Jazz Music & Jazz Festival

admin June 11th, 2009

Andy Narell and Relator: University of Calypso (Heads Up)
New Yorker Narrell has had a life-long romance with the Trinidadian steel pan and, naturally, with calypso music. This CD best combines the two loves. It also deservedly introduces elder calypso statesman Lord Relator (Willard Harris), and his sweet lyricism, to a wider audience. Gently infused with jazz improvisation, Relator meanders down nostalgic pathways to remind us of calypso’s golden age on hits such as “Gavaskar”, Lord Kitchener’s “Pan in Harmony” and “Tek You Meat Out Me Rice”. Paquito D’Rivera’s classy clarinet and alto sax solos are a nice bonus too.

Freddie Hubbard: Without a Song, Live in Europe 1969 (Blue Note)

Taken primarily from live UK concert dates recorded forty years ago, Mr Hubbard is revealed to be an unmistakeable clarion trumpet master. His near flawless control and rhythmic poise – along with the endless storehouse of melodic ideas that flow ever so trippingly – makes this something of a watershed effort. Egged on by bassist Ron Carter, pianist Sir Roland Hanna, and the Swiss-like precision of timekeeper Louis Hayes, Hubbard lends the gossamer touch to “The Things We Did Last Summer”, and “Body and Soul”. “Night in Tunisia” gets a refreshing reading. Freddie’s extroverted character leaves its stamp on this inspired reissue.

Chick Corea & John McLaughlin: Five Peace Band (Concord) Described elsewhere as a ‘five-piece juggernaut’, the energy on this astounding CD belies the fact that the principals (Chick and John) qualify as OAPs (Old Age Pensioners). Culled from live performances across Europe last year, the average cut comes in at nearly 20 minutes apiece – nice and meaty enough to get a true flavour of the spontaneous and splendidly granular improvisations from these richly talented cats. It helps, too, that the spirit of Miles Davis suffuses the work, especially on “Dr Jackle” and “In A Silent Way”. Kenny Garrett is in mean form throughout, with alto sax lines that dart and bob as if he was a young Cannonball Adderly. Christian McBride and Vinnie Colaiuta take good care of business on bass and drums respectively. A ‘CD of the Year’ contender for sure.

George Petit: End of August (MarCreation) Petit is that rare breed of musician who has not only excelled as a total guitarist and multi-instrumentalist, but is also an accomplished recording studio engineer. This disc pellucidly demonstrates these attributes. Petit has a weakness for the bossa nova as demonstrated by his renditions of “Only Trust Your Heart” and “S’Wonderful”. He also has a yen for the kind of off-kilter harmonics heard on some Steely Dan tracks. The crystalline clarity of the recording is readily apparent. Special mention goes to sideman Justin Flynn for some stirring flute and reed contributions.

Daniel Sadownick: There Will Be A Day (In Time)

Like Larry ‘El Judeo’ Harlow, you could say that master conguero/percussionist Sadownick is the true gringo who has caught the Afro-Latin bug in a major way. Having made a substantial contribution on the albums of other jazz greats (including Steely Dan and the late Michael Brecker), Daniel comes into his own on a stunning debut CD, revealing a fine imagination, alongside an almost inexhaustible supply of hypnotic beats and rhythms. This is a frightfully serious Latin-jazz album paying tribute to the music’s greats, even as it clears new ground on the compositional frontiers.

Hristo Vitchev Quartet: Song for Messambria (FOS)

Undoubtedly one of the more impressive CDs of the year from a virtual unknown, Bulgarian-born, San Francisco-based Vitchev is the guitarist to watch. Clearly gifted with a grasp of the jazz guitar’s many nuances, he writes probing and meditative melodies that linger long in the ear. The Pat Metheny-Egberto Gismonti-Jim Hall-factor appears to have had a strong influence. The passion, fluidity and enormous harmonic resourcefulness of bassist Dan Robbins, Zen-like pianist Iago Weber, and percussive master Joe De Rose rings through on all selections, especially the title track, “Waltz for Iago” and “The Road to Naklabeht”

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