Lester Bowie - The Great Pretender

dusty sez:

Lester Bowie's no pretender here -- as he really sounds great as a leader on his own, away from the Art Ensemble Of Chicago -- really finding his voice in music, and dipping into a full range of styles and expressions! Bowie's keen wit and sensitivity both come into play here -- and the album's a bit more open and free than his Brass Fantasy years -- almost hearkening back to elements of his St Louis scene, but with a bit more dynamism overall.

amazon sez:

Bowie stretches the title tune to over 16 minutes with an artful and witty exploration of trumpet sounds, from brassy declarations to low blasts to half-valve techniques that sound like muttered asides. With backup vocals by Fontella Bass and David Peaston and a raucous baritone saxophone interlude by Hamiet Bluiett, the Platters' doo-wop classic becomes suspended between kitsch and concerto. On the rest of the CD, Bowie is backed by a very creative rhythm section of underrated players, Donald Smith on piano and organ, Fred Williams on acoustic and electric basses, and Phillip Wilson on drums. Together they range skillfully from the camp of "It's Howdy Doody Time" to the free jazz of "Doom?" to the Latin funk of "Rios Negroes."

barabara sounds sez:

Amen.

Kenny Wheeler - Gnu High

barabara sounds sez:

I only got to know this one quite recently (yes, it's gnu to me). That's my oversight... and my pleasure to discover it. There's some great playing here (including some top work by Jarrett). HIghly recommended.

ECM sez:

"Gnu High" was trumpeter/flugelhornist Kenny Wheeler's first for ECM, and Keith Jarrett's last session as a sideman: both deliver astonishing improvisations in a highly ineractive quartet with Holland and DeJohnette, and Wheeler's writing is captivating.

dusty sez:

A killer ECM debut from Kenny Wheeler -- a real standout in the label's classic 70s run, and a record that's overflowing with soul and feeling! Wheeler had already made a number of key recordings by the time of this ECM set, but the label's approach seems to unlock something new in his playing -- a deeper sensitivity, yet never in the slower, too-open way of other ECM players -- almost an Art Farmer sort of approach to the flugelhorn, which he uses exclusively on this set. The tracks are all quite long, but very focused and flowing -- with key rhythmic support from the trio of Keith Jarrett on piano, Dave Holland on bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums -- all of whom are happy to put their own agendas aside, and let Wheeler's magnificent lines direct the album's sound.

an amazon reviewer sez:

It seemed as if Kenny Wheeler set this record up to provide his sidemen with a chance to boost their reputations enormously. Wheeler sets up the CD with his swooping solo over the changes and then Keith Jarrett produces some of the most lyrical piano playing on record. His solo transition on the first track is one of the high points of the album. Dave Holland seems to have ears the size of a house for everything that he picks up and responds to and sometimes seems like a rock in the middle of all the swirling music around him. Jack DeJohnette has a great solo where he stays on his cymbals for so long that when he finally plays one of his toms it feels like finally stepping on firm ground after an atmoshperic ride. Wheeler's writing is consistantly original and beautiful throughout.

Dino Saluzzi - Kultrum

dusty sez:

Haunting sounds from one of the most overlooked musicians on ECM — bandoneon player Dino Saluzzi, an artist who easily made some of the most compelling work for the label during the 80s! Dino handles all instrumentation here himself — using bandoneon both in traditional ways, and in really experimental modes — and mixing it up with added percussion and flutes, plus just a bit of voice as well — all in a sound with echoes of older South American folk, tinges of European modernism, and a pan-global sensibility that's really unique. Titles include "El Rio Y El Abuelo", "Pasos Que Quedan", "Por El Sol Y Por La Lluvia", "Gabriel Kondor", "Kulturum Pampa", and "Agua De Paz".

barabara sounds sez:

Even for ECM this one is way out there. It's bandoneon but it's a long long way from tango. It's a bit folky, as in Western folk music; a lot folkloric, as in non-European; a bit improvisational; a lot like a soundtrack for an art-house gaucho movie. Atmospheric late-night sounds. Enjoy.

Tomasz Stanko - Balladyna

barabara sounds sez:

A tasty set from ECM, laid down in 1976. Stanko blows both hard and cool. This is polished jazz (bad pun intended).

dusty sez:
One of the first ECM sessions from trumpeter Tomasz Stanko — a groundbreaking player who first got his start working in Poland with Kryzstof Komeda in the 60s, but then went onto a huge legacy of compelling ECM work for the space of a few decades! This set's arguably a bit bolder than some of Stanko's later sides — a bit forceful at times, with a rhythmic conception that certainly echoes his roots with Komeda, but also shows some of his newer ear for atmospherics as well. Stanko's a tremendous trumpeter that should be ranked right up there with Don Cherry for sheer 70s inventiveness — and he really sounds wonderful here, in a quartet with Tomasz Szukalski on tenor and soprano sax, Dave Holland on bass, and Edward Vesala on drums. Titles include "First Song", "Duet", "Last Song", "Balladyna", "Nenaliina", and "Tale".

personnel:

Tomasz Stanko trumpet; Tomasz Szukalski tenor and soprano saxophones; Dave Holland bass; Edward Vesala drums

track listing:

First Song; Tale; Num; Duet; Balladyna; Last Song; Nenaliina