Artist: Keith Jarrett
     Album: Paris Concert
     Label: ECM
     Year: Oct 17, 1988
     Release: 1990
     Genre: Jazz, Post-Bop, Free, Improvisation
     Format, bitrate: mp3, 320 kbps
     Time: 50:17
     Size: 115 MB
     AMG Rating:

     The self-imposed quarantine on solo concerts over, Keith Jarrett returned to the improvisatory format that he virtually invented, mellower and more devotional than ever. Indeed, within the 38 minutes of solo improvisation captured at Paris's Salle Pleyel, Jarrett pulls further away from the old rousing (and thoroughly American) gospel, blues and folk roots of earlier concerts toward a more abstract concept. Opening with a soaring, lyrical canonic melody, he rambles through his familiar obsessive hammering, grand tremolos, and the like before topping it off with an ethereal tune that turns somber. There are two encores -- Russ Freeman's "The Wind," awhich begins with a brief swatch of Steve Reich-like minimalism but swiftly turns reflective the rest of the way, and "Blues," a welcome if brief return to one of the pianist's root sources. Again, Jarrett's virtuosic abilities are never in doubt, and he rarely flaunts his technique for its own sake, but one senses that the inspiration level is down; one doesn't come out of the CD all charged up as with many earlier solo concerts. ~ Richard S. Ginell, All Music Guide

     Artist: Gabriela Montero
     Album: Plays Chopin, Falla, Ginestera, etc. (Includes Bonus CD)
     Label: EMI Classics
     Release: September 13, 2005
     Format, bitrate: m4a
     Time: 104:11
     Size: 370 mb
     AMG Rating:

     Artists:Larry Carlton and Robben Ford
     Album: Live in Tokyo
     Label: 353 Records
     Year: 2006; release: Mar 26, 2007
     Format, bitrate: mp3 @320 kbps
     Size: 131 mb

The history of jazz includes unlikely but successful collaborations as well as examples of people who should have gotten along but didn't. Miles Davis' economy, restraint and understatement were quite a contrast to John Coltrane's lengthy, stream of consciousness solos, and yet, they made great jazz together. Stan Getz and Chet Baker had a lot in common musically and should have collaborated time and time again; however, they couldn't stand one another. And then there are musicians who know they have a lot of musical common ground and act on that knowledge, which is what guitarist Larry Carlton and singer/guitarist Robben Ford do on this live disc (which was recorded in Tokyo, Japan in September 2006). The fact that Carlton and Ford (who knew each other from Tom Scott's L.A. Express back in the mid-'70s) have a lot of common ground does not mean that their guitar playing is identical; Carlton is essentially a jazzman who has been greatly influenced by rock, soul, funk, and blues, while Ford is essentially a bluesman who has been greatly influenced by jazz, rock, soul, and funk. Neither are purists -- Carlton isn't a jazz purist any more than Ford is a blues purist -- and the fact they have eclectic tastes as well as similar tastes makes them logical allies musically. Live in Tokyo cannot be neatly lumped into any one category; jazz, blues, rock, and funk are all part of the musical equation, and Carlton and Ford clearly enjoy a strong rapport on memorable performances such as Carlton's "Burnable" and Ford's "That Road." Ford doesn't do a lot of singing on this 64-minute CD; in fact, "Talk to Your Daughter" is the only vocal offering on a mostly instrumental disc. Live in Tokyo is a rewarding example of what can happen when two musicians who have much in common musically get together.

     Artist: Bob Berg
     Album: Riddles
     Label: GRP Records
     Year: 1994
     Recording Date: Apr 29, 1994-May 10, 1994
     Format, bitrate: mp3, 320 kbps
     Time: 49:33
     Size: 102 MB



     Bob Berg, whose tenor playing often hints at Michael Brecker, is heard leading a medium-sized group (ranging from five to seven pieces) that often includes Gil Goldstein's accordion and Jim Beard's keyboards on this CD. The music is a bit poppish in spots but the solos are of a generally high caliber with Berg sounding most original on soprano. ~ Scott Yanow, AMG

     Artist: Various Artists
     Album: As Long As You're Living Yours: The Music of Keith Jarrett
     Label: BMG
     Year: 2000
     Release: April 4, 2000
     Format, bitrate: FLAC
     Time: 58:42
     Size: 100+100+100+52 MB

