What are you listening to tonight ?

[TheOctopus]

Herbie Hancock would later work as a pioneering fusion musician, experimenting with electro, funk and pop sounds.

But the pianist first appeared on the scene in the early 1960s as a hugely exciting talent in acoustic jazz, before helping redefine the role of the rhythm section with Miles Davis’ Second Great Quintet, along with Tony Williams and Ron Carter, who are both present here.

Now regarded as a classic jazz album, 1964’s Maiden Voyage is a concept record, with a nautical, oceanic theme.

Less overtly adventurous than its predecessor, Empyrean Isles, Maiden Voyage nevertheless finds Herbie Hancock at a creative peak. In fact, it's arguably his finest record of the '60s, reaching a perfect balance between accessible, lyrical jazz and chance-taking hard bop.

By this point, the pianist had been with Miles Davis for two years, and it's clear that Miles' subdued yet challenging modal experiments had been fully integrated by Hancock. Not only that, but through Davis, Hancock became part of the exceptional rhythm section of bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams, who are both featured on Maiden Voyage, along with trumpeter Freddie Hubbard and tenor saxophonist George Coleman.

The quintet plays a selection of five Hancock originals, many of which are simply superb showcases for the group's provocative, unpredictable solos, tonal textures, and harmonies. While the quintet takes risks, the music is lovely and accessible, thanks to Hancock's understated, melodic compositions and the tasteful group interplay.

All of the elements blend together to make Maiden Voyage a shimmering, beautiful album that captures Hancock at his finest as a leader, soloist, and composer.

[TheOctopus]

Universally regarded as one of the greatest collaborations between the two most influential musicians in modern jazz (Miles Davis notwithstanding), the Jazzland sessions from Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane should be recognized on other levels.

While the mastery of the principals is beyond reproach, credit should also be given to peerless bassist Wilbur Ware, as mighty an anchor as anyone could want.

These 1957 dates also sport a variety in drummerless trio, quartet, septet, or solo piano settings, all emphasizing the compelling and quirky compositions of Monk.

A shouted-out, pronounced "Off Minor" and robust, three-minute "Epistrophy" with legendary saxophonists Coleman Hawkins, Gigi Gryce, and the brilliant, underappreciated trumpeter Ray Copeland are hallmark tracks that every jazz fan should revere.

Of the four quartet sessions, the fleet "Trinkle Tinkle" tests Coltrane's mettle, as he's perfectly matched alongside Monk, but conversely unforced during "Nutty" before taking off.

Monk's solo piano effort, "Functional," is flavored with blues, stride, and boogie-woogie, while a bonus track, "Monk's Mood," has a Monk-Ware-Coltrane tandem (minus drummer Shadow Wilson) back for an eight-minute excursion primarily with Monk in a long intro, 'Trane in late, and Ware's bass accents booming through the studio.

This will always be an essential item standing proudly among unearthed live sessions from Monk and Coltrane, demarcating a pivotal point during the most significant year in all types of music, from a technical and creative standpoint, but especially the jazz of the immediate future.

[nicoff]

What are the sources of these two write ups? (They could be your own, but it is not clear).

[TheOctopus]

Jimmy Smith wasn't the first organ player in jazz, but no one had a greater influence with the instrument than he did; Smith coaxed a rich, grooving tone from the Hammond B-3, and his sound and style made him a top instrumentalist in the 1950s and '60s, while a number of rock and R&B keyboardists would learn valuable lessons from Smith's example.

James Oscar Smith was born in Norristown, Pennsylvania on December 8, 1925 (some sources cite his birth year as 1928). Smith's father was a musician and entertainer, and young Jimmy joined his song-and-dance act when he was six years old.

By the time he was 12, Smith was an accomplished stride piano player who won local talent contests, but when his father began having problems with his knee and gave up performing to work as a plasterer, Jimmy quit school after eighth grade and began working odd jobs to help support the family.

At 15, Smith joined the Navy, and when he returned home, he attended music school on the GI Bill, studying at the Hamilton School of Music and the Ornstein School, both based in Philadelphia.








Toward the end of his stint with Blue Note, Jimmy Smith's albums became predictable. Moving to Verve in the mid-'60s helped matters considerably, since he started playing with new musicians (most notably nice duets with Wes Montgomery) and new settings, but he never really got loose, as he did on select early Blue Note sessions.

