VA - Jam Miami: A Celebration of Latin Jazz

VA - Jam Miami: A Celebration of Latin Jazz
2000 - Concord Jazz - CBR@320 KB/s

first posted by Professor freddy several times @ easytunz.com

Maybe the Prof has posted this album too often, but IFHO it is [b]the[/b] finest hot, live, Latin jazz album ever recorded and is lovingly presented to you once again. - Professor freddy, PFJ&BU

This album was recorded on 18 May 2000 in Miami, Florida, with the live performance dedicated to bandleader and timbales king Tito Puente. At the time, Tito Puente had suffered a heart attack and was in the hospital. Tito Puente died 31 May 2000 in New York City.

REVIEW: "I just want to celebrate" is the theme of Jam Miami: A Celebration of Latin Jazz, recorded live in Miami, Florida, by legendary jazz masters Chick Corea, Arturo Sandoval, Pete Escovedo, and Poncho Sanchez. The heat and energy emanating from this incredible concert, one that was dedicated to their friend and mentor Tito Puente, is preserved in an excellent collection of ten songs that feature an array of stellar arrangers, composers, and musicians. Ray Vega, Steve Turre, Avishai Cohen, Dave Samuels, Dave Valentin, Ed Calle, Nestor Torres, Oscar D'Leon, Horacio Hernandez, Claudio Roditi, Hilton Ruiz, Origin, and the Latin Jazz All-Star Band are having the time of their lives and really do jam on this one. Opening with the Latin soul hit "Guachi Guaro," this great collective introduces their stylistic diversity in a blaze of Sandoval trumpet glory that defies the conventional range of the instrument. Their spirits continue to soar with Dave Valentin blowing awesome flute trills in his solos on Ray Vega's arrangement of "Medley Para Tito." Vega's heartfelt salute featuring "Ran Kan Kan" and "Oye Como Va" is a definite jam, and from the sound of the cheers coming from the audience, the spirit of the recently departed Tito Puente must have filled the room. "Wigwam," the Grammy-nominated song by Chick Corea, features Origin at the core of its big-band arrangement. This expanded version offers listeners an exceptional opportunity to hear great improvisations and solos by the quintet backed by an exciting big-band format. Poncho Sanchez's conga mastery is historic on "Poncho Con Su Tambor," and for two minutes, he unloads his percussive thunder on this solo triumph. "A Mis Abuelos," a ten-minute masterpiece written by Arturo Sandoval, features his brilliant trumpet and flügelhorn playing surrounded by a dramatic display of Spanish beauty, spirituality, and fire. Horacio Hernandez on drums, Leo Quintero on guitar, and Chick Corea on Fender Rhodes are blazing against a backdrop of blaring horn charts that will send good chills down your spine. They end the set with a fiery jam of Desi Arnaz's, "Theme From I Love Lucy." This CD contains one great show that celebrates the innovative music of a multi-generational Latin jazz "family" and together they capture the ambience and heritage of many phenomenal Latin jazz experiences. - Paula Edelstein, AMG

Credits
Jeff Ballard - Percussion, Drums
Joe Barati - Trombone
Richard Bravo - Percussion
Michael Brignola - Sax (Baritone)
Ed Calle - Sax (Tenor)
Jason Carder - Trumpet
Avishai Cohen - Bass
Chick Corea - Fender Rhodes
Steve Davis
Oscar d'León - Vocals
Pete Escovedo - Timbales
Tim Garland - Sax (Tenor)
Horacio "El Negro" Hernández - Percussion, Drums
The Latin Jazz All Stars Big Band
Nicky Orta - Bass
Leo Quintero - Guitar
Eddie Resto
Claudio Roditi - Trumpet
Robert Rodriguez - Performer
Billy Ross - Sax (Alto)
Hilton Ruiz - Piano
Dave Samuels - Vibraphone
Poncho Sanchez - Congas
Arturo Sandoval - Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Dana Teboe - Trombone
Nestor Torres - Flute
Steve Turre - Trombone, Conch Shell
Dave Valentin - Flute
Ray Vega - Trumpet
Steve Wilson

