Los Angeles Archive

McRae – The Great American Songbook – Atlantic (1972)/ Pure Pleasure (2017) – double vinyl

McRae – The Great American Songbook – Atlantic (1972)/ Pure Pleasure (2017) – double vinyl

McRae – The Great American Songbook – Atlantic SD 2-904 (1972)/Pure Pleasure (2017) stereo double vinyl, 71:17 ****: Jazz chanteuse delivers a versatile set on a vinyl re-mastering of a 1972 concert. (Carmen McRae – vocals, piano; Joe Pass – guitar; Jimmy Rowles – piano; Chuck Domanico – doublebass; Chuck Flores – drums) Pure Pleasure Records has released a remastered 180-gram vinyl of Carmen McRae – The Great American Songbook. The album (Atlantic 1972) was recorded live at Dante’s restaurant/cafe/jazz club in Los Angeles over four nights. As described, McRae and a top-notch ensemble (Joe Pass/guitar; Chuck Domanico/double bass; Jimmy Rowles/piano; Chuck Flores/drums) deliver artistic jazz interpretations of diverse musical standards. After some glib band introductions, Domanico lays down a vampy double bass line to open Duke Ellington’s immortal “Satin Doll”. McRae joins in a duet for two verses with saucy phrasing. The band finishes as Pass executes a trademark fluid solo. Switching to finger-snapping medium swing, McRae loosens up on Cole Porter’s “At Long Last Love”. It is short and sweet (just under two-and-a-half minutes). McRae just gets better with each number. Her maturity and vibrato shine on the languid “If The Moon Turns Green”. She adapts to up […]

Dolo Coker – California Hard / Sonny Criss – Saturday Morning – both Elemental/Xanadu

Dolo Coker – California Hard / Sonny Criss – Saturday Morning – both Elemental/Xanadu

Elemental Music keeps the Xanadu flame lit- Part I… Dolo Coker – California Hard – Elemental/Xanadu 906081 – 1976, 51:13 ****1/2: (Dolo Coker – piano; Blue Mitchell – trumpet/Flugelhorn; Art Pepper – alto and tenor sax; Leroy Vinnegar – bass; Frank Butler – drums) Sonny Criss – Saturday Morning – Elemental/Xanadu 906086  (1975),  39:38  ***1/2: (Sonny Criss – alto sax; Barry Harris – piano; Leroy Vinnegar – bass; Lenny McBrowne – drums) In the mid-1970s jazz was restless as a period of musical expression. Rock had firmly taken hold and the public taste had begun to change. Rock rhythms and electronic instruments were incorporating these influences into a new genre dubbed as “fusion.” Many jazz musicians who did not embrace these changes were either forced to move to Europe or look for studio work in either New York or Los Angeles. Luckily there were some boutique (read: small) recording labels who were anxious to employ these veteran straight ahead jazz musicians to continue to ply their trade. Labels such as Muse, Bee Hive, and Xanadu stood out in their ability to mix and match the artists with leaders becoming sidemen for each others’ releases. Zev Feldman, who helps run Elemental […]

The Stryker/Slagle Band Expanded – Routes – Strikezone

The Stryker/Slagle Band Expanded – Routes – Strikezone

A jazz journey from two artists who’ve been there, done that. The Stryker/Slagle Band Expanded – Routes [TrackList follows] – Strikezone 8813, 50:16 [2/5/16] ****: (Dave Stryker – guitar, co-producer; Steve Slagle – alto saxophone, soprano saxophone (track 2), flute (tracks 2, 6), horn arranger, co-producer; John Clark – French horn; Billy Drewes – tenor saxophone, bass clarinet (tracks 2, 3); Clark Gayton – trombone, tuba (tracks 3, 6); Bill O’Connell – piano, Fender Rhodes (tracks 2, 5-6); Gerald Cannon – bass; McClenty Hunter – drums) On the 50-minute Routes, frequent musical allies, friends and co-leaders Dave Stryker (guitar) and Steve Slagle (saxes, flute) explore journeys from place to place, past to present, and person to person. The two have collaborated for decades on each other’s projects, in other people’s groups, and as the mainstays of the Stryker/Slagle Band. This time around, Slagle and Stryker have lots to say about areas they’ve called home, musicians they’ve performed with or met along the way, and the passage from their past to their present. That spacious viewpoint also means an enlarged ensemble was needed, thus this nine-track outing utilizes the Stryker/Slagle Band Expanded. One tune features Slagle and Stryker’s traditional quartet setting, […]

“Exile – Piano Music by Composers with Roots in Two Continents” = KORNGOLD: Vier Walzer für Klavier; ERICH ZEISL: 8 Klavierstücke: “November”; TOCH: Scherzo in B Minor; Profile No. 3; Der Jongleur, Burleske; SCHOENBERG: Sechs kleine Stücke; CASTELNUOVO-TEDESCO: Cielo di settembre; I Naviganti; Fandango – Eric Le Van, p. – Music & Arts

“Exile – Piano Music by Composers with Roots in Two Continents” = KORNGOLD: Vier Walzer für Klavier; ERICH ZEISL: 8 Klavierstücke: “November”; TOCH: Scherzo in B Minor; Profile No. 3; Der Jongleur, Burleske; SCHOENBERG: Sechs kleine Stücke; CASTELNUOVO-TEDESCO: Cielo di settembre; I Naviganti; Fandango – Eric Le Van, p. – Music & Arts

Attractive music attractively played: a fascinating portrait of European composers in self-exile.