Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue live at JazzBaltica 2011

Troy ‘Trombone Shorty‘ Andrews (tb, tp, voc)
Tim McFatter (sax)
Pete Murano (g)
Michael Ballard (b)
Joey Peebles (dr)

recorded live at Konzertscheune Salzau, July 1, 2011

1. Blackbird Special (Dirty Dozen Brass Band)
2. Right To Complain (Troy Andrews / PJ Norton)
3. Neph (Troy Andrews)
4. Let's Get It On (Topher Lafata)
5. On The Sunny Side Of The Street (Jimmy McHugh/ Dorothy Fields)
6. Feelin' Funky (Matata)
7. When The Saints Go Marching In (Trad.)

Troy 'Trombone Shorty' Andrews' is a rare artist who can draw both the unqualified respect of jazz legends and deliver a high-energy rock show capable of mesmerizing international rock stars and audiences alike. With such an unprecedented mix of rock, funk, jazz, hip-hop and soul, he had to create his own name to describe his signature sound: Supafunkrock! Andrews is the kind of player who comes along maybe once in a generation, and Backatown is the latest, clearest proof that his artistry is as singular as his raw talent.

Equally adept on trombone and trumpet, Andrews plays a variety of other instruments as well. He’s applied the same skill sets and fierce discipline to his vocal instrument, to soulful effect, as the album demonstrates. Surrounding Andrews is his band, Orleans Avenue—Mike Ballard on bass, Pete Murano on guitar, Joey Peebles on drums, Dwayne Williams on percussion and Dan Oestreicher on baritone sax—virtuosos every one.

“In our band we have people from different cultural backgrounds who listen to all kinds of different styles,” Andrews explains, “and when we get into our studio in New Orleans—we call it the Gumbo Room—we throw it all in and see how we can make it work as one thing, so that it’s not so left-field. We just try to make everything fit, you know, and I think that had a major effect on the record. We just banged a bunch of things out to see how they could work. We weren’t afraid to approach a bunch of different musical styles—rock music, R&B, whatever—just because there’s a horn in front. We just did what we do, and over time we developed something fresh. Making this record was a learning experience for us because, for the earlier records, we did them in like three days; this time we stayed in there for months in between tour dates, writing, picking things apart and reconstructing them. Ben knew what we needed to do, so we just followed his lead and he got it out of us.”

Roy Haynes Quintet live at Berliner Jazztage 1975

Roy Haynes Quintet
John Mosley (tp, flh)
William Saxton (ts, ss)
Mark Josipp Fiorello (g)
Donald Pate (b)
Roy Haynes (dr)
recorded live at Philharmonie, Berlin, November 8, 1975

Medley: Tranquil moods/ Footprints/ Bull Fight/ Cedrico

Roy Owen Haynes, born on March 13, 1925, in Roxbury, MA, is one of the few jazz musicians alive today whose roots touch the origins of jazz itself. Of West Indian descent, his first experience in music was observing his father, a church organist.
The drum legend made his professional debut at the age of seventeen in his hometown, working around Boston with pianist Sabby Lewis, Frankie Newton, and Pete Brown. In September of 1945, Roy Haynes made his New York City debut at the Savoy, playing in the big band pioneer Luis Russells group. Before long, he became drummer of choice for large and small  ensembles and in 1947 he joined Lester Youngs band, and two years later, Charlie Parkers. From late 1940s through mid-1950s, Haynes worked with such greats as Miles Davis, Bud Powell, and Kai Winding. He toured with Sarah Vaughan for five years before joining Thelonious Monks band in 1957.
Roy Haynes is one of the most recorded drummers in jazz, but it wasnt until 1958 that he released his first album as a leader: We Three (Original Jazz Classics) with pianist Phineas Newborn and bassist Paul Chambers.
While periodically leading his own bands, he has also worked with artists like Billy Taylor, Hank Jones, Art Pepper, Ted Curson, Joe Albany, Horace Tapscott, and as an itinerant drummer in a variety of settings. He has enjoyed an occasional playing relationship with Chick Corea, dating back to their Stan Getz days and joined Coreas Trio Music band in 1981. Hayness bands have included some of the more exceptional young musicians on the scene, ranging from his Hip Ensemble to his various quartets.
In the last sixty-plus years, Roy Haynes has shaped some of the most important recordings in Jazz history, transforming the role of the percussionist from timekeeper to front-line collaborator. Before the innovations of Jo Jones, Sid Catlett, Kenny Clarke, Max Roach and Roy Haynes, jazz drummers were timekeepers. These percussion masters redefined the role of the drummer. Haynes in particular, extracted the rhythmic qualities from melodies and created unique new drum and cymbal patterns. Rather than using cymbals strictly for effect, Haynes brought them to the forefront of his unique rhythmic approach. His idiosyncratic style, now instantly recognizable, was the inspiration for his nickname, Snap Crackle.
In August of 2004, Haynes became the 101st inductee into the DownBeat Hall of Fame. In 2005, DownBeat Critics Poll awarded him their prestigious Drummer of the Year plaque, as did the Jazz Journalists Association (JJA) and Jazziz Readers Poll. Honorary doctorates from Berklee and the New England Conservatory were added to his many other achievements including the JAZZPAR prize in 94, the French Chevalier des lOrdes Artes et des Letters in 96, Zildjians American Drummers Achievement Award in 98, and the PAS Hall of Fame Award, and in 2003, the Downbeat Critics Poll and Readers Poll for best drummer. The JJA awarded Haynes its Lifetime Achievement Award in June 2006.
In 1975 he led his own quintet and toured throughout europe. One of those concerts was released as "Jazz a confronto" on Italian label HORO, a rare and hard to find LP.

