jan garbarek - bobo stenson quartet - witchi-tai-to (1974)

CD reissue


Jan Garbarek - tenor & soprano saxophones
Bobo Stenson - piano
Palle Danielsson - bass
Jon Christensen - drums

01. A.I.R. (Carla Bley) - 8:15
02. Kukka (Palle Danielsson) - 4:32
03. Hasta Siempre (Carlos Puebla) - 8:10
04. Witchi-Tai-To (Jim Pepper) - 4:24
05. Desireless (Don Cherry) - 20:25


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david sylvian - manafon (2009)

David Sylvian - lyrics, vocals, acoustic guitar, keyboards, electronics
John Tilbury - piano
Burkhard Stangl, Tetuzi Akiyama & Keith Rowe - guitar
Werner Dafeldecker - acoustic bass
Michael Moser & Marcio Mattos - cello
Christian Fennesz - laptop, guitar
Toshimaru Nakamura, Joel Ryan & Sachiko M. - electronics
Otomo Yoshihide - turntables, acoustic guitar
Evan Parker - saxophone
Franz Hautzinger - trumpet

01. Small Metal Gods (5:48)
02. The Rabbit Skinner (4:41)
03. Randon Acts Of Senseless Violence (7:06)
04. The Greatest Living Englishman (10:55)
05. 125 Spheres (0:29)
06. Snow White In Appalachia (6:35)
07. Emily Dickinson (6:25)
08. The Department Of Dead Letters (2:25)
09. Manafon (5:22)


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los van van - salsa de cuba (collection, 2002)

Juan Formell & Pavel Molina - bass
César Pedroso "Pupy" & Roberto Carlos Rodriguez "Cucuruchu" - piano
Hugo Morejón - trombone, synthesizer
Alvaro Collado - trombone
Edmundo Pina - trombone, percussion
Gerardo Miró, Pedro Fajardo, Dagoberto González & Irving Frontela - violins
Jorge Leliebre - flute, vocals, maracas
Manuel Labarrera - congas
Julio Noroña - güiros, percussion
Boris Luna - synthesizer
Samuel Formell - drums, timbales, percussion arrangements
Pedro Calvo "Pedrito", Abel Rosales "Lele", Yenisel Valdés "Yeni", Roberto Hernández "Roberton" & Mario Rivera "Mayito" - vocals

01. A ver que sale (Juan Formell) - 3:00
02. Güararey de pastora (Roberto Baute Sagarra) - 3:58
03. El negro no tiene na (Juan Formell) - 5:55
04. Despues que te casaste (Cesar Pedroso) - 5:28
05. Artesanos del espacio (Juan Formell) - 5:21
06. Sera que se acabo (Cesar Pedroso) - 5:40
07. De 5 a 7 (Marisol Ramirez) - 4:15
08. De la Habana a Matanzas (Juan Formell) - 5:09
09. No soy de la gran escena (Juan Formell) - 7:20
10. Se cambia el turno (Juan Formell) - 5:05
11. Que extrano saxofon (Juan Formell) - 5:23
12. Danzonete (Aniceto) - 5:25
13. Pero que falta de respeto (Alina Torres) - 3:00
14. Que voy a hacer si tu te vas (Juan Formell) - 3:38


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Ingredients for a Cuban sea-bream:
1 sea-bream
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 can coconut milk or 2 coconuts
1 onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic
1 red chili, sliced
3 tomatoes
olive oil
salt

Recipe:

Peel tomatoes after plunging them in boiling water a few seconds. Cut them into 4 pieces. Pour oil in a loarge pot and brown onion, garlic, chili, sliced peppers. Add tomatoes and coconut milk, season with salt. Cover with lid and simmer for ten minutes. Season to taste. Slice fish in 4 equal parts and place it on vegetables mixture. Cook for fifteen minutes turning it with care during cooking time. Place fish in a dish with the vegetables and serve.

dizzy gillespie & lalo schifrin - free ride (1981)

Dizzy Gillespie, Jack H. Laubach & Oscar Brashear - trumpets
Lalo Schifrin - composer & arranger, synthesizer
Jerome Richardson & James Horn - flute
Lew McCreary - trombone
Lee Ritenour, Wah Wah Watson & Ray Parker, Jr. - guitars
Sonny Burke - piano
Wilton Felder - bass
Ed Greene - drums
Paulinho Da Costa - percussion

