Playlist for Tom Ossana/Dane Brewer – The Thin Edge – April 6, 2016 MST 7:00 to 9:00p.m.

http://www.kzmu.org/listen.m3u ~ Use this link to access the show online.

Since our show began in 1995 we have featured renowned pianist Keith Jarretts's trios beginning with Somewhere Before released in 1969 on Atlantic with Charlie Haden and Paul Motian. The most enduring group, all on Manfred Eicher's ECM label, was produced with Gary Peacock on bass and Jack DeJohnette on the drums. The first of these outings was Tales of Another released by ECM more than thirty years ago in 1977. Tonight's show begins with Peacock's penned "Major Major" from that recording. Essentially a six count waltz, "Edda", follows with two iterations: the original from Lee Morgan's 1965 Blue Note Rumproller featuring the famed trumpeter with Joe Henderson/tenor, Ronnie Mathews/piano and Billy Higgins/drums. Francesco Ciniglio's trio's "Edda" is next from his 2016 Fresh Sounds New Talent Wood featuring the Seattle pianist Aaron Parks. Newly released from KARI-ON Productions, Emi Ferguson plays the flute music of Kendall Durelle Briggs concludes the first half-hour with "Sonata for Flute and Piano, 2. Presto".


Newcomer Marcos Varela kicks off the second half with his Origin Records' San Ygnacio release covering Cahn/Stordahl/Weston's "I Should Care" featuring Varela's bass, George Cables/piano, Billy Hart/drums and Logan Richardson's alto sax. Pram Trio, another newcomer, follows with pianist Jack Bodkin's "April" from the groups 2016 self-produced Saga Thirteen. From Argentina, Juan Presas Sexteto's Transgresión (KUAI MUSIC 2016) is next covering Joe Henderson's "Black Narcissus" featuring Juan's tenor. From the late fifties we'll hear alto saxophonist Art Pepper's Essential Standards with a large ensemble cover of Denzil Best's "Move" from a 2009 Concord remastering featuring Richie Kamuca's tenor, Conte Condoli's trumpet and Bob Enevoldsen's valve trombone.

New York born composer, Sinan Işık, drawing on his mixed Turkish, Egyptian, and Lebanese heritage, gives us his quintet's Patience cover of Horace Silver's "Silver's Serenade" released this year. Also new to the show, Stephanie Wagners Quinsch's Shapes & Colours (Personality Records 2016) performs "Mccoy", a nod in the direction of famed pianist, McCoy Tyner. Ralph Alessi Baida Quartet's Quiver, new from ECM, plays the Alessi penned "Scratch" featuring Ralph's trumpet together with Gary Versace, Drew Gress and Nasheet Waits - piano, bass and drums. George Coleman returns from a twenty-year hiatus recording a 2016 Smoke Sessions Records A Master Speaks. The tune is the Coleman composition, "Blues for B. B.", remembering the passing of blues singer, B. B. King.

CHAMPIAN FULTON

Champian Fulton makes another appearance on the Romantic Half-Hour with her treatment of Grever and Adams' "What a Difference a Day Made" from her Gut Strings Records After Dark. From a Charlie Haden tribute album we get Gonzalo Rubalcaba's Charlie, new from 5Passion, in a moving cover of Bill Evans' "Blue in Green". Kurt Elling follows with his interpretation of Michael Frank's "Nightmoves" from his 2007 Concord recording of the same name. Bob Mintzer's tenor presides along with long-time Elling pianist/arranger, Laurence Hobgood. Paul Bley, a towering figure on jazz piano since 1953 who passed in January, is next with his first recording, Debut's Introducing covering Van Heusen and Burke's "Like Someone in Love" with Charlie Mingus on bass and Art Blakey on the drums. Sarah Vaughan joins forces with the famed Clifford Brown in a 1954 Emarcy release singing Sarah's "You're Not the Kind" featuring Paul Quinichette on tenor, Herbie Mann on flute, Roy Haynes on drums along with Clifford's trumpet. Billie Holiday gets Remixed and Reimagined (Columbia/Legacy 2007) - Swingsett & Takuya’s Mighty Fine remix - giving Billie's cover of Lane/Loesser's "I Hear Music" a facelift - which is not to say that Holiday's original needed one.

Let's have some fun!

