Jeremy Pelt and Wired -- Shock Value: Live at Smoke

Imagine a sacred Shinto sand garden beautifully divided up into all of the genres of jazz, rock, and blues. Interconnections between the genres and subgenres are carefully documented, after having been fully researched and verified. Now visualize trumpeter Jeremy Pelt dragging his horn through this garden, marginally alongside a similar set of tracks left by Miles Davis thirty-five years ago. This provides a visual image of Jeremy Pelt and his band WiRED at their March 21-22, 2007 appearance at New York Citya€(TM)s Smoke...

Patrick Prouty -- The Charmed Life

Detroit bassist/composer Patrick Prouty is one of the more dynamic musical voices to emerge out of the Motor City in recent years. Having recently completed a lengthy tenure as a member of soul legend Bettye Lavettea€(TM)s road band, the in-demand bassist has decided to focus on a more personalized musical vision. The Charmed Life, Proutya€(TM)s debut as a leader, is a muscular, straight-ahead release featuring pianist Phil Kelly, vibraphonist Rob Pipho and drummer Bill Higgins, Jr...

Mostly Other People Do the Killing -- Shamokin!!!

New York-based quartet Mostly Other People Do the Killing sounds like an updated incarnation of Steve Bernstein's Sex Mob, more in spirit than in sound. Both quartets defy the sterile definition of jazz by neo-cons and like to play their own version of jazz--dirty, muddy and fast, and meant for the body rather than the brain. Both embrace post-modern pastiche techniques by knitting early jazz, pop and even smooth jazz quotes and references side-by-side with tributes to better sources including John Zorn and Peter BrA tzmann, often in the same musical sentence. Both quartets are also gifted with healthy doses of eccentric and sometimes macabre humor (check the logo of MOPDtK)...

Gianmarco Liguori -- Stolen Paintings

Each performer on this wonderful album is credited with the arrangements of individual tracks, all under the direction of guitarist Gianmarco Liguori. Based out of New Zealand, the musicians fuse numerous genres into a sequence of cohesive musical statements that could easily translate into a film score. Essentially, thata€(TM)s the way the music progresses throughout, sans any extreme use of synths or overuse of studio processing trickery...

Refugee: Patrick Moraz / Lee Jackson / Brian Davison -- Live in Concert 1974

When Keith Emerson left The Nice in 1969 to form Emerson, Lake and Palmer, bassist/vocalist Lee Jackson and drummer Brian Davison were left in a quandary. Both were capable enough, but Emerson was clearly the star of the show. Jacksona€(TM)s subsequent Jackson Heights achieved some cult status, but was hamstrung by average playing and writing--and Jacksona€(TM)s grating voice. So it was a very good thing for Jackson and Davison when they found a new wunderkind in keyboardist Patrick Moraz. With a keyboardist as talented as Emerson, Refugee was formed, and its eponymous debut was released to some acclaim in early 1974 on the Charisma label...

George Russell Sextet -- Ezz-Thetics

A post-war masterpiece, Ezz-Thetics is pianist/arranger George Russell's definitive 1961 sextet recording from the earliest phase of his multi-decade career. On par with such iconic albums as Oliver Nelson's Blues and the Abstract Truth (Impulse!, 1961), Mal Waldron's The Quest (Riverside, 1961) and Andrew Hill's Point of Departure (Blue Note, 1964), Ezz-Thetics traffics in the same advanced but accessible strain of avant-garde-influenced post-bop...

Elton Dean and The Wrong Object -- The Unbelievable Truth

Poignant doesn't cover it. This was one of Elton Dean's last gigs before his death and all the qualities that made him such a distinctive voice on alto sax and saxello--his wit, his ascetic, unsentimental lyricism and the like--are caught in abundance and in the company of a band who do a whole lot more than simply provide a framework for his invention...

Hakon Kornstad -- Single Engine

Norwegian saxophonist HA kon Kornstad has been one of the central figures on the new Norwegian scene that aspires to break new vistas beyond the almost codified ECM representation of the Nordic scene. Kornstad has shown, over the last decade, a wide scope of expression and mood, with his post bop Kornstad Trio [Space Available (Jazzland, 2002)], and its collaborations with guitarist Pat Metheny and German avant-garde trumpeter Axel DA rner, on his free improvisations with drummer Paal Nilssen-Love [Schlinger,(Smalltown Supersound, 2003)]. Hea€(TM)s further demonstrated his breadth on his intimate and provocative duets with pianist HA vard Wiik [Eight Tunes We Like (Moserobie, 2005) and The Bad And The Beautiful (Moserobie, 2006)], and the beat- and electronics-based Wibutee, last heard on Sweet Mental (Sonne, 2006). This first solo effort demonstrates that Kornstad is indeed not bound by any genre or style, but has his own mature voice...

Eddie Reyes -- Lost World

Blending musical styles requires a broad foundation in both genres, a respect for the dual set of aesthetics, and the ability to prioritize tradition amid creativity. A solid foundation in both musical styles balances influences and avoids overly simplistic sonic references. Cultural aesthetics guide musicians away from implementing styles as a novelty. Understanding tradition is the only way to create something new musically; a concrete connection to a genrea€(TM)s evolution adds authenticity to the creative process. Guitarist Eddie Reyes attempts to capture these elements on Lost World, an album that brings together a wide variety of Latin traditions with pop music...

