Joe Morello, a jazz drummer whose elegant, economical playing in the Dave Brubeck Quartet sounded natural and effortless even in unusual time signatures, died on Saturday at his home in Irvington, N.J. He was 82.
His death was announced on his Web site, joemorello.net. No cause was given.
Mr. Morello was most famous for his tenure in Mr. Brubeck’s band, in which he was engaged initially for a brief tour in 1955. He became a member in late 1956, and remained until the group disbanded at the end of 1967.
Already popular for its work on college campuses during the 1950s, Mr. Brubeck’s group reached new heights with Mr. Morello, who handled with disarming ease the odd meters that Mr. Brubeck began to favor. In June 1959, Mr. Morello participated in a recording session with the quartet — completed by the alto saxophonist Paul Desmond and the bassist Eugene Wright — that yielded “Kathy’s Waltz” and “Three to Get Ready,” both of which intermingled 3/4 and 4/4 time signatures.
Less than a week later the quartet recorded Mr. Desmond’s “Take Five,” a breezy composition in 5/4, with an airy solo by Mr. Morello over a rigid vamp on piano and bass. The track became one of the most recognizable themes and most succesful singles in jazz, selling more than a million copies and reaching No. 25 on Billboard magazine’s Hot 100 chart in 1962. Those pieces, and others like “Blue Rondo à la Turk” and “Strange Meadowlark,” were featured on Mr. Brubeck’s most famous album, “Time Out.”
Before working with Mr. Brubeck, Mr. Morello had played with the guitarist Johnny Smith, the saxophonist Gil Melle and, briefly, Stan Kenton’s big band. From 1953 to 1956 he played in the pianist Marian McPartland’s trio, which worked frequently at the Hickory House nightclub in New York.
During Mr. Morello’s engagement with Ms. McPartland, Mr. Desmond urged Mr. Brubeck to hear the drummer, Mr. Brubeck said in an oral history recorded for the Smithsonian Institution in 2007.
“He was playing brushes,” Mr. Brubeck recalled in the interview, “and Paul just loved somebody that played brushes and didn’t interrupt with some hard licks with sticks and clashing cymbals.” In need of a substitute drummer, Mr. Brubeck approached Mr. Morello.
Mr. Morello’s reply, according to Mr. Brubeck: “I’m interested in your group, but your drummer’s out to lunch. I want to be featured.” By this, Mr. Brubeck said, Mr. Morello meant that he wanted to be allowed to play solos and experiment.
After the quartet disbanded Mr. Morello primarily worked as a drum clinician and teacher. His students included Jerry Granelli and Danny Gottlieb, both notable jazz drummers, and Max Weinberg, the longtime drummer for Bruce Springsteen and the former bandleader for “Late Night with Conan O’Brien.”
But Mr. Morello yearned for the bandstand. “I’m tired of saying to some student, ‘This is a stick.’ ” he told The New York Times in 1973. “I want to get out and play again.”
Play again Mr. Morello did. He performed sporadically in the 1970s and ’80s, including reunions with Mr. Brubeck in 1976 and 1985. During the 1990s Mr. Morello led his own group, which featured the saxophonist Ralph Lalama.
Joseph A. Morello was born in Springfield, Mass., on July 17, 1928. Sight-impaired from an early age, he took up the violin at 6 and performed Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor with the Boston Symphony Orchestra three years later. According to a biography on his Web site, Mr. Morello gave up the violin for drums at 15, after meeting his idol, the violinist Jascha Heifetz.
Information on survivors was not immediately available.
Abbey Lincoln - Affair (EMI )
Al Di Meola - Pursuit Of Radical Rhapsody (Telarc Distribution )
Ann Rhodes - GTM 2003 (Leo )
Anthony Braxton - GTM (Outpost) 2003 (Leo Records -- City Hall -- )
Anthony Braxton & Ann Rhodes - GTM (Syntax) 2003 (Leo Records -- City Hall -- )
Anthony Wilson - Campo Belo (Goat Hill Recordings )
Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers - Ugetsu (Fantasy )
Atipico Trio - Eqqueqqua'!!! (Leo Records -- City Hall -- )
Atipico Trio - Eqqueqqua (Leo )
Austin Peralta - Endless Planets (Brainfeeder )
Baby Face Willette - Face To Face (Indies Japan/Zoom )
Barefoot Mob / Eddie Condon - V Disc Recordings ( )
Barry Green & Dave Green - Turn Left At Monday (Phantom )
Ben Webster - Three Classic Albums (Phantom )
Blue Mitchel - Three Classic Albums (Phantom )
Boris Savoldelli - Biocosmopolitan (MOONJUNE )
Caro Emerald - Deleted Scenes From The Cutting Room Floor (Phantom )
Charlie Parker - Anthology (Phantom )
Chet Baker - I Cant Get Started: Live In Palermo 1976 ( )
Chuck Deardorf - Transparence (Origin )
Courtney Pine - Europa (Phantom )
D / E / R / S - Sign Of Four (Origin )
Dany Noel - Proposicion ( )
Dead Kenny Gs - Operation Long Leash (Royal Potato Family )
Django Reinhardt - Essential Django Reinhardt (Sony Legacy )
Dutch Swing College Band - Dutch Swing College Band 1958-59 (Metropolitan Groove Merchants )
