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Behn Gillece: Pivot Point
by David A. Orthmann
Anyone who has listened to at least some of the Posi-Tone releases from the past several years will recognize the personnel on Pivot Point: vibraphonist Behn Gillece 's eighth date as a leader. Tenor/soprano saxophonist Willie Morris,, pianist Jon Davis, bassist Boris Kozlov and drummers Rudy Royston and Jason Tiemann have made substantial contributions to many of the label's projects situated in various points in the jazz mainstream. To put it bluntly, these guys are incapable of phoning it in. ...
Continue ReadingBehn Gillece: Pivot Point
by Carl Medsker
Posi-Tone will have released 253 albums in its post-bop contemporary mainstream jazz space with Pivot Point by Behn Gillece. Maintaining freshness and avoiding formula could become a creative challenge for any such productive label, but Gillece avoids that potential pitfall through well-written songs, crafty arrangements and excellent musicianship. The sequencing of songs is also thoughtful, varying in meter, style and emotion. Pivot Point is sufficiently complex and intelligent to warrant multiple listenings, but is simultaneously lots of fun.
Continue ReadingGinetta's Vendetta: Fun Size
by Richard J Salvucci
Sometimes, it is best to ignore a recording's graphics and just concentrate on the music. This is really the case with Ginetta's Vendetta Fun Size which well-intentioned or not, is apt to lead to a double entendre misunderstanding. Ginetta Minichiello may be short of stature, coming in at 5 feet (1.5 meters) and uses a pocket trumpet, but she can play some. You may not be inclined to forget any of the standard luminaries of the ...
Continue ReadingWillie Morris: Unbound Inner
by David A. Orthmann
Willie Morris's third release as a leader for Posi-Tone opens with the haunting “Flyover Country," which only includes the leader's tenor saxophone and pianist Jon Davis. Combining improvisation and Morris's earnest, subdued theme, the two-minute 25-second gem doesn't declare any particular stylistic allegiance, nor does it clamor for attention. Instead, Morris's and Davis's partnership evokes a pristine stillness and wistful melancholy yet is purposeful enough to get under one's skin. The track is a refreshing, counterintuitive way to launch a ...
Continue ReadingWillie Morris: Unbound Inner
by Willie Morris
This album is a culmination of much more than just the compositions, the solos, or the time spent in the studio. It is the coming together of many years of life experience between the musicians featured, the producers, the engineers, and hopefully the listeners. It is a small piece added to an ongoing stream of conscious and unconscious desire to find peace within and fully allow ourselves to embody and express who we are. This music centers on people, their ...
Continue ReadingBlue Moods: Force & Grace
by David A. Orthmann
Blue Moods' Force & Grace is the third in a series of Posi-Tone releases in which music of under-recognized jazz composers is given a fair shake by bands comprised of some of the label's leading lights. This time around, the group features 12 compositions by Freddie Hubbard, a figure revered for his prowess as a trumpeter, to the neglect of his talent as a writer. The material receives straightforward no-frills treatments, making it easier to savor Hubbard's penchant for writing ...
Continue ReadingWillie Morris: Attentive Listening
by David A. Orthmann
Attentive Listening, Willie Morris 's second Posi-Tone release in as many years, documents the continuing evolution of a jazz master in the making. Like last year's Conversation Starter, the tenor saxophonist/composer thrives in the stimulating company of alto saxophonist/alto flutist Patrick Cornelius and pianist Jon Davis. Bassist Boris Kozlov and drummer Rudy Royston round out a rhythm section that fuels the record's impressive reach. Early on, Morris' “Water Fountain Of Youth" and “The Imitation Game" are up-tempo ...
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