart musicianship is his evident leadership. Flow announces the maturation of a real band--now one of the finest on the scene. (Nate Chinen, June 2005) What we say: With the economic realities of jazz slapping musicians in the face every day, working bands are all but a thing of the past. Thank goodness that Blanchard has a successful career outside of jazz with film scoring and he can keep together the great unit that made Flow, certainly one of the most surprising CDs of the trumpeter's career--if not the best. true 2007-06-07T14:05:44-04:00 false 16419 99 200602 true 0 109 2006-01-01T00:00:00-05:00

What we said: Two years ago, Terence Blanchard documented his jump from Sony Classical to Blue Note with an album titled Bounce. This year's sequel is just as aptly and succinctly named: Flow not only flows but also shows what's possible when a band has flow. Blanchard has crafted a stirring and soulful contemporary outing and one of the strongest albums of his distinguished career. Flow is, start to finish, an ensemble effort. Each of Blanchard's musicians plays a critical role in the group's expansive sound, and each contributes a song or two. Lionel Loueke, Blanchard's former charge at the Thelonious Monk Institute, delivers the session's most distinctive number, a nearly 15-minute long "Wadagbe" that convincingly bridges the gap between West African folk forms, spacious postbop and 21st-century groove. The most purely evocative piece comes from the pen of bassist Derrick Hodge: "Over There" begins as a quiet lament and gradually builds to a fever pitch, its cinematic cadence provoking a monumental and expressive solo from Blanchard. Saxophonist Brice Winston provides the most intricate theme, a Herbie Hancock ode called "Child's Play." Hancock is more than a specter here. The pianist sits in on Loueke's "Benny's Tune" and, more spectacularly, on drummer Kendrick Scott's "The Source." He also produced the album, which explains its occasional Mwandishi vibe. But make no mistake: Blanchard runs this show. What's even more impressive than his stalwart musicianship is his evident leadership. Flow announces the maturation of a real band--now one of the finest on the scene. (Nate Chinen, June 2005)...

2009-03-02T00:25:13-05:00

4 What we said: Vijay Iyer is an academic, but he is entirely self-taught as a pianist and possesses the infinite free choices of the autodidact. His music contains his South Asian heritage and also a vast array of interests and influences, including diverse world musics, his own academic disciplines, rock 'n' roll and a preoccupation with John Coltrane (who was strongly affected by Indian music). The outcome is heady drones, swirling sonic washes and endlessly intricate counterpoint. Iyer's music fulfills a deep-seated need of many improvised-music fans: to hear what has never been heard before. Many players promise it. Few deliver. Iyer does. Reimagining carries over alto saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa and bassist Stephan Crump from Iyer's widely praised previous recording, Blood Sutra. Eighteen-year-old Marcus Gilmore is the new drummer. All sound entirely at home in this very special musical house, especially Mahanthappa, who fills the tiniest spaces in Iyer's pianistic densities with bright penetrations, in fierce contrapuntal continuums. There are no comfort zones--no familiar rhythmic patterns, no beginnings or middles or ends. Yet pieces like "Experience" and "Revolutions" make you remember the defining moments of the John Coltrane Quartet, when musical careening suddenly coheres into a liberated lyricism you never saw coming. Meanwhile, the heavy, ominous chords that at first surround John Lennon's innocent "Imagine" in darkness break through into a more hopeful single-note affirmation of the melody at the end. The most interesting question about Iyer is how, having fully elaborated a unique and specific musical space, he goes forward from here. (Thomas Conrad, June 2005) What we say: Incredibly smart music doesn't need to be inaccessible, and Iyer strikes a fine balance on his latest CD of brain-bending barnstormers. That's why we look forward to everything Iyer does. Having a formidable band backing him, especially Rudresh Mahanthappa, his invaluable partner in odd time, helps Iyer's complex ideas come through with Waterford crystal clarity. true 2007-06-07T14:05:44-04:00 false 16420 99 200602 true 0 109 2006-01-01T00:00:00-05:00

