LIVE CLASSIC OF EXPATRIOT JAZZ
597617
A hidden gem that leaves you wondering how this one got away. Thank the lord its still available. It's a 1973 session from the expatriot shrine, Copenhagen's 'Jazz Door' at the Cafe Montmartre, where so many superb sessions were recorded with tenors like Dexter Gordon, Don Byas, Ben Webster, and later Stan Getz. The piano is deftly and richly played by the expatriot American legend, Kenny Drew, who appears in almost all of the recordings noted above. He virtually became the club's resident accompanist. He and the Grif are in peak form. In fact, this could well be Grif's finest work. Incidently, it's dedicated to Grif's buddy, Harvey the Montmartre bartender, featured with the tenor in a cool photo. The audience is attentive and intelligently into it, a wonderful presence and not a distraction. The ambiance is live and intimate. All the cuts show Grif's brilliant dexterity and inventive phrasing, and his tone has deepened to a rich gritty burgundy. The unusual 'Soundtrack Blues' is worth the price of the CD, a dark meditation at once chant-like and gut-wrenching. Add this one to your collection while it lasts: its an unsung classic among tenor quartets.
4270480
If you love great Bossa Nova played by 2 masters of straight ahead jazz then this is your album. Brilliant improvisation throughout. For a more modern sound try Bobby Shew's double cd called "Plays the Music of Reed Kotler". I'd give them 10 stars if i could. I am a straight ahead jazz radio programmer.
2331408
This is a great concert live of a most important jazz pianist in the world. Bob James is a great pianist, arrangements and composer and this lbum contains The most famous tunes of him. The tune "Farandole"  is very crazy. This concert is simply great. Excellent recording sound and the musicians are simply extraordinary. Enjoy this album!!!
4010183
For those uniniated to the avant garde or "outside jazz", this is a classic album in the same class as "Out to Lunch" which also was Eric Dolphy last solo album before leaving for europe.  This album also features Dolphy in his classic solo on "Round Midnight" and of course, Russell's classic title tune based on the changes of "What is this thing called Love".  The 24 bit remastering is superb and this edition features 2 unissued tracks.  The late trumpeter Don Ellis is also featured in some great solos as well.
2502941
This is an outstanding live album by an artist that I have been following for many years.  Released posthumously, this concert recorded at the Lugano festival in Switzerland would ultimately become one of his last live performances.  And what a show to go out on...

This concert can be seen in its entirety on Youtube, and I've seen it probably a thousand times.  If you've seen it, you know that the only bad thing about this otherwise fantastic show is that Joe was having lots of signal problems with his keyboards during the first couple songs in the set.  I was happy to hear that a lot of these problems were corrected on this live CD, either by burying them in the mix, editing them out, or boosting the signal level when it was cutting out during the show.

In any case, there's no taking away from the pulsating energy of the 10+ minute Orient Express and the playful and powerful Madagascar, also fine renditions of Zansa II and Cafe Andalusia.  The show closes with an absolutely explosive version of the classic Badia/Boogie Woogie Waltz.

But this album really goes to another level when Joe reunities with Wayne Shorter for a 14+ minute version of In a Silent Way.  I was convinced that the big band version of this song on Joe's Brown Street live album was the best that this song could sound, but this simple keyboard and tenor sax interpretation is dynamic, moving, and intense.

Needless to say Joe accompanies himself with a dream team of very capable musicians--as he always does--, particularly bass virtuoso Linley Marthe and drummer Paco Sery, both Zawinul Syndicate veterans.

If you care about good experimental jazz/fusion with a heavy tinge of world music influences, this CD comes highly recommended from this listener.
2489894
This cd was recorded live at a jazz club in St Louis, and I wish I could have attended this concert. I actually saw Benny Green and Russell Malone play together a little later at another jazz club, and the enthusiasm with which they play and share with the audience  is very tangible.

This cd has 13 music tracks (and two 'introductions' for each artist). There are two originals, a bunch of standard-y standards (monk, strayhorn, coltrane tunes), and a few 'new standards', ie pop tunes made into jazz ('killing me softly' for instance). It is up there, along Jim Hall and Bill Evans 'undercurrent', as one of the best jazz duo of a guitarist and a pianist. The guitar and the piano complement each other perfectly, with each instrument being in turn melodic or harmonic. The styles of BG and RM differ a bit (complement each other as well), with BG going towards more harmonic sophistication, and RM towards more virtuosity.

