Sunday Music Muse Day (a day late) Terje Rypydal Miroslav Vitous Jack DeJohnette, Terje Rydal

This day late Sunday Music Muse Day post is a double spin of Terje Rydal, the Norwegian guitarist and composer, I first became aware of through his ECM recordings in the 70's, with an eclectic blend of Jazz, Free-Jazz and Classical music. My first selection, "Terje Rydal /Miroslav Vitous /Jack Dejohnette" is self-tilled untitled recording from 1979, and it has strong Jazz Fusion leaning with European flavor, with Rydal's angular and spacy electric guitar, and guitar synthesizer styling, and Vitous, the well-known Czech bassist, in Free Jazz and Jazz Fusion.  He was an original co-founder of Weather Report, with Joe Zawinul, and Wayne Shorter (reportedly he chose to leave Weather Report when the musical direction shift from more Free Jazz to a more commercial sound).  Jack Dejohnette is also highly regarded jazz drummer and composer, well-known for playing with Miles Davis, and for a long association with pianist Keith Jarrett.  This solid CD is for anyone with adventurous taste in music.  Definitely give it a listen with an open mind.

My second selection is Terje Rypdal Melodic Warrior. I'm at a lost to describe this CD, so I'll just quote a reviewer John Kelman from Jazz Online, " The lion's share of guitarist Terje Rypdal's Melodic Warrior is devoted to the nine-movement title suite, a 2003 recording with the Bruckner Orchester Linz and, most importantly, the Hilliard Ensemble, the vocal ensemble that leapt to greater fame with Officium (ECM, 1993), the first of three recordings with Rypdal's fellow countryman, Norwegian saxophonist Jan Garbarek. The four-movement "And the Sky was Coloured with Waterfalls and Angels," from a 2009 performance with the Wroclaw Philharmonic Orchestra at Poland's renowned Jazztopad Festival, rounds out the record, a series of tone poem studies in contrast.   On repeated listenings, the best I could come up with is, it sounds like a soundtrack for updated 'Forbidden Planet", the classic 1950's sci-fi and New free-form Classical music.  I'm on the fence with this one, it can be challenging.

Take your pick, old  or newer, Terje Rydal.  Either way, not a dull musical experience.  Enjoy.

Sunday Music Muse Day - Mark Isham, Miroslav Vitous Group with Michel Portal

This Sunday Music Muse Day finds us featuring CDs with the common theme of "remembering" other musicians and groups. First up is Mark Isham Miles Remembered: The Silent Way Project.  Mark Isham, plays trumpet and keyboards in a wide range of genres including jazz, electronica, and he composes soundtracks for TV and film.  He played on several of my favorite albums, David Torn's Clouds about Mercury, and Andy Summer's Charming Snakes.  (He also allowed Lisa to use one of his tunes from his first album, Vapor Drawing, for an animation short she animated and produced) Miles Remembered is his tribute to the music that inspired him at the start of his career. I think he does a good job with this to capture the essence of Miles music without directly copying it. This is definitely worth a listen.

My second selection is Miroslav Vitous Group with Michel Portal Remembering Weather Reporter.  Vitous was one of the founding members of Weather Report, the legendary Jazz Fusion group, with Joe Zawinul and Wayne Shorter.  He left the group when their music shifted from its "free jazz" roots to a more commercial sound that brought the band great success.  So, I'm assuming this CD is Vitous' version of what (his) Weather Report music should sound like. I'm sorry to say I found it disappointing.  It does present a "Free Jazz" feel, but if this was the direction WR had stayed on, I doubt I would have been a fan for long.  Being an ECM release, it was worth giving it a listen.  I have, and enjoy other Mirolav Vitous recordings. But this, as a take on Weather Report's music, just falls flat for me.

Next week is Thanksgiving. Here's wishing everyone a wonderful, peaceful holiday with family, and friends.  Be sure to enjoy and share some music with favorite holiday dishes.

