29.4.25

MILES DAVIS — Porgy And Bess (1959) Six Version | RM | SACD | FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

Tomes are available annotating the importance of this recording. The musical and social impact of Miles Davis, his collaborative efforts with Gil Evans, and in particular their reinvention of George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess are indeed profound. However, the most efficient method of extricating the rhetoric and opining is to experience the recording. Few other musical teams would have had the ability to remain true to the undiluted spirit and multifaceted nuance of this epic work. However, no other musical teams were Miles Davis and Gil Evans. It was Evans' intimate knowledge of the composition as well as the performer that allowed him to so definitively capture the essence of both. The four dates needed to complete work on Porgy and Bess include contributions from several members of his most recent musical aggregate: Julian "Cannonball" Adderley (alto sax), Paul Chambers (bass), and Jimmy Cobb (drums). Although the focus and emphasis is squarely on Davis throughout, the contributions of the quartet on "Prayer (Oh Doctor Jesus)," "I Loves You, Porgy," and "There's a Boat That's Leaving Soon for New York" are immeasurable. They provide a delicate balance in style and, under the direction of Evans, incorporate much of the same energy and intonation here as they did to their post-bop recordings. There is infinitely more happening on Porgy and Bess, however, with much of the evidence existing in the subtle significance of the hauntingly lyrical passages from Danny Banks' (alto flute) solos, which commence on "Fishermen, Strawberry and Devil Crab." Or the emotive bass and tuba duet that runs throughout "Buzzard Song." The impeccable digital remastering and subsequent reissue -- which likewise applies to the Miles Davis & Gil Evans: The Complete Columbia Studio Recordings box set -- only magnifies the refulgence of Porgy and Bess. Likewise, two previously unissued performances have been appended to the original baker's dozen. No observation or collection of American jazz can be deemed complete without this recording. Lindsay Planer

(1983, CBS/Sony – 35DP 61) +
(1987, RM | CBS Jazz Masterpieces Series) +
(1997, RM | Columbia Jazz Series) +
(2000, RM | Master Sound Series) +
(2006, RM | The Original Jacket Collection Series) +
(2019, SHM-CD | Ultradisc UHR, Original Master Recording Series) 

Tracklist :
1    The Buzzard Song 4:07
2    Bess, You Is My Woman Now 5:12

3    Gone    3:38
4    Gone, Gone, Gone 2:05
5    Summertime 3:20
6    Bess, Oh Where's My Bess    4:31
7    Prayer (Oh Doctor Jesus)    4:40
8    Fishermen, Strawberry And Devil Crab 4:06
9    My Man's Gone Now    6:13
10    It Ain't Necessarily So 4:23
11    Here Come De Honey Man    1:18
12    I Loves You, Porgy 3:38
13    There's A Boat That's Leaving Soon For New York 3:26
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Cannonball Adderley
Arranged By, Conductor – Gil Evans
Bass – Paul Chambers
Drums – Philly Joe Jones (tracks: 3, 4, 9, 15), Jimmy Cobb (tracks: 1, 2, 5 to 8, 10 to 14)
Flugelhorn – Miles Davis
Flute [Alto Flute], Bass Clarinet – Danny Bank
Flute, Flute [Alto Flute], Clarinet – Jerome Richardson (tracks: 1, 5 to 7, 12 to 14), Phil Bodner (tracks: 2 to 4, 8 to 11, 15), Romeo Penque
French Horn – Gunther Schuller, Julius Watkins, Willie Ruff
Trombone – Frank Rehak, Jimmy Cleveland, Joe Bennett, Dick Hixon
Trumpet – Bernie Glow, Ernie Royal, Johnny Coles, Louis Mucci
Trumpet [Lead] – Miles Davis (tracks: 2, 8, 10, 11)
Tuba – Bill Barber

EBERHARD WEBER — Chorus (1985) Two Version | APE (image+.cue), lossless + FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

One might easily switch the title of Eberhard Weber’s Chorus with that of Fluid Rustle and none would be the wiser. Where the latter brims with voices and color, this relatively monochromatic effort is more like a shift of clothing in the shadows. Until this point, Weber’s ECM projects had been inclined toward epic statements. These ranged from overwhelmingly sun-drenched reveries (The Following Morning) to moonlit fields of introspection (Later That Evening). With the release of Chorus, however, Weber reached a new level of intimacy. Joined only by Jan Garbarek on soprano and tenor saxophones and Ralf Hübner (one of Germany’s most important jazz drummers), Weber pares his sonic brush for a new kind of script.

Over the course of seven unnamed parts, we find all the staples of the Weber experience. The, yes, fluid electro-bass and synth drone of Part I will be familiar to the Weber enthusiast, only here we encounter something quite different. Where before these territories engulfed us, now they are painted inside us. Similarly, every note from Weber’s bass in Part II is a ripple that finds only slight resistance from our inner walls as it expands toward the oncoming night, but ever with the dawn in mind. Garbarek floats his gorgeous lines one drop at a time, melting through the doublings of Parts III and IV and on to the arco strains of Part V. This scribbled palette cleanser slides into the pulsing depths of Part VI. Here the band achieves something special, making for the suite’s most powerful nodes of emotion. The final part eases us into a lovely thread of electric piano that makes this one of Weber’s most perfect constructions and beyond reason enough to own the album.

