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Trumpeter Roy Hargrove's debut as a leader found him occasionally recalling Freddie Hubbard but already sounding fairly original in the hard bop genre. On a quartet version of "Easy To Remember," Hargrove shows restraint and maturity in his lyrical ballad statement while featuring his strong bop chops on most of the other selections. Among the many other up-and-coming voices heard on this 1989 set are pianist Geoffrey Keezer (who contributes three originals and shows what he had picked up from McCoy Tyner), the fluid altoist Antonio Hart and drummer Ralph Peterson, Jr. Tenor-saxophonist Ralph Moore, pianist John Hicks and drummer Al Foster are also in the notable supporting cast. The one fault to the CD is that the performances and solos are often a little too brief, with all but "Whisper Not" in the 4-6 minute range. But for a debut, Roy Hargrove can still be proud of Diamond In The Rough. ~ Scott Yanow

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First, I'd like to address the complaint that bassist John Patitucci and drummer Brian Blade didn't make the front cover. The reason for this is that "Directions in Music" is Hancock, Brecker, and Hargrove. Directions in Music is now touring again, and I just got back from seeing their show in Minneapolis, where their drummer and bassist were Terri Lyne Carrington and Scott Colley, respectively. If there is ever a CD released as a result of the current tour, I suspect there will be similar indignation from Colleyacs and Carringtonphiles.

This CD is very advanced jazz. There is a level of abstraction here that demands that this music be listened to actively, if at all. That isn't to say that this is free jazz; there is a predetermined structure behind what you're hearing, but it feels loose and impressionistic. It is worth the trouble of warming up to. The rhythym section is delightfully responsive to the solos of Brecker and Hargrove, and that goes double for Herbie Hancock, who comes off as a complementary counter-soloist more often than not. Brecker and Hargrove use this support to their advantage. Their solos typically will develop slowly and deliberately, starting out ponderous and using spaces effectively as they build tension to a climactic point at which they get to use the full strength of their dexterity.

At last, this highly touted, heretofore conservative Young Lion makes his move beyond neo-bop toward something new, fresh, and potentially important. He had to go to Havana to find it, starting with some jam sessions with Cuba's Los Van Van dance band in February 1996, which led to the formation of an exciting ten-piece U.S./Cuban band called Crisol. True, this album is a somewhat subdued recorded debut; as heard at the Playboy Jazz Festival in June 1997, Crisol is obviously capable of real thermal combustion. But one can still hear the embryo of its complex fusion of Afro-Cuban rhythm, bop, and progressive jazz impulses on this disc. Hargrove himself still seems dazzled by his new discovery, groping a bit for direction in his own solos. But challenged by the asymmetrical rhythms, he takes more chances and jaggedly strikes some fire. Irakere's Chucho Valdes, an awesome pianist and progressive-minded musician, is one of the anchors of the band, and Russell Malone contributes some of his meatiest, most driven guitar work. The tune that remains most indelible in the memory is trombonist Frank Lacy's "O My Seh Yeh," which opens and closes the CD in neat, bookended fashion. But the most promising track is a smoking arrangement of Kenny Dorham's "Afrodisia," where the heat of this cross-cultural exchange rises well above room temperature. One can only hope that U.S. and Cuban politicos will forego their usual roadblocks and allow these meetings to continue. ~ Richard S. Ginell

Known as a stellar soloist and creative leader of his ever-evolving quintet, it’s easy to forget that trumpeter Roy Hargrove is also an accomplished big band leader and arranger. And this is nothing new—Hargrove has been working in a big band context since his high school days in Dallas and first big band performances nearly 15 years ago at what became the Jazz Gallery in New York. But it was not until this past year that Hargrove brought his big band into the recording studio for the first time, here elegantly captured on Groovin’ High as Emergence. The cast is golden, including past and current cohorts of Hargrove, including Monk Competition winner Ambrose Akinsimure joining the trumpet line and Hargrove’s Quintet collaborators, Justin Robinson (sax), Gerald Clayton (piano), Danton Boller (bass) and Montez Coleman (drums). Add in the talented and multilingual Roberta Gambarini on two tracks.

The oud virtuoso Rabih Abou Khalil was born in Beirut Lebanon in 1957 and grew up during the two decades when Beirut was on of the most cosmopolitan of all cities. He studied traditional Arabic music on the oud, western classical music on the flute and was exposed at home to both rock and jazz. In 1978 he moved to Munich Germany due to the Lebanese civil war and continued his study of classical flute. In fact he played flute on his first albumcalled Compositions & Improvisations recorded in 1981 but shortly afterwards he switched to the oud which he plays on all his subsequent recordings. The oud is a traditional Arab musical instrument and is the predecessor to both the lute and the guitar. It looks like a lute with 5-6 double strings of either nylon or gut. It is the quintessential compositional instrument in Arabic musical heritage.

With the latest new album Aurora, Avishai Cohen has reached a certain essence of expression, using voice as a direct and powerful vehicle for his emotions.
Singing – in Hebrew, English, Spanish and Ladino. The music draws its source in the earth of his home country, at the crossroads of many cultures. Arab-Andalusian and Hebraic, it tells the story of Bedouins of the desert and speaks of life, love, youth and freedom.