Eclectica - Flight Of Fancy (Phantom )
Eco D'Alberni - Eco D'Alberni (PORTER )
Eddie Condon & The Barefoot Mob - V Disc Recordings (Sounds Of Yesteryear )
Eddie Condon & The Barefoot Mob - V-Disc Recordings (Sounds Of Yesteryear )
Ella Fitzgerald - Ella And Oscar (Fantasy )
Ella Fitzgerald - Mack The Kinfe: Ella In Berlin ( )
Ella Fitzgerald - Sings: George & Ira Gershwin Song Book ( )
Elsie Bianchi - Fly Me To The Moon (Phantom )
Frankie Ortega Trio - Four Classic Albums (Phantom )
Fringe Magnetic - Twistic (Phantom )
Gerry Mulligan - Concert Jazz Band: At Newport 1960 ( )
Harry Belafonte - Complete Carnegie Hall Concerts: Belafonte At Car (Phantom )
Herb Alpert & The Tijuana - Herb Albert's Ninth (Phantom )
Herb Tijuana Brass Alpert's - Lonely Bull (Phantom )
Hiromi - Solo Live At Blue Note New York (Telarc Distribution ) - DVD-Video
James Brown - Please Please Please / Think ( )
Jamey Aebersold - Django Reinhardt: Gypsy Jazz 128 ( )
Jazz FM Presents The Legends Of Blue Note - Jazz FM Presents The Legends Of Blue Note ( )
Jessica Williams - Freedom Trane (Origin )
Jimmy Giuffre - Three Classic Albums (Phantom )
Joachim Kuhn - Plays Lilli Marleen (Yoshimoto )
Joachim Kuhn - Plays Lili Marleen (Yoshimoto Jap/Zoom )
John Coltrane - Complete Recordings ( )
John Coltrane - Live At The Jazz Gallery 1960 ( )
Jonathan Kreisberg - Shadowless (New For Now Music )
Jurek Lamorski - Lucky (Membran )
Kebnekajse - Idioten (Subliminal Sounds )
Ken Peplowski - In Search Of... (Capri )
Ken Peplowski - In Search Of ( )
Kenny Burrell - Three Classic Albums (Phantom )
Kenny Drew - Undercurrent (Indies Japan/Zoom )
Kenny Werner - Balloons (Half Note )
Kenyon Hopkins & The Creed Taylor Orchestra - Four Classic Albums (Phantom )
Kevin O'Donnell's - Control Freak (Delmark )
La Vern Baker - La Vern / Rock & Roll ( )
Lee Morgan - Four Classic Albums (Phantom )
Les Mccann - Shout ( )
Louis Armstrong - Live In Amsterdam 1959 ( )
Louis Jordan - King Of The Jukebox (Primo )
Marbin - Breaking The Cycle (MOONJUNE )
Mariza - Fado Tradicional ( )
Mark O'Conner - Suspended Reality (OA2 )
Max Roach - Members Don't Git Weary ( )
Miles Davis - Cool Colection (Phantom )
Miles Davis - Cool Collection (AP )
Miles Davis - Unissued Japanese Concerts ( )
Mimi Fox - Live At The Palladium (Favored Nations ) - DVD-Video
Nina Simone - Essential Nina Simone (Sony Legacy )
Omar Sosa - Calma (Ot� )
Orb - Auntie Aubrey's Excursions Beyond The Call Of Duty, PT. 1 (Deviant )
Orb - Auntie Aubrey's Excursions Beyond The Call Of Duty, Vol. 1: The Orb Remix Project (Deviant )
Oscar Peterson - Irving Berlin Songbook ( )
Oscar Peterson - Richard Rodgers Songbook ( )
Paul Gonsalves - Ellingtonia ( )
Paul Urbanek - Terra (Leo )
Pee Wee Russell - Complete Live At Bovis Town Tavern ( )
Perry Como - At The Supper Club Part II ( )
Pete Roth - Meridian (Phantom )
Ray Charles - Genious + Soul = Jazz ( )
Red Norvo - Complete V Disc Recordings (Sounds Of Yesteryear )
Reds - Sign Of Four ( )
Regina Carter - Reverse Thread (Koch )
Sainkho With Wolfgang Puschnig Namchylak & Paul Ur - Terra (Leo Records -- City Hall -- )
Sarah Vaughan - Broken Hearted Melody (Primo )
Sarah Vaughan - Broken-Hearted Melody (Mercury )
Simon Nabatov - Roundup (Leo Records -- City Hall -- )
Smooth Jazz Anthology - Smooth Jazz Anthology (Phantom )
Sonny Stitt - Three Classic Albums (Phantom )
Stan Kenton - Five Classic Albums (Phantom )
Strunz & Farah - Journey Around The Sun (Selva )
Sun Ra - Three Classic Albums (Phantom )
Thomas Marriott - Human Spirit (Origin )
Twelves - Adding Machine (Phantom )
Vesa-Matti Loiri - 4 + 20 (PORTER )
Vesa-Matti Loiri - 4 & 20 ( )
Vintage Merseyippi Jazz Band - Vintage Merseyippi Jazz Band Vol. 1-Vintage Merseyippi Jazz Band (Metropolitan Groove Merchants )
Westbrook - Mama Chicago (Jazzprint Uk )
Willie Henderson & The Soul Explosions - Funky Chicken ( )
Yellowjackets - Timeline (Mack Avenue )
Reissues
Duke Pearson - Phantom (Blue Note)
Miles Davis - Sketches Of Spain (Columbia/L )
Miles Davis - Bitches Brew (Sony ) - SACD
Modern Jazz Quartet - Pyramid ( )
Stan Getz - Stan Getz With Cal Tjader (JVC XRCD )
Thelonious Monk - Monk's Music (Universal)
Wes Montgomery - Incredible Jazz Guitar (Universal)
Here is a really unique opportunity for you and I. Record labels can’t dictate my artist integrity any longer – even after the opportunity to have a #1 Billboard chart position in the US in 2007 with “Street Life” and 3 solo albums with a major label, and touring the world. Now, my only goal in these ever-changing days is to do GREAT MUSIC, passionately and with all my heart and share it directly with you , the fans . That’s why I’m paying tribute to my hero, mentor and friend George Benson! It’s also the first ever Tribute Album to George Benson that includes Already famous guests such as George Duke, Patrice Rushen, Najee, Phil Perry, Mike White, Tim Owens and many more to be confirmed (artists that you might help me convince)!!!
