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Recording

Lars Gullin: Swede and Low

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
May 18, 2017

Lars Gullin was a giant of jazz who just happened to be from Sweden. He should be thought of on the same level as other 1950s baritone saxophonists who excelled in small groups, including Gerry Mulligan, Serge Chaloff, Jimmy Giuffre and Bob Gordon, among others. Gullin's dry, lyrical tone was probably closest to Mulligan's and Gordon's. What's interesting is that Gullin's tone pre-dated West Coast jazz. His cool-jazz sound dates back to 1951, and my guess it was influenced by ...

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Recording

William Parker Quartet & In Order To Survive Double-Album To Be Released June 23 On AUM Fidelity

Source: Steven Joerg
May 17, 2017

Meditation / Resurrection is a double-album presenting a bounty of beautiful new William Parker compositions performed by two of his flagship ensembles, the Quartet-&- In Order To Survive. It was recorded & mixed live during a one-day studio session in late 2016. This is Parker & the groups’ followup release to 2013’s epic Wood Flute Songs box set. At the core of both groups is Parker’s foundational bass together with rhythm twin, the incomparable Hamid Drake. Their partnership–two decades deep ...

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Recording

Christian Chevallier: Formidable!

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
May 17, 2017

We've been bouncing around the world this week as I highlight worthy albums by non-U.S. jazz artists with whom you may be unfamiliar. Today is no exception. Christian Chevallier is barely known in the States, yet he's one of the finest French big band arrangers of the 1950s. What set Chevallier apart was his ability to produce American-style big band arrangements and rehearse French bands so they sounded like Hollywood studio musicians. I guarantee that if I gave you a ...

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Recording

Joe Harriott; Free Form

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
May 16, 2017

Yesterday I posted about Jamaican tenor saxophonist Wilton Gaynair. Today, I want to hip you to Jamaican alto saxophonist Joe Harriott. Like Gaynair, Harriott was educated at the Alpha Boys School in Kingston. And like Gaynair, Harriott moved to Europe, but instead of relocating to Germany, he settled in the U.K. in 1951 and became a Charlie Parker-influenced bebop player. But in the mid-1950s, Harriott began thinking about free-form jazz—music without measures or set melodies. In Nov. 1960, Harriott recorded ...

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Recording

Wilton Gaynair: Blue Bogey

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
May 15, 2017

Jamaica in the 1950s and '60s produced many great jazz musicians. The list includes Monty Alexander, Don Shirley, Harold McNair, Montego Joe, Dizzy Reece and Ralph McDonald. But the list is long, and there were many others with whom you may be less familiar. One of them is Wilton “Bogey" Gaynair, a mighty tenor saxophonist with a slippery-smokey feel reminiscent of Gene Ammons and Lucky Thompson. When you hear Gaynair, you'll find you're immediately taken by the size of his ...

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Recording

Sérgio Mendes: Brasil '66

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
May 12, 2017

Suffering from poor albums sales as a jazz-bossa pianist at Atlantic Records in 1965, Sérgio Mendes decided to listen to a recommendation made by Richard Adler, a producer at A&M Records. Adler, who would become Mendes's partner, urged him to keep his Brazilian feel but bring on American female vocalists to sing contemporary pop hits in English. So Mendes gave it a shot at A&M, and the result was the Brasil '66. Their first album, Herb Alpert Presents Sergio Mendes ...

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Recording

Nicki Parrott Digs Blossom

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
May 11, 2017

Nicki Parrott is special. In addition to being a warm, smart singer, she's also a bassist. An interesting combination, which means as a singer she can swing in time. And as a bassist, she's lyrical. I must say that when her new CD, Dear Blossom: A Tribute to Blossom Dearie (Arbors), crossed my desk, I was a little apprehensive. Dearie is a dangerous pianist-singer to take on. Her hip, girlish vocal style developed during a lengthy stay in Paris in ...

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Recording

Belgian Jazz: 1950-1970

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
May 8, 2017

I've never been a big fan of jazz sampler albums. Samplers provide you with an overview of a jazz period by featuring many different artists and the songs that made them famous. Most samplers are invariably dull, loaded up with filler that was inexpensive to license. Instead of providing a service, they generally turn off audiences new to the music. One set that defies this trend and is one of the most rewarding survey albums I've heard in years is ...

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