     The songbook craze wheels around to the compositions of Keith Jarrett, which ought to be an oxymoron since we're dealing with an artist who usually makes up things on the wing. Yet it works, for not only does this package isolate and spotlight some nice tunes by the prolific pianist; it also honors his eclectic bent by roaming all over the spectrum in search of diverse idioms. Bruce Hornsby is delightfully funky on piano in a second-line New Orleans treatment of "Backhand," which goes through some riotous passages. Pianist Chucho Valdes bumps through "U Dance" with the unorthodox help of baritone saxophonist Jay Rodriguez, while guitarist John Scofield is relaxed as he meanders through "Coral." Book of Ways, the Jarrett album recorded on a clavichord, is represented by "9" as played by classical violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg and Bob James on electric piano, and a string quartet scrapes determinedly away at "10." Mike Mainieri overdubs vibraphone upon marimba to produce satisfyingly rich tubular textures on "Starbright," and Jimmy Greene backs his soprano saxophone with nothing but Lord Jamar's drum and keyboard programming on "The Cure." Of course, there is also straight-ahead mainstream improvisation -- such as that from tenor Joe Lovano and trumpeter Tom Harrell on "Shades of Jazz" -- but most of the time, the combinations are odd and even zany. There aren't too many truly imaginative songbook albums around, but luckily, the Jarrett tribute is one of them. ~ Richard S. Ginell, AMG

     Artist: Bob Mintzer & Michael brecker
     Album: Twin Tenors
     Label: Novus
     Release: Jun 28, 1994
     Format, bitrate: mp3, 320 kbps
     Size: 120 MB
     AMG rating



     Bob Mintzer and Michael Brecker appear together and individually on this date for Novus from the early '90s, joined by a fine rhythm section consisting of pianist Don Grolnick, bassist Michael Formanek, and drummer Peter Erskine. Mintzer is the dominant voice on the CD, playing without Brecker on six of the nine tracks and contributing five originals. His moving ballad "Tenorman's Lament" is a warm tribute to Wayne Shorter, while the driving blues "The Saxophone" is bursting with energy. Brecker is on hand for a joint romp through John Coltrane's "Giant Steps" (a second version features only Mintzer), Mintzer's intricate blues"Two T's," and on his own for a lush interpretation of "Body and Soul," the latter which is combined in a medley with Mintzer's setting of "Everything Happens to Me." While the CD title is a bit misleading, the performances are consistently at a high level. With the demise of the label, this out of print release has turned into a sought-after collectable. ~ Ken Dryden, AMG

     Artist: Eugen Cicero
     Album: Swinging The Classics On MPS
     Label: Universal
     Years: 2002
     Genre: Classical-Jazz Hybrid
     Format, bitrate: mp3, 320 kbps
     Size: CD 1 - 156 MB; CD 2 - 169 MB


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     Artist: The Bad Plus
     Album: Prog
     Label: EmArcy / Heads Up
     Year: 2006; Release: May 8, 2007
     Format, bitrate: MP3, 320 kbps
     Size: 160 MB

     Free from the confines of major label machinery, The Bad Plus returns to its independent roots fully rejuvenated with Prog, its fifth studio album and first on its own Do The Math imprint (distributed by Heads Up). Although a three-album tenure on Columbia Records brought The Bad Plus far greater recognition than its self-titled 2001 debut on the indie label Fresh Sound, it also seemed to gradually sap the trio of its vivaciousness.
     What was once a mark of distinction has become ubiquitous, as numerous jazz artists now mine the same contemporary pop landscape for inspiration. More than just masterful improvisers with a penchant for recasting unlikely populist material into ripe frameworks for improvisation, The Bad Plus delivers some of its finest writing to date. The infectious originals (mostly penned by bassist Reid Anderson) easily hold their own to the selected cover tunes, no easy feat considering their iconoclastic nature. >> more >>

     Artist: Keith Jarrett with Stuttgarter Kammerorchester
     Album: Mozart Piano Concertos
     Label: ECM
     Year: 1996
     Format, bitrate: mp3, 320 kbps
     Size: Disc 1 130 MB, Disc 2 160 MB

The German label ECM offers some provoking thoughts on Mozart's music, especially his piano concertos, on a double album featuring pianist Keith Jarrett, with the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra conducted by Dennis Russell Davies. I almost said "jazz pianist" Keith Jarrett, for that is what he was invariably called for years until he began to explore the classics out in the open. His best-known previous classical recording was Bach's Goldberg Variations in which he exhibited some similarities to the legendary Glenn Gould in terms of digital clarity and freedom of expression. Critics were divided over whether this was a welcome return to a style once considered utterly unique, or a reprehensible form of imitation.

