ORNETTE COLEMAN - Ornette At 12 + Crisis (2017) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Beginning in 1966, saxophonist Ornette Coleman began performing and recording with his son, the then-ten-year-old drummer Denardo Coleman. Dismissed by some at the time for his lack of experience, the younger Coleman quickly developed into an engaging, explosive player, able to mesh nicely within his father's deeply avant-garde free jazz ensembles. The 2017 Real Gone Music collection Ornette at 12/Crisis brings together two live albums Denardo recorded with his father in 1969 and 1972. The first, Ornette at 12 (named after Denardo's age at the time of recording), finds the saxophonist leading his quartet through a performance at the Hearst Greek Amphitheater at the University of California, Berkeley in August of 1968. Joining him are bassist Charlie Haden and tenor saxophonist Dewey Redman. Here we find the elder Coleman during one of his most primal and exploratory periods playing not just alto sax, but also trumpet and violin. Though untrained on those instruments, he still lets loose, playing with unfettered glee on "Rainbows," his trumpet a puckish sparkler of sound. Similarly, Redman, framed by Haden's bowed bass squelch, unleashes a torrent of notes on "C.O.D." All the while, Denardo is skittering, responsive energy, bashing and sputtering at each improvisational line. Elsewhere, on "Bells and Chimes," Haden grounds the proceedings bowing a dark, heavy metal-sounding riff as Coleman and Redman spew red saxophone storm clouds overhead. An even more adept picture of the drummer can be heard on Crisis. Recorded roughly a year after Ornette at 12, the album showcases the group's performance at New York University. Augmenting the ensemble is the elder Coleman's longtime collaborator, pocket-trumpeter Don Cherry, whose distinctive, fractured melodicism helps further color the already vibrant group. His inclusion also adds gravitas, helping fill out the sound of the group, as heard on the opening "Broken Shadows," in which the band slowly lurches forward like an immense ocean liner entering port. In contrast, "Space Jungle" finds Denardo whacking away with spastic intensity as the horn players ride his wave with a group improv rife with serpentine harmolodic invention. There is even a nod to the group's burgeoning interest in various ethnic and world music traditions on the closing "Trouble in the East." The song begins with Cherry at the front like an avant-garde pied piper delivering a ferocious Indian flute solo. Soon, Coleman, Redman, and Haden join in, their dissonant tones caught in the tumult of Denardo's drumming and a cacophony of what sounds like tin pans, shakers, and bamboo sticks. These live albums document Coleman's further move away from musical form and his increasing embrace of free improvisation as a direct line to emotional and artistic expression. Ultimately, that expression has even more of an impact because of the presence of Denardo's intense, youthful exuberance. Matt Collar
Ornette At 12 (Impulse! AS-9178, rel. 1969)    
1    C.O.D.    7:42
Written-By – Ornette Coleman
2    Rainbows    9:11
Written-By – Ornette Coleman
3    New York    8:30
Written-By – Ornette Coleman
4    Bells And Chimes    7:28
Written-By – Ornette Coleman
Crisis (Impulse! AS-9187, rel. 1972)   
5    Broken Shadows    6:08
Written-By – Ornette Coleman
6    Comme Il Faut    14:34
Written-By – Ornette Coleman
7    Song For Ché    11:39
Written-By – Charlie Haden
8    Space Jungle    5:31
Written-By – Ornette Coleman
9    Trouble In The East    6:50
Written-By – Ornette Coleman
Credits :
Arranged By – Greg Adams
Bass – Melvin Davis
Drums – Harvey Mason
Guitar – David T. Walker
Piano, Organ – Jai Winding
Saxophone – Gary Herbig, Johnnie Bamont, Larry Williams
Trombone – Matt Finders, Nick Lane
Trumpet – Chuck Findley, Greg Adams

