Charlie Haden: Nocturne (2001 – Umvd)

When Charlie Haden took to the stage of Gartner Auditorium at the Cleveland Museum of Art, his face beamed as he scanned what was a full house of enthusiastic fans. Even before playing a note, Haden seemed compelled to mention the inspiration he had taken from many of the art works he had seen while touring the galleries at the museum earlier in the day. Then he went on to extol Cleveland’s virtues, adding that according to album sales figures, his most recent album American Dreams has sold more copies in Cleveland than in such urban centers as New York or Los Angeles.
The occasion of Haden’s appearance in Cleveland (and a rare one at that) was the performance of music from his Grammy Award-winning Nocturne and most of the original players who were involved in that project were on hand, including pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba, saxophonist David Sanchez, drummer Ignacio Berroa, and violinist Federico Britos Ruiz.
It seems that with his projects of recent years, Haden seems bent on painting with a softer hue that is often diametrically opposed to the kind of radical avant-garde stance that many associate with Haden during his formative years. The music from Nocturne is no exception, with the folkloric boleros that serve as fodder for Rubalcaba’s arrangements never making it much past your traditional ballad tempo. And therein lies the rub, because as beautiful and delicate as the music was throughout the performance, under the surface was a nagging desire to hear Haden and his cohorts break into an up-tempo romp that would dispel an irksome awareness of similitude.
One had to have just a bit of compassion for Berroa, who had limited opportunities for expressing himself much past the traditional swish-swish sound of his brushes. Sanchez, on the other hand, utilized extreme breath control in voicing his delicate statements, yet there was a burning fire smoldering just below the surface that coaxed from him some of the most radiant moments of the evening. At one point, the saxophonist even quoted a phrase from Wayne Shorter’s “Witch Hunt” as if to suggest that his thought process too was on something just a bit more extroverted. Haden’s solo opportunities were few, but he made the most of what he allowed himself, despite the fact that the decision to go for the minimal amount of amplification meant that his bass lines were often swallowed up by the rest of the ensemble.
Haden has acknowledged that his love of film noire has had a direct impact on his musical statement of the past several years. He’s clearly longing for the beauty and space that comes with the kind of lush balladic pieces that he chooses to explore. So maybe the onus is on all of us to catch up with Haden’s current developments, yet like even with the most enjoyable things in life, too much of a good thing can be a plausible certainty when taken to the extreme.
C. Andrew Hovan (All About Jazz)

Track List:
1. En la Orilla del Mundo (At the End of the World)
2. Noche de Ronda (Night of Wandering)
3. Nocturnal
4. Moonlight (Claro de Luna)
5. Yo sin Ti
6. No Te Empenes Mas (Don’t Try Anymore)
7. Transparence
8. El Ciego (The Blind)
9. Nightfall
10. Tres Palabres (Three Words)
11. Contigo en la Distancia (With you in the Distance)/ En Nosotros (In Us)

Personnel:
Charlie Haden (Bass)
Gonzalo Rualcaba (Piano)
Ignacio Berroa (Drums)
Joe Lovano (Tenor Sax) (1,4,7,11)
David Sanchez (Tenor Sax) (6,10)
Pat Metheny (Guitar) (2)
Frederico Britos Ruiz (Violin) (1,5,8)

Original Release Date: April 17, 2001  –  Label: Umvd Labels
“NOCTURNE” won the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Album.
 
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Michael Brecker: Tales from the Hudson (1996 – Grp Records)

In the crowded field of excellent tenor players, Michael Brecker rises to the top of my list. I think the thing that gives Brecker an edge over the others is the fact that he is a master of so many genres of jazz. Many people are no doubt familiar with the electric, funky side of Michael Brecker as the co-leader of the Brecker Brothers and former member of Steps Ahead. He has done significant pop dates with Paul Simon, Carly Simon, and Joni Mitchell. One could easily fill a CD collection with albums on which he has performed as a sideman in many jazz contexts.
Yet this is only his fourth CD as a leader. All of them have been in the modern, progressive, straight-ahead jazz vein. This one is, to my ears, his most successful outing yet. I think the difference is that this one is a little less “progressive” or “outside.” The melodies here are a little more accessible and memorable, yet the soloing is just as creative and adventuresome as we have come to expect from Brecker and the other jazz luminaries on this CD. The top-notch team of sidemen here are Pat Metheny on guitar, Jack DeJohnette on drums, Dave Holland on bass, and Joey Calderazzo on piano. Pianist McCoy Tyner and percussionist Don Alias are added on two tunes.
Six of the nine compositions are Brecker’s. They are varied, thoughtful, and provide great vehicles for improvisation. Metheny contributes “Bilbao” from his Travels album, Calderazzo contributes a medium tempo swinger, and “Willie T.” comes from the late pianist Don Grolnick, who produced Brecker’s first two solo albums and performed with Brecker frequently.
I would especially recommend this album to those who have come to jazz through the “new adult comtemporary” door and are ready to take the next step towards discovering what real jazz is all about.

