JAZZBO NOTES RECOMMENDED RECORDING
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If Tales Of The Hudson was your first exposure to Michael Brecker, you might be excused for being impressed.
At the time of the recording, Brecker was already one of the tenor saxophone’s finest technicians. And look at the musicians he has with him! Pianist McCoy Tyner was a key component of […]

JAZZBO NOTES RECOMMENDED RECORDING
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In one sense, Fuchsia Swing Song isn’t a whole lot different than many post bop dates from the mid-60s. The structures of the tunes aren’t particularly radical. There’s a swing tune, a blues, one that’s a cycle of 7ths, and so on. The nonpareil rhythm team of Ron Carter on bass […]

JAZZBO NOTES RECOMMENDED RECORDING
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Occasionally, a date is so perfectly executed that it’s almost immaterial that there’s very little that’s challenging going on in the music.
Kenny Burrell’s Midnight Blue is a case in point. Most of the material is blues-oriented, which is no knock in and of itself, but Burrell approaches it in such an […]

JAZZBO NOTES RECOMMENDED RECORDING
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It’s taken a while for Meant To Be to grow on me.
For a while, the sections where Scofield solos seemed too abstract, since no one is outlining the structure of the tune or even dropping occasional harmonic hints. It’s a very free arranging style. In effect, everyone’s soloing at the same […]

JAZZBONOTES RECOMMENDED RECORDING
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Floating Point is one heck of an odd album. John McLaughlin has said that on Floating Point, he is paying tribute to his fusion roots, but he’s being too modest.
In a way, the band he’s fielding on Floating Point is the inverse of Shakti. To prepare for Shakti, McLaughlin immersed himself in […]

JAZZBONOTES RECOMMENDED RECORDING
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It’s funny that no matter what band Charles Mingus happens to be fielding, matter what the year, the music has a similar feel. A large part of that of course is that the tunes and arrangements are written by Mingus, and the rhythm section of Mingus’ muscular bass and Dannie Richmond’s shape-shifting […]

JAZZBO NOTES RECOMMENDED RECORDING
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Footprints Live!, Wayne Shorter’s first recording in eight years, represents a complete about face from his previous date, High Life. On High Life, for the first time, Shorter moved perilously close to the smooth jazz that his detractors had been accusing him of ever since he left Weather Report. Unless you […]

JAZZBONOTES RECOMMENDED RECORDING
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Those of you who are regular readers of this website probably know that I am usually not a big fan of jazz singers. There is a certain minimum level of competence I demand. Just so you know what I’m talking about, here’s a rundown:

Tone - This isn’t entirely fair, I know. Singers […]

JAZZBO NOTES RECOMMENDED RECORDING
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It is not always necessary to innovate. There is a place for straight ahead renderings of existing styles, especially if they are played with energy and taste. That’s where Payton’s Place fits in.
As it’s title would suggest, Zigaboogaloo is a straight up boogaloo tune that wouldn’t have been out of place […]

JAZZBO NOTES RECOMMENDED RECORDING
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Cool Blues is one of the better Jimmy Smith outings for three reasons:
#1 It’s not just the Jimmy Smith show
Smith’s bandmates, alto saxophonist Lou Donaldson, guitarist Eddie McFadden, and tenor man Tina Brooks, are having a good night.
Musicians are like anyone else. Some days, they struggle to make it […]