Nik Bärtschs Ronin live at Jazzbaltica 2011

Nik Bärtsch - Piano, E-Piano
Sha (Stefan Haslebacher) - Bass Clarinet, Bass Flute, Alto Saxophone
Thomy Jordi - E-Bass
Kaspar Rast - Drums
Andy Pupato - Percussion
recorded live at Jazzbaltica Salzau, July 2, 2011

Modul 47
Modul 52, 55, 49-44
Modul 47

With the zen-funk quintet RONIN founded in 2001, Nik Baertsch, a composer and pianist from Zurich, proceeds with his work on RITUAL GROOVE MUSIC. Their music consistently follows the same aesthetic vision under various instrumental guises: creating the maximum effect by minimal means.

Despite the multiplicity of the band’s influences, Ronin’s music always possesses a strong individuality. They incorporate elements of disparate musical worlds, be they funk, new classical music or sounds from Japanese ritual music.
However, these forms are never merely juxtaposed in a post-modernist fashion but instead amalgamated into a coherent new style. Ultimately, these sounds and rhythms are highly idiosyncratic. The music consists of very few phrases and motives, continually combined and layered in new ways. Ronin thus creates a consistent aesthetic across all levels of musical expression. Composition, phrasing, sound structure, performance, and musical form all combine to form a system of interrelated elements.

Their latest album "Llyria" was released in 2010 on ECM.

Ack van Rooyen All Stars live at JazzBaltica 2010

Ack van Rooyen, flh
Johannes Enders, ts
Chris Potter, ts
Don Friedman, p
Martin Wind, b
Matt Wilson, dr
recorded live at Konzertscheune Salzau, JazzBaltica July 3, 2010

1. Softly as in a Morning Sunrise (Oscar Hammerstein)
2. Old Folks (Dedette Lee Hill, Willard Robison)
3. Almost Everything (Don Friedman)
4. For Clara (Don Friedman)
5. Darn that Dream (Jimmy Van Heusen, Eddie DeLange)
6. Short Cut (Paul Heller)

Ack van Rooyen's career in the jazz circuit and as a studio musician covers a broad spectrum. Born on New Year's day 1930, he graduated cum laude from the Royal Conservatory of the Hague in 1949. He subsequently joined the Arnhem Symphony Orchestra where he played until 1952. In the meantime his interests were turning more to jazz and improvistation.
On a student trip to the United States with his brother Jerry and Rob Pronk, they heard the new sounds being created on the New York's 52nd street and were among the first to introduce the New Music to Holland.
A period of interaction with leading musicians in larger and smaller formations throughout Europe followed. Returning to Holland he established himself in the Hilversum studio's. Than to France for three years playing with the Aimé Barelli Orchestra during which time he was also active on the Paris jazz scene.
Moving on to Germany, Ack joined the newly formed SFB Bigband in Berlin, and later the SDR Orchestra in Stuttgart. During this period he toured and recorded with the Bert Kaempfert Orchestra as a featured soloist. Together with Wolfgang Dauner and Albert Mangelsdorff he toured Asia and South America. He is a charter member of the United jazz and Rock Ensemble as well as Peter Herbolzheimer's Rhythm combination and brass. He has played with Clark Terry and the Gil Evans Orchestra on their European tours.
Prensently Ack is based in Holland where he works with his own quintet, the Dutch Jazz Orchestra, the Jazz orchestra of the Concertgebouw and in Duo with Joerg Reiter. He teaches the Royal Conservatory of the Hague and leads workshops and coaches Bigbands throughout Europe.

