Cary Kilner's Picks: Volume 53
Kenny Barron Quintet – Until Then This is a very pretty bossa nova, played without any histrionics – totally relaxed, just as should be the case. https://youtu.be/EYwiqL6eDho Dave Holland Trio with Jon Blake and Kenny Barron – Porto Alegre Here’s another nice example of Kenny’s playing on a samba. He’s a real veteran going back to recordings with Freddie Hubbard. https://youtu.be/CreMx42XroM Art Blakey – For Miles and Miles Here’s a very early Jazz Messengers’ ensemble demonstrating Blakey’s classic “press rolls” on his snare drum, on a classic medium tempo hard-bop tune. Great sidemen on this – Bill Hardman on trumpet sounding just like Lee Morgan (or vice versa) and Johnny Griffin on tenor. Junior Mance bebop pianist, doing just fine. https://youtu.be/vf19w39_GBw Regina Carter – Pavane This well-known impressionistic tune by Ravel has great changes as a jazz tune as you shall hear. Playing “classical music” tunes is often a dead end for jazz musicians, but this one works. And Regina has a beautiful sound. Note her effective use of harmonics on the instrument. https://youtu.be/vhhg6kra9ao Jean Luc-Ponty – You've Changed Besides his exquisite sound on this early European recording, we have exquisite recording quality and an exquisite European rhythm section. Listen closely to how Ponty uses harmonics at the very end of the tune – something priceless that was lost in his playing during his electronic period. Particularly note the dynamics and how carefully the performance evolves. Wolfgang Dauner is an exceptional pianist, with a very “American” sound, unlike the stiffness often accorded to European jazz pianists. And Neils Henning Orsted-Pederson on bass went on to play for a while with the Oscar Peterson Trio. Daniel Humair is very fluid and tasty on drums; it’s an exceptional group all around. https://youtu.be/p1OgbMQrl0o Bill O’Connell – Rhapsody in Blue Here’s another very interesting example of a treatment of a symphonic warhorse that works. And it’s an interesting instrumentation with seven players and a nice Latin percussion framework. Bill is a great pianist I may not have previously included. https://youtu.be/bzrwKjHvvZ0 Bill Charlap – America (from West Side Story) Another classic American tune, I don’t quite understand the short bass solo introduction. I think it is meant to set up the obbligato he plays throughout the song. The performance is mostly about that repeated vamp, unlike the usual Charlap trio tunes I have suggested that move through typical chordal patterns – i.e. harmonic cycles. https://youtu.be/rTAmxNseWs8 Michael Dease BB – Autumn Leaves This has an interesting trombone presentation in the beginning, using horn harmonics as opposed to the harmonics that are much easier to obtain on stringed instruments. And then a nice Latin treatment to the introduction that does not portend the typical medium swing treatment of the tune that ensues. You’ll like the baritone saxophone player – it’s a very difficult instrument to make sound good in a jazz context. And some great ensemble playing as well. Then a vocalist sneaks in at the very end with a recap of the Latin introduction. https://youtu.be/EPNWI4UIEh8 John Fedchock New York BB – Just Squeeze Me This is another great new trombone player; I’ve suggested him to you previously. You have to love the sound of this big band, although it is more a feature for the baritone sax player as you will hear. https://youtu.be/Iaa8tHR2y1g Johnny Britt and Peter White – After We Play This is some nice funk with a jazz polish. The tune is basically a 4-bar vamp that repeats, but the sound is sweet so we don’t mind. This shows a jazzier side to him I hadn’t heard – and is the epitome of taste. Johnny is a great flugelhorn player, reminding me of Chris Botti and Rick Braun. You’ll hear the electric bass playing subtly back in the mix, so you’ll have to crank up the bass to get that great bottom effect and hear his snaps and pops. https://youtu.be/NU8-fI2VQoM Christian Tamburr – Sailing Serenity With Eric Reed on piano, another of my favorites, and Tamburr’s vibes, we encounter another gorgeous bossa nova. And it is structurally a very interesting tune. https://youtu.be/phRdJ8OqLj0 Bela Fleck & Marcus Roberts – That Old Thing Here’s a real treat for all of you to end the column. Bela’s banjo playing is so unique and musical. And he works so well with Marcus. Enough said. https://youtu.be/dxAh02CXE7g |