Ralph_Cramden
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Jazz ♫ Music only | In the now, or recently, or that you love...
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Ralph_Cramden
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Ralph_Cramden
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This is a nice jazz/classical fusion. From AllAboutJazz: "Music on the delightful Blues & Bach: The Music Of John Lewis was written by Lewis for the Modern Jazz Quartet.
Pianist Enrico Pieranunzi leads his trio, while Michele Corcella: conducts 10 players; 5 strings; 4 woodwinds; 1 brass; arranges.
The orchestrations bring new facets to the familiar compositions and are as light on their feet as the source material, while Pieranunzi's trio, collectively and as soloists, keeps the music foursquare in the realm of creative jazz." Skillful piano play, especially.
Pierunzi has been active in Italy/Europe since 1975, led over 80 albums, and has recorded with them all. The YouTube clip below is a well-done montage of a 2018 concert performance of this material with a larger orchestra. Please enjoy a classical jazz take on MJQ, who themselves were a classical take on jazz.
Enrico Pierunzi, Blues & Bach: The Music Of John Lewis, full album: YouTube link. Spotify link.
Pianist Enrico Pieranunzi leads his trio, while Michele Corcella: conducts 10 players; 5 strings; 4 woodwinds; 1 brass; arranges.
The orchestrations bring new facets to the familiar compositions and are as light on their feet as the source material, while Pieranunzi's trio, collectively and as soloists, keeps the music foursquare in the realm of creative jazz." Skillful piano play, especially.
Pierunzi has been active in Italy/Europe since 1975, led over 80 albums, and has recorded with them all. The YouTube clip below is a well-done montage of a 2018 concert performance of this material with a larger orchestra. Please enjoy a classical jazz take on MJQ, who themselves were a classical take on jazz.
Enrico Pierunzi, Blues & Bach: The Music Of John Lewis, full album: YouTube link. Spotify link.
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Ralph_Cramden
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Ralph_Cramden
Major Contributor
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Ralph_Cramden
Major Contributor
- Joined
- Dec 6, 2020
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Ralph_Cramden
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The Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra, with Wynton Marsalis, salutes pianist/big band composer/arranger Toshiko Akiyoshi, with her tenor saxophonist/flutist husband, Lew Tabackin, on March 10 & 11.
The March 10 show will be live-streamed at 8 pm EDT, through the JALC JazzLive monthly subscription program ($10 mo/100 yr), and will be available VOD through March 16. Not a shill for JazzLive, just letting you know about a cool event.
Her recording career from 1954 to 1971 was ~20 albums as a small group leader, plus as a sessionist and with Mingus, in Japan and NYC. From 1959 to 1967 she was married to alto saxophonist Charlie Mariano, and their daughter is Monday Michiru, who achieved fame as a vocalist/flutist.
From arts.gov: "She moved to Los Angeles in 1972 with her husband, saxophonist/flutist Lew Tabackin, formed the Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra featuring Lew Tabackin, and began exploring Japanese themes in her compositions and arrangements, mixing them with the strong jazz base in her music.
In 1982, the couple returned to New York, where Akiyoshi re-formed her band with New York musicians. Her big bands recorded 22 albums, and earned 14 Grammy Award nominations. Akiyoshi is the first woman ever to place first in the Best Arranger and Composer category in the DownBeat Readers' Poll."
Her last recording with her big band was 2003, and she has pursued solo and small group projects since.
Sadly, the big band albums of the 70s through 90s barely made it to digital, appear to be unavailable to stream, and are available only as pricey used CDs. Used vinyl appears to be abundant, however.
Video clips are rare also, but the posted 90s tune has decent sound. YouTube and Spotify links are provided to a 2007 album with the SWR Big Band, a 2008 duet album with Lew, and a 1995 solo album, which she said was always her preferred format. The last 2003 big band concert was recorded and is available, but the sound disappoints.
Please enjoy one of my favorite jazz artists, as I saw her big band often during her LA period. Maybe tune in for a tribute show as well.
Toshiko Akiyoshi & the SWR Big Band, Let Freedom Swing, full album: YouTube link. Spotify link.
Toshiko Akiyoshi & Lew Tabackin, Vintage: Duke Ellington Songbook, full album: YouTube link. Spotify link.
Toshiko Akiyoshi, Toshiko Akiyoshi At Maybeck, full album: YouTube link. Spotify link.
The March 10 show will be live-streamed at 8 pm EDT, through the JALC JazzLive monthly subscription program ($10 mo/100 yr), and will be available VOD through March 16. Not a shill for JazzLive, just letting you know about a cool event.
Her recording career from 1954 to 1971 was ~20 albums as a small group leader, plus as a sessionist and with Mingus, in Japan and NYC. From 1959 to 1967 she was married to alto saxophonist Charlie Mariano, and their daughter is Monday Michiru, who achieved fame as a vocalist/flutist.
From arts.gov: "She moved to Los Angeles in 1972 with her husband, saxophonist/flutist Lew Tabackin, formed the Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra featuring Lew Tabackin, and began exploring Japanese themes in her compositions and arrangements, mixing them with the strong jazz base in her music.
