Review: Masada - Live In Taipei 1995

Masada possesses a rich catalogue of live albums, that in size almost rivals that of the studio works, but in quality is just something else. Like the studio sets however the live collections also suffer from having a dud here and there. ‘Live In Taipei 1995’ then is that dud.

The quartet is playing on top form throughout, delivering blistering takes on material from the studio albums volume 5 through to 7. And the highlights here are both exhilarating and enchanting, with typically brilliant interplay between the four men.

However it, surprisingly given Masada’s usual quality standards, is a substantially below-par sound recording. The acoustics are all wrong, and noticeably distorts Dave Douglas’ trumpet, while the bass is swampy and blurred. And that’s what effectively knackers the album for most, especially when a good number of the performances here exist in better recorded versions on other live sets. The sound is not terrible, but it is a deal below what you would expect – especially from an official release.

Not a terrible album, just a lesser quality one, and any fan would do well to get hold of every other live effort before this one, but for the dedicated many, once you have everything else, this isn’t a bad completion to the live collection.

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Review: Masada - Volume 7 - Zayin

Impressively going from strength to strength, Masada hit a notable bump in the road with part 7, ‘Zayin’, a recording that surprisingly seems to be very disjointed and lacks flow, but like similar earlier bump ‘Dalet’ (AKA volume 4), there is still some beautiful music to recommend.

‘Hath-Arob’ is John Zorn and Dave Douglas blowing hard in their best Ornette Coleman and Don Cherry style, and Greg Cohen gets a deserved bass showcase on ‘Otiot’, seemingly written just for him. Joey Baron by contrast seems perhaps more restrained with his drums this time around, somewhat disappointingly.

But the playing here is not the issue. Too much here seems schizophrenic, with ‘Shamor’ swinging between melodic beauty and angry roars that don’t quite gel, while ‘Kadem’ is an almost polar opposite, boasting a nice ‘low ‘n’ slow’ atmosphere that then doesn’t do anything of interest. Were it five minutes, perhaps this would be less of a problem. As it stands though, it’s ten minutes that go nowhere interesting, before slumping to a tired finish.

And that’s how ‘Zayin’ stands up. There is still much joy and winning Eastern European and Middle Eastern melody, harmony and atmosphere all over the album, but the hugely mixed bag effect is jarring, at times to the extreme. Masada has been described as being equally a songbook as it is a group, however you get the feeling that perhaps a few of those in the songbook should have fallen by the wayside. As it happens, it instead it feels like part 7 is an odds-and-sods collection of the groups more out-there testing ground efforts that didn’t feel right on the other much better volumes. And for that reason this should really be considered one of this otherwise stellar groups very least records.

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Review: Masada - Volume 4 - Dalet

‘Dalet’ is the fourth volume in John Zorn’s Masada group and songbook collection cycle, and the first not to generate raw excitement but instead pangs of disappointment.

Not that this has much to do with the music, more with the fact that there is very little music here for an alleged full-length album. 18 minutes in total make up what is a effectively a compiling of three pieces recorded for volumes 1, 2 and 3, that could have been added on to the first three volumes, or left in the vault, rather than just being thrown together in a not-even 20 minutes left-overs package.

That complaint aside, the music here is good. As always each of the group play like it’s their last gig on Earth, and their ability to generate musical tension remains peerless, with ‘Midbar’ opening and sounding like a ‘Big Fun’ era 70’s Miles Davis, and then coming over like a Jewish Free Jazz R&B Blues number, with Joey Baron in particular providing some superbly stomping rhythms, before ‘Mahlah’ slows everything down to a sultry prowl that though quite fine goes on too long for its own good, and then ‘Zenan’ comes blasting in with Joey Baron’s finest big thumping drums.

And then it’s over.

It’s over, just as it feels like it’s about to get going – especially when you hear Baron’s fantastic drum solo at the end of ‘Zenan’. Which essentially makes it just one for the completists who already own all the great volumes but need to plug the gap between the genuinely brilliant volumes 3 and 5.

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Review: Freddie Hubbard - On The Real Side

Freddie Hubbard’s final album, ‘On The Real Side’, was his first for almost seven years. A prolific and varied career that took in the legendary labels Blue Note and CTI, as well as fellow trumpet player Miles Davis’ home for thirty years, Columbia, Hubbard also played with a list of people that almost reads as a who’s who of jazz from the sixties through to the eighties.

Although less prolific in his recording for the last decade, he continued to play many live dates, even up until his final year. Heartbreakingly though, a number various factors, including ‘partying’, lack of practice and over-exertion, meant that as time progressed, his performances grew increasingly weaker and tired sounding. ‘On The Real Side’ however sounds as though all the stops have been pulled out to make it every bit an as-strong-as-possible swansong.

Granted, he doesn’t possess the fiery, full-ranged ability that he displayed to often fine effect on his defining Blue Note and CTI releases, but his playing is still inspired and passionate, and nowhere does this sound like a man at the end. Seven pieces are here, with six choice tunes appearing from his past, while the title track is a fresh new composition. ‘Sky Dive’ and ‘Take It To The Ozone’ are first rate, while the Latin-sounding ‘Gibraltar’ is the clear highlight of the set. The one new track here too is a very soulful side to Hubbard and well worth hearing on its own.

Regardless of the highs, and they are here in full-force, this isn’t a career best. Hubbard really needs his collaborators on this date, serving for the most part as the main solo or just as the jump-off point for the the rest of the group to come in or hit a groove. His technical skills diminished, he plays shorter phrases through necessity, missing the earlier bravura, and his solos last usually for just a few short choruses. He is however deeply musical and very tuneful throughout, and is still able to show his extraordinary gift for melody. A great artist, his sound is still here, despite the multiple obstacles of his various physical restraints, and it’s a mostly bittersweet joy for any jazz fan.

