All Categories — All Formats  

One of the nicest records we've heard from Jeff Parker in years – a trio date with some wonderfully rich sounds, and a great showcase for some of the more lyrical sides of his music! Parker plays in these great chromatic modes throughout – using some slight effects with his hollow-body electric, in the company of bassist Chris Lopes and drummer Chad Taylor – the latter of whom really helps make the album great, thanks to a fluid, open sense of rhythm – yet one that still always knows how to swing! There's more of a groove here than you might usually expect from Jeff, and a sensitivity too – and the album almost feels like the beginning of a rich new chapter in his career. Titles include "Mainz", "Swept Out To Sea", "Freakadelic", "Istvan", "Occidental Tourist", and "The Morning Of The 5th".

A pretty wonderful set of tracks led by guitarist Jeff Parker, one of the most enormously talented, and one of the busiest guys in Chicago! Jeff spends time working with a number of avant garde jazz and rock combos like the Chicago Underground Quartet, Aesop Quartet, New Horizons Ensemble and Tortoise – but steps into a pretty straight up bop-learned jazz mode for his first full length as leader. He's leading a trio with Chad Taylor on drums and some light guitar, and Chris Lopes on bass and a little flute. Parker's sprays warm, fluid guitar lines throughout that really light the thing up. It's really warmly captured by producer John McEntire, too. Tracks include "Like-Coping", "Miriam", "Days Fly By", "Holiday For A Despot", "Omega Sci Fi", "Roundabout" and more.

One of the nicest records we've heard from Jeff Parker in years – a trio date with some wonderfully rich sounds, and a great showcase for some of the more lyrical sides of his music! Parker plays in these great chromatic modes throughout – using some slight effects with his hollow-body electric, in the company of bassist Chris Lopes and drummer Chad Taylor – the latter of whom really helps make the album great, thanks to a fluid, open sense of rhythm – yet one that still always knows how to swing! There's more of a groove here than you might usually expect from Jeff, and a sensitivity too – and the album almost feels like the beginning of a rich new chapter in his career. Titles include "Mainz", "Swept Out To Sea", "Freakadelic", "Istvan", "Occidental Tourist", and "The Morning Of The 5th".

A beautiful tribute to the genius of trombonist/arranger Melba Liston – and a set that doesn't just copy her music, but really opens up a whole new spirit from its inspiration! Reedman Geof Bradfield composed all the tracks in the set, and puts things together with a spirit that's not unlike some of Melba's best arrangements for middle-sized groups – that way she had of making things tight, and rhythmically soulful – yet still allowing plenty of room for improvisation and individuality amidst the fuller picture of the tunes. Bradfield gets in plenty of great moments on tenor, soprano sax, and bass clarinet – and the rest of the group features Victor Garcia on trumpet and flugelhorn, Joel Adams on trombone, Jeff Parker on guitar, Ryan Cohan on piano, Clark Sommers on bass, and George Fludas on drums. Titles include "Central Avenue", "Dizzy Gillespie", "Detroit/Kingston", "Randy Weston", and "Homecoming" – and the set ends with vocals by Maggie Burrell on the tune "Let Me Not Lose My Dream".

The compositions of Cornelius Cardew, performed here with a distinctly Chicago inflection – in a relatively recent performance that is partially conducted by Art Lange, and featuring Jim Baker on Arp, Carrio Biolo on vibes, Jeb Bishop on trombone, Fred Lonberg-Holm on cello, and Jeff Parker on guitar. Given the relation of some of the players to Lonberg-Holm's Lightbox Orchestra, there's definitely a similar feel here – a sense of timing and interplay that illuminates Cardew's compositions nicely, in the hands of musicians who can understand the complexities of his work, and make the best of the freedoms he allows them. Titles include "Autumn 60", "Treatise", "Memories Of You", "Material", and "Octet 61 For Jasper Johns".

A beautiful tribute to the genius of trombonist/arranger Melba Liston – and a set that doesn't just copy her music, but really opens up a whole new spirit from its inspiration! Reedman Geof Bradfield composed all the tracks in the set, and puts things together with a spirit that's not unlike some of Melba's best arrangements for middle-sized groups – that way she had of making things tight, and rhythmically soulful – yet still allowing plenty of room for improvisation and individuality amidst the fuller picture of the tunes. Bradfield gets in plenty of great moments on tenor, soprano sax, and bass clarinet – and the rest of the group features Victor Garcia on trumpet and flugelhorn, Joel Adams on trombone, Jeff Parker on guitar, Ryan Cohan on piano, Clark Sommers on bass, and George Fludas on drums. Titles include "Central Avenue", "Dizzy Gillespie", "Detroit/Kingston", "Randy Weston", and "Homecoming" – and the set ends with vocals by Maggie Burrell on the tune "Let Me Not Lose My Dream".

One of the tightest, most soulful performances we've ever heard from Nicole Mitchell – a set that has her really hitting with an even more righteous sound than before! The session's a live one, recorded at Chicago's Velvet Lounge – and Nicole's in wonderful territory that's somewhere between the freer modes of the AACM, and some of the more spiritual sides of the post-Coltrane generation – carried off with a depth that almost reminds us of some of our early 70s favorites on Impulse Records. Players here include Jeff Parker on guitar, Josh Abrams on bass, David Young on trumpet, David Boykin on tenor, Tomeka Reid on cello, and Marcus Evans on drums – and Nicole herself plays flute, alto flute, and piccolo. Ugochi Nwaogwugwu sings on 3 of the album's tracks – and titles include "The Creator Has Other Plans For Me", "Life Wants You To Love", "Cause & Effect", "February", "Thanking The Universe", "Love Has No Boundaries", and "Black Unstoppable".