The recipe here is the same as their other subsequent cd, 'bluebird', which I recommand equally. I guess this one should be picked first due to its seniority (it is 2 years older), but I cannot come up with a better reason.
4592941
This album truly showcases the technical mastery and true and natural jazz flavor of Chet Baker's trumpet playing. Wall to wall classics, standards and originals, many in their best versions here. Fundamental to have this one in your jazz collection, up there with Miles Davis' Kind of Blue in terms of necessity.
4194153
Great, great recording !  I had this on the original LP record and wore it out years ago.  "Take Five" is perhaps the best known work, but the rest of this CD shines with stellar performances by Dave Brubeck, Paul Desmond, Eugene Wright (bass) and Joe Morello (drums).  Brubeck's percussive piano dovetails perfectly with Desmond's beautiful and expressive alto sax. Wonderful and wild. It jumps.

This is a timeless modern classic- it sounds like it was made yesterday.
3680378
This beautifully packaged double CD set was recorded in London just a few weeks before the great Bill Evans' untimely death in 1980. He's in top form, even though the piano was poorly tuned and he must have been in terrible pain during his final tour of Europe. The music is stunning as if the trio realized they'd never be back and thrilled their many fans for the last time at Ronnie Scott's club. One of my favorite live Evans records and there are many. Almost 100 minutes of outstanding jazz.
I just bought this double CD new for $11 from Import CDs, a third party Amazon seller that always offers rare music at reduced prices. Two other sellers are listing the same set for $400! Insane.
Rest in peace, Bill. Your music lives on even if some unscrupulous sellers are trying to make a killing off your brilliant artistry.
1949895
This CD is a must for anyone into Jazz music, from Contemporary Jazz to Classical, this album is one of a kind.  With the various bands and sounds, you can get a good feel for what it might be like being in South Africa at a club enjoying a nice meal.  With 16 songs on the album and a total of 73 minutes of playing time, you are bound to enjoy loads of fun and relaxation!
2036384
If I were to travel across our country in my automobile and were restricted to only a handful of jazz recordings, the Webster/Hodges Jazz Cellar Session would be included.
Both musicians were obviously in top form and having an uninhibited blast! Herb Ellis was tuned right into the fray and added wonderful solos of his own and sound as fresh today as they did in 1960. With the exception of "Exactly Like You" and "I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me", the songs are all originals and totally refreshening. "Side Door" by itself is worth the price of the album!
2930073
"We have some of the absolutely  greatest living modern jazz musicians in this band!"

Released on the 50th anniversary of the band's first gig in Feb. 1966, these tapes have never been heard before except for an illegal  release in 2000 which didn't include all the music heard here.  Recorded  on a 2 track machine using six mics (2/7) and ten mics (3/21), and using a 4 channel mixer, you get the feel of being in the audience.  The sound is very good from highs to the low end--sharp and clean but warm.  The 92 page booklet (actually closer to a small book) has interviews with band members, and essays, along with some great unseen  period photos.  There's also a list of soloists for each tune--a nice (and needed)  addition.  The tri-fold cardboard package is a bit taller than a jewel case which makes it harder to put on a CD shelf.  And a minor quibble--the discs slip inside slots which are a bit too tight (maybe yours will be different) which could lead to disc scratches.  And the booklet can easily fall out of either side of the front slot if you're not careful.  But all in all this is packaging  befitting music of this caliber.  I gave this set 5 "stars"--4 for the great performances and an added  "star" because this band set the bar for this kind of music that other bands would follow.  This was in it's own way trailblazing music using a large band in 1966--the era of Miles Davis' second great band with Shorter and Coltrane's group,  which was reaching  to the outer edges of jazz during this same time.  And all three groups played the Village Vanguard during this  period.

The first disc is devoted to the initial gig on Feb. 7, 1966.  The band features Jones, Lewis, Hank Jones-piano, Sam Herman-guitar, the great Richard Davis-bass, Jerome Richardson and Jerry Dodgion-alto sax/clarinet/flute, Joe Farrell-tenor sax/clarinet/flute, Eddie Daniels-tenor sax/clarinet, and Marv Holladay-baritone sax.  Also included are four more trumpets (including Snooky Young), and four trombones (including Bob Brookmeyer) that really beef up the sound.  With tunes like "Back Bone", the title tune, "Big Dipper" and others, this is a fantastic set  of big band jazz--especially when you consider the period when this band first played the Village Vanguard.  Crowds couldn't get enough of this music and this night set up a twelve year Monday night residency for the band.