And here is the best part… the maestro himself is going to write the liner notes!!!
Right now, you and I together need to raise more money to complete the project, so I’m counting on you and you George Benson fans to help me to reach that goal!!!
I will keep you informed and will update as soon as I can throughout the creative and recording process with news such as sneak peaks, revealing new guests, uploading pictures, etc…
a dedicated website and EPK is also in the making…
read the press release about the project :
U-Nam reveals a “George Benson Tribute Album" with Special Guests.
Los Angeles, CA—"The man known as U-Nam, is destined to become one of the most controversial musicians.It’s great to have a new voice on the guitar scene; one that is loaded with energy and excitement."—-Ten time Grammy Award recipient, NAE Jazz Master and guitar legend—- George Benson
Chart Topping Jazz Artist U-Nam (best known for his #1 hit “Street Life") is currently in the studio recording and producing his next project. Paying tribute to his hero and favorite artist George Benson, U-Nam will be releasing the album Weekend in L.A. (A George Benson Tribute ) as U-Nam & Friends.
The album includes a MEGA-ALLSTAR line up of artists and musicians including but not limited to Patrice Rushen ,Tim Owens, Mike White, Ricky Lawson, Matt Rohde, Jeff Lacey, Franck Sitbon, Denis Benarrosh, Darryl Williams, Andreas Oberg , Marva King, Najee , Stokley ( Mint Condition ) and Many more artists will be revealed later—there are many surprises to be expected.
According to U-Nam, with this new project, one can, “Expect the Unexpected!!!" U-Nam also mentionned that this will be the “Best, Biggest, Most Exciting and Intimidating project of his life." He also added, “before I even started to record any music on this project, my first thought was to call George [Benson], let him know about the project and ask for his blessing. I got more than I expected when he told me this, ‘Man, for sure you have my blessing and anyway whatever you’re gonna do it’s gonna sounds fantastic.’ After that I felt relieved and incredibly motivated to do a great hommage to GB!" The album is going to follow in the footsteps of “GB"; a mix of Jazz, R’n’B, Pop, Soul and full of innovation.
The full album is due to be released Fall 2011. The first single will be out in a couple of months closely followed by another single with remixes.
More news will be on the way through U-Nam’s website featuring information about the “making of" the album, guest artists’ names will be revealed, as well as clips and interviews of U-Nam talking about this exciting new project.
As said and recorded by Jeff Lacey , “GB’s the King, U-Nam’s the Prince"
Mack Avenue Records is proud to announce recent prestigious recognition within the music industry. The label was named 2010 "Label of the Year" by both the JazzTimes Annual Readers Poll and JazzWeek, the definitive Jazz and Smooth Jazz national radio airplay chart. Additionally, Mack Avenue saxophonist Kirk Whalum won Best Gospel Song at the 2011 GRAMMY® Awards in Los Angeles last month, one of five GRAMMY® nominations for the label's artists this year.
Following a successful year in 2010 - with releases from Tia Fuller, Kirk Whalum, Hot Club of Detroit, Danilo Pérez, Jonathan Butler, Wayman Tisdale and the signing of Kevin Eubanks, Gary Burton and the Yellowjackets - Mack Avenue was named "Label of the Year" by both JazzTimes and JazzWeek. Two Mack Avenue artists graced the cover of JazzTimes over the past year. Panamanian pianist Danilo Pérez - whose label debut Providencia (released in August) was nominated for a 2011 GRAMMY® Award in the category of Best Instrumental Jazz Album - was featured on the cover of JazzTimes' January 2011 issue, their "Year in Review" issue. Additionally, saxophonist Tia Fuller was featured on the June 2010 cover of JazzTimes, in support of her most recent release, Decisive Steps (released in May). Her album also charted at #1 for two-consecutive weeks on the JazzWeek Jazz Chart.
Whalum - who scored four GRAMMY® nominations for two albums in three diverse categories: Pop, R&B and Gospel - won a GRAMMY® for the track, "It's What I Do," from his recent March 2010 release, The Gospel According To Jazz Chapter III. His most recent August 2010 release, Everything Is Everything: The Music of Donny Hathaway, was nominated for Best Pop Instrumental Album and Best Male R&B Performance (for the track "We're Still Friends" featuring Musiq Soulchild). The Gospel According to Jazz, Chapter III debuted at #4 on the Billboard Jazz Album chart and #11 on the Billboard Gospel Chart while just a few months later the tribute CD Everything Is Everything debuted at #4 on the Billboard Jazz Chart.
"We are greatly honored to receive these accolades and recognition," says Mack Avenue President Denny Stilwell. "Our artists and team continue to set the standard for excellence within the music community."