Now Jarrett has brought his clean, no-nonsense sound to Mozart, who can probably survive it just as well as Bach. A caution up front: if you think a jazz artist playing classical means he's "jazzing it up," forget about it. But neither is he trying to be somebody entirely different just to prove he's not "inferior." I don't hear anything defensive in Jarrett's approach to this music. Neither is he trying to veer wildly from the norms of Mozart interpretation just to be cute. He seems to have thought this music through by the lights of a professional musician, not with some extra-musical agenda in mind. He deserves to be given the respect due a master who on this occasion happens to be playing the music of a dead white composer instead of a living black one. Whatever you think of his artistry, don't judge him by preconceptions or stereotypes.

The album offers three of Mozart's greatest piano concertos, Nos. 21 (whose slow movement was so famously used in the film Elvira Madigan), 23, and 27. As a bonus, the set includes one of Mozart's greatest symphonies, No. 40 in G Minor, and the Masonic Funeral Music, K.477-not the most cheerful piece, naturally, but a shatteringly moving one, especially considering its brevity (under six minutes). ~ Amazon.com

     Artist: Mörglbl
     Album: Jäzz for the Deaf
     Label: Laser's Edge
     Release: Jun 2, 2009
     Genre: Jazz-Rock
     Format, bitrate: mp3, 320 kbps
     Size: 125 MB


It isn't hard to see how Mörglbl came up with the humorous title Jäzz for the Deaf for this album; combining jazz with hard rock, the French power trio (Christophe Godin on electric guitar, Ivan Rougny on electric bass, and Aurélien Ouzoulias on drums) doesn't hesitate to crank up the decibels. One can think of Mörglbl's approach as Scott Henderson & Tribal Tech by way of the instrumental hard rock shredders (Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Randy Coven) with hints of Primus' eccentricity and angularity (although Mörglbl, unlike the vocal-oriented Primus, are strictly instrumentalists). Godin's guitar crunching can be quite metallic, which isn't to say that Jäzz for the Deaf is full-fledged heavy metal or alternative metal. There can be a fine line between metal and hard rock, of course; considering the way that Van Halen, Mötley Crüe, AC/DC, and so many others have been a part of both metal and hard rock, it isn't surprising that the terms heavy metal and hard rock have often been used interchangeably. But Jäzz for the Deaf's influences are really more hard rock than outright metal; nonetheless, there is no question that this 2009 release rocks aggressively hard, and Mörglbl combine that high-volume aggression with plenty of nuance and jazz complexity. No one would mistake this 61-minute CD for straight-ahead bop, but it would be a mistake to say that Mörglbl are strictly rock instrumentalists. Godin improvises in a way that shows an appreciation of both jazz guitarists and hard rock shredders, and Ouzoulias sounds like the sort of drummer who could happily listen to Alex Van Halen one minute and Tony Williams or Jack DeJohnette the next. Although fusion (as opposed to smooth jazz) isn't as plentiful in the 21st century as it was in the 1970s, quality fusion can still be found if one knows where to look for it -- and quality fusion can definitely be found on Jäzz for the Deaf. ~ Alex Henderson, AMG

     Artist: John Scofield
     Album: The Best Of
     Label: Blue Note
     Recording Date: 1989 - 1995; Release: Nov 12, 1996
     Format, bitrate: mp3, 320 kbps
     Time: 56:49
     Size: 124 MB
     AMG Rating:

     Many highlights of Scofield's work from his late 1980s-early 1990s tenure on Blue Note are included in this collection, which features cameos from Pat Metheny, Joe Lovano, Randy Brecker, and Bill Frisell among many other all stars. Also included is material from Hand Jive, Scofield's collaboration with Eddie Harris, and an unreleased take on Wayne Shorter's "Tom Thumb."~ by Jason Ankeny, AMG

