GRAMMY-WINNING COMPOSER TERENCE BLANCHARD COMPLETES SCORE FOR LUCASFILM’S RED TAILS
Interview by Paula Edelstein
Photo by Pamela Springsteen
Source text: Muse Media Public Relations
World-renowned film composer and musician Terence Blanchard has completed the score for the soundtrack for Lucasfilm’s Red Tails. A high-flying action epic inspired by the heroic exploits of the first all African-American aerial combat unit, The Lucasfilm Ltd. production of Red Tails opened in select theatres on January 20, 2012, released by Twentieth Century Fox. Produced by Rick McCallum and Charles Floyd Johnson, the gripping WWII actioner is directed by Anthony Hemingway (“Treme,” “The Wire,” “Battlestar Galactica”). On Jan. 13, Red Tails director Anthony Hemingway joined his cast, producers George Lucas and Rick McCallum and 15 surviving members of World War II's Tuskegee Airmen for a screening of the film with President Obama at the White House. (Hemingway 2012)
Red Tails stars Academy Award winner Cuba Gooding, Jr., Academy Award nominee Terrence Howard and Emmy Award winner Bryan Lee Cranston. The film addresses racial prejudice, war and showcases the human spirit as it rises above all odds. The film did far better than expected. Lucas spent 20 years pursuing the project, and recently revealed he couldn't get any studio to finance the film because of an all-black cast. He finally decided to put up the money himself, and spent $58 million on the production budget and another $35 in distribution costs. The film grossed $19.5 million dollars during its first weekend release. (McClintock 2012)
Produced by Lucasfilm Ltd., Red Tails began development by George Lucas over 20 years ago. Several writers contributed to the script, but ultimately John Ridley and Aaron McGruder completed the screenplay. Producers interviewed surviving original Tuskegee pilots and even gained access to official logbooks from their missions in World War II. The film was shot in Croatia, Czech Republic, Italy and England, and the film score was recorded in Prague with an 85 piece orchestra. The original motion picture soundtrack for Red Tails is available on Sony Masterworks and features 28 tracks written by Terence Blanchard. The soundtrack also includes period songs from Harry James & His Orchestra, The Ink Spots, The Andrews Sisters and Maxine Sullivan.
As a film composer, Blanchard has more than 50 scores to his credit and received a Golden Globe nomination for Spike Lee's 25th Hour. In 2009, Blanchard loaned his musical voice to Louis the Alligator in The Princess and the Frog. He has completed scores for Spike Lee's Miracle at St. Anna, Malcolm X, Mo Better Blues, among others, the soundtrack for Darnell Martin’s Cadillac Records and Guy Moshe’s adventure thriller Bunraku (Demi Moore, Woody Harrelson and Josh Hartnett). Other film music written by Blanchard includes Kasi Lemmons' Eve's Bayou and Talk to Me, Oprah Winfrey's Their Eyes WereWatching God, Tim Story's Barbershop and Ron Shelton's Dark Blue.
Blanchard’s music was also recently seen in Spike Lee/HBO’s If God’s Willing And The Creek Don’t Rise, commemorating the fifth anniversary of the Hurricane Katrina disaster and the sequel to the critically-acclaimed 2006 film, When The Levees Broke. The film shows the current state of Blanchard’s native New Orleans five years after Hurricane Katrina, and follows the lives of several individuals and their families in the aftermath of one of the worst disasters to occur in U.S. history. Blanchard won a Grammy for his 2007 CD A Tale of God’s Will (A Requiem for Katrina), which included tracks from Levees.
Terence Blanchard has established himself as one of the most influential jazz musicians and film score masters of his generation, a member of a jazz legacy that has shaped the contours of modern jazz today. With more than 29 CD’s to his credit, Blanchard is a four-time Grammy Award winner and has received multiple Grammy nominations as well as a Golden Globe nod. Choices, was released by Concord Jazz in 2009 to widespread critical acclaim. Recorded in New Orleans at the Ogden Museum of Art -- itself a survivor of Hurricane Katrina – Choices addresses the choices we all make in life – both as a society and on a personal level. His latest CD, Chano y Dizzy features Blanchard dueting with GRAMMY Award-winner conguero/composer Poncho Sanchez.