01.Unicorn (6:43)
02. Fire Dance (4:20)
03. Incantation (6:40)
04. Wrong Number (4:33)
05. Free Ride (5:16)
06. Ozone Madness (6:24)
07. Love Poem For Donna (4:31)
08. The Last Stroke Of Midnight (4:31)


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crimson jazz trio - king crimson songbook vol.2 (2009)

Jody Nardone - acoustic grand piano & vocals
Tim Landers - fretless & acoustic bass
Ian Wallace - drumset
Mel Collins - soprano & alto saxophone

01. The Court Of The Crimson King (Fripp, Giles, Lake, McDonald, Sinfield) - 6:16
02. Pictures Of A City (Fripp, Sinfield) - 6:29
03. One Time (Belew, Bruford, Fripp, Gunn, Levin, Mastelotto) - 9:16
04. Frame By Frame (Belew, Bruford, Fripp, Levin) - 5:30
05. Inner Garden (Belew, Fripp, Levin) - 5:34
06. Heartbeat (Belew, Bruford, Fripp, Levin) - 8:56

Islands Suite:
07. Press Gang (Wallace) - 2:32
08. Zero Dark Thirty (Nardone) - 2:18
09. Formentera Lady (Fripp, Sinfield) - 7:32
10. Sailor's Tale (Fripp) - 3:45
11. The Plank (Landers) - 2:14

12. Lament (Bruford, Cross, Fripp, Palmer-James, Wetton) - 9:20


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In the three short years that I knew Ian, we played a lot of gigs together, and made two great records, one of which you are hopefully listening to as you read this. It's pretty amazing that we made both of these records in such a short amount of time but then again, working with the CJ3 always went incredibly smoothly.

Vol. 1 was recorded in less than a week during May of 2005 and Vol. 2 followed suit in June, 2006. I had only just met Tim the day before we started recording Vol. 1, and it was as if we had known each other forever. I'll never forget that first week we all spent together. We'd start working around 10 AM each morning and we fell into such a groove that we'd usually get a great take of our first tune by noon or so, which would prompt one of us to exclaim, "Great... print it... next tune" and "so what do you guys wanna eat for lunch?" For those of you that have never attended a record date before, this is not always the way things go. Lucky for us, this was just another day in the studio with the CJ3.

What you hold in your hands is not a tribute album. This cd, nor it's predecessor, were never intended to be such a thing. When Ian asked me if I'd like to participate in an experiment of his, a jazz piano trio doing King Crimson music, I leapt at the chance. As a jazz pianist who spent years playing and singing in rock bands, I had been a huge KC fan since high school in the 80's. What a trip to think I'd be part of something that might contribute to the band's legacy, and that I'd get to do it with one of the band's alums -- and now with this record, two alums, thank you Mel!

I used to jokingly refer to the project as "Swing Crimson" but in a way, that really cheapens what we were aiming at. We had some goals in mind. Some were discussed verbally, some weren't. The following are a few of my own personal objectives :

1) To demonstrate that the entire Crimson canon was screaming to be reinterpreted in a jazz setting. Although many people like to put the band in the "art rock" category, I always heard them as a much more diverse mix of jazz, classical and rock. Okay, there was a fair amount of mellotron on those early records but the band certainly did their fair share of improvising over the years as well. We set out to prove that KC's music is as viable as any other body of work to be exploited for reharmonization, restructuring and improvisation, in the same tradition that any great jazz musician would do with Duke Ellington, Cole Porter, Wayne Shorter or even The Beatles. At first this seemed like a daunting task. But then I figured, if Brad Mehldau can do it with Radiohead and Nick Drake, and The Bad Plus with Nirvana, then KC was more than fair game.

2) That a jazz piano trio could make this material rock just as hard as any guitar based ensemble that might attempt it. Some would argue that without Robert's and Adrian's soundscapes, Frippertronics and ever-frightening demonstrations of guitar heavy-osity, that this is not a possibility. I beg to differ and would like to suggest that the cd you are listening to right now -- Vol. 2 -- should prove this point even more accurately than it's predecessor did.

