26 MAY 2000 JAZZ & Big Band CDs

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WORD FOR WORD
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"Driving home one day I thought of a simple scenario. I'd always remembered a special bar that I played in during the early 1980s while touring with organist Charles Earland. It was in Charleston, South Carolina, before that city's more progressive rebirth and it was full of every type of person and every type of music--from the Clash to P-Funk to Coltrane--on the jukebox. And the place was smart and sexy." --Roy Nathanson on his jazz drama, "Fire at Keaton's Bar and Grill"
Read more of Roy Nathanson's essay
...here!

Check out "Fire at Keaton's Bar and Grill"
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NEW AND NOTABLE
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"52nd Street Themes"
Joe Lovano Nonet
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Joe Lovano always keeps listeners guessing about his next moves. He's gone from Sinatra homages to suites about urban sprawl to lean, bouncy quartets. With "52nd Street Themes," the Cleveland native gives props to the pioneers of bebop. The arrangements are rich, like a page out of Tadd Dameron's book, and the nonet avail themselves of generous solos and exquisitely laid-back arrangements.

"Look Who's Here"
Russell Malone
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Best known as a sideman for Diana Krall, guitarist Russell Malone has his own sense of swing, and it's robust. He owes a debt to Wes Montgomery but integrates B.B. King's big blues feel, as well as a more pop-rooted dexterity, into the mix. "Look Who's Here" joins Malone with pianist Anthony Wonsey fronting a sparkling, fresh quartet.

"From the Green Hill"
Tomasz Stanko
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his "Litania," a reading of film music by composer Krzysztof Komeda that was at once chamber music and billowing, folky jazz. "From the Green Hill" follows those footsteps with Stanko's sextet enhanced by the poetic mixture of his wide- ranging trumpet, Dino Saluzzi's bandoneon, Michelle Makarski's violin, John Surman's baritone sax and bass clarinet, Jon Christensen's drums, and Anders Jormin's atmospheric percussion.

"A Song for George Lewis"
Dr. Michael White
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004SVKI/acousticdigestmu">...CD on Sale
New Orleans's best-loved clarinetist, George Lewis was a hero for traditional jazz revivalists in the 1950s, looking for a native of jazz's bread basket to champion old-time music. Dr. Michael White, himself an acclaimed New Orleans native and expert on the city's trad-jazz sounds, pays homage to Lewis. The music's swing is, recalling Lewis, not at all suave and smooth. It's propulsive, colorful, and fun--perfect for dancing whether you know the right steps or not.

"Ritmo and Soul"
Jane Bunnett
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Soprano saxophonist and flutist Jane Bunnett has shaken many jazz trees, from her freebop quintet to her intimate gigs with aging Cuban piano maestros. "Ritmo and Soul" catches Bunnett with husband Larry Cramer on trumpet and a bevy of Cuban players. The music's got thick rhythmic carpeting, always in motion, beneath it. Along with hearty vocal tunes and spirited improvisation, there's a loose feel that invigorates every second of the CD.

SMOOTH GROOVES
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"Absolute Benson"
George Benson
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Having earned his jazz pedigree playing with organist Jack McDuff, George Benson became famous for his instrumental pop-jazz albums and then his scat-singing acrobatics. "Absolute Benson" touches on all aspects of his past, from high-quality guitar slinkiness to cozy, playful vocals.

"Kiss and Tell"
Martin Taylor
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British guitarist Martin Taylor has traveled widely and played lots of jazz styles, especially Django Reinhardt- inspired small-band swing. Surprisingly, his latest finds Taylor with Kirk Whalum and other smooth-jazz folks melding the riff-heavy fun he swings so well with a more sultry, pop-friendly lushness. He excels on the themes to the TV shows "Hawaii Five-O" and "The Odd Couple," among other tunes.

"Shake It Up"
Boney James and Rick Braun
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Word is that trumpeter Rick Braun and saxophonist Boney James are thrilled with their collaborative CD "Shake it Up." It's got the earmarks of a smooth classic, offering sweet, silken textures and velvet-touch solos--especially from Braun. For anyone who likes Braun and James separately, this will be twice the delight.
Check out more smooth grooves
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ORCHESTRAL SWEEP
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"Moment to Moment"
Roy Hargrove
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The annals of jazz are crowded with albums that paired the music's heroes with string ensembles. And some of these pairings are, in a word, lacking. Roy Hargrove's "Moment to Moment" has him fronting his quintet with a string orchestra on board. The album succeeds as romantic splendor largely because Hargrove has such phenomenal tone and sense of the music's overall shape.

