Category: Reviews

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Another positive review for Rotondi’s latest effort “Blues for Brother Ray”….

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A rather special addition to the Ray Charles tributes.

Published on June 16, 2009

Jim Rotondi – Blues for Brother Ray – Posi-Tone PR8045, 52:01 ****1/2:

(Jim Rotondi, trumpet; Eric Alexander, tenor sax; Peter Bernstein, guitar; Mike LeDonne, organ; Joe Farnsworth, drums)

Jim Rotondi has always been one of my favorite young jazz trumpeters. His playing has added much to the super hard bop group, One For All, who are the closest thing to a classic Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers band for the new millennium. This reviewer eagerly awaits each One For All release as they bring a fresh approach to 50s-60s Blue Note quality hard bop.

When I heard that Rotondi had released a tribute CD to Ray Charles, I had hope that this would not be another rote addition to the numerous Ray Charles tributes that have inundated CD shelves at your local store. Charles was always loved and appreciated even when he rested on his laurels late in his career. With his passing, he has been re-appreciated for the genius that he was. Charles covered all the bases from R & B, soul, jazz, and even country. Few if any others can make claim to his fearlessness in bringing his soul touch to even the most mundane song. His numerous versions of “Georgia” will never be matched.

Rotondi’s paean to Brother Ray has all the elements of what is needed to pass the test. Of course, we have the Rotondi trumpet power, finesse with brashness. Who better to take on the requisite tenor sax post than Eric Alexander, who to me has taken on the leading role as young tenor becoming a fixture on the jazz scene, and likely to move into the future as “our” old school quality tenor for the newer generation of jazz fans. A smart choice was including Peter Bernstein to play guitar, as Peter is THE first choice jazz guitarist for a hard bop or soul jazz session. When Dr. Lonnie Smith comes calling for a guitarist, Peter is often his man, which is a compliment bar none. Mike LeDonne, who can equally shine on piano or organ, here gets to add the funk needed on organ.

Rotondi covers all Charles classics you’d expect from What’d I Say, Baby It’s Cold Outside, Cry Me a River, to, of course, Georgia. Each has a freshness, yet enough of a Charles read, that you can’t help cracking a knowing smile as you know that the inimitable Ray Charles would have given his head nodding approval.Posi-Tone is a relatively new label with less than ten releases. Jim Rotondi’s Blues for Brother Ray, will certainly have music lovers checking out their web site for other releases. A positive marketing move for Posi-Tone!

TrackList: What’d I Say, Baby It’s Cold Outside, Brother Ray, Cry Me a River, One Mint Julep, Makin Whoopee, Lonely Avenue, Georgia
-Jeff Krow

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All About Jazz review of John Escreet CD “Consequences”…


www.allaboutjazz.com
Consequences
John Escreet | Posi-Tone Records (2008)

By Elliott Simon

It is uplifting when a release reveals that there is still compositional fire in the heads, hearts and instruments of the children of freedom and grandchildren of bop. British pianist John Escreet is the latest very pleasant surprise from this generation of 20-somethings—one who not only has technical ability but also compositional inventiveness and stylistic relevance. Joining him on an intense session are kindred players that he has hooked up with in the two short years he has been in New York. The Consequences of all this are magnificently displayed on this recent offering.

While Escreet has a clear understanding of bop and free, he also brings with him a gritty funkiness that includes judicious use of the Rhodes. Equally funky kudos though should go to a killer horn section of altoist David Binney and trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, the former also adding a touch of electronics to give the program a slight back-to-the- future feel. Drummer Tyshawn Sorey is amazing in his versatility and the delightfully economical crispness of his approach as is bassist Matt Brewer, who impresses with both fingers and bow.