Tracks
1 Guachi Guaro (Soul Sauce) - 6:37
2 A Night in Tunisia - 7:08
3 Ran Kan Kan/Oye Como Va - Puente - 8:29
4 Ican - 7:07
5 Wigwam - 5:31
6 Ven Morena - 8:45
7 Poncho con Su Tambor - Sanchez - 7:38
8 Bésame Mama - 2:01
9 A Mis Abuelos - 10:51
10 Theme from I Love Lucy - 7:04

Releases
2000 CD Concord Jazz 4899

File Sizes: 95.8, 64.6 MB
Sound Quality: CBR@320 KB/s

Ray Brown Trio - Something for Lester

Ray Brown Trio - Something for Lester
1977 - OJC - CBR@320 KB/s

first posted by MariaMito @ jazzymusic.org

Recorded 22-24 June 1977

Credits>[/b]
Ray Brown - Bass
Cedar Walton - Piano
Elvin Jones - Drums

REVIEW: This excellent trio session forms a sort of transition between bassist Ray Brown's work with the Oscar Peterson Trio and his own small-group sessions of the '80s and '90s. With pianist Cedar Walton and drummer Elvin Jones, Brown explores seven strong melodies (four standards, two by Walton, and the bassist's "Slippery") in typically swinging and bluish fashion. - Scott Yanow, AMG

Tracks
1 Ojos de Rojo - Walton - 5:13
2 Slippery - Brown - 7:24
3 Something in Common - 4:46
4 Love Walked In - Gershwin, Gershwin - 5:22
5 Georgia on My Mind - Carmichael, Gorrell - 7:08
6 Little Girl Blue - Hart, Rodgers - 6:16
7 Sister Sadie - Silver - 4:57

Releases
1992 CD Original Jazz Classics OJCCD-412-2
CD Original Jazz Classics OJC-12
195- LP Contemporary 7641
1991 CS Original Jazz Classics 412
1992 LP Contemporary OJC-412
1992 CS Contemporary OJC-5412
1995 LP Original Jazz Classics 412
CD Original Jazz Classics 412
2002 CD Japanese Import 60789
2002 CD Japanese Import 60789
2006 CD JVC Victor 41600
1999 CD Ojc 4122
1997 CD Ace 4122

File Size: 93.2 MB
Sound Quality: CBR@320 KB/s

McCoy Tyner Trio - Infinity feat. Michael Brecker

McCoy Tyner Trio - Infinity
Featuring Michael Brecker
1995 - Impulse! - VBR@ 171 - 186 KB/ps

first posted by Stefan From Paris 29 Nov 2006 @ his blog

Michael Brecker

Born 29 Mar 1949, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Died 13 Jan 2007, New York, New York

BIO: A remarkable technician and a highly influential tenor saxophonist (the biggest influence on other tenors since Wayne Shorter), Michael Brecker took a long time before getting around to recording his first solo album. He spent much of his career as a top-notch studio player who often appeared backing pop singers, leading some jazz listeners to overlook his very strong improvising skills.
Brecker originally started on clarinet and alto before switching to tenor in high school. Early on, he played with rock and R&B-oriented bands. In 1969, he moved to New York, and soon joined Dreams, an early fusion group. Brecker was with Horace Silver during 1973-1974, gigged with Billy Cobham, and then co-led the Brecker Brothers (a commercially successful funk group) with his brother, trumpeter Randy Brecker, for most of the 1970s. He was with Steps (later Steps Ahead) in the early '80s, doubled on an EWI (electronic wind instrument), and made a countless number of studio sessions during the 1970s and '80s, popping up practically everywhere (including with James Taylor, Yoko Ono, and Paul Simon). With the release of his first album as a leader in 1987 (when he was already 38), Brecker started appearing more often in challenging jazz settings. He recorded additional sets as a leader (in 1988 and 1990), teamed up with McCoy Tyner on one of 1995's most rewarding jazz recordings, and toured with a reunited Brecker Brothers band. Two Blocks From the Edge followed in 1998, and a year later, Brecker returned with Time Is of the Essence. The early aut's saw the release of Nearness of You: The Ballad Book and Wide Angles in 2001 and 2003 respectively. However, after experiencing some mysterious back pain during a concert in 2005, Brecker was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) a cancer of the blood marrow. A failed search for a matching bone marrow donor eventually led to an experimental partially matching blood stem cell transplant via his daughter in late 2005. - Scott Yanow, AMG

