"In early 1963, Davis formed a new band, which included George Coleman (ts) and Ron Carter (b). When Davis entered the studio, he added drummer Frank Butler and British studio ace Victor Feldman, who ultimately decided not to go on with Davis. It's easy to see why Davis liked Feldman, who contributed the dancing title tune and "Joshua": the pianist plays with an elegant, refined touch and the kind of rarefied voicings that suggest Ahmad Jamal. Davis responds with some of his most introspective, romantic ballad playing. When Davis returned to New York, he spotted the brilliantly gifted 17-year-old drummer Tony Williams. On the title tune you can already hear the difference, as his crisp, driving cymbal beat and jittery, aggressive syncopations propel Davis into the upper reaches of his horn. On "So Near, So Far" the drummer combines with Carter and new pianist Herbie Hancock to expand on a light Afro-Cuban beat with a series of telepathic changes in tempo, texture, and dynamics." (Allmusic; 4,5 uit 5 sterren)
"De in 2011 door Sony begonnen reeks "The Bootleg Series", met vooral niet eerder uitgebrachte (live)opnamen van de trompettist, heeft al veel aandacht geschonken aan wat tussen 1964 en 1968 Davis’ tweede kwintet was. Op dit achtste deel (6 CD’s) staan vier complete concerten, opgenomen in Frankrijk in de jaren dat de Amerikaan nog zoekende was naar de juiste tenorsaxofonist. Davis had zijn nieuwe ritmesectie al compleet (Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter en Tony Williams), maar een echt goede opvolger voor John Coltrane had hij niet gevonden, totdat eind 1964 eindelijk de door hem gewenste Wayne Shorter beschikbaar was. CD 5 en 6 bevatten diens eerste concerten met Davis, opgenomen in Parijs, in oktober 1964. Hoewel nog duidelijk zoekend naar de juiste vorm, is Shorters spel inventiever dan dat van zijn voorganger George Coleman op de eerste 4 CD’s. Die speelde diep en soulvol, maar had moeite met het bijbenen van de ritmesectie. Maar tsjonge, wat speelde dit kwintet ook met Coleman toch geweldig." (Volkskrant)
Een selectie van nummers uit drie live-optredens van Miles Davis met zijn quintet, in wisselende samentstelling. De opnames zijn in 1964 gemaakt en van goede kwaliteit. Het nummer Milestones van het album Milestones wordt ook gespeeld. Voor het overige heeft de setlist weinig van doen met dit legendarische album. Toch zeker een aanrader voor de fans van Miles. (GR Muziekbank)
"No, you're not in Creed Taylor country yet, but you might as well be, for many of the ingredients that would garnish Benson's albums with Taylor are already present in this often enjoyable prototype. The immediate goal was to groom Benson as the next Wes Montgomery (who was about to leave Verve) -- and so he covers hit tunes of the day ("Sunny," "Along Comes Mary," "Groovin'"), playing either with a big band plus voices or a neat quintet anchored by Herbie Hancock, and the sound is contoured to give his guitar a warm mellow ambience. But the eclectic Benson is his own man, as his infectious repeated-interval rhythm trademark tells us on his self-composed title track, and despite Tom McIntosh's mostly lame arrangements, George's work is always tasty and irresistibly melodic." (Richard S. Ginell, Allmusic; 4 uit 5 sterren)
"The first V.S.O.P. tour triggered a flood of recording activity in July 1977. This session, recorded in San Francisco just days before the Quintet concerts in Berkeley and San Diego, finds Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams mixing it up sans the horns -- and the results are more reflective and cerebral than the full Quintet concerts. Hancock is thoroughly in control of the agenda while Williams throws in those meter-fracturing flurries that keep everyone on their toes. There is a startling re-interpretation of "Speak Like A Child," which is significantly tougher and busier than the wistful Blue Note version, as well as challenging Hancock originals like "Watcha Waiting For" and "Watch It." This is uncompromising acoustic jazz, commercial anathema in the electronic '70s -- and thus, only Japan got to hear it back then." (Richard S. Ginell, Allmusic; 4 uit 5 sterren) De rest van de wereld kreeg het later overigens wel te horen, bijv. via deze Wounded Bird-heruitgave uit 2014.
"Bad Benson is a collection of delicious, varied, and sometimes confusing choices. Benson's own playing is precise and smooth as always, and guitarist Phil Upchurch keeps a large color palette for him to draw from, as in the funkified version of "Take Five". Other notables are the stellar "My Latin Brother". Kenny Barron's pianism here is the driving force behind a rhythm section that also includes drummer Steve Gadd and bassist Ron Carter. They give Benson a harmonic floor for one of the most inspiring solos of his career. These intensely meaty cuts are juxtaposed against ballads such as "The Changing World", ballads that ape Montgomery's later snore-fest session for A&M. Not a great album, but a very, very good one. This reissue includes three bonus tracks from the session: a hip and syncopated read of "Take the 'A' Train" (with truly surreal and shimmering colors courtesy of Sebesky's string section) and the amazingly driving, greasy funk of "Serbian Blue"." (Allmusic)
Geremasterde uitgave van "Skylark" van Paul Desmond, opgenomen in december 1973. "For those who missed it the first time, Desmond remakes "Take Ten" -- without the Middle Eastern elements -- "Romance de Amor" is eventually dominated by Szabo, and the inclusion of "Was a Sunny Day" proves that Desmond's involvement with the music of Paul Simon in 1970 was not a passing infatuation. Don Sebesky is credited with the "arrangements" but his orchestrating hand is not felt except for a single solo cello (George Ricci) in an adaptation of Purcell ("Music for a While"). It's a cautious change of pace for Desmond, although the fiercer context into which he was placed doesn't really fire his imagination". (Richard S. Ginell, Allmusic).
"After the death of Coltrane, while there were many seeking to make a spiritual music that encompassed his ideas; no one came up with the goods until Sanders on this 1969 date. There are only 2 tracks: the 32-plus minute "The Creator Has a Master Plan" and the 5 1/2-minute "Colours." "Creator" begins with a quote from "A Love Supreme," a nod to Coltrane. But something else emerges here as well: Sanders' own deep commitment to lyricism and his now inherent knowledge of Eastern breathing and modal techniques. At 18 minutes it explodes, rushing into a silence that is profound as it is noisy in its approach. Sanders is playing microphonics and blowing to the heavens and Thomas is screaming. They are leaving the material world entirely. When they arrive at the next plane, a new kind of lyricism emerges. There is nothing to describe the exhilaration that is felt when this tune ends, except that "Colours" was the only track that could follow it. You cannot believe it until you hear it." (Thom Jurek, Allmusic)
Polydor 827 148-2
"The obvious antecedent for Hot House Flowers is Clifford Brown with Strings, although Wynton Marsalis scales back the strings considerably from Heftis florid arrangements (the maudlin menaces of the human heart, per Stanley Crouchs liner notes). In that sense, its more connected to Winter Moon: It leaves more room for cookin interaction with Marsalis working rhythm section (featuring pianist Kenny Kirkland and drummer Jeff Tain Watts, with Ron Carter sitting in on the bass chair). His tenor-sax brother Branford makes comments as well. The textures are at their best when they simply fill out key passages, as on Django and Marsalis title track. Even so, their billowy appearance on For All We Know is the most elaborate that the orchestra gets; Hot House Flowers is a jazz-with-strings document that is best distinguished by its taste." (Jazztimes)
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