The Freedom Suite

A Sylogism by Dr. Yusef Lateef

2009-08-30T21:50:00.000-07:00

Inside Straight: Right Down the Pipe, Straight Ahead, Swingin' Jazz

2009-08-02T07:51:00.000-07:00

Listen to "Shade of a Cedar Tree" from Christian McBride's new album, 'Kind of Brown'.

It all started because jazz bassist Christian McBride really wanted to play at the Village Vanguard again. It had been just about a decade since the last time he had played there, so he contacted Lorraine Gordon, owner of the world famous jazz club, to inquire.

Lorraine responded by saying that he's always welcome to play at the Vanguard, provided he doesn't "bring that rock and roll band" that he plays with (referring to the Christian McBride Band that he had been playing with for th past 8 years). As a result, a band was born. Christian put together a new group to play at the Vanguard, comprised of musicians who he felt were "some of the best at playing some real, right down the pipe, straight ahead, swingin' jazz" (www.christianmcbride.com).

Listen to 'Kind of Brown'

Personnel

Christian McBride - acoustic bass

Steve Wilson - alto, soprano saxophone

Warren Wolf, Jr. - vibes

Eric Reed - piano

Carl Allen - drums

Pat Metheny's Newest Project to Employ Robot Musicians?

2009-07-26T19:42:00.000-07:00

Pat Metheny's recently announced his plans for The Orchestrian Project, his lastest musical endeavor that will use machines to mechanically play acoustic instruments. "Orchestrianics" is a term Metheny uses "to describe a new performance method to present music alone onstage using acoustic and acoustoelectric musical instruments that are mechanically controlled using the power of modern technology" (www.patmetheny.com).

The album and the corresponding tour are scheduled for 2010. Metheny states "I have realized by now that as much as I can describe this project, even the people closest to me have had no idea what I was talking about until they have actually heard the music and had an encounter with it all in action... I know for sure that you still have to experience it yourself to really know what it is".

Click here to see Metheny's complete announcement of The Orchestrian Project on his official website.

Charlie Parker's Infamous 1946 Dial Recordings

2009-06-30T20:21:00.000-07:00

On July 29, 1946, Charlie Parker was in a Hollywood recording studio, dizzy from the quart of whiskey he had consumed to deter the agony of heroine withdrawals. Despite Parker's condition, "Loverman" and two other songs were recorded that day. Although Parker never wanted the session to be released, Charles Mingus thought the "Loverman" recording to be one of Parker's best (Wikipedia). The session was a testament to Parker's steadfast ability to play in the moment, despite that moment's vulnerabilities.

Listen to "Lover Man (1946)"

Personnel
Howard McGhee (trumpet)
Charlie Parker (alto saxophone)
Jimmy Bunn (piano)
Bob Kesterson (bass)
Roy Porter (drums)

Follow Up on Folk Art

2009-06-19T16:03:00.000-07:00

Listen to Folk Art

There is good news for those caught the sneak preview of Joe Lovano's Folk Art before it was released (courtesy of Bret Primack):

1. The short footage was intriguing and certainly generated interest in the album, but in know way payed justice to the final product.

2. You can listen to the entire album for free on Myspace Music.

The band is called "Us Five" and consists of:

Joe Lovano - tenor saxophone, straight alto saxophone, alto clarinet, tarogato, aulochrome, and percussion
James Weidman - piano
Esperanza Spalding - bass
Otis Brown - drums
Francesco Mela - drums

For more information, be sure to visit Joe Lovano's Official Website.

Regis Molina Reynaldo

2009-06-10T14:56:00.000-07:00

Regis Molina (Photo by Janice Mamukwa)

Listen to "Seres Espiritueles"

Regis Molina Reynaldo is a promising composer and improviser from Havana, Cuba who currently resides in Berlin. Although he has not released any albums as a leader, he is an active member of the music community in Berlin and has shared the stage with many great musicians including Chucho Valdes, the Buena Vista Social Club, and many others. The track above, entitled "Seres Espiritueles", features bassist Max Nauta. To listen to more recordings, visit Regis Molina's Myspace Page.

