InstaCollection - Space Jazz!

InstaCollection! - start or freshen up your jazz collection with DJ Kendo recommendations! Buy downloads for your phone/pc using the handy links below or just load the titles into your favorite music streaming service!

recently discovered Apollo 11 photo ;)

Jazz musicians in general have always been a socially aware bunch, highly sensitive to political and world occurrences, good and bad; their music often reflecting or even portraying these events. The excitement generated from moon missions and the eventual landing on the moon by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin inspired some marvelously spacey jazz (and album covers) from 1959 to 1969. Below are some of the best examples!

 
Brother Jack McDuff - "Oblighetto" from "Moon Rappin'" (1969)
Modern Jazz Quartet - "Visitor from Venus" from "Space" (1969)
Quincy Jones - "Killer Joe" from "Walking in Space" (1969)
Collins/Shepley Galaxy - "Module 3" from "Time, Space and the Blues" (1970)

Long-Ass Car Ride Review - Alex Snydman!

Long-Ass Car Ride Reviews: I take long-ass car rides, I listen to albums, I let you know if they are worthwhile.

Alex Snydman - "Fortunate Action" (2012) 8/10
 
Alex Snydman - drums; Chris Pattishall, Miro Sprague, Doug Abrams - piano
Alec Derian, Tyler Heydolph - bass; Carl Clements - saxes

In a word: stimulating

For a drummer led affair - this is a subtle, beautiful work of art that is extremely pleasant and focuses on beauty rather than intricacy! Three different, distinguished pianists (and hence, composers) help keep things stimulating; along with great material, a fond mix, and nice textures and drive from Alex Snydman. Pianist Doug Abrams is the most adventurous, his

photo by Jesse Shotland

"Cross Fade" is a delight of complex rhythms matched with soulful, hooky melodies. Miro Sprague is the dreamier of the three. His title track (co-written with Snydman) is adventuresome, pretty and nebulous. Chris Pattishall plays on the covers as well as his own opener "In Joy". All three cuts are pleasant on the ears, the cover of Herbie Hancock's "Tell Me a Bedtime Story" in particular fascinates and brings strong performances from all. Snydman flexes his own compositional chops for the closer "Eternal Recurrence" dedicated to John Coltrane. The addition of saxophonist Carl Clements on two cuts with Abrams is a real bonus. The bassists do their job and groove, but keep from the limelight for the most part. Partly because all three pianists are on the same piano - there is a wonderful continuity to the album. Memorable and plenty of intrigue. Nice!

Playlist for 9-1-2015 WFCF - Vinyl!!!

Beat - jhull1

oil painting
Visit the artist's website!

Washed some more vinyl today - so that's what we'll play (especially in hour two, mixed with some new jazz). Mel Tormé, Ray Charles, Larry Coryell, Les Brown, Freddie Hubbard & some more from that Bethlehem's Best 3 lp set! Plus great cuts from Johnny Smith, Hank Mobley, Charles Mingus, new music from Lorraine Feather & much more! Tune in today (Tuesday 9/1) from 3-7 EDT online by clicking here. Say hi and follow the show on Twitter, too! See you then - Kendo 

 

Hour One:

Arturo O'Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra - "Second Line Soca" (2014)

Mike LeDonne - "Awwlright!" - Awwlright! (2015)

    3:15 Jazz Coffee Break

Johnny Hartman - "Isn't It Romantic" - Unforgettable Songs (1966)

Ella Fitzgerald - "Azure" - Sings the Duke Ellington Song Book (1957)

Dan Jordan - "Triste" - Pure Joy (2015)

Mike Pope - "Out of the Ether" - Cold Truth, Warm Heart (2011)

Alex Snydman - "Tell Me a Bedtime Story" - Fortunate Action (2012)

Cal Tjader - "This Can't Be Love" - Mambo with Tjader (1954)

Brother Jack McDuff - "The Vibrator" - Down Home Style (1969)

Marlena Shaw - "You're My Everything" - Dangerous (1996)

Ray Brown's All Stars - "Smoky Hollow Blues" - Dizzy Gillespie Odyssey 1945-1952 (1946)

Hour Two:

Freddie Hubbard - "Ride Like the Wind" - Ride Like the Wind (1981)

Dee Dee Bridgewater - "Congo Square" - Dee Dee's Feathers (2014)

fun combination!

