Trio Music
Artist: Chick Corea

Pianist Chick Corea had a reunion with bassist Miroslav Vitous and drummer Roy Haynes for this double LP, 13 years after they had recorded Now He Sings, Now He Sobs. The first half of this two-fer consists of duet and trio-free improvisations and is sometimes a touch lightweight even with moments of interest; playing free was not as natural to... Read More

Three Quartets
Artist: Chick Corea
Community Score: 10.00

This encounter between Chick Corea (sticking to acoustic piano), tenor saxophonist Michael Brecker, bassist Eddie Gomez, and drummer Steve Gadd lives up to expectations. The original program featured three lengthy "Quartet" pieces including sections dedicated to Duke Ellington and John Coltrane. The CD reissue adds four briefer pieces that were... Read More

Out of the Blue
Artist: Didier Lockwood

Violinist Didier Lockwood showed great potential when he first arrived on the scene, but despite some good sessions, he has not yet become the pacesetter one originally expected. This is one of his better recordings, a quartet outing with pianist Gordon Beck, bassist Cecil McBee and drummer Billy Hart. Other than "'Round Midnight" and an... Read More

Steps Ahead
Artist: Steps Ahead

The debut domestic recording by Steps Ahead (following three sets only released in Japan), features the 1982 version of the group: vibraphonist Mike Mainieri, tenor saxophonist Michael Brecker, pianist Eliane Elias (a young unknown at the time), bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Peter Erskine. The music is essentially high-quality funky fusion,... Read More

Vital Information
Artist: Vital Information
Community Score: 9.70

Pre-dating Steve Perry's solo endeavor by a whole year, Vital Information was a peculiar solo release in an age where singers from highly successful bands were the only ones permitted to venture off into solo endeavors. Steve Smith, the drummer from one of arena rock's best bands ever --Journey -- broke the taboo by assembling a small group of... Read More

American Garage
Artist: Pat Metheny Group

The back liner photo gives the impression of a grungy Midwestern garage band, but no, that doesn't describe this sophisticated jazz-rock quartet, which was simultaneously breaking into mass-market acceptance and away from the contemplative ECM stereotype. The arrangements are more structured, the playing often more intense and searching, with a... Read More

Standards, Vol. 2
Artist: Keith Jarrett Trio

One of three trio albums that pianist Keith Jarrett recorded with bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Jack DeJohnette during the same month, this second volume of Standards gets the edge over the first due to its slightly more challenging material. Jarrett, who has often taken himself a bit too seriously, is surprisingly playful at times in this... Read More

Standards, Vol. 1
Artist: Keith Jarrett Trio

In January of 1983, Keith Jarrett returned to the trio format and his collaboration with bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Jack DeJohnette resulted in three albums. The first release finds the trio digging into five standards with "God Bless the Child" being dragged out (although not unmercifully) for 15 minutes. The performances, which usually... Read More

Changes
Artist: Keith Jarrett

Unlike the other two Keith Jarrett trio recordings from January 1983, this collaboration with bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Jack DeJohnette does not feature standards. The trio performs the 30-minute "Flying" and a 6-minute "Prism," both of them Jarrett originals. "Flying," which has several sections, keeps one's interest througout while the... Read More

Peter Erskine
Artist: Peter Erskine

Drummer Peter Erskine's debut as a leader (originally made for Contemporary and reissued on CD in the OJC series) finds him using top players (most of whom had played with Steps Ahead) in various combinations. Erskine performs a few of his own originals (including an 11-minute "All's Well That Ends" and a short drum solo) plus "My Ship," Wayne... Read More

Live in Montreux
Artist: Chick Corea

This important live recording from 1981 features the great pianist with a stunning group: Joe Henderson on tenor sax, Gary Peacock on bass, and Roy Haynes on drums. Haynes worked with Corea on many prior occasions, and Henderson was about to collaborate with him on the Griffith Park albums of the early '80s, but this is the first time the three... Read More