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Review: Bebel Gilberto - Bebel Gilberto

Bebel Gilberto’s debut album proper ‘Tanto Tempo’ (her eponymous actual first release more than a decade earlier was an EP) arrived like a welcome cool summer breeze. Mixing acoustic bossa nova with the subtle electronics, lush soundscapes and drum loops of producer Suba, it was a huge hit that sold millions and launched Gilberto as an iconic figure on the club scene. Since then, having been rather ungainly dubbed ‘electro-bossa’, numerous remixes appeared and then flooded the music world, with fans desperate for a follow-up to repeat the successful formula.

Her self-titled follow-up however is not ‘Tanto Tempo 2’. Following producer Suba’s tragic death just before the release of both Gilberto’s and his own debut, a direct sequel could never really be made, the album being as much a part of Suba’s input as hers. In place of his great talent, Gilberto enlists the in-vogue currently man of the moment Marius De Vries - known more popularly for his work with Bjork and Madonna among many others. His approach is much different to that of Suba, opting for a more ‘organic’ and acoustic feel, stripping out most of the obvious electronics and putting in more strings and woodwinds.

Here English-language songs sit alongside the Portuguese, with lead track Caetano Veloso’s ‘Baby’ sung in English and nestling up there solidly with Gal Costa’s famous definitive version. ‘Simplesmente’ that follows inhabits the same atmosphere, with ‘Aganju’ picking up the pace, but the pace here overall never really gets above mid-level, and the sound itself never feels as ‘alive’ or vital as it should.

Dance fans therefore who enjoyed the more generous layering of electronica on the previous album will more than likely express displeasure at the distinctly back-to-basics feel of this recording, whereas more traditional bossa fans may perhaps find the style more their cup of tea.

There are though a few problems with this approach taken on ‘Bebel Gilberto’. Suba very much liked his subtle drum loops and washes, and De Vries equally likes his strings. His wall of strings sound works well too in places, adding a nice seductive edge to proceedings - but on too many of the numbers here, what could have been light, fresh and understated becomes overproduced and too slick, drowning the songs in a ‘sonic sludge’. Think Claus Ogerman on one of his Diana Krall production bad days.

Too many of the songs too have the same pace and tempo, which creates a monotony of sorts with the sameness on offer. The choice of also having an excess of breathy vocal efforts seems to be a deliberate attempt to echo Astrud Gilberto, which is both something that Bebel should definitely avoid and helps create that same feeling of sameness. Add that to the not so appealing choice of songs, and we have some very odd choices and poor judgement decisions made.

Gilberto’s ability to captivate with her sensual and deeply expressive voice remains, but at times it comes over as unnatural, processed as it is along with the processed strings. So oddly, despite the more acoustic recording, it feels less real and less emotive. Not that it’s all bad. ‘All Around’ and ‘River Song’ are strong tunes sung wonderfully that both sit alongside the best of ‘Tanto Tempo’ showing what Gilberto can really deliver. And ‘Jabuticaba’ is a sheer delight, with its innocent and almost endearing quality.

Unfortunately the core problem is that Bebel Gilberto, although a terrifically good singer, and a great songwriter, really needs a good co-pilot to fully hone and shape her promise. She and friend Suba understood what the other wanted and the album they made together was almost perfection. Marius De Vries on the other hand is a much more mainstream producer and by the sound of the record has attempted to pull his employer into the more commercial world. And the reality is, some of it works, some of it doesn’t. Ultimately its Gilberto’s mistake, her choice of songs lacking some good quality control, especially the bigger proportion of English-language numbers which suffer badly under the weight of some horrendously vapid lyrics.

This is in truth an album of some very good moments, but ‘Bebel Gilberto’ unfortunately oscilliates mostly between not-that-good and quite-good, occupying a largely bland middle-ground. It will certainly appeal to the dinner party crowd and those of us who want chilled background music when you can’t find the latest Café-Del-Mal set, but rather than impressive, the best you can say about ‘Bebel Gilberto’ is that it’s pleasant enough.

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Review: John Coltrane - Kulu Se Mama

'Kulu Se Mama' is a distinct and unique, though far from essential, entry in the John Coltrane canon. No-one's favourite 'Trane recording, its oddity status does however contribute greatly to its name, and to its charm.

Two very different settings - somewhat schizophrenically - make up the record, with the classic quartet of Coltrane, Tyner, Garrison and Jones taking up the bulk of the space. 'Vigil' is a duet of Coltrane's saxophone and Elvin Jones' drums, echoing the later 'Trane and Rashied Ali sessions that would later comprise the famous post-humously released 'Interstellar Space', while 'Welcome' is, somewhat surprisingly given the more aggressive and 'spiritual' playing of the time, one of the most lyrically beautiful pieces that the great man has ever laid down.

Though 'Welcome' is the clear highlight here however, it's the title track that gets the most notices. Bolstering the quartet with Donald Garrett on bass clarinet (and occasional second bass), Frank Buttler on second drums, and the very first appearance of fellow tenor saxophonist Pharoah Sanders on a Coltrane album, the songs composer Juno Lewis also adds various percussion and some very distinct chanting vocals to the mix. The result is a thick and heady brew, full of colour and spice, but one that doesn't successfully gel over its eighteen minutes. More a group jam effort than anything before it, it comes over as an easy-going groove session between friends, but one that at times can be both deep and full of African-focused rhythms, and at others sprawling and without co-ordination – sometimes wildly so.

Ultimately, it's a real mixed bag – comprising some of the final days of 'the classic quartet', and one fairly 'out-there' free jam heavy on rhythm and groove, though distracted by the in-reality quite jarring chants of Lewis. It's frequently absent status from the Impulse catalogue therefore isn't that surprising, but it isn't deserved either. There's some good music here, and highly enjoyable too, but the jam-like nature and rough mixed feel easily isn't for everyone and makes this one solely for the established Coltrane fan.