Together with pianist Joerg Reiter he released two duo albums on mood records called "Music for Piano and Flugelhorn".

David Fiuczynski’s KiF Express live in Köln 2009

David Fiuczynski – g, eb
Steve Jenkins – eb
Louis Cato – dr
recorded live at Stadtgarten, Köln, March 16, 2009

1. Phoenix rising (David Fiuczynski)   
2. Sakura (Ying Hua) (David Fiuczynski)
3. Habibi Bounce (Lian Amber, David Fiuczynski)
4. Shiraz (David Fiuczynski)
5. Moonring (David Fiuczynski)
6. Sakalahachi (David Fiuczynski)

Iconoclastic and prolific jazz-rock guitarist David ‘Fuze’ Fiuczynski, a jazz player who“doesn’t want to play just jazz”, has been hailed by the world press as an incredibly inventive guitar hero, who continues to deliver with music that is unclassifiable, challenging and invigorating. An innovative musician who has released nine CD’s and a double live DVD, Fuze is best known as the leader of the Screaming Headless Torsos.
Fuze’s recordings are an experimental mix of tradition with modern sounds and rhythms, a melange of funk-rock jazz, ambient textural improvisations, world-music elements, metal, reggae, house, dub, drum&bass and other new grooves topped with Fuze's unique writing, extraordinary soundscapes and passionate soloing. In response to the less than supportive environment for his unusual and uncompromising music in the corporate recording industry, David started a record label, FuzeLicious Morsels, to release his own recordings, with a current catalog of nine CD’s and the live DVD. The first CD, “JazzPunk”, was released to great critical acclaim in 1999. A recording of standards and covers written by Fuze’s idols and mentors, each tune was reworked in Fuze’s distinctive musical combinations. His 2000 CD, “Amandala” by Headless Torsos, is an instrumental continuation of Screaming Headless Torsos. Other releases are “Black Cherry Acid Lab", a mixture of funk-rock, rap and punk with vocalist Ahmed Best and saxophonsist Mark Shim, and “KiF” a world-funk-jazz group featuring electric five-string cellist Rufus Cappadocia, both released in June 2003. In 2008 Fuze released another KiF CD, which is a continuation of his interest in blending Eastern sounds with Western grooves; and a David Fiuczynski guitar instructional DVD.
In addition to being a prolific writer, arranger and bandleader, David has recorded and performed with some of the highest profile jazz artists working today. Fuze has appeared on over 95 albums by other artists, toured extensively with many of them, and with his own and other groups, has been featured at most of the world’s major jazz festivals. A full list of David’s musical career highlights follows.

Erik Truffaz Quartet live at Moments, Bremen 2011

Erik Truffaz, Trumpet
Marcello Giuliani, Bass
Benoit Corboz, Keyboard
Alberto Malo, Drums
Anna Aaron, Vocals
recorded live at Moments, Bremen, April 4, 2011

1. The Secret Of The Dead Sea (Benoit Corboz, Marc Erbetta, Marcello Giuliani, Erik Truffaz)
2. Akiko (Patrick Muller, Marc Erbetta, Marcello Giuliani, Eric Truffaz)
3. Wilfried (Patrick Muller, Marc Erbetta, Marcello Giuliani, Erik Truffaz)
4. Tic Toc (Patrick Muller, Marc Erbetta, Marcello Giuliani, Erik Truffaz)
5. Mechanic Cosmetic (Benoit Corboz, Marc Erbetta, Marcello Giuliani, Erik Truffaz)

6. Arroyo (Patrick Muller, Marc Erbetta, Marcello Giuliani, Erik Truffaz)
7. In Between (Benoit Corboz, Marc Erbetta, Marcello Giuliani, Erik Truffaz)
8. Bending New Corners (Patrick Muller, Marc Erbetta, Marcello Giuliani, Erik Truffaz)
9. Fujin (Benoit Corboz, Marc Erbetta, Marcello Giuliani, Erik Truffaz)
10. Miss Kaba (Patrick Muller, Marc Erbetta, Marcello Giuliani, Erik Truffaz)
11. The Drain Act (Anna Aaron)
12. Let Me Go! (Benoit Corboz, Marc Erbetta, Marcello Giuliani, Erik Truffaz)
13. Nobody Puts Baby In The Corner (Patrick Muller, Marc Erbetta, Marcello Giuliani, Erik Truffaz)