For those of you looking for some funky, chunky, Jaco Pastorius jams, this isn't the place. For those looking for extremely free playing where Mangelsdorff's trombone runs wild and chaotic, this isn't it either. For the fusion freaks entranced by Alphonse Mouzon's skittering drum work that stops and starts on a sliver of light, best look elsewhere. For the rest, who are seeking great jazz in any configuration, this just might be your ticket. Recorded at the Berlin Jazz Days in 1976 and originally issued on LP while Pastorius was at the height of his tenure with Weather Report and playing an all-Mangelsdorff selection, this trio delivers an inspired performance that relies on timing, virtuosity, and a little humor for its bread and butter. The title track is the opener, and its slight abstraction is quickly replaced by Pastorius suggesting the frame of the melody to his counterparts, who pick it up and glide.

This new disc brings viewers a night of bebop performed by the young pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba and his trio at the Munich Piano Festival “Münchner Klaviersommer”.

Gonzalo Rubalcaba (born 1963), his bassist Ron Carter (1937) and his drummer Julio Barreto (1967) appeared in the Munich Philharmonic Hall in July 1994. With two Cuban musicians in the group, the audience may have expected hot Latin rhythms, but the heat rising from this trio was definitely due more to the jazz tradition than to Latin American influences. The group drew its repertoire from the classic bebop numbers, with occasional excursions into more modern territory. Not until the last piece in the regular programme did the musicians allow themselves and their audience a trip to the Caribbean and even then, they still employed the jazz vocabulary.

Gonzalo Rubalcaba’s technique is exceptional. He strings brilliant runs together with sparkling rhythmic variants and he has a sense of drama that gives his playing an edge that reaches beyond the bounds of excellent technical standards

By and large, tribute shows are often a letdown. Bob Dylan's 30th anniversary show, for example, just made you realize how much better the troubadour's material was when he first performed it. When an artist has died, it can be even worse. Their contemporaries often fall all over themselves, gushing embarrassingly hyperbolic praise. Filmed in Japan in 1987, this tribute to the late jazz genius John Coltrane is a definite exception. The musicians, sax players Wayne Shorter and Dave Liebman, pianist Richie Beirach, bassist Eddie Gomez, and drummer Jack DeJohnette--all great in their own right--keep the eulogizing minimal and instead focus on interpreting a small handful of Coltrane's important works. Interpreting is key here, as the band often uses Coltrane's material as a jumping-off point before spiraling into inspired, freeform improvisation.

With his Recent Albums, Avishai Cohen has reached a certain essence of expression, using voice as a direct and powerful vehicle for his emotions.
Singing – in Hebrew, English, Spanish and Ladino. The music draws its source in the earth of his home country, at the crossroads of many cultures. Arab-Andalusian and Hebraic, it tells the story of Bedouins of the desert and speaks of life, love, youth and freedom.

In celebration of his 60th birthday, legendary jazz pianist/composer Chick Corea arranged a Rendezvous in New York, bringing together world-renowned musicians from his groundbreaking past and his present ensembles in a musical reunion of unprecedented proportions. Captured here, with stunning sound quality Are Chick Corea's New Trio, Featuring the Rythem Section from Heaven - Jeff Ballard and Avishai Cohen.

The ill-fated Middle Eastern sounding rock group, The Devil’s Anvil were discovered by record producer Felix Pappalardi (Cream’s Disraeli Gears)) playing in a New York City cafe in 1967. Pappalardi got the band signed to Columbia Records and played bass on the their album.
The Devil’s Anvil, were Steve Knight (rhythm guitar, bass, bouzouki), Jerry Satpir (lead guitar, vocals), Elierzer Adoram (accordion), and Kareem Issaq (oud, vocals). Hard Rock from the Middle Eastwould be their only record. Despite their truly original sound—which pre-dated “World Beat” by many years—luck was not on the side of The Devil’s Anvil, for on the very same day that Hard Rock from the Middle East streeted, the 1967 Arab-Israeli War broke out, too and no radio station would touch it!
Pappalardi later went on to form Mountain with Knight and Leslie West.

Recorded at The Bitter End in New York City, soul poet Curtis Mayfield’s live debut as a solo artist is brilliantly captured on this classic 1971 release, and our CD reissue gives the long-unavailable title the Rhino treatment it deserves. Not only have the original first-generation tapes been digitally remastered for better-than-ever sound, but we’ve also added two bonus tracks: the single edit of “Mighty Mighty (Spade And Whitey)” and an unbelievable early live version of “Superfly” that was taped at Chicago’s WTTW-TV studios in 1971. We lost a good friend when Mayfield died at the end of 1999, but by working with him over the past several years to restore and reissue his catalog, we continue to honor the man by making his timeless musical legacy available for generations to come.

Marketed as an EP, but with ten songs running over forty minutes, it sounds like an album to me, albeit a minor one. The ambition and range of Mama's Gun are missing, as Badu sticks to midtempo retro-soul loops, and the two long numbers don't develop ("Bump It," "I Want You"). Still, everything's pleasant, and sometimes excellent - "The Grind" with rhymes from Dead Prez; the super-catchy "Danger" - and there's even some old school rapping from Queen Latifah, Angie Stone and Badu on the Sequence tribute "Love Of My Life Worldwide." Still, it's not a great sign that the most arresting piece of music is the brief instrumental outro to "I Want You." Lots of guests, including Lenny Kravitz ("Back In The Day (Puff)"), Zap Mama, Caron Wheeler ("Bump It") and Hargrove ("Think Twice"). --David Bertrand Wilson, WARR.org

SMV is a bass supergroup formed in 2008. The group's name comes from the initials of each of its members, Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller, and Victor Wooten. SMV's debut release is the "Thunder" album. Marcus Miller (bass clarinet, synthesizer, electric bass); Stanley Clarke (acoustic bass, electric bass) and Victor Wooten (electric bass).