Sunday Music Muse Day - Alice Coltrane, Scolohofo ( SCofield LOvano HOlland FOster)

This Sunday Music Muse Day find us experiencing a very peasant weather day after several days of high temps and humidity. But the news out of Afghanistan adds a heaviness to the day.  Some how my first selection compliments the news.  Alice Coltrane Ptah, The El Daoud, the classic Impluse record.  Maybe it's just the Egyptian scarb imagery on the album cover reminds me of the Middle East.  The classic tune Blue Nile is a must.  It's well known Alice Coltrane is the wife of the legendary John Coltrane, but Alice gained fame and recognition on her own musical merits, most notably for her use ot the harp in jazz.

My second selection Scolohofo oh! is a group named for first letters of last name of it's members.  John SCOfield, Joe LOvano, Dave HOlland, and Alex FOster. Their Post-Bop (hard Bop ?) music can be driving and mellow with an edge to it.  It fits the mood of the day, too.

There is bound to be a lot of reflection on the Afghan situation, that is way beyond my grasp.  All we can hope is a evenual peaceful outcome for the people of Afghanistan, and a better future.

Sunday Music Muse Day - Kenny Barron / Dave Holland Trio, Dexter Gordon

This Sunday Music Muse Day find us starting November and the end of Daylight Saving Time, turning our clocks back an hour.  This always screws with my sleep cycle. To help ease in the it, first up I have Dexter Gordon One Flight Up.  This  reissue CD of the classic Blue Note record of Dexter and other jazz expatriates, like Kenny Drew, and a native European young (18 year old) bassist   Neils-Henning Orsted Pederson was recorded in Paris on June 2, 1964.  It's noted that moving to Europe, at that time period, allowed many jazz musicians more playing opportunities and financial security, than the shrinking American club scene. The changing music scene with the rise of the Rock & Roll, the Beatles, and other popular groups, added uncertainty to the normal struggle of a black musicians, and plain working class blacks, in the late 1950's and '60s America.   Seeing Dexter Gordon's name always reminds me of the movie Round Midnight (1986), which has a semi-autobiographical storyline of ex-patriot musician in Paris.  Dexter was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. Its story also reminds me of my father's last years in Paris. This CD shows a triumph of spirit, and is damn good listening.

Next is a newer release Kenny Baron / Dave Holland Without Deception.  A trio session with Barron on piano, Holland on bass, and featuring Johnathan Blake on drums.  The maturity of the key players is without parallel and a joy to behold.  This is tasty session well worth listening.

As darkness descends early in the day than I 'd like, I have these tunes to brighten my spirits.  I hope you find some to do the same. Enjoy. 

Sunday Music Muse - Tal Farlow and Lenny Breau, Dave Holland

Welcome to another Sunday Music Muse Day with a alternative suggested activity to watching football, listening to these jazz selections.  First up, is a meeting of two legendary guitarists, Tal Farlow & Lenny Breau Chance Meeting, as stated in this All Music review by Ken Dryden: "The one-time meeting between guitarists Tal Farlow and Lenny Breau came about because Lorenzo DeStefano, who was making a PBS documentary (Talmage Farlow) in 1980, wanted a meeting between the veteran and a rising star. Farlow suggested Breau, and an invitation was extended and immediately accepted by the younger man. After the musicians spent time conversing in Farlow's New Jersey home, they moved to The Sign of the Times, a small nightclub in the tiny town of Rumson, to weave their musical magic. Although this was their first and only performance together, they complement one another's playing as if they had worked as a regular duo."  Great stuff.  I'll have to look up the documentary.

Next up is a more progressive jazz CD, Dave Holland Prism. All Music reviewer Matt Collar said: "His 2013 album, Prism, finds Holland returning to his crossover funk roots with an able-bodied quartet. Featured here are former Tonight Show guitarist Kevin Eubanks, pianist/Rhodes keyboardist Craig Taborn, and drummer Eric Harland. All of these musicians have reputations for playing adventurous, genre-bending styles of jazz, making them perfectly suited for the project at hand."  I enjoyed the music but I found sound of the recording to be lacking to my ear, but I can't quite put my finger on the reason. I'll had to give it more listening.