SOTJ caught up with Terence Blanchard just days after the star-studded premiere of Red Tails and here is what he told us about composing the music:
SOTJ: Hello Terence, first of all, congratulations on the score for Red Tails. It’s absolutely amazing. This is certainly a distinctive accomplishment even though your credits include more than 50 other motion picture scores. How was this particular employment with George Lucas different from other directors you’ve worked with?
TERENCE: Well first of all, he’s George Lucas! Obviously! One thing about George is that he’s been so successful in his career he has afforded himself the ability of taking his time. That was the big difference. He wanted to make sure that he got things as right as possible. So with me, we went in, Anthony Hemingway, the director, and I had conversations about the music. I started coming up with themes and ideas, started playing them for Anthony and said some things to George. They started cutting the film, and they just took their time cutting the film, putting it together. In doing so, they gave me a lot of time to think about how to approach the score.
SOTJ: Great, that’s always a luxury in this business…time.
TERENCE: And it’s a luxury you don’t get that much.
SOTJ: You certainly don’t. Well, even though Lucasfilm produced Red Tails and he began development over 20 years ago, a lot of writers contributed to the script. How did John Ridley’s completed final draft of the screenplay capture the essence of the period, such as the missions and the characteristics of some of the Tuskegee Airmen so as to help you to complete the score?
TERENCE: From what I know of him, I’ve seen him on television and read his stuff before; John Ridley is a bit of a historian which is always a great place to begin when you’re doing a period piece. The other thing - he’s a great writer. I think he tried to capture the flavor and rhythm of the language. I read some comments on Facebook about the language in the movie and someone else said, “No, no, it’s a period piece” and I think that is what John captured. He captured the rhythm and the style of the period. The difficulty is getting the audience to believe those guys playing those characters. Everybody put their hearts and souls into making this something everyone could be proud of…especially The Airmen themselves.
SOTJ: The movie was great. The music cues were so warm and tender for the love scenes as well as adventurous and daring during the dog fight scenes…the audience was roaring with applause. Whatever each scene called for, you captured it Terence. Red Tails is truly one of your most distinctive accomplishments in my opinion.
TERENCE: Thank you.
SOTJ: Working on location in Czechoslovakia must have presented a challenge! Working with the Prague Philharmonic must have been a great experience because the score came out really great.
TERENCE: I think the biggest challenge must have been where we would eat every night! Prague is a beautiful city and nobody was complaining about being in Prague. We were very fortunate because the musicians are great musicians and they gave me 150%. An interesting thing about them was the difference in their personalities because they were not the most excitable people on the planet and you have to get used to that. But the mere fact that they were asking questions and contributing ideas let me know that they were really into the project.
SOTJ: How did you prepare for writing the score…mainly what kind of research did you have to do to capture the authenticity of the time period?
TERENCE: Well the thing to remember is that I had just come off the project called Miracle at St. Anna a few years before and I had already done some research in terms of World War II. What I didn’t know was specific things about those pilots. I did my own research and read some things but the main thing I wanted to do was to really show the heroism of these guys, to prove to people that they were not just African-American soldiers but that they were American soldiers -- period. They were giving everything they had for their country. That was the thing I wanted to have come across in the music -- their sacrifice.
SOTJ: You certainly captured that. Terence, you’ve worked on many important projects that concerned major events and real people. Would you trade your experience working with George Lucas, Anthony Hemingway and John Ridley with any other project that you've worked on?
TERENCE: No, and it wouldn’t be because of them. It would be because of Dr. Roscoe Brown. He is one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen. At the premiere, I walked over to him to introduce myself. He knew who I was. He’s been a big advocate of jazz and remembers me from when I started my career at 19. But it was more than a great opportunity to work with George and Anthony is certainly one of the rising stars in the business. But nothing made me more proud on the night of the premiere than to see five of the survivors with their wives in blue sport coats and Tuskegee Airmen baseball caps standing on the steps of the venue waiting to go into the premiere. That really made me proud to be involved with the film.
SOTJ: Wow, again, history in the present...living history. Congratulations! Here’s to many more happy experiences in the film industry and it’s nice to know that Anthony Hemingway gifted President Obama with the Red Tails soundtrack during the screening at the White House.
TERENCE: Thank you.
SOTJ: Stay in touch with Terence Blanchard and his career happenings at www.terenceblanchard.com.