Swiss trumpet player Erik Truffaz has hooked up with his former musical accomplices to turn out a dark, melancholy album, In Between. His trumpet soars through the sound of rigged keyboards and accompanies the voice of singer Sophie Hunger.
After three years and three albums springing from some fruitful partnerships (Benares, Paris and Mexico), Erik Truffaz has gone back to his old quartet. Close friend Benoît Corboz has taken up the keyboards formerly played by Patrick Muller, and brought his rigged
Hammond organ and his Rhodes piano into the studio. Sophie Hunger, one of Erik’s Swiss compatriots, joined the musicians to record one of the compositions, Let me go! and a cover version of an obscure Bob Dylan number, Dirge.
The slow, sad track that opens the album sets the tone for the whole opus. The secret of the dead sea, with its vocal and drum blend, unites the chantings of the Hammond organ with those of Truffaz’s trumpet. The musician explains: "The album is pretty sombre and sad. But we didn’t set out to do it that way. Each of us comes to the studio with more or less finished compositions and then we root out a sound together.  It’s only afterwards that we discover the result.” The musician has dropped the electronic effects of yore and placed his new silver-incrusted instrument centre stage, producing an ampler sound that at times approaches the flute.
It is the keyboards that provide the effects – dreamlike sounds, like on Mechanic Cosmetic, a track created from one of the quartet’s very modal improvisations. The more agitated Lost in Bogota, which the Rhodes piano turns almost funky, is a long way from the D&B rhythm of BC One, an ethereal tune created and dissected by Benoît Corboz. In Between propagates a hushed (dis)quiet, with the trumpet playing softly and the drums taking back stage before the Rhodes piano comes whirling in.
In Between is in constant oscillation – flitting from past to present, joy to sadness, life to death.

Gary Lucas & Phillip Johnston Sextet Fast’n’Bulbous: The Captain Beefheart Project live in Köln 2009

Photo (c) by Lars Klove

Pat Irwin: guitar
Phillip Johnston: alto saxophone
Dave Sewelson: baritone saxophone
Rob Henke: trumpet
Jacob Garchik: trombone
Jesse Krakow: bass
Richard Dworkin: drums
recorded live at Stadtgarten, Köln, March 16, 2009

1. Abba Zaba
2. Woe-is-uh-me bop
3. Ice Rose
4. A carrot is as close as a rabbit gets to a diamond
5.Dali ́s Car
6.Dropout Boogie
7.The Blimp
8.Trust us
9.You know you ́re a man
10.When I see mommy I feel like a mummy
11. Tropical Hot Dog Night

All compositions by Don van Vliet

What Is Fast 'N' Bulbous?
Songlist: The repertoire is drawn from the entire range of Beefheartiana, from Safe As Milk through Ice Cream For Crow, (and concentrating heavily on Troutmaskreplica.)
Description of Music: The idea is to use the compositions of Don Van Vliet as a vehicle for improvisation and arranging. The band consists of a steady crew of seasoned improvisers from both the worlds of avant-garde jazz and rock, who will render the music in both a tribute and a creative adventure in improvising. We use the horn section to take the place of the vocals, as well as transmute this guitar-based music into ensemble interplay, between horns and guitar and rhythm section.
First performances of the group were in Reggio Emilia, Italy, Brugge, Belgium, and Bremen, Germany in October of 2001. On Feb 9th, 2002, the group made its New York debut, in a sold-out show at The Knitting Factory that included a reading by Mike Barnes from his biography of Captain Beefheart, and a program of rare videos of Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band.
Subsequent gigs include Leonard Nimoy Thalia at Symphony Space (sold-out), Joe’s Pub, the 2002 Saalfelden Jazz Festival, the Walker Art Center (sold-out) & Wexner Center in Columbus, Ohio, and the 2004 Frankfurt Jazz Festival. 

The debut CD from Fast 'N' Bulbous "Pork Chop Blue Around The Rind" was released on Cuneiform Records in 2004.

The reason for Gary Lucas actually NOT playing on this concert is explained with the following letter:

Dear promoter,
we  just received information about a tragic incident: yesterday evening Gary Lucas walking in the streets  of Montreal on his way to a concert, slipped on the icy sidewalk, fell and broke his arm; it´s not just a simple fracture, but a complicated, serious injury.
This is a real tragedy and  may have a serious impact on Gary´s further career as a musician.We are still under the shock of this message. Nevertheless we must take action immediately. Phillip  Johnston and the rest of the band would be ready and willing to come to Europe to do the tour that is scheduled to start next week. Musically they´d do their very best and would make  the music happen in the spirit of Captain Beefheart and Gary Lucas!!!