Sunday Music Muse Day - Charles Lloyd, Miroslav Vitous

Today's Sunday Music Muse Day is presenting us with gloomy rainy weather, again, just right for listening to some good music. First up, Charles Lloyd Trios Sacred Thread.  It seems there are three separate "Trios" releases, this one, "Chapel", which I featured last week, and "Ocean", which I have not come across yet.  Sacred Thread features Lloyd on Tenor saxophone, alto flute, Tarogato (a Hungarian sax-like wind wood), and maracas, with Zair Hussain on tabla, percussion, and vocal, plus Julian Lage on guitar.  Although an impressive line up, I didn't enjoy this as much as the "Chapel" Trios CD.  On Sacred Thread the grouped play so softly as to be quietly distracting.  The music has a mystical feel, that's a positive. I'll have to give it more listenings, before passing any final judgement.

My slight disappointment continued with my next selection, Miroslav Vitous Music of Weather Report.  Vitous was a founding member of the legendary jazz fusion formed with Joe Zawinul and Wayne Shorter.  Vitous left the group when in his opinion it moved more commercial and less free-form avant garde jazz of it's roots.  Although I read reviews giving this 4/5 stars for his take on Weather Reports early tunes, I didn't  feel it lived up to the legacy of those early recording.  So that, the basic of my disappointment in this ECM CD, the playing didn't give me any new insight to the music. I plan to go back to early recording, especially the first two albums and see what I’m missing.  

                                     

These were slight disappointing, but as they say, "that's jazz". Of course, I could listen to them again a week, or year from now, change my mind. 

Sunday Music Muse Day - Terje Rypdal, Miroslav Vitous, Jack DeJohnette, Iro Haarla

This Memorial Day, belated Sunday Music day finds a weekend of ECM listening, a touch of old, Terje Rypdal, Miroslav Vitous, Jack DeJohnette, and new (at least to me) Iro Haarla Northbound. I had a vinyl record of the Rypdal & company CD, but I sold all my collection. I haven’t heard of Iro Haarla before a recent post to the group. I’m settling in to enjoy both.

This Iro Haarla is totally new to me. I just picked up on the strength of being a ECM release and having a harp on it. It definitely a ECM record introspective in a adventurous way.

Please take a moment to remember the true meaning of this Memorial Day, and commit to fighting for a better tomorrow to honor their sacrifice. Peace.

Sunday Music Muse Day - Steve Tibbetts, Jan Garbarek with Miroslav Vitous and Peter Erskine

Just a quick Sunday Music Muse Post with two selections I found last week at the Record Fair in the Southwedge, in here in Rochester, NY, at the Old German House.  Although, primarily set up for vinyl record hunter, I always find a couple of CDs of good music, these both being ECM releases.  First up, guitarist Steve Tibbetts A Man About A Horse.  I have some of his early work from the 1980s including his Safe Journey album, which is one of my favorites albums.  This 2002 CD, A man About a Horse, doesn't  match the intensity of Safe Journey but it is still a enjoyable outing.

The other ECM selection is Jan Garbarek with Miroslav Vitous and Peter Erskine, StAR.  Jan Garbarek's soprano and tenor saxophone playing is constant stable on many ECM recordings.  Bassist Vitous and drummer Erskine were both alumni of legendary fusion band Weather Report,  Vitous was one of the original co-founders of Weather Report, but left over creative difference with Joe Zawinul and Wayne Shorter.  This CD is classic ECM, solid playing in am adventurous, thought provoking manner. As a reviewer Rick Anderson of the All Music website states, "On this leaderless trio album, as with most ECM releases, you get the feeling of music emerging from a vast and echoey space."  I agree it's well worth a listen.

   In these chaotic time, hope you can find some good music to get through the days.  Enjoy.