If you’ve spent any time at all in a movie theater or in front of a TV set during prime time over the past four decades, chances are good you’ve encountered Dave Grusin along the way. In addition to a formidable body of work as a jazz recording artist, this pianist, composer, arranger, and winner of 10 Grammys, an Oscar, and has scored some of the most entertaining and enduring films of the past half-century, including The Graduate, Three Days of the Condor, On Golden Pond, Tootsie, The Champ, Milagro Beanfield War, The Firm, and many others. On the small screen, Grusin composed scores and themes for It Takes a Thief, The Bold Ones, Maude, Baretta, St. Elsewhere and other popular TV series. His jazz recordings have topped the charts for the past three decades.
Grusin steps out from behind the various machinations of film and television production to take center stage on An Evening with Dave Grusin, a groundbreaking live recording that captures him conducting and performing with a host of stars, and backed by the 75-piece Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra at the Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami, Florida, in December 2009. The album is a collection of 12 songs by Grusin, Leonard Bernstein, George Gershwin and Henry Mancini. Guest performers on the date include Jon Secada, Patti Austin, Monica Mancini, Gary Burton, Arturo Sandoval, Nestor Torres and Sammy Figueroa.
An Evening with Dave Grusin, available on CD, Blu-ray Disc and ROBA iPadApp, is the latest installment in producer Larry Rosen’s ongoing JAZZ ROOTS Series, a nation-wide program in major performing arts centers that includes educational and outreach programs designed to connect with local community groups and local school districts. For more info see www.jazzroots.net.
But there’s more to An Evening with Dave Grusin than meets the ear. Grusin and Rosen, partners in innovation since the days of GRP Records in the 1980s, when they pioneered the launch of CDs in America, once again embrace cutting-edge technology with their involvement with music app developer ROBA Interactive, creating an experience that connects the user to this historic performance in an exciting, interactive and unprecedented way. The app is filled with rich multimedia content, including in-depth interviews, music and video clips, producers’ comments, background history, alternate camera angles and more. The CD in conjunction with the ROBA App gives you the complete Dave Grusin experience – the monumental performance with a brilliant 75-piece orchestra, and an in-depth look at the long and prolific career leading up to it. Now you can literally touch the music – and have it respond.
“This recording was a great opportunity to revisit some of my previous film work,” says Grusin, “as well as performing music by George Gershwin, and some material from West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein, two giants among American composers. And I’m especially fond of the Henry Mancini songs. Hank was a friend of mine, and a mentor who helped so many of us get into the business of film scoring.”
The word “orchestration” can have more than one meaning in a project that involves 75 musicians and a series of high-caliber guest performers, Grusin admits. “Recordings like this can be challenging,” he says. “There are a lot of pieces that have to come together in the right place and at the right time – both in the planning stage and during the actual performance. But everyone was a professional at every step of the process. I’m grateful for the longtime association I’ve had with Larry Rosen, and for the contributions so many other great people who helped make this happen. I think this recording captures some of the work I’m most proud of, along with the work of people whom I’ve admired for many years.”
This groundbreaking project, which is the first music performance to be simultaneously released on CD, Blu-ray, and iPad App brings together a team of world class experts. The team includes award winning producers Larry Rosen and the legendary Phil Ramone; multi-Grammy winning recording engineers Eric Shilling and Frank Filipetti; and the cutting edge iPad App development team from ROBA Interactive. For more info see www.robainteractive.com … as Producer Phil Ramone said, “Welcome to the future of the music biz!”
The sounds of contemporary jazz from top performers will again beckon jazz fans to return to the beautiful beaches of Northwest Florida as the 2011 ResortQuest Seabreeze Jazz Festival presented by The Smooth Cruise returns to Pier Park in Panama City Beach, FL. The event, now in its 13th year, is set for April 13 -17 with performances on stage at Aaron Bessant Park (Pier Park Amphitheater) adjacent to the exciting Pier Park shopping and entertainment complex.
Named "Top 10 Jazz Festival in the USA" by JazzIZ Magazine and recently nominated as "Best Jazz Festival" at the Oasis Smooth Jazz Awards, The Seabreeze Jazz Festival combines the top national smooth jazz artists with a full weekend of fun, sun, great beaches, and good times-- all on the west end of Panama City Beach. The event now attracts over 20,000 fans from the USA, Canada, and Europe for what many call "The Ultimate Weekend" in one non-stop performance-packed weekend of music. Hosted by WSBZ Midday Personality Miranda Wilson, fans will get a live taste of the programming that makes WSBZ-FM The Seabreeze one of the most unique radio stations on the Gulf Coast.
Artists to perform for 2011 include Grammy-Award winner George Benson, along with Boney James, Brian Culbertson, Norman Brown, Richard Elliot, Peter White, Candy Dulfer, Euge Groove, Gerald
Albright, Kirk Whalum, Warren Hill, Jeff Golub, Mindi Abair, Eric Darius, Ken Ford, Cindy Bradley, Paul Taylor, Marion Meadows, Dotsero, Joey Sommerville, Marcus Anderson, Julian Vaughn, Nicholas Cole, Robert Harris, Roman Street, and Jones and Company. The Seabreeze Jazz Festival is unique in it's lineup of current top smooth jazz stars--all with recent or current Top 10 Contemporary Jazz hits on national radio.