What we said: Vijay Iyer is an academic, but he is entirely self-taught as a pianist and possesses the infinite free choices of the autodidact. His music contains his South Asian heritage and also a vast array of interests and influences, including diverse world musics, his own academic disciplines, rock 'n' roll and a preoccupation with John Coltrane (who was strongly affected by Indian music). The outcome is heady drones, swirling sonic washes and endlessly intricate counterpoint. Iyer's music fulfills a deep-seated need of many improvised-music fans: to hear what has never been heard before. Many players promise it. Few deliver. Iyer does. Reimagining carries over alto saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa and bassist Stephan Crump from Iyer's widely praised previous recording, Blood Sutra. Eighteen-year-old Marcus Gilmore is the new drummer. All sound entirely at home in this very special musical house, especially Mahanthappa, who fills the tiniest spaces in Iyer's pianistic densities with bright penetrations, in fierce contrapuntal continuums. There are no comfort zones--no familiar rhythmic patterns, no beginnings or middles or ends. Yet pieces like "Experience" and "Revolutions" make you remember the defining moments of the John Coltrane Quartet, when musical careening suddenly coheres into a liberated lyricism you never saw coming. Meanwhile, the heavy, ominous chords that at first surround John Lennon's innocent "Imagine" in darkness break through into a more hopeful single-note affirmation of the melody at the end. The most interesting question about Iyer is how, having fully elaborated a unique and specific musical space, he goes forward from here. (Thomas Conrad, June...

2009-03-02T00:25:13-05:00

4 What we said: It's been 20 years since drummer Paul Motian, guitarist Bill Frisell and saxophonist Joe Lovano recorded It Should've Happened a Long Time Ago, the ECM album that kicked off their trio collaboration. In the interim, the ensemble has worked together more or less steadily: playing to packed Village Vanguard crowds, touring Europe and recording a couple of gems for Winter & Winter/JMT. Still, this return to ECM feels like a major milestone as well as a reprisal. The reason, quite simply, is the music. Motian and his younger cohorts have mastered the art of an avant-gardism that's abstract but never shapeless, and thoroughly steeped in melodic yearning. Lovano's tenor is alternately pleading, plaintive or exalting; Frisell employs his guitar as lead voice, harmonic glue and atmospheric scrim. As for their leader, Motian's minimalist percussion is as subtle and steady as a heartbeat, even when it more readily suggests a cardboard box tumbling down the stairs. Motian composed nearly all of the songs here; the exceptions are the title track (written by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein for Showboat) and the closing "Dreamland" (by Thelonious Monk, Motian's lodestar and, briefly, his boss). Not surprisingly, the entire program hews to the drummer's guiding aesthetic, which might best be described as an exaltation of the subconscious. So we get what sounds obliquely like a border folk song ("Odd Man Out"), a playground chant ("The Bag Man") and a high-wire balancing act ("Dance"). The A section of "One in Three" is effectively a bedtime lullaby, with Motian's cymbals rusting the branches outside; the B section intrudes like a disquieting dream. In all the tunes, there are deceptively simple forms, a blend of wistfulness and whimsy and a sense of wonder at the world. Start to finish, this is music for the soul. (Nate Chinen, March 2005) What we say: It's a shame that Paul Motian doesn't travel outside of the New York area anymore. But we're thankful that people will travel to record with him, from Italian trumpeter Enrico Rava on his recent trio CD, Tati (ECM), to U.S. compatriots like Frisell and Lovano. There are very few people who can play drums like Paul Motian, and while this album is billed to all three players its sound and success is very much the result of the man behind the kit. true 2007-06-07T14:05:44-04:00 false 16421 99 200602 true 0 109 2006-01-01T00:00:00-05:00

What we said: It's been 20 years since drummer Paul Motian, guitarist Bill Frisell and saxophonist Joe Lovano recorded It Should've Happened a Long Time Ago, the ECM album that kicked off their trio collaboration. In the interim, the ensemble has worked together more or less steadily: playing to packed Village Vanguard crowds, touring Europe and recording a couple of gems for Winter & Winter/JMT. Still, this return to ECM feels like a major milestone as well as a reprisal. The reason, quite simply, is the music. Motian and his younger cohorts have mastered the art of an avant-gardism that's abstract but never shapeless, and thoroughly steeped in melodic yearning. Lovano's tenor is alternately pleading, plaintive or exalting; Frisell employs his guitar as lead voice, harmonic glue and atmospheric scrim. As for their leader, Motian's minimalist percussion is as subtle and steady as a heartbeat, even when it more readily suggests a cardboard box tumbling down the stairs. Motian composed nearly all of the songs here; the exceptions are the title track (written by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein for Showboat) and the closing "Dreamland" (by Thelonious Monk, Motian's lodestar and, briefly, his boss). Not surprisingly, the entire program hews to the drummer's guiding aesthetic, which might best be described as an exaltation of the subconscious. So we get what sounds obliquely like a border folk song ("Odd Man Out"), a playground chant ("The Bag Man") and a high-wire balancing act ("Dance"). The A section of "One in Three" is effectively a bedtime lullaby, with Motian's...