“The Suite of Consequence,” running 30 minutes in length and consisting of three movements, is at the heart of this session. It is a piece that takes some active listening in order to appreciate its panoramic style and scope. This is followed by the somewhat shorter “Wayne’s World,” with inspired Binney alto work over powerful ensemble playing, a deliciously funky “Dilemma” and the clever representation of attaining the twilight that is “Somewhere Between Dreaming and Sleeping.” A touching solo performance of Andrew Hill’s “No Doubt” closes things out beautifully with a contrasting purity that is the perfect resolution to a powerful program.

Track listing: The Suite Of Consequence – Movement I; The Suite Of Consequence – Movement II; The Suite Of Consequence – Movement III; Wayne’s World; Dilemma; Somewhere Between Dreaming And Sleeping; No Doubt.

Personnel: John Escreet: piano, Fender Rhodes; David Binney: alto saxophone, electronics; Ambrose Akinmusire: trumpet; Matt Brewer: double-bass; Tyshawn Sorey: drums.

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All About Jazz review of Sam Yahel’s piano trio CD “Hometown”….


www.allaboutjazz.com
Hometown
Sam Yahel | Posi-Tone Records (2009)

By J Hunter

Sam Yahel has made the grade. His signature Hammond B3 sound—appearing on both his own work and on recordings by Joshua Redman, Bill Frisell, and Norah Jones—has identified him as one of the players that will take Jimmy Smith’s favorite instrument deep into the 21st century. So what does Yahel do on Hometown, his fifth disc as a leader? He puts the organ in the closet and does a piano-trio record, which believe it or not, is a good move.

Yahel is not unfamiliar with the piano; in fact, it was his original instrument. He considers himself to be “a much more natural organ player than a natural pianist,” and admits he really has to work hard to reach the level of quality he expects from himself. Given that Hometown has echoes of piano aces like Horace Silver and Jacky Terrasson, Yahel must have worked really, really hard here.

Hometown opens with a 21st-century standard—John Lennon’s “Jealous Guy.” Ben Allison covered this on Little Things Run the World (Palmetto, 2008), though Allison went a lot farther in re-interpreting Lennon’s protagonist. Yahel starts out in the clear, seemingly ruminating over past liaisons that didn’t work well, and then he slides right into a cool, almost balladic take on the tune, as if to say, “Hey, that’s just how I roll—no need to stress about it!” Bassist Matt Penman and drummer Jochen Rueckert build Yahel a backdrop as he expands on his theme with well-placed bursts of notes, before switching to longer, more definite runs as he gets more comfortable.

Yahel doesn’t stay in the comfort zone long, jumping head-first into a runaway version of Thelonious Monk’s “Think of One.” A steady groove starts to take hold, but Yahel’s complex opening figure swallows it whole as he attacks his solo with extreme relish. There’s more living dangerously on “Blue Pepper” as Yahel moves from 60s-era Blue Note soul-jazz into free exploration that has everybody working in zero gravity. Yahel momentarily loses his minimalist approach on “River Song” in favor of a more dangerous tack, while the melody on Chet Baker’s “My Ideal” gets chucked at the outset as he starts improvising immediately and never stops.

Penman qualifies for another MVB (Most Valuable Bassist) award as he gives Yahel’s music a second solo voice. Penman’s bookend solos on “Oumou” are stark and pulsing as Yahel and Rueckert pen a tone poem behind him, and on “Moonlight in Vermont,” he matches Yahel’s heretofore-unknown talent for lyricism. Rueckert’s out-solo on “Think” is one hellacious exclamation point, and his extended tradeoffs with Yahel on the ebullient title track give him much-deserved spotlight time, after dwelling mostly in shadow.

The fact that Yahel believes piano is not his “best” instrument speaks volumes about the brave choice to make Hometown a piano date. Still, they say hard work eventually pays off, and it sure paid off here.

Track listing: Jealous Guy; Think of One; Blue Pepper; Hometown; Oumou; River Song; Moonlight in Vermont; United; My Ideal; So Long.

Personnel: Sam Yahel: piano; Matt Penman: bass; Jochen Rueckert: drums.

