With electronic fusion on the wane and the “young lions” of the ’80s reaching middle age, a new hybrid of jazz cropped up on albums and in jazz clubs. This combination of styles borrows its harmonic qualities from post-bop but melds it with the rock-solid foundations of funk and…

Don Grolnick’s second and final Blue Note CD picks up where Nothing Personal left off, utilizing identical instrumentation but with mostly different players. Bass clarinetist Marty Ehrlich offers an Eric Dolphy-inspired solo in the pianist’s wild setting of the standard “What Is This Thing Called Love?,” which begins in…

The big question that greets listeners encountering Al Green’s third Blue Note album, Lay It Down, is: what happens when you put that amazing soul-drenched voice in the hands of hip-hop producers Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson of the Roots and James Poyser, and add a slew of superstar guests? Answer:…

In 1990 singer Bobby McFerrin and pianist Chick Corea teamed up for six concerts that were as much about performance art and wacky comedy as about music; to many people’s surprise Corea proved to be as humorous as McFerrin. This CD features musical highlights from a pair of the…

Bobby McFerrin is heard in prime form throughout this date, which was the follow-up to his classic The Voice. A few of the numbers are taken unaccompanied, and these include memorable renditions of “Thinkin’ About Your Body,” “I Hear Music,” and “Mañana Iguana.” Pianist Herbie Hancock duets with McFerrin…

This was pianist Don Pullen’s final recording. A collaboration between the seven-voice Native American Chief Cliff Singers and Pullen’s African Brazilian Connection (a sextet with altoist Carlos Ward and trombonist Joseph Bowie), these performances are definitely not for jazz purists. Most of the music features the vocalists singing in…

Although it may be a bit of a simplification, on New Beginnings pianist Don Pullen sets up fairly simple structures (some of which could be grooves for Ramsey Lewis) and then, after stating the theme, tosses in playful runs that are often quite outside, essentially putting his original style from the 1960’s in a…

Drummer Bill Stewart (best known for having formerly been a regular member of John Scofield’s group) has been developing into a notable bandleader and composer himself. In fact, seven of the nine numbers on this CD are his (they are joined by Jackie McLean’s “Little Melonae” and an eccentric…

Bob Belden became well-known during the ’90s as an arranger and producer. Black Dahlia is the first full-length release of original music to appear under his name. It is a sweeping, ambitious work, featuring a large ensemble that includes the very finest jazz improvisers. The project was inspired by…

Belden seems to be among the small (but growing) number of jazzmen who can find gold in the rock generation’s song catalogs. Here is one of the richer lodes, all originally found on a single Carole King album called Tapestry, and Belden gives them an appealingly smooth, near-Wave treatment…