A special thanks to KZMU's Music Director, Serah Mead and the troops @ RoJ for their help putting the show together: Agenor (BRA), Chris do Brasil (BRA), Domi & Victor (SPA), GAB (BEL), JR (SPA), Javi (SPA), Jazzzz61 (SPA), Lira (BRA), Luisa, Menos Que un Perro (ARG), Marcos (BRA), Melokan (VEN), Raz (ISR) and Sonia (SPA). Also friend, Raul Boeira, the Brazilian based in Passo Fundo and Spain's Javier Carrete.

Christian Laborde Quartet - Heart of Things (2016)

Label: VLH Production

Source: Les Chroniques De Hiko

Suite logique de l'album Wings Of Wave paru en 2014, le dernier opus du saxophoniste soprano Christophe Laborde rassemble à nouveau le pianiste Giovanni Mirabassi, le contrebassiste Mauro Gargano et le batteur Louis Moutin. S'y développe entre moments cool jazz et passages post-bop, un jazz classique articulé autour de mélodies douces et de structures rythmiques sophistiquées. Heart Of Things offre un large espace d'improvisation et d'expression à ces ténors qui interagissent au sein du quartet depuis plus de 5 ans. A l'élégance des sonorités smooths et raffinées de Christophe s'allient les puissantes et généreuses lignes de basse de l'italien Mauro (qui s'illustre d'ailleurs dans son tout récent Suite For Battling Siki aux côtés de Bojan Z, Manu Codjia ou encore Jeff Ballard), le groove musclé et parfois attendrissant de la moitié des célèbres frères Moutin (présent dans le dernier disque de Henri Texier), ainsi que la fluidité et l'amplitude voluptueuse de l'autodidacte transalpin. 

Heart of things
Beyond the walls
Time passengers
Suite horizon
Couleur de temps, pt. 4
Secret life
Silver surfer
Couleur de temps, pt. 5
Paris nostalgie
Couleur de temps, pt. 6
Blue ballad

Christophe Laborde - soprano sax
Giovanni Mirabassi - piano
Mauro Gargano - double bass
Louis Moutin - Louis Noutin  

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Scott Reeves Jazz Orchestra - Portraits & Places (2016)

Label: Origin Records

Source: Allaboutjazz - Jack Bowers

Scott Reeves formed his splendid New York-based orchestra eight years ago, in 2008, and while Portraits and Places marks its recorded debut, Reeves spent a number of years before that sharpening his composing and arranging skills at the highly regarded BMI Jazz Composers Workshop where he received tutelage and counsel from Manny Albam, Mike Abene, Jim McNeely and Mike Holober, among others. Judging from the eight numbers presented here (three of which comprise the colorful L & T Suite), that strong background has paid off handsomely, as Reeves is a resourceful writer with a firm grasp of the components that are essential to the success and stability of any large ensemble.

Foremost among those traits is a keen ear for melody, harmony and counterpoint, and Reeves earns high marks here, as his compositions are sophisticated yet accessible, his arrangements scrupulously burnished and invariably engaging. Kudos are also in order for Reeves' choice of sidemen, as the orchestra's roster reads like a who's who of the New York area's busiest and most sought-after musicians. That's one less burden for the leader to bear, knowing that the notes he has inscribed on paper can and will be scrupulously brought to life in the recording studio.

Those notes begin with "The Soulful Mr. Williams," a shuffling blues-based groover with typically close-knit ensemble work and decorous solos by Reeves on alto flugelhorn and the resourceful pianist Jim Ridl. As an aside, the alto flugelhorn sounds much like a trombone or, to adduce a more historical reference, the bass trumpet wielded so handily by Cy Touff in Woody Herman's Second Herd in the mid-40s. "3 'n 2" is a carefree flag-waver with ardent solos courtesy of tenor Tim Armacost and trumpeter Bill Mobley, preceding a temperate journey to the Far East for "Osaka June," on which Sara Serpa's wordless vocal sets the stage for spoken dialogue (in Japanese) by Emi Miyajima Nobe and Yuzuki Nobe (mother and son / daughter?) and ripping solos by Ridl and soprano saxophonist Steve Wilson.