     Artist: Keith Jarrett
     Album: Händel: Suites for Keyboard
     Label: ECM New Series
     Year: 1993,release:1995
     Genre: Classical
     Format, bitrate: mp3, 320 kbps
     Size: 160 MB

Having paid tribute to Johann Sebastian Bach in a sequence of New Series recordings of the Well-tempered Clavier, the Goldberg Variations and the French Suites, Keith Jarrett now turns his attention to Bach's near contemporary, Georg Friedrich Händel. The project, in fact, has been in preparation for a long time; Jarrett's liner note informs us that he first began to record Händel's keyboard suites some 20 years ago. The present recording is of particular interest for a number of reasons and not least because it is the first of his albums of baroque music to feature the piano - as opposed to harpsichord - since Book One of the Well-tempered Clavier was issued in 1988. Where, in his Bach recordings, Keith Jarrett has striven to obliterate his musical personality ("This music does not need my assistance"), he feels Händel's "basically unknown" solo keyboard music needs a measure of special pleading. And, though he has gone to "the least tampered with editions" of the suites in the interests of "correctness both musicological and musical", in making the case for their reassessment he permits himself some interpretive leeway in matters of tempi and phrasing. The result is an extremely attractive reading of seven of the Suites for Keyboard that can perhaps be more readily related - particularly in the adagio movements, where Jarrett takes full advantage of the lyrical warmth and textural richness of the material - to aspects of the pianist's improvised recordings than can his Bach interpretations. (Or, to put it another way, these pieces, in the right hands, retain the freshness of improvisation). "Händel was a keyboardist, " Jarrett notes, "and his keyboard works should occupy a higher position in our awareness than they do." Keith Jarrett's playing on this recording invites comparison with his interpretation of Dmitri Shostakovich's 24 Preludes and Fugues Op. 87 (a work that creates a bridge, via Bachian inspirational sources, from the baroque to the "modern"). Jarrett's Shostakovich prompted John Rockwell to declare, in the pages of the New York Times: "With this recording, Mr. Jarrett has finally staked an indisputable claim to distinction in the realm of classical music. Even in our multicultural, multistylistic age, it is extremely difficult to cross over from one field to another. Mr. Jarrett, having long since established himself in jazz, can now be called a classical pianist of the first rank." ~ ECM New Series

     Artists: Gary Burton and Keith Jarrett
     Album: Gary Burton and Keith Jarrett
              (also contains the Gary Burton's "Throb" LP)
     Label: Rhino
     Year: 1969
     Format: APE Lossless
     Time: 74:55
     Size: 465 MB (4x100 + 55) + scans 10 MB
     AMG Rating:

     Two of vibraphonist Gary Burton's albums from 1969-1970 are reissued in full on this single CD. Burton teams up with pianist Keith Jarrett for five numbers (including four of Jarrett's originals) in 1970, using a quintet that also features guitarist Sam Brown, bassist Steve Swallow, and drummer Bill Goodwin. The other session has more of an avant-country flavor, with Burton, Swallow, and Goodwin joined by guitarist Jerry Hahn and violinist Richard Greene; Michael Gibbs and Swallow contributed most of the obscurities. Burton was at his most explorative during this period, which is why he can be considered one of the pioneers of fusion (although his music never really fit into a tight category). This is excellent music that mostly still sounds fresh. ~ Scott Yanow, AMG

     Artist: Mike Stern
     Album: Big Neighborhood
     Label: Heads Up
     Year: 2009
     Release: Aug 11, 2009
     Genre: Jazz
     Format, bitrate: mp3, 320 kbps
     Time: 69:49
     Size: 126 MB

