Go-To Album 5

Stanley Turrentine with Milt Jackson - Cherry
CTI-6017

Rhythm section is just nuts: Billy Cobham, Ron Carter, Bob James, Cornell Dupree on guitar & of course Milt on vibes. The opening number, Lee Morgan's "Speedball" finds them completely in sync and swinging hard. Turrentine is all fire on the up tracks and in prime, inspired form for the whole album. The ballads are slow and gorgeous with Jackson taking the melodies. Two sweet treats are compositions by Weldon Irvine Jr: "Introspective" (hard-edged 12/8 minor blues romper) and especially the popular "Sister Sanctified"; sampled decades later for rap & hip-hop tracks. The real surprise on "Sister" is how well Bags hangs with the soul-funk (way better than on his own "Sunflower" album), his exquisite solo paired with a relaxed, sunny rhythm section help make for a highly memorable recording. The album boasts Stanley's fantastic tenor tone throughout, and he's wonderfully sensitive to what's going on around him. Between talent and variety - "Cherry" has everything! - DJ Kendo

Below is a link to this album sold on Amazon - usually some pretty sweet deals in the used section :)

New blog for the classical playlists...

Hello! Since this is and was intended to be a 'jazz' blog, I've moved the playlists from the classical radio shows I've subbed on to a new blog - Classics with Kendo. That is all.  :)

Overlooked Gems - Sylvia Herold & the Rhythm Bugs

"The Spider and the Fly" - Sylvia Herold & the Rhythm Bugs

It's true, nothing groundbreaking here. (Honestly - after subbing a few times on the "New Jazz Monday" show at WFCF, I've discovered that very little is, currently.) But it's very fun, swings, is well performed and it has vibes!! (Christian Tamburr, no less.) In my book that's a major win. The video is appropriately silly - also a win. :) Enjoy!! - DJ Kendo

You can buy a copy at Sylvia's website and also at Itunes.

Playlist for July 30th 2012 WFCF - New Jazz Monday

Fill in for Andy's New Jazz Monday show on WFCF 88.5 Saint Augustine. A few nice surprises like the Tom Harrell solo trumpet number and Kevin Mahogany's new disc. Below is the playlist. - DJ Kendo

Artist  -  Title  -  Album

Mössinger - "It's Time to Be a Greenhorn" - The NJ Session

Oscar Peñas - "Choro no. 1" - From Now On

ZBT - "Lazy Bird" - Out of This Town

Jeannie Gagnè - "Dance With Me" - Closer to Bliss

Tom Harrell - "Star Eyes" - Number Five

Light House Little Big Band - "Baroque Samba"

Bobby Broom - "Fambroscious" - Upper West Side Story

Susie Arioli - "Here's That Rainy Day" - All the Way

Ravi Coltrane - "Check Out Time" - Spirit Fiction

John Pizzarelli - "Rosalinda's Eyes" - Double Exposure

Mahogony & Stryker - "Just In Time" - Next Time You See Me

John Abercrombie Quartet - "Interplay" - Within a Song

Mahogany & Stryker - "Gigi's Steamin' Greens" - Next Time You See Me

Max Marshall - "Joyspring" - Instant Camaraderie

Carmen Intorré Jr. - "Cannonball" - For the Soul

Andrew Swift - "The Rio Dawn" - Swift Kick

Piero Odorici - "Willie's Groove" - Cedar Walton Presents

Sylvia Herold & the Rhythm Bugs - "The Spider and the Fly" - The Spider and the Fly

Ravi Coltrane - "Spring and Hudson" - Spirit Fiction

Bruce Barth - "Wise Charlie's Blues" - Three Things of Beauty

Go-To Album 4

Bill Evans/Shelly Manne - Empathy

I've already blogged at length about my own personal good times with this cd... (see here). The bottom line is it's real nice, no - it's awesome, to hear Bill Evans just having fun, playing well, and indeed enjoying the 'empathy' that he and drummer Shelly Manne share for this session. Manne is on top of his creative game, and Monty Budwig lends ample support and buoyancy.

My cd copy is paired with "A Simple Matter of Conviction" - Eddie Gomez's debut, also with Manne, and it has many wonderful moments; but it's 4 years later, and that hipty-hopty high energy (cocaine?) is starting to creep in to Evans' playing - something that would escalate for the rest of his career. I have the sessions separated in my pc jazz folder, and hit up "Empathy" way more.

As the author Peter Pettinger put it: "On Empathy...Evans was having a night out and enjoying the change. Shelly Manne, too, had a ball, interacting constantly and prompting Evans into more clipped exchanges than usual, while Monty Budwig lent clean, rich-toned support."  (from book "How My Heart Sings").
 
