mjzee

Release date June 30: A Time To Remember is a continuation of the special synergy that inhabited Elina Duni's acclaimed Lost Ships and finds her regrouping with that album's quartet of guitarist Rob Luft, Matthieu Michel on flugelhorn and Fred Thomas on percussion and piano. The notion of `time' pulls through the program like a theme, connecting music from different parts of the world - traditionals, popular songs and original compositions - in performances of deep lyricism but also fleet-footed folklore. CD Softpak.

Full of inventiveness and a sense of adventure... - Stephen Scott. Over his 20 years as a jazz pianist, Keigo Hirakawa has transformed himself into an artist with vision and a unique sense of expression. Born in Japan and raised in Ohio, he was trained in New York, Boston, and Princeton under the mentorship of Danilo Perez, Cecil McBee, Anthony Branker and many others. His other career, as a professor of electrical & computer engineering, brought him back to Ohio where he's also found inspiration in the region's rich musical scene. His 8 highly crafted compositions come to life under the hands of the musicians who inspired them - the dynamic Detroit-based rhythm duo of drummer Alex White and master bassist Bob Hurst, along with Cincinnati's Brandon Scott Coleman on guitar and Detroit reed master Rafael Statin.

Release date June 16: David Virelles presents an eagerly awaited debut album with this superb trio on Intakt Records. Born in Santiago de Cuba, the pianist and composer has established himself on the international jazz scene with his Afro-Cuban influenced keyboard artistry and has made a name for himself with numerous collaborations with artists such as Henry Threadgill, Andrew Cyrille, Chris Potter, Wadada Leo Smith, Tom Harrell, Milford Graves and Ravi Coltrane, among others. Eight of the nine compositions on Carta are penned by Virelles and all open doors to free interpretation and development. Oscillating between composition and improvisation, this trio brings together three of the most influential voices in contemporary US jazz. Carta was recorded at the legendary Rudy van Gelder Studio, and in lieu of liner notes, poet Malik Crumpler has contributed a poem inspired by the music on the album and by his conversations with the musicians.

Release date July 7: Rising star Jalen Baker takes the helm for the 6th release in Cellar Music's black artist led series curated by Jeremy Pelt. 'Be Still' is an album about reflection and new beginnings that showcases Baker's exceptional skills as both a vibraphonist and composer. He is joined in this memorable quartet by Paul Cornish on piano, Gabe Godoy on bass and Gavin Moolchan on drums.

Release date June 9: Roscoe Mitchell Orchestra performs two masterpieces for the Fault Zone Festival April 21 2022. Distant Radio Transmission Fault Zone and Sustain and Run Ii features Roscoe on Alto Sax, James Fei on Synth, vocalist Thomas Buckner and a stellar thirty piece orchestra.. Also from the festival is Cards in 3D colors a duet written by Mr Mitchell for Piano and Violin and two Pieces from Space Trio

Release date May 19: Listeners will definitely “Get A Grip” when producer Marc Free enlists the able and few trusted “Idle Hands” to help him assemble the second release in this visionary series of demand building records. Highlighted by the handiwork of a carefully curated group of Posi-Tone artists, this engagingly entertaining album features front line performances from guitarist Will Bernard, vibraphonist Behn Gillece, and saxophonist Donny McCaslin playing over the solid harmonic foundation of pianist Art Hirahara, bassist Boris Kozlov and drummer EJ Strickland. Building upon the "Solid Moments" of the first Idle Hands release, "Get A Grip" features a focused musical program of succinct performances deliberately intended to provide listeners with a strong handhold on the straight forward musical aesthetics and operational ethos employed by Posi-Tone. So while these players grab on steadily to express the richness of the compositions, jazz fans everywhere are invited to relax and experience the wondrous tonalities of these “Idle Hands” as they work cooperatively to help listeners "Get A Grip" on all of the joyous interplay of sounds that make jazz one the most exciting and engaging music in the world today. Release date June 30: Get ready to be transported into a world of mystery and intrigue with "Book of Secrets," the latest release from alto saxophonist Patrick Cornelius. Cornelius's soaring melodies and intricate improvisations are perfectly complemented by his fellow musicians ― Behn Gillece on vibraphone, Art Hirahara on piano, Peter Slavov on bass, and Vinnie Sperrazza on drums ― all working together to create a seamless and mesmerizing listening experience. With its lush harmonies, intricate rhythms, and dazzling solos, "Book of Secrets" takes the listener on a thrilling journey through a musical landscape that is at once familiar and yet uncharted. So whether one is a seasoned jazz aficionado or just newly discovering the genre, "Book of Secrets" is sure to captivate listeners, engage imaginations and inspire bright moments!

