Kenny Garrett: Pursuance - The Music of John Coltrane (1996)

Pursuance: Music Of John Coltrane is Kenny Garrett's tribute to John Coltrane. Working with musicians like Pat Metheny, Brian Blade, and Rodney Whitaker, Garrett creates a loving tribute, one that is respectful to Coltrane's legacy but one that doesn't mimic his sound. It's a moving record that reveals more layers every time you listen to it.

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Pursuance (RS) / Pursuance (HF) / Pursuance (DF) @ 320K

Joshua Redman: Timeless Tales (1998)

On Timeless Tales, saxophone hero Joshua Redman examines ten popular standards from a variety of musical eras. Opening with a expansive version of "Summertime," Redman's tone is both hearty and buoyant. With the tasteful accompaniment of Brad Mehldau on piano, Larry Grenadier on bass, and Brian Blade on drums, he covers a range of once-contemporary pop and rock classics including "Eleanor Rigby," "The Times They Are A-Changin," and even a tune by Prince. Using the tenor, alto, and soprano saxophones in his instrumental arsenal, Redman reveals a vibrant imagination while staying solidly within the mainstream of jazz. Embracing beautiful ballads like "How Deep Is the Ocean" and jaunty old compositions like "Love for Sale," Joshua Redman exhibits discerning taste in his chosen selections and distinctive playing style. --Mitch Myers

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Timeless Tales (RS) / Timeless Tales (HF) @ 320K

Danilo Perez: ... till then (2003)

With Till Then, Danilo Perez pays tribute to popular composers he feels have made a difference in the world. Though the Panamanian pianist offers a few original compositions, the work of other composers — well-known, consequential people — is the main focus of this Tommy LiPuma-produced CD. Some of the more myopic people in the jazz world will automatically assume that if Perez is using jazz to salute popular composers, he must be thinking of Tin Pan Alley. But in fact, there are no Tin Pan Alley standards on Till Then — no George Gershwin, no Irving Berlin, no Cole Porter, no Harry Warren. And that's just as well because as dynamic as those legends were, worthwhile popular music didn't end with Tin Pan Alley (contrary to what the Stanley Crouch/Wynton Marsalis crowd would have listeners believe). Perez, thankfully, is smart enough to realize that — and on Till Then, he finds the acoustic post-bop possibilities in melodies by Stevie Wonder ("Overjoyed") and Joni Mitchell ("Fiddle and the Drum") as well as several Latin American legends, who range from salsa innovator Rubén Blades ("Paula C") to Brazilian star Milton Nascimento ("Vera Cruz"). Perez has long had a pan-Latin outlook — in other words, he looks to different parts of the Latin world for musical inspiration — and Till Then reflects that. Anyone who interprets Chico Buarque's "Trocando Em Miúdos" (another great Brazilian melody), Cuban artist Silvio Rodríguez' "Rabo de Nube," and Chilean singer Violeta Parra's "Gracias a la Vida" on the same CD obviously isn't limiting himself to any one particular area of the Latin spectrum. While Till Then is far-reaching and unpredictable, it's also focused and cohesive; clearly, Perez knows exactly what he's doing on this inspired addition to his catalog.

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... till then (RS) / ... till then (HF) @ 320K

Wayne Shorter: Alegria (2003)

Following the release of the critically acclaimed Footprints Live!, this CD is saxophonist/composer Wayne Shorter's first studio recording as a leader since the Grammy-winning 1994 release, High Life. Shorter is joined by pianists Danilo Perez and Brad Mehldau, bassist John Patitucci, drummers Terri Lyne Carrington and Brian Blade, and percussionist Alex Acuna. Backed by a superb woodwind and brass ensemble, this project offers a comprehensive and sophisticated presentation of Shorter's music, from the Andalusian airs on "Vendiendo Alegria" by Antonio Molina to a reincarnation of "Capricorn II" from his mid-'60s Miles Davis days. Shorter's soprano and tenor playing is his most expressive in years, and producer Robert Sadin (who worked on Herbie Hancock's Gershwin's World and Kathleen Battle's So Many Stars) has provided Shorter with his most poignant sonic setting on record. --Eugene Holley, Jr.