Jazz as it should be - fun! The opener "The Washington Twist" is worth the price of the whole album. Below is the exquisite take on "Danny Boy". - Dj Kendo 

Guilty Pleasure Album 1

Walter Murphy on the Private Stock label

I know, who in their right mind would buy an album with that cover. <raises hand sheepishly> I was thirteen or thereabouts. The album was already a cutout, not even touching the popularity of Walter Murphy's prior smash "A Fifth of Beethoven" - which, at the time, I hated. It must have been curiosity that prompted me to purchase it - or maybe it was the leisure suit.

First off, as if you didn't know - it's a disco album. Although there are moments that actually sound like the cover, ones that might even make you wince and feel awkwardly, it is overall a surprisingly good album peppered with truly inspired playing and fun ideas.

The worst song "Could It Be the Music" (also the 2nd single) is loaded with extraordinarily hokey (and cliché) orchestrations that, if you are of the sort, will make you bust out into very bad, animated choreography with lots of 'jazz-hands'. The lyrics are some of the worst known to man ("I let the music take me, I feel it start to shake me, it's really got me out of control!") - bringing to mind Mary Tyler Moore dressed-up in giant wig as "Kinky Dee" singing "Get Dancing" (remember that?).

Still, the execution is spot on and it's completely white funkiness is sufficient enough that one walks away thinking "That was a joke, but I liked it!": that's the Murphy magic! After all, he's the music man behind "Family Guy". He's also an excellent keyboardist, his Dr. John-styled piano solo on this one makes hanging in there worth while.

Of more note are the Discofication of "Rhapsody in Blue", a tight and funky "It Ain't Necessarily So" and Richard Rodgers "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue"; part of Murphy's "New York City Suite" - a very fine disco mood piece, often stark and surprising; with brilliant sax solos by George Young. 

The musicianship is top-notch - Tom Scott solos and is reunited with the LA Express on "It Ain't Necessarily So" (drummer John Guerin taking some mean trades as well). LA Express sans Scott also perform on the album's most smokin' track "Fish Legs"; where Murphy displays extremely tasteful Hammond B3 chops with adequate soul; Peter Maunu also letting loose. Great horn chart, but beware the disco-girls and their "doo-doot-doot-doo"s.

Other cats include Steve Kahn, Jon Faddis, Harvey Swartz, Bill Watrous and Lew Soloff - who is featured on the prettiest track "Sunflower" - a fairly smooth but irresistible downtempo latin number. Soloff's flugelhorn is recorded beautifully and makes the track. Finally there's "The Only Two People In the World" - which, as a pop song, is nearly perfect - sung convincingly by Lani Groves. I'm not sure how this one eluded the record company or radio stations for a single, but such is life.

If you see it at a garage sale or thrift store, snap it up. It'll make you chuckle for sure, but you'll also probably really like it. - DJ Kendo

Playlist for 7-2-12 WFCF New Jazz Monday

Had fun fillin' in for Andy tonight on New Jazz Monday - even though the emergency weather system interupted me 3 times lol. Below is the playlist of the show!





 
Artist - Song Title (Album)

Eric Reed - Green Chimneys (The Baddest Monk)
Brian Bromberg - A Little New Old School (Compare to That)
ZBT - Stop and Go (Out of This Town)

Tony Monaco - Aglio e Olio (Celebration)
Bill Evans - I Fall In Love Too Easily (Moon Beams)
Tony Monaco - Acid Wash (Celebration)
Al Jarreau and the Metropole Orkest - I'm Beginning to See the Light (Live)
Mike Stern - Out of the Blue (All Over the Place)
Bobby Broom - Upper West Side Story (Upper West Side Story)
Lynne Arialle - What Is This Thing Called Love (Solo)
Ray Parker - Zingaro (Swingin' Never Hurt Nobody)
Lighthouse Little Big Band - Whisper Not
Jamie Ousley - Steam (A Sea of Voices)
Brad Meldau Trio - Aquaman (Ode)
Joe Chambers - Moving Pictures Suite: Prelude (Moving Pictures Orchestra)
Amina Figarova - Sneaky Seagulls (Twelve)
Carmen Intorre Jr. - Black Market (For the Soul)
Sylvia Herold and the Rhythm Bugs - The Spider and the Fly (The Spider and the Fly)
Ahmad Jamal - Blue Moon (Blue Moon)

I'll be filling in for Chris on the "Classical Potpourri" show the next 3 Wednesdays: July 4th, 11th and 18th; 11:00am to 1:00pm. Tune in this Wednesday July 4th to celebrate America with 2 hours of music by American composers, including Antheil, Ives, Copland, Gottschalk, Grofe, Gershwin, Joplin and more! You can listen online via this link on Iheart Radio! Thanks for stopping by! - Dj Kendo