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

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)

RAY BROWN TRIO — Some of My Best Friends Are ... Singers (1998) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

What does a bass player do when he's recording an album as a leader? Surely not an hour's worth of bass solos! Ray Brown solved the bass player's dilemma with a series of recordings under the Some of My Best Friends Are... heading. This 1998 release is the third in the series, following the earlier Some of My Best Friends Are...Piano Players and Some of My Best Friends Are...Sax Players, and it's a gem. Featuring a sextet of fine vocalists, ranging from the well-established to the unknown, this CD is a class act from beginning to end. The rising jazz vocal superstar of the late '90s, Diana Krall, is showcased to great effect on "I Thought About You" and "Little Boy." Well-established female vocal veterans Etta Jones, Dee Dee Bridgewater, and Marlena Shaw deliver superb performances, soulfully giving master lessons in the art of singing. The lone male singer spotlighted here, Kevin Mahogany, wraps his smooth baritone around the ballad "Skylark," and swings gently on "The Party's Over."

The one unknown in this collection is Oregonian Nancy King. This veteran of the San Francisco and Pacific Northwest scenes shows she has a fine way with a ballad on "But Beautiful," and scats her way across the upbeat Brown original "The Perfect Blues," that closes this set. Both of these songs also feature Antonio Hart's alto saxophone. In addition to Brown's trio mates Geoff Keezer and Gregory Hutchinson, musical support includes guitarist Russell Malone on two tracks and tenor saxman Ralph Moore cooking alongside Bridgewater on "Cherokee." Jim Newsom   Tracklist & Credits :

RAY BROWN TRIO — Some of My Best Friends Are ... Guitarists (2002) APE (image+.cue), lossless

The fifth in Ray Brown's series of recordings pairing his working trio with several different musicians from the same family of instruments (although one volume was exclusively singers) features a half-dozen guitarists, ranging from fellow Oscar Peterson alumni Herb Ellis (who worked with Brown in the pianist's most famous trio) and Ulf Wakenius to veteran Kenny Burrell, as well as seasoned players like John Pizzarelli and Bruce Forman and the rising star Russell Malone. Each song sounds as if the group could be a working quartet, due to the great interaction between the trio and each guest. Pizzarelli shines in a bluesy, strutting take of Duke Ellington's "Just Squeeze Me" (erroneously labeled as Fats Waller's "Squeeze Me") which has a nice series of exchanges between the guitarist and the leader. Ellis brings back memories of the Oscar Peterson Trio with a heated performance of "I Want to Be Happy" during which pianist Geoff Keezer is up to the task of carrying on where Ellis left off. Wakenius is the guest on a particularly moody take of "My Funny Valentine." Burrell, Forman, and Malone also fare nicely on each of their pair of tracks, so it's very easy to recommend this very enjoyable disc. Ken Dryden   Tracklist & Credits :

RAY BROWN | MONTY ALEXANDER | RUSSELL MALONE — Ray Brown, Monty Alexander, Russell Malone (2002) SACD, Hybrid | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

It would be nice to say that Ray Brown's final recording session before his sudden and untimely death in the summer of 2002 resulted in a masterpiece, but although this trio session with guitarist Russell Malone and pianist Monty Alexander is perfectly serviceable, a masterpiece it is not. It's a very attractive album -- Brown was probably not capable of producing anything less as a leader -- but it suffers just a bit from Alexander's slightly sugary style and from the lack of a drummer. Recording without a drummer had been the latest thing in the jazz world for several years when this album was released, but it's not entirely clear what the benefit of such an arrangement was supposed to be. On this album, the swing standard "Fly Me to the Moon" and Dexter Gordon's boppish "Dexter's Dex" would have had much more oomph with a sympathetic drummer on board (though on the latter, Malone's Django Reinhardt-styled backup and Brown's inimitable freight train rhythmic drive do go some distance toward making up for that lack). And the mid-tempo numbers seem to plod just a bit as well. But as always, there's no questioning either the inventiveness of Brown's solos or the rich sumptuousness of his enormous tone. Rick Anderson   Tracklist & Credits :