Special events include a Smooth Jazz Dinner Cruise aboard The Lady Anderson dinner boat in Panama City on Wednesday, April 13th from 7-10pm with live entertainment from top saxman Eric Darius. The festival kicks off on the main stage at Pier Park with "A Special Evening with George Benson and Boney James" set for Thursday, April 13th -- showcasing two of the top names in contemporary jazz. George Benson, a guitar legend and multi-Grammy winner, will be celebrating the 35th Anniversary of his landmark album Breezin during the event weekend plus showcasing selections from his latest release Songs and Stories. A free Meet and Greet/Mini Performance event at Borders Books with select festival artists is set for Friday, April 15th at 3pm at the store at Pier Park. And jazz fans will be able to "groove into the late night" after the main performances at the All-Star Jazz Jam After-Parties set for Friday and Saturday nights at Reggae J's at Pier Park hosted by Eric Darius.
Tickets are limited and on sale at Borders at Pier Park, Kitchenique in Destin at City Market, and Playground Music Center in Ft. Walton Beach. Order by phone at 1-800-595-4849 or online at www.seabreezejazzfestival.net. Tickets are $80 for Single Day Events, $140 for a Weekend Pass, and $200 for a Four Day Pass which includes the show with George Benson and Boney James on Thursday, April 14th. Special limited VIP Tickets for "An Evening with George Benson and Boney James" are available for $150 each including VIP parking, VIP entrance, covered table seating near the stage, dinner catered with beer, wine, and soft drinks, and VIP restrooms. Special event tickets to the Smooth Jazz Dinner Cruise and After-Parties are available by phone or online only.
For more information, call 850-267-3279.
Nothing goes better with contemporary jazz than contemporary art, and the Seabreeze Jazz Festival Artwork and T-Shirt design for 2011 is a perfect blending of both. Created by renowned contemporary painter Alfred Gockel of Germany, the design is a visual fusion of jazz and art in one very funky design. Known as one of the "most collected contemporary artists of our time", Alfred Gockel's works are highly sought-after by some of the world's top art collectors and art aficionados. The vibrant use of color and his unique style truly dipicts the funky coolness yet sophistication of smooth jazz and the Seabreeze Jazz Festival. Alfred Gockel will make a special appearance at the Seabreeze Jazz Festival doing "live painting" each day with his original work being auctioned to the crowd at the end of each festival day. For the jazz-lover and art collector -- this is the event to attend!
Major sponsors for the 2011 ResortQuest Seabreeze Jazz Festival presented by The Smooth Jazz Cruise include The Panama City Beach Convention and Visitor's Bureau, Pier Park, Sterling Resorts, Smooth Jazz.com, JazzIZ Magazine, Creative Gems, Panama City News Herald, Oaseas Resorts, Smooth Lounge.com, Mac Fine Art, and Vision Airlines/Fly VPS.
For full festival information including performance schedules and tickets, go online to www.seabreezejazzfestival.net.
Presented by WSBZ-FM Seabreeze 106.3 Smooth Jazz. Proceeds to benefit Music In the Schools for local high school band music scholarships, instrument purchases, and jazz band clinics.
5 / A - Jazz Ballads (High Note )
5 / A - La Chanteuse De Jazz (High Note )
Action Beat - Beatings (Truth Cult )
Aki Takase - Something Sweet, Something T (Ejw )
Aki Takase - Something Sweet, Something Tender (Enja/Weber )
Al Casey - I'm A Guitar Man (El Toro )
Alexis Cole - Someday My Prince Will Come (Venus )
Antonio Carlos Jobim - Composer Plays (Phantom )
Antonio Carlos Jobim - Composer Of Desafinado, Plays (Phantom )
Antonio Forcione Quartet - In Concert (Nai )
Art Pepper - Intensity (Analogue Prod. )
Art Pepper - Art Pepper Meets The Rhythm Section ( )
Art Pepper - Art Pepper (Phantom )
Art Pepper - Art Pepper With Warne Marsh (Phantom )
Avishai Cohen - Seven Seas (Phantom )
Barney Kessel - Poll Winners:Barney Kessel (Phantom )
Bill Crow - Jazz Anecdotes (Phantom )
Bird Names - Metabolism: A Salute To The (Nse )
Brian Carpenter's Ghost Trai - Hothouse Stomp: The Music Of (Accurate )
Brian Carpenter's Ghost Train O - Hothouse Stomp: The Music Of 1920S Chicago And Harlem (Accurate )
Bucky Pizzarelli - Back In The Saddle Again (Arbors )
Cathrine Legardh - Nordisk (Storyville )