3) That Ian should (and could) find a way to prove to himself, his peers, and the world at large, that although he was a first call, world class, rock sideman and session drummer, he was also a formidable jazz drummer/band leader who could swing his ass off!

4) Finally, it should be fun. Take the music seriously. Take the business seriously. Take ourselves... not so seriously. If we found a particular arrangement or treatment of a tune amusing enough, it usually stuck. We tried to keep in mind that jazz needs a healthy dose of disrespect from time to time, and rock even more so.

Well, by now, you probably know the rest of the story. Just as things were really starting to get rolling, Ian was diagnosed with cancer and before we knew it, he was gone. Note to self : next time you get involved with a band that was this much fun, with heavyweights like Tim Landers and Ian Wallace, be less cautious, less responsible, throw some caution to the wind, take a leap of faith and get as much music recorded as possible. Life is short.

~Jody Nardone

crimson jazz trio - king crimson songbook vol.1 (2005)

Jody Nardone - acoustic grand piano
Tim Landers - fretless bass guitar
Ian Wallace - drumset

01. 21st Century Schizoid Man (Fripp, McDonald, Lake, Giles, Sinfield) - 6:53
02. Three Of A Perfect Pair (Belew, Bruford, Fripp, Levin) - 6:11
03. Catfood (Fripp, Sinfield, McDonald) - 6:19
04. Starless (Cross, Fripp, Wetton, Bruford, Palmer-James) - 10:40
05. Ladies Of The Road (Fripp, Sinfield) - 6:44
06. I Talk To The Wind (McDonald, Sinfield) - 9:56
07. Red (Fripp) - 5:59
08. Matte Kudasai (Belew, Bruford, Fripp, Levin) - 9:07


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serge gainsbourg - vu de l'extérieur (1973)

2001 CD reissue


Serge Gainsbourg - chant, paroles & musique
Jane Birkin - sanglots sur "Je suis venu te dire que je m'en vais"
Alan Hawkshaw - piano, orgue
Alan Parker & Judd Proctor - guitares
Brian Odgers & Dave Richmond - basse
Dougie Wright - batterie
Chris Karan - percussions

01. Je suis venu te dire que je m'en vais (3:20)
02. Vu de l'extérieur (3:38)
03. Panpan cucul (2:40)
04. Par hasard et pas rasé (2:26)
05. Des vents des pets des poums (2:53)
06. Titicaca (2:57)
07. Pamela Popo (2:23)
08. La poupée qui fait (2:59)
09. L'hippopodame (1:42)
10. Sensuelle et sans suite (3:02)


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marcus miller - m² (2001)

Marcus Miller – bass, synthesizer, Vocals, drum programming
Hiram Bullock & Paul Jackson, Jr. – guitars
Herbie Hancock – piano
Bernard Wright – organ
Leroy Taylor – synthesizer bass
Lenny White – synthesizer bass, percussion
Mino Cinelu & David Isaac – percussion
Poogie Bell – drums
Vinnie Colaiuta – drums on "It's Me Again"
Larry Corbett – cello
Joel Derouin – violin
Matt Funes – viola
Chaka Khan, Raphael Saadiq & Djavan – vocals
Hubert Laws – flute
Branford Marsalis & Wayne Shorter – soprano saxophone
Kenny Garrett & Maceo Parker – alto saxophone
Fred Wesley – trombone

01. Power (M. Miller) – 4:37
02. Lonnie's Lament (J. Coltrane) – 5:39
03. Boomerang (M. Miller) – 5:49
04. Nikki's Groove (M. Miller) – 3:28
05. Goodbye Pork Pie Hat (C. Mingus) – 3:34
06. Ozell (Interlude 1) (M. Miller) – 0:48
07. Burning Down The House (D. Byrne, C. Frantz, J. Harrison, T. Weymouth) – 6:54
08. It's Me Again (M. Miller) – 6:05
09. Cousin John (M. Miller) – 4:42
10. Ozell (Interlude 2) (M. Miller) – 0:39
11. 3 Deuces (M. Miller) – 5:51
12. Red Baron (B. Cobham) – 6:38
13. Ozell (Interlude 3) (M. Miller) – 1:01
14. Your Amazing Grace (M. Miller) – 7:43
15. Boomerang Reprise (M. Miller) – 1:54