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Alegria (RS) / Alegria (HF) @ 320K

Joshua Redman Elastic Band: Momentum (2005)

Once again featuring the expansive keyboard talents of Sam Yahel, saxophonist Joshua Redman's Momentum features more of the '70s-influenced jazz the former "young lion" experimented with on 2002's Elastic. Bringing to mind works by such iconic artists as Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, and especially Eddie Harris, Redman digs into sundry groove-oriented tracks such as the driving and punchy "Sweet Nasty," which finds Yahel and Redman soloing hard over drummer Jeff Ballard's James Brown-ready dance beat. Interestingly, Redman conscribes some heavy sidemen to help stir the funk this time around with bassists Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and jazz-pop iconoclast Me'Shell NdegéOcello adding their signature styles to their respective tracks. Similarly, Roots drummer ?uestlove, drummer Brian Blade, vibraphonist Stefon Harris, and guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkle contribute much with appearances here. However, it is organist Yahel who sets the musical tone for the whole album, adding in bubbly ambient synth sounds, clavinet, and Rhodes piano throughout. With all these talents at Redman's disposal it is disappointing that Momentum isn't more adventurous. When set next to such classics of '70s funk as Davis' On the Corner or Hancock's Head Hunters, Redman's album is just too polite and controlled to really live up to such comparisons. Also, the album relies a bit too heavily on in-studio gimmickry such as when trumpeter Nicholas Payton — who also released his own paean to '70s fusion with Sonic Trance — solos with himself overdubbed like a trumpet section on "Put It in Your Pocket." The result ultimately comes off as cheesy and gives the impression of a premeditated improvisation rather than a free flow of ideas. It is also unfortunate that some of the best cuts on the disc like the frenetic and angular "Showtime" are merely short interludes that are never fully developed. Momentum may loose some steam as it goes along, but with such talents on board it is still a fun and funky ride.

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Momentum [lossless, scans] Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 (MU) / Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 (RS) / Momentum (HF)

Wayne Shorter Quartet: Beyond the Sound Barrier (2005) mp3 @ 320K

Recorded live on three different continents (Europe, America, and Asia) from 2002-2004, Beyond the Sound Barrier finds Wayne Shorter leading the same acoustic-oriented post-bop quartet he led on his 2001 recording, Footprints Live!; the veteran tenor and soprano saxophonist is joined by pianist Danilo Pérez, bassist John Patitucci, and drummer Brian Blade. But if Beyond the Sound Barrier should be considered a sequel to Footprints Live!, it is far from a carbon copy. While Footprints Live! contained several Shorter pieces that have become jazz standards (including "Atlantis," "Footprints," and "Juju"), Beyond the Sound Barrier places more emphasis on new material. Half of the eight selections are new, and the rest of the CD ranges from Arthur Penn's "Smilin' Through" (the theme from the 1941 movie) to two pieces from Shorter's Joy Ryder album of 1988: "Over Shadow Hill Way" and that album's title track. No one will accuse Beyond the Sound Barrier of being standards-oriented, and the quartet doesn't go out of its way to be accessible; this is definitely one of Shorter's more cerebral releases. But the material is rewarding if one is broad-minded enough to appreciate Shorter and his younger colleagues at their most intellectual, and the audiences' enthusiastic applause — not just polite applause, but enthusiastic applause — indicates that they have no problem comprehending all the abstraction and angularity that is taking place. Beyond the Sound Barrier falls short of essential, but it's a solid demonstration of the fact that Shorter — who was in his late sixties and early seventies when these performances were recorded — wasn't afraid to be challenging and keep taking chances in the early 2000s.

Joshua Redman: Elastic (2002)

Coming fast on the heels of Redman's collaborative Yaya3 date with the same players (organist Sam Yahel and drummer Brian Blade), Elastic is more about pop/soul-funk than jazz, but it doesn't sacrifice any of Yaya3's organic feeling and improvisational focus. Here Yahel plays not only Hammond organ, but also Fender Rhodes, clavinet, and other assorted electric keys. Redman makes liberal use of overdubbing and signal processing, much of which is surprisingly subtle. The result is quite a lot of sound for three people, quite a lot of inspired blowing, and quite a lot of stylistic ground covered. Highlights include the agitated, over-the-top "Still Pushin' That Rock," the tight funk and involved lines of "Jazz Crimes" and "News from the Front," and the slow gospel of "Can a Good Thing Last Forever?" Redman seems fond of the Rhodes-soprano sax combination, particularly on mellower themes like "The Long Way Home" and "Unknowing." While one has to admire Redman's musical open-mindedness, his writing can take on a middle-of-the-road quality at times; on this record it surfaces on "Boogielastic". It says something that Yahel contributed the most alluring piece, a short-and-sweet song in five called "Oumou."