Cecil Taylor - Looking Ahead! (Pid )
Cesarius Alvim / Eddie Gomez / Eric Le Lann - Threefold ( )
Champian Fulton - Breeze And I (Gut String )
Christina Dahl - Now Is Now (Storyville )
Christina Dahl Trio - Now Is Now (Storyville )
Christine Jensen Jazz Orchestra - Treelines (Justin Time )
Dado Maroni - Live In Beverly Hills (Res )
Daniel Smith - Bassoon Goes Latin-Jazz (Summit )
David Finck - Umbrellas & Sunshine: The Music Of Michel Legrand (Soundbrush )
Djalma Dias - Nao Faca Drama (Phantom )
Earl Klugh - Dream Come True/Crazy For You/Low Ride (BGO - Beat Goes On )
Ella Fitzgerald - Ella In Berlin (Phantom )
Francis Hime - Passaredo (Phantom )
Francois Jeanneau - Swiss Radio Days, Vol. 22 (TCB )
Freddie Hubbard - Pinnacle, Live And Unrelease (Res )
George Benson - Giblet Gravy (Universal )
Gerson Conrad - Gerson Conrad E Zeze Motta (Phantom )
Gerson Conrad - Gerson Conrad & Zeze Motta (Ward )
Glenn Miller - 75 Glenn Miller Masterpieces (Sepia )
Glenn Miller - 75 Glenn Miller Masterpieces (Original Radio Broadcasts) (Sepia )
Glenn Miller / Orchestra - 75 Glenn Miller Masterpieces (Sepia )
Guilherme Arantes - Guilherme Arantes (Phantom )
Hampton Hawes - Hawes,Hampton Vol. 1-Hampton Hawes Trio (Phantom )
Helena De Lima - Uma Noite No Cangaceiro (Phantom )
Isabelle Olivier - My Foolish Harp ( )
Itham Koorax / Peter Scharli - O Grande Amor (TCB Music )
Ithamara Koorax - O Grande Amor (TCB )
Jason Miles - To Grover With Love (Phantom )
Jazz Ballads - Jazz Ballads (Phantom )
Jeanneau / Mangelsdorff - Swiss Radio Days, Volume 22 (TCB Music )
Jelly Roll Morton - Jazz Biography (AAO Music )
Jim Tomlinson Featuring Stacey Kent - Lyric/2011 Reissue (Phantom )
Jimmy Smith - Organ Grinder Swing (Universal )
Jimmy Smith - Grinder Swing (Phantom )
John Sangster - Sangster,John Vol. 1-Lord Of The Rings (Move )
John Sangster - Sangster,John Vol. 2-Lord Of The Rings (Move )
John Sangster - Sangster,John Vol. 3-Lord Of The Rings (Move )
John Sangster - Landscapes Of Middle Earth (Move )
John Sangster - Lord Of The Rings, Vol. 1 ( )
John Sangster - Lord Of The Rings, Vol. 2 ( )
John Sangster - Lord Of The Rings, Vol. 3 ( )
Johnny Mandel - Man And His Music (Arbors )
Kathy Sanborn - Blues For Breakfast (Pacific Coast Jazz )
Kathy Sanborn - Blues for Breakfast (Pacific Coast Jazz)
Kathy Sanborn - Blues for Breakfast (Pacific Coast Jazz)
Kip Hanrahan - Tenderness (Phantom )
Klaus Doldinger - Doldinger Goes On (Phantom )
La Chanteuse De Jazz - La Chanteuse De Jazz (Phantom )
Lisa Lindsley - Everytime We Say Goodbye (Blondsongstress Productions)
Lizz Wright - Fellowship (Verve Forecast )
Luis Conte - En Casa De Luis (Var�se Sarabande (USA) )
Manhattan Sc / Bobby Sanabria - Tito Puente Masterworks Live (JZH )
Manhattan School of Music Afro - Tito Puente Masterworks Live!!! (Jazzheads, Inc. )
Margaret Whiting - Margaret Whiting's Great Hits (Sepia )
Maria Creuza - Todo Sentimento (Phantom )
Maria Creuza - Da Cor Do Pecado (Phantom )
Maria Creuza - Da Cordo Pecado (Ward )
Monica Acoustic Project Herzig - Come With Me (Owl )
Monika Herzig - Come With Me (Owl )
Monty Alexander - Uplift (JLP )
Moraes Moreira - La Vem O Brasil Descendo A Ladeira (Phantom )
Nancy Wilson - All In Love Is Fair/Come Get To This (Soul Music )
Native Soul - Soul Step (Ash )
NDR Bigband - 21 Spices (MIG )
Night Crawlers - Down In The Bottom (Cellar Live )
OCTAVIA - OCTAVIA AT TOYA (Wiking)
One For All - Invades Vancouver (CLF )
Ornette Coleman - Something Else (Doxy )
Oscar Peterson - Bursting Out With The All Star (Phantom )
Oscar Peterson - Bursting Out With The All-Star Big Band! (Phantom )
Overton Berry - T.O.B.E. + Live At The Doubletree Inn (Light In The Attic )
Paul Motian - Live At The Village Vanguard Vol 3 (Indie Europe/Zoom )
Paul Motian - Live At The Village Vanguard, Vol. 3 (Winter & Winter )
Paul Taylor - Redux (Phantom )
Peppe Jalava - Go To The Beach (Alba (Fin) )
Phil Ranelin - Perseverence (Wide Hive )
Phineas Newborn Jr. - World Of Piano! (Phantom )
Rabih Abou-Khalil - Trouble In Jerusalem (Enja )
Rene Marie - Voice Of My Beautiful Countr (MTM )
Rene Marie - Voice Of My Beautiful Country (Mot�ma Music )
Rhythm Maniacs - Philip Lewis/Rhythm Maniacs Recordings 1928-1930 (Retrieval Recordings )
Rhythm Maniacs - Hottest Of The Philip Lewis: Rhythm Maniacs Recordings (Retrieval Recordings )
Roger Davidson / David Finck - Umbrellas & Sunshine: The Mu (SNB )
Romane - Swing For Ninine: Complete Romane 1 ( )
