Reprinted from http://jazzwax.com
With the holidays just days away, you've probably been looking for a way to reward yourself or treat someone special to great music. Here are a batch of superb albums worth considering...
Solitary Moon: Ginger Berglund & Scott Whitfield Sing The Johnny Mandel Songbook (Bi-Coastal Music). This swinging, singing duo is backed by a big band smartly arranged by trombonist Whitfield. Fifteen tracks provide an iceberg's tip of Johnny's gorgeous and eclectic output, including Cinnamon & Clove, The Shadow of Your Smile, You Are There, Emily and Where Do You Start? Most important, this is exactly how Johnny's music is best showcased—with the emphasis on vocal harmony that enriches his melodic gifts.
Marty Napoleon: Try This! Starting in the 1940s, pianist Marty Napoleon was heard behind the best players in jazz—from Louis Armstrong to Benny Goodman. Now Marty can be heard front and center on an album of previously unreleased original compositions recorded in New York in 1994. Tracks 2-11 were recorded at Gary Chester's Edison Recording Studios as a demo, with Marty backed by clarinetist Ron Odrich, bassist Gary Mazzaropi and drummer Joe Cocuzzo. That's Marty singing on track 7. Pure bliss from a 93-year-old legend still going strong.
Duane Eubanks Quintet: Things of That Particular Nature (Sunnyside). Trumpeter and flugelhornist Duane Eubanks plays with enormous tenderness, slow heat and melodic strength on this 10-track album that features 9 bright and splendidly arranged originals. A soulful, patient album that will speak to you at any hour of the day—from midday hours to late at night. I was thrilled every time I put it on.
Thelonious Monk: Jackie-ing (Dutch Jazz Archive). In May 1961, pianist Thelonious Monk was in Amsterdam at the Concertgebouw with tenor saxophonist Charlie Rouse, bassist John Ore and drummer Frankie Dunlop. The result is a stunning previously unreleased performance. Monk's swing through Europe in the spring of '61 is well documented on seven albums. But here, Monk and Rouse are at ease, spinning art without the bombastics. The result is a beautifully paced, rare concert album. It's a hard one to find. Click above to see the title and album cover. You may need to translate the site into English.
Kenny Barron and Dave Holland: The Art of Conversation (Impulse). Piano and bass duets are notoriously seductive, and this one is no exception. The configuration forces the piano to assume many gentle personalities while the bass must become more melodic. With the right players, the music nearly always is perfect. Here Barron and Holland spar, perform neck-and-neck and set each other up on 10 tracks. Most are originals but Monk's In Walked Bud and Billy Strayhorn's Daydream are here too. The jazz duo at its very best.
Keith Jarrett: Hamburg '72 (ECM). Joined by bassist Charlie Haden and drummer Paul Motian, Jarrett here is top notch, throwing off beautiful notes like a snow globe. Even Piece for Ornette retains charm within its free-jazz orbit as Jarrett performs on soprano sax. Haden and Motian both bring enormous energy, as evidenced on Life, Dance. Strong-brewed acoustic jazz in an age when jazz instruments were plugging in.
Used with permission by Marc Myers
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