Mel Torme/Rob McConnell and the Boss Brass - "Just Friends" - Mel Torme/Rob McConnell and the Boss Brass (1986)

Donald Vega - "Sweet Lady" - With Respect to Monty (2014)

Ray Charles - "I Didn't Know What Time It Was" - I'm All Yours Baby (1969)

Kamasi Washington - "Final Thought" - The Epic (2014)

Les Brown and his Band of Renown - "King Porter Stomp" - Swing Song Book (1959)

Antonio Adolfo - "SamboJazz" - Tema (2015)

Bobby Hutcherson - "Clockwise" - Conception: The Gift of Love (1979)

Hour Three:

Wilkins & Allen Quartet - "Without You" - Petty Theft (2001) Ride Home!

A Coryell classic!

Lorraine Feather - "Be My Muse" - Flirting With Disaster (2015)

Hank Mobley - "Flirty Gerty" - Hi Voltage (1967)Lennie Tristano - "Wow" - Classics in Jazz (1949)

Jim Martinez - "Surfin' Snoopy" - Good Grief! It's Still Jim Martinez (2015)

Cecile McLorin Salvant - "Fog" - For One to Love (2015)

Charles Mingus - "Better Get Hit In Your Soul" - Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus (1963)

Judy Wexler - "They Say It's Spring" - What I See (2013)

Hour Four:

Larry Coryell - "Improvisations on Robert De Visee's Menuet II" - The Restful Mind (1975)

Johnny Smith - "What's New" - In a Mellow Mood (1954)Henri René - "'S Wonderful" - Compulsion to Swing (1958)

Bobby Hutcherson - "Maiden Voyage" - Happenings (1966)

Frances Faye - "They Can't Take That Away From Me" - Bethlehem's Best

very fascinating 3 lp set!

(comp.)

Milt Hinton - "Pick and Pat" - Bethlehem's Best (comp.)

Max Bennett - "Just Max" - Bethlehem's Best (comp.)

Terri Lyne Carrington - "For You to Love" - The Mosaic Project: Love and Soul (2015)

Cory Weeds - "Condition Blue" - Condition Blue (2014)

Donald Byrd - "Weasil" - Fancy Free (1969)

Long-Ass Car Ride Review - Mike Pope!

 Long-Ass Car Ride Reviews: I take long-ass car rides, I listen to albums, I let you know if they are worthwhile.

Mike Pope - "Cold Truth, Warm Heart" (2011) 8/10

In a word - keeper

Mike Pope - basses, Seamus Blake - tenor sax, Joe Locke - vibes, Geoffrey Keezer - pianos, Alan Blackman - piano on "Prelude...", Mauricio Zottarelli - drums, Lydia Courtney - add. vibes on "Ether".  

Once in a while you come across an album that unexpectedly lands itself in your regular listening rotation. "Cold Truth, Warm Heart" has melodies fancy and cool, a distinctive sound thanks to the addition of Joe Locke on vibes (and a well-parlayed assortment of tonal combinations), a variety of approaches not heard on many jazz releases today, and a great band of name players who are giving full-throttle performances.

Best tracks: all of them. "Prelude in E Min Op. 28 No. 4 (Chopin)". Pope expands certain measures of the piece, and gives a heartfelt, wonderful demonstration of his massive skill on electric bass, obviously influenced by Patitucci. (Who isn't?) "Bare Minimum" is highly reminiscent of mid 70's Bobby Hutcherson/George Cables angularity, very satisfying swing! "Out of the Ether" is descriptively titled, beautiful dreamy stuff. "Shadow of a Doubt" is a showcase for both Seamus Blake's hot tenor and a Geoffrey Keezer two-fisted piano and rhodes tirade! The opening title track sports a neat phrase, and has the classy move of Pope taking the last solo - it's a good one. Gliere's "Romance" becomes an enchanting mid-tempo ballad handled delicately. "RAL and Tonto" makes nice use of a fascinating vibes and bass combo on the melody, Keezer takes a monster solo on Rhodes with tremendous support from drummer Mauricio Zotterelli. LOTS of good music on this release - a new millennium keeper!

InstaCollection - The Jazz Classics

InstaCollection! - start or freshen up your jazz collection with DJ Kendo recommendations! Buy downloads for your phone/pc using the handy links below or just load the titles into your favorite music streaming service!

Here you go! This week's installation of the Instacollection features 5 of the

most renowned jazz tracks of all time, just in case you're a newbie to jazz or

Dave Brubeck
photo by William "PoPsie" Randolph

just in case you overlooked one of them! Not to mention it's 37+ minutes of the best jazz for $5.

