With his new CD Rewind That, Christian Scott shows that his name must be included in the list of cats pushing jazz forward while still remaining true to its roots. Joining Christian on this album are Walter Smith III (tenor saxophone); Matt Stevens (guitar); Zaccai Curtis (Fender Rhodes & Wurlitzer); Luques Curtis (acoustic bass & electric bass); Thomas
Pridgen (drums) and Donald Harrison (alto saxophone). I was particularly impressed with Walter Smith III who debut CD is a must have on all jazz lovers list.

As a trumpet player and composer Christian really shines. His sound is unique and versatile. Bright and searing one minute, soft and fluffy the next, he adjusts to mood of the music. All of the songs on the album are originals with the exception of two. My favorites include the pulsing title track “Rewind That”, “Say It” (drummer Thomas Pridgen really shines) and “Suicide.”  The original songs were all closely tied to Christian’s personal experiences and it
shows in solos.

This fantastic CD is one of the few that manages to fuse many different genres of music together successfully while still remaining true to elements of jazz that I love. I can easily hear influences of jazz, rock, hip hop and R&B in each track. Normally an album does a good job of addressing one or the other – but this CD does a fantastic job embracing them all. Big props to Christian and his band for that. If forced to pick a favorite CD for 2006 this would be one of the first on my list.

On a side note, I also picked up one of Donald Harrison?s CDs just for an opportunity to hear Christian play some more. On Kind of New he plays a solo on the title cut that sounds so much like Miles Davis it’s scary. This cat has skills. Now he needs to come to Washington
DC so I can hear him live!

As I spend time trying to learn this music and attending area performances, I realize that Washington DC has a wealth of talented artists dedicated to keeping jazz alive, well and prospering. Paul Carr is one of those talented artists and his latest CD Just Noodlin’ is a sample of why he is one of the areas finest performers.

After spending several weeks spinning this disc, Just Noodlin’ brings to mind the music of the golden Blue Note era. Part of that is because all of the tunes on this CD were recorded without overdubbing.  This gives a feeling of living/playing/creating in the moment and I applaud Paul for taking that approach.  The tunes include two songs composed by Paul himself in addition to two tunes written by Rueben Brown (another DC area player). Rueben wrote my favorite cut on the album – “Blue and Brown.” Other stand outs include the title track “Just Noodlin'”, “Krush Groove” (both composed by Paul) and “Pat & Chat.” Paul’s skills as a balladeer are showcased on “You’ve Changed.”

Joining Paul on this CD is the one and only Terell Stafford. Terrell continues to crank out quality work as leader and sideman – this recording is no exception. He is definitely one of the ones to watch in arena of jazz trumpet.  His tone is to die for and his abilities on the horn are simply amazing. I always learn something when I listen to him and that usually sends me straight to the practice room (always a good thing).  The core rhythm section consists of Andrew Adair (piano), Gavin Fallow (bass) and Steve Williams (drums). Also joining Paul on are Bob Butta (piano), Vince Evans (piano), Sam Turner (percussion), Harold Summey (drums) and Michael Bowie (bass).

Paul’s playing on the CD is fantastic and currently has me running all over town to hear him live.  If you don’t live in the Washington DC area this is the next best thing.  You can find out more about Paul Carr and purchase this great CD at his website http://www.paulcarrjazz.com. There was also an excellent interview with him on AllAboutJazz.com that can be read here.

It is no mystery to anyone who visits my site regularly that I am a big fan of Ingrid Jensen. Her ability on the horn and her music are a big reason for this but she is also a fantastic person. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting her a few times and I found her to be nice and very genuine.  I hope to get another trumpet lesson from her next time she is in the area – I really learned a lot the last time we met and I left feeling encouraged.

In jazz, one of the ultimate goals for any musician is to be able to find their own voice.  Preferably that voice would contain echoes of the legendary players who have come before but that voice would still speak with individuality. To my ears – Ingrid has managed to do this in her ideas, phrasing and her sound (both on trumpet and flugelhorn). Every note that spills from her bell seems to have a purpose and emotion behind it. Nothing sounds planned or contrived.  It truly is a joy to hear.  What she plays seems to come from within and as
a response to what she hears around her.

What she hears and responds to on At Sea is generated by a very talented group of musicians: Geoffrey Keezer, Jon Wikan, Matt Clohesy, Lage Lund and Hugo Alcazar. There is a great sense of unity with this group and obviously a heavy dose of listening to one another. On different songs there are shifts in tempo and even style – everyone handles it without hesitation. “Swotterings” is an excellent example of this (it’s a really fun song).  On the title track “At Sea” I can close my eyes and actually imagine the ocean, its movement and life within it stirring about in response.  As I write this the melody of “As Love Does” is running through my head – all of the music is quite memorable.