DAVE GRUSIN / LEE RITENOUR - Harlequin (1985) WV (image+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1    Harlequin (Arlequim Desconhecido) 4:42
Composed By – Ivan Lins
Lyrics By – Victor Martins
2    Early A.M. Attitude 4:59
Composed By – Dave Grusin
3    San Ysidro 4:59
Composed By – Lee Ritenour
4    Before It´s Too Late (Antes Que Seja Tarde) 5:18
Composed By – Ivan Lins
Lyrics By – Victor Martins
5    Silent Message 6:09
Composed By – Dave Grusin
6    Cats Of Rio 5:18
Composed By – Don Grusin
7    Beyond The Storm (Depois Dos Temporais)     5:37
Composed By – Ivan Lins
Lyrics By – Victor Martins
8    Grid-Lock 4:03
Composed By – Lee Ritenour
9    The Bird 5:48
Composed By – Harvey Mason, Mike Lang
Credits :
Backing Vocals – Carol Rogers (faixas: 1, 4), Marietta Waters (faixas: 1, 4), Regina Werneck (faixas: 1, 4)
Bass – Abraham Laboriel (faixas: 5, 8), Jimmy Johnson (faixas: 1 to 4, 6, 7)
Drums – Carlos Vega (faixas: 1 to 4, 5, 6), Harvey Mason (faixas: 1, 4)
Guitar, Producer, Arranged By – Lee Ritenour
Percussion – Alex Acuña (faixas: 1, 8), Paulinho Da Costa
Piano, Keyboards – Dave Grusin
Programmed By [Drums] – Harvey Mason
Programmed By [Midi-piano] – Randy Goodrum
Programmed By [Synthesizer] – Marcus Ryle
Vocals – Ivan Lins (faixas: 1, 4)

RON CARTER - When Skies Are Grey (2001) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

This beautiful, Latin-themed album by bass superpower Ron Carter almost can stand in as a Stephen Scott showcase, for the young pianist's verve and finesse are in evidence from start to finish. Carter reserves plenty of solo room (and a number of melody statements) for himself, however. Drummer Harvey Mason and percussionist Steve Kroon work together to create a luxurious, flowing Latin vibe that makes each tune a true listening pleasure. One highlight is the group's slow, polyrhythmic take on Jobim's "Corcovado." Another is a grooving version of Carter's "Loose Change," a tune that appeared in a very different light on Joe Henderson's State of the Tenor album. Scott woos with his bluesy delicacy on "Que Pasa," another Carter original, and swings exuberantly on fellow pianist Ray Bryant's "Cubano Chant." Carter's brief quote of "Seven Steps to Heaven" during the closing original, "Mi Tempo," is enough to make one skip a heartbeat. When Skies Are Grey contains nothing ambitious or wildly innovative -- just great, accessible music. Fans of Stephen Scott in particular can't miss with this one. by David R. Adler    
Tracklist :
1     Loose Change 7:08
Ron Carter
2     Besame Mucho 7:05
Sunny Skylar / Consuelo Velázquez
3     Caminando 7:08
Ron Carter
4     Que' Pasa 5:30
Ron Carter
5     Cocorvado 7:22
Antônio Carlos Jobim
6     Cubano Chant 6:02
Ray Bryant
7     Mi Tiempo 8:12
Ron Carter
Credits :
Bass – Ron Carter
Drums – Harvey Mason
Percussion – Steve Kroon
Piano – Stephen Scott 

MARLENA SHAW - Who Is This Bitch, Anyway? (1975-2012) RM / FLAC (tracks), lossless

A record as fierce and blunt as its title portends, Who Is This Bitch, Anyway? vaults Marlena Shaw into a brave new world of feminism and funk, updating the sophisticated soul-jazz approach of her previous records to explore a fast-changing musical, political, and sexual landscape. Opening with "You, Me and Ethel," a hilarious satire of the singles bar culture, the album dissects modern romance with uncommon insight and candor, addressing lust ("Feel Like Makin' Love") and loss ("You Been Away Too Long") without pulling any punches. The music is similarly direct and progressive, running the gamut from luminous soul to scorching funk grooves. Not only Shaw's best-selling Blue Note release, Who Is This Bitch, Anyway? represents her creative apex as well. by Jason Ankeny
Tracklist :
1     You Me and Ethel/Street Walkin' Woman 6:23
Marlena Shaw
2     You Taught Me How To Speak In Love 3:54
Molly-Ann Leikin
3     Davy 5:29
Bernard Ighner    
4     Feel Like Making Love 5:02
Ellas McDaniel
5     The Lord Giveth and the Lord Taketh Away 1:10
Marlena Shaw
6     You Been Away Too Long 3:09
Benard Ighner
7     You 3:48
Marlena Shaw
8     Loving You Was Like a Party 4:20
Benard Ighner
9     A Prelude For Rose Marie 2:00
Bryon Olson
10     Rose Marie [Mon Cherie] 4:21
Benard Ighner
Credits :
Arranged By – Bernard Ighner (faixas: 3, 4), Byron Olson (faixas: 1, 2, 9, 10), Dale Oehler (faixas: 6 to 8)
Arranged By [Vocals] – Bernard Ighner (faixas: 1 to 5, 7 to 10), Dale Oehler (faixas: 6)
Backing Vocals – Julia Tillman, Marti McCall, Maxine Willard, Patti Brooks
Bass – Chuck Domanico (faixas: 10), Chuck Rainey (faixas: 1 to 4, 6 to 8)
Congas – King Errison (faixas: 1, 7)
Contractor [Strings] – Jules Chakin
Drums – Harvey Mason (faixas: 1 to 4, 6 to 8), Jim Gordon (faixas: 10)
Electric Piano – Larry Nash (faixas: 1, 2, 4, 6 to 8)
Flugelhorn – Bernard Ighner (faixas: 3)
Guitar – David T. Walker (faixas: 1, 2, 4, 8), Dennis Budimer (faixas: 2, 6, 7, 10), Larry Carlton (faixas: 2, 4, 8)
Percussion – Harvey Mason (faixas: 2, 6)
Piano – Bernard Ighner (faixas: 3), Bill Mays (faixas: 10), Marlena Shaw (faixas: 5), Mike Lang (faixas: 1, 2)
Wind Chimes – Harvey Mason (faixas: 4)