Candid Words With Jazz Legend Diane Schuur By Paula Edelstein
Anyone who has witnessed Diane Schuur perform her chart-topping hits or cover some of jazz’s greatest evergreens knows the feeling of a jaw grown sore from dropping! Her musical élan is dazzling and yet, perhaps in a greater testament to her talents – a listener almost forgets the complications she must face as a blind artist who interprets the music’s strange nuance and beauty without the advantage of having sight. She enables the listener to hear the kaleidoscopic richness of the music that she hears in her world of darkness.
Diane Schuur, a double GRAMMY Award winner and one of contemporary jazz’s leading vocalists, has signed with Vanguard Records. For her Vanguard label debut, The Gathering, Diane turns her attention to music written by country music artists. Released in June 2011, Schuur’s award-winning vocals take on a new musical direction - country with a twist of jazz. The program is a collection of 10 classic country music songs written by such notable musicians as Willie Nelson, Roger Miller, Merle Haggard and Tammy Wynette. Guest artists Alison Krauss, Vince Gill, Mark Knopfler, Larry Carlton and Kirk Whalum round out this special performance by Diane Schuur.
Sounds of Timeless Jazz.com spoke to Diane Schuur about her latest release and here’s what she told us:
SOTJ:Let’s talk about The Gathering, your new release for the Vanguard label. You’re on a new label, and singing a new genre of music for your fans to consider. Why did you decide to make an album of country music since your fans mostly associate you with your jazz singing?
DIANE:Well, it had been about 40 years since I’d actually done a country record. I did one in 1971. My father is a big fan of country music and my mother loved jazz. I just figured it was time to come full circle and put a jazz twist to it.
SOTJ:Well you’d obviously been influenced by country music prior to becoming well-known as a jazz singer. Had you stayed in touch with your friends that sing in the country music genre?
DIANE: Except for back in the 1970s, I didn’t know that many people in country music. I’d met Kenny Rogers when I did the Statue of Liberty concert in 1986, but I hadn’t really known that many country artists before because I still stayed in the jazz genre all of these years. I just decided to change direction and yet still keep jazz in front of the pulse of it on The Gathering.
SOTJ:You really have a great band working with you including guest performances by Alison Krauss, Vince Gill, Larry Carlton, Mark Knopfler, and Kirk Whalum. How did the guest musicians react to the fact that you were making a country album and not a jazz album?
DIANE:They were immediately on board. Steve Buckingham, the producer contacted them so I really don’t know what their initial reactions were! It only took one day to lay down all of the tracks and the next day, I did the overdubs of everything. It moved pretty fast. Getting together with these guys was just wonderful. I really loved it. Each time we went into a session, we would pray for a couple of minutes before we went into a session. We’d gather in a circle and everybody would say what they were grateful for.
SOTJ:As a singer, how difficult is it to combine certain elements of jazz with elements that the country genre requires such as elongated phrasings, and that country twang that sets that genre apart from?
DIANE: It was not difficult at all.
SOTJ: You sing this knowledge of country phrasing and nuance especially on the easy going “Healing Hands of Time” which features Kirk Whalum. Had you worked with him before?
DIANE: No, not at all.
SOTJ:“Today I Started Loving You Again” has you scatting with another great contemporary jazz musician, the great Larry Carlton. His guitar follows your scatting before the two of you develop a call-and-response. This is a prime example of infusing jazz elements – scatting – into the country sound. It must have been real cool to work with him.
DIANE:It was really fun to work with him.
SOTJ:You have mentioned Ray Charles’ making a country album as a catalyst for making your country styled album called The Gathering. Do you prefer ballads as opposed to up-tempo compositions?
DIANE:We were into that. For this type of album, we thought ballads would be more conducive to the theme and mood of it because some of it centered on heartbreak…and you really don’t do uptempo songs about that theme…!
SOTJ:Did you and your producer decide on the song selection?
DIANE:Yes, Steve sent me about 22 songs and from those, we picked the ones that were most appropriate for this project.
SOTJ:Your depth, range and your entire style of singing is so very accessible to your fans and I am certain that they will appreciate The Gathering. Thank you so very much for the interview and here’s to much success with the recording.
