BERNARD PURDIE — Bernard Purdie's Soul To Jazz (1996) APE (image+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1    Moanin' 2:05
Arranged By – Gil Goldstein
Written-By – Bobby Timmons
2    Superstition 6:08
Arranged By – Tom Malone
Backing Vocals – Jane Comerford, Sharlie Pryce
Trombone, Soloist – Nils Landgren
Vocals, Soloist – Martin Moss
Written-By – Stevie Wonder
3    Iko Iko 5:45
Accordion, Soloist – Gil Goldstein
Arranged By – Gil Goldstein
Guitar, Soloist – Dean Brown
Written-By – James Crawford
4    Señor Blues 6:51
Arranged By – Gil Goldstein
Tenor Saxophone, Soloist – Eddie Harris, Michael Brecker
Trombone, Soloist – Nils Landgren
Written-By – Horace Silver
5    When A Man Loves A Woman 4:35
Arranged By – Tom Malone
Tenor Saxophone, Soloist – Eddie Harris
Vocals, Soloist – Martin Moss
Written-By – Andrew Wright, Calvin Lewis
6    Freedom Jazz Dance 4:29
Arranged By – Arif Mardin
Tenor Saxophone, Soloist – Eddie Harris
Trombone, Soloist – Nils Landgren
Written-By – Eddie Harris
7    SideWinder 7:15
Arranged By – Gil Goldstein
Flugelhorn, Soloist – Randy Brecker
Piano, Soloist – Frank Chastenier
Written-By – Lee Morgan
8    Brother Where Are You? 4:14
Arranged By – Tom Malone
Guitar, Soloist – Dean Brown
Vocals, Soloist – Martin Moss
Written-By – Oscar Brown Jr.
9    Wade In The Water 4:42
Arranged By – Gil Goldstein
Tenor Saxophone, Soloist – Eddie Harris
Trombone, Soloist – Nils Landgren
 – Traditional
10    Work Song 3:51
Bass Guitar – Dave King
Drums – Bernard Purdie
Guitar – Dean Brown
Piano – Gil Goldstein
Tenor Saxophone, Soloist – Eddie Harris
Trombone – Nils Landgren
Written-By – Nat Adderley
11    Land Of 1.000 Dancers 3:09
Arranged By – Tom Malone
Backing Vocals – Jane Comerford, Sharlie Pryce
Trombone, Soloist – Nils Landgren
Vocals, Soloist – Martin Moss
Written-By – Chris Kenner
12    Gimme Some Lovin' 3:44
Arranged By – Tom Malone
Backing Vocals – Jane Comerford, Sharlie Pryce
Guitar, Soloist – Dean Brown
Vocals, Soloist – Martin Moss
Written-By – Spencer Davis, Steve Winwood
13    Moanin' 7:40
Arranged By – Gil Goldstein
Tenor Saxophone, Soloist – Eddie Harris
Trombone, Soloist – Nils Landgren
Trumpet, Soloist – John Marshall
Written-By – Bobby Timmons
Credits :
Band – WDR Big Band
Bass – John Goldsby
Design – Petra Horn
Directed By – Gil Goldstein
Piano, Keyboards – Frank Chastenier
Saxophone – Harald Rosenstein, Heiner Wiberny, Jens Neufang, Olivier Peters, Rolf Römer
Trombone – Bernt Laukamp, Dave Horler, Henning Berg, Roy Deuvall
Trumpet – Andy Haderer, John Marshall, Klaus Osterloh, Rob Bruynen, Rüdiger Baldauf

EDDIE HARRIS — The Last Concert (1997) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Unless something unauthorized turns up, this appears to be Eddie Harris' last recording. The concert was taped in Europe -- where Harris was far more respected in his last years than in America -- eight months before his death. The occasion would be an atypical affair for him, appearing as a featured soloist (along with the fine trombonist Nils Landgren and, on one track, trumpeter John Marshall) in front of the WDR Big Band in Cologne. At first, the program consists of a series of straight-ahead Gil Goldstein charts on well-worn soul-jazz classics like "Sidewinder," "Moanin'," "Wade in the Water," and "Work Song," and then takes a decided, somewhat less successful turn toward '60s soul on "When a Man Loves a Woman" and "Gimme Some Lovin'" (with idiomatic vocals by Haywood J. Gregory). Of Harris' own corpus of tunes, only the inevitable "Freedom Jazz Dance" appears here (in an Arif Mardin chart), with Eddie offering probably the last of his fascinating run of solos over the previous three decades on his bewildering tune. Though ailing at the time (the inside photo shows that he doesn't look well at all), Harris is still in undiminished, swinging, highly individual form through the concert, gliding easily over the rhythm section on tenor sax and switching on some of his electronic octave doubling and harmonizing effects. By now, his vocabulary of funky licks had long been set in stone, so there are no revelations, just an assured apotheosis of his distinctive style. The day after the concert, Harris and Goldstein went into WDR Studio 4 to record a long, poignant duo encore, "You Stole My Heart," which features an unexpectedly deep, soulful vocal by Eddie and a pair of lingering, pithy, affectionate tenor solos that seem to bid farewell in a most touching way. Whether he knew it or not, that last tune is a marvelous epitaph. Richard S. Ginell

