Select a month

Back to The Archives

standards Archive

Keith Jarrett – Standards, Vol. 1 – ECM Records

by Audiophile Audition | Jun 21, 2019 | Jazz CD Reviews

Another gem from ECM Touchstone series

Blue Canvas – Brandi Disterheft with Harold Mabern & Joe Farnsworth – Justin Time

by Audiophile Audition | Jan 29, 2017 | Jazz CD Reviews

Blue Canvas – Brandi Disterheft with Harold Mabern & Joe Farnsworth – Justin Time JUST 255-2, 44:55 ****: A smart and expressive release. (Brandi Disterheft – acoustic bass, cello, vocals; Harold Mabern – piano; Joe Farnsworth – drums) Guy Dixon, writing for Canada’s Globe & Mail on July 20,2009, offered the following headline: “It’s 3 AM, and a Canadian bassist is looking for her big break”. The article went on to describe how Brandi Disterheft was attempting to break into the jazz scene in New York City, after playing in and around Toronto, Canada during the previous decade. Now some eight years on, Disterheft appears to have paid her dues. She has brought together pianist Harold Mabern, one of the few remaining hard bop standouts, along with one of the stalwarts of New York jazz circles, drummer Joe Farnsworth, to deliver a smart and expressive release entitled Blue Canvas. The recording session is a mix of mostly well-known jazz standards along with several Disterheft originals, all of which demonstrate a certain harmonic expressiveness, that works well in a trio setting. The set opens with a Bobby Timmons/Jon Hendricks’ opus “Dis Here” which has seen its share of interpretations. Mabern takes […]

The Three Sounds – Groovin’ Hard – Live at the Penthouse, 1964-1968 – Resonance

by Audiophile Audition | Dec 18, 2016 | Jazz CD Reviews

It’s all good… The Three Sounds – Groovin’ Hard – Live at the Penthouse, 1964-1968 – Resonance, 51:30 (1/13/17) ****: (Gene Harris – piano/ Andy Simpkins – bass/ Bill Dowdy, Kalil Madi, or Carl Burnett – drums) It may come as a surprise to hardcore Blue Note Records fans that the Three Sounds were the best selling artists from the venerable label during the 1958-1962 period that they recorded for Blue Note. Their bluesy soul jazz piano trio recordings were addictive to the public. They recorded seventeen sessions for Blue Note at Rudy Van Gelder’s studio, and backed both Stanley Turrentine and Lou Donaldson, two soul jazz legends. Their music was mainstream jazz with strong blues and gospel influences. It was the blues piano voicings of leader Gene Harris that made the Three Sounds special. Resonance Records has again stepped up in their efforts of issuing significant previously unknown live jazz from well recorded sources. The Penthouse club in Seattle opened in 1962 and was active for seven years. Jim Wilke, a local jazz expert from KING-FM recorded many live Penthouse shows and has assisted Resonance Records honchos, George Klabin and Zev Feldman by providing the tapes from the Three […]

Shirley Horn, vocals – Live at the 4 Queens – Resonance

by Audiophile Audition | Sep 27, 2016 | Jazz CD Reviews

Shirley Horn – a unique vocal talent… Shirley Horn – Live at the 4 Queens – Resonance HCD-2015 (1988), 52:43 ***1/2: (Shirley Horn – piano and vocals; Charles Ables – bass; Steve Williams – drums) For far too long Shirley Horn’s fame was confined to the greater Washington, D.C, area, where she resided and raised her daughter. That changed, however, in the mid 1980s, when she began recording for the Verve label. At that time, Verve was a major player on the jazz scene, and Shirley’s unique talents were shown off to a much larger audience. She was a favorite of Miles Davis, and her 1997 album, I Remember Miles, earned her a Grammy for Best Vocal jazz album. Horn recorded nearly 30 albums (mostly for Verve), but it has been almost a decade since new material has been issued. Coming to the rescue, once again, is Zev Feldman, of Resonance Records, super sleuth in discovering live unreleased gems largely from radio sources. As part of a syndicated weekly broadcast at station KNPR (Las Vegas), Shirley was recorded on May 2, 1988 at the 4 Queens club in Vegas. The sound restoration by George Klabin and Fran Gala, is exceptional, […]