Nice little underground session from the burgeoning young Chicago scene – oddly released on a UK label! Drummer Ted Sirota leads a lively little quintet that includes Jeff Parker on guitar, Kevin Kizer on tenor, and Rob Mazurek on cornet – and the band has a warm lyrical feel, and a surprisingly mature approach to playing. The whole album features original compositions by the members of the group – many with the kind of creativity that we've come to expect from Mazurek's Chicago Underground groups. Titles include "Geronimo's Free", "Carolynn's Blues", "Lonely People", "La Danse De Janvier", and "Little Spots".

Another wonderful album from this groundbreaking Chicago combo! The group's now a permanent quartet, with the extremely great addition of Jeff Parker on guitar and electronics – and the album continues to push the boundaries of Rob Mazurek's unique sound. The liner notes on the back refer to a NY Times article that described the group's sound as "painterly", and to us, that's a pretty fair estimation of their sound. The group work in wide washes of sound – structured around conventional jazz traditions, but touched with a more abstract approach derived from their connection to the Chicago rock and experimental scene. Titles include "Warm Marsh", "Elroy", "504", "The World Has Changed", "Woman In Motion", and "Antiquity".

A pretty great turn for bassist Ingebrigt Haker Flaten – working here with a cool combo that includes some key players from Chicago – but in a groove that seems pretty new for everyone involved! Flaten plays electric bass in addition to acoustic – and at times, there's almost a fusion-like intensity to the music – not fusion exactly, but electrified improvisation, yet still with a sense of melody too – so that everything comes together in ways we really didn't expect. Jeff Parker's guitar is a key part of the record – and definitely shapes the sound here – and other players include Dave Rempis on alto and baritone sax, Jason Adasiewicz on vibes, and Frank Rosaly on drums. Titles include "Wells", "Irrational Ceremony", "Virgoan Ways", and "Rosewood Avenue".

Brilliant work from composer/arranger/creator Joshua Abrams – one of the most creative figures to come out of the Chicago scene in the past couple decades – no hyperbole necessary! On Represencing he's largely working with the guimbri – the North African traditional string instrument – as well organ, harps, bells and more. The guimbri gives the record an earthy, traditional base, but the incredible ensemble and all around creative spirit at play gives this such and incredible spirit! It's among his best records to date – and the players include Chad Taylor on drums and gong, Nicole Mitchell on flute, Michael Zerang on tambourine, Jeff Parker and Emmett Kelly on guitars, Tomeka Reid on cello, David Boykin on tenor sax, Jason Stein on bass clarinet and others. Titles include "San Anto", "Reprehensing", "Moon Hunger", "Sound Talisman", "Sungazer", "The BA", "Enter Mountain Amulet" and "Cloud Walking".

One of Eddie's last great records, and a smoking live set that has him singing with a group that includes Eric Kloss, Richie Kole, and Mickey Tucker playing some sweet electric piano. The vibe is more traditional vocalese than some of Eddie's other Muse recordings, with a return to the solid sound of his Prestige sessions from the old days. Titles include "Now's The Time", "Groovin High", "Red Top", "Parker's Mood", and "So What".

Rare French work from American pianist Errol Parker – 3 cool tunes used as the soundtrack for a film! "Des Garcons Et Des Filles" features a trio led by Parker, who plays some great piano, and also scats vocally with singer Rozaa Wortham – in this cool, catchy way that makes the tune a really mod groover! "Solange" features more great vocals, plus a bit of vibes too – a very French tune with a great 60s soundtrack feel. "Bluesoscope" is straighter piano work, but pretty great – and features Jimmy Woode on bass and Ron Jefferson on drums.

Charlie Parker classics in a variety of flavors – a great collection of material from the 50s, 60s, and 70s – all showing the huge influence of Bird's songwriting on the sound of modern jazz! The recordings here offer up a variety of formats, in a variety of different settings – piano jazz, guitar work, and hardbop horns – all pulled from the mighty vaults of Fantasy Records. Titles include "Parker's Mood" by Eddie Jefferson, "Scrapple From The Apple" by Blue Mitchell, "Yardbird Suite" by Art Pepper, "Confirmation" by Gene Ammons, "Now's The Time" by Frank Morgan, "Steeplechase" by Hampton Hawes, "Repetition" by Wes Montgomery, and "Billie's Bounce" by Johnny Griffin.

Beautiful beautiful record, and still one of the greatest jazz vocal albums ever made. The great King Pleasure sings in a raspy vocalese style similar to Jon Hendricks or Eddie Jefferson, but with a sense of warmth and delivery that the two of them never seem to reach. The set list here features a stellar batch of tracks with lyrics by Pleasure, including "The New Symphony Sid", "No, Not Much", "Parker's Mood", and "Golden Days". There's some great accompaniment by LA hard bop players like Teddy Edwards, Gerald Wiggins, and Harold Land, and the whole set sparkles with imagination and warmth. Plus, the liner notes include a cool set of notes about Pleasure's crazy philosophy called Planetism. Wild stuff!

One of the weirdest, wildest albums ever from Eddie Jefferson – a real standout classic that shows him retooling his sound for the 70s! After years of writing lyrics to James Moody and Charlie Parker tunes, Eddie lays out some crazy lyrics for modern jazz standards like "Freedom Jazz Dance" and "Bitches Brew", as well as "Night In Tunisia", which he'd never done before – and also offers up a great take on Cannonball's "Things Are Getting Better", not to mention Sly Stone's "Thank You Fallentinme Be Mice Elf Again"! There's a few more standard bop number in the mix too – like "Billie's Bounce" and "I Just Got Back In Town – and support is from a great group that includes Billy Mitchell on tenor, Joe Newman on trumpet, Sam Jones on bass, and Mickey Tucker on keyboards.