***

Review: Bebel Gilberto - Momento

The first thing anyone who has paid even just minor attention to Bebel Gilberto since her stunning debut ‘Tanto Tempo’ will notice is the ever increasing number of English-language songs on her albums. A bid for commercial acceptance in the English dominated pop world, it doesn’t necessarily have to mean bad, but it is a decidedly worrisome trend. Although not quite as horrific as Entertainment Weekly’s frankly witless statement that she is ‘the Norah Jones of the [bossa nova] genre’.

The excellent ‘Tanto Tempo’ of course made her name with the perfect melding of bossa and electronica, and her eponymous second album marked a move to a more acoustic and orchestrated work. Much less successful, it made a nice lounge and chill album, but was certainly not as big a blip on the radar as the gorgeous debut - disappointingly then, album number three falls resolutely into the same bucket.

The title track that opens is basically relaxing beach music, but the pace gets up for ‘Bring Back The Love’, with it’s upbeat dance vibe and a little keyboard and synth work thrown in. ‘Close To You’ meanwhile goes for the romantic jugular, with a spare yet beautiful musical backdrop against Gilberto’s English and Portuguese lyrics. ‘Os Novos Yorkinos’ that follows is light and throwaway. Perfectly pleasant, you’d have forgotten it as soon as it’s over.

And that’s really how most of the album goes - some lively tracks, some swooningly romantic, some filler. ‘Cacada’ gets the hot samba going, whereas ‘Night And Day’, ‘Um Segundo’ and ‘Cade Voce’ gets some good guitar work in. Most of the rest though like ‘Words’ sounds underdeveloped, almost as though it was a throwaway afterthought. Tellingly most of the best songs are in her native Portuguese.

A good summer record, in truth it sits somewhere between the summery bossa-electronica of ‘Tanto Tempo’ and the over-orchestrated lounge of ‘Bebel Gilberto’. Fortunately it leans a little more to the debut in its production, but there is still too much in the way of lounge material and songs sung in English to appeal to the wider market - which is a shame as we know she is capable of so much more, and her voice in her native Portugese is one of the worlds most genuinely sensuous and beautiful. ‘Momento’ stands as a good album, in that is is more than just average, but it pales against what we all know she can really produce.

***

Review: Dave Koz - At The Movies

Dave Koz sometimes gets a bit of a rum deal, often being written off as just another smooth jazzer, or much worse, as an alternative to Kenny G while you wait for him to get another release out. Blessed with a smooth tone, Dave Koz actually is smooth jazz, but crucially he plays smooth jazz with passion.

‘At The Movies’ shows nicely the passion he can bring to a project. Backed by a full-size orchestra, he also manages to snatch a strong array of interesting guest vocalists, and he plays his heart out. Barry Manilow seems an odd choice for ‘Moon River’, but he passes the grade surprisingly with flying colours, and Vanessa Williams, who really should be much bigger than she currently is, gives us a great vocal performance to rival Barbra Streisands’ more famous one.

Elsewhere Johnny Mathis and his still superb voice make a dynamic ‘Shadow Of Your Smile’, with Chris Botti too turning up to lend his gorgeous trumpet tone to proceedings. Disco star Donna Summer even convinces with what could have been a sentimental disaster on ‘A Whole New World’ (from Disney’s ‘Aladdin’).

On the downside, Anita Baker fluffs ‘Somewhere’. Not having the vocal talent needed, there’s never been a song she couldn’t oversing, but here she overdoes it completely, and what should be soaring instead comes over as over-wrought. Also, ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’ using a sampled Judy Garland comes over as horribly mawkish (who started this ‘collaborating with dead singers’ craze?), although Koz’s saxophone is pretty much perfect. Worst of all though, ‘It Might Be You’ sounds like India.Arie has never heard the song before and is phoning in a karaoke performance, with the words flashing up on a screen for the first time as she sings it.

Of the instrumentals ‘As Time Goes By’ and ‘Cinema Paradiso Suite’ simply swoon against Koz’s on-the-ball sax. On the other hand, ‘Schindlers List Theme’ tends to drag and the awesome ‘The Pink Panther’ just seems too cute and ultimately mis-placed.

Koz’s saxophone playing on ‘At The Movies’ is the real star. Drawing inspiration from the mostly timeless songs, he comes up with the goods which should be embraced by both his fan base and most likely also a new audience. Unfortunately not all of the song choices are great and some of the decisions made are just questionable, but those songs that do work though, work beautifully, and importantly are just great fun.

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Review: Chris Botti - Slowing Down The World

1999 found Botti firmly climbing the ladder for the crown of the new king of chill. Having released two well-received and high-selling albums, written and recorded a deservedly lauded soundtrack to cult film ‘Caught’, as well as toured extensively around the globe, Botti settled down to produce an album that would unashamedly, as laid out crystal clearly in his liner notes, slow things down and create the perfect mood.

From the offset, the first track, the very radio friendly ‘Irresistible Bliss’, grooves along nicely with a moody sense of cool, but without becoming too ‘smooth’. Immediately too you can hear a better stronger sound to Botti’s work. The production is more rounded, fuller even, helping plump up the bass and enhancing the rhythm sound of the record. Also assisting on a number of tracks, is a strong orchestration, provided by none other than Anne Dudley, that helps add a richer sound to the proceedings – without ever sounding saccharine or over-powering the band.

Another thing to dawn on you is that whereas ‘First Wish’ had a distinct secondary voice in its keyboards, and ‘Midnight Without You’ featured the guitar in a secondary spotlight role, ‘Slowing Down The World’ has just one instrumental voice – the trumpet of Botti. And as ever, the tone of the instrument is gorgeous.