Jobim's flowing "Aguas de Marco" (Waters of March) is next (eloquent statements by Ridl, alto Vito Chiavuzzo, trumpeter Nathan Eklund and a second wordless vocal by Serpa), followed by the L & T Suite, whose movements are the agile "Wants to Dance" (featuring Wilson on alto and drummer Andy Watson), the balladic "Trombonist's Tale" (with the trombonist in this instance represented by Matt McDonald) and the ebullient "Hip Kitty," again showcasing Ridl's earnest piano. "Last Call," which closes the session, gives the lower register its due, enfolding splendid solos by bass trombonist Max Seigel and baritone Terry Goss before floating calmly away on the wings of Seneca Black's muted trumpet.  

01. The Soulful Mr. Williams 9:51
02. 3 'n 2 5:24
03. Osaka June 9:08
04. Aquas de Marco 9:52
L & T Suite:
05. Movement 1: Wants to Dance 5:20
06. Movement 2: A Trombonist’s Tale 6:10
07. Movement 3: Hip Kitty 4:39
08. Last Call 6:37

Scott Reeves - conductor, arranger, alto flugelhorn
Steve Wilson - soprano & alto saxophones, flute
Vito Chiavuzzo - alto sax, flute
Rob Middleton - tenor sax, clarinet
Tim Armacost - tenor sax, clarinet
Jay Brandford - baritone sax, bass clarinet (1,4)
Terry Goss - baritone sax, bass clarinet (2,3,5-8)
Seneca Black - lead trumpet
Nathan Eklund - trumpet & flugelhorn
Bill Mobley - trumpet & flugelhorn
Andy Gravish - trumpet & flugelhorn
Tim Sessions - lead trombone
Matt McDonald - trombone
Matt Haviland - trombone
Max Seigel - bass trombone
Jim Ridl - piano
Todd Coolman - bass
Andy Watson - drums
Sara Serpa - voice (3,4)
Japanese vocal dialogue (3) - Emi Miyajima Nobe & Yuzuki Nobe

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Andrea Pozza, Andrew Cleyndert, Mark Taylor - Siciliana (2016)

Source & Label: Trio Records

Trio Records releases a jazz piano recording featuring the Italian pianist Andrea Pozza, UK bassist Andrew Cleyndert, and US resident Mark Taylor in a programme of compositions by jazz pianists and an arrangement of the beautiful Siciliana by J.S. Bach. The three musicians have a formidable combined experience and make significant contribution to the jazz piano trio catalogue with this recording.
Andrea Pozza, a graduate of the Conservatoire Niccolo Paganini in Genoa is recognised as one of the finest jazz pianists to come from the Italian scene. As Enrico Rava pointed out on replacing Stefano Bollani with Andrea in his band, Andrea is pure jazz, with impeccable phrasing and great swing. Andrew Cleyndert, a mainstay of the British Jazz scene for the past three decades continues to impress in this recording. And Mark Taylor, returning 'home' from US makes his mark and one of the finest drummers on the New York scene.

The titles for this album are penned by jazz pianists, with the addition of a couple of originals by Andrea Pozza, the ballad 'My One And Only Love', and the beautiful Bach composition "Siciliana'- the title track of the album.

Far from being another CD of familiar tunes, the extensive collective experince of this trio brings a fresh take to traditional modern jazz piano trio.

01 Bolivia 5.17
02 Siciliana 4.39
03 We See .4.42
04 My One And Only Love 6.02
05 Dat Dere 4.29
06 Fleeting Visions 4.44
07 Windows 3.43
08 Quiet Now 4.23
09 Isfahan 5.22
10 Tango For Sebastion 5.46
11 Celia 6.34

Andrea Pozza  - piano
Andrew Cleyndert  - double bass
Mark Taylor - drums 

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John Zorn - The Painted Bird (2016)

Source & Label: Tzadik

The fourth CD in a 12-month period by Zorn’s most powerful new ensemble presents nine genre-busting compositions mixing jazz, metal, classical, world music and more. This time their trademark sound is augmented by the ringing tones of Kenny Wollesen’s vibraphone to create their wildest, most insane CD to date. Juxtaposing complex atonal lines, driving vamps, heavy metal riffs, improvisational madness, shredding solos and moments of profound lyricism, The Painted Bird is a surreal and expressive new world in sound. Moonchild meets Nova Express!  

 
1. Snakeskin
2. Plague
3. Ravens
4. Comet
5. Cinders
6. Nettles
7. Night
8. Spike
9. Missal

John Medeski: Organ
Ches Smith: Congas, Voudun Drums
Kenny Wollesen: Vibes
Kenny Grohowski: Drums
Matt Hollenberg: Guitar

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