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roy hargrove's crisol - habana (1997)

Roy Hargrove - trumpet, flugelhorn
David Sanchez - tenor & soprano saxes
Gary Bartz - alto & soprano saxes
Frank Lacy - trombone
Chucho Valdes - piano
Russell Malone - guitar
John Benitez - bass
Horacio "El Negro" Hernandez - drums
Jose Luis "Changuito" Quintana - timbales
Miguel "Anga" Diaz - congas

01. O My Seh Yeh (Frank Lacy) - 9:59
02. Una Mas (Kenny Dorham) - 8:06
03. Dream Traveler (Roy Hargrove) - 5:23
04. Nusia's Poem (Gary Bartz) - 6:20
05. Mr. Bruce (Chucho Valdes) - 5:30
06. Ballad For The Children (Roy Hargrove) - 4:52
07. The Mountaings (Roy Hargrove) - 8:07
08. Afrodisia (Kenny Dorham) - 4:46
09. Mambo For Roy (Chucho Valdes) - 11:01
10. O My Seh Yeh (reprise) - 6:22

Recorded live at the Umbria Jazz Winter 1996-1997


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don sebesky - joyful noise: a tribute to duke ellington (1999)

Orchestra arranged (except « Ko-Ko ») & conducted by Don Sebesky
+
Bob Brookmeyer - trombone
Ron Carter - bass
Tom Harrell - trumpet, flugelhorn
John Pizzarelli - guitar, vocals
Phil Woods - alto saxophone, clarinet

01. Mood Indigo (Ellington, Bigard, Mills) - 7:56
02. Creole Love Call (Ellington, Miley, Jackson) - 8:11
03. Chelsea Bridge (Strayhorn) - 6:47
04. Caravan (Mills, Ellington, Tizol) - 5:32
05. Warm Valley (Ellington) - 3:53
06. Take The Coltrane (Ellington) - 9:20
07. Satin Doll (Ellington, Strayhorn, Mercer) - 4:14

Joyful Noise Suite (Sebesky):
08. Gladly - 6:09
09. Sadly - 6:40
10. Madly - 6:28

11. Ko-Ko (transcribed from the 1941 RCA recording) (Ellington) - 2:45


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Duke Ellington is one of the great geniuses of the 20th century. The body of music for which he is responsible has influenced all of us deeply. It's difficult — impossible — to imagine what jazz would be like without him.

From this treasure chest I've selected a handful of musical gems I've long admired. My intention was not to imitate Duke. Instead, I tried to treat these great tunes in new and unexpected ways; « Chelsea Bridge » and « Mood Indigo », originally done as ballads, are given new time signatures and much faster tempos; « Creole Love Call » led by Ron Carter's insistent bass line, is much "dirtier" than Duke's version; « Caravan » is built on an arrangement Erroll Garner did for his trio on a 1954 LP (listen for his "left hand" under Phil Woods' solo).

As a special tribute, I've created a new suite, « Joyful Noise », built on Ellington's motifs and laced throughout with quotes from many of Duke's greatest compositions.

This is our love letter to this jazz master.

I give my heartfelt thanks to all the fabulous musicians who participated in performing this music which Duke so generously gave us. We all want him to know we "love him madly."

—Don Sebesky

don sebesky - giant box (1973)

2007 Japanese CD re-issue + english booklet w/ photos & interview


Don Sebesky – keyboards, arrangements & conducts
Bob James - keyboards
Freddie Hubbard - trumpet, flugelhorn
Hubert Laws - flute
Paul Desmond - alto sax
Joe Farrell - soprano sax
Grover Washington Jr. - alto & soprano sax
Milt Jackson - vibes
George Benson - guitar
Ron Carter - bass
Billy Cobham & Jack DeJohnette - drums
Airto Moreira - percussion
Jackie Cain & Roy Kral - vocals
+ orchestra

01. Firebird / Birds Of Fire (John McLaughlin / Igor Stravinsky) - 13:55
02. Song To A Seagull (Joni Mitchell) - 5:45
03. Free As A Bird (Don Sebesky) - 8:10
04. Psalm 150 (Jimmy Webb) - 8:08
05. Vocalise (Sergei Rachmaninoff) - 5:35
06. Fly / Circles (Don Sebesky) - 9:38
07. Semi-Tough (Don Sebesky) - 7:45


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Is "Giant Box" a tribute to you, Don, from the CTI artists?