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All About Jazz review of Spike Wilner’s CD “Three To Go”…


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3 To Go
Spike Wilner | Posi-Tone Records (2009)

By George Kanzler

At a small jazz festival a few years ago the advertised theme was a celebration of Duke Ellington’s music. But some featured acts, including one highly regarded younger pianist, obviously hadn’t taken the theme very seriously, his only begrudging nod to it being a rendition of the jam session standby, “C-Jam Blues,” hardly a tune representative of Ellington’s artistry. Pianist Spike Wilner demonstrates a better, more thoughtful and creative approach in the two pieces of Ellingtonia included on this urbane quintet CD.

One track is Duke’s fetching ballad “Brown Penny,” originally a song from the 1946 Broadway production of Beggar’s Holiday, the melody treated caressingly by Ryan Kisor’s trumpet and Joel Frahm’s tenor sax, framing a lyrically limpid Wilner solo. The other is “Reflections in D,” a piano feature recorded in a trio by Duke that Wilner affectionately fleshes out to a quintet version, further revealing the dimensions of the sumptuous theme. Like those two surprising examples of Ellingtonia, the rest of the album is marked by Wilner’s fresh, or freshly imagined, repertoire choices and loving attention to detail in arrangements that draw equally on the best traditions of swing and bop, suggesting a kinship to the jazz recordings of the ’50s that featured musicians and arrangers conversant in both idioms.

The CD opener is a hard bop treatment of the 1929 Jack King/Dorothy Parker song “How Am I To Know?” (To find out how it sounded as a ballad, see Ava Gardner sing it in the film Pandora and the Flying Dutchman). “The Breeze and I” playfully winks at the tune’s lounge lizard popularity; “The Lamp Is Low” swings with a gently rocking edge and Dizzy Gillespie’s “Con Alma” eschews the Latin tinge to become a straight, rolling jazz waltz, Kisor’s solo recalling the poignancy of Chet Baker. A highlight throughout is the logic and lucidity of Wilner’s solos, most of them clearly drawing on the melodies as well as harmonies of the material.

Track listing: How Am I to Know; Three to Go; Brown Penny; The Breeze and I; The Lamp Is Low; Black Forest; Reflections in D; Con Alma; Mr. Mags.

Personnel: Spike Wilner: piano; Ryan Kisor: trumpet; Joel Frahm: tenor sax; Ugonna Okegwo: bass; Montez Coleman: drums.

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Bruce Lindsay’s AAJ review for Ehud Asherie “Modern Life”…

www.allaboutjazz.com

Modern life, if this fine recording from Israeli-born, New York-based pianist Ehud Asherie is anything to go by, happened sometime between the late-1940s and the late-’50s. From the beautifully-designed packaging—with the greens and golds of the graphics matched by those of Asherie’s suit, shirt and tie—to the exquisite renditions of classic tunes and a couple of Asherie originals, Modern Life is an album that oozes nostalgia and a love for a style of jazz that remains fresh and engaging today.

Asherie’s piano style reflects the inspiration of players such as Errol Garner. Light and lyrical, it’s an approach that creates delightful solos onJerome Kern‘s “I’ve Told Every Little Star” and Asherie’s own “Blues for George,” as well as understated and note-perfect accompaniments throughout. Both talents are shown to great effect on George Gershwin‘s “He Loves and She Loves,” with Asherie’s feather-light accompaniment toHarry Allen‘s saxophone moving effortlessly into his own sparkling solo. This tune also highlights the rhythm section of bassist Joel Forbes and drummer Chuck Riggs, with both players showing a deft economy that ensures an ideal foundation for the lead instruments.

The sound of Allen’s tenor sax goes straight back to Ben Webster via Zoot Sims, making this recording very special indeed. His tone is warm and rich, whatever the tempo. On Hank Jones‘ “Vignette” Allen’s tenor positively skips across the melody, while on Tadd Dameron‘s “Casbah” he’s altogether more sultry and seductive, as he evokes a late night atmosphere of mystery and romance.

