STANLEY JORDAN — Cornucopia (1990) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

The first half of this CD by the remarkable guitarist Stanley Jordan is so strong that it is a pity that things decline during the latter half. Jordan is quite outstanding on "Impressions" and "Autumn Leaves," emulates B.B. King on "Still Got The Blues", interprets a thoughtful "Willow Weep For Me" and performs a dazzling tour-de-force on the uptempo blues "Fundance"; the latter two are unaccompanied solos that sound like duets or trios. However a couple of funk pieces (including an unimaginative rendition of "What's Going On") and a New Age synthesizer selection are on a lower level. The title cut clocks in at 21:45 and, although it finds Jordan creating "impossible" technical feats on solo guitar, it meanders on indefinitely and gets boring very quickly. This is a frustrating release; get it for the good half if you see it at a budget price. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1.    Impressions 7:17
Written-By – John Coltrane
2.    Willow Weep For Me 4:39
Written-By – Anne Ronell
3.    Autumn Leaves 7:55
Written-By – Prevert, Mercer, Kozma
4.    Still Got The Blues 5:07
Written-By – Stanley Jordan
5.    Fundance 6:25
Written-By – Stanley Jordan
6.    What's Goin' On 4:32
Written-By – Al Cleveland, Marvin Gaye
7.    Always Know 4:32
Written-By – Bernard Wright, Yossi Fine
8.    Asteroids 4:44
Written-By – Stanley Jordan
9.    Cornucopia 21:45
Written-By – Stanley Jordan
Credits :
Bass – Charnett Moffett, Yossi Fine
Drums – J.T.Lewis, Jeff Watts, Kenwood Dennard, Michael Flythe
Guitar, Bass, Drum Programming – Stanley Jordan
Keyboards – Bernard Wright
Piano [Acoustic] – Kenny Kirkland
Synthesizer – Robert Zantay

STANLEY JORDAN — Stolen Moments (1991) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

This trio set with bassist Charnett Moffett and drummer Kenwood Dennard features the tapping guitarist Stanley Jordan during a typical live show from 1990 playing many songs that he had previously recorded. While "Stairway to Heaven" is treated as very credible rock and "Lady in My Life" gets funky, "Autumn Leaves" really cooks and Jordan fares well on "Stolen Moments" (during which he does a strong imitation of a keyboard) and "Impressions." Jordan's lone original, the rock-ish "Return Expedition" is, at 15 minutes, way too long and serves primarily as an opportunity for his two fine backup players to take lengthy solos. Jordan's unaccompanied display on the concluding "Over the Rainbow" compensates. An interesting program. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1    Stairway To Heaven 6:34
Written-By – Jimmy Page, Robert Plant
2    Impressions 9:09
Written-By – John Coltrane
3    Lady In My Life 6:20
Written-By – Rod Temperton
4    Autumn Leaves 5:49
Written-By – Prevert, Mercer, Kosma
5    Stolen Moments 8:17
Written-By – Oliver Nelson
6    Return Expedition 15:23
Written-By – Stanley Jordan
7    Over The Rainbow 6:27
Written-By – E.Y. Harburg, Harold Arlen
Credits :
Acoustic Bass, Electric Bass – Charnett Moffett
Drums – Kenwood Dennard
Electric Guitar – Stanley Jordan

STANLEY JORDAN — State of Nature (2008) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

State of Nature is the first studio offering by Stanley Jordan in over ten years; it also his debut for Detroit's fine Mack Avenue imprint. For those who have only heard the early Blue Note records or his live dates, this will be both welcome and a bit of a shock. Jordan has always been an ambitious artist. He took a long break from recording to study music therapy as well. His pioneering tap technique on the guitar changed the way it is used in jazz and popular music for many, and his holistic approach to music has delighted many and infuriated some purists. Oh well. The 14 tracks here are, as one might expect, all over the map, and so are his support musicians. There are some killer pieces from the jazz canon here, most notably in Horace Silver's "Song for my Father" and Miles Davis' "All Blues." These are likely to get notice because Jordan plays both guitar and piano on them simultaneously with no overdubbing. There will no doubt be some gnashing of teeth because Jordan's not as fine a pianist as Bill Evans or Silver. So what? These are fine renditions of these tunes, performed by a crack band featuring bassist Charnett Moffett and drummer David Haynes (who make up the core rhythm section on the majority of the disc). They swing, they groove, and they remain not only faithful but soulful as well. Haynes' cymbal work on the Silver tune is gorgeous, and Moffett's driving pulse of a bassline on the Davis tune is in the cut and very creative. As for the quality of Jordan's pianism? It works beautifully, and his guitar solos on both cuts add breadth and dimension to the originals. It's actually dazzling on "Song for My Father." These are but two of the many surprises to be found here. The reading of Tom Jobim's "Insensatez" with bassist Dudu Lima and drummer Ivan Conti evokes the sparseness of the original -- even with the multiple tonalities at work in Jordan's playing (many of them bluesy and rounded) combined with Lima's wildly creative, fretless bass playing -- and still manages to hold a drop-dead precise groove for the percussive invention that engages Jordan in his interaction with Conti. This is a beautiful if very unusual interpretation of the tune that probably adds more to its timeless appeal than any cover of it in recent memory.