Part of the problem was that Smith's soul-jazz was organic and laid-back, relaxed and funky instead of down and dirty. For latter-day listeners, aware of his reputation as the godfather of modern soul-jazz organ (and certainly aware of the Beastie Boys' name drop), that may mean that Smith's actual albums all seem a bit tame and restrained, classy, not funky.

That's true of the bulk of Smith's catalog, with the notable exception of Root Down. Not coincidentally, the title track is the song the Beasties sampled on their 1994 song of the same name, since this is one of the only sessions that Smith cut where his playing his raw, vital, and earthy.

Recorded live in Los Angeles in February 1972, the album captures a performance Smith gave with a relatively young supporting band who were clearly influenced by modern funk and rock. They push Smith to playing low-down grooves that truly cook: "Sagg Shootin' His Arrow" and "Root Down (And Get It)" are among the hottest tracks he ever cut, especially in the restored full-length versions showcased on the 2000 Verve By Request reissue.

There are times where the pace slows, but the tension never sags, and the result is one of the finest, most exciting records in Smith's catalog. If you think you know everything about Jimmy Smith, this is the album for you.

[TheOctopus]

What are the sources of these two write ups? (They could be your own, but it is not clear).

Mostly Allmusic as well as other reviews

[TheOctopus]

If you are diggin' the Soul Jazz Organ, here is one more to chill' with your system. Groovy...

Midnight Special is a perfect complement to Back at the Chicken Shack, which was recorded the same day. Organist Jimmy Smith, tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine, and guitarist Kenny Burrell always make for a potent team, and with drummer Donald Bailey completing the group, the quartet digs soulfully into such numbers as the groovin' "Midnight Special," "Jumpin' the Blues," and "One O'Clock Jump." Highly recommended.

JIMMY SMITH Midnight Special review by Chicapah

"Out of curiosity I looked up the definition of the word “cool” (as it pertains to art, that is) and soon realized that there is no description of that adjective that completely satisfies me in the modern dictionaries I consulted. So I’ll humbly offer my own and hope it enhances the general English-speaking vernacular.

Cool = A coveted state of timeless existence that nothing disreputable or negative can find a way into and where perfection is possible to achieve. Okay, so it’s sorely lacking in scope and/or intellectual integrity but that’s how I feel about what Jimmy Smith and his talented cohorts did on his 1961 release, “Midnight Special.” It is irrefutably “cool.”

Of course, being a devotee of the charms associated with the magnificent Hammond B3 organ may play a big part in my assessment but that can’t be helped. In my book it’s one of the most expression-conducive of musical instruments ever invented and there’s just something about how, in the hands of a professional like Mr. Smith, it can penetrate the walls of my very soul like few others can.

Jimmy was one of the very first to realize the Hammond’s vast potential and he successfully demonstrated to all that it belonged in the jazz realm just as much as the saxophone and the guitar.

I’m sure the B3 had its haters because it tended to flood any given room with its massive aura, thus drowning out the more delicate tools of the trade in the process, but Smith wasn’t going to let the organ’s inherent obesity keep it out of the mainstream.

What he did was to gather some of the genre’s best players in the studio and allow them to curl their artistry around the Hammond’s warm personality in a congenial environment.

The result is a sizeable body of work that will endure for centuries to come. All of Jimmy’s albums have something in them to enjoy but I daresay you’ll find none more fulfilling than “Midnight Special.”"

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From the perspective of the 21st century, it is clear that few jazz musicians had a greater impact on the contemporary mainstream than Horace Silver. The hard bop style that Silver pioneered in the '50s is now dominant, played not only by holdovers from an earlier generation, but also by fuzzy-cheeked musicians who had yet to be born when the music fell out of critical favor in the '60s and '70s.

Silver's earliest musical influence was the Cape Verdean folk music he heard from his Portuguese-born father. Later, after he had begun playing piano and saxophone as a high schooler, Silver came under the spell of blues singers and boogie-woogie pianists, as well as boppers like Thelonious Monk and Bud Powell. In 1950, Stan Getz played a concert in Hartford, Connecticut, with a pickup rhythm section that included Silver, drummer Walter Bolden, and bassist Joe Calloway. So impressed was Getz, he hired the whole trio. Silver had been saving his money to move to New York anyway; his hiring by Getz sealed the deal.



Finger Poppin' was the first album Horace Silver recorded with the most celebrated version of his quintet, which featured trumpeter Blue Mitchell, tenor saxophonist Junior Cook, bassist Gene Taylor, and (this time around) drummer Louis Hayes.