The March 21, 1966 set (Disc 2)  has the same core set of players with Pepper Adams in for Holladay.  Also included are the four trumpets and trombones with slightly different personnel.  Tunes like "Low Down", "Lover Man",  "Don't Ever Leave Me", "Willow Weep For Me", "Mornin' Reverend", and others are even more proof that this was one hot band.  Thad Jones arranged and conducted both sets and it's easy to hear how tight his work was and how the band responded to the music.

If you're familiar with the Jones/Lewis band you have an idea of  what's here.  But I have to say even I wasn't totally prepared for how great these gigs are.  Part of it is because the initial gig is here but it's the arrangements and the playing that ultimately show how good this band was.  This is the band (mostly) blowing up a storm, with both band and audience reveling at the level of musicianship.  If you can, think back to 1966 and jazz at that time.  Listening to these gigs in 2016 is vastly different  than hearing them in 1966.  The impact of this music was pretty huge at the time.  And thankfully much of that impact can still be heard in the solos and the exciting ensemble work--razor sharp arrangements and a group of musicians who sound almost as surprised as the audience at what's happening on stage.  I can't comprehend how great it must have been to sit in the audience next to this powerhouse band, listening to this great jazz.  This is well worth adding to your shelf of big band jazz.
2434913
Mike LeDonne was a pianist unfamiliar to me, but I saw Jeremy Pelt was on trumpet, so I thought 'why not'?  The rest of the band is Eric Alexander on sax, John Webber on bass, and Joe Farnsworth on drums.  This is a live set, and it's squarely in the Jazz Messenger tradition.  LeDonne plays with the tradition some - "Manteca" is changed quite a bit from the original Dizzy version.  "I Got It Bad" also avoids any repertory feel.  There's an unfamiliar Stevie Wonder, "You And I", and a Cedar Walton closer.  Of the originals, "Hands" is notable for LeDonne's fast piano solo.  This live set is a bit of a throwback, but it's an enjoyable 4-star CD.
949805
Originally I've heard this album in the program of the late Willis Conover in early 1990s, and ordered with a very complicated way not much later. Since then, this is one of my most favourite album.
Great musicians, excellent mood of a festival, perfect technical work. A piece that all classic jazz fanatic must have (or at least once hear).
2161788
I own about 6 albums from Phil Woods, 4 with his own band.  This one is THE BEST!  A superb performance for Phil and the band does well to keep up with his energy level!  The mixing gave too much to the percussionist's mic, making him the loudest instrument in the mix many times.  But even with the flaws of a live mix, this was great night for jazz, captured for us to enjoy!
4721739
I'm a jazz pianist. I still have the orignal LP of this, the first by Miles that I ever owned. Several of the hundreds of songs I know I learned from this album. It's a classic, with an enviable lineup of world-class musicians and first-rate, sensitive solos. It marks a time of extended transition for Miles between his bebop/cool beginnings and his later modal and post-bop periods.
710053
Abdullah Ibrahim's "Cape Town Revisited" captures the pianist's trio perfroming live at the Spier Estate in Capetown, South Africa, joined on three tracks by trumpeter Feya Faku.  Pertinent background is that Mr. Ibrahim, born in South Africa but in self-imposed exile during apartheid, began performing in his homeland again during the 1990's.  It is in this context that the CD is aptly titled "Cape Town Revisited".  The joy of his homecoming is admixed throughout this CD with Mr. Ibrahim's influences from living abroad, notably that of his early mentor, Duke Ellington.  There are classic, sweet jazz melodies, such as "Someday Soon Sweet Samba" pulsing with township rhythms below the melody.  The three-part suite "Cape Town To Congo Square", strangely interrupted between the second and third movenmment by another track, nevertheless evokes the African cultural landscape within an easily recognizable jazz idiom that knows no boundaries.  Mr. Faku's contributions add variety to the trio sound, and by the time we reach the stunning gracenotes of the last three trio only tracks, culminating with "Barakaat (The Blessing) we know that we have been blessed indeed to glimpse the musical and cultural wisdom of this stellar artist.
While I overall prefer Mr. Ibrahim's larger ensemble work (see my review of his "Voices of Africa" CD) and thus have given this CD 4 stars only, it is a wonderful, intimate listening experience that allows one to travel musically to other lands yet still feel the immediacy and familiarity of timeless, cross-cultural art. "Cape Town Revisitied" is music that people of all nations can cherish.