Jazz ♫ Music only | In the now, or recently, or that you love...

[JaMaSt]

I rank Monk up there with Bach for sheer inventiveness. I bought the cassette of this in 1984 (16 years old) and really appreciated all the artist's enjoyable and quirky tribute to the even quirky-er Monk, who passed two years prior. When I bought a CD player in 1987, I lost track of the cassette. About a year ago I ponied up $50 to buy a used CD. Worth every penny.

Monk was a God.

 

[JaMaSt]

God at work.

 

[Oldasdrt]

 

[DarrylG]

 

[MoreWatts]

From AllAboutJazz: "Saxophonist Avram Fefer comes out swinging on Juba Lee, the second release from his quartet... Fefer's connection with guitarist Marc Ribot solidifies the jazz-as-roots music aspects of this sound. Ribot has always dipped his hand into folk music, be it Cuban, Haitian, or post-punk and avant genres, and Fefer is comfortable traveling within African and Eastern sounds... Fefer's saxophones are complimented by the intoxicating grooves laid down by bassist Eric Revis and drummer Chad Taylor."

Has a nice, New York, kinda loose, groove, which is the band's base. This is Fefer's ~15th release since 2001. No decent videos, so YouTube and Spotify links to the full album follow. Please enjoy another fine jazz release from 2022.

Avram Fefer, Juba Lee, full album: YouTube link. Spotify link.

 

[MoreWatts]

From AllAboutJazz: "After working and recording for decades with some of the jazz world's best and brightest talents, trumpeter John Bailey released his first album as leader of his own group in 2018, and now, in 2023, his 3rd, Time Bandits.

Bailey leads an all-star quartet on this one, firmly anchored by drummer Victor Lewis, pianist George Cables and bassist Scott Colley. So much for quality control, which could not be in better hands.

Bailey is a splendid trumpeter, and Time Bandits a colorful showcase for him and his talented colleagues, each of whom is a dedicated team player and creative soloist. High marks for them and for the album's impressive lineup of pleasurable music."

No good recent videos, but this one has good sound, and has Michael Zenon on saxophone, whose recent album, Musica de las Americas, was Grammy nominated, and was recommended, in this thread, here. The 2nd video is the official album video, I believe.

FYI, his website has videos where he played with Gloria Estefan on a nice Tonite Show clip from 1993, and with Buddy Rich in 1986, to prove he's a true veteran. Please enjoy a nice, straight ahead, trumpet album to start 2023, new, jazz recommendations.

John Bailey, Time Bandits, full album: YouTube link. Spotify link.

 

[DarrylG]

If you can find this, I can highly recommend,

https://www.bluenote.com/artist/the-manhattan-project/

Sounds interesting.

 

[DarrylG]

 

[DarrylG]

 

[MoreWatts]

From AllAboutJazz: "The 11 tracks of Personal Preference, by band Something Blue, boldly stride through the bop/hard bop/post-bop continuum, utilizing elements from these branches as points of departure to their visions and designs... Articulate, engaging compositions are penned by each member of the sextet... Arrangements that are richer and more detailed than the standard head-solos-head format keep the listener guessing what will happen next... They are a brilliant straight-ahead unit, deftly handling transitions from swing to Latin grooves, yet when necessary, they gleefully go further afield."

This group was assembled by the artists' label, Posi-Tone Records, to showcase talent, and is the 2nd album grouped as Something Blue, with a different artist mix on 2019s Maximum Enjoyment (with Kozlov). Pianist Misha Tsiganov's latest album, Misha's Wishes, was recommended in this thread, here, where bassist Boris Kozlov also played, who then was on the Opus 5 album recommended, also in this thread, here.

YouTube and Spotify links to both mentioned albums follow. Please enjoy acoupla solid jazz albums.

Something Blue, Personal Preference, full album: YouTube link. Spotify link.

Something Blue, Maximum Enjoyment, full album: YouTube link. Spotify link.

 

[Oldasdrt]

Sounds interesting.

I found it on You Tube and posted one song, its a FANTASTIC CD

 

[Oldasdrt]

 

[Oldasdrt]

Can anyone of you guys recommend any other versions of Goodbye Pork Pie Hat, Besides Mingus
I'm into Fusion, IE, Rippingtons, Weather Report, Stanley Clarke, Jean Luc Ponty, George Duke,
Thanks

 

[Timcognito]

Can anyone of you guys recommend any other versions of Goodbye Pork Pie Hat, Besides Mingus
I'm into Fusion, IE, Rippingtons, Weather Report, Stanley Clarke, Jean Luc Ponty, George Duke,
Thanks

Joni Mitchel did a good one, with a your in the room recording job on her Mingus album

 

[Oldasdrt]

Joni Mitchel did a good one, with a your in the room recording job on her Mingus album

Thanks

 

[Ralph_Cramden]

 

[MoreWatts]

From AllAboutJazz: "Panama-born bassist Santi Debriano's Arkestra Bembe is a nonet whose centerpiece is the bembe music of west Africa. During the pandemic, Debriano... assembled a group of musicians who would comprise the Arkestra and perform Debriano's compositions and arrangements.

The result is Ashanti, an impressive studio recording whose framework is jazz but whose heart and soul are clearly in bembe. Debriano has absorbed the celebratory nature of the music and written ten songs that give bright voice to dembe's rhythmic and harmonic temper. Debriano's teammates are with him all the way, unraveling the music's import as to the manor born.

In every respect, bembe lends itself well to the fabric of contemporary jazz, and Debriano and the Arkestra present the music at its salutary and sunlit best."

Santi began with Archie Shepp in the late 1970s, has played in the bands of a ridiculous number of jazz greats, with ~9 album releases of his own. The videos are 3 nice Zoom performances of album tunes, and a Spotify link to the full album follows. Please enjoy some nice bembe jazz groove.

Santi Debriano & Arkestra Bembe, Ashanti, full album: Spotify link.

 

[Ralph_Cramden]

 

[Ralph_Cramden]

 

[MoreWatts]

From AllAboutJazz: "Alto saxophone master Jesse Davis has been a dynamic force on the jazz scene for over forty years... On his latest album, Live at Smalls Jazz Club, recorded in February 2022, Davis is backed by pianist Spike Wilner, Peter Washington on bass and Joe Farnsworth on drums... Davis takes pleasure in performing arduous and dazzling runs up and down the horn, and he delights in borrowing brief phrases from other songs to enrich his already tantalizing ad-libs... Davis is one of the more eloquent and enterprising alto saxophonists on the contemporary scene... Live at Smalls Jazz Club is by any measure a superior album, thanks to the singular talents of Davis and his band-mates."

Davis has resided in Italy for ~20 years, and before that played with many greats in NYC. This is his ~10th album as a leader. The 1st video showcases him with a nice band from 2015. The 2nd has lousy video, but sounds fine, and he plays a wonderful, long ballad, like only a jazz great can. BTW, Jesse has quite a few full-concert videos available on YouTube, including several nights at Smalls. YouTube and Spotify links to the full album follow. Please enjoy a fine new album from a lesser known jazz great.

Jesse Davis, Live At Smalls Jazz Club, full album: YouTube link. Spotify link.