JAZZBO NOTES RECOMMENDED RECORDING
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During the Brecker Brothers’ first incarnation, the band was all about merging jazz with funk and R&B. With The Return Of The Brecker Brothers, the brothers widened their net to include African pop forms and Brazilian music. If you want to hear what the Brecker Brothers might have sounded like if […]

JAZZBO NOTES RECOMMENDED RECORDING
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Too often on recordings that attempt to fuse Brazilian rhythms with jazz, one or the other element tends to get shortchanged. Either the rhythms are overly simplistic, or the improvisations substitute scale running for substantive improv. To some extent, that’s the case with Samba Jazz In Black And White.
True, reed player […]

JAZZBO NOTES RECOMMENDED RECORDING
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Stefon Harris really set himself up as a target calling this release The Grand Unification Theory. The title implies that Harris’ ambition was to bring all of the strands of jazz together under one roof and tie them together so we can see the connections, much the way that Mingus used […]

DON’T BOTHER
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A bunch of white guys getting together and playing Latin Jazz — sounds like a recipe for disaster, doesn’t it? Well, Sonando does has that feeling of oil slick deep Latin cliches, as on the snooze Done Estabas Anoche, but it isn’t as bad as it could be.
On the opener, Cancion del Rio […]

WORTH A LISTEN
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For a long time now, listening to each new Chick Corea recording has been a frustrating experience, and To The Stars is no exception.
Obviously, Corea’s abilities as a pianist have not diminished in the slightest since the glory days of the late 60s and early 70s. On To The Stars, Corea writes […]

WORTH A LISTEN
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If you are looking for sophisticated, cutting edge jazz, Fenix ain’t it. But if what you’re after is sparkling Latin grooves and a romantic approach to the saxophone, Fenix just might be the ticket.
First off, the rhythm section is a bit overqualified for this sort of thing. You’ve got Ron Carter on […]

JAZZBO NOTES RECOMMENDED RECORDING
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Normally, I’m not a big fan of Dave Samuels (marimba), Paquito d’Rivera (reeds), or Dave Valentin (flute), the frontliners of The Carribean Jazz Project, but I’ve got to give them some credit.
Gathering is a thoroughly professional recording. The studio sound is slick, but not overly so. The tunes are accessible, but […]

JAZZBO NOTES RECOMMENDED RECORDING
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Caldera’s debut release is undoubtedly their weakest, but it still squeaks into the recommended column.
Mind you, there is nothing wrong with the playing, which is uniformly strong. It’s just that the writing and arranging is overly cautious. Caldera was produced by Wayne Henderson of the Crusaders, and it shows. There’s too […]

JAZZBO NOTES ESSENTIAL RECORDING
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At This Point In Time was made at the very end of Elvin’s tenure at Blue Note Records. It’s a very gutsy record, made at a time when fusion was in full swing. Elvin has his own approach to the musical atmosphere of the times.
Elvin keeps a foot firmly in the […]

DON’T BOTHER
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If the inclusion of multiple musical genres and thematic cohesiveness were enough to make a piece of music a masterpiece, Bob Moses’ The Story of Moses would surely qualify. A cursory analysis of The Story of Moses would reveal hip hop, funk, salsa, rock, and traditional Yiddish musical influences. No less an authority […]