Ingrid Jensen is a musician who is on top of her game and sure of her direction in music. We should feel fortunate that she is sharing her journey with us.  I can’t recommend this CD enough.

When it was announced that previously unreleased material from a Monk/Coltrane concert had been discovered at the Library of Congress everyone who loved jazz had to lick their chops as I did.  Two of the giants in jazz performing their material live at Carnegie Hall of all places!?  What could be better?  My imagination at the time did not prepare me for what my ears heard when I listened to this CD for the first time.  It was truly beyond anything I expected.

From the first tune – “Monk’s Mood” you realize that something really special happened that night.  Monk’s opening statement is absolutely beautiful.  His touch seems soft but confident.  When Trane joins him…  good gracious…  somebody pinch me please.  What you
hear on this recording is two masters of music completely confident with the material and each other.  While I would be hard pressed to find favorite tunes on this recording (they are all excellent) I would have to say that “Bye-Ya,” “Blue Monk” and “Epistrophy” really
plugged in with me.  Coltrane navigates the changes with confidence and Monk continues to stretch the boundaries of tunes that he had probably performed countless times.  My goose bumps have goose bumps.

The sound quality is absolutely astounding.  Crystal clear and incredibly balanced.  Monk was playing on a grand piano that really allows his genius and unique playing abilities to shine.  Check out Shadow Wilson’s cymbal work on “Epistrophy” — good gracious.  To me this ranks with some of the greatest jazz albums recorded and a must have for every music library.  Easily the best release of music this year and the best I’ve heard since getting turned on to jazz.  Get it.  Now.

Jeremy Pelt has done it again. His recently release Identity is everything a jazz CD should be – expressive, personal and explorative. When I caught up with him at the Kennedy Center & Twins a few months ago he was very excited about this CD and rightly so. To me it contains some of his best work.

If you have been listening to the MP3s of live shows he has performed over the past year – the direction he takes here should come as no surprise. The personnel on this CD are Frank LoCrasto: piano, electric piano, organ, synthesizer, effects; Vicente Archer: bass; Eric McPherson: drums. With Mike Moreno: guitar; Warren Wolf: vibraphone and Myron Walden: soprano saxophone, bass clarinet. All of these cats have played with Jeremy prior to this recording and it shows. The group is clearly on the same page in concept/direction while still allowing their individual voices to be heard.

From the energetic (and to my ears rock inspired) “Suspicion” to the floating “Eye of the Beholder,” Jeremy covers a wide but related spectrum of material. I say related because the overall vibe of the CD remains relatively constant. All music was written by Jeremy and shows that he is developing some serious composer chops. My favorite tune on the album is “Eddie’s Story” a tribute to a fantastic trumpet player by the name of Eddie Henderson. As far as his playing is concerned – he is on his game technically. His trumpet tone varies from dark and mysterious to electric and energetic. His sound on flugel is to die for makes me very glad that I picked up another Conn V1. His ideas are spontaneous and seem unrehearsed.

If you like straight ahead jazz and appreciate tunes that deviate from the norm, you should enjoy this latest offering. Jeremy and the group stretch the boundaries of music without totally destroying them. Personally speaking – I like that.

Well what do you know… another CD review where Woody Shaw is the trumpet player. Surprised? You shouldn’t be. Over the past few months listening to Woody has been an amazing education for me. We won’t even talk about encouragement and inspiration through his sound and reading various articles about him on the Internet. He has quickly risen to the top of my trumpet influence list. While I know that I cannot attempt to play his ideas due to my lack of technique, the experience of getting to know him musically has
really opened my ears in so many ways. One – I embraced the power and authority of the trumpet. Two – I embrace the ring and bright full sound that it can create in the hands of a master. Woody Shaw is truly one of the masters.

Woody Shaw Live Volume III is an amazing CD and a testimate to this great artist and composer. I have always loved the song “Little Red’s Fantasy” but the song “Organ Grinder” is now a true favorite of mine. I can’t count the number of times I have played this song. All of the solos on this cut are incredible (especially Stafford James on bass and Mulgrew Miller on piano).

Woody is trule the star of the show and his solos leave my head spinning as I wonder where this beautiful cat developed such an amazing command of the trumpet and the language by which he communicates. The good news? Late February promises a Woody Shaw Live
Volume IV CD release. I can’t wait.  In the mean time, pick up Volume III to keep your ears occupied and happy.

When I mentioned to a few folks that I really dug Horace Silver’s The Jody
Grind, they immediately told me to be sure to check out Cape Verdean Blues. The funny thing is I had already purchased this album before Jody Grind and while I thought it was good — it wasn’t a CD that received frequently play. Upon revisiting, that time is over. Cape Verdean Blues and Jody Grind have been played more than any others in my music collection over the past few months.

