BEHN GILLECE - MINDSET
The first solo album
as a leader from vibist Behn Gillece – a player who's been making great sounds
on other sessions for the Posi-Tone label in recent years! Behn's voice is very
firmly upfront here – on a set of all original compositions that really showcase
his unique approach to the vibes – a style that can be hard and biting one
minute, but filled with flowing currents of color the next – a mode that
sometimes owes a bit to Bobby Hutcherson, but which really stands out as
Gillece's own unique approach – and which is one of the freshest voices on
vibes we've heard in years! The group's a quintet – with frequent musical
partner Ken Fowser on tenor, plus Rick Germanson on piano and Fender Rhodes,
Paul Gill on bass, and Charles Ruggiero on drums. Behn wrote all the tunes –
and titles include "Crashing Down", "One Mile With You",
"The Great Quarterly", "Mindset", "Things Are
Happening", and "The Mean Sea". ~ Dusty Groove
JD ALLEN - GRAFFITI
JD Allen's career ascendence suggests that he's making
plenty of the right choices. The native of Detroit has been on the New York
scene since 1993, when his youthful precociousness earned him a spot in “Jazz
Ahead”, the singer Betty Carter's acclaimed touring program for up-and-comers.
TimeOut New York says he will “remind you of giants like Coltrane and Rollins
but placing a special kind of premium on concision, directness and
accessibility.” The Chicago Reader adds, “Allen has gravitated toward a more
brooding, elliptical approach with a strong jolt of John Coltrane at his most
probing.” Finally, JD is, in the words of Connecticut's WNPR, “A man for all
seasons,” who “plays ballads with warmth, beauty and truth, grooves hard in a
post-bop mode or wails in a free jazz setting with passion saturated with the
soulful spirituality, grace and inspired abandon recalling the power and the
glory of John Coltrane.” One of the telltale symbols of his upward trajectory
is the fact that his trio, bassist Gregg August (lead bass chair in the
Brooklyn Philharmonic) and drummer Rudy Royston (a much sought-after rhythm
power since relocating to New York from Denver), has remained solid throughout
his rise. ~ Amazon
JOSHUA BREAKSTONE - 2ND AVENUE
After his critically acclaimed release, With the Wind
and Rain, Joshua Breakstone returns with 2nd Avenue, an appropriate title for
this second excursion with his cello quartet. Mike Richmond, a great guitarist
in his own right, returns on cello. Bassist Lisle Atkinson and drummer Andy
Watson round out the group. Breakstone and Atkinson each contribute one
original composition and the remaining 7 tunes come from the likes of Lee
Konitz, Sonny Clark, Dexter Gordon and Cannonball Adderley as well as Johnny
Mercer, Harry Warren, Peter DeRose and Bert Shefter. ~ Amazon
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