Houston Person & Ron Carter – Chemistry – HighNote

by Audiophile Audition | Aug 4, 2016 | Jazz CD Reviews

Houston Person & Ron Carter – Chemistry [TrackList follows] – HighNote HCD 7293 49:25 ****: An exuberant release from a definitive bassist and an earthy tenor saxophonist. (Houston Person – tenor saxophone; Ron Carter – bass) The word chemistry springs from the word alchemy which in its very early etymology was often seen as linked to the search to turn common metals such as iron into gold. This release is called Chemistry from Houston Person and Ron Carter, and the intermediate process has been eliminated, resulting in pure gold. In this session of standards, the tunes have been culled from the American Songbook with the intention of providing unabashed look at life, love youth and beauty. So if you want to hear two masters at work, playing off and for each other, this is the place to be. In addition, the dean of recording engineers Rudy Van Gelder brought his artistry to the session giving both instruments a deep full approachable sound that was a hallmark of his style. Miles Davis’ first great quintet recorded “Bye Bye Blackbird” and although Ron Carter was in the second iteration of the group, he was fully aware of the connection to the band. […]

Mike Jones Trio – Roaring – Capri

by Audiophile Audition | Jul 5, 2016 | Jazz CD Reviews

Mike Jones Trio – Roaring – Capri 74142-2 61:54 ****: An effervescent take on some well-worn material. (Mike Jones – piano; Katie Thiroux – bass; Matt Witek – drums) Jazz and Las Vegas are words that are not necessarily synonymous. Although from the 50s through the 70s, many of the big bands such as Count Basie, Buddy Rich and Woody Herman had long standing gigs at places like The Sands and The Tropicana among others. The current musical director for the esteemed magic team Penn and Teller, who have been ensconced for over fifteen years at The Rio All Suites Hotel and Casino, Mike Jones has gained a reputation as a versatile swinging pianist of the first order. His latest release Roaring with bassist Katie Thiroux and drummer Matt Witek showcases the tunes of the 1920s, each of which has stood the test of time. Bassist Katie Thiroux opens “Yes Sir, That’s My Baby” with a couple of bars of deep-throated bass playing, which then evolves into a swinging groove by pianist Jones who expands upon the theme with some block-chord ruminating. The tune had a bit of a renaissance in 1966, when Frank Sinatra’s evocative album Strangers In The […]

Benny Golson – Horizon Ahead – HighNote

by Audiophile Audition | Jun 23, 2016 | Jazz CD Reviews

Benny Golson – Horizon Ahead – HighNote HCD7288 54:54 ***: Benny Golson is a tenor saxophonist in the hard bop tradition and always worthy of a listen. (Benny Golson – tenor sax; Mike LeDonne – piano; Buster Williams – bass; Carl Allen – drums) There is an old saying which runs along the following lines: ”if you’re not getting old, you’re dead”. The former is almost always better than the latter. For Benny Golson, the getting old part does not seem to be any problem as he continues to perform publicly and record, if not prodigiously, at least regularly. The latest venture for this octogenarian is the release Horizon Ahead where Golson is joined by a sprightly rhythm section, to delve into an offering of several of his lesser-known originals, and some tried and true standards. Duke Ellington is well-represented with two offerings “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore” and “Mood Indigo,” from different ends of the rhythm spectrum. The former prances along quite smartly with basset Williams setting the pace, as Golson slyly opens the melody, which sets up his solo turn. On the latter, Golson begins the tune in ballad style with a deep tone, as he covers the […]

Houston Person – Something Personal – HighNote

by Audiophile Audition | Jan 1, 2016 | Jazz CD Reviews

Houston Person – Something Personal – HighNote HCD7282, 63:16 ****: Stylishness and lyricism succeed in a mainstream scene. (Houston Person – tenor saxophone; Steve Nelson – vibraphone; John di Martino – piano; James Chirillo – guitar tracks 2,4,5,6; Ray Drummond – bass; Lewis Nash – drums) In the King James version of the Bible, Matthew 9:17 reads: ”neither do men put new wine in old bottles, else the bottles break.” Clearly this admonition does not apply to tenor saxophonist Houston Person and his cohorts in the release Something Personal. This stellar aggregation has taken some familiar standards and introduced them into new versions with body, finish, and character, that make them readily enjoyable. Houston Person, who is now in his eightieth year, knows all there is to know about playing the tenor saxophone, and has developed his soulful style which features a breezy approach and deep phrasing. Throughout the session, all the recognizable stylistic features of Person’s playing and those of the other members of the group, are brought out beautifully by Rudy Van Gelder’s recording and engineering. Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen wrote “The Second Time Around” for a forgettable Bing Crosby movie called High Time released in […]