It's also one of Silver's all-time classics, perfectly blending the pianist's advanced, groundbreaking hard bop style with the winning, gregarious personality conveyed in his eight original tunes.

Silver always kept his harmonically sophisticated music firmly grounded in the emotional directness and effortless swing of the blues, and Finger Poppin' is one of the greatest peaks of that approach.

A big part of the reason is the chemistry between the group -- it's electrifying and tightly knit, with a palpable sense of discovery and excitement at how well the music is turning out.

As a bandleader, Silver helps keep the ensemble's solo statements as concise and rhythmic as his own, concentrating the impact of the performances and keeping the pieces moving along without ever letting the listener's attention span wane.

There's a nice variety of tempos and moods over the well-paced program; particularly memorable are the hard-swinging, bluesy "Juicy Lucy"; the bopping, up-tempo "Cookin' at the Continental"; and the gritty groove of "Come on Home."

Also breaking things up are a couple of spare, reflective ballads and a frenetic exploration of Brazilian rhythms, "Swingin' the Samba." Finger Poppin' is everything small-group hard bop should be, and it's a terrific example of what made the Blue Note label's mainstream sound so infectious.

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[geallan70]

[TheOctopus]

I enjoyed this album. A fun listen.

"A lifelong passion for the guitar playing of Django Reinhardt and Gypsy jazz helped to propel guitarist, songwriter, singer, and producer Thomas Dutronc to a career in music, but even more central influences and inspirations were his parents, French musical and cultural icons Jacques Dutronc and Françoise Hardy.

Though he originally wished to become a photographer, his true passions proved too strong to resist. Dutronc's amiable good looks, enviable skills as a jazz guitarist, and welcoming smooth baritone singing voice, drew listeners into his sound world immediately upon the release of his 2007 debut album, 2007's Comme Un Manouche Sans." Thomas Dutronc | Biography & History | AllMusic




"After four previous albums that to varying degrees meld his idol Django Reinhardt's gypsy jazz with French chanson in originals and specially chosen covers, guitarist and vocalist Thomas Dutronc realizes a dream with Frenchy. Accompanied by his quartet and an international cast of guests including Iggy Pop, Diana Krall, Stacey Kent, Youn Sun Nah, Haley Reinhart, Jeff Goldblum, and Billy Gibbons, he pays homage to the timelessness of French song with a mostly wonderful result. Iggy and Krall assist on Hernri Bette's and Andre Hornez's "C'est si Bon," immortalized by Yves Montand." Frenchy - Thomas Dutronc | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic

[TheOctopus]

One of my long time favorites to start the day. GO! (RVG EDITION)

As one of the great tenors to emerge from Los Angeles' Central Avenue scene, Dexter Gordon led a colorful and eventful, sometimes tragic life that included three triumphant comebacks in a four-plus-decade career.

As a beloved, influential member of the bebop generation, his story (and Bud Powell's) inspired French director Bertrand Tavernier to tell a portion of it in the 1986 drama 'Round Midnight, and cast him in a lead role.

Gordon was the top tenor saxophonist during the bop era, the possessor of his own distinctive sound, he created a large body of superior work and could successfully battle nearly anyone at a jam session.

His years as a leader and co-leader at Dial, Savoy, and Blue Note were enough to make him a legend. Living in Europe for more than a dozen years, he recorded equally fine albums for Prestige, Steeplechase, and other labels, and his return to the U.S. resulted in several offerings for Columbia and Blue Note. Dexter Gordon | Biography & History | AllMusic




GO!

From the first moments when Dexter Gordon sails into the opening song full of brightness and confidence, it is obvious that Go is going to be one of those albums where everything just seems to come together magically.

A stellar quartet including the stylish pianist Sonny Clark, the agile drummer Billy Higgins, and the solid yet flexible bassist Butch Warren are absolutely crucial in making this album work, but it is still Gordon who shines.

Whether he is dropping quotes into "Three O'Clock in the Morning" or running around with spritely bop phrases in "Cheese Cake," the album pops and crackles with energy and exuberance.


Beautiful ballads like "I Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry" metamorphosize that energy into emotion and passion, but you can still see it there nonetheless. Gordon had many high points in his five decade-long career, but this is certainly the peak of it all. Go! - Dexter Gordon | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic














I am listening to the GO! Rudy Van Gelder Edition.


