The “collective” is a piano trio, with some subtle electronics added—Wurlitzer and Nord lead 2—along with a dash of electro-percussion. When you talk piano trio and equality of each member's input, you start with Bill Evans and run through Keith Jarrett and on to Brad Mehldau. Lackner and company definitely fit into the Mehldau mold: a mix of subtlety and insistence, understatement and delicate beauty underlain by a firm melodic path. The equality part of the group dynamic is increased on Pilgrim by the Songwriting contributions of bassist Derek Nievergelt and drummer Robert Perkins. On Sign of the Times they co-penned only one tune with Lackner—”Sister Love.” On the present recording Nievergelt contributes five of his own tunes, and Perkins collaborates with Lackner and/or Nievergelt on four more. Whereas Sign of the Times drew from composers like Gershwin, Bjork, Mal Waldron and Prince (how's that for a mix?), Pilgrim stays with mostly group-penned tunes, with the exception of two marvelous covers of songs written by the Canadian singer/songwriter Feist—the lovely, fragile “Lonely, Lonely” and the somber “Let It Die.” Part of the strength of this set is the sustained quiet mood. The sound is introspective and understated— no flash or pyrotechics—with lots of breathing room and first-rate musicianship, reminiscent (delving into the pop world) of Bob Dylan's John Wesley Harding (Columbia, '67) or Van Morrison's Astral Weeks (Warner Brothers, '68). A sound that caresses, seduces, and lasts.
"Lackner may be the first established pianist to come from the Mehldau school. With a contemporary approach, he helps give the piano trio a much-needed facelift."
-John Kelman, AllAboutJazz.com
The Headhunters are a popular jazz-funk fusion band, best known for their albums they recorded as a backing band of jazz keyboard player Herbie Hancock during the 1970s. Hancock's debut album with the group, Head Hunters, is one of the best-selling jazz/fusion records of all time. Now after 3 decades the Headhunters are back with a tremendous 2 cd live album set, recorded in France during their last tour 2007. The result is pure funk album – with some classic and new headhunters compositions. For sure they are going to rock the house again!
Line up:
Line up: Bill Summers (Perc.), Mike Clark (Drums), Jerry Z (keys), TM Stevens (Bass), Mark Shim (Sax). Donald Harrison (Sax) performs on “Butterfly”,
Bonus Video: “Headhunters live in Bobigny, France” /CD Extra)
Recorded live in Europe 2007
01.August.2008 CD more
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CHET BAKER – THE EVOLUTION OF AN ARTIST
Chet Baker
Beginning in 1953 he was defeating all of his fellow trumpeters in the polls, the important colleagues of modern jazz – Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis and Clifford Brown – as well as Louis Armstrong, Roy Eldridge and other giants of the tradition. A sort of miracle had happened. They were celebrating a long grown-up man who looked like a cute, shy teenager, and boasted neither the dexterity of a virtuoso, nor a huge voluminous sound. He wasn't good in any of the classic trumpet domains: he didn't play loudly, nor did he reach those ultra-high notes that some trumpeters like to scream. He abstained from an emotional vibrato and only rarely played quickly barely reaching the lowest standard in a bebop era, which was looking for swift melody lines. He hardly was able to do all of this, for he had lost an incisor, which limited his possibilities, but made his own sound world possible, which has enchanted people around the world.
This 4 cd box contains 76 tracks of the jazz giants and incl. liner notes in english by jounalist Marcus A. Woelfle
04.July.2008 CD more
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Beyond The Blue
Andrea Marcelli
Moved to USA in 1989 spending 8 years in Los Angeles and 4 in New York. Andrea is resident in Berlin since 2001. He is leading an active musical life performing live and/or recording with Wayne Shorter, Allan Holdsworth, Bob Mintzer, Mitchel Forman, Eddie Gomez, Mike Stern, Don Menza, Ralph Towner, Marc Johnson, Mike Mainieri, Chuck Loeb, Alex Acuna, John Patitucci, Bob Berg, Eric Marienthal, Hiram Bullock, Jeff Berlin and many more. Beyond the Blue features Mike Stern, Bob Mintzer, Eddie Gomez – what a musical landscape
“Andrea Marcelli's music is vibrant and thought-provoking as today's events. Andrea is such a chameleon. When I first heard his music, it struck me that he played drums, clarinet, percussion, keyboards, and composed in a variety of styles that defied classification, moreover, his display of sensitivity and creative approach to the work produced."- Wayne Shorter
"The themes and instrumental colors seem made for each other, more like painting than a string of jazz solos." - Owen Cordles (Jazz Times)
Line Up:
Bob Mintzer - tenor sax
Mike Stern - guitar
Mitchel Forman - piano
Eddie Gomez - bass
Andrea Marcelli - drums
