JAZZBO NOTES HIGHLY RECOMMENDED RECORDING
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I suppose it was inevitable. Richie Beirach has been utilizing ideas from classical music in jazz his whole career. It was only a matter of time until he got around to improvising on classical music compositions.
As Beirach points out in the liner notes, that isn’t as […]

JAZZBO NOTES HIGHLY RECOMMENDED RECORDING
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Usually, I’m usually not too fond of records in which Keith Jarrett insists on playing instruments other than his main axe. Really, the only instrument which he has really mastered is the piano.
Death And The Flower (on the Impulse label) is the exception. It is disciplined in the same way […]

JAZZBO NOTES HIGHLY RECOMMENDED RECORDING
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Mosaic Select: Dave Liebman & Richie Beirach is a tough box set to review. It features three distinct periods and styles of music, and not all of them are equally pleasurable to listen to. First, there’s Lookout Farm, Liebman’s first band. Then there’s Quest, the 80s group that evolved out […]

JAZZBO NOTES HIGHLY RECOMMENDED RECORDING
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Actually, this reissue by Rhino records includes not only The Rise and Fall of the Third Stream but also Zawinul’s release Money In The Pocket.
As you would expect from the title, The Rise and Fall of the Third Stream is an attempt to fuse ideas from classical music with jazz, […]

JAZZBO NOTES HIGHLY RECOMMENDED RECORDING
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Listening to Next Best Western, the opening tune of Underground (released on the Sunnyside label), I couldn’t help but be reminded of Traveling Mercies, Potter’s previous studio date. That’s true even though his band is completely different. Performing in his bass-less quartet are guitarist Wayne Krantz, keyboardist Craig Taborn, and […]

JAZZBO NOTE HIGHLY RECOMMENDED RECORDING
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On Afreecanos, the phenomenal pianist and musicologist Omar Sosa is still reminding us that most, if not all music, originates from the continent of Africa.
For example, on Oliu, at first the music sounds almost like a blues, until the vocalist joins in. I’m not sure what language he’s singing (I […]

JAZZBO NOTES HIGHLY RECOMMENDED RECORDING
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It’s hard to explain why Up All Night is a bit of a letdown.
Up All Night (on the Verve label) is the follow up to Uberjam, one of my favorite John Scofield records. Both feature the same band. As on Uberjam, Scofield uses modern R&B rhythms borrowed from hiphop as […]

JAZZBO NOTE HIGHLY RECOMMENDED RECORDING
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Alright, Dregs of the Earth (originally issued on the Arista label) doesn’t hit quite the same heights as Night of the Living Dregs or Freefall, but it’s still darned good. Besides, where else are you going to find the Dregs’ unique fusion blend of Southern rock, jazz, bluegrass, and funk?
So, why […]

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 […]

JAZZBO NOTES HIGHLY RECOMMENDED RECORDING
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Back in the late 70s, the Brecker Brothers were mostly involved with their groundbreaking funk/fusion outfit, but they took time out to play some advanced post bop with Hal Galper. For anyone not truly listening to their work in the Brecker Brothers, saxophonist Michael Brecker and trumpeter Randy Brecker proved […]