NDR Big Band feat. João Bosco live in Sao Paolo 2007

João Bosco, vocals, guitar
Kiko Freitas, drums
NDR Big Band
Jörg- Achim Keller, cond
compositions by João Bosco
arrangements by Wolf Kerschek

recorded live at Sala Sao Paolo, May, 14, 2007

1. Incompatibilidade de Gênios
2. Quilombo Suite
Solo: Christof Lauer, ss
3. O ronco da cuica
Soloists: Nils Landgren, tb; Reiner Winterschladen, tp; Kiko Freitas, dr, Marcio Doctor, perc
4. Linha da passe
Solo: Sebastian Hoffmann, tb
5. O bêbado e a equilibrista

First discovered by Tom Jobim and Vinícius de Moraes, the brilliant composer/vocalist/guitarist Joao Bosco is one of the main figures of MPB (Música Popular Brasileira). His 2006 release Obrigada Gente! Ao Vivo (Universal Brazil) has sold over 100,000 copies in his homeland. In Europe he is one of the secret pearls of Brazilian singer-songwriter music still to be discovered by a larger audience. Admired as a versatile vocalist and a dynamic performer, Bosco has been noted for his singular fusion of Arab culture, Afro-American music and Brazilian styles bossa nova influenced by American jazz. "Senhoras Do Amazonas" is a studio album with Germany s NDR Big Band that stemmed from the joint Brazilian tour in 2007. 

NDR Big Band & Bob Brookmeyer: Question & Answer

Trumpets: Thorsten Benkenstein, Ingolf Burkhardt, Claus Stötter, Reiner Winterschladen
Saxophones: Fiete Felsch, Peter Bolte, Christof Lauer, Lutz Büchner, Frank Delle
Trombones: Dan Gottshall, Klaus Heidenreich,  Stefan Lottermann, Ingo Lahme
Chris Goossens, piano; Stephan Diez, guitar; Ingmar Heller, bass

John Hollenbeck, drums, Marcio Doctor, percussion
Bob Brookmeyer, cond

recorded live at NDR Studio 1, Hamburg, December, 2010

1. Christmas Tree
Soloist: Lutz Büchner, cl
2. Running In Place
Soloist: Lutz Büchner, ts
3. Verticals
Soloist: Ingmar Heller, b
4. Wedding Song
Soloists: Fiete Felsch, fl; Chris Goossens, p; Dan Gottshall, tb
5. Eleven
Soloists: Klaus Heidenreich, tb; Lutz Büchner, ts
6. Q & A

Composer, valve trombonist and conductor Bob Brookmeyer is about to celebrate his upcoming 80th birthday. Bob Brookmeyer is the foremost jazz composer working today. He has also taught many of today’s leading jazz composers including Maria Schneider and Jim McNeely.
He is a walking history of jazz, having performed with, and written for, a list that encompasses almost the entire history of the music. He worked regularly with Stan Getz, Gerry Mulligan, Jim Hall, Mel Lewis, Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra and also with Count Basie and Woody Herman, to name only a few.

For this project he joined forces with the NDR Big Band to re-record some originals he had recorded earlier but not released on CD because he wasn´t pleased with the results.

His latest big band album "Spirit Music" features his own New Art Orchestra with some of Europe´s finest big band players.

NDR Big Band & Wolfgang Haffner: Homerun - The Best Of The Last 20 Years

 Photo © by: ACT / Steven Haberland

NDR Bigband
Trumpets: Thorsten Benkenstein, Ingolf Burkhardt, Claus Stötter, Reiner Winterschladen
Saxophones: Fiete Felsch, Peter Bolte, Christof Lauer, Lutz Büchner, Frank Delle
Trombones: Dan Gottshall, Klaus Heidenreich,  Stefan Lottermann, Ingo Lahme
Vladyslav Sendecki, piano; Stephan Diez, guitar; Ingmar Heller, bass; Marcio Doctor, percussion
Jörg Achim Keller, cond
Wolfgang Haffner, drums
recorded live at Studio 1, NDR Hamburg, June 2010

1. Homerun
Soloists: Frank Delle, bs; Dan Gottshall, tb; Wolfgang Hafner, dr
 2. Round Silence
Soloists: Peter Bolte, as; Stefan Lottermann, tb
3. The Real Thing
Soloists: Lutz Büchner, ts; Dan Gottshall, tb
4. Star
Soloists: Lutz Büchner, ts; Ingolf Burkhardt, tp; Wolfgang Hafner, dr
5. In The Space Between
Soloists: Fiete Felsch, flute; Klaus Heidenreich, tb; Wolfgang Hafner, dr; Marcio Doctor, percussion
6. Goodbye Again
Soloists: Vladyslav Sendecki, piano