As before, Botti has a guest vocalist on one of the pieces, this time in the form of Sting, who adds a suitably world-wearied sounding vocal line to a suitably melancholic take on ‘In The Wee Small Hours’. A perfect pairing, Sting’s singing beautifully complements Botti’s wistful trumpet playing - the only let down being the slightly limp sounding backing keyboards.

It’s unfortunate then, that one thing ‘Slowing Down The World’ has in common with ‘Midnight Without You’ is having two vocals tracks – one very much worth its inclusion on the album, and one that should really have been left off entirely. Whereas the ‘Midnight Without You’ title track though was pure blandness, a cover of Randy Newmans ‘Same Girl’ is absolutely attrocious and sits completely out of place with the rest of the album. Why is it so bad? Unfortunately, although Chris Botti has easily the most beautiful and crisp trumpet voice, his singing voice leaves much to be desired. Straining weakly against some non-descript piano the song is simply a mistake and makes you wonder who thought this was a good idea.

Luckily, the next track ‘Where I’m Calling From’ instantly more than gets things back on the groove track, and the album ends on a good note too, in the form of the most orchestrated track on the album, ‘Letting Go’.

Interestingly, despite the more overt attempt at chill-out, Botti’s third album is perhaps the most jazz sounding, in both its arrangements and Botti’s own playing. And despite the more chilled direction, the album heads more toward jazz than the previously more pop-sounding first two records. The result is that both the slower moodier tracks and the more upbeat pieces all give the feeling of simultaneously being uplifting and chilled, despite being just a little more melancholic sounding than the earlier ‘First Wish’ or Midnight Without You’.

Ultimately, where the first two Botti solo efforts sounded very alike and in many ways were perhaps interchangeable, ‘Slowing Down The World’ attempts to and succeeds in sounding different – different whilst still maintaining the Botti elements. And with some elements working better than before, and others working much worse, it is personal preference in style that will determine which you deem the better of the albums.

Much better though was just around the corner. Botti would be enlisted to join Stings touring band for almost three full years. In the middle of this tour, he would be able to get just one ten week break. This would in turn provide the right stuff needed to produce his first great album – ‘Night Sessions’.

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Review: Chris Botti - Midnight Without You

Chris Bottis first album under his own name ‘First Wish’ had proved to be a surprise hit for the Verve record label, which wasn’t entirely surprising given both his mastery and the pure silken sound he could get from the trumpet. Coupled with his boyishly good looks and highly photogenic nature, as well as strong live reviews, Botti’s album sold itself with little marketing needed.

In between tours, Botti was asked to compose and perform the score for sultry American indie film ‘Caught’, which garnered itself excellent reviews (more so than the film) and quickly became a hard to find collectors item. Shortly afterwards Botti’s girlfriend left him.

Recorded and released in 1997, ‘Midnight Without You’ offers a ‘more of the same’ approach to the second album, but with a few surprising differences. The electric guitar for one is a welcome guest, occasionally taking a lead role, but more often adding another layer to the rhythm of the music. It is perhaps this that makes ‘Midnight Without You’ less ‘chill’ than the first album. More compelling and grabbing perhaps than the first album, it does though posess less of a cohesive flow than ‘First Wish’.

It begins in a similar manner to the first album - good then but essentially more of the same. The title track that follows though is a weak number with vocals by Paul Buchanan, who struggles to add interest to the general blandness. Easily the weakest track on the album, its inclusion so early on in the album is unfortunate.

Dumping, for the most part, the drums that made up the first album, Botti chooses to extensively use African drums, and their presence certainly raises the music here. ‘Regroovable’ for example is a big highlight that follows on immediately from the disappointment of the title cut, featuring some good funk that helps get the album back onto track perfectly. Along with the very catchy and memorable ‘Way Home’, these two tracks are easily two of the three radio friendliest hits destined to attract new admirers.

The most obvious song here though to be a break out is ‘Forgiven’. The only vocal number from the ‘Caught’ soundtrack is here given a welcome second outing, and greater exposure, as the penultimate track. Featuring superb singing from Jonatha Brooke, whose voice complements Botti’s trumpet throughout, it is a genuine wonder why this wasn’t released as a single with the film. And it makes one wish for the rest of the soundtrack to be more easily available.

The last track, ‘Alone In The City’, written after a relationship breakdown, is a strong ‘late-hours’ comedown number. Ending perhaps on a melancholic note, it is is a strong finish to an equally strong sophomore album.

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Review: Chris Botti - First Wish

Released in 1995, without knowing the date, if you were to take a guess, it would be fairly safe to say that you would most likely guess the recording date of Chris Bottis ‘First Wish’ to within two years.

Placed firmly in the ‘chill-out’ genre, ‘First Wish’ predominantly features the rolling flat drums that strongly formed the rhythm track of numerous dance and acid jazz records throughout the early and mid-nineties. Occasionally these can become repetitive, almost soley forming a steady rhythm for the rest of the band to perform against. Surprisingly then these drums are provided by both Jerry Marotta and Steve Ferrone, acclaimed rockers who usually provide a more individual and stand-out sound – and indeed on a few tracks the dance drums are thankfully replaced by something more funky and soulful.

Drums aside, the keyboards present are just right - sparing but used to excellent effect, helping add real depth to the mix, and providing, along with Botti’s trumpet, several emotive crescendo high moments. ‘Cubism’ and ‘Like I Do Now’ also superbly keep things fresh, with the addition of Michael Breckers guest tenor saxophone and Edie Bricknells honeyed and well-suited vocals respectively. This though is Botti’s record and his is clearly the lead voice - and what a voice. His trumpet has a bright, clear and beautiful tone, and Botti’s playing is strong and emotive throughout, showcasing a good range of wistful romanticism to groovable funk.

