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VARIOUS ARTISTS -
Benny Carter Centennial Project
ES 113
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RANDY SANDKE -
Subway Ballet
ES 112
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Personnel:
CHRIS NEVILLE, piano (1,3-11,13,14); STEVE LaSPINA, bass (1,3-11,14); STEVE JOHNS, drums (1,3-11,14); WARREN VACHE, trumpet (1,7); RANDY SANDKE, trumpet (1,4); PHIL WOODS, alto sax (2,12); JOHN COATES, piano (2,12); JACK STUCKEY, alto sax (3,9); WILL ANDERSON, alto sax (3,9); LOREN SCHOENBERG, tenor sax (3,6,9); PETER ANDERSON, tenor sax (3,9); JAMES CHIRILLO, gutiar (3,9); BILL KIRCHNER, soprano sax (8); JAY BRANDFORD, baritone sax (9); JOE WILDER, trumpet (10); RUSSELL MALONE, guitar (15); BENNY CARTER, piano (15)
Tracks:
1 I'm In The Mood For Swing; 2 Johnny; 3 I'm Coming, Virginia; 4 Again And Again; 5 Far Away; 6 Angeline/Where The Warm Winds Blow (Medley); 7 Key Largo; 8 Melancholy Lullaby; 9 All Of Me; 10 The Blessing; 11 Echo Of My Dream; 12 Other Times; 13 Fable Of A Fool; 14 South Side Samba; 15 All About You.
All-star Carter tribute CD released on the occasion of his 100th birthday featuring many artists who worked closely with Carter during his final years including Phil Woods, Joe Wilder, Russell Malone, Loren Schoenberg, Warren Vaché, Randy Sandke, Bill Kirchner and the "Benny Carter Trio" - Carter’s last working regular section: Chris Neville, Steve LaSpina and Steve Johns. Also features Benny Carter's last recording, All About You. For this project, Russell Malone performs a solo guitar version of the piece, segueing into Carter’s own piano rendition, recorded at his home in 2001.
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Personnel:
RANDY SANDKE, Trumpet & Flugelhorn; CHUCK WILSON, TED NASH, SCOTT ROBINSON, WALT WEISKOPF, JACK STUCKEY, Reeds; BOB MILLIKAN, GLENN DREWES, STEVEN BERNSTEIN, Trumpets; WYCLIFFE GORDON, JOHN ALLRED, MIKE CHRISTIANSON, JOE BARATI, Trombones; ERIK CHARLSTON, Vibes, Xylophone & Percussion, GREG COHEN, Bass; JOHN RILEY, Drums; DAVID KRAKAUER, Solo Clarinet.
Tracks:
Watch The Closing Doors; Dance Of The Downtown Punks; Electriglide; Dance Of The Wall Street Brokers; Steel Wheels; Dance Of The Hassidic Diamond Merchants; Making Tracks; Blind Beggar Encounters The Korean Peddler; Momentum; Dance Of The Midtown Career Women; Straphanging; Pas De Deux; Express Stop; 125th Street; Red Hook Blues; Happy Birthday; How Did It Get So Late; Realization
Sandke applies his metatonal harmonic approach in this provocative new big-band extended work, which depicts a subway ride through Manhattan. Featuring an all-star lineup of some of New York's most original improvisors, Sandke's piece traverses a wide range of moods and motifs befitting the city which inspired it. The CD also includes four very different previously unreleased tracks from 1988.
Randy has recorded over twenty albums as a leader, primarily on the Concord, Nagel-Heyer, and Evening Star labels. A recent discography, published by the Dutch jazz scholar Gerard Beilderman, runs to 53 pages. Among the artists Mr. Sandke has recorded with include Michael Brecker, Benny Goodman, Kenny Barron, Dick Hyman, Scott Hamilton, Wycliffe Gordon, Warren Vache, Mel Torme, Rosemary Clooney, Cab Calloway, and Karrin Allyson.
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BILL KIRCHNER -
Everything I Love
ES 111
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RANDY SANDKE -
Outside In
ES 110
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Personnel:
BILL KIRCHNER, soprano saxophone; EDDIE MONTEIRO, MIDI-accordion, vocals; RON VINCENT, drums, percussion; JACKIE CAIN, vocals (3 & 11).