Dave Hughes (All About Jazz)

Track List:
1. Slings and Arrows
2. Midnight Voyage
3. Song for Bilbao
4. Beau Rivage
5. African Skies
6. Introduction to Naked Soul
7. Naked Soul
8. Willie T.
9. Cabin Fever

Personnel:
Michael Brecker (tenor saxophone)
Joey Calderazzo, McCoy Tyner (piano)
Pat Metheny  (guitar)
Dave Holland (bass)
Jack DeJohnette (drums)
Don Alias (percussion)

Original Release Date: September 10, 1996  –  Label: Grp Records
Recorded at the Power Station, New York

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Gary Burton : Like Minds (1998 – Concord Records)

Gary Burton has assembled his “dream band” for LIKE MINDS. With his former protege Pat Metheny, duet partner Chick Corea, favorite drummer Roy Haynes and legendary bassist Dave Holland, Burton has formed an ensemble of staggering proportions. Giants all, this is more than a collection of “all-stars;” it is a cohesive entity. The music is performed as if by one mind and soul with five equal divisions.
The recorded results are stupendous to say the least. Original compositions by Metheny and Corea abound, as do two from Burton himself. Metheny’s “Question and Answer” gets the proceedings off to a nice start as the rich sonorities provide an elegant backdrop to some fine soloing. Corea’s delightful “Windows” is a deceptively intricate waltz that makes for some nice interplay between Burton and Metheny. Although he’s not a prolific composer, Burton’s own “Country Roads” and the jumping title track provide evidence enough that he is a master in this area as well. As an added treat, Gershwin’s “Soon” shows just what masters of this stature can do with a great old standard. Finally, Corea’s racing “Straight Up And Down” is a burning ending to this dream of a session
(From CD Universe)

Track List
1. Question and Answer
2. Elucidation
3. Windows
4. Futures
5. Like Minds
6. Country Roads
7. Tears of Rain
8. Soon 6:25
9. For a Thousand Years
10. Straight Up and Down

Personnel:
Gary Burton (vibraphone)
Pat Metheny (guitar)
Chick Corea (piano)
Dave Holland (Bass)
Roy Haynes (drums)

Original Release Date: November 3, 1998  –  Label: Concord Records

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Jaco Pastorius – Punk Jazz: The Jaco Pastorius Anthology (2003 – Rhino / Wea)

Thankfully, there is finally a definitive Jaco Pastorius anthology that offers an accurate portrait of the breadth and depth of his innovative artistry beyond what his contributions to Weather Report and his own Word of Mouth and Trio of Doom (which many would argue are sufficient in and of themselves) would suggest. This two-CD, 28-track collection ranges across the fretless bass inventor’s earliest recordings, documented by a live appearance with Wayne Cochran’s C.C. Riders and home playing the Cochran standard “Amelia,” to his work with underground R&B act Little Beaver and such artists as Pat Metheny, Mike Stern, Joni Mitchell in and out of the studio, Paul Bley, Airto and Flora Purim, Michel Columbier, Brian Melvin, and his diverse projects — including “Birdland” with Weather Report. There are three unreleased cuts — “Amelia,” an unreleased home demo of “The Chicken,” and “Good Morning Annya” from his unfinished steel drum project, Holiday for Pans. Two other cuts, “Foreign Fun” and “Okonkole y Trompa,” are on CD in the United States for the first time. Pastorius fanatics will no doubt already have everything here in one form or another. Casual listeners will be astonished by the sheer multi-dimensional nature of his limitless musicality and vision. Even those well acquainted with Pastorius will be surprised as to how well the sequencing of these tracks offers such a prismatic view of Pastorius’ growth as a bassist — check out the silky funky grooves on Little Beaver’s “I Can Dig It Baby” and the gutbucket greasy R&B of “Amelia,” as they give way to adventurous early fusion of “Batterie” with Metheny, Bley, and Bruce Ditmas. Even in abstraction, Pastorius had a groove. The more pop side of Jaco’s work is highlighted on the first disc with his contributions to Joni Mitchell’s Mingus and Shadows and Light albums, as well as his more exotic, atmospheric work with Airto and Flora. Disc two concentrates on Jaco’s innovative work as a composer for his own bands, as evidenced by “Word of Mouth,” “Liberty City,” “John and Mary,” “Chromatic Fantasy,” and “Blackbird.” Four live tracks with the big band showcase his role as a bandleader and arranger of true authority and vision. The solo “Amerika” offers a more intimate view of Pastorius as a seeker of texture and sonic subtleties. The set closes with him in trios with Mike Stern and Brian Melvin. This is a necessary package for anyone interested in the development of electric jazz in the 1970s and 1980s.
Thom Jurek, All Music Guide