And in truth it is Botti’s playing that definitely lifts this out of, and above, the genre known as ‘chill’. Whereas most playing in this area is strictly smooth, and mild to the extreme (Kenny G, Rick Braun) Botti injects a real passion and sensuality into his playing. Certainly the music is good to chill and relax to, but it is most definitely a rung above other music that would be tagged with these categorisations.

Listening to this release many would be drawn to asking “is it jazz?” In truth ‘First Wish’ is not jazz, tenuously it could be placed in the smooth jazz or jazz-chill genres, but Botti here has tried more to create a smooth chill pop-jazz record, albeit one with more emotional resonance. And in large part he succeeds. Whereas most chill music is simply used to provide mellow background noise, the music contained herein breaks out of the mold and showcases an at times exemplary band. Granted, the majority of the tunes here can still be used to soundtrack a funky art gallery or playout an upmarket cocktail party, but it aims to be more and it succeeds.

A good debut, it serves well to highlight its star and the beautiful soulful sound he can coax from his trumpet. Ultimately Botti would later go on to make much better and stronger recordings, which would have much stronger direction – the night-time cool of ‘Night Sessions’ and the romantic high of ‘Italia’ being particular high-points. ‘First Wish’ however showcases a great talent, a name that in 1995 would have been one to watch, and with the passing in time would have greatly rewarded any early followers. If only someone had done something about those drums…

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Review: Flora Purim - Nothing Will Be As It Was...Tomorrow

Flora Purim had both risen to stardom and earned critical acclaim while under the Milestone banner and Orin Keepnews stewardship. After four highly productive years though it was time for pastures new and bigger, and Purim made the move to jump ship from the smaller label to the much more commercially sized Warner Brothers.

It was unfortunately this move that signalled the end of Purim’s golden phase; as the more commercial sound strive for new acceptance would tend to move the talented songstress into less musically desirable areas. The opening shot from her Warner years, ‘Nothing Will Be As It Was…Tomorrow’ shows this, for better and for worse, perfectly.

Some good songs are here, courtesy of the Brazillian legend Milton Nascimento, Purim herself, and somewhat surprisingly also some of Earth Wind And Fire, who notably bring the excellent, and probably most famous piece here, ‘Angels’. Sounding like prime Earth Wind And Fire, Purim adds some typically lush vocal work, and the effect is an absolute winner. But in truth it feels less like Flora Purim, and more like Earth Wind And Fire with a Flora Purim guest spot. Purim’s own material works a whole lot better however, and Milton Nascimento’s songs get some good makeover, if with a much heavier funk effect.

‘Bridges’ aside, which gets a nicely soulful arrangement, this whole effort veers more into the late ‘70’s sounds of disco and funk. The album has a classic 1970’s R&B-jazz production quality to it courtesy of George Duke (though here listed as ‘Dawili Gonga’) and Leon ‘Ndugu’ Chancler, that though perfect for certain R&B and jazz acts, here does not quite meld with Purim’s uniquely Brazillian fusion style.

Purim’s silky Portuguese vocals and seductively accented English singing however still work a treat, and the musicianship here is of the usual high quality. As such it works for commited fans of Flora Purim, and of George Duke, and there are a good number of tracks here that will appeal to the casual listener. But for the devotees of Purim’s earlier and classier work, and as a recording on it’s own right it’s a fairly mixed bag.

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Review: Keith Jarrett - Staircase

Aside from Keith Jarrett’s much, and justly, celebrated solo concert improvisations, such as the popular ‘Koln Concert’ and ‘La Scala’, he has also on a handful of occasions entered the studio with the intent of improvising purely in-the-moment music. The most famous of these is the first solo improvised effort he recorded for ECM records, the classic ‘Facing You’. A slightly less well-known but much more ambitious, much grander statement is his later double album package ‘Staircase’.

‘Staircase’ is of course a slightly misleading title, as only three of the pieces here are named as such, with the others being various parts or ‘movements’ under the banners of ‘Hourglass’, ‘Sundial’ and ‘Sand’ – not that the mood changes a great deal throughout to justify the differing names. Although on the original vinyl pressing, it would have made a neat set of titles for each LP side.

Taking a slightly different path from his usual solo studio albums, Jarrett avoids his usually favoured funkier and overtly gospel tones of his earlier sessions, and chooses instead a deeply introspective and reflective direction. It then manages to be simultaneously one of his best and his worst, and exemplifying both.

‘Staircase’ one through to three is beautifully played and showcases Jarrett’s perfect touch and sensitive handling, but it is ‘Hourglass’ that is the unquestionable peak here; lyrical and moving, part two is one of his most gorgeous moments of all time, and even the most ardent Jarrett critic will struggle not to love it.

The second half of the double-set then is where the let down comes. Still sensitively played, ‘Sundial’ and ‘Sand’, though with elegant highs, meander for notable periods, becoming repetitive and occasionally flat, almost as though the pianist is momentarily lost for ideas and comping whilst waiting for inspiration to again hit. Also in the mix is some unwelcome dissonance and atonalism, which while they have their place, tends here to upset the otherwise inward-looking and gently soulful mood.

It’s hard to find a bad Keith Jarrett album, and his pitch-perfect tone and exquisite touch are always there to both admire and be hypnotized by. Here he finds great beauty which can often take the listener to musical places never before felt, and yet there is a certain wasted space, with a sometimes directionless tinkling of the keys sounding free of any of the necessary inspiration that his usual live audience provides. ‘Staircase’ is mostly strong and an appealing lesser-known work from Jarrett’s vast catalogue that, though would have benefitted from some editing, comes with many highs and also a fair smattering of lows. Jarrett has produced much better and much more consistent, but on its own terms this ambitious sprawl remains a definite and stand-alone listening pleasure.

