Remembering Bud Powell
Artist: Chick Corea

Pianist Chick Corea in 1996 gathered together some notable young all-stars (tenor-saxophonist Joshua Redman, trumpeter Wallace Roney, altoist Kenny Garrett, bassist Christian McBride, plus veteran drummer Roy Haynes) for explorations of tunes by the innovative pianist Bud Powell. Although "Bouncin' With Bud," "Tempus Fugit" and "Celia" have been... Read More

Unriel
Artist: Alex Riel

Riel, the Great Dane of European jazz drummers, joins the realm of the New York neo-bop crowd for his fourth disc as a leader. Tenor saxophonist Jerry Bergonzi, bassist Eddie Gomez, and either guitarist Mike Stern or pianist Niels Lan Doky, are more than equal partners, while Michael Brecker joins Gonz on the front line for two tracks. Riel is... Read More

From Here to the Moon - MILESTONE
Artist: Mad & Eddie Duran

Eddie Duran returns to the recording wars with a refreshingly retooled sound -- this time as co-leader with his wife, saxophonist/flutist Madaline "Mad" Duran. By this time, perhaps partially influenced by his wife being a reed player, Duran was tuning his guitar as a B-flat instrument, and this results in a heavier electric sound that gives... Read More

Live in Spain
Artist: Jazz Passengers

Artists ranging from Chaka Khan, Natalie Cole and Teena Marie to Sting have demonstrated that certain rock and R&B stars can successfully handle jazz-oriented or jazz-influenced situations if given the chance. Similarly, Deborah Harry made a radical departure from the type of pop-rock she was known for when, in the mid-'90s, she became the lead... Read More

Brian Blade Fellowship
Artist: Brian Blade

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 across the album, there is the sigh of a steel... Read More

KC After Dark: More Music from Robert Altman's Kansas City
Artist: Kansas City Band

A sequel to the fabulously successful soundtrack album from the film Kansas City, KC After Dark gathers together a second batch of tracks from the cutting-room floor with almost equally astonishing results. Again, one is struck by how director Robert Altman and producer Hal Willner were able to get these young neo-boppers, so buttoned-down and... Read More

Woodstock Jazz Festival, Vol. 2
Artist: Creative Music Studio

Vol. II of the 1981 Woodstock Jazz Festival recordings continues with an augmented combo on three long selections. An upbeat "Impressions" has alto saxophonist Braxton joining Corea/Vitous/DeJohnette. He plays impassioned, lemon-tart, sometimes frenetic, challenging lines, and the trio is even more energized by Braxton's musings as the 12½... Read More

Live at the Silvermine
Artist: John Mastroianni

The eight tunes on this CD (five of them Mastroianni originals) were recorded live over the course of two nights at a colonial-style inn called the Silvermine in Norwalk, CT, and the intimate setting is reflected in the music. Mastroianni's compositions tend to be a little bit on the abstruse side, but his playing is warm and inviting; so is... Read More

Brilliant Corners: The Music of Thelonious Monk
Artist: Bill Holman

Bill Holman's exploration of ten Thelonious Monk tunes is purposely a lot more Holman than Monk. Rather than trying to re-create the great pianist/composer's piano solos or small-group renditions of his songs, Holman picked out numbers that interested him and then avoided listening to Thelonious' versions. The one trait of Thelonious Monk's that... Read More

Telepathy
Artist: Bill Stewart

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 version of Thelonious Monk's "Rhythm-A-Ning"), and the... Read More

Gershwin's World
Artist: Herbie Hancock
Community Score: 7.00