Jordan's own compositions have not suffered in his time away from recording; far from it. Check album opener "A Place in Space" with the Moffett and Haynes rhythm section. The colors on display here are rich, even lush, and if the tune didn't pop the way it does rhythmically or have its force of swing -- even in rather staccato interludes -- it might be a tad lush. But it moves and the breaks by Haynes, while never overstated (he's using brushes) are simply intoxicating. There are a number of brief "environmental" recordings here, as well, underscoring the artist's deep concern with the personal transformation of self and nature (yeah; green politics) but it's a spiritual type of politics, not a brow-beating one. "Ocean Breeze" was written with Jay Kishor, who also plays sitar in a large ensemble setting. The Jordan-Moffett-Haynes trio is embellished by keyboards (Giovanna Imbesi), a second bassist in Tommy Brown, and various hand percussion and tablas. While the track has a bit of a new-agey feel in the first couple of seconds, it quickly becomes something akin to what Oregon did in the early '70s but with an electric guitar. The melodic invention in this cut is simply amazing. Another remarkable moment is the exchange of solos between Jordan and Kishor, followed by Tammi Brown's understated, wordless vocals in the backdrop. The funky breaks played by Haynes in "Shadow Dance" are supplemented by hip drum loops added by Jordan. He takes his most rockist solo here (feels like a nod to Hendrix); it spirals out into space with pedal effects and some keyboard programming and overdubbed piano, and it's an excellent fusion track which has enough funk and soul in it to create a killer groove. The album closes with a beautiful version of Joe Jackson's "Steppin' Out." A backing chorus of Tammi Brown and Julianne Jordan is accompanied by Jordan on electric piano, guitar, and loops, and the rhythm section of Moffett and Haynes. It swings and shimmers and stays deeply in the cut while letting its groove and dancefloor freak flag fly -- expect this one to be a hit on contemporary jazz stations even at almost six minutes. There is some additional recording at the end with environmental sounds, Meta Weiss' cello and Kishor's sitar fading in as the guitar solos and vocals fade out. In lesser hands this cut and perhaps an album this ambitious in scope would have been a mess. In Jordan's it is nothing short of a triumph of soul, spirit, and a seasoned jazz musician's acumen.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist :
1    A Place In Space 8:51
Bass – Charnett Moffett
Drums – David Haynes
2    All Blues 7:56
Bass – Charnett Moffett
Drums – David Haynes
Written-By – Miles Davis
3    Forest Garden 3:18
Cello – Meta Weiss
Percussion – Hartt Stearns
4    Insensatez (How Insensitive) 5:51
Bass – Dudu Lima
Drums – Ivan Conti (Mamão)
Written-By – Antonio Carlos Jobim
5    Mozart's Piano Concerto #21 (Andante In F Major) 7:35
Arranged By – Stanley Jordan
Written-By – W.A. Mozart
6    Song For My Father 7:09
Bass – Charnett Moffett
Drums – David Haynes
Written-By – Horace Silver
7    Mind Games #1 0:33
Bass – Charnett Moffett
Drums – Kenwood Dennard
8    Ocean Breeze 7:26
Bass – Charnett Moffett
Bass [Additional] – Tommy Brown
Drums – David Haynes
Percussion – Hartt Stearns
Piano, Keyboards – Giovanna Imbesi
Sitar – Jay Kishor
Tabla – Vedang Londhe
Vocals – Tammi Brown
9    Healing Waves 7:32
Cello – Meta Weiss
10    Mind Games #2 0:49
Bass – Charnett Moffett
Drums – Kenwood Dennard
11    Shadow Dance 6:51
Bass – Charnett Moffett
Drums – David Haynes
12    Mind Games #3 0:35
Bass – Charnett Moffett
Drums – Kenwood Dennard
13    Prayer For The Sea 6:29
Bass – Charnett Moffett
Drums – Kenwood Dennard
Keyboards – Ryan Turnage
14    Steppin' Out 5:55
Bass – Charnett Moffett
Cello – Meta Weiss
Drums – David Haynes
Sitar – Jay Kishor
Vocals – Julia Jordan, Tammi Brown
Written-By – Joe Jackson
Credits :
Producer, Guitar, Programmed By [Sound], Electric Piano – Stanley Jordan