"Skies of America"
Ornette Coleman
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On a completely different note, Ornette Coleman's "Skies of America" has been critically lambasted, ignored, mistreated, and, at times, forgotten. It's on CD for the first time, though, with its recent reissue. Coleman's love for Charles Ives and Aaron Copland makes wonderful partners for his bluesy, swinging sense of jazz architecture. This is a sometimes boisterous, sometimes meditative work of huge ambition, a musical wonder that deserves wide acclaim.

SUMMER BREEZE
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"McGriff's House Party"
Jimmy McGriff
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All you'll find on organist Jimmy McGriff's latest is stewy, driving soul jazz. McGriff helped pioneer a boogaloo sound that had hips shaking like mad in the late 1960s, and the vibe is as relevant today--especially with summer upon half the world--as ever. Tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander stands tall among his peers in this band, and Dr. Lonnie Smith joins in on a second organ for a few burning tunes.

"Monty Meets Sly and Robbie"
Monty Alexander
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Jamaican-born pianist Monty Alexander has concocted an unmistakable musical formula. He loves Nat "King" Cole's phrasing and balladry, but loves equally his fellow Jamaicans' accomplishments with reggae rhythms. So this matching of Alexander with reggae and dub's best-known drum and bass team is inspired. It's a relaxed session that shows how well very different musical streams from the island can mix--on the basis of jazz, of course.

"Culmination"
Sam Rivers
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Seldom does a CD hit with the force of saxophonist Sam Rivers's 1999 Rivbea All-Stars' "Inspiration." Played by a sprawling, pianoless big band, Rivers's songs were part funk, part hard bop, and part all-out improvisation. And here's more from the same session. "Culmination" is every bit as wall-climbing and energetic, with solos cropping up amid dense rhythmic forestry. Rivers is among jazz's most inventive veterans, and "Culmination" finds him at a peak--in his 70s, no less.

"Xenoblast"
Jazz Mandolin Project
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The Jazz Mandolin Project have attracted attention from string-instrument enthusiasts, bluegrass aficionados, and jam-band fans. They've also kept up a thorough dedication to swinging, which they do in abundance on "Xenoblast." There's enough here to please all their varied fans, from high-voltage jamming to virtuoso mandolin playing that recalls old-timey jazz and country music simultaneously.

UNHEARD MUSIC
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"Nipples"
Peter Brotzmann
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Chicago's Atavistic Records has kicked off its Unheard Music series of classic avant-garde releases that came and went in a virtual flash. Peter Brotzmann's wild, loud, and free "Nipples" is one of the series' inaugural titles--for good reason. It's sought by collectors and absolutely bristles with the intensity of Evan Parker, Fred van Hove, Derek Bailey, and others pouring every sliver of energy into the brawny free improvisations.

"Nation Time"
Joe McPhee
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Joe McPhee's career is inextricably linked with Switzerland's HatArt Records, but this 1970 session catches the multi-instrumentalist before Hat's existence. McPhee comes out swinging on these R&B-inflected free-jazz pieces, showing off his mountainous chops as well as the music's irrepressible communal energy.

"Live at the I.C.A./Retrospective"
Ray Russell
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There must be some adventure-loving water running through Chicago, as another of the city's creative independent labels, Moikai, is also chasing down music that, until now, has been long gone. British free-improvising guitarist Ray Russell is the latest Moikai fascination, and the two-CD "Live at the I.C.A./Retrospective" is a stunning release. Spiky and energetically abstract, Russell's music is visionary and gets appropriately wild treatment by his quintet (featuring trumpeter Harry Beckett and reeds phenom Gary Windo).

BARGAIN JAZZ
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"Slipped Disc 1945-46"
Benny Goodman
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Looking for classic vintage-jazz albums from Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Illinois Jacquet, Earl Hines, and others? Our Vintage Jazz Cutouts list has dozens of gems priced below $7.
Check out more Vintage Jazz Cutouts
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BOX SETS
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"The Complete Quartets and Quintets with Oscar Peterson"
Lionel Hampton
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If what you want is unabated swing, stuff that moves so assuredly that it leaves you slack-jawed, this five-CD box coupling vibraphonist Lionel Hampton with pianist Oscar Peterson is ideal. Peterson was the nominal guest on these early-1950s sessions, and he blazes--bringing Hampton's most spirited side out, as well. The music might not be revolutionary, but it's amazingly played and ebullient to boot.

Check out more jazz box sets
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LISTEN to selected tracks...
posted 23 MAY 2000