Gentle Giant -- Live in Santa Monica 1975

With DRTa€(TM)s 2005 35th Anniversary remasters of much of Gentle Gianta€(TM)s back studio catalog, the opportunity to hear this remarkable 1970s progressive rock band in performance from back in the day is being embraced by a new group of fans--many who were too young (if even born) at the time. Live in Santa Monica 1975 comes with a warning, however: while a legitimate commercial release, ita€(TM)s more bootleg in quality. In some spots the quality is thin, but listenable and clear; elsewhere the sound is muddy; some songs begin abruptly and a few bars in; and two aborted takes of a€oeFor Nobody,a€ from a 1977 performance, are curiously appended to flesh the disc out to a still spare forty-four minutes...

Kenny Dorham -- Jazz Contrasts

In the new liner notes included with this addition to the Keepnews Collection on Riverside, the producer expresses his satisfaction with this 1957 "blowing" album, showcasing the trumpeter whom, after Clifford Brown, he considers second to none. Recorded approximately a year following Brown's passing, the date demonstrates Dorham's gifts as a balladeer, composer and, above all, as a pyrotechnician--the kind of player who can take apart a song's chord structure and reconstruct it with surgical precision, even while operating at blinding speed...

Thelonious Monk -- Live at the 1964 Monterey Jazz Festival

As part of the series of recordings launching the Monterey Jazz Festivala€(TM)s new record label, this previously unreleased 1964 set by Thelonious Monk offers a glimpse of the maestro with an augmented version of his working quartet of the time, during which the pianist was finally receiving much-deserved mainstream attention from the public. Monk can be heard clearly enjoying his time in the spotlight after more than two decades of perfecting his singular approach; he plays some of his better-known tunes in a relaxed manner and gives his sidemen ample space to stretch out before an appreciative audience...

Daniel Barry -- Walk All Ways

For those listeners acquainted with Daniel Barry's musical journey only through his conductor/arranger gig with the Seattle Womena€(TM)s Jazz Orchestra (SWOJO) and their fine traditional, straight-ahead sets under his directorship--Dreamcatcher (OA2 Records, 2006) and Meeting of the Water (OA2 Records, 2007)--the man's music under his own name may be a bit of a surprise. While his SWOJO sound is an easy categorization, Barry's Walk All Ways couldn't possibly be harder to pin a label on...

Mundell Lowe and Jim Ferguson -- Haunted Heart

Guitarist Mundell Lowe has been recording since 1950. Among the colleagues who have prized his rounded, mellow tone and tasteful licks are Prez (Lester Young), Bird (Charlie Parker), Billie (Holiday) and Diz (zy Gillespie). Here he joins forces with bassist/vocalist Jim Ferguson, whoa€(TM)s increasingly known for his fine playing and splendid singing. Ita€(TM)s a winning combination, and a classy, intimate set...

Alex Kontorovich -- Deep Minor

Twenty-six year-old, Russia-born/New York-based clarinetist/saxophonist Alex Kontorovich is a phenomenon. Hea€(TM)s a martial arts black belt, math professor at Brown University, "Bird-head" by his own definition, but one that is also well versed with John Coltranea€(TM)s legacy. Hea€(TM)s also a key member of Klezmer and Ska bands including Frank London's Klezmer Brass All-Stars, The Klez Dispensers, Aaron Alexander's Midrash Mish Mosh, KlezSka and King Django's Roots and Culture band. A resourceful and disciplined musician, he integrates his Jewish musical heritage with the vocabulary of bebop in a creative and persuasive manner on his debut as a leader, Deep Minor, while avoiding obvious clichA(C), but with tons of passion and integrity...

I Heart Lung -- Between Them a Forest Grew, Trackless and Quiet

Between Them a Forest Grew, Trackless and Quiet is a title which might not seem out of place in a collection of metaphysical poetry, although whilst such poetry appeals largely to the intellect, the music of I Heart Lung appeals to the emotions. Nevertheless, the metaphysical poets and guitarist Chris Schlarb and drummer Tom Steck do share some common ground; the former challenged the conventional imagery of the 17th century lyric and experimented with rhythm whilst the latter duo are in their own way questioning modern conventions, albeit of a musical kind, and in the process they are creating music as beautiful as it is challenging...

Ike Quebec -- Bossa Nova Soul Samba

This is quite a painful disc to listen to. Not because of the music--which is beautiful--but because of the events surrounding it. Recorded in October 1962, it was to be tenor saxophonist Ike Quebec's final album. Less than four months later he died of lung cancer. This fact rather sticks in the mind like a house guest who has outstayed his or her welcome...

Jason Kao Hwang / Sang Won Park -- Local Lingo

For a collaborative effort to be successful the protagonists need to be antagonists as well. A similar vision helps, but a divergent focus creates tension. Jason Kao Hwang (violin) and Sang Won Park (kayagum, ajeng, voice) have shown this over the sixteen years they have collaborated. Among their projects was the quartet, Far Eastside Band, which recorded The Urban Archealogy (Victo, 1996) and Caverns (New World Records, 1994). This time they work as a duo...

Brad Dutz -- When Manatees Attack

Percussionist Brad Dutz has an astounding range of performance and recording credits, from Leo Kottke and Kiss, to Frank Sinatra and Kenny Loggins. On When Manatees Attack, the Los Angles based musical chameleon both inspires and confuses. The result is a strange mix of improvisatory eclecticism rooted within twentieth century classicism. Although compositional in texture, the expressive components contain elements of great surprise, which illustrate the strong improvisational skills of the performers...

Gebhard Ullmann -- Moritat

The outstanding Moritat represents the physical embodiment of everything that multi-reedman Gebhard Ullmann had learned during the creation of the miraculous Ta Lam (99 Records, 1993). The earlier recording was created using overdubbing and, except for the occasional use of accordionist Hans Hassler, Ullmann's conception was realized by himself alone...