JIMMY HEATH - Love Letter (2020) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Released seven months after his death in January 2020, Love Letter finds legendary saxophonist Jimmy Heath offering a warmly rendered collection of ballads that works as a romantic capstone to his illustrious career. Known for his lyrical sound and nuanced arrangements, most notably with his siblings Percy and Tootie in the Heath Brothers, and with trumpeters like Chet Baker, Blue Mitchell, and Kenny Dorham, Heath brings all of his experience to bear on Love Letter. Joining him are pianist Kenny Barron, guitarist Russell Malone, vibraphonist Monte Croft, bassist David Wong, and drummer Lewis Nash. Together they craft a deeply heartfelt and enveloping sound that evokes Heath's classic acoustic work of the '50s and '60s. They offer sparkling and atmospheric reworkings of songs like Heath's own "Ballad From Upper Neighbors Suite," Dizzy Gillespie's "Con Alma," and Billie Holiday and Arthur Herzog, Jr.'s haunting "Don't Explain." Primarily a tenor player, Heath displays his lithe soprano skills on the yearning "Inside Your Heart." He is also joined by a handful of special guests, including vocalist Cecile McLorin Salvant, who puts her distinctive stamp on the lesser-performed Billie Holiday and Mal Waldron number "Left Alone." Equally engaging is singer Gregory Porter, who offers a soulfully burnished reading of Gordon Parks' "Don't Misunderstand." Heath also engages in dusky harmonic interplay with trumpeter Wynton Marsalis on Kenny Dorham's "La Mesha." A masterfully understated and intoxicating album, Love Letter is just the kind of low-key farewell you would expect from Heath and one that holds you in its poignantly romantic swell throughout. Matt Collar  
Tracklist :
1     Ballad From Upper Neighbors Suite 4'22
Jimmy Heath
2     Left Alone 4'29
Billie Holiday / Mal Waldron
Arranged By – Jimmy Heath
Vocals – Cécile McLorin Salvant
3     Inside Your Heart 4'51
Jimmy Heath
4     La Mesha 7'13
Kenny Dorham
Arranged By – Jimmy Heath
Trumpet – Wynton Marsalis
5     Don't Misunderstand 5'31
Gordon Parks
Arranged By – Jimmy Heath
Vocals – Gregory Porter
6     Con Alma 5'13
Dizzy Gillespie
Arranged By – Jimmy Heath
7     Fashion or Passion 5'45
Jimmy Heath
8     Don’t Explain 7'08
Billie Holiday
Credits
Bass – Herb Wong
Drums – Lewis Nash
Guitar – Russell Malone
Piano – Kenny Barron
Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Jimmy Heath
Vibraphone – Monte Croft

RON CARTER - The Golden Striker (2003) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

The Golden Striker is jazz bassist Ron Carter's attempt to break out of a rut. Teamed with pianist Mulgrew Miller and guitarist Russell Malone, Carter attempts to climb out of the pleasant but sleepy, largely academic role he's made recordings in for the past decade or so. It works only partially. The material chosen for this session, from the title track by the late John Lewis to Carter's own swinging contrapuntal study "N.Y. Slick" to an interesting read of the now standard "Concierto de Aranjuez," comes off as too relaxed, too low-key, and basically uninspiring. No one can question anyone's credentials on this date, but there is no spark, no fire, nothing but admirably executed moves in harmony and melody. Given the lack of a drummer, rhythmic responsibility rests on Carter's shoulders more heavily, and on his own he abdicates. The Golden Striker is rote at best in the rhythm department. Malone's usually percussive chord voicings are considerably breezier here and lend less in that department, and Carter feels like he's going through the motions. It's almost as if he has deliberately chosen to make records that are unnaturally quiet and staid, trying to offer to the listener some "point" about how music can be made in the jazz idiom without giving listeners a compelling emotional reason for it. Ultimately, most of Carter's compositions feel bloodless, quizzically interesting in a mathematical way but devoid of anything other than musical brain stem life. It's just too bad.
(This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa')
Tracklist :
1     The Golden Striker 5:22
John Lewis
2     On and On 3:01
Mulgrew Miller
3     NY Slick 4:08
Ron Carter
4     Concierto de Aranjuez (Adagio Theme) 7:02
Joaquín Rodrigo
5     Cedar Tree 5:04
Russell Malone
6     A Quick Sketch 6:27
Ron Carter
7     Parade 5:32
Ron Carter
8     A Theme in 3/4 5:20
Ron Carter
9     Autumn Leaves 6:18
Joseph Kosma / Johnny Mercer / Jacques Prévert
Credits :
Bass – Ron Carter
Guitar – Russell Malone
Piano – Mulgrew Miller