 So, the TV football season ramps up try to find some time for good music, recorded, and live. Enjoy

Sunday Music Muse Day, Pat Metheny and Ornette Coleman, John Scofield, Jim Hall and Basses, and St. Germain

Welcome to this week's Sunday Music Muse Day.  This week's selection features some old favorites, mostly guitarists, as I admit I'm a guitar-centric music lover.  First up, Pat Metheny  and Ornette Coleman, Song X 25th Anniversary CD.  Ornette's music is challenging  to say the least, but for me it is the my limit of "Avant garde / Free Jazz" I can take, when I'm in the mood.  I had to think twice before buying this as I already have the album, and I try not to buy CDs of stuff I have on LP.  But this 25th anniversary CD has 6 additional cuts not on the original LP.  The stellar line up of musicians, including the late Charlie Haden, on bass, and Jack DeJohnette, on drums, make this a adventurous CD worth considering.

This next selection is what I consider a good come back from a disappointing CD, I featured back August.  John Scofield Works for Me is much better than his John Scofield Band Up All Night CD.  Works for Me, really works for me.  It's much tighter, jazz outing, with solid players.  Sco' is back on track.

The next selection is a puzzler, for me.  Jim Hall & Basses, is a CD of duets which has the legendary guitarist paired with stellar bassists, Scott Colley, Charlie Haden, Dave Holland, Christian McBride and George Mraz.  I have to admit my first listen has me less than excited.  But, I read an online review that praises the CD to high heaven.  So, I plan to give it a good listen, again.

My last selection is outside of the pure jazz area, St.Germain self-titled CD. 
"St Germain is the stage name  of Ludovic Navarre, a French musician. His style has been described as being a combination of house and nu jazz music", according to his Wikipedia page.  I have an earlier CD of his and enjoy his music a lot.  This CD uses  African musicians giving it a nice world music feel.

If you come across these CDs in you musical travels, give them them a listen, you might like them.  Enjoy.

Sunday Music Muse Day - Gary Burton and Friends, Sting, Bill Nelson.

For this week's Sunday Music Muse Day, I present one new CD purchase, and several vinyl selections from my record collection.  The CD is Gary Burton, Like Mind.  Joining the legendary vibraphonist is Chick Corea, on piano, Pat Metheny, on guitar, Roy Haynes, on drums, and Dave Holland, on bass. This 1998 session, won a 1999 Grammy award for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Individual or Group.  That should have a no-brainer the selection committee considering the musicians on this CD.  Gary Burton's liner notes are very interesting as he relates how the various members, met and criss-crossed each others career.  The most surprising note, for me, was that this session was the first time Chick Corea and Pat Metheny played together.  The other item of note was how highly Burton  regarded the writing skills for Corea and Metheny.  He wrote, "Chick and Pat are two of the most enduring and prolific jazz composers around."  The resulting CD bears this out.

 

My two next selections are the result of conversation with Facebooks friends. This week marked 35th anniversary of the Police Zenyatta Mondatta album. I posted, "the Police was one of the last popular Rock groups I followed. Also I enjoyed each member's individual projects after they broke up."   So, I checked out some Sting videos of his solo tour, so that made me pull out vinyl of the Sting Bring Out the Night live double album set.  Great music with Sting, plus Branford Marsalis, on saxophone, Omar Hakim, on drums,  Darryl Jones on bass, and Kenny Kirkland, on keyboards.  These are all young turks of jazz who have played with jazz legends like Dizzie Gillespie, Miles Davis, Art Blakey, Weather Report, and others.  One of the nice aspects pulling out the vinyl is the large cover art, which this set has many of, by artist Donna Muir and Su Huntley. Very nice.

The last selection was also the result of another Facebook exchange.  A FB friend asked about the rock group Be Bop Deluxe.  I recognized the cover, but remember I have a LP and CD by the guitarist of the group, Bill Nelson.  So, that led to me pulling those items and giving them a listen.

It nice to have any reason to dig out some old music.  I'll have to do it more often.  Enjoy.