The Art of the Improviser Matt Shipp Thirsty Ear Records has releasedMatt Shipp’s The Art of the Improviser as a 2-disc set . Disc One is Matt’s trio performance which features Michael Bisio on bass and his long-time collaborator Whit Dickey on drums. The trio concert was recorded live at The Arts Center of the Capital Region in Troy, New York on April 1, 2010. “The New Fact” opens with the blazing riffs that have become a part of Shipp’s dynamic repertoire. The trio showcases Shipp’s virtuosic musical language during daring solos that also allow them to shine in the spotlight as evidenced by Michael Bisio’s extended bass solo on this track. Shipp continues to reach beyond the traditional boundaries many pianists adhere to on “3 in 1.” His improvisations create an ultimate musical experience that you are sure to enjoy simply by listening with an open mind and musical personality. Again, Shipp has provided a great vehicle for his trio mate to shine as proven by drummer Whit Dickey’s exciting performance on “3 in 1.” This excellent set also includes Shipp’s “Circular Temple, No. 1” which helped to propel him into the public’s eye during the 1990s.
Matthew’s solo performances comprise Disc Two. The concert was recorded at Le Poisson Rouge in New York City as part of the Undead Jazz Festival on June 12, 2010. On this disc Shipp’s inspired offerings are explosive, creative and incorporate his diverse musical influences – from Cecil Taylor, Monk and Henry Rollins. These performances are very different from the contemporaneous music heard on Disc One as this disc is more pensive and introspective. “4D” a piece heard on the album of the same name opens this concert. There are beautiful melodic riffs on “Module” and “Patmos” alongside remarkable levels of impressionistic rhythms. Shipp commands your attention with surprises, emotional outbursts, and explosive riffs on “Gamma Ray.” Overall, there is a very real emotion and intellect behind Shipp’s improvisations which makes The Art of the Improviser a must have for your record collection. Buy it today - click on the CD cover image to purchase The Art of the Improviser.
Avishai Cohen:A Modern Master
Interview by Paula Edelstein
Israeli bassist Avishai Cohen is an alchemist at heart. Finding inspiration in musicians ranging from Bach to Stevie Wonder, Avishai can transform an Israeli school tune into poetic gold, transform Sephardic melodies his grandfather sang in prayer, or his mother hummed, and make them groove. Cohen’s joyful powers of transformation are in full force as he embarks on his North American tour during October 2010 and on AURORA, his debut recording for Blue Note Records. The album showcases his poignant new vocal arrangements as well as Cohen’s world-renowned bass playing.
Sounds of Timeless Jazz.com caught up with the young master as he prepared for his North American tour. Here’s what he told us about the tour, his ensemble and songs from AURORA:
SOTJ:Hello Avishai, it’s been a while since we last spoke. How are you?
Avishai: I’m fine; it has been a long time. I’m always traveling around and playing music.
SOTJ:That’s great. We’ve gotten a lot of great feedback about your music and it’s all good. Congratulations!
Avishai: Thanks!
SOTJ: Avishai, let’s talk a little about your upcoming tour of North America. Which cities are on your agenda?
Avishai: We’re going to New York to play first and then we go Maine and on toToronto. We will play Yoshi’s a few nights in Oakland and then we go to Los Angeles, CA Portland, Oregon, San Diego, CA. We also will do a Mexican date later but that follows our European tour!
SOTJ: Wow! I’m sure you’ll be killin’ them with your chops…leaving them on the floor!I look forward to seeing your new show in Los Angeles.
AVISHAI:That’s what we usually like to do…we do our best and usually succeed in moving people when they feel it!
SOTJ:Who are the members of your touring group this time?
AVISHAI: It’s a great group. It’s the group that delivered my latest record and beyond. I’m now singing in Hebrew and some in Spanish at times, so part of the show has vocals in it. There’s a singer with me named Karen and we do some vocals together. There’s Shai Maestro who has been touring with me for four years now. And then there’s a very special percussionist who’s getting a lot of attention. His name is Itamar Doari and of course there’s Amos Hoffman who plays oud and guitar.
SOTJ: These same musicians are on your latest recording AURORA which is your debut for Blue Note. Congratulations on that also. How do you feel about being a Blue Note recording artist?