Wolfgang Haffner has for years been regarded as Germany’s number one jazz drummer.
Haffner was born on December the 7th 1965 in Wunsiedel /Germany as the son of a church music director. From age 6 he had piano and drum lessons. When Haffner was 18, Germany’s most famous jazz musician Albert Mangelsdorff hired him into his band. Since then Wolfgang Haffner has been a member of Klaus Doldinger’s Passport (1989-2000), Joe Haider (1986-1994), Al Porcino (1985-1992) and US-superstar Chaka Kahn’s band (1994-1995). He has been a member of US-fusion band “Metro” (with Chuck Loeb, Mitch Forman and Victor Bailey) since 1994. From 1994-2004 he was drummer with the “Old Friends”, and he has been a member of Nils Landgren’s Funk Unit since 2002. Haffner also plays in trumpeter Till Brönner’s band. He has also produced albums for a number of artists. In 2004 he was responsible for the production of Iceland’s super band Mezzoforte’s CD “Forward Motion”. Countless tours have led him a few times around the world.
Having played several years with the NDR Big Band as the band´s regular drummer, he rejoined forces with his old friends for this retrospective featuring the best of his compositions rearranged for big band.
His latest album "Round Silence" was released on ACT.

HR Big Band feat. Cæcilie Norby live in Bad Hersfeld 2010

Photo © ACT / Isak Hoffmeyer

Cæcilie Norby | voc
Örjan Fahlström | cond
HR Big Band:
Frank Wellert, Thomas Vogel, Martin Auer, Axel Schlosser | tp
Günter Bollmann, Peter Feil, Christian Jaksjø | tb
Manfred Honetschläger | bass-tb
Heinz-Dieter Sauerborn, Oliver Leicht | as
Tony Lakatos, Julian Argüelles | ts; Rainer Heute | bs
Martin Scales | g;  Peter Reiter | p; Thomas Heidepriem | b; Jean Paul Höchstädter | dr

recorded live at  Stadthalle Bad Hersfeld, October 10, 2010 & Jazztival Bühl, October 8, 2010

1. Girl Talk (Neal Hefti / Bobby Troup)
Soloist: Tony Lakatos, ts
2. My Man (Cæcilie Norby)
Soloists: Martin Scales, gt; Rainer Heute, bs; Peter Reiter, p
3. Just One Of Those Things (Cole Porter)
Soloist: Jean Paul Höchstädter, dr
4. First Conversation (Cæcilie Norby)
Soloist: Tony Lakatos, ts
5. Man's Got Soul (Curtis Mayfield)
Soloists: Heinz-Dieter Sauerborn, as; Martin Scales, gt
6. Naked In The Dark (Cæcilie Norby)
Soloist: Axel Schlosser, tp
7. Set Them Free (Sting)
Soloist: Peter Feil, tb
8. Life On Mars (David Bowie)
Soloist: Thomas Heidepriem, b
9. I Had A Ball (Jack Lawrence and Stan Freeman)
Soloist: Julian Argüelles, ts
10. The Dead Princess (Maurice Ravel/ Lyrics: Cæcilie Norby)
11. Spinning Wheel (David Clayton-Thomas)
Soloist : Axel Schlosser, tp

Musical pigeonholes have never interested Danish singer Cæcilie Norby: “I have always been in search of catchy melodies – if you want to have a hit in the pop world, you need a strong melody. In jazz the central subject is that which opens a piece and, in classical music, even the grandest orchestral arrangements may become boring and flat if they aren’t carried by a natural melody.” For Norby it is the melody that is the essence of music, and the decisive criteria according to which she evaluates and chooses music which is free of any genre boundaries. It is an approach which mirrors her extraordinary career and is probably also the secret of her success.
As the daughter of classical musicians – her mother, Solveig Lumholt, was an opera singer and her father, Erik Norby, was a composer – it was the discovery of jazz with its bluesy, swinging and cool moments which brought the decision to follow in her parents’ footsteps. A short while later, whilst still a teenager, she got caught up in the maelstrom of rock and pop music with its raw energy and catchy tunes. As a traveller between these different musical worlds she quickly made a name for herself, beginning with her funk jazz band “Frontline” which won all the Danish jazz awards going in the early Eighties.
Her latest project “Arabesque” is her debut for ACT. It is an ambitious, possibly even pioneering project which brings together her career up until now, reflected through the influence of the classical music of her childhood. For the first time, Norby has written song texts for classical pieces, particularly from the Impressionist period (which represents the majority of the 15 tracks on the album).