Asherie and Allen close out the album with a duet version of Billy Strayhorn‘s “A Flower is a Lovesome Thing.” They respond to the absence of Riggs and Forbes—not by attempting to fill in the spaces but by leaving them be. The result is a languid and relaxed performance of great beauty. Indeed, great beauty is a characteristic to be found throughout Modern Life.

 

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Richard Kamin’s reviews “Due Reverence” for Step Tempest…

steptempest.blogspot.com

Due Reverence – Ralph Bowen (Posi-Tone Records) – Tenor saxophonist Bowen first came to critical attention in the 1980’s as co-leader of Out of the Blue, a Blue Note-sponsored group that also featured alto saxophonist Kenny Garrett, bassist Robert Hurst, trumpeter Michael Phillip Mossman and drummer Ralph Peterson (all leaders since those days.)
For this, his 2nd for the hot young label out of Los Angeles, California, Bowen has re-assembled the impressive group of veterans who appeared on his previous “Dedications” CD,  including Adam Rogers (guitar), John Patitucci (bass) and Antonio Sanchez(drums), with young trumpeter Sean Jones appearing on 1 track. First thing one notices is how spacious this music is.  While there is plenty of “fire” in the playing, the sound has no clutter.  Opening with a ballad, “Less is More” (dedicated to guitarist/teacher Ted Dunbar), Bowen displays a full-throated sound that meshes well with Roger’s sparkling guitar chords, the wonderful counterpoint from the bass and the quiet yet insistent drum and cymbal work. “One for Bob” (for fellow saxophonist Bob Mintzer) finds Bowen and Sanchez setting a frantic pace while the bass and guitar play intense yet quieter counterpoint.  Patitucci is so inventive, melodic yet rhythmically forceful.
Other highlights include the fascinating “Points Encountered” (dedicated to flutist/composer Robert Dick) –  the piece has a strong melody line and Bowen’s solo rises easily from the chordal patterns. Rogers offers a spirited solo above Sanchez’s skitterish drums while Patitucci, on electric bass for this track, displays a fine melodic touch. Bowen’s dedication to fellow Canadian Phil Nimmons, “Phil-osophy“, is a boppish romp with walking bass and several blazing solos (most notably, Rogers really lets loose again.)  Jones joins the band for “Mr. Scott” (like Robert Dick, one of Bowen’s teacher at Rutgers, where the saxophonist is now on the faculty.)  His fiery trumpet solo adds a pleasing dimension to the disk yet again it’s the rhythm section that really drives this piece.  Sanchez’s support underneath the solos is quite impressive, especially his work behind Rogers.
While this is definitely Ralph Bowen’s show, his choice of musical comrades makes this music positively shine.  Like Tom Harrell, Bowen started with “real” melodies, not riffs, and the music has great flow.  To find out more, go to www.posi-tone.com orwww.ralphbowen.com. The CD Release Party for “Due Reverence” will take place Friday April 30 at the Jazz Gallery in New York City – go to www.jazzgallery.org for more information.

Click on the link to hear “Less is More“, the opening track on “Due Reverence.” Thanks to Posi-Tone Records and IODA Promonet for the track.

Less Is More (mp3)

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Music and More: Ralph Bowen “Due Reverence”…

jazzandblues.blogspot.com

TUESDAY, MARCH 16, 2010

 

Ralph Bowen – Due Reverence (Posi-Tone, 2010)

