Sunday Music Muse Day - Morrie Loudon, David Friesen, Herbie Hancock

Time for another Sunday Music Muse Day.  These weeks are flying by, ummer is almost over and fall is just around the bend.  Whatever the season, it's always a good time to share good music.  Two of my picks this week are leaps of faith, sort of. The first, is Morrie Louden Time Piece, which I picked up because it has guitarist Lionel Loueke, who's CD I picked up recently, and the drummer Adam Nussbaum, who I know from his work with guitarist John Scofield, on it.  Those were the only names I recognized among the large players list. Time Piece (as I researched) is Louden's debut album released in 2007 and it gets 3/4 stars on All About Jazz website.  I have to agree with the reviewer, "Time Piece turns out be a delightful mix of material, showing his writing skills as well as his chops on the acoustic bass."  I'm enjoying it, and especially like the title tune.  I'll have to look for more of his CDs.

Another small leap of faith is next selection of David Friesen, Airto Moreira, and Gary Barone  Anicent Kings.  Just a small leap, because I have albums of bassist David Friesen in duets with guitarist John Stowell, from back int he 1970's.  I just haven't come across his music lately.  The same could be said for master percussionist Airto Moreira, who played with so many legendary artists and group including Miles Davis (Bitches Brew era), Weather Report (first album), Return to Forever (first two album) and countless other.  Jazztimes said, "The album, recorded in 1994, makes its point eloquently without shouting...and the echoes of this session occasionally suggests a distilled Bitches Brew. Minor keys dominate."  There is one cut, Rooftops, that I heard echos of Jimi Hendrix' Third Stone from Sun, It well worth a listen.

My last selection is more of a no-brainer, Herbie Hancock The New Standard.  It would be hard to pass up a Herbie CD with the talented players on the session, Micheal Brecker, saxophones, John Scofield, guitars, Dave Holland, bass, Jack DeJohnette, drums, and Don Alias, percussion.  Most of these guys have lead their own groups in addition to having played together on other various projects over the length of their careers.   A nice addition to my music stash.

This is my first weekend as a empty nester, so it's nice to have good music to help fill the void.

Sunday Music Muse Day with Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter, ans Steve Masakowski

Just a short Sunday Music Muse Day post as we enter the meat of the Holiday Season.  I was listening to Miles Davis In a Silent Way this morning and happen to find this Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter 1+1 CD while shopping today.  Of course Herbie and Wayne played on the In a Silent Way sessions.  1+1 is a duet outing that presents them in a introspective, be adventurous mood.  All the tunes are new to my ears, but the don't have every CD or album they've recorded.  Well worth a listen.

The next selection is a CD by guitarist Steve Masakowski, What it Was.   This is the second CD I own of his, the first being Direct AXEcess (his spelling, pun on axe being slang for guitar)  I like his playing, there a hint of Pat Martino in it.  He plays a 7-string guitar, which always interest me.   Although I'm not familiar with his career, his wikipedia page
is very impressive.

So that's it for this week entry.  Enjoy the coming holiday season.

Sundy Music Muse Day - Herbie Hancock, The Dave Brubeck Quartet, Dave Drubeck and Paul Desmond, and Margaret Explosion, again.

This week's Sunday Music Muse day finds me, again, happily embarrassed to feature  CDs of classic LPs the should have been in my music collection ages ago.  First, two classics by Herbie Hancock,  Maiden Voyage and Empyrean Isles.  These are solid, highly regarded sessions, of pre-Headhunter Hancock dates with many well known tunes and legendary sidemen. I'm at lost to think of reason why I didn't have the original LPs.  I do have Herbie Headhunter LP and his VSOP LP.  These are Rudy Van Gelder Edition CDs which he transferred and remastered these classic Blue Note albums with 24-bit technology.  They definitely fill another hole in my collection.  While playing Maiden Voyage, my wife asked who was playing, because she like it.  That's a sign of great music when it grabs the attention of a casual listener (in all fairness she has good taste music).