Theo Jörgensmann - Music of the Future?

2009-05-31T10:44:00.001-07:00

Personnel: Bartlomiej Oles (Drums), Theo Jörgensmann (Low G Clarinet), and Marcin Oles (Bass)

Listen to "Room 114"

Theo Jörgensmann is a German clarinetist/composer who poses the question "What's next?". In his article entitled "A Few Thoughts on Jazz Improvisation" he approaches the construction of musical ideas from a scientific and philosophical standpoint.

In his article, he notes some of the the hindrances to the advancement of improvised music:

"The sheer quantity of materials and forms currently at our disposal leads to an overly crowded sound space whose channels of communication are reduced to a number of pre-set and mass-produced formulas."

One of the "massed produced formulas" that he is eluding to is the organization of rhythym into specific meters.

He suggests that music "will be liberated once it abolishes its subservience to the duality of rhythm and meter. (Music of the future?)"

Be sure to click the link below to listen to the song entitled "Room 114" which was recorded live by Marcin Oles (bass), Bartlomiej Oles (drums), and Theo Jörgensmann (Low G clarinet) at Jazz Festival Brugge in Belgium, 2008.

Listen to "Room 114"

Personnel
Bartlomiej Oles (Drums)
Theo Jörgensmann (Low G Clarinet)
Marcin Oles (Bass)

To listen to more recordings from Jörgensmann, visit his MySpace page.

Joshua Redman Provides New Perspective on Sonny Rollins' Way Out West

2009-05-23T09:06:00.000-07:00

If you liked Sonny Rollins' Way Out West, then you may enjoy Joshua Redman's Back East. Both albums employ a pianoless format (Drums, Saxophone, Bass). Redman takes a different look at two of Rollins' originals from Way Out West, namely "I'm an Old Cowhand" and "Wagon Wheels", and employs three different rhythm sections throughout the album. You can listen to both albums by clicking the links below.

Listen to Back East

Personnel for Back East: Joshua Redman: tenor saxophone (1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10); soprano saxophone (3, 6, 8); Larry Grenadier: bass (1, 2, 8-11); Ali Jackson: drums (1, 2, 8-11); Christian McBride: bass (3, 4); Brian Blade: drums (3, 4); Reuben Rogers: bass (5-7); Eric Harland: drums (5-7); Joe Lovano: tenor saxophone (4); Chris Cheek: soprano saxophone (8); Dewey Redman: tenor saxophone (10), alto saxophone (11).

Back East also documents the last time Redman played with his father, saxophonist Dewey Redman, before he passed away in 2006.

Listen to Way Out West

Personnel for Way Out West: Sonny Rollins - Tenor Saxophone, Ray Brown - Bass, Shelly Manne - Drums

Watts

2009-05-15T21:14:00.000-07:00

Listen to "Katrina James"

Jeff "Tain" Watts - Percussion
Christian McBride - Bass
Terence Blanchard - Trumpet
Branford Marsalis - Saxophone

Watts is the fifth album that drummer/composer Jeff "Tain" Watts has released as a leader, and features all original compositions. The album title refers to not only his name, but the Watts towers depicted in the album art as well. The Watts towers are symbolic of both the Los Angelis race riots during the 1960's and the hometown of Charles Mingus, one of the greatest composers in jazz history. Click the link above to listen to "Katrina James", which features a funky exchange between Marsalis and Blanchard.

For more information on the new album visit Jeff "Tain" Watts' Official Website.

Sneak Preview of Joe Lovano's Folk Art

2009-05-11T18:59:00.000-07:00

Folk Art will be released May 19, 2009.

The band is called "Us Five" and consists of:

Joe Lovano - tenor saxophone, straight alto saxophone, alto clarinet, tarogato, aulochrome, and percussion
James Weidman - piano
Esperanza Spalding - bass
Otis Brown - drums
Francesco Mela - drums

The instrument Lovano is playing in this video is called an Aulochrome, which was recently invented by François Louis. If you're curious about that instrument, click here.