***

Review: Stanley Turrentine - Common Touch

Husband and wife team, tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine and organ maestro Shirley Scott, recorded some many good sessions together, although due to featuring on competing independent labels, mostly they did so through clever and subtle disguise – Turrentine appearing on Scott’s recordings as one ‘Stan Turner’, and Scott almost not bothering at all, with the pseudonym ‘Little Miss Cott’.

Regardless of the various such feats of subterfuge and daring, the music they made as a team was often among the best each recorded, Turrentine’s tenor in particular always well-suited to an organ backing. ‘Common Touch’ though is probably the lesser of their numerous collaborative works, the familiar easy-grooving of their usual partnership here just a little too easy and and a little too laid-back.

That’s not to say it’s a bad work in any way. The relaxed material and feel is raised and uplifted by the soulful playing of both, with Scott’s gospel-esque organ well to the fore. The featured guitar too gets some nice moments to shine also, thus stopping this from being an entirely husband-and-wife effort, but the rhythm team here doesn’t really get to do too much beyond standard horizontal fare.

Not essential Turrentine, the average jazzer will find the pacing too reclined and creative ideas light on the ground. And at times it does border dangerously close to creating the genre of lounge-jazz. But for anyone who likes the easy going grooves (it is after all part of Blue Note ‘Rare Groove’ series) and a more chilled listen to unwind and finger-snap to, then this is another pleasure from ‘The Sugar Man’ and his lady.

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Review: Herbie Hancock - Man Child

‘Man Child’, Herbie Hancock’s third album of jazz-funk, followed hot on the tail of ‘Thrust’ which itself had swiftly followed the groundbreaking ‘Head Hunters’. Released in 1975 to an expectant audience who had clamoured to the previous rhythm and groove-laden works, ‘Man Child’ now has oddly become one of Hancock’s slightly lesser-known works. ‘Thrust’ had in less than a year changed Hancock’s sound from the raw and cool sounding funk, into something more spacey and trippy with slightly more emphasis on the jazz than the funk. Recording ‘Man Child’, he again changed his sound, this time adding more layers to the ever-increasingly slick mix.

The brilliantly titled ‘Hang Up Your Hang-ups’ opens with some classic sounding of-the-era rhythm guitars and blazing horn work. An awesome funk-pop hybrid, it’s certainly one of Hancock’s most danceable numbers, and the ending breakdown and piano solo come unexpectedly but perfectly. So perfect in fact, that the standard is almost set too high for what has to follow.

‘Sun Touch’ is enjoyable and groovy, and ‘Steppin’ In It’ is also hugely fun and invigorating, with a welcome and sunny guest spot from Stevie Wonder on harmonica. But things begin to come undone with ‘The Trailor’/’The Traitor’ (depending on which issue you get depends on how much spell-checking went on) and ‘Bubbles’. The former has a real bite and power to it, but as with much of Hancock’s later 70’s excursions gets repetitive very quickly, whereas ‘Bubbles’ is just frankly below average, and it’s inclusion sparks worrying curiosity as to the quality control or even the inspiration this time around.

Regardless, having started on a high, things end equally successfully, if distinctly differently. ‘Heartbeat’ is frenetic and twisting; with the band sounding like they’re having a riot of a time, and Hancock gets to close in style with a suitably inspiring solo. It’s up there with some of his best.

All of the musicians here, and there are many, are on top form, with all of the ‘Head Hunters’ and ‘Thrust’ alumni being present against a whole slew more, including Wayne Shorter adding some very nice soprano work. Occasionally though there are just too many instruments, layers and effects all at one time. And with slightly flatter sounding production than before, it all sounds just too slickly commercial. In parts it’s a good sound suiting the pieces, in others it’s all too clean, almost as though someone forgot that part of the earlier charm was that rawer and earthier heavy groove. Also, whereas the previous two albums each contained just four long yet always interesting numbers, the pieces here at times, although shorter, seem to go on for far too long without ever hitting any kind of real direction.

‘Man Child’ ultimately sits at the top of the middle phase of Hancocks funk odyssey. It was here that things started to get too polished and lacking the same energy that infused the earlier works, but the majority is good fun party music and is sure to appeal to fans of the funk.

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Review: Hank Mobley - Dippin'

Having had the signs of a successful solo career about to take off in the late fifties, Hank Mobley was then arrested for drugs offences and sentenced to a year in prison in 1958. Getting back on track afterwards, with both an extended audition with Miles Davis and recording his best ever sessions (‘Soul Station’, ‘Roll Call’ ‘Workout’, ‘Another Workout’, and to a lesser extent ‘No Room For Squares’), Mobley then spent the most part of ’64 again behind bars.

If the first spell inside had clearly marked the period between his twin emergences as both a player and a composer, and his easily strongest output, then the second spell sadly easily marks the difference between his clear best work and his slow gradual decline.

‘Dippin’’ from 1965 though is still a recording full of vigour and confidence, as signalled by Billy Higgins explosive drum opening that kick-starts the up-tempo funk of ‘The Dip’. A great main theme leads into a catchy bridge that gives both Mobley and frequent collaborator Lee Morgan the chance to play two very hot solos. It’s the first of four variable blues originals from Mobley that form the most part of the album. ‘The Break Through’ and ‘The Vamp’ are good, if not as good, whereas ‘Ballin’’, that closes, is mere standard-issue hard bop – it’s fast and quite fun, yet instantly forgettable.

The only slower-paced piece here is the ballad ‘I See Your Face Before Me’, which showcases perfectly the beautiful sound of Mobley and Morgan together as one voice. The only other cover here is a take on Djalma Ferriero’s ‘Recado Bossa Nova’ which, alongside the almost-title track, is the best thing here. Dancey infectious samba that sounds almost like a possible soundtrack theme, Mobley and Morgan again deliver stunning solos against the highly melodic samba-funk hybrid.