The next two selections should also have been in my music collection before now, The Dave Brubeck Quartet Time Out, join the other Brubeck CDs I've picked up this past year.  I do have other Brubeck LPs, but not "Time Out".  I know I have versions of tunes like "Blue Rondo a la Turk" and "Take Five" on other Brubeck CDs and on some Jazz collections.  It's nice to have CD of the original session.  Brubeck and Desmond, 1975: The Duets is new to me, but I love the intimacy of it.

Just to show I'm not totally stuck in the past. I picked up another CD of the local group, Margaret Explosion, who was featured in last week's post.  They "play spacey, floating dreamscapes with smart improvisational skill" and I'm liking them a lot.

Going forward to enjoy these CDs.  Enjoy.

Sunday Music Muse Day - Jack DeJohnette, John Mclaughin and Chick Corea, Egberto Gismonti, and Bill Frisell, Raplh Towner, again.

Sunday got away from me, so here's my Sunday Music Muse Day post a day late.  Actually three of the selections were ones that I delayed buying in an effort to stay on a budget.  Luckily, they were still there at the music shop.  First is Jack DeJohnette, Sound Travels, a wonderful CD which finds the legendary drummer also playing acoustic piano and adding a vocal to one of the tune. Joining Jack is some exciting  young players, like Esperanza Spalding on acoustic and electric bass, and vocals, with Lionel Loueke on electric guitar.  Both Spalding and Loueke were recent purchases.  Sound Travel was one of my delayed purchases, but seeing  Spalding and Loueke as sidemen help put this on my "to buy list".  I'm glad I did.

Here a short promo video on the making Sound Travel.

Next up, two of my favorite jazz musicians from the early Jazz Fusion of the 1970s,  guitarist John McLaughlin, and piano and keyboards master Chick Corea on a 2 CD set titled John McLaughlin and Chick Corea - Five Peace Band - Live.  Listening to this music brings flashbacks of the heady days of Mahavishu Orchestra and Return to Forever, their respective groups.  An added treat is a guest spot by keyboardist Herbie Hancock joining his former Miles Davis band mates on  tune "In a Silent Way / It's About that Time"  from the Miles playbook.  Great stuff, and I like the "Fillmore East" type CD cover graphic.

The next selection is also, a 2 CD set by Egberto Gismonti, world renowned Brazilian multi-instrumentalist and composer, titled Saudacoes.  I have a many of Gismonti's ECM LPs from the 1970s and 80s and saw him  perform several times in NYC.  If your exposure to Brazilian music has been only Samba do yourself a favor and explore Egberto Gismonti's music "his works reflecting the musical diversity of Brazil. From the Amazon Indians' batuque to the Carioca samba and choro, through the Northeastern frevo, baião, and forró, Gismonti captures the true essence of the Brazilian soul in a way that is primitive, yet sophisticated, and reflects it through his personal vision, elaborated by years of classic training and literacy in a wealth of musical languages in which jazz plays a significant role." (http://www.allmusic.com/artist/egberto-gismonti)  This CD adds that legacy.  The first CD is a 7 part suite Sertoes Veredas - Tribute to miscegenation. Quoted from the liner notes the music "takes a musical journey through Brazil, revealing, in a diffuse way, the different faces of its people, culture and history."    The second CD is a set of  guitar duets with his son Alexandre Gismonti.  Egberto's use of the 10-string classical guitar always amazed me.

The next two selection are happy follow ups to previous CDs.  Bill Frisell - Floratone  is a great companion to his Unspeakable CD I listed week week.  Again, members of the group used tape loops and the whole production reminds of the Miles Davis Bitches Brew era music, a little spacey, but very inviting and interesting.

The last pick is another Ralph Towner CD, Lost and Found, which finds Ralph in a group setting.  I couldn't pass up picking this up.  There is always room for more Ralph Towner in my music collection.

Enjoy, your Labor Day.