AVISHAI:It’s great. I started with Chick Corea and recorded for Concord so this has been a nice development for me that makes sense. Usually when you’re too young and too inexperienced and you sign with a big label like Blue Note, it could bring some kind of confusion and you don’t always have the weight that you need to keep a good relationship with those companies that are not always so personal. But now, it’s very cool, I ‘m in a good place because it makes sense. I have a good following especially in Europe and in France and so it makes sense to be with them and they do a very good job and we have a good relationship. It’s very nice to be on Blue Note as I have grown up listening to a lot of great Blue Note records and I am very proud of it.
SOTJ:Congratulations Avishai. You produced AURORA along with Joe Ferla, Itamar Doari and Nicholas Pflug. What does a good producer bring to the mix?
AVISHAI:A good producer brings his own eye and tries to stay as objective as possible and seeing the picture as it is from a personal point of view like the artist is sometimes doing. So it’s good to have another ear in order to stay balanced as possible. They pick up on the good things or on the things that don’t match or don’t feel good. Sometimes it’s hard to be the writer, the singer, the player and to know the full picture. So it’s very important to have people like that around you when you make a record.
SOTJ:And Joe Ferla is one of the premiere producers in the business. So you were in good hands.
AVISHAI:Yes, I’ve known Joe for a while. He’s been on several of my earlier records. He’s a good friend and a much admired colleague.
SOTJ:Avishai you are equally committed to introducing new sounds and players into the Avishai Cohen experience whenever possible. So now, as a singer, do you feel you’ve reached your musical potential by adding your vocals to the music?
AVISHAI: Well I hope to never feel as if I’ve reached my musical potential. I always feel that there is more. I’ve definitely feel that I’ve reached more of the spectrum that I hold within myself. Singing brought me into a deeper look into myself and my surroundings as a creator and musician and taught me many things that I couldn’t know before. It’s a great thing because to me, a great musician, first of all, needs to play behind singers or to sing himself and accompany himself. The accompanying of a voice is very important for the fruition or the completeness of a musician. It’s now a part of my sound and I’m very happy about it.
SOTJ:I really enjoyed listening to you sing on AURORA. The new arrangements and your lyrical, romantic style lends itself particularly well to the human voice and it also steps up the performances of the group as well as having helped your musical concepts come to fruition. How did this mix of personnel come about?
AVISHAI:In the best way. I’m usually naturally drawing the right people to the music without even knowing it. I select musicians who can go with it, understand it, feel it and believe it in their own way. They are in full understanding of the depths of where I come from with my ideas. So they help me as much as I help them.
SOTJ:The songs are definitely great vehicles for all of you.The subliminal beats of your bass playing are widely known to regulate the moods and atmosphere of the entire ensemble. What do you think makes your bass playing on AURORA different now that you’re singing on your compositions?
AVISHAI:Great question. Even though I don’t have children, I feel like I suddenly have a child. So as a bass player, I have to be more parenting. As a bass player, you have a parenting job. You have to establish this foundation that remains rhythmically logical, melodic …so when I sing, I stay more responsible; stay more faithful and careful for the other lines. But when I stop singing, I can be freer with the bass lines and improvise more.
SOTJ:Finally, you are the living sentiment at the heart of these songs. Do you have a favorite composition on AURORA at this time?
AVISHAI:It would be hard but I do like “Morenika.” It’s my arrangement for a very old Sephardic Jewish/Spanish song. But I stayed very true to the beautifully carved melodies. It gives you a taste of old times. It’s a traditional Ladino folk song.
SOTJ:Well Avishai, thank you for the interview. It’s been a real pleasure speaking to you again. Congratulations on your latest endeavors including your new relationship at Blue Note. We’ll spread the word about your upcoming North American tour and really look forward to hearing you in concert.
AVISHAI:Thank you Paula. It’s been good speaking to you also. I look forward to seeing you there.
Eleanora Fagan (1917-1959): To Billie With Love From Dee Dee
Dee Dee Bridgewater
Internationally renowned jazz vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater has invited a coterie of great musicians to help her pay homage to the late Billie Holiday.Joined by such stellar musicians as Christian McBride, Edsel Gomez, Lewis Nash, and James Carter, Bridgewater explores Holiday’s greatest hits with all the soul, emotion, sexiness and sadness inherent in Holiday’s renditions. The music and new technology available to Bridgewater in this day and age adds yet another great dimension to these great songs. Bridgewater changes the original tempos on several of the songs including “Lady Sings The Blues,” and “Lover Man” which are given a more up-tempo, theatrical tone. However, on songs such as “Good Morning Heartache,” “You’ve Changed,” “God Bless The Child,” and “Strange Fruit,” she adheres to the loneliness and sadness implied in the original compositions, singing them as straight ballads with longing and suffering in her voice. James Carter’s mournful bass clarinet underscores the vocals very well, as he stays true to the composers’ intent. Christian McBride’s well-chosen voicings lend stellar support to Bridgewater's renditions throughout the recording and exemplify what a bassist should play on such dramatic themes. Bridgewater delivers a real masterpiece of drama and emotion on her reading of “Strange Fruit” and it’s clear she’s singing from her heart and soul. Billie Holiday fans, this recording should be in your collection. To purchase this CD, please click on the CD cover.