Overall though, this isn't one of Mobley’s greatest efforts. It’s an above average one with a couple of stand-out highlights that would most definitely be welcome on any Hank Mobley compilation. If you've found his more well-known and revered work is not enough to satisfy your thirst for the tenor man and you want more, this isn't bad, and contains some of his best work this side of ‘No Room For Squares’.

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Review: Stanley Turrentine - Do You Have Any Sugar?

After a lengthy stint with ‘Blue Note’ in the 60’s, and starting with 1970’s ‘Sugar’, Stanley Turrentine made sure he was always firmly in control of his recorded output, and subsequently found himself blessed with strong and consistent sales, his sound always sitting somewhere in the wide area between big soul-jazz and swooningly romantic ballad playing. In truth though, his best recordings musically have always been in the earlier category, while his more lounge material has always done good financial business for Turrentine with the candelit dinner and wine crowd.

‘Do You Have Any Sugar?’ recorded late in Turrentine’s career, at the age of 65, is a sweet and soulful record that lies somewhere comfortably between straight-ahead jazz and it’s pop and soul counterparts, but benefitting from having little of the sickly strings that smothered some of his more overly ‘romantic’ works in heavy schmaltz. Fielding a set of different small groups here, he uses electric sounds without being overly reliant or attempting to sound too contemporary and he enrols a set of good side-men in some key guest players, with strong mention in particular going to Rick Braun and his rich, smooth trumpet on ‘Stuff You Gotta Watch’.

The better cuts here are, as expected, the straighter and more soul-inflected jazz pieces, although the smooth numbers aren’t themselves bad, more just a little too light and insubstantial. ‘Favourite Heart’ is a relaxed samba that suits the soulful Sugar Man nicely, but it is the medium paced and hugely melodic ‘Keep On Keepin On’ and ‘Back In The Day’ and their driven spirited feel that stand out the most.

Singer Niki Harris, daughter of Gene (who famously played with Turrentine on masterwork ‘The Blue Hour’) and the most distinctive element of the album, contributes her impressive vocals to a number of the cuts here, but alas with some decidedly mixed results. Generic smooth obvious radio fodder assault the senses with syrup to spare in the sugary ‘Pause To Wonder’ and the so-treacley-it’ll-rot-your-teeth title-track, but at the other end of the scale ‘Calling You’ offers a more meditative mood to proceedings that showcases both Harris and Turrentine masterfully. The clear highlight though is without a doubt Turrentine’s soulful rendition of ‘Far Too Little Love’, a beautiful ballad featuring the legendary Joe Sample on piano playing a delightful solo.

Full of strong moments, there’s a good deal to love here, but there’s also a great amount that veers into sickly smooth jazz territory. Niki Harris is a strong singer too, but most of the tunes that are given over for her to take centre stage with the big man himself tend to border too much on saccharine pop-jazz, and as such most of her numbers are fairly fluffy and indistinct. And therein lays the issue with ‘Do You Have Any Sugar?’ - for every golden Turrentine moment, we get sappy and syrupy airbrushed jazz-lite that wouldn’t sit out of place on a Kenny G album. Fans will relish the excellent solos Mr. T still belts out in his own uniquely bluesy way, and for the strength of playing at this late a stage in his career. But it’s far from great, and the overall feeling for anyone listening is bound to be one wishing that he’d record less crossover slush and just follow his instincts, recording an album purely of his own desire. Not a classic then, but sporadically brilliant.

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Review: Grant Green - Alive

Grant Green had a successful and much-loved period at the Blue Note label for a good portion of the sixties, and after struggling in his battle with drugs, and also leaving the label, he would record significantly less frequently, and to much critical derision. Changing his sound for a more funk-flavoured sound, he would play and tour often but enter the studio only sporadically. A brief return to Blue Note though would give the world a chance to hear a few of Greens always popular live gigs.

Recorded live at the Newark Lounge in New Jersey, in the summer of 1970, ‘Alive!’ would go on to be released with a meagre four tracks and a great deal of flak from his previous jazz supporters. A cult hit though with the funk audience of the day, and then a massive hit for the later sample-heavy acid-jazz crowd, Blue Note have since re-released the album with several major and worthwhile improvements.

Kool & The Gangs ‘Let The Music Take Your Mind’ still opens the show with a storming funk - the energy and groove of the band oozing from the speakers – with ‘Time To Remember’ offering us a more intimate and gentle side of Greens sextet. ‘Sookie Sookie’ is, if not famous in name, then is certainly to be familiar to many, being one of the most popular of Greens tracks to be remixed and sampled, and is a pure ten minutes of infectiouc head-nodding groove. ‘Down Here On The Ground’ that closed the original LP instead gives us something poignant and beautiful, with everyone playing in absolute harmony.

The first and most obvious of the enhancements to this live document are the three extra cuts. ‘Hey Western Union Man’, The Isley Brothers ‘It’s Your Thing’ and Herbie Hancocks ‘Maiden Voyage’ are all excellent, smoking tracks, every bit as strong as the tunes that made up the original relase, if not stronger. And inevitably it’s a complete head-scratcher as to why these went unreleased for so long, and asks the question as to just how much Grant Green is there still unissued?

Better still, there are no fake and obvious attempts to make this sound ‘more live’ by tacking on some stock audience clapping and hollering as each number fades out. Instead the band plays out to a gradual fade. While a whole night with no fading would have been best, this way is much preferable and much less intrusive.

The sound too is greatly improved, with all the instruments perfectly positioned in the mix, and no one player drowning out anyone else contribution. Close your eyes too and you’ll think you’re there in the lounge, small snippets of genuine audience noise in the background coming out and occasionally the odd ice clink in the glass.