Tracks:
Aquamarine; Liz Anne; Try To Understand; Everything I Love; Beijo Partido (Broken Kiss); Bleu Silence; Pretty Blue; For Steve Lacy; Once In A Garden; Threedom; I Almost Said Goodbye.
It's apparent that lots of thought went into this one: eleven highly varied tracks that range from lush Brazilian romances and a Cole Porter standard to a multi-tracked tribute to Steve Lacy on which Bill's soprano saxophone seems to come at the listener from four different directions. And instead of using a nine-member ensemble this time, most tunes feature only the leader's soprano, along with Ron Vincent's drum work and Eddie Monteiro extracting astounding textures and rhythms from his MIDI-accordion. Just as surprising is the fact that, aside from "For Steve Lacy," this session involved virtually no overdubbing. As a result, this group can easily perform the same material for a live audience. They'll soon do just that at the New School's Jazz Performance Space. Monteiro handles vocals on the Portuguese-language tunes and scats in a crazy unison with his accordion on uptempo numbers. Also present for this show will be Jackie Cain (for decades, the soaring half of Jackie & Roy), who sings two exquisite numbers on the new CD as well.
- Paul Blair, hothousejazz.com
Bill Kirchner is one of those rare musicians who is able to synthesize an awareness of the past with his own voice, taking jazz in new directions that are firmly based on tradition.
- Benny Carter
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Personnel:
RANDY SANDKE, trumpet and leader; WYCLIFFE GORDON, trombone; RAY ANDERSON, trombone; MARTY EHRLICH, alto sax, clarinet, bass clarinet, alto flute; KEN PEPLOWSKI, tenor sax, clarinet; SCOTT ROBINSON, alto sax, baritone sax, contrabass sax, clarinet, water phone, theremin, optical theremin; URI CAINE, piano, vibes; GREG COHEN, bass; DENNIS MACKREL, drums; HOWARD ALDEN, guitar, on track 14 only.
Tracks:
Ganjam (arr. Sandke); Genesis 1; Revelations 8-11; Outside In; Two As One; Tonk; Raising Caine; Gulf Stream Dream; Hyde Park; Ornette Chop Suey; Blues For Joe Klee; Soul In The Wood; Mobius Trip; Ganjam (arr. Morton)
Sandke's first "Inside Out" band CD (on Nagel-Heyer) was named in the top ten in the Jazz Times Critics' Poll. This latest recording by the band includes more of Sandke's provocative writing and inspired solos by some of the greatest contemporary jazz players. The members of the Inside Out collective share the leader's eclectic and unhackneyed view of the jazz tradition and respond to the challenging material with great empathy and spirit.
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RANDY SANDKE -
Trumpet After Dark
ES 109
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RANDY SANDKE -
The Mystic Trumpeter
ES 108
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Personnel:
RANDY SANDKE, trumpet; BILL CHARLAP, piano; GREG COHEN, bass; DENNIS MACKREL, drums; with the PARTHENIA VIOL CONSORT: ROSAMUND MORLEY, treble viol; BEVERLY AU, treble and bass viol; LAWRENCE LIPNIK, tenor viol; LISA TERRY, treble and bass viol.
Tracks:
Quiet Is The Night; Nocturne; Being Human; Goodbye For Now; Star Crossed Lovers; Etude In E; Le Jour Ou La Colombe; Monk's Mood; A Blues Serenade; Can She Excuse My Wrongs; Lullabye For Karen; Blues For Sandy; Lush Life; Soul Eyes.
With some notable exceptions, jazz and strings has too often been synonymous with "sweetening" or diluting the music to appeal to a broader audience. But Randy Sandke, through his use of a string section comprised of viols, as well as his always trenchant writing and commanding trumpet technique, breathes new life into the "jazz-with-strings" concept. In Bill Charlap, Greg Cohen, and Dennis Mackrel, Sandke could not have chosen more sympathetic colleagues for this new musical venture. He calls Charlap "one of the most extraordinary musicians I’ve ever worked with." Greg Cohen is arguably the most eclectic of all current jazz musicians. Early in his career Dennis Mackrel held the drum chair in the Count Basie band before joining forces with Hank Jones, Tommy Flanagan, and Joe Williams, among many others. Both Cohen and Mackrel are superior soloists and sensitive accompanists.