From TIDAL

The Rudy Van Gelder Edition: Selected Highlights
The engineer Rudy Van Gelder—not “producer,” as he pointed out more than once—captured sound with a meticulousness and intelligence that defined midcentury modern jazz outright.

To this day, the covert sonic signatures of this austere yet innovative man are all around us. From jazz radio to hotel lobbies to corporate coffeeshops and fast-casual eateries, Van Gelder’s spacious, balmy tracks, for labels like Blue Note, Prestige, Savoy, CTI, Impulse!, ABC and others, deliver an unmistakable atmosphere: at once cosmopolitan and earthy, classic and contemporary.

Van Gelder, who died in August 2016, at age 91, achieved these results through his endless passion for both jazz and electronics, and by applying the utmost professionalism and organizational skill to a creative field.

In the latter 1940s and ’50s, he worked as an optometrist and moonlighted by recording jazz at his parents’ home in Hackensack, New Jersey. His father and mother were shopkeepers who showed remarkable support for their son’s pursuits, and Van Gelder was able to inform the design of the family home, resulting in higher ceilings in the living room plus a control booth with double-paned glass.

Nineteen-fifty-nine saw the advent of the Van Gelder Studio in nearby Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, a gorgeous, cathedral-like space designed by Frank Lloyd Wright disciple David Henken. It was there that Van Gelder engineered and mastered John Coltrane’s 1965 Impulse! release A Love Supreme, among the many jazz masterpieces that include his credit.


Out of all the labels and producers that utilized Van Gelder’s expertise, his relationship with Blue Note Records and Alfred Lion was probably the deepest and most important. The two became acquainted after the saxophonist Gil Mellé brought his Van Gelder recordings to Lion from another label.

So impressed was the Blue Note co-founder that he asked his engineer to recreate Van Gelder’s sound; after the engineer admitted he couldn’t, Lion went straight to the source. It turned out to be a working relationship from the heavens—the pairing of a producer who rehearsed his bands and knew precisely what he wanted with an engineer who delivered on every record, soup to nuts, from mic placement through the mastering process.

This playlist includes career highlights with a particular emphasis on Blue Note, to honor the company’s 80th anniversary—that means timeless tracks by Horace Silver, Art Blakey, Miles Davis, Lee Morgan and more.



Interesting video on "Perfect Takes" with Rudy Van Gelder interview. Rudy Van Gelder - DVD from "Perfect Takes" Blue Note Rudy Van Gelder - DVD from "Perfect Takes" Blue Note.avi - YouTube

[TheOctopus]

Tidal (Rudy Van Gelder Edition)

This 1963 date is titled for Dexter Gordon's living in self-imposed Parisian exile and recording there with two other exptriates and a French native. Along with Gordon, pianist Bud Powell and Kenny "Klook" Clarke were living in the City of Lights and were joined by the brilliant French bassman Pierre Michelot. This is a freewheeling bop date with the band working out on such categoric standards as "Scrapple from the Apple," and "A Night in Tunisia." In addition, American vernacular tunes such as "Willow Weep for Me" and "Stairway to the Stars" are included. Gordon is at the very top of his game here. His playing is crisp, tight, and full of playful fury. Powell, who at this stage of his life was almost continually plagued by personal problems, never sounded better than he does in this session. His playing is a tad more laid-back here, but is nonetheless full of the brilliant harmonic asides and incendiary single-note runs he is legendary for. The rhythm section is close-knit and stop-on-a-dime accurate. Our Man in Paris - Dexter Gordon | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic

[TheOctopus]

A true gem of an album IMHO.

After opening in June 1958, the “Blue Note” became the most cosmopolitan jazz club in all of Paris. Located on 27 rue d’Artois, in the 8th arrondissement, fans were usually crammed on the leather benches that dotted its large central hall, and if they couldn’t find a spot, there was always the bar. The acoustics of the room were excellent, and the house band included some of the best French jazzmen led by guitarist Jimmy Gourley.

They, in turn, accompanied many of the top American soloists who visited the “Blue Note” during the splendor years of the club (1958-1965). The long list of names includes Sarah Vaughan, Zoot Sims, Stan Getz, Sonny Stitt, Ray Nance, Lester Young, Alice McCloud, Lucky Thompson, Johnny Griffin and Booker Ervin.

The “Blue Note” was also the club where the legendary bebop pianist Bud Powell established the base of operations for his trio, with Pierre Michelot on bass, and Kenny Clarke on drums.