DARK EYES
Tomasz Stanko Quintet
Tomasz Stanko immediately captivates you with the ethereal sounds of his trumpet on “So Nice,” the first track on his latest offering titled DARK EYES (ECM 2010). Joined by Alexi Tuomarila on piano, Jakob Bro on guitar, Anders Christensen on bass and Olavi Louhivuori on drums, this quintet brings Stanko’s brilliant musical visions to life on 8 great original songs and two by Kryzysztof Komeda. Each performance takes you inside the music, revealing the virtuosity of this revered jazz veteran who has come full circle with his trio, quartets and now an amazing quintet of new players providing subtle colors and pulsating grooves. “The Dark Eyes of Martha Hirsch” flowed from Stanko’s imagination after viewing Kokoschaka’s painting Martha Hirsch (Dreaming Woman). The free, dark, textures and colors emanating in this song translate from a peek inside the windows to the soul as they gazed out and provided the emotional impetus for this stellar work. This 10-minute set is awesome! Two other songs are directly inspired by time Stanko has spent in New York City. “Grand Central” and “Amsterdam Avenue” speak directly to the atonal clatter of trains, announcements and people scurrying through the station and streets. Stanko’s musical language is shaped in broad and minimalist strokes of exciting trumpet registers and articulate phrases. The beauty of “May Sun” is unquestionable despite the fact that the piece stems from music written as atmosphere for a Swedish drama. DARK EYES is a great recording and ranks right up there with Stanko’s great work titled SUSPENDED NIGHT (ECM 2004). Both should be in your record collection. Buy them today.
HOMEFREE
Nnenna Freelon
Concord Jazz has released Nnenna Freelon’s latest recording for your listening pleasure. Titled, HOMEFREE, the 11 compositions on this stellar program are culled from the time-tested Great American Songbook. Freelon also penned an original – “Cell Phone Blues” which should immediately resonate with those into the latest music download via their cellphone. The program opens with the vocalist swinging on “The Lamp Is Low,” after which she follows up with a nice arrangement of “I Feel Pretty.” Both songs are a staple in Freelon’s performing repertoire and now with the inclusion of these songs on HOMEFREE, her fans will have a pretty good idea of what her live performances are like. “Cell Phone Blues” is a righteous blues number that features great playing from her band members and naughty, sexy lyrics that use cell phone lingo such as roaming, vibrate, ringtones - to depict the gritty depth of her homespun sound. Top pick on the CD for this writer? “Cell Phone Blues.” This is a great CD and one that should put Nnenna Freelon back in the hearts and minds of her listeners considering HOMEFREE is her first recording as a leader since 2006. Check it out at the SOTJ store.
I’ve Loved These Days
Monica Mancini
Monica Mancini’s latest release titled I’VE LOVED THESE DAYS is an 11-track collection of classic 1960s songs featuring some of the double-GRAMMY nominee’s musical heroes. Produced by Phil Ramone and Greg Field, the set features such greats as Stevie Wonder, Jackson Browne, Brian Wilson and Felix Cavaliere.Jackson Browne accompanies Mancini on guitar and backing vocals on “These Days,” a lovely ballad that explores the past and present human condition and state of events in the world. Brian Wilson opens the Beach Boys’ megahit “God Only Knows” with an expressive a cappella intro before backing Mancini and singing the refrain. Mancini gives her all on this great song and delivers strong emotive vocals that beautifully express the original intent of the songwriters. Stevie Wonder plays harmonica on “Blame It On The Sun,” while Felix Cavaliere contributes a special organ solo on “How Can I Be Sure.” Throughout it all, Monica Mancini’s voice is beautiful and impressive. This is a great offering and surely meets the standard she set with CINEMA PARDISO.