Sunday Music Muse Day (a day late, again) Blue Falcon, Larry Coryell, Rez Abbasi & Junction

Sorry for the erratic Sunday Music Muse Day postings, but the current political climate is distracting.  That said, maybe the best way to get through these stressful days, especially here in upstate New York where we get long periods of grey, gloomy, overcast days, is with good music.  My first selection even has a song about a disorder this causes. On the local band Blue Falcon Full Flight, John Viviani and Ben Stephanus do a  tune "S.A.D. (Seasonal Affective Disorder). This is a local indie Rock band, I still have to see live.  (John is the husband of a friend, and former co-worker Deena Lipomi Viviani) Personally I like John's jazz fusion outing more, but Blue Falcon is fun band to listen to.

Next is Rez Abbasi & Junction Behind the Vibration is young group of musicans lead by guitarist Rez Abbasi who asked the question,"What might a modern jazz album sound like in the hands of contemporary musicians employing a breath of influences and current technologies?  I'll forgive Res, who wrote the liner notes, for sounding like a pretentious jerk in thinking he doing anything but reinventing the wheel. I was at the being of jazz fusion, which he wrote on his other CD of fusion tunes, Rez Abassi, Acoustic Quartet, that he skipped that period when he was studying jazz.  When you're late to the party you don't get to disrespect the pioneers who came before you.  Time will tell if Abbasi's music stand the test of time.

Speaking of jazz fusion pioneers, guitarist Larry Coryell Spaces, rates as milestone album.  I couldn't resist buying this CD of the classic album, which I still own.   With Coryell, John Mclaughlin on guitar, Chick Corea on electric piano, Miroslov Vitous on bass, and Bill Cobham this is group of musician who went on to play with, and form their own monster groups, Eleventh House (Coryell) Mahavishu Orchestra (Mclaughlin with Cobham), Return to Forever (Corea), and Weather Report (Vitous).  Those are giants Abassi needs to bow down to.

That's it for now.  This is plenty great music to drown the noise of politics for while.

Sunday Music Muse Day - Oregon, Miroslav Vitous, Charlie Hunter, Return to Forever, Kneebody

I missed posting again last week, because of busy family weekend. Even though I pickup these CD last week I haven't had a chance to listen to them, so, maybe it was all for the best.  So this week's Sunday Music Muse selection include some old favorites, and some favorite musicians in different settings.  First up is the group Oregon Northwest Passage CD, featuring a favorite guitarist Ralph Towner.  Seven of the fourteen tracks are written or co-written by Towner and some are on another Towner solo releases.  It's nice to compare the different versions.

 Next up is Miroslav Vitous Infinite Search.  This is a reissue of the bassist's 1977 album, his first as a leader.   Miroslav Vitous was the original bassist and a founding member the legendary Weather Report.  The album Infinite Search was also released as Mountain in the Cloud, which is the cover I remember.  I thought I had the "Mountain" album, but checking  my collection and it's not there.  I seem to remember playing the LP, so it could have been an album I borrowed from the Lincoln Center Music library, which was a great way to preview music in the ancient, pre-internet days.  Vitous virtuoso playing moves freely between avant garde and free jazz.  This CD featured several key figures from the then-budding jazz fusion movement: John McLauglin, Herbie Hancock, Jack DeJohnette, and Joe Henderson. Well worth a listen.

 Here's the Mountains in the Clouds LP cover.

Speaking of the Jazz Fusion, the next CD is Return To Forever, The Anthology, group the help define Jazz Fusion.  This Anthology is a nice compliment to the RTF Reunion CD I picked up a few months back.   One surprising note I discovered in the liner notes was Al Di Meola recalling how he came to join RTF.  He mentioned the guitarist Earl Klugh, of smooth jazz fame, actually followed Bill Conners before Al joined.  That was news to me.  I wonder if any tapes of those concert Klugh played with RTF still exist and will they ever see the light of day.

Next is another first outing, by 7-string guitarist, Charlie Hunter, with the Charlie Hunter Trio.  I just saw Charlie Hunter live a few weeks ago.  I've still deciding if I "totally" like his music.  It intrigues me enough that I keep picking up his CD, so there has to be something there.

So, that's this week selection.  Thanks for letting me share these.  Enjoy.