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Personnel:
RANDY SANDKE, trumpet; SCOTT ROBINSON, tenor & soprano sax, bass flute; WYCLIFFE GORDON, trombone on Symphony For Six; TED ROSENTHAL, piano; GREG COHEN, bass; DENNIS MACKREL, drums & percussion.
Tracks:
THE MYSTIC TRUMPETER - Liquid Prelude/The Walks Of Paradise/Sounds Of Smiting Steel/The Flames That Heat The World/Distant Thunder/Enough To Merely Be;
SYMPHONY FOR SIX - Allegro/Adagio/Scherzo/Rondo.
We at Evening Star feel this CD represents a significant advance in the harmonic language of jazz. Based on Sandke's "metatonal" theory of harmony, The Mystic Trumpeter promises to open up a whole new range of improvisational possibilities.
- Evening Star Records
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CHRIS NEVILLE -
Songs We Like
ES 107
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JOE WILDER -
Among Friends
ES 106
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Personnel:
CHRIS NEVILLE, piano (all tracks); JAMES CAMMACK, bass (all tracks); MARTY RICHARDS, drums (1-5,7-9,11)
Tracks:
Solar; Beginning Again; Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me; All The Things You Are; Moonlight In Brazil; Sunday Morning; Sweet & Lovely; Noble Accents; On A Spring Stroll; April; Footprints.
A stimulating Bop expedition.
- Charles Winokoor, Cadence
Chris Neville continues to surprise and delight. I thoroughly enjoyed this new recording by one of my favourite pianists. Highly recommended!
- Benny Carter
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Personnel:
JOE WILDER, trumpet, flugelhorn (all tracks); WARREN VACHÉ, cornet (8,10); FRANK WESS, tenor sax, flute (1,4,6,10); CHRIS NEVILLE, piano (1,4,6,8,10,12), BILL CHARLAP, piano (3,7) SKITCH HENDERSON, piano (13); RUSSELL MALONE, guitar (2,11) BUCKY PIZZARELLI, guitar (5,9,13); STEVE LaSPINA, bass (1,4,6,8,10), JERRY BRUNO, bass (13); CHUCK REDD, drums (1,4,6,8,10), JOE COCUZZO, drums (13).
Tracks:
Indiana; My Romance; Secret Love; Seventy-Six Trombones; How Are Things In Glocca Morra?; Only Trust Your Heart; When I Fall In Love; It's You Or No One; You Are The Sunshine Of My Life; Centerpiece; What Now, My Love; People Time; Lady Be Good.
Joe Wilder turned eighty on February 22, 2002, an occasion marked by celebrations at the Arbors Records "March of Jazz" party, at the "Jazz in July" series, and at two tribute concerts: the Smithsonian in March and Lincoln Center in August. Best of all, Wilder himself performed at all these events in the same inimitable style that has been captivating audiences and fellow musicians since the late 1930s. For his third Evening Star release, some of Joe's favourite musicians gathered to play with him in various combinations. The repertoire consists of pieces Joe likes to play but has never had the chance to record, including some of the finest examples of the American popular songbook.
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CHRIS NEVILLE -
Look, Stop & Listen
ES 105
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BENNY CARTER & PHIL WOODS -
Another Time, Another Place
ES 104
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Personnel:
CHRIS NEVILLE, piano (all tracks); JAMES CAMMACK, bass (1-11); DAVE BOWLER, drums(1-3,5,6,8,9,11).
Tracks:
Look, Stop and Listen; Imagination; You, Only You; Just Squeeze Me; Summer Fantasy; People Time; Alone Together; Les Fleurs; Gee Baby, Ain't I Good To You; Liebeslied; In A Darkened Room; Blue Monk
There comes a time with many jazz musicians when they have raised the level of their playing to such a degree that they make the transition from "player" to "artist." Pianist Chris Neville is one who has made that transition, as is demonstrated by this superb new release. Neville's playing is such that his solos are like stories, complete with an introduction, a powerful climax and complete end, where the lines build and grow exponentially and where the phrasing is very compositional in nature. On this mostly trio CD, with the equally-superb rhythm tandem of James Cammack on bass and Dave Bowler on drums, Neville essays nine standards and three originals with thoughtful artistry.