2009-03-02T00:25:13-05:00

4 What we said: On the surface, pianist Tord Gustavsen's music might fit your average description of the Nordic sound--all dreamy fjords, windswept snowdrifts and winters that last for years. But if you listen close to the Tord Gustavsen Trio's gorgeous album The Ground you'll hear tango influences. No, seriously. And live, when the trio backed vocalist Silje Nergaard, I heard Caribbean influences in Gustavsen's playing, too. (His inner Monty Alexander was showing.) On The Ground, listen to the near-waltz rhythm and the breaks on "Being There," and the band's switch to the minor on "Colours of Mercy" for examples of the Latin tinge. Hell, there's even a song called "Token of Tango." But because Gustavsen, bassist Harald Johnsen and drummer Jarle Vespestad play so quiet and slow--the opposite of what we think of with tango or Latin or Caribbean music--it seems odd to bring up these references. Of course, you can hear bits of Bill Evans, Lennie Tristano and fellow Norwegian Jon Balke in Gustavsen's expertly chosen harmonies and well-defined solos, in addition to the hymnal qualities of church music. But it's these other, less obvious influences that that makes Gustavsen's playing so unique. (Christopher Porter, May 2005) What we say: Tord Gustavsen has a degree in musicology from the University of Oslo, and his thesis is titled "The Dialectical Eroticism of Improvisation." Which may seem odd considering Gustavsen's music is more spiritual than sexy. But in his dissertation Gustavsen writes about forgoing instant gratification "in order to achieve a satisfaction on the basis of the unfolding over time...so that you can enjoy the releases, culminations and joys that are actually realized without too much sorrow over the possibilities for gratification that are not." That sounds like a lot of religious doctrine to us, which normally makes us suspicious. But if Gustavsen is the preacher, and his deeply moving music the choir, consider us wholly converted. true 2007-06-07T14:05:44-04:00 false 16422 99 200602 true 0 109 2006-01-01T00:00:00-05:00

What we said: On the surface, pianist Tord Gustavsen's music might fit your average description of the Nordic sound--all dreamy fjords, windswept snowdrifts and winters that last for years. But if you listen close to the Tord Gustavsen Trio's gorgeous album The Ground you'll hear tango influences. No, seriously. And live, when the trio backed vocalist Silje Nergaard, I heard Caribbean influences in Gustavsen's playing, too. (His inner Monty Alexander was showing.) On The Ground, listen to the near-waltz rhythm and the breaks on "Being There," and the band's switch to the minor on "Colours of Mercy" for examples of the Latin tinge. Hell, there's even a song called "Token of Tango." But because Gustavsen, bassist Harald Johnsen and drummer Jarle Vespestad play so quiet and slow--the opposite of what we think of with tango or Latin or Caribbean music--it seems odd to bring up these references. Of course, you can hear bits of Bill Evans, Lennie Tristano and fellow Norwegian Jon Balke in Gustavsen's expertly chosen harmonies and well-defined solos, in addition to the hymnal qualities of church music. But it's these other, less obvious influences that that makes Gustavsen's playing so unique. (Christopher Porter, May 2005) What we say: Tord Gustavsen has a degree in musicology from the University of Oslo, and his thesis is titled "The Dialectical Eroticism of Improvisation." Which may seem odd considering Gustavsen's music is more spiritual than sexy. But in his dissertation Gustavsen writes about forgoing instant gratification "in order to achieve a satisfaction on the basis of the...

