"Clarinetist and composer Harry Skoler enlists the help of stellar musicians to enrich a set of 14 compositions that tells the sad, traumatic story of the loss of a friend in his teenage years. The core quartet comprises Skoler, vibraphonist Joel Ross, bassist Dezron Douglas, and drummer Johnathan Blake. The album, "Red Brick Hill", is infused with curiosity and invention, often surprising with an optimum balance between discipline and freedom. The central piece of the album is the gorgeous ballad “Last Star, Last Night”, where Skoler and guest pianist Christian Sands express what’s in their souls through candid improvisation. The title cut, “Red Brick Hill”, explores a 5/4 groove for five minutes before shifting into rubato meditations, ideal for Douglas and Ross’ lyrical stimulus. The group concludes it calmly after a different bass groove in five is put in motion." (JazzTrail; 3.5 uit 5 sterren)
"Four is guitarist Bill Frisell's third leader set for Blue Note. His top-shelf quartet seamlessly balances improvisational acumen with a profound sense of melodic invention. Frisell's sidemen include saxophonist/clarinetist Greg Tardy, pianist Gerald Clayton, and drummer Johnathan Blake. There is no bassist. Nine of these 13 tracks comprise fresh material, while the remainder are revisioned tunes from his catalog. Much of the new music was composed in notebook fragments during the pandemic; the album is his meditation on loss, renewal, and friendship. It is dedicated to the memory of Ron Miles, one of Frisell's closest friends and the musician whose example he credits with opening his thinking to this intimate method of creation. Frisell left his pieces unfinished and presented them that way with precious little additional information to encourage spontaneous response and interplay from the group..." (Allmusic)
"Voor zijn vijfde album als bandleider riep de Amerikaanse drummer Johnathan Blake dezelfde band bij elkaar als op "Homeward Bound", zijn Blue Note-debuut van twee jaar geleden. Een goed idee, want zijn labelgenoten Immanuel Wilkins (altsaxofoon) en Joel Ross (vibrafoon) zorgden op dat album samen met toetsenist David Virelles en bassist Dezron Douglas al voor het nodige vuurwerk. Op "Passage" is dit Pentad, zoals de band ook wel heet, nog beter op dreef. Ze zijn meer op elkaar ingespeeld, wat tot knap samenspel leidt in composities die Blake opdraagt aan zijn vader, violist John Blake Jr. Het titelstuk is door zijn vader geschreven maar nooit opgenomen, en zet meteen de toon: een vitaal, dynamisch sterk stuk dat alle muzikanten even de ruimte geeft, en opvalt door de bebop-fraseringen van Wilkins. Douglas krijgt voorafgaand aan "A Slight Taste" ook de ruimte voor een mooie exercitie op zijn contrabas, en zo pakt iedereen zijn moment op dit ook compositorisch zeer sterke album." (Volkskrant; 4/5 sterren)
"Kenny Barron (72) is the kind of jazz pianist whose resources are familiar and much-covered by mainstream swing players, but whose joyfully extravagant execution is a rarity today. That quality transforms this trio set from being a canter through a smooth-jazzy assortment of soft ballads, Latin smoochers and glossy swing. Barron has absorbed an encyclopaedia of jazz methods from a life on the road with legends such as Ella Fitzgerald and Stan Getz, and it pours out in these tracks. "Magic Dance", with its glistening chords and Latin-jazz tick, sounds smooth at first but unleashes an impulsive torrent. Ballads such as "In The Slow Lane" display his impeccably light touch. The jangling "Lunacy" is a collective bustle prodded by bassist Kiyoshi Kitagawa and drummer Johnathan Blake, while "Nightfall" is delicate drift through slow chords. There might be too many notes for some on this record, but its almost all affectingly musical just the same." (John Fordham, The Guardian; 4 uit 5 sterren)
Opname: 2008
"Relatively secure in his idiosyncrasies after nearly 50 years as a pro, Tom Harrell remains a player resolute in resisting complacency. Each of his earlier 8 albums for HighNote has touched on different facets of his broad-based interest in improvised music. "Something Gold, Something Blue" dusts off an album conceit from early in Harrells career by teaming his singular brass with another avatar of the instrument. Back in 1979 his tandem partner was John McNeil. Here its trumpet prodigy Ambrose Akinmusire, 36 years Harrells junior, but every bit as up to the mutually-gratifying prospect of locking horns. The rest of the band is worthy of Harrells usual caliber of collaborators. Guitarist Charles Altura bridges bop dexterity with an inventory of judiciously incorporated effects. Bassist Ugonna Okegwo and drummer Johnathan Blake regularly find that sweet spot between responsive support and assertive prominence that caters beautifully to Harrells varied compositional needs." (Derek Taylor, Dusted Magazine)
"Pianist and composer Kenny Barron, a towering figure in the jazz world with 13 Grammy nominations and induction into the American Jazz Hall of Fame, has been at the helm of sophisticated post-bop for many decades, never shying away from reinventing jazz standards, reshaping his own originals, or composing anew. He does all that in his latest album, "Beyond This Place", for which he enlisted a multigenerational group featuring rising star saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, veteran vibraphonist Steve Nelson, and his regular rhythm team of bassist Kiyoshi Kitagawa and drummer Johnathan Blake. In turn, the freshly penned title track is a gospel-infused ballad that reflects Barron’s refined pianism and melodic sensibility. "Beyond This Place" marks a strong return for Barron, characterized by stimulating conversational exchanges and masterful musicianship." (JazzTrail; 4 uit 5 sterren)
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