GIL EVANS | LAURENT CUGNY | BIG BAND LUMIERE – Rhythm-A-Ning (1988-2003) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This is a very interesting recording. Aging arranger/pianist Gil Evans agreed after much persuasion to come to Paris and play his music at a few concerts with Laurent Cugny's Orchestra. After only one rehearsal, the first event took place, and it gratified Evans to realize that the young French musicians were not only excellent players but big Gil Evans fans. Their interpretations of Thelonious Monk's "Rhythm-A-Ning," "London" and "La Nevada" rank with the best versions of Evans's regular Monday Night Band, and Cugny's "Charlie Mingus' Sound of Love" (an answer to Mingus' "Duke Ellington's Sound of Love") is also excellent. Few of the sidemen, other than tenor-saxophonist Andy Sheppard and percussionist Marilyn Mazur, are known in the U.S., but they did an excellent job of bringing Gil Evans's music to life. Scott Yanow    Tracklist & Credits :

FRANÇOIS THÉBERGE 5 ft. LEE KONITZ - Music of Konitz (2002) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tenor saxophonist Francois Theberge not only chose to record an entire CD devoted to the compositions of alto saxophonist Lee Konitz, but welcomed him as a special guest for the entire session. The veteran's songs are always stimulating and full of twists and turns as he frequently transforms the chord changes of familiar standards into something revolutionary sounding. The sextet, which also features trumpeter and flugelhornist Stephane Belmondo and trumpeter Jerry Edwards, does justice to Theberge's skillful arrangements. They include a bright and cheery "Dream Steppin'" (adapted from "You Stepped Out of a Dream"), a somewhat ominous "Thingin'" (a reworked "All the Things You Are"), and one of his best known works, "Subconscious-Lee" (based on "What is This Thing Called Love?"). The pianoless sextet devotes itself to playing as a group as much as featuring individual soloists, though Konitz does get his fair share. This rewarding disc should attract many fans of Lee Konitz to the promising work of Francois Theberge. Ken Dryden
Tracklist :
1    Chick Came Around    6:19
2    Lennie's & L.T.    6:55
3    Midnight Mood    8:41
4    Dream Stepper    4:38
5    Thingin'    9:04
6    Crumbles    6:52
7    Friendlee    5:36
8    It's You    8:41
9    Subconcious-Lee    4:19
Credits :
Acoustic Bass – Paul Imm
Alto Saxophone – Lee Konitz
Drums – Karl Jannuska
Tenor Saxophone – François Théberge
Trombone – Jerry Edwards
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Stéphane Belmondo

JACKY TERRASSON — Gouache (2006) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Pianist Jacky Terrasson's 2012 album Gouache is an eclectic, playful, and often beautiful album that showcases the pianist's lithe, technically adept jazz skills alongside a handful of guest artists. Terrasson is a gifted composer and improviser in a variety of jazz idioms, from straight-ahead, standards-based jazz to more contemporary and even avant-garde styles. He brings all of this to bear on Gouache. While Terrasson's virtuosic piano chops are the focal point of the release, it is also his choice of excellent sidemen here, including trumpeter Stephane Belmondo and bass clarinetist Michel Portal, that helps make the album such a buoyant and joyful listen. This is especially true on his ruminative version of John Lennon's "Oh My Love" and the positively swoon-inducing Erik Satie chanson "Je Te Veux," which both feature vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant. Winner of the 2010 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition, Salvant is a gifted, nuanced singer and here, singing in both French and English, she draws upon the languid, bittersweet influence of Billie Holiday, while always keeping a smile in her voice. Jazz pianists reworking modern pop songs has become de rigueur in 21st century jazz circles, and so Terrasson's choice to cover Lennon, as well as such radio hits as Justin Bieber's "Baby" and Amy Winehouse's "Rehab," isn't in-and-of-itself unique. However, with his painterly, impressionistic style that often brings to mind a mix of such influences as Keith Jarrett and Chick Corea, Terrasson is an interesting match for this kind of pop repurposing, and his reinventions never sound anything but clever and inspired. To these ends, he turns "Baby" into a jaunty sleigh ride of song, with a euphoric '70s R&B ballad midsection. He also gives "Rehab" a slow, Horace Silver-sounding jazz-funk treatment that finds him moving from piano to Fender Rhodes. Elsewhere, Terrasson's original compositions reveal a passion for melody and groove, paired with an adventurous, flowing, stream-of-consciousness post-bop aesthetic that ultimately makes Gouache a pure joy to hear. Matt Collar  
Tracklist :
1 Try To Catch Me 4:07
Composed By – Jacky Terrasson
2 Baby 3:22
Composed By – Justin Bieber
3 Je Te Veux 5:25
Composed By – Erik Satie
Lyrics By – Henry Pacory
4 Rehab 3:55
Composed By – Amy Winehouse
5 Gouache 5:20
Composed By – Jacky Terrasson
6 Oh My Love 4:48
Composed By – John Lennon
7 Mother 6:50
Composed By – Jacky Terrasson
8 Happiness 7:42
Composed By – Jacky Terrasson
9 Valse Hot 4:06
Composed By – Sonny Rollins
10 C'est Si Bon 6:05
Composed By – Henri Betti
Credits:
Bass Clarinet – Michel Portal
Double Bass – Burniss Earl Travis II
Drums – Justin Faulkner
Electric Bass – Burniss Earl Travis II
Fender Rhodes – Jacky Terrasson
Flugelhorn – Stéphane Belmondo
Percussions – Justin Faulkner (tracks: 10), Minino Garay
Piano – Jacky Terrasson
Trumpet – Stéphane Belmondo
Vocals – Cécile McLorin Salvant