Smooth jazz guitarist Chuck Loeb expands his characteristically mellow sound to include funk, dance, and various other electronic rhythms on eBop. While not as exploratory or funky as one might have hoped, it does evince an organic creativity uncommon to most smooth jazz releases. Loeb is a talented musician often calling to mind the work of George Benson and Wes Montgomery, and his playing is impressive here. Similarly, such stellar guest artists as post-bop tenor saxophonist Chris Potter and trumpeter Randy Brecker help propel the somewhat average programmed groove tracks beyond the norm. ~ Matt Collar, All Music Guide

Synopsis

Louis Armstrong. "Satchmo." To millions of fans, he was just a great entertainer. But to jazz aficionados, he was one of the most important musicians of our times -- not only a key figure in the history of jazz but a formative influence on all of 20th-century popular music. Here for the first time is the full story of Armstrong's life and music -- told by award-winning author and fellow brassman James Lincoln Collier.

Set against the backdrop of New Orleans, Chicago, and New York during the "jazz age," Collier re-creates the saga of an old-fashioned black man making it in a white world. He chronicles Armstrong's rise as a musician, analyzes Armstrong's evolving musical style, and demonstrates how, almost single-handedly, he remodeled jazz and had an effect on rock, pop, and even classical music. He also sheds light on Armstrong's endless need for approval, his streak of jealousy, and perhaps most important, what some consider his betrayal of his gift as he opted for commercial success and stardom.

A unique biography, knowledgeable, insightful, and packed with information, it ends with Armstrong's death in 1971 as one of the best-known figures in American entertainment.

Summary for the Busy Executive: Interesting in the investigation of Ellington's personality and quite good describing the jazz work; disappointingly shallow on the extended works.

The first of three recordings with the young vibraphonist. The better cuts (#2,4,6) can be found on Why Shouldn't You Cry, along with the best of the other 2 dates. Chet sounds tired in most of the other cuts. Chet and "Lacky" re-recorded Why Shouldn't You Cry in 1987 and improved on it greatly. - Chetbakertribute.com

This two-CD set features the remarkable Eric Dolphy (tripling on alto, bass clarinet, and flute) during a concert in Sweden. Accompanied by an obscure but talented rhythm section (pianist Rony Johansson, bassist Kurt Lindgren, and drummer Rune Carlsson), Dolphy really stretches out on five of the seven numbers, particularly during a 2O and-a-half minute version of his blues "245." Other highlights include "Laura" (featuring Dolphy unaccompanied on alto), "Bag's Groove" (his only recording of that piece), and "I'll Remember April." With the exception of "245," all of the songs are bop standards, but Eric Dolphy's improvisations are typically unpredictable and adventurous. The recording quality is decent, making this a good set to get after acquiring Dolphy's better-known sessions. - AMG

One of the great figures in modern jazz, bassist Charles Mingus was the ultimate triple threat: a master of his instrument, a jazz composer of the first rank, and an insightful leader of a series of extraordinary and incendiary bands. Raised in Los Angeles, Mingus was a devotee of Duke Ellington, whose compositional style had an unsurpassed effect on the young composer. As a player, however, Mingus was drawn to his contemporaries, who included Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell, Charlie Parker, and Max Roach (indeed, Roach and Mingus co-owned their own Debut Records during the '50s). Perhaps his greatest contribution was bridging the gap between those two generations: in Mingus's music, one could always explicitly hear the continuity between the big bands and the bebop era, the affinity between the romantic and the modern. Although he had recorded extensively for numerous labels including his own Debut Records, Mingus's relationship with Atlantic would yield many of his greatest recordings. Cut in 1956, Pithecanthropus Erectus was his first date for the label, and it provided something of a breakthrough for Mingus in his use of extended compositions: the 10-minute title track, and the lovely "Profile of Jackie," are among the bassist's finest recordings. The band is notable for the inclusion of the under-recorded tenor saxophonist J.R. Monterose.
~ Fred Goodman

Chet pairs with the great pianist for an album of mostly original tunes. The absence of standards, along with some great arrangements, gives the CD a fresh, breezy feel. Here, Pieranunzi introduces Chet to "Nightbird", a tune that will become a regular until his last days. Baker sings on an odd "Animali Diurni", proving that Chet does well when singing standards, but original tunes usually don't work for him. The Chet once again reinvents "My Funny Valentine" by playing muted trumpet, something he rarely did for that song. ~ Chetbakertribute.com

Formerly known as The Breakfast Show, the music on this CD reissue was one of four albums cut by the Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis-Johnny Griffin quintet during a single evening. With swinging support provided by pianist Junior Mance, bassist Larry Gales and drummer Ben Riley, the two combative but complementary tenors stretch out on lengthy versions of Lockjaw's "Light and Lovely," "Straight No Chaser" and "I'll Remember April," plus more concise renditions of "Woody'n You" and Davis' "Bingo Domingo." The straight-ahead music contains plenty of sparks; this was a classic group. - AMG

A somewhat surprising pairing at the time, the former firebrand of the tenor sax and the wonderful South African pianist found a pleasant and relaxed meeting point. By 1978, Shepp had largely abandoned the ferocious attack that gained him renown in the '60s, settling on a rich, Ben Webster-ish tone and playing a repertoire consisting of modern standards and bluesy originals. Two such pieces, the lovely Dave Burrell/Marion Brown composition "Fortunato" and Mal Waldron's "Left Alone," are highlights of this session, Shepp's burnished tone as soft as an old shoe. Ibrahim is a fairly deferential partner here, generally preferring to play the role of accompanist, although certainly one sprinkling his work with plenty of ideas for Shepp to work off. But the prevailing sense of relaxation begins to pall after a while and one wishes for a bit more of the old rough and tumble that these two were surely capable of. Still, for those who enjoyed Shepp's mid-'70s dates for Arista/Freedom and Ibrahim's more subdued group efforts of the late '70s and early '80s, there's much good listening here. ~ Brian Olewnick, AMG

Bryan Lee (March 16, 1943[1] - ) is an American blues guitarist and singer based in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is also known by the nickname braille blues daddy and has been a fixture on Bourbon Street scene since the 1980s.

When Albert King made these sides for Fantasy Records in 1983, he hadn't seen the inside of a recording studio in nearly five years. Its release was cause for rejoicing. Unlike some of his mid-to-late Seventies sessions, on which his producers saddled him with overly busy arrangements, chirping female vocalists, and disco rhythms, San Francisco '83 (the album's original title) was pure Albert King with no unnecessary window dressing--just the tight, hard-kickin' four-man rhythm section he carried with him as the traveled up and down the blues highway. The compact disc editiion of the album contains two previously unissued tracks, one being a new rendition of "Crosscut Saw," originally a hit by King in 1967.