"On his Last Concert, the outstanding stature of the musician becomes evident once again." - JAZZPODIUM ACT
Tracklist :
1    SideWinder 8:08
Soloist – E. Harris, Frank Chastenier
Written-By – Lee Morgan
2    Moanin' 7:30
Soloist – E. Harris, John Marshall, Nils Landgren
Written-By – Bobby Timmons
3    Wade In The Water 5:45
 – Traditional
Soloist – E. Harris
4    Freedom Jazz Dance 4:56
Arranged By – Arif Mardin, Gil Goldstein
Soloist – E. Harris, N. Landgren
Written-By – Eddie Harris
5    Work Song 5:57
Soloist – E. Harris, N. Landgren
Written-By – Nat Adderley
6    When A Man Loves A Woman 5:39
Arranged By – Tom Malone
Vocals – Haywood J. Gregory
Written-By – Wright, Lewis
7    Gimme Some Lovin' 10:22
Vocals – Haywood J. Gregory
Written-By – Davis, Winwood
8    You Stole My Heart - The Last Encore 14:07
Piano – Gil Goldstein
Tenor Saxophone – Eddie Harris
Credits :
Accompanied By – Bernard Purdie, Dave King, Dean Brown, Haywood J. Gregory, Nils Landgren
Band – WDR Big Band Köln (tracks: 1 to 7)
Bass – John Goldsby (tracks: 1 to 7)
Conductor – Gil Goldstein (tracks: 1 to 7)
Piano, Organ – Frank Chastenier (tracks: 1 to 7)
Saxophone – Harald Rosenstein (tracks: 1 to 7), Heiner Wiberny (tracks: 1 to 7), Jens Neufang (tracks: 1 to 7), Olivier Peters (tracks: 1 to 7), Rolf Römer (tracks: 1 to 7)
Trombone – Bernt Laukamp (tracks: 1 to 7), Dave Horler (tracks: 1 to 7), Henning Berg (tracks: 1 to 7), Roy Deuvall (tracks: 1 to 7)
Trumpet – Andy Haderer (tracks: 1 to 7), John Marshall (tracks: 1 to 7), Klaus Osterloh (tracks: 1 to 7), Rob Bruynen (tracks: 1 to 7), Rüdiger Baldauf (tracks: 1 to 7)

BOB BROOKMEYER — Electricity (1994) Serie : The World Greatest Jazz Orchestras – VI | APE (image+.cue), lossless

Listeners expecting the music on this CD to be similar to Bob Brookmeyer's jazz records of the 1950s will be surprised. The emphasis here is not on Brookmeyer's valve trombone playing (which is barely heard other than on "No Song" and "The Crystal Palace") but on his very adventurous writing for an electronic group (with guitarist John Abercrombie and two keyboard players) and the horns of the WDR Big Band. The six originals are essentially mood music, setting up atmospheres that develop slowly and are occasionally explosive, particularly when Abercrombie stretches out. This well played and creative music is easier to respect than to love. Scott Yanow

The six-part suite spans from impressionistic motifs to twelve-tone technique. ACT
Tracklist :
1    Farewell, New York    16:46
Bob Brookmeyer
2    Ugly Music    10:33
Bob Brookmeyer
3    White Blues    11:41
Bob Brookmeyer
4    Say Ah    7:17
Bob Brookmeyer
5    No Song    13:13
Bob Brookmeyer
6    The Crystal Palace    10:19
Bob Brookmeyer
Credits :
Bass – Dieter Ilg
Drums – Danny Gottlieb
Guitar – John Abercrombie
Illustration [Original] – Michelangelo Buonarroti
Keyboards – Frank Chastenier, Rainer Brüninghaus
Orchestra – WDR Big Band Köln
Saxophone – Heiner Wiberny, Olivier Peters, Paul Peucker, Rolf Römer
Trombone – Bernt Laukamp, Dave Horler, Roy Deuvall
Trumpet – Andy Haderer, Klaus Osterloh, Rick Kiefer
Valve Trombone, Liner Notes, Mixed By [Remixed] – Bob Brookmeyer