JESSICA MOLASKEY — Pentimento (2002) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

According to Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary, pentimento is defined as "the presence or emergence of earlier images, forms, or strokes that have been painted over." Musical theater star performer Jessica Molaskey's album of the same name gives a jazzy musical twist to this definition by updating songs from the 1920s and '30s. The play list is made up of those wonderful songs that people were enjoying during the pre-Depression flapper and Depression eras. Often their lyrics reflected the social and economic mores of the time, such as "We're in the Money"; others are just lovely songs from a bygone era, some of which have survived quite well to this day. These were the staples of many vaudeville and music hall performers and Tin Pan Alley song pluggers. Molaskey is joined by a stellar cast of musicians as she freshens up these vintage melodies, giving them a somewhat modern sheen, but not enough to completely mask their authenticity as classic American popular songs. The all-star band includes Ken Peplowski with his middle-register clarinet, Larry Goldings, and veteran Johnny Frigo. This group is augmented by Molaskey's husband, guitarist/vocalist John Pizzarelli, and his father, Bucky Pizzarelli. Molaskey delivers this wonderful material in an ungarnished, straightforward, clear, and pretty voice. She also has a way with taking these oldies and giving them a new look by simply changing the pulse. This happens on "I'm Just Wild About Harry," which is done as a plaintive ballad instead of the usually fast tap-dancing pace of its Broadway introduction in Shuffle Along in 1921. Even more than the pleasant warm feeling of nostalgia this fine album produces, it is a fun album of good music performed by excellent practitioners of their trade. Highly recommended for everybody who enjoys good music. Dave Nathan  
Tracklist :
1 Oh You Beautiful Doll 2:44
Nat D. Ayer / Seymour Brown
2 I'm Just Wild About Harry 3:02
Eubie Blake / Noble Sissle
3 Ain't We Got Fun 3:06
Raymond B. Egan / Gus Kahn / Richard A. Whiting
4 What'll I Do 3:31
Irving Berlin
5 Medley 3:22
Al Dubin / Harry Warren
Jessica Molaskey feat: John Pizzarelli
  6 Waitin' For the Train to Come In 2:29
Martin Block / Sunny Skylar
7 Red, Red Robin 2:42
Harry Woods
8 By the Beautiful Sea 1:57
Harold Atteridge / Harry Carroll
9 I'm Always Chasing Rainbows 2:49
Harry Carroll / Joseph McCarthy
10 Oh, How I Hate to Get up in the Morning 2:46
Irving Berlin
11 You Made Me Love You 4:12
Joseph McCarthy / James V. Monaco
12 I Tried Too Hard For Too Long 1:50
Jessica Molaskey / John Pizzarelli
13 When I Lost You 1:05
Irving Berlin
14 Look For the Silver Lining 1:55
Buddy DeSylva / Jerome Kern
15 I Can't Give You Anything But Love 3:18
Dorothy Fields / Jimmy McHugh
16 Beautiful Dreamer 1:37
Stephen Foster
17 Sail Away 2:57
Jessica Molaskey / John Pizzarelli
 Credits :
Johnny Frigo - Violin
Larry Goldings - Arranger, Piano, Piano Arrangement
Jesse Levy - Cello
Jessica Molaskey - Arranger, Composer, Vocals
Ken Peplowski - Clarinet
Bucky Pizzarelli - Guitar, Ukulele
John Pizzarelli - Arranger, Composer, Guitar, Producer, Ukulele, Vocals
Martin Pizzarelli - Bass
Tony Tedesco - Brushes, Percussion

GEORGE RUSSELL SEXTET — Ezz-thetics (1961-1992) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This is a true classic. Composer/pianist George Russell gathered together a very versatile group of talents (trumpeter Don Ellis, trombonist Dave Baker, Eric Dolphy on alto and bass clarinet, bassist Steve Swallow, and drummer Joe Hunt) to explore three of his originals, "'Round Midnight" (which is given an extraordinary treatment by Dolphy), Miles Davis' "Nardis," and David Baker's "Honesty." The music is post-bop and although using ideas from avant-garde jazz, it does not fall into any simple category. The improvising is at a very high level and the frameworks (which include free and stop-time sections) really inspire the players. Highly recommended. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1    Ezz-thetic 8:57
Composed By – George Russell
2    Nardis 4:34
Composed By – Miles Davis
3    Lydiot 8:06
Composed By – George Russell
4    Thoughts 5:32
Composed By – George Russell
5    Honesty 9:00
Composed By – Dave Baker
6    'Round Midnight 6:33
Composed By – Thelonious Monk
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Eric Dolphy
Bass – Steve Swallow
Bass Clarinet – Eric Dolphy (tracks: 2, 4)
Drums – Joe Hunt
Piano, Arranged By – George Russell
Trombone – Dave Baker
Trumpet – Don Ellis