2009-03-02T00:25:13-05:00

4 What we said: Brad Mehldau's first trio recording for Nonesuch is also his first without Jorge Rossy at the drums. Jeff Ballard, Rossy's replacement, is far from a stranger to Mehldau and bassist Larry Grenadier, and it isn't surprising that a drummer this brilliant should take to the trio like a fish to water. But that's not to say that Day Is Done lacks surprises. The pianist gives us two new originals: "Artis," an uptempo swinger, and "Turtle Town," a lyrical bolero. But Mehldau continues to emphasize his personal take on the modern songbook with new interpretations of his reigning favorites: Radiohead, Lennon and McCartney, Nick Drake and Paul Simon. With "Granada" he champions the writing of one of his most gifted peers, saxophonist Chris Cheek. With a short but scintillating "Alfie" he reasserts himself as an eloquent, unfussy ballad player. And with "No Moon at All," a lesser-known standard, he goes out swinging. "Knives Out" brings Mehldau's tally of Radiohead covers to four. It's an inspired opener, with dark harmonies, irregular phrase lengths and the sort of rhythmic tension and speed that has long been a hallmark of this trio. "Martha My Dear," the first of two late-era Beatles songs, is a playful solo-piano turn. We also hear solo piano employed as a textural departure during "She's Leaving Home" and again during "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover." Mehldau's approach to the Paul Simon hit is complex: The feel is a funky 7/8, and the melody is stated only once (four minutes in). The solo choruses, in 18-bar A-B form, cycle through the keys of G flat, A flat and E (all minor). Amazingly, the result isn't at all overdone. Grenadier gets it rolling with an adroit solo, and Ballard's groove on the outro vamp is crushing. "Day Is Done," Mehldau's third Nick Drake cover, isn't much of a song, and the chord progression is trite. Mehldau opened last year's Live in Tokyo with "Things Behind the Sun," one of Drake's absolute best, making "Day Is Done" that much more of a letdown. Still, the trio somewhat redeems the weak tune: Grenadier handles the initial melody, Ballard strikes up a straight-rock feel and Mehldau modulates (again!) to start his first solo chorus. The improvising is crisp, and the key change reappears as a thematic element in the coda. Chris Cheek's "Granada" is weightier stuff, with an interesting back-story: Mehldau played the piece on Fender Rhodes on Vine, Cheek's marvelous Fresh Sound New Talent disc of 2000. (Jorge Rossy played drums.) Here it's considerably slower, more luxurious. "No Moon at All" also has a history worth noting: A minor-key melody with a "Caravan"-like bridge, it was cowritten by David Mann, who also cowrote "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning." Joe Williams sang it with Basie in 1959. Karrin Allyson gave it a go in 1993. Randy Sandke played it fast on his 2003 release Cliffhanger, and Mulgrew Miller took the first solo. Mehldau's midtempo version evokes last call at the bar. It's got a timeless jazz feel, but it's free of stock licks. That seems to be Mehldau's goal writ large. (David Adler, Dec. 2005) What we say: Brad Mehldau is a perennial on year-end lists. Beloved by mainstream and avant-garde fans alike, Mehldau and his trio create cerebral, thinking-person's music that ends up residing in your heart and soul. true 2007-06-07T14:05:44-04:00 false 16423 99 200602 true 0 109 2006-01-01T00:00:00-05:00

What we said: Brad Mehldau's first trio recording for Nonesuch is also his first without Jorge Rossy at the drums. Jeff Ballard, Rossy's replacement, is far from a stranger to Mehldau and bassist Larry Grenadier, and it isn't surprising that a drummer this brilliant should take to the trio like a fish to water. But that's not to say that Day Is Done lacks surprises. The pianist gives us two new originals: "Artis," an uptempo swinger, and "Turtle Town," a lyrical bolero. But Mehldau continues to emphasize his personal take on the modern songbook with new interpretations of his reigning favorites: Radiohead, Lennon and McCartney, Nick Drake and Paul Simon. With "Granada" he champions the writing of one of his most gifted peers, saxophonist Chris Cheek. With a short but scintillating "Alfie" he reasserts himself as an eloquent, unfussy ballad player. And with "No Moon at All," a lesser-known standard, he goes out swinging. "Knives Out" brings Mehldau's tally of Radiohead covers to four. It's an inspired opener, with dark harmonies, irregular phrase lengths and the sort of rhythmic tension and speed that has long been a hallmark of this trio. "Martha My Dear," the first of two late-era Beatles songs, is a playful solo-piano turn. We also hear solo piano employed as a textural departure during "She's Leaving Home" and again during "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover." Mehldau's approach to the Paul Simon hit is complex: The feel is a funky 7/8, and the melody is stated only once (four minutes in). The solo...

2009-03-02T00:25:13-05:00