Jazz for aficionados
Today's Reviews (stop all that groaning!) Art Pepper -- Art Pepper + Eleven (SACD) I put this in the player and got my note pad to make notes. After the third track I gave up. What Can One Say? (amadeus) This is 10 stars!! No Filler. No wasted notes. All tracks are great, even the alternate takes. This group is very, very tight. Very well rehearsed. Great arrangements. I love playing like this. Up-tempo and very together. All solos were short and to the point. No blowing just to be blowing. I can't say which were best, the reeds or the brass. They were both playing out of their heads. And although they did not solo, gotta give the bass player and the drummer a lot of love also I don't know what coast these guys are from, but on this date, they played Jazz!! Nuff said. I have 'pepper meets the rhythm section' and this one. I must research his output and get more. You will not hear this in a coffee shop. :) As usual I will leave the technical analysis to Frogman. Cheers |
Elian Elias -- Solos and Duets w/ Herbie Hancock 11 tracks of which six are duets with Hancock. Great playing all around, but I think they pushed each other a little on the duets. I liked them best. This is an all piano disc but more in the style of Jarrett. You won't be stupefied! A good disc to show off those 'uber alles' stereo systems. Not casual music. Most of the track titles are familiar, but you have to pay attention. When they play together you have to ask yourself, how do they do that? Not a misstep and all improvised. This is the type disc that shows just how much talent it takes to be a musician. BTW, my sub low fi Polks reproduced the pianos just fine! Cheers |
Great record! Paul Desmond, who Bird considered one of his favorite alto players (now, THAT'S food for thought!) interviews Bird: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=T3W8Ff_4oFg |