GABOR SZABO — Macho (1975-2013) RM Blu-Spec | Serie CTI Supreme Collection – 40 | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Macho is right. This 1975 album is one of the headiest in the Hungarian-born guitarist Gabor Szabo's entire catalog. Produced by Bob James, the album is deep in fretless Fender basslines courtesy of Louis Johnson, funky Rhodes pianos and synthesizers from James and former Mother of Invention Ian Underwood, guitar savvy from Szabo with Eric Gale on rhythm, and a horn section that features no less than George Bohanon, Jon Faddis, and Tom Scott, with the venerable Harvey Mason Sr. on drums. This is a tough, in-your-face, funky soul-jazz band. Szabo's sense of camp was eternal as he covers, disco-style, Franz Liszt's "Hungarian Rhapsody #2," but slips into the souled-out groove-jazz of his own "Time," without a seam. Szabo's playing, with its mysterious, liquid runs and razor sharp melodic sensibilities, is centered here by James, who attempts to make Szabo's six strings be at the absolute dead-center of the mix. Tracks like James' own "Transylvania Boogie," (the long title track), and Phoebe Snow's "Poetry Man," offer a glimpse of Szabo as the consummate melodist: with teeth. Harmonically, this band was as disciplined as the charts would allow, giving nothing away in the ensemble sections. This is a tough, streetwise, commercial jazz album that has plenty to offer to anyone with an open mind. In the pocket, groove-soaked, and flawlessly executed.  
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist :
1 Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 6:56
Arranged By – Bob James
Written-By – F. Liszt
2 Time 5:41
Gabor Szabo
3 Transylvania Boogie 5:37
Bob James
4 Ziggidy Zog 6:03
Harvey Mason, Sr.
5 Macho 9:16
Gabor Szabo
6 Poetry Man 4:32
Arranged By – Bob James
Written-By – Phoebe Snow
Credits :
Bass – Louis Johnson, Scott Edwards
Drums – Harvey Mason
Guitar – Gabor Szabo
Lyricon, Tenor Saxophone – Tom Scott
Percussion – Idris Muhammad, Ralph MacDonald
Piano, Electric Piano, Synthesizer – Bob James, Ian Underwood
Rhythm Guitar – Eric Gale
Trombone – George Bohanon
Trumpet – Jon Faddis

HERBIE HANCOCK - Head Hunters (1973-2008) SACD / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Head Hunters was a pivotal point in Herbie Hancock's career, bringing him into the vanguard of jazz fusion. Hancock had pushed avant-garde boundaries on his own albums and with Miles Davis, but he had never devoted himself to the groove as he did on Head Hunters. Drawing heavily from Sly Stone, Curtis Mayfield, and James Brown, Hancock developed deeply funky, even gritty, rhythms over which he soloed on electric synthesizers, bringing the instrument to the forefront in jazz. It had all of the sensibilities of jazz, particularly in the way it wound off into long improvisations, but its rhythms were firmly planted in funk, soul, and R&B, giving it a mass appeal that made it the biggest-selling jazz album of all time (a record which was later broken). Jazz purists, of course, decried the experiments at the time, but Head Hunters still sounds fresh and vital decades after its initial release, and its genre-bending proved vastly influential on not only jazz, but funk, soul, and hip-hop. by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Tracklist:
1 Chameleon 15:41
Written-By – B. Maupin, H. Mason, H. Hancock, P. Jackson
2 Watermelon Man 6:29
Arranged By – H. Mason
Written-By – H. Hancock
3 Sly 10:15
Written-By – H. Hancock
4 Vein Melter 9:09
Written-By – H. Hancock
Credits:
Congas, Shekere, Balafon, Agogô, Cabasa, Whistle [Hindewho], Tambourine, Slit Drum [Log Drum], Surdo, Bells [Gankoqui], Percussion [Beer Bottle] – Bill Summers
Drums [Yamaha] – Harvey Mason
Electric Bass, Marimbula – Paul Jackson
Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes], Clavinet [Hohner D 6], Synthesizer [Arp Odyssey, Arp Soloist], Pipe – Herbie Hancock
Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Saxello, Bass Clarinet, Alto Flute – Bennie Maupin