REVIEW: It seems only fitting that the initial new release on the latest revival of the Impulse label features McCoy Tyner and Michael Brecker. When Impulse started out in 1960, John Coltrane and Tyner were the first artists to be signed, and when Impulse was briefly brought back by MCA in the 1980s, two of its most important albums were recordings by Brecker. There are not a lot of surprises on this quartet matchup (with bassist Avery Sharpe and drummer Aaron Scott) except perhaps for how well Tyner and Brecker mesh together. The music is somewhat similar to a set by the pianist's regular trio with a solo piece (Blues Stride), a generous amount of Tyner originals and colorful versions of Thelonious Monk's I Mean You and Good Morning Heartache, but Brecker's presence and consistently powerful playing does inspire Tyner and his sidemen. For a strong example as to why today's saxophonists have such a high opinion of Michael Brecker, his roaring statement on the extended Impressions will suffice. Highly recommended. - Scott Yanow, AMG

Musicians
Valtinho Anastacio - Percussion, Conga
Michael Brecker - Sax (Tenor)
Aaron Scott - Cymbals, Drums
Avery Sharpe - Bass
McCoy Tyner - Piano

Tracks
01 - Flying High (10:14) @183.6
02 - I Mean You (7:19) @181.4
03 - Where Is Love (5:31) @175.7
04 - Changes (9:46) @186.9
05 - Blues Stride (3:38) @175.4
06 - Happy Days (9:42) @179.6
07 - Impressions (11:13) @183.3
08 - Mellow Minor (9:21) @175.7
09 - Good Morning, Heartache (5:26) @171.7

File Size: 93.7 MB
Sound Quality: VBR@ 171 - 186 KB/s

Michael Brecker - Time Is of the Essence

Michael Brecker - Time Is of the Essence
1999 - Verve - CBR@256 KB/s

No. 5 - Billboard Top Jazz Albums chart - 1999

REVIEW: Michael Brecker introduced a couple of new wrinkles to his sound on his sixth album, in the form of two new sidemen. Larry Goldings' organ makes for an unusual quartet — also including Brecker on tenor sax, frequent guest Pat Metheny on guitar, and one of three different drummers — in that there is no bass. As a result, Metheny often fills in that role when he isn' t soloing. Goldings' touch is light, in contrast to the more intense playing of Brecker and Metheny. But it is the second new sideman who makes a difference: Elvin Jones guests on drums on three tracks. Brecker had never shied away from announcing his influences, and with Jones behind the traps, especially on the opening track, "Arc of the Pendulum," and the closer, "Outrance" (both Brecker originals), he indulges his affection for John Coltrane, playing freely and aggressively across the rhythm. Jones, who gets a showcase solo in "Outrance," is unmistakable, and his support often makes Brecker sound like Coltrane. With Bill Stewart behind the drums, the group performs "Renaissance Man," a tribute to another major Brecker influence, Eddie Harris, and Brecker unabashedly recalls Harris there. The tunes, five by Brecker, two by Metheny, and one each by Goldings and producer George Whitty, are loosely structured and run from six to ten minutes each, so that the disc runs 70 minutes. Clearly, they could have gone longer: Several of them fade out, sometimes during a Brecker or Metheny solo, an oddity on a jazz album. - William Ruhlmann, AMG