This is a nice confident jazz album filled with compelling solos and well versed ensemble playing. Ralph Bowen plays tenor saxophone and leads the ensemble with Adam Rogers on guitar, John Patitucci on bass, Antonio Sanchez on drums and Sean Jones sitting in on trumpet for one track. “Less is More” opens the album with a mellow and patient groove and Bowen building a well constructed and thought out solo. Rogers guitar keeps the music moving nicely with well developed mid-tempo swing. “This One’s For Bob” has a burning tenor saxophone solo along with some fleet and nimble guitar buoyed by a tenacious bass and drums groove. “Phil-osophy” slows things back down to a medium simmer and Rogers turning in a nice, nimble feature and Patitucci contributing a fine bass solo. Jones enters the fray for “Mr. Scott,” adding his bright and burnished sound to prominent solos from saxophone and guitar. The album ends on an interesting note, with Bowen playing the title track unaccompanied. He has a patient and reverent sound on tenor making for a very impressive performance. Fans of straight up mainstream jazz will enjoy this quite a bit, Bowen has an excellent pedigree as a leader and a sideman with the like of Horace Silver and many others, and this is another fine addition to his discography.

 

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Nate Chinen’s NY Times review of pianist John Escreet’s “Consequences” CD featuring David Binney on alto saxophone, Ambrose Akinmusire on trumpet, Matt Brewer on bass and Tyshawn Sorey on drums…

CRITICS’ CHOICE; New CDs: John Escreet
By NATE CHINEN
Published: December 1, 2008

JOHN ESCREET
”Consequences”
(Posi-Tone)

John Escreet, a British jazz pianist in his mid-20s, has no problem communicating drama. ”Consequences,” his highly accomplished debut, opens with a half-hour composition — ”The Suite of Consequence” — that divides almost imperceptibly into three parts. The piece at large is a whorl of high-impact quintet engagement, combustible solo digressions, calmly contemplative passages and flashes of mounting suspense. A lot happens there, and each moment carries its own sharp glint of conviction.

Mr. Escreet has been based in New York for the last two years, earning a master’s degree at the Manhattan School of Music and studying with two generations of pianistic modernists, Kenny Barron and Jason Moran. He has also plugged into an active network of open-minded composer-improvisers, some of whom appear here. The John Escreet Project, as he calls his superb band, features David Binney on alto saxophone, Ambrose Akinmusire on trumpet, Matt Brewer on bass and Tyshawn Sorey on drums. (The group is scheduled to appear at the Jazz Gallery in the South Village on Jan. 22; see johnescreet.com for details.)

As an instrumentalist Mr. Escreet has both his ruminative and expansive sides, drawing no clear distinction between them. He takes a moment to affirm his contemporary bona fides with ”Dilemma,” employing Fender Rhodes electric piano and a shadowy, irregular pulse. But his best playing comes in radiant bursts, in the opening suite and on a tune titled ”Wayne’s World,” presumably after the saxophonist Wayne Shorter.

The album ends with an allusion to another obvious yet unobtrusive influence, the pianist and composer Andrew Hill. By including one of Mr. Hill’s early ballads, ”No Doubt,” Mr. Escreet establishes a lineage while also making a claim. By playing it unaccompanied, he imbues his reading with the kind of dramatic tension that feels convincingly personal. NATE CHINEN

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All About Jazz review of Ehud Asherie’s first CD “Lockout”…


www.allaboutjazz.com

Lockout
Ehud Asherie | Posi-Tone Records (2007)

Bebop is almost seen now as the default form of jazz. Back in the day though, most jazz musicians still swung and swayed like Sammy Kaye, so the “new sound Dizzy Gillespie and his cohorts invented was as jarring as anything coming out of today’s New York jazz underground. With Lockout, pianist Ehud Asherie takes that uptown sound and runs with it, spurred on by a monster quartet that features two major players at Smalls, the downtown club where Asherie cooked up his chops.

Four of the nine cuts on Lockout are Asherie originals, though they are almost indistinguishable from the bebop standards with which they share space here. “Mixed Emotions shoots out of the gate with Asherie and tenor saxophonist Grant Stewart flying in tight formation, each shaping the head while injecting enough harmony to create their own individual spaces. Stewart’s phrases are sharp and clipped as he plumbs the depths of his tenor sax, while Asherie comps like a fiend behind him. The Israeli-born pianist takes the spotlight with a quick right hand that dances and bangs, snapping off a fast “Yellow Rose of Texas sub-reference in the middle of a blinding solo. That snap never wanes, not even on the Irving Berlin ballad “Isn’t This a Lovely Day or during his in-the-clear intro to Harry Warren’s “I Had the Craziest Dream.