Sensual - Trinta (Supertracks )
Shelly Manne - Swinging Sounds (Universal Japan/Zoom )
Soft Machine - Turns On V.2 (Voiceprint )
STAMPS Jazz Quintet - Stamps (Summit )
Stan Getz - Stan Getz & Oscar Peterson Trio ( )
Stephan Crump / Steve Lehman - Kaleidoscope & Collage (Phantom )
Sun Ra - Mayan Temples (Black Saint )
T.K Blue - Latinbird (MTM )
Talib Kibwe - Latinbird (Mot�ma Music )
Terry Callier - Hidden Conversations (Mr. Bongo )
Till Bronner - Blue Eyed Soul (Phantom )
Trilog Gurtu - 21 Spices (Phantom )
Vijay Iyer - Tirtha (Amv )
Weather Report - Live In Berlin 1975 ( )
Wes Montgomery - Tequila (Pid )
West Texas Tumbleweeds - Back In The Saddle Again: Arbors Country Series, Vol. 2 (Arbors )
Reissues
Art Pepper - Gettin' Together (Universal)
Arthur Blythe - Calling Card (Enha)
Astrud Gilberto - Astrud Gilberto Album (Universal Japan )
Baden Powell - Tristeza on Guitar (Universal)
Barney Kessel - To Swing or Not to Swing (Victor)
Bill Evans - Alone (Pid )
Django Reinhardt - Django Reinhardt (Masters of)
Erroll Garner - Concert by the Sea (SME)
Gerry Mulligan - Night Lights (Pid )
Jimmy Smith - Cat (Pid )
Ray Brown - Something For Lester (Universal Japan )
Sonny Rollins - Way Out West (Universal)
Following the much ballyhooed Return To Forever reunion tour of 2008, guitarist Al Di Meola began refocusing his energies on his World Sinfonia band. Live in Seattle and Elsewhere documented his tightly-knit chemistry in concert on a 2009 tour with his acoustic ensemble of accordionist Fausto Beccalossi, second guitarist Kevin Seddiki, bassist Victor Miranda, drummer Peter Kazsas and Di Meola’s longtime collaborator Gumbi Ortiz on cajon and assorted hand percussion. Di Meola’s rhythmically-charged flamenco and tango inspired originals revealed his knack for advanced harmonies along with his embracing of simple, beautiful, alluring melodies. And although he may be a romantic at heart, he showed that he is still very much capable of flashing those legendary chops that graced his ‘70s classics like Elegant Gypsy and Casino.
On Di Meola’s latest outing, Pursuit of Radical Rhapsody, the guitar virtuoso and world music pioneer deals in more evocative and compelling sounds with his World Sinfonia ensemble, delivering hauntingly beautiful and deeply moving music from track to track. The collection kicks off with the entrancing, suite-like “Siberiana,” which opens with some tender call-and-response between Beccalossi’s accordion and Di Meola’s nylon string acoustic guitar before building to a turbulent section with searing electric guitar lines on top. On the affecting “Paramour’s Lullaby,” Di Meola takes a more deliberate approach on electric guitar, spinning warm, lyrical lines over the beautiful harmonies before engaging in spirited call-and-response with Beccalossi near the end of the piece. The rhythmically charged “Mawazine” (featuring percussionist Mino Cinelu) is broken up into two parts on the album and showcases some typically tasty electric guitar work by the leader.
The lushly cinematic “Michelangelo’s 7th Child” (featuring Hungary’s Sturcz String Quartet) has Di Meola utilizing subtle MIDI textures and colorations on his acoustic guitar while also showcasing some virtuosic runs. “Gumbiero” is a stirring Latin number underscored by Ortiz’s churning conga work. Sparks fly between Di Meola’s signature fretboard bravado on both acoustic and electric, Beccalossi’s facile accordion playing and Gonzalo Rubalcaba’s dazzling piano work on this spirited offering. “Full Frontal Contrapuntal” features some chops-busting unisons and intricate exchanges between Al’s MIDI-tinged acoustic guitar and Beccalossi’s accordion. The surging “This Way Before” and the evocative, flamenco inspired “Fireflies” both feature Di Meola alternating between acoustic and distortion-laced electric guitar licks. The stirring Latin flavored “Destination Gonzalo” and “Radical Rhapsody” both feature virtuosic contributions from pianist Rubalcaba and former Weather Report drummer Peter Erskine. The poignant “Bona” is a tender offering with the Sturcz String Quartet that features some of Di Meola’s most lyrical playing on the record. The leader also turns in soothing interpretations of two classic pop tunes, the Beatles’ “Strawberry Fields” and “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” both of which feature the great jazz bassist Charlie Haden.
