Monday, July 20, 2009

A baker's dozen at random...

...from my iTunes library.
1) Poinciana, Ahmad Jamal (all about space with him, which Miles so loved, and Ray Crawford on guitar plays right along); 2) The Doors, Take It As It comes (hey, pass the peyote); 3) Essaouira, Thomas Chapin (on bass flute rather than saxes, he died far, far too young, Mario Pavone on bass is stunning); 4) Need to Be, Dewey Redman (not much avant-garde about it, Dewey spinning straight hard bop with his tenor, and darn good at it, too); 5) Recuerdos, Enrico Rava (Enrico with no piano or guitar, just drums bass and Javier Girotto on saxes, leaving the trumpet master with maneuvering room, which he uses to fine advantage); 6) I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart, David "Fathead" Newman (big band Fathead, who could have done Duke proud as well as Ray Charles) 7) Can't Get Out of This Mood, Nina Simone (that voice purely her swings)

8) E Viemos Nascidos Do Mar, Ana Moura (she's singing of the sea in a lively fado fashion and it is so good); 9) Men at Work, Bill Barron (he's showing how hard bop can logically segue into the '60s New Thing with great sax playing and a superior ensemble); 10) There Shall Be No Night, Duke Ellington (and of course, his band, maybe his best band, at Fargo with Ben Webster getting more out of a short solo than most guys get out of an hour); 11) Luck Be a Lady, Frank Sinatra (as if the Chairman isn't enough, the backing band is Count Basie and his Orchestra, you could take Frank out of it and it would still delight); 12) You Turned the Tables on Me, Billy Mitchell (Dizzy dug this Detroit tenor, with good reason); 13) All Day Long, Rusty Bryant (R&B tenor legend works an alto with Grant Green, who's date this could be, on guitar and Sonny Phillips on organ, bluesy and funk-eee).

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