Asherie’s music has the same feel as the picture on the back of the CD booklet: New York at night, all neon and shadows and glowing mist, as urban as it gets. “Chonky is a rolling blues that reeks of “Noo Yawk,” and has Stewart’ smoking tenor in the Coleman Hawkins tradition; “The Special walks those same mean streets, with slightly flat lines that hint of impending danger. The title track could have come straight out of the bells of Dizzy and Bird, with Asherie playing Bud Powell chords to complete the illusion.

Drummer Phil Stewart hooks up with bassist Joel Forbes to provide the classic bebop bass and drum foundation. Both players get room to stretch here and there—Stewart most notably on Powell’s “Un Poco Loco —but their primary mission is to lay the floor for the three players who do the bulk of the heavy lifting. The third soloist is Ryan Kisor, whose searing trumpet appears on four cuts, including the Gillespie composition “Shaw ‘Nuff. Kisor and Stewart’s solos are stunningly chaotic—crazed buglers calling the charge as the track careens downhill, almost at the edge of the cliff.

Asherie is firmly in control though, and shows wisdom beyond his years by giving his players the space they deserve. Asherie doesn’t always take the first solo, but he doesn’t have to: Lockout is clearly his vision, and it injects verve and electricity into a sub-genre that began as innovation, but nowadays can lend itself to stagnation.

Track listing: Mixed Emotions; Chonky; Shaw ‘Nuff; Isn’t This a Lovely Day; Lockout; The Special; Un Poco Loco; I Had the Craziest Dream; Bringing Up Father.

Personnel: Ehud Asherie: piano; Grant Stewart: tenor sax; Joel Forbes: bass; Phil Stewart: drums; Ryan Kisor: trumpet (3, 5, 8, 9).

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Heres another review from the same website of “Outlook” by trombonist Steve Davis…


100greatestjazzalbums.blogspot.com

Rhombus / Posi-tone

Release date: September 30th 2008 / March 24th 2009

Availability: CD, MP3 Download, iTunes

Steve Davis has been making great ensemble jazz in live performance, with the sextet ‘One For All’ and with a sequence of albums as leader with the seemingly obscurantist Criss Cross label. So, it is good to see that Posi-tone have released “Outlook” and that this album will hopefully reach a wider audience.

The inspiration that Jackie McLean brought to The Jazz Institute that he founded at Hartt School at Hartford University has been bearing fruit – alumni include Jimmy Greene, Tony Leone, Wayne Escoffery, Mike DiRubbo, Dezron Douglas as well as Steve Davis and Eric McPherson, who both also serve as Faculty members there.

The band on “Outlook” – Steve Davis (trombone), Mike DiRubbo (alto sax), David Bryant (piano), Dezron Douglas (bass) and Eric McPherson (drums) – draws on much of this talent as it presents five original compositions and three covers.

It is not surprising to hear that Mike DiRubbo studied alto sax with Jackie McLean. His playing is exemplary throughout with more than a hint of the acid sharpness of his great mentor, particulary on his own composition “Line Of Flight” and on the closing track, a fine reading of Cecil Payne’s “Bosco”.

The three Steve Davis Compositions – the opening title track, “Smooth” and “Mission” – make full use of the potential of the quintet to deliver interesting harmonization and involving soloing. The take on Duke Ellington’s “I Got It Bad (And That Ain’t Good)”, featuring the leader’s trombone playing extensively, is a master class in silky, after hours jazz.

Douglas Dezron contributes the oddly titled “Lord Davis” which again features fine alto sax work from Mike DiRubbo.

The only track that could have been dispensed with is the version of Bill Withers’ pop platitude “Lovely Day”. Perhaps there are some tunes that no amount of chord substitution could ever revive.

That should not distract from what is a fine album with strong performances all round.