John Scofield & WDR Big Band live in Köln 2011

John Scofield, gt

Michael Abene, cond, arr

WDR Big Band Köln:

Johan Hörlen, Karolina Strassmayer, Olivier Peters, Paul Heller, Jens Neufang: saxophones

Ludwig Nuss, Marshall Allan Gilkes, Hans-Jürgen Fink, Mattis Cederberg: trombones

Andy Haderer, John Marshall, Wim Both, Rob Bruynen, Klaus Osterloh: trumpets

Frank Chastenier, keys; John Goldsby, bass; Hans Dekker, drums

recorded live at Philharmonie, Köln, May 21, 2011

1. Let the Cat Out

Soloists: Karolina Strassmayer, as; Frank Chastenier, org; John Scofield, gt

2. Hive

Soloists: John Scofield, gt; Andy Haderer, tp

3. Chicken Dog

Soloists: John Scofield, gt; Marshall Gilkes, tb

4. Keep Me In Mind

Soloists: John Scofield, gt; John Marshall, tp

5. Introduction of the band by Michael Abene

6. Go Blow

Soloists: Johan Hörlen, as; John Scofield, gt

7. The Guiness Spot

Soloists: John Scofield, gt; John Goldsby, b

8. Still Warm

Soloists: John Scofield, gt;  Paul Heller, ts; Hans Dekker, dr

9. Easy For You

Soloists: John Scofield, gt; Paul Heller, ts;

10. Sin And Misery

Soloists: John Scofield, gt; Frank Chastenier, p; Johan Hörlen, as

11. Pigs And Pans

Soloists: John Scofield, gt; Ludwig Nuss, tb; Hans Dekker, dr

Even before it went steeply uphill for John Scofield in 1982, he was in great demand as a guitarist, whether with Charles Mingus or Gary Burton. Then Miles Davis took him into his band, and Scofield recorded for him his to the present day distinctive sound in legendary fusion records such as Decoy. Today we can no longer imagine the pool of the five worldwide most influential jazz guitarists without Scofield and his characteristic creaking single notes. It is an honor for the WDR Big Band that Scofield himself is coming to lend his most famous pieces orchestral pulse and groove. Bandleader Michael Abene contributed the new arrangements. 

Last year another great arranger (Vince Mendoza) with another fine big band (Metropole Orkest) released a record featuring John Scofield, entitled 54.

Miles Davis Group live at Berliner Jazztage 1971

Miles Davis (trumpet)

Gary Bartz (saxophone)

Keith Jarrett (electric piano, organ)

Michael Henderson (bass)

Ndugu Leon Chancler (drums)

Charles Don Alias (percussions)

James Mtume Forman (percussions)