THE BRECKER BROTHERS - The Brecker Bros. (1975-2015) 24-96

Tracklist:

1 Some Skunk Funk 5:51

2 Sponge 4:05

3 A Creature Of Many Faces 7:40

4 Twilight 5:43

5 Sneakin' Up Behind U 4:54

6 Rocks 4:39

7 Levitate 4:31

8 On My Stars 3:13

9 D.B.B. 4:46

Credits:

Alto Saxophone – Dave Sanborn

Drums – Harvey Mason

Electric Bass – Will Lee

Guitar – Bob Mann

Keyboards – Don Grolnick

Percussion – Ralph MacDonald

Tenor Saxophone – Michael Brecker

Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Randy Brecker

Vocals – Randy Brecker, Will Lee

BOBBI HUMPHREY - Blacks and Blues (1974-1999) APE (image+.cue), lossless

Bobbi Humphrey scored her biggest hit with her third album Blacks and Blues, an utterly delightful jazz-funk classic that helped make her a sensation at Montreux. If it sounds a lot like Donald Byrd's post-Black Byrd output, it's no accident; brothers Larry and Fonce Mizell have their fingerprints all over the album, and as on their work with Byrd, Larry handles all the composing and most of the arranging and production duties. It certainly helps that the Mizells were hitting on all cylinders at this point in their careers, but Humphrey is the true star of the show; she actually grabs a good deal more solo space than Byrd did on his Mizell collaborations, and she claims a good deal of responsibility for the album's light, airy charm. Her playing is indebted to Herbie Mann and, especially, Hubert Laws, but she has a more exclusive affinity for R&B and pop than even those two fusion-minded players, which is why she excels in this setting. Mizell is at the peak of his arranging powers, constructing dense grooves with lots of vintage synths, wah-wah guitars, and rhythmic interplay. Whether the funk runs hot or cool, Humphrey floats over the top with a near-inexhaustible supply of melodic ideas. She also makes her vocal debut on the album's two ballads, "Just a Love Child" and "Baby's Gone"; her voice is girlish but stronger than the genre standard, even the backing vocals by the Mizells and keyboardist Fred Perren. Overall, the album's cumulative effect is like a soft summer breeze, perfect for beaches, barbecues, and cruising with the top down. Steve Huey  
Tracklist:
1 Chicago, Damn 6:31
Larry Mizell
2 Harlem River Drive 7:50
Larry Mizell
 3 Just a Love Child 6:34
Larry Mizell
 4 Blacks and Blues 4:37
Larry Mizell
5 Jasper Country Man 5:14
Larry Mizell
6 Baby's Gone 8:48
Larry Mizell 
 Credits
Backing Vocals, Arranged By [Vocal] – Fred Perron, Larry Mizell, Fonce Mizell
Clavinet, Trumpet – Larry Mizell
Composed By, Arranged By, Conductor – Larry Mizell
Congas, Backing Vocals – King Errisson
Drums – Harvey Mason
Electric Bass – Chuck Rainey, Ron Brown
Electric Guitar – David T. Walker, John Rowin
Flute, Vocals – Bobbi Humphrey
Percussion – Stephanie Spruill
Piano, Electric Piano – Jerry Peters
Synthesizer [Arp] – Freddie Perren