Release date June 23:

Release date June 16: ... superb melodic interpreters... The session's program choices prove ideal for each trumpeter's upper register flurries, dips and octave leaps... Rather than an instrumental battle or cutting contest, East-West Trumpet Summit" underlines the artistry that results when great musicians from diverse backgrounds find common ground... " JazzTimes. With their fiery 2010 quintet release "East-West Trumpet Summit," trumpeters Ray Vega and Thomas Marriott's inspired partnership resonated with jazz audiences and quickly hit #1 on the airplay charts. Now with their third installment celebrating the fabled tradition of Fats Navarro/Howard McGhee and Freddie Hubbard/Woody Shaw recordings, the duo brings along Philadelphia's own, Orrin Evans on piano, the legendary Roy McCurdy from Los Angeles on drums, and Seattle bassist Michael Glynn for a set that ranges from George Cables, Don Cherry, and Mingus penned tunes, to originals by Marriott and a couple of Great American Songbook ballads. As with it's predecessors, this album swings from "Coast to Coast!" "... brimming with creative imagination, technical fluency, and a deep respect for the jazz tradition." - INTERNATIONAL TRUMPET GUILD

Release date June 2: The art of constructing a solo recording is the ultimate challenge for most musicians. Pianist Benny Green believes that the challenge provides the ultimate inspiration, as he is free to take the music in whatever direction he chooses. For his first solo recording in twenty years, simply named Solo, Green finds himself reflecting on pieces by pianists who have inspired him over the decades.Over his career, Green has solidified himself as one of jazz music's premier piano stylists. His command of the bebop, post-bop, and swing styles was harnessed and cemented through years of study and apprenticeship alongside the music's best, including jazz masters Walter Bishop, Jr., Oscar Peterson, and Art Blakey, with whom he played as a member of the legendary Jazz Messengers.The pandemic allowed Benny Green to reassess his goals and approach to music. It also allowed him time to further investigate the music of his heroes so that he could reinterpret them on his new recording, Solo.

Release date June 23: As a cornerstone of what is now called World Music, the vision and virtuosity of Shakti has inspired generations of musicians from around the world to explore sonic hybrids once thought impossible. Born of the musical and spiritual brotherhood shared by the revolutionary British guitarist and bandleader John McLaughlin and master Indian percussionist Zakir Hussain, Shakti's soulful, organic intermingling of Eastern and Western musical traditions has proven transformative for both the band's members and it's listeners. Fifty years after the informal conversations and jam sessions that sparked the band into existence, their music continues to resonate and evolve. This Moment - Shakti's first new studio album in more than 45 years, will be released on CD via Abstract Logix on June 23, 2023 and later on vinyl LP. A work of immense depth and radiant optimism, This Moment offers a set of new compositions and performances that burn with a rare intensity born out of passion. With McLaughlin (guitar, guitar synth) and Hussain (tabla) joined by vocalist Shankar Mahadevan, violinist Ganesh Rajagopalan, and percussionist Selvaganesh Vinayakram, the Shakti of now is a powerfully dynamic collective, defined by deft interplay, dazzling unison passages, extraordinarily dexterous improvisations, and the ability to draw from a vast well of global traditions and, miraculously, put them in conversation with one another. Despite the large gap in their studio discography, Shakti has persisted intermittently over the years as a live proposition, releasing several concert recordings. "Shakti is very much a 'live' band, " explains McLaughlin. "A part of the problem with making a studio recording has always been the fact that we live on different continents, and we all follow our individual careers – in addition to working together in Shakti. This Moment is the result of me calling everyone in the fall of 2021 and persuading them to use today's recording technology to realize it." Recorded and mixed in the U.S., Monaco, India, and Great Britain, This Moment is nevertheless cohesive, bound by the deeply held bond shared by the players - a bond that is audibly apparent across the album's eight tracks. The compositions making up This Moment each pass through a series of connected movements, highlighting different vocal and instrumental sub-groups within Shakti while transitioning between taut thematic statements, riveting solos from McLaughlin and Rajagopalan, invigorating rhythmic shifts, and soaring vocal passages by Mahadevan. The increased use of vocals – both sung and konokol (a Southern Indian tradition of spoken percussion) - gives today's Shakti a new degree of warmth, humanity, and universality. McLaughlin's contributions are remarkable in their ability to reconcile the great Ragas of North and South India with a chromaticism born of jazz and the blues, and the speed and precision of his articulation remains exhilarating. The engine room of Hussain and Vinayakram (son of original Shakti ghatam player T.H. "Vikku" Vinayakram) gives space to allow passages to breathe and resound, while equally capable of fomenting a roiling, galloping underpinning that push the soloists to increasingly ecstatic heights. For founders McLaughlin and Hussain, Shakti's astonishing longevity – along with a legacy that has affected musicians and audiences around the world – is met with humility and gratitude. But while recognizing the group's past achievements, Shakti continues to evolve, as demonstrated so compellingly on This Moment. "You could say that we have returned to elements of an older Shakti sound by bringing back the violin, " reflects Hussain. "In some ways it completes the circle. But the musical mindset that the artists in the group bring to the table reveals many layers of creative thought that we in our initial incarnation did not have the time nor the means to explore. And now, the decades of individual music experiences we all have had poured into this gathering's offering has resulted in an extraordinary depth to the sound and interaction of this band." "I have been working and playing with Tabla maestro Zakir Hussain for 50 years, and with Shankar Mahadevan for 20 years, " McLaughlin concludes. "I can say categorically that their influence on me as a musician and human being is without equal. It's really a thrill, and I'm delighted to be part of this marvelous tradition of the Shakti group."