recorded live at Philharmonie Berlin, November 6, 1971

1. Directions (J. Zawinul) (incomplete)

2. Honky Tonk (M. Davis)

3. What I Say (M. Davis)

4. Sanctuary (W. Shorter-M. Davis)

5. It's About That Time (M. Davis)

6. Funky Tonk (M. Davis) (incomplete)

Just one year before this concert, Miles recorded a string of live dates  at the Cellar Door with a similar group and a similar repertoire. Read here parts of the allmusic.com review by Thom Jurek:
"Davis was keen on having Columbia record his live sets, and pressured them to do so for these four nights, just a week before Christmas in 1970. This set is a solid look at what's in-the-can, since the vast majority of these tracks -- three hours' worth of them -- have never seen the light of day in any form.
This music reveals a truly muscular Miles Davis at the top of his form as an improviser and as a bandleader with the most intense and nearly mystical sense of the right place-the right time-the right lineup. These shows, played in a club instead of a concert hall, provided a virtual laboratory for possibilities Davis was exploring. The money for the gig was nearly non-existent compared to what he was used to making playing halls, so he paid the band out of his own pocket.
The music here fades in with Joe Zawinul's "Directions." There is a five-note bass figure that repeats almost constantly throughout, offering DeJohnette a solid bass from which to enhance the groove and dance around. From the beginning, Davis is blowing his ass off, soloing furiously in the middle register. Jarrett is filling the space, playing both a Rhodes and an organ at the same time. When Bartz begins to solo on soprano, the deep, funky groove is well-established, giving the musicians room to dig in and let loose. Jarrett's solo is like a spaced-out Sly Stone, offering back the groove and then building on it like a man possessed. He matches both DeJohnette and Henderson with a slippery, utterly rhythmic sense of pure groove and then moves them somewhere else until Davis brings them back.
Disc two opens with Jarrett, Henderson, and Airto locking horns in a ferocious groove on "What I Say" that has the members of the audience showing their appreciation with shouts of "Yeah!" and "Blow!" and "You Go!" Jarrett's solo at the beginning is unlike anything he has ever played -- before or since. As they move through the set and get to "Inamorata," the gate to heaven and hell is wide open. The spaced-out blues in "Honky Tonk" reveals Davis' total mastery of the wah wah he employed in so much of his material of the time. "Inamorata" is wildly funky, dirty, and outright nasty in places. But the middle sections offer, as Bartz notes in his liner essay, the kinds of vocalese concepts that are reflected in his solo, Davis' solo, and in the actual voices of Airto and Henderson.
The Cellar Door Sessions set is like a combination of the Tribute to Jack Johnson set and the complete It's About That Time disc, with a watershed of information providing a complete bridge from one phase of that exploratory period in Davis' career to another. As Jarrett observes in his liner essay (each bandmember has one) after this date, Davis never played with a group as musically sophisticated again. And for all the ego displayed in stating this, one may tend to agree with him. Lavishly packaged and annotated, The Cellar Door Sessions is the last great reissue of the year 2005, and an essential testament to the genius Davis displayed in weaving together exploratory jazz, funk, and rock." 

Maceo Parker „Roots Revisited“ live in Bremen 1990

Maceo Parker, Alto Saxophone
Pee Wee Ellis, Tenor Saxophone
Fred Wesley, Trombone
Larry Goldings, Hammond B3
Rodney Jones, Guitar
Bill Stewart, Drums

recorded live at Modernes, Bremen, November 7, 1990

1. McGriff’s Blues (Rodney Jones)
2. For The Elders    (Fred Wesley)
3. Up And Down East Street (Maceo Parker)
4. Let’s Go Funky (a.k.a. Southwick) (Maceo Parker)

5. Peace Fuge (Fred Wesley)

Maceo Parker is a funk monster. He started his career playing saxophone for James Brown. He left the Godfather of Soul to join none other than George Clinton and the legendary Parliament, before going back with James Brown and later on Bootsy Collin’s own band. His own website pretty clearly states that there would be no funk music without Maceo Parker-that might be a little much, but he did help out a lot. Yet in 1990, Maceo Parker decided to put aside his funky nature (well on some tracks) in exchange for some old fashioned jazz and soul music for his now legendary album "Roots Revisited". The mixture of all three is very entertaining.
This CD gave him a chance to stretch out as a leader, and his soulful horn immediately brings to mind Hank Crawford and (to a lesser extent) Lou Donaldson. With a strong backup group that includes Pee Wee Ellis on tenor, trombonist Fred Wesley, and Don Pullen on organ, Parker enthusiastically plays over infectious grooves with just one funky departure ("In Time"). Roots Revisited is a throwback to the 1960s soul-jazz style and Maceo Parker gives one the impression that, if called upon, he could hold his own on a bebop date.

The second Roots installment, "Mo' Roots" was cut minus Pullen and Collins, leaning a little more toward the instrumental soul side. Three fine originals in conjunction with covers of Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding, Horace Silver, and Lionel Hampton.

Rolf Kühn & TRI-O live at Jazzclub "Unterfahrt", Munich 2011

Rolf Kühn (Clarinet)

Ronny Graupe (Guitar)

Johannes Fink (Bass)

Christian Lillinger (Drums and Percussion)

recorded live at Jazzclub "Unterfahrt", Munich, March 2, 2011

Lifeline (Rolf Kühn)

Changing the Umbrella (Joachim Kühn)

Mamarazzi (Rolf Kühn)

Positive Reflections (Rolf Kühn)

Canaveral (Ronny Graupe)

Since the death of Albert Mangelsdorff, clarinetist Rolf Kühn, born in Köln and turning 82 this September, is Germany's elder statesman in jazz. He has played with such diverse figures as Jack Sheldon and Tony Oxley and his voluminous output has included trad, free and fusion, all featuring his quirkily modern compositions. Rollercoaster, Kühn's first disc for Jazzwerkstatt, finds him leading a trio whose combined age barely exceeds his. But Kühn doesn't look and certainly doesn't play old, presenting a fresh program of nine tunes written by himself, brother Joachim, group guitarist Ronny Graupe and Ornette Coleman. It is often said that the best avant-garde players are those thoroughly steeped in the classics; Kühn embodies this and his band responds with both respect and urging.