REGINA CARTER — Motor City Moments (2000) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Two years after her stunning debut on Verve, violinist Regina Carter offers listeners her exceptional string virtuosity on ten great songs inspired by her hometown of Detroit, Michigan. Motor City Moments features a stellar collection of songs written by some of the best musicians from Detroit including Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Thad Jones, and Milt Jackson. Regina Carter applies her pure skill, pizzicato, and arco passages to "Don't Mess With Mr. T" and "Higher Ground" with impeccable tuning and multiple approaches. Her string virtuosity on Milt Jackson's "For Someone I Love," is a masterful performance backed adeptly by Mayra Casales on percussion and spotlights a brilliant piano solo by Werner "Vana" Gierig. Two originals, "Forever February" and "Up South," which was co-written with guitarist Russell Malone, provide an interesting contrast of the artist's use of reflective temperament and folk-ornamented cadences. Each song also emphasizes Carter's adept techniques with melodic phrasing and song forms. Accompanied by her touring band of Darryl Hall on bass, Alvester Garnett on drums, percussionist Mayra Casales, Marcus Belgrave on trumpet and flugelhorn, James Carter on bass clarinet and tenor sax, Barry Harris on piano, Lewis Nash, as well as several special guests, Regina Carter has rapidly become one of the most exciting and original violinists to arrive on the jazz scene. Paula Edelstein
Tracklist :
1    Don't Git Sassy 5:17
Bass Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone – James Carter
Trumpet – Marcus Belgrave
Written-By – Thad Jones
2    Don't Mess With Mr. T 6:18
Drums – Lewis Nash
Written-By – Marvin Gaye
3    For Someone I Love 5:52
Arranged By – Regina Carter
Written-By – Milt Jackson
4    Forever February 3:49
Written-By – Regina Carter
5    Higher Ground 6:56
Written-By – Stevie Wonder
6    Love Theme From Spartacus 6:24
Bass Clarinet – James Carter
Flugelhorn – Marcus Belgrave
Written-By – Alex North
7    Prey Loot 3:47
Drums – Lewis Nash
Piano – Barry Harris
Written-By – Lucky Thompson
8    Fukai Aijo 4:56
Written-By, Piano – Barry Harris
9    Chattanooga Choo Choo 3:50
Guitar – Russell Malone
Whistle [Train Whistle] – Regina Carter
Written-By – Harry Warren, Mack Gordon
10    Up South 3:36
Written-By – Regina Carter
Written-By, Guitar – Russell Malone
Credits :
Arranged By – John Clayton (tracks: 1, 2, 6, 9)
Bass [The Band] – Darryl Hall (tracks: 1 to 7, 9)
Drums [The Band] – Alvester Garnett (tracks: 1, 4 to 6)
Percussion [The Band] – Mayra Casales (tracks: 2, 3, 5)
Piano [The Band] – Werner "Vana" Gierig (tracks: 1 to 6, 9)
Violin – Regina Carter

DEE DEE BRIDGEWATER — Eleanora Fagan (1915-1959) : To Billie with Love from Dee Dee Bridgewater (2010) WV (image+.cue), lossless

It shouldn't come as much of a surprise that Dee Dee Bridgewater chose to record a tribute album to Billie Holiday. In quick succession beginning in the mid-'90s Bridgewater cut tribute albums to Ella Fitzgerald, Horace Silver, and Kurt Weill, and prior to that, in the late '80s, she was nominated for an award for her one-woman star turn in a European theater production of Lady Day, the Holiday story. That Bridgewater would eventually turn to Holiday (whose given name of Eleanora Fagan explains the title) for an album-length exploration was almost a given -- it was just a question of when. It's one of her grandest efforts, too. With arrangements by Edsel Gomez (who also provides piano) and a stellar cast of participants including bassist Christian McBride, saxophonist/flutist/bass clarinetist James Carter, and drummer Lewis Nash, Bridgewater doesn't attempt to mimic Holiday's mannerisms or inflections but, as one would expect of such a gifted artist, to absorb and reframe Holiday -- this is pure Bridgewater, not another performance of Lady Day. Gomez, for his part, quite often pulls the arrangements squarely away from Holiday territory to reinvent these classic songs for a modern audience. The opening "Lady Sings the Blues" is both instantly recognizable yet freshly reconceived as something of an uptempo blues packed with polyrhythmic punch. "All of Me," which follows, is taken at near-breakneck speed, Bridgewater jumping ahead of the beat, following Carter's thrilling soprano sax solo with a raging scat that's more Ella than Billie. Not everything is meant to redefine, though: "God Bless the Child" is mostly true to the original, though Carter's soprano solo again brings the tune into the new century, and "Lover Man," though livelier than Holiday's take, is offered in a somewhat timeless and straightforward manner. As one might expect, there's no way a singer with Bridgewater's commitment to jazz history could release a Holiday tribute without tackling "Strange Fruit," the controversial anti-lynching landmark that remains Holiday's most daring moment, and it's saved for last here. It's an eerie, ominous interpretation, Bridgewater's raw vocal up front and fraught with emotion. Carter's brooding bass clarinet and McBride's bass lend a foreboding quality to the take, Nash relies heavily on his cymbals to dramatic effect, and Gomez's piano is subtle, allowing the nakedness of Bridgewater's voice -- at times unaccompanied -- to retell this story that can never be told enough. It's a stunning finale to one of the finest Billie Holiday homages ever recorded. Jeff Tamarkin  
Tracklist :
1    Lady Sings The Blues 3:30
Written-By – Billie Holiday, Herbie Nichols
2    All Of Me 2:58
Written-By – Gerald Marks, Seymour B. Simons
3    Good Morning Heartache 5:10
Written-By – Dan Fisher, Ervin M. DRake, Irene Higginbotham
4    Lover Man 4:43
Written-By – James Edward Davis, James Sherman, Roger J. Ramirez
5    You've Changed 5:10
Written-By – William "Bill" Carey, Carl Fischer
6    Miss Brown To You 2:12
Written-By – Leo Robin, Ralph Rainger, Richard A. Whiting
7    Don't Explain 6:14
Written-By – Arthur Herzog Jr., Billie Holiday
8    Fine And Mellow 4:54
Written-By – Billie Holiday
9    Mother's Son-In-Law 2:46
Written-By – Alberta Nichols, Mann Holiner
10    God Bless The Child 5:13
Written-By – Arthur Herzog Jr., Billie Holiday
11    Foggy Day 4:33
Written-By – George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin
12    Strange Fruit 4:16
Written-By – Lewis Allan
Credits :
Bass – Christian McBride
Bass Clarinet – James Carter (pistas: 3, 12)
Drums – Lewis Nash
Flute [Alto] – James Carter (pistas: 7)
Arranged By, Piano – Edsel Gomez
Soprano Saxophone – James Carter (pistas: 2, 4, 10)
Tenor Saxophone – James Carter (pistas: 1, 5, 6, 8, 9)
Vocals – Dee Dee Bridgewater