"Blue Rondo ala Turk" from Dave Brubeck Quartet's deservingly ultra-famous "Time Out" album is both a marvel and a thing of beauty. Highly original usage of 9/8 time is mixed with the blues and performed with grace and coolness. Saxophonist Paul Desmond and Brubeck both demonstrate high musicality and an ease with the (then) new and foreign meter. | Bobby Timmon's gospel infused "Moanin'" took Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers to a new level of stardom. Catchy & memorable with it's "amen" responses, high energy and Blakey's relentless swing groove, making this blowing session a winner. | "Kind of Blue" is the most popular jazz album of all time by the most famous jazz musician of all time. Miles Davis' "So What" also uses call and response, but with a whole new level of subtlety and cool. From Bill Evans/Paul Chambers dramatic opening, to the famous bass riff, on to Coltrane at the height of his own self-discovery, to Miles' economical drama; this cut introduced the whole world to the best facets of modal jazz. | Charles Mingus' "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" features 3 tenor saxes in tribute to the recently departed Lester Young. Showcasing Mingus' genius for usage of the blues scale over a vast array of harmony, his sharp ability as a bandleader and his firm grasp of jazz past - this tune never loses it's fascinating appeal. | Everything he had been experimenting with, reaching for and discovering came together in John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme: Acknowledgement". Beautiful melodies, intensity, and a spiritual searching mark this track as most people's favorite Coltrane recording, backed with his classic quartet of McCoy Tyner on piano, Elvin Jones on drums and Jimmy Garrison on bass - all giving full support and enthusiasm. Be prepared to have the vocal hook stuck in your head. These tracks will make you something of a expert on what makes jazz so wonderful, as well as someone who is able to recognize the sound of these five jazz household names. Enjoy!

Playlist for 8-25-2014 WFCF - Jazz Greats!

"Rhapsody Soothes" - artJMOB
acrylic
Visit the artist's website!

Just having fun today - spinning a bunch of the albums I've reviewed lately along with some classics and favorites! Hour two should be a good time - a mix of old vinyl and new releases. Tune in online by clicking here. Say hey on the Twitter! See you then (3-7pm eastern) - Kendo







Hour One:

George Cables - "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" - In Good Company (2015)

Giacomo Gates - "If I Were You, Baby, I'd Love Me" - Everything Is Cool (2015)

    3:15 Jazz Coffee Break

Judy Wexler - "Convince Me" - What I See (2013)

Judy Wexler

Adam Schroeder - "In The Middle of a Kiss" - Let's (2013)

Ed Reed - "Baby Baby All the Time" - I'm a Shy Guy (2013)

Fred Hersch and Julian Lage - "Free Flying" - Free Flying (2013)

Steve Wilson|Lewis Nash - "Freedom Jazz Dance" - Duologue (2013)

Wilkins & Allen Quartet - "Let's Get Lost" - Petty Theft (2001)

Ella Fitzgerald - "I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart" - Sings the Duke ellington Song Book (1957)

Cal Tjader - "Cherry" - Mambo With Tjader (1954)

Cal Tjader - "Sonny Boy" - Mambo With Tjader (1954)
 
Hour Two:

Stan Getz & Luiz Bonfa - "O Morro Nao Tem Vez" - Jazz Samba Encore! (1963)

Jim Martinez - "Bang! (for Derrick Bang)" - Good Grief! (2015)

Sarah Vaughan - "Ain't Misbehavin" - in Hi Fi (comp 1955)

Antonio Adolfo

Antonio Adolfo - "Alegria for All" - Tema (2015)

Chris Connor - "Blue Silhouette" - Bethlehem's Best (comp.)

Conte Candolli - "Tune for Tex" - Bethlehem's Best (comp.)

Donald Vega - "Eleuthera" - With Respect to Monty (2014)

Howard McGhee - "Tweedles" - Bethlehem's Best (comp.)

Dee Dee Bridgewater - "Big Chief" - Dee Dee's Feathers (2015)

Joe Derise - "My Romance" - Bethlehem's Best (comp.)

Hour Three:

Wayne Shorter - "Footprints" - Adam's Apple (1966) Ride Home!

Dan Jordan - "Night and Day" - Pure Joy (2015)

Stan Getz - "Don't Worry 'Bout Me" - Jazz On Savoy 1957-1962

Mark Buselli - "Istanbul" - Untold Stories (2013)

J.J. Johnson - "Audobon" - Jazz On Savoy 1957-1962

Terri Lyne Carrington (with Chaka Khan) - "I'm a Fool to Want You" - The Mosaic Project: Love and Soul (2015)

Terri Lyne Carrington
photo: Tracy Lord

Andrea Wood - "Intuition" - Kaleidoscope (2014)

Johnny Smith - "I'll Remember April" - Walk Don't Run (1954)

Jack McDuff - "Groovin'" - Down Home Style (1969)

Ruby Braff - "Easy Living" - Bethlehem's Best (comp.)