REVIEW: The importance of saxophonist Michael Brecker’s final recording, Pilgrimage, is densely multidimensional. The romantically inclined will attach significance to the fact that the nine compositions were conceived and recorded while Brecker was aware of the gravity of his final illness. Pilgrimage falls into an artistic/musical category that includes such disparate music as Mozart’s Requiem, Puccini’s Turandot, Billie Holiday’s Lady In Satin and Johnny Cash’s American Recordings, Volumes 5 & 6. All of these examples were conceived during the artists' autumnal periods and, in these cases, represent something of pinnacles in their outputs.
High art in the face of destiny is not always the case, however. June Carter Cash’s final Wildwood Flower, while heartfelt, did the singer disfavor because she was obviously ill during the recording. Anita O’Day’s final recording, Indestructible, similarly sincere, was recorded much too far past the singer’s prime, and the aesthetic value of trumpeter Chet Baker’s final recordings remains up for debate. So, what of Michael Brecker’s final output?
In 2005, Brecker was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome, a diverse collection of hematologic disease all sharing in common the inappropriate production of blood cells and their propensities for transforming into acute myelogenous leukemia. Unable to find a suitable stem-cell donor, Brecker passed away on Saturday, January 13, 2007. While Brecker did remain active during the period of his illness, appearing on Beatle Jazz’s With A Little Help From Our Friends and Leni Stern’s Alu Maye (Have You Heard), he had been inactive a year before these recordings.
Thus, the artist’s largest late effort was reserved for Pilgrimage. He is joined by pianists Herbie Hancock and Brad Mehldau, guitarist Pat Metheny, bassist John Patitucci and drummer Jack DeJohnette, all sacred to Brecker’s generation of jazz musicians. The notable absence of Randy Brecker is acknowledged for the life-long collaboration he had with his brother in their various music endeavors. Save that, Brecker chose his group wisely as the results of the recording reveal.
Brecker’s tenor tone is strong and muscular. His composing is the best of his career. His melodic head-lines are organic, approximating a flock of small birds flying scattered one second and then in unison the next. Brecker and Metheny share a Bill Evans-Scott LaFaro empathy throughout the recording, both buoyed by the impressionistic piano of Hancock and Mehldau. The heart of the disc exists in its center with the pieces “Tumbleweed” and “When Can I Kiss You Again.” On the former, Brecker sets up a fast rolling theme and harmonics over which the soloists take quick flight including an aggressively distorted Metheny solo that gives way to one by Brecker. The rhythm section of Patitucci and DeJohnette creates a funky tonk with powerful momentum. No matter what, Brecker is in complete command.
“When Can I Kiss You Again” is Brecker’s introspective lullaby to his children, whom he could not see while in medical isolation. Again, his superior composing provides a carefully complex melodic introduction with a modal concept over which to solo. Composition and improvisation weave in and out of one another; constructing a silken fabric over which Metheny gives one his most inspired and introverted solos. Hancock provides his trademark abstraction as solo, depicting anxiousness as music. Brecker’s solo is middle to low register and impeccably structured (as are all of his solos). The disc’s title cut is a moody, Coltrane-esque meditation over electric piano with bass and drums occupying all sonic spaces. The piece grows in density and freedom as an open improvisation develops over the barest harmonic structure. And that was just the extended introduction. Brecker pulls all involved into an extended obbligato that is serpentine and seamless.
How does history view Michael Brecker? Many consider him to be the most important tenor saxophone player since John Coltrane. This is at the expense of Wayne Shorter, though Shorter generationally overlaps Coltrane. I would come closer to declaring John Coltrane, Wayne Shorter and Michael Brecker the apex of the tenor saxophone since Lester Young, Coleman Hawkins and Ben Webster. That excludes a lot and that exclusion is necessary. Brecker’s importance lies in his universality. When I listen to Oliver Nelson’s The Blues And The Abstract Truth (Impulse, 1961), I think of that music as a jazz soundtrack of the 1960s. It had that sound that listeners would immediately identify as jazz: so with Pilgrimage and the opening of the 21st Century. Michael Brecker’s final recording is a finely crafted jazz soundtrack for a new millennium, serving in honor of the late saxophonist and all of jazz. - C. Michael Bailey, allaboutjazz.com

Credits
Michael Brecker - Sax (Tenor)
Larry Goldings - Organ
Elvin Jones - Drums
Pat Metheny - Guitar
A. Stewart - Drums
Bill Stewart - Drums
Jeff "Tain" Watts - Drums