‘Alive!’ is not a great Grant Green recording - fans of his sixties bop and soul-jazz work will find a much different sound here and therefore are really best advised against it. Most of the pieces are repetitive, modal and highly-rhythmic grooves that although occasionally monotonous, are frequently hypnotic and captivating; ‘Sookie Sookie’ in particular is transcendant. The original release is very much a less than essential release due to several mistakes made after the recording of the event, but this newer version is much better. Green himself is very good here, but often feels like he is just a player in the band rather than the star or leader, with the thumbs-ups definitely going to Joe Armstrong on the congas that pepper the rhythm everywhere, Claude Bartee on sax, and both Ronnie Foster and Neal Creque on organ.

A solid and funky album, it’s a good live recording full of great jams, licks and vamps. Not as musically interesting as Greens earlier jazz work for sure, it none-the-less is good-time fun music that’ll have the body moving to its skillful rhythms and grooves, and on those terms comes well-recommended.

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Review: Grover Washington Jnr - Aria

Grover Washington Jnr, the huge star of jazz-funk fusion at its prime, and creator of the original smooth jazz, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly just a few short days after his 56^th birthday in 1999, with an only-just recently finished new album in the can and ready to go.

Turning a new corner Washington, having been a student and a lifleong lover of classical music as well as possessing a unique and definite voice on both the soprano and tenor saxophones, chose to fulfil a long-standing personal dream by recording a number of famous pieces by some of the defining classical greats, all in his own inimitable style.

And while it’s probably a bit of an eyebrow raiser for fans of either Washington or the compositions themselves, there is much to love, including plenty of the much-loved saxophonist showing his richly melodic flair on not just his trademark soprano and tenor, but also on the alto and baritone saxes

The majority of the album is made up of famous pieces by the opera composer Puccini, but some golden nuggets are also present from the likes of Bizet, Gershwin, Massenet and Giordano. The highlight though is the beautiful and iconic ‘Flower Duet’ aria from Leo Delibes ‘Lakme’, which manages to maintain the intense and emotional pull associated with the usually vocal duet piece.

Washington is more than ably assisted throughout too by bassist extraordinair Ron Carter and pianist Billy Childs, with the Orchestra of Saint Lukes adding lush backing everywhere and occasionally even being allowed to shine under the spotlight instead of acting merely as a supporting cast.

Overall though, it’s not one of Grover Washingtons most daring, exciting or entirely successful efforts, with the lack of groove or beat obviously likely to turn any of his more casual fans away. And while some of the classical compositions work strongly in Washingtons silky and soulful arrangements, not all of them do so well, with a good few meandering and others drowning in cloying strings and over-production (a trademark of many later Washington recordings), and veering dangerously close to a smooth-jazz schmaltzy take on the classics (‘My Mans Gone Now’ is particularly treacily and guilty of this).

It toes the line then between beautiful re-interpretation and alternatively a very unattractive ‘contemporary’ and lightweight re-imagining, but crucially just like pretty much everything the great man played and recorded, it’s full of his golden sound, and it’s bursting with his heart and soul, that truly shines through on everything here. And after a good few years of some pretty by-the-numbers efforts, it’s good to hear the great man playing with both greater feeling and stronger material. ‘Aria’ is far from essential but, definitely worth a listen, it’s easily his best in well over a decade.

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Review: Grant Green - Goin' West

Another of my idol Grant Green's albums from his classic Blue Note period. This one though is one of my least favourite of his sixties recordings. It does however feature a young Herbie Hancock. And that can't be bad.

Grant Greens ‘Goin’ West’ is another one of his fistful of ‘concept theme’ records that someone in Blue Note occasionally decided would be a good idea. They weren’t – Green was at his best when given the sidemen of his choice, when he chose the tunes and when he was allowed to play the way he wanted to. Regardless, following the Hispanic and samba moves of ‘The Latin Bit’, the southern hymms of ‘Feelin’ the Spirit’ and ‘Sunday Mornin’s’ gospel vibe, ‘Goin’ West’ makes the unusual gambt of taking on a mesh of country and western, folk and bluegrass.

‘Virtuoso jazz guitarist takes on country music’ though, as terrible as that sounds, this is not. It’s easy to dismiss as jazz-lite, with the easy tunes and lack of risks taken here, but with the sheer abundance of talent on display, the players involved all manage to elevate this to much more than just a small sidenote in an otherwise impressive discography.

At only thirty-four minutes, it’s a short album, and a ‘nice’ one – but far from a great one. Joining Green for duty are Herbie Hancock, Reggie Workman and Billy Higgins, and it feels like a natural grouping. The pairing of Green and Hancock in particular is effective, and you can easily hear why the pianist included the guitarist on his second album as leader, ‘My Point Of View’.

Five traditional, rather than jazz standard, songs make up the album, with opener the traditional ‘On Top Of Old Smokey’ tooled with an initially killer sounding pulse and one of Greens in-truth best ever solos - brief and bluesy, it’s incisive and sings perfectly in its very short time. ‘I Can’t Stop Loving You’ is short but sweet, and ‘Wagon Wheels’ is almost as good as Sonny Rollins take from his equally county-tinged ‘Way Out West’. The best though is ‘Red River Valley’ tooled with an unexpected yet highly successful bossa-nova beat and latin feel, with ‘Tumbling Tumbleweeds’ rounding out the set.

A classic, no - it is though an intriguing release. The result of being instructed to do a number of themed works, and from one of Greens six sessions as leader from 1962, this was then not released for seven years. And when it finally did see the light of day it was fairly poorly treated – just check out the generic, and lacking any artistic merit, album cover. But as sure as it is from being one of his best recordings, it’s also far from his worst, with its high musicality and all of the players bringing their best to the gig. Not that Green ever recorded anything truly bad anyway.

As MOR jazz it works well, and it’s fun and catchy. It’s for Green fans only though really, with nothing here that isn’t done better on any of his other much stronger releases. Nothing bad here, nothing great, it’s a nice ‘safe’ listen with modest if mis-placed ambition, and on that level on those terms it succeeds.

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