Release date June 23: Track Listings 1 Latino Suite (Live at Montreux Jazz Festival 1986) - By McCoy Tyner All Stars 2 Eternally Yours (Live at Montreux Jazz Festival 1981) 3 Fly with the Wind (Live at Montreux Jazz Festival 2009) - By McCoy Tyner Trio 4 Walk Spirit, Talk Spirit (Live at Montreux Jazz Festival 1981) 5 Ask Me Now (Live at Montreux Jazz Festival 1986) - By McCoy Tyner All Stars 6 African Village (Live at Montreux Jazz Festival 2009) - By McCoy Tyner Trio 7 Ballad for Aisha (Live at Montreux Jazz Festival 2009) - By McCoy Tyner Trio

Perlman DG box, disc 12.

Correct!

Correct! Correct! The line up is even better than as Discogs reports: Stan Getz, ts; Hubert Laws, flute; Woody Shaw, tp; Arthur Blythe, as; Dexter Gordon, Jimmy Heath, ts; Bobby Hutcherson, marimba; Cedar Walton, p, arr; Percy Heath, b; Tony Williams, d; Willie Bobo, perc. Havana, Cuba, 3/3/79. Correct! Always good to throw some Blue Note tracks into a BFT. Correct again! It is Teddy Edwards on tenor; not his date, though. Correct! Great sleuthing and comments from all. Keep 'em coming!

This sounds ominous. I hope all is OK.

Kevin, I’m so sorry to hear of your loss. Losing a parent is never easy. May you remember the good times.

Deutsche Grammophon 111 - The Violin, disc 23. Also includes 3 tracks from:

It is Fathead, but not Mance. The pianist may surprise you. Correct! Not Geri Allen. Actually recorded in 1974. Correct on all counts!

Here's a reminder that BFT 230 is awaiting more participants!

I have the 40-CD box mentioned above. The 10-CD box is sort of a subset of the 40-CD, but is indeed missing a lot. Strangely enough, the 40-CD box skipped three sessions from 1939: October 14, 1939. Chicago. ARC-Brunswick recording session. Johnny Hodges & His Orchestra: Cootie Williams, t; Lawrence Brown, tb; Johnny Hodges, as, ss; Harry Carney, bs; Duke Ellington, p; Billy Taylor, b; Sonny Greer, d; Billy Strayhorn replaces Ellington on "Skunk Hollow Blues" & "Tired Socks." WM1096-A Vocalion 5533 C39v2:21 SGS:7/8 Skunk Hollow Blues WM1097-A Vocalion 5353 C39v2:22 SGS:7/9 I Know What You Do WM1098-A Okeh 5940 C39v2:23 SGS:7/10 Your Love Has Faded WM1099-A Vocalion 5533 C39v2:24 SGS:7/11 Tired Socks October 16, 1939. Chicago. ARC-Brunswick recording session. Duke Ellington & His Famous Orchestra: Rex Stewart, c; Wallace Jones, Cootie Williams, t; Lawrence Brown, Joe Nanton, tb; Juan Tizol, vtb; Barney Bigard, cl, ts; Johnny Hodges, as, ss; Otto Hardwick, as, cl; Harry Carney, bs, cl, as; Billy Strayhorn, p; Fred Guy, g; Billy Taylor, b; Sonny Greer, d. Duke Ellington replaces Strayhorn on "Country Gal." WM1106-A Columbia 35640 C39-40:3 Killing Myself Ivie Anderson, Billy Strayhorn, vocal WM1107-A Columbia 35640 C39-40:4 Your Love Has Faded Ivie Anderson, vocal WM1108-A Columbia 35776 C39-40:5 EsCo:1/22 Country Gal November 22, 1939. Chicago. ARC-Brunswick recording session. Barney Bigard & His Orchestra: Rex Stewart, c; Juan Tizol, vtb; Barney Bigard, cl; Harry Carney, bs; Billy Strayhorn, p; Jimmie Blanton, b; Sonny Greer, d. WM1117-A Vocalion 5378 C39-40:6 SGS:7/14 Minuet In Blues WM1118-A Vocalion 5422 C39-40:7 SGS:7/15 Lost In Two Flats WM1119-A Okeh 5663 C39-40:8 SGS:7/16 Honey Hush There may be additional missing sessions. I was able to find most of these tracks on archive.org.

RIP to one of my favorite cartoonists: https://www.dailycartoonist.com/index.php/2023/05/08/sam-gross-rip/

Decca - The Mono Years, disc 12. Also contains:

Perlman DG box, disc 11.

Deutsche Grammophon 111 - The Violin, disc 22.