1. Siberiana 8:28
2. Paramour's Lullaby 7:45
3. Mawazine Part 1 2:07
4. Michelangelo's 7th Child 7:30
5. Gumbiero 6:18
6. Brave New World 1:54
7. Full Frontal Contrapuntal 4:52
8. That Way Before 3:06
9. Fireflies 4:01
10. Destination Gonzalo 5:16
11. Bona 6:00 Preview
12. Radical Rhapsody 5:02
13. Strawberry Fields 4:09
14. Mawazine Part 2 2:54
15. Over the Rainbow 3:04
Airborne - Back in the Dayz - Airborne Anthology (Tilt Records)
Annie Ross - Four Classic Albums (Phantom )
Annie Ross - Candlelight / Gypsy / A Gasser / Sings A Song ( )
Annie Ross - Four Classic Albums: Annie By Candlelight/Gypsy/A Gasser/Sings A Song With Mulligan (Avid Records )
Art Pepper - With Warne Marsh (Phantom Sound & Vision )
Art Pepper - Intensity (Analogue Prod. )
Art Pepper - Getting Together (Polydor Japan/Zoom )
Art Pepper - Meets Rhythm Section (Universal Japan/Zoom )
Art Pepper - Art Pepper & Eleven (Universal Japan/Zoom )
Artie Shaw - Ultimate Big Band Collection: Artie Shaw (Masterworks )
Austin Peralta - Endless Planets (Brainfeeder )
Baby Face Willette - Face To Face (Indies Japan/Zoom )
Barney Kessel - Poll Winners (Universal Japan/Zoom )
Bill Charlap - Stardust (Venus Jap/Zoom )
Billy Bauer - Anthology (Amj Jap/Zoom )
Buddy Sativa - Deus Ex Machina (Favorite Recordings )
Cannonball Adderley - Dis Here (Proper Box )
Cecil Taylor - Looking Ahead ( )
Charlie Byrd - Twins (Amj Jap/Zoom )
CJ Catalizer - I'll Be There (Phantom )
Count Basie - Ultimate Big Band Collection: Count Basie (Masterworks )
Cyminology - Saburi ( )
David Chesky - Urbanicity (Chesky )
Diana Krall - Doing All Right-In Concert (Phantom )
Dutch Swing College Band - Dutch Swing College Band 1958-59 (Metropolitan Groove Merchants )
Eddie Higgins - Ballad Higgins (Pid )
Edmond Hall - Four Classic Albums (Phantom )
Edmond Hall - Petite Fleur / Rumpus On Rampart St / Teddy ( )
Edmond Hall - Petite Fleur/Rumpus On Rampart St./Teddy Buckner All Stars/Jazz At (Avid Records )
Esben & Witch - Violet Cries (Hostess Japan/Zoom )
Fred Hersch - Alone At The Vanguard (Palmetto )
Gil Scott-Heron - We're New Here (Hostess Japan/Zoom )
Hampton Hawes - Trio Vol 1 (Universal Japan/Zoom )
Harry Connick Jr. - In Concert On Broadway (Sony Music )
Harry James - Ultimate Big Band Collection: Harry James (Masterworks )
Herbie Mann - New York Jazz Quartet/Music For Suburban Living (Solar )
Holly Cole - Blame It On My Youth ( )
Human Egg - Human Egg (Favorite Recordings )
Jimmy Scott - All Of Me (Phantom )
Jimmy Wyble - Diane (Amj )
John Coltrane - My Favorite Things (Phantom )
John Hicks - Moanin-Portrait Of Art Blakey (Phantom )
Jurek Lamorski - Lucky (Membran )
Keith Jarrett Trio - Somewhere Before (Warner Japan/Zoom )
Know Hope Collective - Know Hope Collective (Columbia )
Lee Konitz - Jazz (Feat.Kenny Barron) (Phantom )
Lou Donaldson - Sunny Side Up (CLASSIC )
Marc Van Roon - I Still See You ( )
Miles Davis - Bitches Brew Live (Sony Legacy )
Morgana King - Four Classic Albums (Phantom )
Morgana King - For You For Me For Evermore / Sings The Blues ( )
Morgana King - Four Classic Albums: For You, For Me, For Evermore/Sings The Blues/The Greatest Songs Ever Swung/Let Me Love You (Avid Records )
Nicki Parrott - Fly Me To The Moon (Phantom )
Nymark Collective - Bessie Smiths Revisited: Live In Concert (Milan )
Nymark Collective With Kristin Asbjornsen - Bessie Smith Revisited (Phantom )
Ornette Coleman - Something Else (Doxy )
Paolo Vinaccia - Very Much Alive (Phantom )
Peggy Lee - Hits And More, The (Jasmine )
Peggy Lee - Hits And More (Jasmine )
Phineas Newborn Jr. - World Of Piano (Universal Japan/Zoom )
Ragab & The Cairo Jazz Band Salah - Egyptian Jazz (Forcex )
Raphael Gualazzi - Reality & Fantasy (Phantom )
Ray Crawford - It's About Time (Amj )
Romane - Swing For Ninine (Indie Europe/Zoom )
Ron Carter - Great Big Band (EMI )
Shelly Manne - West Coast Jazz In England Free Trade Hall 1960 (Solar )
Shelly Manne - Swinging Sounds (Universal Japan/Zoom )
Sun Ra - Antique Blacks (Phantom )
Sun Ra & His Intergalactic Myth Science Solar Arke - Sleeping Beauty (Forcex )
Sun Ra & His Solar Arkestra - On Jupiter (Forcex )
Supersilent - 10 (Rune Grammofon )
Susanne Alt - Live At Bimhuis (Venus Tunes) - 2+ CDs
Syd Orchestra Lawrence - Night At The Movies (Phantom )
Three Sounds - Introducing The 3 Sounds (Analogue Prod. )
Tommy Dorsey - Ultimate Big Band Collection: Tommy Dorsey (Masterworks Jazz )
Vintage Merseyippi Jazz Band - Vintage Merseyippi Jazz Band Vol. 1-Vintage Merseyippi Jazz Band (Metropolitan Groove Merchants )
Yosuke Yamashita - Delightful Contrast (Universal )
Reissues
Barney Kessel - To Swing or Not to Swing (Victor)
Bill Evans - Alone (Pid )
Charles Mingus - Pithecanthropus Erectus (Atlantic)
Chet Baker - Chet Baker in New York (Fantasy / Riverside) - SACD
Duke Pearson - Phantom (Blue Note)
Gerry Mulligan - Night Lights (Pid )
Hank Mobley - Dippin' (Blue Note)
Jimmy Smith - Midnight Special (Blue Note Records (USA) )
Jimmy Smith - Cat (Pid )
Keith Jarrett - Somewhere Before (Atlantic)
Modern Jazz Quartet - Plays No Sun in Venice (Atlantic)
Modern Jazz Quartet - No Sun In Venice (Wea Japan )
Ornette Coleman - Shape of Jazz to Come (Atlantic)
Ray Brown - Something For Lester (Universal Japan )
Shelly Manne - My Fair Lady (JVC XRCD )
Sonny Rollins - Way Out West (Universal)