As I revisit Chorus for this review, the police sirens loudening and fading outside my window remind me of the transformative power of its music, which makes of those sirens a bird of light screaming across the canvas of the sky. Like the fade on which it ends, it leaves its body behind—a kite cut from its string which, instead of falling, continues floating ever higher until it burns quietly in the sun. ECM

Chorus
1. Part I (7:37)
2. Part II (5:38)
3. Part III, IV (7:48)
4. Part V (3:26)
5. Part VI (7:38)
6. Part VII (8:17)
All composed by Eberhart Weber
Credits :
Eberhard Weber - Bass, Synthesizer
Jan Garbarek - Soprano and Tenor Saxophones
Ralf-R. Hübner - Drums

JAN GARBAREK — Dansere (2012) 3CD-SET | Old & New Masters Edition Series | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

A welcome return to the ECM catalog for three of the most striking of the early recordings which Jan Garbarek made for the label in the 1970s. In different but related ways Sart (1971), Witchi-Tai-To (1973) and Dansere (1975) brought freshly intelligent and invigorating perspective to bear on questions of dynamics, group sound, interaction and swing, the relation of improvisation and abstraction to the roots of jazz, and the relevance of archetypal yet freshly inflected folk forms to contemporary music. Two ensembles are heard here – Garbarek/Stenson/Rypdal/Andersen/Christensen on the exploratory Sart, and the spirited Jan Garbarek-Bobo Stenson Quartet, one of the most exciting groups of the era. ECM
CD1: Sart (ex ECM 1015)
1. Sart 14:45
2. Fountain Of Tears – Part I and II 6:03
3. Song Of Space 9:39
4. Close Enough For Jazz (Arild Andersen) 1:59
5. Irr 7:15
6. Lontano (Terje Rypdal) 2:12
Musicians :
Jan Garbarek - Tenor and Bass Saxophones, Flute
Bobo Stenson - Piano, Electric Piano
Jon Christensen - Percussion
Terje Rypdal - Guitar
Arild Andersen - Double-Bass

CD2: Witchi-Tai-To (ex ECM 1041)
1. A.I.R. (Carla Bley) 8:15
2. Kukka (Palle Danielsson) 4:32
3. Hasta Siempre (Carlos Puebla) 8:10
4. Witchi-Tai-To (Jim Pepper) 4:24
5. Desireless (Don Cherry) 20:25
Musicians :
Jan Garbarek - Soprano and Tenor Saxophones
Bobo Stenson - Piano
Palle Danielsson - Double-Bass
Jon Christensen - Drums

CD3: Dansere (ex ECM 1075)
1. Dansere 15:03
2. Svevende 4:59
3. Bris 6:11
4. Skrik & Hyl 1:30
2. Lokk (after Thorval Tronsgard, arr. Jan Garbarek) 5:39
6. Til Vennene 4:47
 Musicians :
Jan Garbarek - Soprano and Tenor Saxophones
Bobo Stenson - Piano
Palle Danielsson - Double-Bass
Jon Christensen - Drums

BARBARA ACKLIN — The Best Of Barbara Acklin (2009) Priceless Collection Series | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Barbara Acklin is one of the great lost soul singers of the late '60s/early '70s. Her biggest hit, the sultry "Love Makes a Woman," only made a tiny splash on the charts. The rest of her work was doomed to be heard only by soul fanatics and collectors. Brunswick has done a fine job keeping her work in the public eye by releasing her original albums and a couple of collections. EMI Special Markets' The Best of Barbara Acklin: Ten Best Series attempts to take her work to a larger audience, but at only ten tracks falls short of capturing the soul of Acklin. "Love Makes a Woman" is here along with her other semi-hit, the sunny "Am I the Same Girl," as are her lush duet with Gene Chandler, "Show Me the Way to Go," and a song Acklin wrote with Eugene Record, the finger-popping "After You." The collection is let down, however, by the inclusion of her pedestrian covers of "The Look of Love" and "What the World Needs Now Is Love." Adding a couple of her own fine compositions would have been much more satisfying. Still, if all you care about is getting hold of Acklin's two best-known songs and don't need much else, this collection is OK. Tim Sendra
Tracklist :
1. Love Makes A Woman 2:57
 Carl Davis / Eugene Record / William Sanders / Gerald Simms
2. Am I The Same Girl 2:58
 Eugene Record / Sonny Sanders
3. Show Me The Way To Go (With Gene Chandler) 2:34
 Barbara Acklin / Carl Davis / Eugene Record
4. After You 2:29
 Barbara Acklin / Cole Porter / Eugene Record
5. Just Ain't No Love 2:47
 Carl Davis / Eugene Record
6. I Did It 2:39
 Eugene Record
7. You've Been In Love Too Long 3:04
 Ivory Joe Hunter / Ivy Jo Hunter / Clarence Paul / William "Mickey" Stevenson
8. What THe World Needs Now Is Love 2:27
 Burt Bacharach / Hal David
9. The Look Of Love 2:25
 Burt Bacharach / Hal David
10. Fool, Fool, Fool (Look In The Mirror) 2:41
 Rudy Clark

JACK DeJOHNETTE — Pictures (1977) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1 Picture 1 4:48
 – Jack DeJohnette
2 Picture 2 7:57
 – Jack DeJohnette
3 Picture 3 5:13
 – Jack DeJohnette, John Abercrombie
4 Picture 4 5:21
 – Jack DeJohnette
5 Picture 5 6:05
 – Jack DeJohnette
6 Picture 6 7:52
 – Jack DeJohnette
Credits :
Drums, Piano, Organ – Jack DeJohnette
Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar – John Abercrombie (tracks: 3 to 5)

MILES DAVIS — Porgy And Bess (1959) Six Version | RM | SACD | FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

Tomes are available annotating the importance of this recording. The musical and social impact of Miles Davis, his collaborative efforts wit...