Hour Four:

Jack Mouse - "Hip Check" - Range of Motion (2012)

Jack Mouse

Ray Brown's All Stars - "For Hecklers Only" - Dizzy Gillespie Odyssey 1945-1952 (1946)

Sonny Stitt & Bud Powell - "All God's Chillun Got Rhythm" - Sonny Stitt & Bud Powell (1949)

Sonny Stitt & Bud Powell - "Sonny Side" - Sonny Stitt & Bud Powell (1949)

Sonny Stitt & Bud Powell - "Bud's Blues" - Sonny Stitt & Bud Powell (1949)

Sonny Stitt & Bud Powell - "Sunset" - Sonny Stitt & Bud Powell (1949)

Bob Mintzer Big Band - "Get Up!" - Get Up! (2014)

Christian McBride Trio - "Interlude" - Live at the Village Vanguard (2014)

Johnny Hartman - "Once In a While" - Unforgettable Songs (1966)

Steve Owen - "Fall Down Seven, Stand Up Eight" - Stand Up Eight (2011)

Long-Ass Car Ride Reviews - Duets! Steve Wilson, Lewis Nash

Long-Ass Car Ride Reviews: I take long-ass car rides, I listen to albums, I let you know if they are worthwhile.

Photo (C) John Abbott

To be honest - duo albums are not usually go-to albums for me. Often there is pomposity and heaviness or just a barrenness that can't be overcome by talent. Coincidence had me grab these 2 duet albums for a driving weekend. Boy! was I ever pleased that both were so awesome. Fun & musicality prevail for both.

Superb musicians having quality fun!

Steve Wilson|Lewis Nash - "Duologue" (2013) 8.75/10
 
Steve Wilson - saxes; Lewis Nash - drums

In a word - delightful

Both the title and the artwork had me a bit worried, but this is the best album I've heard in a long while, period. It is simply delightful all the way through. There is never a moment where you miss a fuller rhythm section or harmonic bedding. A wonderful balance of lightheartedness and intrigue pervades; the only real serious moments, and they are excellent, are for the Steve Wilson originals - "Black Gold" being particularly fine with funky, quirky hooks and Wilson's brilliant soprano chops. Other highlights include lightly driving alto and drums on a bright and splendid "Jitterbug Waltz". Thelonious Monk's angular approach adapts so well to the sparsity - both medleys thrill and entice. A solo drums version of "Freedom Jazz Dance"? Genius! Lewis Nash demonstrates the sensitivity that makes him one of the best drummers on the planet today, making everything sound easy and fun. Steve Wilson's tone on both horns has beautiful appeal - his abundant flow of ideas draw you in immediately on the two opening Ellington selections. Ornette Coleman's "Happy House" was a neat and fitting choice. Then there's the sound - simply stunning (kudos, Jay Dudt); Nash's drums sound so darn good! If you buy one album in this year's set of reviews - make it this one. Very satisfying!

two jazz giants mesh!

Fred Hersch and Julian Lage - "Free Flying" (2013) 8.25/10

Fred Hersch - piano; Julian Lage - guitar

In a word - lightness

There is of course more headiness involved with this duo than the above album, but surprisingly "Free Flying" is also mostly a lighthearted and occasionally whimsical affair. The empathy displayed in the opening "Song Without Words #4: Duet" is astonishing; especially considering these two only met in 2011. The sound at the club Kitano is so right for the timbre presented; I remember being surprised to hear applause at the end of this one - not at all sounding like a 'live' album. "Down Home (for Bill Frissell)" is appropriately bluesy/gospelly, but much more uplifting and good-spirited than anything Frissell has put out! All of the Fred Hersch dedicated originals are slyly fitting. "Free Flying" is an exceptional work; playful, puckish and memorable - all the while the tightness of Hersch & Lage is jaw-dropping. The audience is particularly dazzled by this one and the similarly clever, bluesy "Stealthiness". "Gravity's Pull" and a heartfelt but airborn "Beatrice" (Sam River's haunting classic) are the best cuts; there is just so much improvisatory talent here, as well as very astute comping behind one another. The closing "Monk's Dream" also wows. Hopefully these two will continue to record together - this is nearly perfect modern jazz.