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Andrew Hill: Point Of Departure
by Greg Simmons
The folks at Music Matters have been reissuing classic Blue Note albums of the 1950s and 1960s at an aggressive clip, and have been careful to include virtually every style of music the label recorded, including some of its more challenging material. Pianist Andrew Hill's Point of Departure (1964) will never be mistaken for light cocktail ...
Eric Reed: Something Beautiful
by Greg Simmons
Eric Reed's Something Beautiful is well-named: a collection of mostly standards, delivered with sensitive hands and unerring taste. The pianist shows a knack for choosing great material, mostly staying away from jazz's grossly overplayed warhorses in favor of lesser-known material that is, nonetheless, classic and elegant. The album offers a unified atmosphere of down- ...
Thad Jones: The Magnificent Thad Jones
by Greg Simmons
Trumpeter Thad Jones' greatest notoriety was as a member and leader of large ensembles, including the Count Basie Orchestra and later the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra. But as great as his big band work was, it's a shame he didn't dedicate more time to small combos. He recorded a handful of really first-rate dates for Blue ...
The Eric Ineke Jazzxpress: Jazz XL
by Greg Simmons
Straight-ahead and alternatively swinging and blue, The Eric Ineke Jazzxpress' Jazz XL delivers a terrific performance through first-rate material treated with energetic, loving respect. Some of jazz's great composers are represented, with performances of material by Xavier Cugat, Johnny Griffin, and the ubiquitous Thelonious Monk, showing admiration for the tunes, overlain with top-notch individual performances. Culled ...
Horace Silver: Song For My Father
by Greg Simmons
Horace Silver Song For My Father Blue Note Records 1963 The nice thing about reissuing classic, fifty year-old records is the benefit of hindsight; delving into a well-established catalog that's been lauded for decades helps ensure that every release will be desirable. The classic Blue Note Records catalog of the ...
Jimmy Owens: The Monk Project
by Greg Simmons
Thelonious Monk is not suffering from inattention in 2011; it seems, in fact, that he's having a great year, for someone who died in 1982. His singularly quirky tunes have become the staples of hundreds of set lists, and it's hard to swing a dead cat in a record store without hitting dozens of new releases ...
Kenny Dorham: Una Mas
by Greg Simmons
Trumpeter Kenny Dorham's Una Mas was one of 1963's best records. The thought of hearing it reissued on ultra-high quality vinyl by the good folks at Music Matters should make jazz heads swoon. With its melding of hard-bop, bossa nova, and the blues, Una Mas is a prime example of the memorable vamps that Blue Note ...
Enrico Rava Quintet: Tribe
by Greg Simmons
Italian trumpet virtuoso Enrico Rava masters improvised atmospheric landscapes on Tribe. His thick, dark horn quests for firm structure and often, not finding anything solid, rolls back and forth over the rhythm section as it collaboratively meanders through the soundscape. Being drawn into the adventure is almost irresistible. “Amnesia" sets the expectation that this ...
Houston Person: So Nice
by Greg Simmons
Mom's meatloaf is wonderfully predictable. You always know what you're going to get, and after decades, you've come to rely on it. Why? Because there's something intimately reassuring about knowing that when you go back for more, it's the same as the last time. A recipe change would be simply unthinkable. It's comfort food. Oh, and ...
Sam Rivers: Fuchsia Swing Song
by Greg Simmons
The Music Matters reissue of saxophonist Sam Rivers' Fuchsia Swing Song is likely the finest pressing of this record ever produced. Remastered from the original two- track tapes, and pressed on two 180 gram 45 rpm LPs, this vinyl is dead quiet, and sonically stunning. The instruments are huge in the soundstage and the clarity blows ...