STANLEY JORDAN — Friends (2011) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Guitarist Stanley Jordan's innovative touch technique, often played in a solo setting at the beginning of his career in the mid-'80s, was a breath of fresh air. He has since been an explorer open to many styles, as heard on this collaboration with a number of different musicians. He is still very much a force as a soloist, yet not one to hog the spotlight with his formidable abilities. Jordan is joined by Kenny Garrett (on soprano sax), trumpeter Nicholas Payton, bassist Christian McBride, and drummer Kenwood Dennard for his blazing post-bop anthem "Capital J." The same lineup is used for the mellow contemporary ballad "Bathed in Light" with Dennard overdubbing on keyboard; the robust solos and crisp ensemble work keep things from degrading into run-of-the-mill smooth jazz. Jordan collaborates with several different guitarists. Octogenarian Bucky Pizzarelli, a master of seven-string guitar who is equally capable playing lead and rhythm, is on hand for a gently swinging, bluesy "Lil' Darlin'," while Russell Malone joins the leader and Pizzarelli for an explosive take of "Seven Come Eleven" (a tune Pizzarelli doubtlessly played many times during his time with Benny Goodman). Mike Stern accompanies Jordan for a brisk workout of "Giant Steps," with Dennard sticking to soft brushwork. Guitarist Charlie Hunter is on hand for Jordan's funky "Walkin' the Dog" and Katy Perry's "I Kissed a Girl," the latter in which the leader plays piano with one hand and guitar with the other. Perhaps the most unusual track is an adaptation of the "Romantic Intermezzo" from Béla Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra, with Jordan playing piano (his first instrument) accompanied by the brilliant violinist Regina Carter, demonstrating Jordan's love for a good melody regardless of the style of music. Jazz fans who have lost track of Stanley Jordan since his early solo recordings will have their ears opened by this diverse, successful meeting with his many friends. Ken Dryden
Tracklist :
1    Capital J    6:40
 Stanley Jordan
2    Walkin' The Dog    6:12
 Stanley Jordan
3    Lil' Darlin'    5:43
 Neal Hefti
4    Giant Steps    4:33
 John Coltrane
5    I Kissed A Girl    5:46
 Cathy Dennis / Dr. Luke / Max Martin / Katy Perry
6    Samba Delight    5:30
 Stanley Jordan
7    Seven Come Eleven    5:33
 Charlie Christian / Benny Goodman
8    Bathed In Light    7:49
 Stanley Jordan
9    Romantic Intermezzo From Bartok's Concerto For Orchestra    8:33
 Béla Bartók
10    Reverie    3:59
 Claude Debussy
11    One For Milton    4:08
 Kenwood Dennard / Stanley Jordan / Russell Malone
Credits :
Contrabass – Charnett Moffett (tracks: 5,6,10), Christian McBride (tracks: 1,8)
Drums – Kenwood Dennard (tracks: 1 to 8,10,11)
Guitar – Bucky Pizzarelli (tracks: 3,6), Charlie Hunter (tracks: 2,5), Mike Stern (tracks: 4), Russell Malone (tracks: 6,11), Stanley Jordan
Piano – Stanley Jordan (tracks: 5,9)
Soprano Saxophone – Kenny Garrett (tracks: 1,8), Ronnie Laws (tracks: 7)
Trumpet – Nicholas Payton (tracks: 1,8)
Violin – Regina Carter (tracks: 7,9)