RESTORED, RETURNED
Tord Gustavsen Ensemble
CHANGING PLACES, THE GROUND and BEING THERE were previous Tord Gustavsen projects that featured him in trio settings. However, with RESTORED, RETURNED (ECM2009), Gustavsen introduces his listeners to a new ensemble and 11 songs including four that are based upon the W.H. Auden poem “Another Time.” Several of the compositions such as “Left Over Lullaby Nos. 1, 2 and 3” are based on musical miniatures that happened as improvised interludes during his trio concerts and are a form of abstract lullabies with new colors added that combine tonal ambiguity with almost simplistic melodic movements. Vocalist Kristen Asbjornsen sings two of the Auden verses “Lay Your Sleeping Head, My Love,” and “Restored, Returned” in bluesy, gospel/hymn-like tones with lots of space and slow grooves. “Wrapped In A Yielding Air,” is recited forcefully while “O Stand, Stand At The Window,” is performed in a vocal/piano duo. With Tore Brunbord on tenor and soprano saxophones, Mats Eilertsen on double-bass and Jarle Vespestad on drums, alongside Tord Gustavsen on piano, the entire quintet keeps the improvising strong, sensible and happening. RESTORED, RETURNED is a gem worth repeat listens especially those into avant-garde jazz. To purchase this recording, simply click on the CD cover image.
Un jour si blanc
Francois Couturier
In the words of pianist Francois Couturier, his offering titled UN JOUR SI BLANC is “a quiet promenade from dawn to dusk in an ideal work where fragrances, colors and sounds correspond…Seventeen intimate impressions, many of them improvised, in different hues, calm or impetuous, melodious or abstract.” The master pianist employs and manipulates his large vocabulary of jazz phrases to form composition unity. His melodic development is furthered by using repetition and sequence. The recording was conceived as the second volume in a trilogy and is an extension of NOSTALGHIA: SONG FOR TARKOVSKY, the first in the trilogy. This is Couturier’s first solo album and the title is taken from a poem by Arseni Tarkovsky. Couturier also pays homage to J.S. Bach (“L’intemporel”), painters of the Blaue Reiter group, Claude Debussy, while “Lune de miel” makes allusion to the jazz standard “I Fall In Love Too Easily.” Couturier mixes classical rigor with improvisation, is formal yet free and yields 17 great impressions that connect with the listener on several deep and emotional planes. Quality, sensitivity, and Couturier’s piano and compositional virtuosity make this a great recording. Buy it here today. Simply click on the CD cover image.
Between 2 Worlds
Chuck Loeb
Guitarist Chuck Loeb takes a streamlined approach to his latest CD titled BETWEEN 2 WORLDS. As his listeners well know, many of his recordings are orchestrated with plenty of keyboards and programming, however on this recording, Loeb offers a more open sound with new textures, melodies and harmonies. He also dedicated several songs to fellow musicians Hiram Bullock (“Hiram”), Jim Hall (“The Great Hall”), Pat Metheny (“360”), and Mike Stern (“Let’s Play”) as well as “Early Turns to Late” for his parents. Joined by such great musicians as saxophonist Eric Marienthal, trombonist Brian Culbertson and even his wife and daughter Carmen Cuestra and Lizzy Loeb, this CD will definitely unite and extends Chuck Loeb’s musical base in the two countries – USA and Germany where he recorded the tracks. “Let’s Go,” is an up-tempo track that finds drummer Dave Weckl and percussionist Bashiri Johnson laying down a great foundation for Loeb’s riffing and Culbertson’s trombone playing. Marienthal adds his saxophonics to add zest and texture. Bassist Dieter Ilg and drummer Wolfgang Haffner work their magic on “The Great Hall” a piece written by Loeb for guitarist Jim Hall. Chuck Loeb is still smooth but this recording has loads of creativity threaded through each song and it’s one that should be in your CD player. Buy it now.
