BILLY STRAYHORN – LIVE!!!
An overlooked gem from the Duke Ellington catalog – an
unusual live session led by his longtime arranger Billy Strayhorn – with a vibe
that's right up there with all the hippest of Duke's own albums from the time!
The set's presented in true Roulette Records fashion – without much in the way
of notes, or listings of the players – although from the sound of the set,
we're guessing that bill had most of Duke's sidemen on hand, as he did on his
album for Verve with Johnny Hodges from the same time – and as on that set,
there's plenty of room for solo passages here, especially on some of the more
extended tracks. The recording quality is great – maybe a bit more of an edge
than some of Ellington's Columbia dates – and titles include "All Of
Me", "Mr Gentle & Mr Cool", "Jeep's Blues",
"Sophisticated Lady", and "Passion Flower". (SHM-CD
pressing!) ~ Dusty Groove
STEVE FIDYK – ALLIED FORCES
Drummer Steve Fidyk's the leader here, and his talents
really give the album a sharp sort of crackle – but we especially love the
record's interplay between the mighty Hammond talents of Brian Charette, the
tenor of Doug Webb, and alto of Joseph Henson! The trio come together without
any bassist at the bottom – just Charette's work on the organ to groove things
up – but they also get some great help from guitarist Shawn Purcell, who laces
things together nicely over Fidyk's crackling drums – leaving the two horns and
keys to create these magical criss-crossing lines of sound! Titles include the
Fidyk originals "Gaffe", "Good Turns", "Food Court
Drifter", "Portrait Of Tamela", "High Five", and
"One For TJ" – plus a sweet take on the Beach Boys' "In My Room".
~ Dusty Groove
FLORIAN WEBER / DONNY MCCASLIN / DAN WEISS – CRISS CROSS: EXPLORING THE MUSIC OF MONK & BILL EVANS
A record that's way more than you'd guess from the
Thelonious Monk and Bill Evans references in the title – as pianist Florian
Weber plays both acoustic piano and Fender Rhodes, often overdubbed at the same
time for a really wonderful sound! Some of the music is maybe a bit like some
of Evans' most creative electric piano work of the early 70s – but there's also
a very personal, unique vibe to the whole set – partly due to Weber's handling
of the keys, and the tremendous tenor work of Donny McCaslin, who really gets
to step out in the trio setting – driven onward by the drums of Dan Weiss! At
times, the match of piano and tenor has the angular qualities of Monk with
Charlie Rouse – but to say that would also really under-describe the special
energy going on between Florian and Donny here. Titles include
"Judas", "Ruby My Dear", "TTTT", "Since We
Met", "Spring Is Here", "Evidence", and "Four In
One". ~ Dusty Groove
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