No, on the contrary: it's my tribute to each one of the soloists featured here. The central idea of the album was to feature each of the stars that I had worked with, putting them in my own framework. The way the whole concept evolved, I started writing the music, and when I came to a place where I felt there should be a solo, having worked with all these artists, and knowing what each could do, I just decided who should play that particular solo. So, we did Paul Desmond playing a ballad, and Milt Jackson, and Freddie Hubbard, and Hubert Laws, all playing the kind of music in which I felt they would shine best.

How is this album different from anything else you've done?

Since "Giant Box" is under my name, I had a good deal of freedom in selecting the music. As a result, I feel the writing in this album is a little more ambitious than anything I've done in a long time.

Where did the idea for the album come from?

Originally, "Giant Box" was supposed to be one LP, and I knew how I wanted it to be. It was to be a "concept" album, with a beginning, a middle, and an end. And, of course, featuring CTI artists. Then, one day, Creed and I were in the studio, and out of the blue, he suggested we make it a double album. I liked the idea, even though I knew it meant twice as much work for both of us, and that I now had to go through it all over again, since we'd almost finished the first record. But Creed is so good. I don't think any other producer could be as patient and thorough as he is.

How long did it take to finish the album?

It took us six months. We spent about 150 hours in the studio. Count another three weeks for the writing, and that doesn't include the gestation of it. It was, really, a giant task. And then, trying to get all the artists off the road and into the studio, flying them in from all over the country, was an incredibly complex job. I'm still amazed that it all worked.

Aside from the fact that all the musicians featured here are CTI artists, would you say that the common denominator in this album is what we might call the "Don Sebesky sound"?

I don't think that there is such a thing as the Don Sebesky sound, to tell you the truth. I think the common denominator here is more an attitude towards music, a willingness to blend various influences without worrying about where they come from. The way I look at music is the way I look at life — I have no preconceived notion about either. If today I feel like doing a certain kind of music, that's what I'll do. And tomorrow, I might try a different kind. I think that if I had one sound, if I stumbled on one formula and I had to stay with that one sound and keep pushing it, I'd never be happy. That's why I said that I don't think I have a "sound." But an attitude, an approach to music, definitely, yes.

Are you influenced by the Classics?

Absolutely! I have Romantic leanings, but my favorite composer is Bartok. I think he's probably the premier composer of the 20th century. Brahms is also one of my great favorites — I think there's always something new to be found in his music. Sooner or later, you'll find Brahms' influence in my music — I can never get away from him altogether. I've been doing adaptations of classical master-pieces for a long time. I like doing that, but there again, I'm simply paying a tribute to them. It isn't a conscious effort on my part to try and force anyone's music into mine, but if it feels natural, I'll use it.

How did this fusion of classical music and contemporary sounds find its expression in "Giant Box"?

Well, for instance, I had been listening to John McLaughlin's "Birds of Fire" album, and I liked it very much. I'd also been listening to Stravinsky's "The Firebird," and the similarity in the titles suggested a juxtaposition. It just worked out that way. What I did is not a medley in which one theme starts where the other one leaves off. It's really blending of the two, in various degrees, so it's a complete — and hopefully, a successful — synthesis of these two pieces of music that come from completely opposite poles. In other cases, some tracks lean more towards a classical feeling, and then switch to jazz all of a sudden, with the emphasis shifting all the time.

But the ultimate result is jazz?

Definitely. If you have to put one label over any other, there's more jazz here than anything else. We did a lot of things that are straight 4/4 swing jazz, that I hadn't done for a long, long time. I really wanted to do it, and it just flows along, and it's really happy, and nice.

What are your hopes for this album?

Just that people have as good a time listening to it as we did making it. That's all I hope for. You see, I was able to express myself, so I'm already happy. That's the end right there for me. And the soloists were happy about the way they did their jobs in it. Now, all we can hope for is that everybody else likes it, and has fun listening to it. If the people who buy it like music, I think they're bound to find something in it that they'll like — maybe not everything, but something!

(Interview by Didier C. Deutsch)