From the opening Look, Stop & Listen" by Tadd Dameron to the closing solo piano rendition of Thelonious Monk's "Blue Monk," Neville gets inside each tune, almost creating new compositions out of the existing material. He displays his romantic side on Benny Carter's "You, Only You," gives an elegant duo rendition of Ellington's "Just Squeeze Me" with bassist Cammack, gets funky on the pleasantly reinterpreted version of "Imagination," and lays down some mean, swinging blues lines on "Gee Baby Ain't I Good To You." On the trio selections, Cammack and Bowler play with sensitivity and swing, much as they did in Ahmad Jamal's trio. Both solo effectively and superbly.
But, this is clearly Chris Neville's ride. And he makes the most of it. His closing solo rendition of "Blue Monk" exhibits all of Neville's abilities beautifully, creating a work that is the essence of what Monk was all about. And the same can be said for this recording, which is Chris Neville's watershed moment. May there be many more.
- Alan Chase, Portsmouth (New Hampshire) Herald
"I think this recording truly demonstrates the full range of talents of this exceptional pianist"
- Benny Carter
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Personnel:
BENNY CARTER, alto sax; PHIL WOODS, alto sax; CHRIS NEVILLE, piano; JOHN LOCKWOOD, bass; SHERMAN FERGUSON, drums.
Tracks:
Disc 1:
Sometimes I'm Happy; Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year; Rock Me To Sleep; Another Time, Another Place; Willow Weep For Me; Shiny Stockings; The Courtship; On The Sunny Side Of The Street
Disc 2:
On Green Dolphin Street; A Walkin' Thing; Janel; Speak Low; Petite Chanson; Just Squeeze Me; Mood Indigo; How High The Moon.
Evening Star Records is pleased to announce the release of this new double CD: the first live recording by alto masters Benny Carter and Phil Woods. Another Time, Another Place (ES-104) captures the saxophonists in peak form at the Regattabar in Cambridge, MA. Recorded over three nights in March of 1996, the album also features Carter regulars Chris Neville on piano and Sherman Ferguson on drums, with premiere Boston bassist John Lockwood. The repertoire includes standards as well as originals by each saxophonist.
Another Time, Another Place adds the excitement and spontaneity of an appreciative and responsive live audience.
"one of my most fulfilling gigs ever...I am delighted that it has been recorded."
- Phil Woods
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JOE WILDER -
No Greater Love
ES 103
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CHRIS NEVILLE -
From The Greenhouse
ES 102
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Personnel:
JOE WILDER, trumpet, flugelhorn (all tracks); SELDON POWELL, tenor sax, flute (1,4,7,9,11,13); BOBBY TUCKER, piano (1-4,6-13); JAMES CHIRILLO, guitar(1,2,4-7,9-11,13,14); MILT HINTON, bass (as Powell); SHERMAN FERGUSON, drums (as Powell).
Tracks:
Come On Home; There Is No Greater Love; Day Dream; It's Easy To Remember; Love Me Tender; I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face; Samba De Orfeo; That's All; Harry Lulu; Prelude To A Kiss; The Courtship; God Bless The Child; Thinking Of Lady; Dylan
Evening Star Records is proud to announce the release of the first Joe Wilder-led album in over thirty years. Alone With Just My Dreams (Evening Star ES-101) features the veteran trumpeter in the company of a multi-generational, all-star rhythm section, including James Williams on piano, Remo Palmier on guitar, Jay Leonhart on bass, and Sherman Ferguson on drums. The twelve tracks, totaling over seventy minutes of music, include such standards as "But Not For Me," "It Might As Well Be Spring," and "I Love You"; two pieces associated with Louis Armstrong, "Struttin' With Some Barbecue" and "What a Wonderful World"; a Benny Carter song, "Wonderland"; and an original blues by Wilder. The title track is a newly discovered ballad by the late bass master, George Duvivier.