BOBBI HUMPHREY - Fancy Dancer (1975-2008) FLAC (tracks), lossless

The third and final collaboration between flutist Bobbi Humphrey and Larry Mizell also marked the end of Humphrey's five-album run with Blue Note Records. Humphrey began recording with Larry and his brother Fonce (who provides arrangements and plays clavinet and trumpet here) in the aftermath of Donald Byrd's Black Byrd, the collaborative jazz-funk effort that resulted in a massively successful (and influential) commercial breakthrough for the trumpeter and the label. While not as well known as her Blacks and Blues album, her stellar debut with the pair from 1973, Fancy Dancer is every bit its aesthetic equal. The Mizells lined up a serious crew of studio aces for the date, including trumpeter Oscar Brashear; trombonist Julian Priester; Tyree and Roger Glenn on saxophone and piano, respectively; pianists Skip Scarborough and Jerry Peters (who were part of an army of them on this date); drummer Harvey Mason; bassist Chuck Rainey; and even the great Dorothy Ashby on harp. Recorded at their Sound Factory studio in Los Angeles, Fancy Dancer is a seamless collection of seven tracks that cruise the distance across soulful fusions of funk, Latin grooves, electric jazz, and gauzy vocal choruses that offer a hint as to what the underground dancefloor scenes of Los Angeles and New York were offering in at the predawn of the disco era. Humphrey's flute playing feels effortless as she hovers around and plays through the layers of spacy keyboards, shimmering rhythmic pulses, and seductive textures provided by lilting voices, hand percussion, and breaks. The set comes popping out of the gate with the glorious "Uno Esta," featuring bank upon bank of warm bubbling keyboards, roiling basslines, and hand drums courtesy of Mayuto Correa's congas. Craig McMullen and John Rowin contribute some bright chunky guitars, and Larry lays a fine horn chart in the cut as Humphrey begins the first of three solo breaks. When the chorus comes in, the rhythm shifts; the vibe get funkier but never loses the sheen and polish in the mix.

Following this is the stunning Chuck Davis number "The Trip." Commencing with a cut-time funk break, wah-wah guitars, and three different synth harmonic lines all painting a nocturnal spaced-out groove, Humphrey begins to play fills around and through them. A Rhodes enters and the drums become more pronounced in the mix, just as a guitar begins to play contrapuntal fills under her flute. This is one of the greatest tracks in her catalog because it is simultaneously dreamy and sensual and offers enough head-nodding funk to seduce an army. The title track feels more laid-back at first with its gentle chorus. But some flipped-out psychedelic soul finds its way through in waves of Latin percussion that build a shelf under Roger Glenn's vibes break, which in turn sets up Humphrey's burning flute solo prefiguring a salsa piano line and furious hand drumming in syncopated grooves. "Mestizo Eyes" is a steamy, lusty babymaker with simmering, ratcheted intensity as Rainey's fat-bottom electric Fender bassline belies the chunky wah-wah guitars and synth strings and Dorothy Ashby's harp floats through the center. A chorus of male voices softly chants the title and Humphrey goes to town, rhythmically undulating her solo through the entire mix. There isn't anything approaching a middling moment here -- this is all killer, no filler. Jazz critics may have had their troubles with this set, but no one cared; Humphrey and the Mizells were creating a new kind of largely instrumental funk that was inclusive of everything they could weave in from world music to soul-jazz to club music to pop -- and the public responded. [In 2008, Fancy Dancer was released domestically on compact disc as part of the Michael Cuscuna-produced Blue Note Rare Grooves series.]  by Thom Jurek  
Tracklist:
1 Uno Esta 6:40
Arranged By – Fonce Mizell & Larry Mizell
Written-By – L. Mizell
2 The Trip 5:36
Arranged By – Chuck Davis, Skip Scarborough
Piano – Chuck Davis
Written-By – C. Davis, D. Jones
3 You Make Me Feel So Good 6:12
Arranged By – Fonce Mizell & Larry Mizell
Written-By – F. Mizell-L. Mizell
4 Fancy Dancer 5:42
Written-By, Arranged By – Jerry Peters
5 Mestizo Eyes 4:49
Arranged By – Fonce Mizell & Larry Mizell
Written-By – L. Mizell-F. Mizell, W. Jordan
6 Sweeter Than Sugar 4:20
Whistle – James Carter 
Written-By, Arranged By – Chuck Davis, Skip Scarborough
7 Please Set Me At Ease 6:05
Arranged By – Fonce Mizell & Larry Mizell
Written-By – F. Mizell-L. Mizell, Ruby Mizell
Credits:
Arranged By [Background Vocal] – Larry Mizell, Fonce Mizell
Bass – Chuck Rainey
Clavinet, Synthesizer [Solina], Trumpet – Fonce Mizell
Conductor – Fonce Mizell, Larry Mizell, Sigidi
Congas – Mayuto Correa
Drums – Harvey Mason
Flute, Vocals – Bobbi Humphrey
Guitar – Craig McMullen, John Rowin
Harp – Dorothy Ashby
Marimba, Vibraphone – Roger Glenn
Piano, Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes], Clavinet – Skip Scarborough
Piano, Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes], Synthesizer [Arp] – Jerry Peters
Piano, Synthesizer [Solina, Arp], Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes] – Larry Mizell
Tenor Saxophone – Tyree Glenn, Jr.
Trombone – Julian Priester
Trumpet – Oscar Brashear
Vocals – Augie Rey, Bobbi Humphrey, Fonce Mizell, Jesse Acuna, Katherine Lyra, Larry Mizell, Rosario Davila, Sónia Tavares