Thanks to Bret Primack, a.k.a. the Jazz Video Guy and the original jazz blogger, for providing the footage and the sneak peak.

For more info and footage about the new album go to Joe Lovano's Official Website.

Speak No Evil

2009-05-09T19:28:00.000-07:00

From left to right: Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter

For those who had the chance to listen to the new live recordings from the Wayne Shorter Quartet (see previous post), here's a chance to work backwards to 1965, when Shorter released Speak No Evil on Blue Note. I guess there's nothing wrong with delving into someone's latest music and then working backwards. It is an interesting trip, and being relatively new to this music it is a path that I often take and somewhat prefer. Below, click the link to listen to Speak No Evil in its entirety.

Listen to Speak No Evil

One thing I like about Shorter's playing is the way he begins a solo and his unique sound. Ok, that was two things.

Personnel:

Herbie Hancock - Piano
Ron Carter - Bass
Freddie Hubbard - Trumpet
Elvin Jones - Drums
Wayne Shorter - Saxophone

The Wayne Shorter Quartet

2009-05-08T15:40:00.000-07:00

Personnel from left to right: Brian Blade (drums), Danilo Perez (Piano), Wayne Shorter (soprano/tenor sax), John Patitucci (Bass)

All art, especially Jazz, is a forward moving mechanism. We must emphasize history, for without it progress is impossible, but I cannot ignore what is happening right now. One of the things that is happening right now is the Wayne Shorter Quartet. They are my favorite group of musicians that are on the scene.

Click the links below to listen to their two latest live albums in their entirety:

Listen to Beyond the Sound Barrier

Listen to Footprints Live

When listening to Footprints Live, see if you can pick out where Shorter quotes the Jurassic Park theme song in his solo on the track "Aung San Suu Kyi".

Jorrit Dijkstra and The Flatlands Collective

2009-05-04T14:15:00.000-07:00

Jorrit Dijkstra is a saxophonist/composer who formed the Chicago-based ensemble known as The Flatlands Collective.

Dijkstra says: "I believe that the landscape in which you grow up has an effect on how your music sounds. This is what’s so interesting about jazz: musicians in New York, Barcelona, Moscow, Shanghai or Addis Ababa play this music, but there is always a distinctive local interpretation.” And he adds: “I called this group The Flatlands Collective after the landscape heritage I share as a Dutchman with the Chicago players" (http://www.jorritdijkstra.com).

The group has released two albums thus far. Dijkstra's compositions are very textural, creative, and refreshing. They provide a great balance of improvisation in its purest form with tasteful composition and arrangement. I am still enjoying the first one, entitled Gnomade, it will be only a matter of time before I explore their second album as well as the numerous other projects he is currently involved with.

The Ensemble Members are as follows:

Jorrit Dijkstra - alto sax, lyricon, analog electronics
James Falzone - clarinet
Jeb Bishop - trombone
Fred Lonberg-Holm - cello, analog electronics
Jason Roebke - bass
Frank Rosaly - drums
(Tim Mulvenna - drums on "Gnomade")

Thankfully, they posted sample tracks on their official web site. Here is a link to one of my favorite tracks on the album Gnomade:

Listen to "Dipje"

Below is a link to the official Flatlands Collective web page. It also contains more sample tracks, but why not just buy the album?

The Flatlands Collective Official Webpage

Grant Green - Solid

2009-05-02T22:59:00.000-07:00

Below is a track entitled "Wives and Lovers" from the album Solid by Grant Green. Grant Green was the house guitarist for Blue Note, a major jazz label. In the early 60's Green played on more Blue Note LP's than any other musician. Solid was unreleased and remained in the Blue Note vault until after Green's death in 1979. It features James Spaulding (alto saxophone), Joe Henderson (tenor saxophone), McCoy Tyner (piano), Bob Cranshaw (bass), and Elvin Jones (drums).