As many of you know – I am a big Terence Blanchard fan.  The man can seriously blow and is one of the few trumpet players with his own unique voice.  His roots are firmly planted in the history of this music and that truly allows his limbs to stretch and expand where others do not go.  He is definitely not a cookie cutter trumpet player in my opinion.  Terence along with a collection of top shelf players join the legendary McCoy Tyner on his new CD – Illuminations.

The selection of material is greatly varied and a refreshing change.  McCoy tackles everything from the Latin laced “Angelina,” standards like “Alone Together” and the down home blues of “New Orleans Stomp.”  He is joined by TB on trumpet, Gary Bartz on saxophone, Lewis Nash on drums and the rock solid Christian McBride on bass.

Even though the CD is McCoy Tyner’s I really feel that Terence shines.  To me this is a serious extension of his fantastic playing on Bounce.  Each solo is well crafted and full of life.  On “Angelina” he slowly builds to an extremely powerful climax and flurry of high notes.  The amazing thing is he manages to do this on just about every track.  Again – my view may be slightly rose colored but it is a performance that you do not want to miss.  Pick up a copy and judge for yourself.

The names should tell you everything you need to know here:

Dizzy Gillespie (trumpet)
Charlie Parker (alto sax)
Bud Powell (piano)
Charles Mingus (bass)
Max Roach (drums)

The Quintet includes the musicians above playing a live performance at Massy Hall in Toronto, Canada on May 15, 1953. You would think with the names above the place would have been packed. Unfortunately it was three quarters empty due to heavyweight championship boxing match between Rocky Marciano and Jersey Joe Walcott. Lucky for us – the concert was recorded and it captured some fantastic bebop performed by some of the men who put it on the map.

To my ear Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie never sounded better. Powell, Roach and Mingus provide a rock solid rhythm section who spur on the horns and provide fantastic solos themselves. It’s great hearing the reaction of the crowd to Dizzy’s antics and even some mumbling conversations (arguments) between some of the musicians. All in all it is a fantastic/historic recording that belongs in any collection.

“I make my living with my lips!” ~ Bleek Gilliam

When I think about all the elements that were involved in me playing the trumpet I count this movie among them.  “Mo Better Blues” is the story of a young trumpet player named Bleek Gilliam (Denzel Washington).  As a child he was forced to practice as his friends played outside.  In the end it pays off as he grows into a talented and successful musician leading an amazing quintet at a club called “Beneath the Underdog.”  Jazz is his driving force – as he told his girlfriend Clarke (Cynda Williams) “Music is first.  Everything else is secondary.”  Bleek’s other girlfriend – Indigo (Joie Lee) wonders why she puts up with the cocky trumpet player even though her mother warned her that dating a musician would eventually lead to heart break.  His quintet includes the saxophone player Shadow (Wesley Snipes) who believes he should be the leader of the group instead of Bleek and is constantly looking for opportunities to one-up his leader/band mate.  The group’s manager – Giant (Spike Lee) tries to get the group the money they deserve while struggling with a bad gambling problem.

Of all of movies by Spike Lee this is one of my all time favorites.  First off – the acting is amazing.  I’ve seen a lot of movies with musician’s pretending to play instruments and they were all dreadful in that regard.  I remember watching the movie “Angel Eyes” where Jim Caviezel was pretending to playing trumpet.  I swear if the horn made any kind of sound it would have scared him half to death (for the record I am a BIG fan of Jim Caviezel…  he just wasn’t convincing to me).  To avoid that Spike made all of the actors take extensive lessons on their instruments.  He also required them to listen to the music of the jazz greats on their instrument.  The hard work and study shows as each is very convincing.  Bill Nunn played the bass player Bottom Hammond and practiced till his fingers bled.  Denzel looked confident, comfortable and focused in the playing scenes as did all of the other band members.  Jeff “Tain” Watts played the drum player Rhythm Jones (you just can’t fake the drums) and did a great job.  The group also had great chemistry when off the bandstand.  The joking and comradery in the dressing rooms was very believable and had me in stitches.  It also had me wishing I had that same kind of chemistry with a group of cats.

The music was performed by the Brandford Marsalis quintet with Terence Blanchard on trumpet.  It is truly electrifying.  My favorites include “Say Hey” and “Knocked Out the Box.”  Denzel lends his talent of the spoken word on the tune “Pop Top 40” and Cynda Williams sings an original song “Harlem Blues.  ”  Both do a very good job.  After you check out the DVD you will surely run out and buy the movie soundtrack.  I will say this — no trumpet player can listen to the song “Again Never” and have a dry eye after seeing how this thing ends.  If you haven’t seen (or heard) it — check it out.

As many of you know – I am a huge Wayne Shorter fan. While his technique and tone are rock solid – his compositions and improvisation are what makes me buy anything with his name on it. “The Soothsayer” is an example of those two reasons. The sextet includes Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, James Spaulding on alto, Ron Carter on bass, McCoy Tyner on piano and a 19 year old Tony Williams on drums.

All of the cuts on this CD are great but I have my favorites. “Lost” is a haunting tune that could have easily found its way on the “Speak No Evil” CD recorded earlier. The horn arrangement is so rich that I found myself playing the head over and over again. There are two cuts of “Angola” and it is interesting to hear the different approaches to the tune on each take. “Valse Triste” was apparently taken from a classical tune composed by Jean Sigelius. I have never heard it before but the group’s treatment of it compels me to do the research and check it out. On “Lady Day” Wayne pays homage to the great Billie Holiday. As with most of his ballads – I find it very moving and his playing is inspired. He uses Freddie and James to fill in some really nice background accompaniment. McCoy Tyner also plays a nice solo on that piece. Freddie shines on “The Big Push,” weaving an exciting solo that is full of energy and a demonstration of his prowess on the horn.

