Jazz — All Formats  

A sweet Latin-styled set from trumpeter Herb Alpert – but one that's got a very different vibe than his faux Latin grooves of the 60s! The set here is done with key contributions from both Juan Carlos Calderon as a songwriter, and Jose Quintana as a producer – both talents who really help Herb reshape his groove in a mighty nice way! Backings are big, and somewhat smooth – as in the "Rise" era – but there's also some Latin jazz elements in the mix too, and an overall approach that isn't nearly as cluttered as you might expect for the time – with an especially strong emphasis on Herb's trumpet solos in the lead. The set was the first issued on the A&M Latin label – AyM Discos – and also features a bit of Spanish language vocals as well. Titles include "Fandango", "Route 101", "Angel", "Aria", "Sugarloaf", "Coco Loco", "Latin Medley", "California Blues", and "Push & Pull".

Ronnie Cuber's an overlooked monster in jazz – a hell of a player, and has been for decades – and one of the last few cats who can really handle a baritone sax! Cuber was late in a legacy of baritonists that included Pepper Adams, Sahib Shihab, Cecil Payne, and Lars Gullin – a youngster when all those players were getting old, but more than able to swing with the lean energy that made the 50s baritone sax players as important as the giants on tenor! Here, Cuber really demonstrates that legacy strongly – picking up the giant horn and handling it with effortless ease – producing these beautifully-blown solo lines that are nice and long, and filled with imagination – in the company of a combo that features Kenny Drew Jr on piano, Ruben Rodriguez on bass, and Ben Perowsky on drums. The recent date is a great reminder that Cuber can still cook heavily – and titles include "Passion Fruit", "Coco B", "Perpetuating The Myth", "Tell Me A Bedtime Story", and "Arroz Con Pollo".

The second Columbia album for this amazing Cuban combo – and a record that really helped get the talents of Irakere a lot of overdue exposure here in the US! The record's surprisingly tight – especially for a major label effort of the time – really committed to the deepest sides of Irakere's style, particularly their great way with a jazzy solo – and actually put together with a lot more focus and drive than some of their earlier Havana recordings! The album packs plenty of punch, right from the start – and has a sense of power and majesty that's still very strong, all these many years later. Titles include "Baila Mi Ritmo", "Gira Gira", "Anung Anunga", and "Por Romper El Coco".

A very groovy little set – one that features jazz guitar versions of a host of familiar tunes – including takes on The Pharcyde's "Runnin" and the Souls Of Mischief classic "93 Til Infinity"! The approach is very nice – mostly jazz guitar in the lead of the grooves, backed by some acoustic rhythms, some programmed – but all nice and gentle, and with a breezy feel that's mighty nice! The album's almost an update of an older CTI guitar jazz mode, refit with a 21st Century soul/funk influence – and other cuts include "Walk On The Wild Side", "Love Theme From Spartacus", "Who Needs Forever", "More Swing", "Hipnove Brazilian Suite", and "Coco".

Piano and bass, a beautiful combination – handled here in a relatively lively mode at the Village Vanguard! The album's filled with magical interplay between the piano of Bebo Valdes and bass of Javier Colina – ringing out in styles that definitely hearken back to Afro-Cuban roots, yet which also show a stronger jazz influence overall – particularly that more modern element that often happened when older Cuban players were set free to work in the US! Tracks are relatively short, yet filled with inventive twists and turns – and titles include "Rosa Musica", "Con Poco Coco", "Sabor A Mi", "Si Te Contara", "Bebo's Blues", and "Waltz For Debby".

An 80s fusion smoker from Billy Cobham – a set that's a lot more soulful and subtle than you might guess from the title, or from Billy's image on the cover – filled with warm keyboards, and nice little groove overall! The album's supposedly dedicated to Nelson Mandela – but while the songs have some slight African roots and titles, the overall feel is more in a soaring fusion mode – nicely restrained from Cobham's jamming 70s years, and with some nice little hooks that really send the tunes home. Billy plays both acoustic drums and some drum programs – and titles include "A Light Shines In Your Eyes", "Zanzibar Breeze", "Desiccated Coconuts", "Summit Afrique", "Tinseltown", "Schmagofatz", and "Times Of My Life".

The historic meeting of Stan Getz and Brazilian guitarist Joao Gilberto, with the surprisingly popular inclusion of Joao's then-wife Astrud. The record created a sound that was copied endlessly, and which catapulted Astrud to unbelievable fame worldwide – even though she was only included in the session at the last minute, because Joao couldn't sing in English! Includes the classic recording of "Girl From Ipanema", plus loads of other bossa classics like "Desafinado", "Cocovado", "O Grande Amor", and "Vivo Sonhando". Getz is impeccable, as he is on most of his bossa recordings, and Joao gives some of the best performances of his career.

Mayo Thompson's one of those cats with a might wide pedigree – roots in the Texas psyche scene, later years in Brit post-punk, years in Germany, and even a close collaboration with the Chicago jazz and rock crowds of the 90s! This set provides yet another great slice of Thompson's talents – a surprisingly wonderful collaboration with the quintet of drummer Sven-Ake Johansson – a group who play a bit more inside than usual in the company of Mayo, but give great showcase to his lead vocals and acoustic guitar. The tunes have those artier, poetic touches that Thompson opened up with in the 90s Red Crayola revival years – yet are also nicely understated, too – kind of mature and a bit less sure of themselves, which we like a lot. Other players include Axel Dorner on trumpet, Rudi Mahall on bass clarinet, Sten Sandell on piano, and Matthias Bauer on bass – and titles include "Save The House", "Born To Win", "Coconut Hotel", "Ravi Shankhar Parachutist", "War Dance", and "Transparent Radiation".