""A City Called Heaven," the spiritual-turned-title track with an nearly operatic vocal by mezzo-soprano Lorice Stevens, gets a moving extended modal treatment where Byrd has some rapid flurries that usually, but not always, hit their mark. With an enterprising left turn, Byrd turns the final aria from Henry Purcell's 17th century opera Dido and Aeneas into "Remember Me" -- again with Stevens singing -- and it makes a soulful dirge with a jazz sextet. Joe Henderson, still a few months away from becoming a jazz celebrity, returns in typically enigmatic, stimulating form on tenor sax; Bobby Hutcherson thoughtfully chips in on vibes; Donald Brown handles the piano well." (Allmusic)
"If you're attracted to jazz that evokes late nights, dark corners and glittering cityscapes, Jazz In Film is a must-have. This is about as classy a collection of after-hours jazz as you're likely to hear. The music is emotional, strongly melodic and beautifully atmospheric. Terence Blanchard has written four film scores as Spike Lee's jazz composer of choice, but he mostly mines other people's work on this excellent CD, a collection of nine movie themes." (All About Jazz)
Speciaal getipt door Jazz Podium De Tor. ""State of Mind" favors a straight-ahead hard bop/post-bop format above the soul jazz Ellis is known for -- and that approach serves the improviser well whether he is turning his attention to John Coltrane's "Grand Central," Charlie Parker's "Barbados," or the exuberant "Sunshowers" (a lesser-known piece that was written by bassist Clint Houston and recorded by trumpeter Woody Shaw in the late '70s). The hard-swinging Ellis also embraces George Gershwin's "Summertime," which is one of those Tin Pan Alley gems that has been beaten to death over the years -- Keepnews' liner notes describe "Summertime" as a song that "might seem almost ready to be retired." But Ellis' Coltrane-ish, slightly abstract version of "Summertime" (which uses a rare, seldom heard arrangement by saxman Noel Jewkes) doesn't sound generic or common. The album isn't groundbreaking, but in terms of enthusiasm, chops, and soulfulness, Ellis comes through." (Alex Henderson, Allmusic)
Uit 2000. Ervaren topkwartet rond bassist Williams met Steve Nelson (vib, van dat geweldige Dave Holland Quintet), Mulgrew Miller (p) en Carl Allen (d). Een levendig bewijs dat ook meer mainstream-gerichte hardbop zeer verkwikkend kan zijn.
"Altoist Vincent Herring teams up with pianist Joey Calderazzo, bassist Richie Goods, drummer Carl Allen and percussionist Daniel Sadownick to perform a rather unusual repertoire for a jazz date. In addition to his original ballad "Timothy" and a couple of obscure pop tunes, Herring interprets a song by Prince and three by Billy Joel. However, by reharmonizing the pieces and opening them up, Herring essentially turns them into jazz. Although nothing here is destined to become a standard in the jazz world, the fresh material does inspire the players a bit, although the results fall short of classic. A change of pace (which seems a bit out of place in this context) is a version of Hank Mobley's "Soft Impressions," which co-stars guest trumpeter Roy Hargrove." (Scott Yanow, Allmusic)
Album uit 1993. Geöliede mainstream hardbop-CD van groep rond jonge drummer Carl Allen met opvallende generatiegenoten Roy Hargrove (t) en Vincent Herring (saxen). Allen speelde in trompettist Freddie Hubbard's band, die hier te gast is.
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