Stanley Turrentine is the featured artist in this big band session with an all-star orchestra arranged and conducted by Oliver Nelson. While Nelson’s charts are funky and easygoing (without providing any solo space for the likes of Phil Woods, Clark Terry, and Jay Jay Johnson), they serve the purpose to inspire the tenor saxophonist. Turrentine is quite soulful on Percy Mayfield’s “River’s Invitation,” and his huge tone carries the day in a waltzing chart of the 1960s hit “A Taste of Honey.” The artist also contributed some originals to the date, including the easygoing “Little Sheri,” which features the unison flutes of Danny Bank and Jerry Dodgion, and “Mattie T,” a gospel-like song that almost seems like a march. ~ Ken Dryden

Personnel: Stanley Turrentine (tenor saxophone); Stanley Turrentine; Bob Cranshaw (upright bass); Kenny Burrell (guitar); Herbie Hancock (piano); Grady Tate (drums).

Tracklist

01. River’s Invitation
02. I Wonder Where Our Love Has Gone
03. Little Sheri
04. Mattie T.
05. Bayou
06. A Tast Of Honey
07. Gravy Train
08. A Kettle Of Fish

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This set was one of trumpeter Lee Morgan’s lesser-known Blue Note recordings but it is quite rewarding. The notable sextet (which also includes altoist Jackie McLean, Hank Mobley on tenor, pianist Cedar Walton, bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Billy Higgins) performs originals by Morgan, Walton and Duke Pearson, including particularly catchy versions of the funky “Hey Chico” and Pearson’s memorable “Sweet Honey Bee” (which should have become a hit). The three horns, all of whom sound quite individual, each have their exciting moments, and the results are quintessential mid-’60s hard bop.

Personnel: Lee Morgan (trumpet); Jackie McLean (alto sax); Hank Mobley (tenor sax); Cedar Walton (piano); Paul Chambers (bass); Billy Higgins (drums).

Tracklist

01. Hey Chico
02. Somethin’ Cute
03. Rainy Night
04. Sweet Honey Bee
05. The Murphy Man
06. The Double Up

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Gretchen Parlato’s voice is a thing of wonder. Striking the ideal balance between precision and flexibility, she is never predictable, blurring the lines between singer and instrumentalist as she takes a lyric–and at other times improvised flights of wordless fancy–to places it’s never before been. On In a Dream, her debut album for ObliqSound (released August 25, 2009), Parlato and her intuitive support team reinvent constantly, Parlato impeccably articulating in a voice so ethereal that the listener might very well feel that he or she is “in a dream.”

For more info and buy check: www.obliqsound.com

Tracklist

01. I Can’t Help it
02. Within Me
03. Butterlfy
04. In a Dream
05. Doralice
06. Turning Into Blue
07. E.S.P.
08. Azure
09. On The Other Side
10. Weak

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It has not taken Esperanza Spalding long to emerge as one of the brightest lights in the musical world. Listeners familiar with her stunning 2008 Heads Up International debut, Esperanza, and her best-selling 2010 release Chamber Music Society, were well aware that the young bassist, vocalist and composer from Portland, Oregon was the real deal, with a unique and style-spanning presence, deeply rooted in jazz yet destined to make her mark far beyond the jazz realm. That judgment was confirmed on February 13, 2011, when Spalding became the first jazz musician to receive the GRAMMY Award for Best New Artist.

Radio Music Society is a companion, rather than a sequel, to Spalding’s previous disc, which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Chart. Among its many strengths, Radio Music Society is a celebration of the men and women who have helped cultivate Spalding’s talent, as well as those who have nurtured her vision and inspired her along the way. “I’ve had the honor and blessing of working with so many phenomenal jazz musicians over the years,” she says. “As I’ve gotten to know them and their music, I’ve grown to love them as family and colleagues. I wished for an opportunity for us all to interpret songs together, so that they can be heard and received by a larger audience. That music is realized by many of the brilliant musicians who are part of Spalding’s ever-expanding universe. In addition to longtime partners Lovano, keyboard player Leo Genovese and drummer Terri Lyne Carrington, the ranks contain jazz legends Jack DeJohnette and Billy Hart; guitar heroes Jef Lee Johnson and Lionel Loueke; an array of master vocalists including Algebra Blessett, Lalah Hathaway, Gretchen Parlato, Leni Stern and Becca Stevens; hip-hop giant Q-Tip (who performs on and co-produced two tracks); and two Portland-based musicians, Janice Scroggins and Dr. Thara Memory, who provided essential mentorship in Spalding’s youth.

leaked few days ago on the web, i think it’s the final version.

Tracklist

01. Radio Song
02. Cinnamon Tree
03. Crowned & Kissed
04. Land Of The Free
05. Black Gold
06. I Can’t Help It
07. Hold On Me
08. Vague Suspicions
09. Endangered Species
10. Let Her
11. City Of Roses
12. Smile Like That

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Unlike most of the Jimmy Smith recordings from the era, this CD reissue (which adds “If I Should Lose You” and “When Lights Are Low” to the original LP program) features organist Jimmy Smith’s regular group (rather than an all-star band). With guitarist Quentin Warren and drummer Donald Bailey completing the trio, Smith is heard in peak form on swinging and soulful versions of such tunes as “When Johnny Comes Marching Home,” “Makin’ Whoopee,” “Sonnymoon for Two,” and “Mack the Knife.” Despite claims and some strong challenges by others, there has never been a jazz organist on the level of Jimmy Smith.

