A fine example of Geri Allen’s advanced music (which holds on to tradition without merely recreating the past), this CD matches the talented pianist with veteran trumpeter Marcus Belgrave, altoist Kenny Garrett, bassist Robert Hurst, drummer Jeff Watts and percussionist Eli Fountain on group originals and two obscurities. Everyone…
Charlie Hunter is a restless musician in a dilemma. The variety of players and settings on his first several albums are testament to his restless spirit. But as his technique and confidence grow, it seems that the best showcase for his talent would be in small groups with minimal…
If it doesn’t sound like a trio, that’s because Charlie Hunter plays an eight-string guitar (five treble strings, three bass) and has apparently sold his soul to Satan in return for the ability to sound like two players at once. (There are other guitarists who play basslines with their…
After releasing Natty Dread, Charlie Hunter decided to form a new band, one without horns. The ensuing Pound For Pound features Hunter with a drummer, synthesizers, and vibraphonist Stefon Harris. Removing the horns puts Hunter’s guitar in the spotlight, and he rises to the occasion, fulfilling the promise he’s…
It is difficult not to be impressed with the playing of guitarist Charlie Hunter. By using an extra string, Hunter is able to create his own basslines and have a very self-sufficient bassless (and keyboardless) trio with tenor-saxophonist Dave Ellis and drummer Jay Lane that has all of the…
Brian Blade Fellowship is an impressive debut as a leader for Brian Blade, one of the best young jazz drummers of the ’90s. Producer Daniel Lanois doesn’t follow jazz conventions, letting Blade run wild and blend genres, as on “Folklore,” where the adventurous, searching jazz meets pygmy chants. All…
With this second date from the Fellowship, Brian Blade proves that while he is one of the most in-demand session drummers of the ’90s, his skills as a bandleader and composer are not to be overlooked. Blade composes songs as if he were painting a broad mural. He sculpts…
As part of a seventieth year celebration for Blue Note records, the label convened a collection of younger and experienced jazz stars to play hard bop compositions closely identified with their mid-’50s to mid-’60s glory days. This kind of band has been conceived before — remember Out of the…
Pianist Kenny Werner’s Lawn Chair Society is a cerebral mix of acoustic jazz, electronic elements and generally expansive improvisation that comes and goes in terrifically unexpected directions. Inspired by a varied mix of artists from Radiohead to In a Silent Way-era Miles Davis, Werner has crafted a forward-thinking album…
Sadly, There’s a Riot Goin’ On — his installment in Blue Note’s Cover Series — turned out to be George Howard’s final recording. That said, it’s not a bad final statement from the saxophonist. Howard smooths out the rough edges of Sly & the Family Stone’s original, replacing Sly’s…