Their stay had really successful moments, and ran from 1959 until 1962, with daily performances where they alternated with the featured American guest of the week.

In November 1960, Maurice Vander—one of the most prominent jazz pianists in Europe at the time—joined forces with the talents of Michelot and Clarke. The trio was warmly acclaimed by the audience at the “Blue Note”, and that good response led to the recording of these excellent live performances. There is no doubt that Vander, Michelot and Clarke were truly “three of a kind”.



Blue Sound/Fresh Sound Records Maurice Vander - Jazz At The Blue Note - Blue Sounds









"In this present era of atonal naval gazing at the ivories, this reissue by Fresh Sound Records remind us of a time and style when the swing pulse was inherent in every tune, be it upbeat or relaxed and casual.

Almost unheard of in the states, French pianist Maurice Vander was a major voice in the 1950s-60s European jazz scene. Here, at the famed Blue Note Club in Paris, he’s able to show his wares with the proto-boppers Pierre Michelot/b and Kenny Clarke/dr, fresh off of a gig with Bud Powell. Vander is a double fisted delight, asserting himself with swinging takes of “Take the ‘A’ Train” and giving a nice gospel groove to “Walkin’”. The band gets into a bluesy mood with an ethereal “Django” and reflects like a full moon on “Willow Weep For Me.” A nod to Powell is tipped on “I’ll Remember April” before the team closes out with a sepia toned “Blue Lester.” Sort of like a Gaul’d Gene Harris. Where’d this guy hide?"

George W. Harris (March 22, 2018)
http://www.jazzweekly.com

[still-one]

Thibaut Garcia - Aranjuez

Nice MQA release

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[Randy Myers]

A little Lindsey Stirling and Steve Miller
Artemis.jpgSteveMiller.jpg

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Got the itch for some Flugelhorn. I do get a kick out of Terry's famous mumbles.

"Possessor of the happiest sound in jazz, flügelhornist Clark Terry always played music that was exuberant, swinging, and fun. A brilliant (and very distinctive) soloist, Terry gained fame for his "Mumbles" vocals (which started as a satire of the less intelligible ancient blues singers) and was also an enthusiastic educator. He gained early experience playing trumpet in the viable St. Louis jazz scene of the early '40s (where he was an inspiration for Miles Davis)"

[Kuoppis]

Second track is quite nice, good rock.



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[TheOctopus]

TOOOOBA! There should be more of it in Jazz. Fun listen.

Sam Pilafian

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"Remember how strikingly contemporary it seemed when Miami Vice used Phil Collins and Glenn Frey on its soundtrack, or years later when the producers of Gilmore Girls and The O.C. showcased young indie bands on their shows?

Well, it was just that revolutionary in 1958 when Blake Edwards, producer of the otherwise fairly standard detective show Peter Gunn, tapped the young composer Henry Mancini to write a soundtrack informed by the West Coast-style cool jazz of Dave Brubeck and Chet Baker.


The soundtrack album for Peter Gunn may be best known for the cool twang guitar riff of the main theme (later lifted wholesale by the B-52's for "Planet Claire," among others who recognized its forbidding cool), but this is his most jazz-influenced soundtrack work. There's some particularly impressive work by drummer Shelly Manne and vibes player Victor Feldman, whose cool, understated playing seems to deliberately recall that of Milt Jackson."

[TheOctopus]

[AJR]

Radiohead: Reckoner. My go-to track

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Was in the mood for some acoustic double bass this evening. This one hit the spot.

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"Julian Edwin “Cannonball” Adderley got the New York jazz world talking the second he took the stage in 1955. Originally from Florida, this gregarious man had originally intended to pursue graduate studies and came to Manhattan to do so. He had been the high school band director at the Dillard High School in Ft. Lauderdale and had a local following as a musician there as well. He and his brother Nat had played with Ray Charles in the 1940s. But, he didn’t come to New York to play the clubs specifically. He wanted a higher education. By chance, he was asked to sit in with Oscar Pettiford one night at the Café Bohemia and that changed everything. Talk of a new Charlie Parker on the scene began immediately.

Soon Adderley had formed a group with his brother and they worked the club circuit and recorded a number of albums for the likes of Savoy and EmArcy Records. Eventually, Cannonball was brought in to join the Miles Davis Sextet, which he played with for two years. After his split from Davis’ group, Cannonball went on to help pioneer soul jazz, post-bop and a number of other subgenres.