Personnel: Jimmy Smith (organ); Quentin Warren (guitar); Donald Bailey (drums).

Tracklist

01. When Johnny Comes Marching Home
02. Makin’ Whoopee
03. A Night In Tunisia
04. Sonnymoon For Two
05. Mack The Knife
06. What’s New
07. Alfredo
08. If I Should Lose You
09. When Lights Are Low

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Personnel: Grant Green (guitar); Joe Henderson (tenor saxophone); Johnny Coles (trumpet); John Patton (organ); Ben Dixon (drums).

Tracklist

01. Am I Blue
02. Take These Chain From My Heart
03. I Wanna Be Loved
04. Sweet Slumber
05. For All We Know

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Hank Mobley’s later Blue Note sessions took on a much harder edge than his earlier efforts. The saxophonist’s round tone became funkier as he delved deeper into the popular soul-jazz style that had been introduced with Lee Morgan’s hit “The Sidewinder.” The Turnaround is one of Mobley’s best releases of this period, offering many unforgettable solo moments as well as some intense small group workouts.

Personnel: Hank Mobley (tenor saxophone); Freddie Hubbard, Donald Byrd (trumpet); Barry Harris, Herbie Hancock (piano); Butch Warren, Paul Chambers (bass); Billy Higgins, Philly Joe Jones (drums).

Tracklist

01. The Turnaround
02. East Of The Village
03. The Good Life
04. Straight Ahead
05. My Sin
06. Pat ‘N’ Chat

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Duke Pearson rises to the challenge of writing for an all-star octet (with trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, trombonist Garnett Brown, altoist James Spaulding, Jerry Dodgion on alto and flute, Stanley Turrentine on tenor, bassist Gene Taylor, drummer Grady Tate, and the leader/pianist), contributing colorful frameworks and consistently challenging compositions. The set is full of diverse melodies (the CD reissue has a previously unissued take of “Los Malos Hombres”) played by a variety of distinctive soloists; many of these songs deserve to be revived. This is one of the finest recordings of Duke Pearson’s career.

Personnel: Duke Pearson (piano); Freddie Hubbard (trumpet); Garnett Brown (trombone); Jerry Dodgion (alto saxophone, flute); James Spaulding (alto saxophone); Stanley Turrentine (tenor saxophone); Gene Taylor (bass); Grady Tate (drums).

Tracklist

01. Chili Peppers
02. Make It Good
03. My Love Waits (O Meu Amor Espera)
04. Los Malos Hombres
05. Scrap Iron
06. Rotary
07. Los Malos Hombres (Alternate Take)

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Recorded in 1958, this legendary date with the still-undersung Sonny Clark in the leader’s chair also featured a young Jackie McLean on alto (playing with a smoother tone than he had before or ever did again), trumpeter Art Farmer, and the legendary rhythm section of bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Philly Joe Jones, both from the Miles Davis band. The set begins with one of the preeminent “swinging medium blues” pieces in jazz history: the title track with its leveraged fours and eights shoved smoothly up against the walking bass of Chambers and the backbeat shuffle of Jones. Clark’s solo, with its grouped fifths and sevenths, is a wonder of both understatement and groove, while Chambers’ arco solo turns the blues in on itself. While there isn’t a weak note on this record, there are some other tracks that stand out, most notably Miles’ “Sippin’ at Bells,” with its loping Latin rhythm. When McLean takes his solo against a handful of Clark’s shaded minor chords, he sounds as if he may blow it — he comes out a little quick — but he recovers nicely and reaches for a handful of Broadway show tunes to counter the minor mood of the piece. He shifts to both Ben Webster and Lester Young before moving through Bird, and finally to McLean himself, riding the margin of the changes to slip just outside enough to add some depth in the middle register. The LP closes with Henderson and Vallée’s “Deep Night,” the only number in the batch not rooted in the blues. It’s a classic hard bop jamming tune and features wonderful solos by Farmer, who plays weird flatted notes all over the horn against the changes, and McLean, who thinks he’s playing a kind of snake charmer blues in swing tune. This set deserves its reputation for its soul appeal alone.

Personnel: Sonny Clark (piano); Jackie McLean (alto saxophone); Art Farmer (trumpet); Paul Chambers (acoustic bass); Philly Joe Jones (drums).

Tracklist

01. Cool Struttin’
02. Blue Monir
03. Sippin’ At Bells
04. Deep Night
05. Royal Flush
06. Lover

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Vibraphonist Milt Jackson welcomes the two future co-leaders of The Jazztet (trumpeter Art Farmer and tenor-saxophonist Benny Golson) along with a fine rhythm section (pianist Tommy Flanagan, bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Connie Kay) on this CD reissue. The repertoire (which includes early versions of Golson’s “Whisper Not” and “I Remember Clifford” in addition to two standards, a Milt Jackson blues and John Lewis’s “Afternoon in Paris”) is very much in The Jazztet hard bop vein and Jackson fits in very well with the two lyrical horn soloists. A successful outing by some of the greats.

Personnel: Milt Jackson (vibraphone); Benny Golson (tenor saxophone); Art Farmer (trumpet); Tommy Flanagan (piano); Paul Chambers (bass); Connie Kay (drums).

Tracklist

01. Ill Wind
02. Blues For Diahann
03. Afternoon In Paris
04. I Remember Clifford
05. Thinking Of You
06. Whisper Not

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