Without A Song – Live In Europe 1969
Freddie Hubbard
In addition to Red Clay, Without A Song – Live In Europe 1969 ranks at the top of my list of favorite recordings by the late, great trumpeter/composer Freddie Hubbard. The set features Roland Hanna on piano, Ron Carter on bass and Louis Hayes on drums.Recorded live in December 1969 in England and Germany during Jazz Wave on Tour, this recording captures Hubbard at one of the creative high points of his career (and he had many), blowing strong and with the breadth and depth of his work unparalleled. Here, his approach to such tunes as “Without A Song,” “A Night In Tunisia” “Body and Soul” and “Hub-Tones” is absolutely flawless. Freddie introduces “A Night In Tunisia” and in an instant, his trumpeting voice is taking you there with the virtuosity he’s famous for, riffing, and swinging out front of a band that is swinging just as hard and hanging mightily in the pocket. The trumpeter is at the top of his game with a huge, fat sound, incredible range and lyrical. While actively involved in the song selection, mixing, and sequencing of the re-release, unfortunately Hubbard suffered a heart attack and passed over in December 2008, leaving a legacy of great music for his fans. But with this re-release produced by Michael Cuscuna, a new generation of listeners will learn to love Freddie Hubbard as much as his original fans did. Buy it now!
Folk Art
Joe Lovano Us Five
JOE LOVANO formed a new band that he calls US FIVE to record Folk Art, his 22nd effort for Blue Note. In the liberated spirit of 1960s avante-garde and 1970s loft scenes -- featuring rising stars Esperanza Spalding on bass, Francisco Mela and Otis Brown III on drums and percussion, and James Weidman on piano -- this is Joe's first album of all original compositions, mixing his native-tongue free jazz elasticity with nuanced Latin grooves and meditative lyricism. The recording captures the edge-of-the-seat group interaction of US FIVE as the band intuitively interprets Lovano's compositions in a loose and joyous way. “Powerhouse” opens the set. Lovano shifts color and key, changes the meaning of notes as he seeks to combine the sounds of Bird and Coltrane as well as some Ornette Coleman in the mix. “Folk Art” is played on a straight alto saxophone which is just one of the many instruments Lovano plays here including tenor saxophone, alto clarinet, aulochrome, gongs and taragato). The song opens over a polytonal vamp that shifts from quintet to drum duo and then back to quintet. “Wild Beauty” and “Song for Judy” are laced with Coltrane-esque spirituality and serene comfort. This is one of Lovano’s most beautiful and solid straight ahead jazz recordings and definitely should be in your collection.
Blueprints of Jazz – Volume 2
Billy Harper
The second release in Talking House Records’ series titled Blueprints of Jazz features the great saxophonist/composer Billy Harper was honed in the bands of drummers Elvin Jones, Art Blakey and Max Roach. He has been the saxophone foil to such great trumpeters as Lee Morgan and Donald Byrd as well as the hit soloist in the big bands of Gil Evans and Thad Jones-Mel Lewis. On BLUEPRINTS OF JAZZ – VOLUME 2, the dynamic Billy Harper has written 8 alluring tunes that will re-ignite your concept of jazz history and give you a broader array of listening dimensions. Urgent, hip and relevant, “Africa Revisited” is Harper’s adaptation of Coltrane’s classic “Africa” from 1961. Trane’s “Giant Steps” is sampled with its chords inserted into the turnaround on the song-form, increasing the forward motion of the performance. Amiri Baraka’s recitation of “Africa Revisited - Where Dat Stuff Come From? (Part 1),” backed by the articulate band Harper has assembled, is a spoken course in jazz history itself. Baraka outlines jazz history back to Buddy Bolden and even further back, to Africa in a hip, rhythmic style that sounds like prose for music. “Knowledge of Self - Where Dat Stuff Come From? Part 2” is where Harper revisits one of his anthems from the 1970s. The song traces our blue life memory back to Africa and then fast forwards to the corner of Kenya and 125th Street where Bird blew and Dizzy knew. “Another Kind of Thoroughbred” is embodied with blistering solos and the rhythm of the jazz lifestyle. The music opens up a whole new world where novices have never been and after the first two poems recited by Amiri Baraka, the instrumentalists take over for the next 6 tracks. Harper keeps the memories moving via the harmonies, the syncopation and creates a mood both deeply spiritual and daringly hip. Baraka returns to recite “Oh…If Only - Where Does The Music Come From?” was written by Amiri Baraka and features Harper dancing behind him, his saxophone a beating heart and a blazing bebop beacon. BLUEPRINTS OF JAZZ – VOLUME 2 should be in every true jazz lover’s collection.