Adderley was a fun-loving guy who liked the audience to have a good time, but he was also a thought-provoking artist and he addressed that with every genre that he played in. Oh, about that nickname? During Adderley’s youth, a guy in one of his early groups tried to make fun of his weight by calling him a “cannibal” but mispronounced it as can-i-bol. The other bandmates used “can-i-bol” to lightly make fun of the would-be mocker and the name eventually morphed into Cannonball. Or so the story goes."




"Cannonball Adderley gave up his own band in 1957 when he had the opportunity to become a sideman in Miles Davis' epic ensemble with John Coltrane, eventually resulting in some of the greatest jazz recordings of all time (including Milestones and Kind of Blue).

Davis returned the favor in March of 1958, appearing as a sideman on Adderley's all-star quintet date for Blue Note, and the resulting session is indeed Somethin' Else.

Both horn players are at their peak of lyrical invention, crafting gorgeous, flowing blues lines on the title tune and "One for Daddy-O," as the rhythm team (Hank Jones, Sam Jones, Art Blakey) creates a taut, focused groove (pianist Hank Jones' sly, intuitive orchestrations are studies of harmonic understatement).

Adderley's lush, romantic improvisation on "Dancing in the Dark" is worthy of Charlie Parker or Johnny Hodges, while the band refurbishes "Autumn Leaves" and "Love for Sale" into cliché-free swingers. And "Alison's Uncle" puts a boppish coda on Somethin' Else, one of the most gloriously laid-back blowing sessions of the hard bop era."

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West Coast talent. Rudy Van Gelder remaster. Very nice. 1966

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"John Williams skillfully utilizes the formidable talents of renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma and equally beloved violinist Itzhak Perlman to flesh out director Rob Marshall's celluloid rendering of the bestselling novel by Arthur Golden, Memoirs of a Geisha. Elegant and predictable, Williams sticks to the source, building grand Western themes off of traditional Japanese melodies with a heady mix of regional instrumentation (shakuhachi and koto) and cinematic know-how. This is the composer at his most refined and nuanced, providing a textbook example of professional composition that revels in its subject matter without ever intruding."



Memoirs of a Geisha: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the film score to the 2005 film of the same name, composed and conducted by John Williams. The original score and songs were composed and conducted by Williams and features Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman as cellist and violinist, respectively.[1] The soundtrack album was released by Sony Classical Records on November 22, 2005.



The score won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score, BAFTA Award for Best Film Music and the Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media. It was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Score but lost to the original score of the film Brokeback Mountain.

[TheOctopus]

an enjoyable selection from Post-Bop Jazz.


Joe Lovano — tenor, alto, & soprano saxophones
Michel Petrucciani — piano
Dave Holland — bass
Ed Blackwell — drums

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Great Jazz-Rock Fusion album.

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Lianne La Havas

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Lorde Melodrama

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Though some will argue about whether ten-time Grammy winner Wayne Shorter's primary impact on jazz has been as a composer or as a saxophonist, few will dispute his importance as one of jazz's leading figures of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Though indebted to John Coltrane, with whom he practiced in the mid-'50s, Shorter eventually developed his own more succinct manner on the tenor horn, retaining the tough tone quality and intensity and, in later years, adding elements of funk. On soprano, Shorter is almost another player entirely, his lovely tone shining like a light beam, his sensibilities attuned more to lyrical thoughts, his choice of notes becoming more spare as his career unfolded. As a composer, he is best known for carefully conceived, complex, long-limbed, endlessly winding tunes, many of which have become jazz standards.



I much prefer the Qobuz 192/24 version to Tidal versions. Qobuz sounds much smoother.



Freddie Hubbard – trumpet
Wayne Shorter – tenor saxophone
Herbie Hancock – piano
Ron Carter – bass
Elvin Jones – drums

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Too early in the season? Not for this voice...

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Although he is best known for his bluesy soul-jazz outings, tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine's first Blue Note session as a leader was a much more traditional bop affair, and the resulting album, Look Out!, featuring a rhythm section of Horace Parlan on piano, George Tucker on bass, and Al Harewood on drums, shows as much artful restraint as it does groove.

Not that this is a bad thing, since it allows Turrentine's big, clear tone to shine through in all its muscular sweetness, giving Look Out! a wonderful and flowing coherence. Among the highlights here are the pretty ballad "Journey Into Melody" and the gently funky "Little Sheri."

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