While “Speak No Evil” remains my favorite Wayne Shorter CD – “Soothsayer” is a great example of his talents as a writer and arranger. Pick this one up and judge for yourself.

I know I already posted a review on this album earlier but the RVG edition is now available!

My original review is below….

I got into an ebay bidding war with a cat for this CD. We had taken the price all the way up to $36 before I bailed. Fortunately I took a chance and visited Half.com and found it for $29. Word to the wise ? check Half.com before getting into bidding contests for CDs and LPs. You may find a better deal.

What more can be said about Freddie Hubbard?s playing during the Blue Note years that hasn?t already been said by me or others? His technique is incredible, his tone is fat and his musical ideas are fresh. Joining him on this set are Wayne Shorter, McCoy Turner, Art Davis, Elvin Hayes and Benard McKinney on euphonium. Freddie wrote three of tunes (Arietis, Birdlike and Crisis) and those are my favorites.

I am hoping Blue Note does a RVG edition. If they do ? it will only cost you $12 instead of the $31 that I panned out. It was worth ever penny though.

Before I even talk about what I love in this album, let’s look at the
musicians:

Lee Morgan (trumpet), Wayne Shorter (tenor saxophone), Herbie Hancock
(piano), Grant Green (guitar), Reginald Workman (bass) and Billy Higgins
(drums).

I could honestly just end this posting now.  Just seeing a cast like
this assembled for one album should be enough to make you run out and buy
it.  Everyone on this album performs spectacularly.

Of all of Lee Morgan’s albums – this is my all time favorite.  Lee’s
playing is what you normally expect – soaring, exciting, daring but there is a
certain feel in this recording that I love.  All of the tunes are
originals, written by Morgan and they are all fantastic.  My favorites are
the title cut (it is a true masterpiece), the energetic "Mr. Kenyatta"
(Lee’s solo is one the greatest I’ve ever heard – he really kicks things into
high gear the group follows) and somber the "Melancholee."

I’m sure most experienced jazz listeners have this album in their collection
and they would agree it is a must have.  If you are looking for an example
as to why trumpet players rave about Lee Morgan this album coupled with
"Sidewinder" would be all the evidence your ears need.

Once again – I send a special thanks to my man Sal in Chi-town for another great suggestion. This album is amazing.

Art Farmer recorded this in 1988. He was in his 60s at the time and still going strong with what could be called the best recording of his career. His playing on the title cut is one of the most beautifully crafted solos that I’ve ever heard. It is one of rare instances where you don’t hear horn or harmon — you hear emotion and feeling. Art could always play a ballad but he simply out does himself. It doesn’t stop there. It continues with tunes like “Fairtale Countryside”, “The Smile of the Snake” and “Progress Report” where Art stretches his legs and weaves another well crafted solo.

He is joined by a team of fantastic players who include Clifford Jordan (tenor sax), Victor Lewis (drums), Rufus Reid (bass) and James William (piano). To my ear they were all on the same page when they walked into the studio to record. The vibe is unified. Move it to the top of your “must have” list. You won’t regret it.

I heard about this ablum while visiting the AllAboutJazz website. Jeremy Pelt (a musician who I hold in very high regard) mentioned the name Avishai Cohen as a trumpet player that he really liked. That was all I needed to hear to begin my quest to get this recording (and it was a quest… CDs created on the Fresh Sound label are not usually found in your local Tower Records… at least not the one near me).

I must agree with Jeremy on this one. Avishai Cohen (not to be confused with the bassist of the same name) is the real deal and a talent deserving of wider recognition. This could indeed be the performance to get it for him. This album is in trio format with Avishai on trumpet, John Sullivan on bass and Jeff Ballard on drums. He is also joined on three tracks by Joel Frahm playing tenor sax. The playing is fresh and exciting with great performances by all.

You may have a hard time finding it but it is definitely worth the effort. I look forward to hearing more from him in the future.

"Mirror, mirror on the wall… 
Who?s the fairest of them all? 
Your momma!" 

How can anyone not love this album? It's funky, energetic, cool, in the
pocket and drenched in the blues. Donald Byrd is joined by Sylvester Kyner (alto
sax), Walter Booker (bass), Cedar Walton (piano) and Billy Higgins (drums and
vocalist of the lines above). The group finds a groove easily and the final
product leads me to believe they had excellent chemistry during the recording
session.

Donald Byrd (with his always present clear and soaring tone) is at his best
here. He solos cleverly and totally relaxed. Check out his humor filled
performance on the title track and his clever use of space in "My
Ideal." One of the best RVG reissues Blue Note has released (and I've yet
to buy a bad one). I even love the cover!  Pick up a copy and enjoy!!

Have you ever purchased an album that didn't grab you right away but then you go hear the group perform live and it totally changes your view of it? That happened to me this past week thanks to viewing some vintage footage of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. Thanks to what I saw, I am now in LOVE with the Mosiac album.

The group included what is arguably the greatest Messenger's line up of all time: Curtis Fuller, Wayne Shorter, Freddie Hubbard (you can't beat the frontline), Art Blakey, Cedar Walton and Jymie Merritt. As they ran through their line up I realized that many of the tunes they performed were taken from the Mosaic album. Upon revisting the CD I realized that this is one powerful session that belongs in every jazz listener's library. The energy that I heard and saw in the live performance was mirrored on this recorded session. All of the solos are exciting but their performances on Shorter's “Children of the Night” is out of this world. Wayne Shorter can write some amazing tunes.

Bottom line – this is another must have for your jazz library. To me this is one of the albums that define the Jazz Messenger sound.

P.S. – Did I mention that Freddie plays his a$$ off in this one??