ART PEPPER – The Trip (1977-1990) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Art Pepper made a name for himself around Los Angeles in the '50s as a leading light in the style then known as West Coast jazz -- a cool alternative to the hot hard bop being made in East Coast cities like New York and Philadelphia. Pepper never really fit the cool stereotype, however; he was too incendiary a soloist (influenced by Lester Young, perhaps, and Bird certainly), more inclined to inject overt anger and passion into his playing than contemporaries like Getz or Mulligan. By the time these sides were made in 1976, any residual coolness had been displaced by hot emotionalism and an almost manic intensity. The lessons of John Coltrane had clearly been absorbed, harmonically and otherwise; not only was Pepper more assertive than ever, but he also took more chances. Polish is for shoes and fingernails: by the late '70s Pepper was rough, raw, and nakedly vulnerable. Every solo this late in his career was an adventure. On this record the adventure is joined by ex-Coltrane drummer Elvin Jones, who doesn't interact with Pepper as much as one might expect, but nevertheless puts down the hard grooves the altoist needed to be at his best. There's a bit of a tentative cast to much of this record, almost as if the musicians were not yet completely comfortable with one another. Pepper's playing is first-rate, however: his interpretation of Michel Legrand's melody, "The Summer Knows," is by itself worth the price of the album. Given that he would not live many years longer after its recording, this one is a keeper. Chris Kelsey
Tracklist :
1    The Trip (Original Take) 8:46
Composed By – Art Pepper
2    The Trip (Alternate Take) 12:58
Composed By – Art Pepper
3    A Song For Richard 6:17
Composed By – Joe Gordon
4    Sweet Love Of Mine 6:34
Composed By – Woody Shaw
5    Junior Cat 7:46
Composed By – Art Pepper
6    The Summer Knows 7:09
Composed By – Alan & Marilyn Bergman, Michel LeGrand
7    Red Car 5:45
Composed By – Art Pepper
Credits :
Art Pepper - Alto Saxophone
George Cables - Piano
David Williams - Bass
Elvin Jones - Drums

WOODY SHAW — Blackstone Legacy (1970-1999) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Originally a two-fer on vinyl and now on one CD, Shaw's debut as a leader is one of the first "free bop" sessions, in many ways his answer to Bitches Brew. The trumpeter's ensemble extracts dense, energetic, meaty collective sounds based in pure improvisation with a skeleton of a rhythmic framework to expound upon. Saxophonists Gary Bartz & Bennie Maupin, electric pianist George Cables, twin bassists Ron Carter and Clint Houston, and drummer Lenny White respond to Shaw's heavy direction, making for some of the most kinetic jazz heard in that period of early fusion. Shaw's bright melodicism, hard edged swing and refusal to compromise are his greatest assets. They come shining through on tuneful classics like the unstoppable "Think On Me" and stop-start gymnastics of "Boo-Ann's Grand." It represents the progressive bop aesthetic at a fever pitch. The title track is as wild and wooly as Woody could be, while "Lost & Found" is free bop at its finest. "New World" is a free funk number, quite a trend setter for its time, while "A Deed For Dolphy" shows an abstract, no-time side rarely heard from Shaw. All tunes are quite lengthy, no shorter than nine, no longer than seventeen minutes. This allows the band to develop their ideas and interact in a manner more akin to a concert setting. Bartz (alto and soprano saxophone) and Maupin (tenor saxophone, bass clarinet and flute) consistently show why they are two of the best improvising jazzmen out there. As much as the music is the thing, it is the singular presence of Shaw that refracts many colors of light and dark, like a multi-hued beacon directing many ships to port. There is not a better example of this music from its inception, documented on tape, than this other worldly session that brought the trumpeter to the jazz world's attention. Furthermore, few have done it better since. Truly a landmark recording, and a pivot point in the history of post-modern music. Michael G. Nastos
Tracklist
1    Blackstone Legacy    16:08
Composed By – Woody Shaw
2    Think On Me 10:49
Composed By – George Cables
3    Lost And Found    10:45
Composed By – Woody Shaw
4    New World 17:06
Composed By – George Cables
5    Boo-Ann's Grand    14:25
Composed By – Woody Shaw
6    A Deed For Dolphy    8:56
Composed By – Woody Shaw
Credits :
Alto Saxophone [Left Channel], Soprano Saxophone [Left Channel] – Gary Bartz
Bass [Left Channel] – Ron Carter (tracks: 2 to 6)
Bass [Right Channel] – Clint Houston (tracks: 1, 2, 4 to 6)
Drums – Lenny White
Piano, Electric Piano – George Cables
Tenor Saxophone [Right Channel], Bass Clarinet [Right Channel], Flute [Right Channel] – Bennie Maupin
Trumpet – Woody Shaw

CEDAR WALTON — Soul Cycle (1969-1995) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Soul Cycle, recorded in 1969, is pianist/composer Cedar Walton's attempt to "groove those who are already tuned in, while picking up some entirely new ears along the way." In his candid liner notes, he describes a major concern for jazz musicians at that time: How to be commercial without selling out. The electric instruments featured here are a nod to the times, but sound innocent compared to Miles Davis' contemporaneous Bitches Brew.

The opening "Sundown Express" sounds almost like an urban TV show theme, but James Moody's tentative, edgy sax solo sustains the suspense. The mellow, inoffensive, Latin-tinged "Quiet Dawn" also sounds influenced by television, while Stevie Wonder's "My Cherie Amour" finds us in the compromising place Walton describes in his liner notes. But on "Pensativa," "Easy Walker," and "I Should Care," Walton returns to the acoustic piano, and the band sounds more relaxed. An interesting effort that reflects its times, Soul Cycle confirms that Walton's playing is most authoritative in a blues/bop landscape. Rovi Staff   

Tracklist :

1 Sundown Express 6:49

Written-By – Walton

2 Quiet Dawn 7:31

Written-By – Cal Massey

3 Pensativa 6:28

Written-By – Clare Fisher

4 My Cherie Amour 4:13

Written-By – Cosby

5 Easy Walker 8:03

Written-By – Billy Taylor

6 I Should Care 3:26

Written-By – Stordahl, Wetstein, Cahn

Credits :

Bass, Bass [Fender] – Reggie Workman

Drums – Albert "Tootie" Heath

Guitar – Rudy Stevenson

Piano, Electric Piano – Cedar Walton

Tenor Saxophone, Flute – James Moody