The front line horn section includes Woody Shaw on trumpet, Joe Henderson on tenor and a guest appearance by J.J. Johnson on trombone for three selections. What more could you ask for?  The music is classic funky Silver but stretched and filled with exploration. The tune selection gives the horns an opportunity to show their stuff. Their solos are reflective, aggressive, energetic and plugged directly into spirit of the player. It is a true example of what we all strive for when we attempt improvisation. Break out a pen and pad… take some notes on this one.

Woody is brilliant as usual. I can’t say enough about the influence he has had on me over the past few months. I am probably repeating my comments from my Jody Grind review but his technique, tone, ideas and phrasing are absolutely astonishing.

Highly recommended.

Growing up, my parents never played jazz albums. I didn’t really find out
about Miles Davis, John Coltrane and others until much later in life. One thing I did get a good dose of was Otis Redding. My father was (and still is) a huge Otis fan and I think I inherited his love. I also count it as a heavy influence in how I approach music – whether it is jazz on the trumpet or singing in the church choir.

The Dock of the Bay is easily one of my favorite albums. I have great memories associated to each song (I vividly remember singing the song “Tramp” with my sister all the time as kids) but even without the memories the music presented is simply fantastic. Otis Redding had a unique voice and the ability to pour so much emotion into a song. Whether he was begging his girlfriend to “Open the Door” or telling about the “Glory of Love” you could feel every bit of it. He plays with an incredible horn section including Otis Redding died at 26 in a plane crash. He was in the prime of his career and his writing on this album showed that he was on the verge of something tremendous. The lyrics of the song “Ole Man Trouble” hold a bone chilling irony considering that this album was released after his death…

Sometimes
Sometime I get – I get a little worried
ole man trouble Please Please
Stay away from me
Ole man trouble
Stay away from me
You’re nothing but trouble
Stay away, stay away Please

I’ve been listening to a lot of music over the past few months but this one
has consistently found it’s way into my ears, CD player and iPod. From beginning to end this is trademark Horace Silver — funky jazz with tunes that will stick in your cranium long after you stop listening. Joining Horace on this endeavor is James Spaulding (alto saxophone, flute); Tyrone Washington (tenor saxophone); Woody Shaw (trumpet); Larry Ridley (bass); Roger Humphries (drums).

Woody Shaw is simply outstanding. His solos are well crafted and his technique is flawless. On “Grease Piece” he goes on a series of runs and acrobatics spurred on by Silver and the rhythm section. Shaw’s playing on this album really changed my concept of sound. I found myself REALLY listening to what he was doing from an improvisational and trumpet playing standpoint. For example – I love that touch of vibrato that he throws in on the end of some
phrases. Up till now – I’ve played everything straight with no vibrato (ala Miles). I may have to add that flavor to my playing in the future.

Most people mention Cape Verdean Blues as their favorite Shaw/Silver recording (and how could you NOT with Joe Henderson and J.J. Johnson joining them) but this is probably my favorite of the two. Still, I have played The Jody Grind WAY more than Verdean so perhaps I need to apply the same attention to the later.

More to come…

I got a request a few months ago from someone who wanted to see some Kenny
Dorham albums on my list. Just because I don’t have KD on list as a leader
doesn’t mean I don’t love the cat. I am a big Kenny Dorham fan — I especially
like his work with Joe Henderson (as evident in my review of In N’ Out). That
being said – it is definitely time to pay homage to one of the most underrated
trumpet players (and musicians) in jazz.

Afro-Cuban is an amazing album with an even more amazing line up of
players: Kenny Dorham (trumpet), J. J. Johnson (trombone), Hank Mobley (tenor
sax), Cecil Payne (baritone sax), Horace Silver (piano), Percy Heath – Oscar
Pettiford (bass), Carlos ?Potato? Valdes (conga) and Art Blakey (drums). How can
you go wrong with that line up? I have always considered Latin music "feel good"
music and this is no exception. It is very difficult to sit still or be in a
sour mood with this CD playing. Kenny Dorham writes some great music for this
performance my favorite being the opening track – "Afrodisia." While KD does not
have the technical prowess of Freddie Hubbard or Lee Morgan, his playing is
always energized and expressive. His efforts here do not disappoint and he does
very well in this genre/style of music.

There is also plenty of straight ahead jazz to sample on this CD (check out KD’s delicate delivery of “Lotus Flower”). I love the variety it offers. I recommend that you check out Afro-Cuban and get familiar with the
work of Kenny Dorham. If you want additional album suggestions please feel free
to email me. There are plenty to choose from.