.The duos and trios emphasize theme statements with Wilder working like a singer. He has the warm tone and vocal approach to carry this off. He's honed his instrumental voice down to what's truly his own. Clearly he's heard and worked with a lot of singers, and singers interested in learning how to deliver a song would do well to give Wilder a listen. Tucker, who has worked with Billy Eckstine, Billie Holiday, Mildred Bailey, and Tony Bennett, shows why he is so in demand as a singer's accompanist. Chirillo, who is busy developing an impressive resume himself, also provides sensitive, inspiring back-up... This is a masterful display of Wilder's lyrical horn.
- David Dupont, Cadence
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Personnel:
CHRIS NEVILLE, piano (all tracks); JOHN LOCKWOOD, bass (1-6,8-11); ALAN DAWSON, drums (1,2,4,6,8-11); BENNY CARTER, alto sax (9-11).
Tracks:
Another U-Turn; Samurai Song; From The Greenhouse; Like Someone in Love; My Man Benny; Evening Air; Evening Star; Gliding; Just Friends; Mood Indigo; Another Time, Another Place.
From the Greenhouse (ES-102) is the debut album of Chris Neville, a dynamic keyboard artist who has attracted much attention through his recent work with Benny Carter and other jazz greats. "I was immediately taken with his authority and command of the keyboard," recalls Carter who has used Neville on several recent recordings.
Neville's style reflects his primary influences, Ahmad Jamal, Herbie Hancock, and Bill Evans, as well as his own fertile imagination. As Benny Carter notes, "He has fresh ideas and doesn't fall back on the same old cliches and riffs."
Neville shows us from start to finish that he is one very capable player, filled with musical inventiveness and logic. ...His playing tends to be right on the edge at times, often taking us to unexpected places. And it always has a sparkling clarity that comes from years of classical studies.
-- Ken Franckling, UPI
The apparently ageless elder statesman of jazz, Benny Carter, has a long track record of pushing young talent, from Teddy Wilson back in 1933 through Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis and Max Roach. Here's one of his more recent proteges, the very talented Chris Neville... This is highly professional and enjoyable stuff... [Neville] shows off all his talents as lyrical balladeer, punchy bop stylist and composer...
-- John Chadwick, Jazz Journal International
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JOE WILDER -
Alone With Just My Dreams
ES 101
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Personnel:
JOE WILDER, trumpet, flugelhorn (all tracks); JAMES WILLIAMS, piano (1-3,5-11); REMO PALMIER, guitar (all tracks); JAY LEONHART, bass (1-11); SHERMAN FERGUSON, drums (1-11).
Tracks:
But Not For Me; Everything Happens To Me; I Will Wait For You; Answer Me, My Love; Far Away Places; Alone With Just My Dreams; Wonderland; I Love You; It Might As Well Be Spring; Struttin' With Some Barbecue; Joe's Blues; What A Wonderful World
Evening Star Records is proud to announce the release of the first Joe Wilder-led album in over thirty years. Alone With Just My Dreams (Evening Star ES-101) features the veteran trumpeter in the company of a multi-generational, all-star rhythm section, including James Williams on piano, Remo Palmier on guitar, Jay Leonhart on bass, and Sherman Ferguson on drums. The twelve tracks, totaling over seventy minutes of music, include such standards as "But Not For Me," "It Might As Well Be Spring," and "I Love You"; two pieces associated with Louis Armstrong, "Struttin' With Some Barbecue" and "What a Wonderful World"; a Benny Carter song, "Wonderland"; and an original blues by Wilder. The title track is a newly discovered ballad by the late bass master, George Duvivier.
...a nigh perfect, and perfectly charming, expression of Wilder's jazz trumpet and flugelhorn artistry. Wilder has one of the great trumpet tones in jazz, pure and full and gleaming like a pearl, with a graceful melodicism to match. The result is a finely honed, urbane style as modern and timeless as it is classic. ...full of inspired moments. Listen to this album and [Wilder's] sure to become a favorite of yours too.
- George Kanzler, Newark Star-Ledger
...Evening Star succeeds splendidly with its debut release. A masterful technician with a logical, though hardly predictable, sense of design and a golden tone abetted by an unhurried command of swing, Wilder shines on 12 tunes spanning 71 minutes... This CD (and, for that matter, the label) is a labor of love. I highly recommend it.
- Gene Kalbacher, CMJ New Music Report
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