In 1982, the couple returned to New York, where Akiyoshi re-formed her band with New York musicians. Her big bands recorded 22 albums, and earned 14 Grammy Award nominations. Akiyoshi is the first woman ever to place first in the Best Arranger and Composer category in the DownBeat Readers' Poll."
Her last recording with her big band was 2003, and she has pursued solo and small group projects since.
Sadly, the big band albums of the 70s through 90s barely made it to digital, appear to be unavailable to stream, and are available only as pricey used CDs. Used vinyl appears to be abundant, however.
Video clips are rare also, but the posted 90s tune has decent sound. YouTube and Spotify links are provided to a 2007 album with the SWR Big Band, a 2008 duet album with Lew, and a 1995 solo album, which she said was always her preferred format. The last 2003 big band concert was recorded and is available, but the sound disappoints.
Please enjoy one of my favorite jazz artists, as I saw her big band often during her LA period. Maybe tune in for a tribute show as well.
Toshiko Akiyoshi & the SWR Big Band, Let Freedom Swing, full album: YouTube link. Spotify link.
Toshiko Akiyoshi & Lew Tabackin, Vintage: Duke Ellington Songbook, full album: YouTube link. Spotify link.
Toshiko Akiyoshi, Toshiko Akiyoshi At Maybeck, full album: YouTube link. Spotify link.
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Ralph_Cramden
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Gospel Trane, by Dezron Douglas & Brandee Younger
from the album Force Majeure
intlanthem.bandcamp.com
notsodeadlizard
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Some people find this album depressing, not me.
Ralph_Cramden
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Ralph_Cramden
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From AllAboutJazz: "Scottish trumpeter Malcolm Strachan, releases his second album of original material, Point Of No Return. A member of the Haggis Horns (a funk band) since 2007, he has been in high demand as a session musician and played with such artists as Amy Winehouse, Jamiroquai and Lou Donaldson...
A standout set of classic acoustic jazz with a vintage feel that might take you back to the 1960s and the days of hard bop... Strachan, whose style owes a lot to Freddie Hubbard, shares the solos out pretty evenly. Atholl Ransome on tenor sax and Danny Barley on trombone offer excellent support with inventive solos and George Cooper on the piano is impressive and creates interest and texture whenever he plays.
The most compelling aspect of the album? The high quality of the compositions. All the tracks are melodic and trying to choose a stand-out is hard... Highly recommended."
The video is a hot funk tune with Strachan in the Haggis Horns. C'mon, ya gotta love a band called the Haggis Horns! Please enjoy a fine 2023 jazz album.
Malcolm Strachan, Point Of No Return, full album: YouTube link. Spotify link.
A standout set of classic acoustic jazz with a vintage feel that might take you back to the 1960s and the days of hard bop... Strachan, whose style owes a lot to Freddie Hubbard, shares the solos out pretty evenly. Atholl Ransome on tenor sax and Danny Barley on trombone offer excellent support with inventive solos and George Cooper on the piano is impressive and creates interest and texture whenever he plays.
The most compelling aspect of the album? The high quality of the compositions. All the tracks are melodic and trying to choose a stand-out is hard... Highly recommended."
The video is a hot funk tune with Strachan in the Haggis Horns. C'mon, ya gotta love a band called the Haggis Horns! Please enjoy a fine 2023 jazz album.
Malcolm Strachan, Point Of No Return, full album: YouTube link. Spotify link.
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melvinjames
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I'm liking this a lot!
Here's one from 2014 that earned a big band Grammy nomination. From AllAboutJazz: "Intrada is composer / arranger Dave Slonaker's ... initial big-band recording. Rest assured this is a world-class ensemble and there's no doubt whose steady hand is at the helm: Slonaker wrote every number save one and arranged the complete package.
Slonaker is ... a composer, arranger and orchestrator in films and television. Credits include Spider-Man, Air Force One, A Night at the Museum, J.A.G. and Murder She Wrote. He also teaches at USC and the Eastman School of Music, while his jazz works have been performed by Clark Terry, Woody Herman and Count Basie.
This is big-band jazz that quickens the pulse, swings hard and enhances the tradition... Each of the inspired compositions provides a malleable springboard for the ensemble's resourceful soloists... There's no point in singling out any particular song for immoderate praise, as every one is outstanding, as is the ensemble... Well done!"
The videos are nice studio performances of album tunes. Slonaker's latest big band release, Convergency, was recommended upthread, here. Please enjoy a nice big band blast from the not so distant past.
Dave Slonaker Big Band, Intrada, full album: YouTube link. Spotify link.
Slonaker is ... a composer, arranger and orchestrator in films and television. Credits include Spider-Man, Air Force One, A Night at the Museum, J.A.G. and Murder She Wrote. He also teaches at USC and the Eastman School of Music, while his jazz works have been performed by Clark Terry, Woody Herman and Count Basie.
This is big-band jazz that quickens the pulse, swings hard and enhances the tradition... Each of the inspired compositions provides a malleable springboard for the ensemble's resourceful soloists... There's no point in singling out any particular song for immoderate praise, as every one is outstanding, as is the ensemble... Well done!"
The videos are nice studio performances of album tunes. Slonaker's latest big band release, Convergency, was recommended upthread, here. Please enjoy a nice big band blast from the not so distant past.
Dave Slonaker Big Band, Intrada, full album: YouTube link. Spotify link.
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