Tracl List:
Disc: 1
1. The Chicken (Home Recording)
2. Amelia
3. I Can Dig It Baby
4. Batterie
5. Continuum
6. Midwestern Nights Dream
7. Foreign Fun
8. Birdland
9. Nativity
10. Las Olas
11. Sunday
12. Layas
13. Goodbye Pork Pie Hat
14. The Dry Cleaner from des Moines
15. Punk Jazz

Disc: 2
1. 3 Views of a Secret
2. Liberty City
4. Blackbird
5. Word of Mouth
6. John and Mary
7. Good Morning Anya
8. Invitation
9. Soul Intro/The Chicken
10. Amerika
11. Okonkole y Trompa
12. Mood Swings
13. Out of the Night

Personnel:
Joni Mitchell (Guitar), Joni Mitchell (Vocals), Joni Mitchell, Bob Berg (Sax (Tenor)), Paul Bley (Piano (Electric)),  Michael Brecker (Sax (Tenor)), Michael Brecker (Soloist), , Larry Carlton (Guitar (Electric)), Jack DeJohnette (Drums), Peter Erskine (Drums), Jon Faddis (Trumpet), Herbie Hancock (Piano), Hubert Laws (Flute & Alto Soprano Sax) , Albert Mangelsdorff (Trombone), Brian Melvin (Drums), Pat Metheny (Guitar), Bob Mintzer (Clarinet & Sax (Soprano & Tenor), Bob Moses (Drums), Alphonse Mouzon (Drums), , Bill Reichenbach Jr. (Trombone (Bass)), Wayne Shorter (Sax (Soprano & Tenor), Mike Stern (Guitar), Lenny White (Drums), Alex Foster (Clarinet & Sax Alto, Tenor & Soprano), Timmy Thomas (Keyboards), Emil Richard (Percussion), Don Alias (Conga & Bells), Airto Moreira (Percussion & Drums), Peter Graves (French Horn &Trombone (Bass)), Alex Acuña (Drums), Wayne Andre (Trombone), Joe Zawinul (Synthesizer, Piano & Vocals), Manolo Badrena (Tambourine), Dave Bargeron (Trombone), Dave Bargeron (Tuba), Michael Boddicker (Synthesizer Programming), Neal Bonsanti (Saxophone), Neal Bonsanti (Woodwind), Randy Brecker (Trumpet), Michel Colombier (Synthesizer), Michel Colombier (Piano& Fender Rhodes), Bruce Ditmas (Drums), Manfred Eicher, Randy Emerick (Clarinet), Randy Emerick (Sax (Alto, Baritone & Tenor)), Hugo Fattoruso (Keyboards), Kenneth Faulk (Trumpet), Robert Ferguson (Percussion & Drums), Russ Freeland (Trombone), Robert Gable (Sax (Baritone)), Steve Gadd (Drums), Mike Katz (Trombone), Steve Katz (Mixing), Rodney Lafon (Trumpet), Benny Latimore (Keyboards), Gary Lindsay (Saxophone), Gary Lindsay (Woodwind), Paul McCandless (Horn (English, Oboe & Sax (Tenor)), Othello Molineaux (Drums & Pan Flute), Brett Murphey (Trumpet), Melton Mustafa (Trumpet), Brian O’Flaherty (Trumpet), Jerry Peel (French Horn), Flora Purim (Vocals), Lee Ritenour (Guitar), Allyn Robinson (Drums), Oscar Salas (Percussion), Jerry Solomon (Engineer), Toots Thielemans (Harmonica), Ron Tooley (Trumpet), Brad Warnaar (French Horn), Leroy Williams (Drums (Steel)), Bill Milkowski (Liner Notes), John Brem (Trumpet), Mario Cruz (Clarinet, Flute (Alto, Soprano & Tenor Sax)), lex Darqui (Fender Rhodes), Paul Horn-Muller (Guitar & Drums (Steel)), Gary Mayone  (Marimba), Steve Roitstein (French Horn), Pamela Sessody (Vocals), Bobby Thomas, Jr. (Percussion & Conga), Bobby Thomas, Jr. (Hand Drums), Jon Davis (Piano), Steve Jordan (Drums), Charles “Icarus” Johnson (Guitar), Willie Clarke (Percussion), Mary Pastorius (Vocals)

Original Release Date: April 22, 2003  –  Label: Rhino / Wea
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