RODNEY WHITAKER - Children of the Light [1996] KOC / FLAC

For his debut as leader, Rodney Whitaker takes center stage on several melodies and solos frequently. His playing is well-rounded in every respect, and he has a supple, sleek, strong tone. His core group for this outing consists of James Carter (tenor sax), Cassius Richmond (flute), Wallace Roney and Nicholas Payton (trumpet), Cyrus Chestnut (piano), Karriem Riggins and Gregory Hutchinson (drums), and Andrew Daniels (percussion); pianist Geri Allen and baritone saxophonist Alex Harding make cameo appearances. Three of the 11 tracks were penned by Whitaker -- the bass/percussion workout "Woman Child," the jungly "(Queen) Roz," and the crackling "Langman." Ken Cox's triumphant melody for Nelson Mandela, "Mandela's Mood," is a highlight, featuring bright melodies and Afro-Cuban underpinnings. Everyone solos on this piece, but it's Carter's histrionics that really provide the exclamation point. There are two hard boppers -- a version of "Broadway" featuring a path-clearing solo by Carter, and Richmond's "Mood Swings," which finds Carter and Roney acting like Wayne Shorter and Miles Davis. The title track features Payton's plaintive head statement and Chestnut's fervid solo. Whitaker's wife, Monzola, contributes the soft "One Silent Moment," while Roney lights things up for "On Dolphin Street." Allen waxes poetic beneath a bed of exotic, subtle rhythms on "El Morro," and the finale, "Cultural Warrior," is languid and solemn. Whitaker shows a grand diversity on this complete package of modern jazz. Highly recommended.  by Michael G. Nastos 
Tracklist
1. Mandela’s Muse (Kenn Cox) 6:47
2. Broadway (Henry Woode / Teddy McRae / Bill Bird) 4:30 
3. One Silent Moment (Monzola Whitaker) 6:06
4. On Green Dolphin Street (Ned Washington / Bronislaw Kaper) 5:32
5. Woman Child (Rodney Whitaker) 5:14
6. Mood Swings (Cassius Richmond) 7:26
7. (Queen) Roz (Rodney Whitaker) 6:53
8. Children of the Light (Roland Guerrin) 5:51
9. Langman (Rodney Whitaker) 7:00
10. El Morro (Francisco Mora) 7:14
11. Cultural Warrior (Francisco Mora) 7:02
Recorded at Power Station, NYC on September 13 & 14, 1995.
Credits
Nicholas Payton – Trumpet (1, 2, 3, 7, 8)
Wallace Roney – Trumpet (4, 6, 9, 10)
James Carter – Tenor Saxophone (except 5, 8, 11)
Cassius Richmond – Flute (1, 3, 10)
Cyrus Chestnut – Piano (except 4, 5, 10)
Geri Allen – Piano (4, 10)
Alex Harding – Baritone Saxophone (3)
Rodney Whitaker – Bass
Kariem Riggins – Drums (1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 11)
Gregory Hutchinson – Drums (4, 5, 6, 9, 10)
Andrew Daniels II – Percussion (1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10)

RODNEY WHITAKER - Children of the Light 

[1996] KOCH JAZZ / FLAC / scans

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