Tracks
1 Arc of the Pendulum - Brecker - 8:59
2 Sound Off - Goldings - 6:04
3 Half Past Late - Brecker - 7:54
4 Timeline - Metheny - 6:05
5 The Morning of This Night - Brecker - 7:42
6 Renaissance Man - Whitty - 8:36
7 Dr. Slate - Brecker - 7:40
8 As I Am - Metheny - 6:49
9 Outrance - Brecker - 10:08

Releases
1999 CD Verve 547844

File Sizes: 95, 32 MB
Sound Quality: CBR@256 KB/s

The Yellowjackets - Altered State

Yellowjackets - Altered State
2005 - VBR@190 - 203

BIO: Although sometimes grouped with Spyro Gyra, the Yellowjackets are actually one of the most creative regular groups in the "rhythm & jazz" genre. Founded in 1981 as an R&B-oriented band that starred guitarist Robben Ford, the group took a giant step forward when, after Ford's departure, altoist Marc Russo took his place. With original members Russell Ferrante on keyboards and electric bassist Jimmy Haslip, in addition to drummer William Kennedy, the band found its own R&B-ish sound, sometimes playing original compositions that sounded like Joe Zawinul at his most melodic. Starting out on Warner Brothers in the early '80s, the Yellowjackets moved to MCA/GRP in 1986, where they released a string of well-received albums. In the 1990s, Russo chose to go out on his own, and his replacement, Bob Mintzer (on tenor and bass clarinet), added more jazz credibility to the group's music. They moved back to Warner Brothers in 1995 for several albums before moving the Heads Up label for the live two-CD set Mint Jam in 2002. 2003 saw the release of their first studio album in five years, Time Squared. Three years later, the band celebrated its twenty fifth anniversary as an ensemble with the relase of the live album Twenty Five. - Scott Yanow, AMG

REVIEW: The most adventurous quartet in contemporary jazz has met its visual match in Peter Max, the legendary pop artist who, as it turns out, is a huge fan of the band. Russell Ferrante and company could probably feel at home naming any of their innovative, loose-spirited albums after one of Max's paintings, but Altered State definitely fits the vibe here — which is all odd meters, emotionally provocative melodic lines, and unexpected harmonies. Max, in turn, took a few preliminary tracks and was inspired to create the cool, splotchy cover art. The hourlong musical affair won't cause any permanent mental and emotional departures, but there are a lot of odd and spirited surprises along the way. "Suite 15," featuring the funky interplay of Bob Mintzer's aggressive sax and Ferrante's power chording (not to mention one of Ferrante's classic lush piano solos), is classic Jackets stuff all the way. They almost go "pop" on Mintzer's multi-genre romp "March Majestic," which is driven by drummer Marcus Baylor's New Orleans-styled march beat, Ferrante's gospel-tinged keys, and — big shock — Mintzer's ace soloing throughout. The spiritual centerpiece of the disc is "The Hope," a churchgoing gem featuring Jean Baylor on lead vocals and the Perry Sisters backing.
Running from the fellowship hall, the quartet goes alternately fun and jazzy and then weird and wild, from Ferrante's dark, brooding, and gently exotic "Hunter's Point" to bassist Jimmy Haslip's simmering and offbeat "Youth Eternal." Marcus Baylor has a blast taking listeners into a dense percussive forest at the beginning of "Free Day," which develops into a fairly straightforward midtempo jazz number. Ferrante explains that this project was about finding some less-traveled roads. But even on those, the band can't get away from the powerful risk-taking and solid playing that make the Yellowjackets treasures in their chosen genre. - Jonathan Widran, AMG

Tracks
01 Suite 15 @194
02 March Majestic @190
03 The Hope @191
04 Hunter's Point @200
05 Mother Earth @196
06 Youth Eternal @203
07 Free Day (Missing)
08 Cross Current @201
09 AHA @196
10 57 Chevy @193
11 Unity @198

Download Resource: NG
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Sound Quality: VBR@190 - 203 KB/ps
File Size: 78.868 MB