     Like all the legends he ever worked for or with, from Miles Davis to Jaco Pastorius, Billy Cobham to the Brecker Brothers, the five-time Grammy nominee has learned over the course of his 26-year recording career 33 since he got his breakthrough gig with Blood, Sweat & Tears something about the nuanced art of collaboration. Not only does it take a village to make a great, boundary-stretching jazz recording, the wild excursions on his second Heads Up date seem to be shouting, as it actually involves a whole Big Neighborhood. On this diverse 12-track set, whose styles range from blazing jazz fusion to African-tinged exotica and trippy Middle Eastern journeys, Mike Stern invites a few of his pals back who populated his similarly eclectic 2006 label debut Who Let the Cats Out? Especially significant is the renewed invitation extended to Richard Bona, whose rumbling bass and spirited vocalese bring authenticity to the highly spiritual African vibes of "Reach." Looks like Stern's got a little crush on the brilliant young bassist/vocalist Esperanza Spalding, whose voice, he says, knocks him out. Pairing her with drum great Terri Lyne Carrington isn't just a cool, girl-power endeavor. The two have genuine chemistry with the guitarist; "Song for Pepper" drifts dreamily with Spalding's endearing vocalizations, and "Coupe de Ville" darts and swings playfully as Bob Malach's sax and Stern's strings weave through the rhythmic foundation forged by Spalding and Carrington. Finally, Stern swings the door open to a lot of fresh melodic and improvisational ideas via his jazz-rock cohorts Eric Johnson (playing it cool on the moody, soulful "6th Street") and Steve Vai (wailing like crazy on the searing title track). He goes artsier with "jam band godfathers" Medeski, Martin & Wood, who help spin a wild blues-rock web on "Check One" and cool to a simmer on the more pop/rock-oriented "Check One." There's also an appearance by Stern's old friend, Randy Brecker. This is one block party jazz fusion fans won't want to miss in 2009! ~ Liner Note Author: Bill Milkowski.

     Artist: Scott Henderson
     Album: Tore Down House
     Label: Mesa
     Release: 1997
     Format, bitrate: mp3, 320 kbps
     Time: 60:08
     Size: 157 MB (100 + 57)
     AMG Rating

This album resonates with sheer power. Like a steamroller tearing down a house, Scott Henderson and company comes shining through with Tore Down House, a gripping list of songs that beg the listener to truly appreciate the blues. Throughout the compilation, Henderson explores his diverse range of blues improvisation, using a plethora of pedals and effects, but not as so to diminish the full strength of the classic Fender Strat sound. "Dolemite" gets the jam going with a spontaneous free-for-all blues session. "I Hate You" is a romantic, witty ballad seemingly coming from the lost decade of the '50s. "Darling you ruined my life/so I hate you and I always will," sings guest Thelma Houston with chants of "You suck" in the background, granting a message of what one would feel about those who can't stand to be around that certain someone that's destroying their life. "Take this job and shove it./I'm going to guitar school," shouts the fiery Henderson in the rocking blues breaker, "Gittar School." With six other surprises featured on Tore Down House, it's a sure bet the first time listener of this artist's art will become a longtime fan. His band features a splendid group of experienced blues rockers, such as the likes of Pat O'Brien on harmonica, Dave Carpenter on bass, Kirk Covington on drums, Scott Kinsley on keyboards, and a host of sax, trumpet, and other brass players. This is a hands down classic blues album and a must for those who are crazy for the genre. ~ Shawn Haney, AMG

     Artist: Aziza Mustafa Zadeh
     Album: Inspiration: Colors & Reflections
     Label: Columbia
     Year: 2000
     Genre: crossover jazz, jazz vocal
     Format, bitrate: mp3, 320 kbps
     Time: 83:25
     Size: 185 MB (100 + 85)

Aziza Mustafa Zadeh was born on December 19, 1969, in Baku, Azerbaijan, in the former USSR, into a musical family. Her father, Vagif Mustafa Zadeh, a pianist and composer, became famous by creating a fusion between jazz and the traditional Azerbaijani music known as mugam. Her mother, Eliza Mustafa Zadeh, was a classically-trained and professional singer from Georgia who then collaborated with her husband in his musical endeavors. Having studied classical piano from an early age, and despite her enthusiasm for the compositions of Johann Sebastian Bach and Frйdйric Chopin, she soon began displaying a gift for improvisation. ”I didn’t practice enough,” she admits. ”If I don’t feel like playing then I don’t play.” So impressive were her talents that a prestigious squad of jazz musicians chose to join her in the studio for 1995’s Dance of Fire. Many novice artists might have been intimidated, overawed, by a line up comprising guitarist Al Di Meola, bassman Stanley Clarke, former Weather Report drummer Omar Hakim, and saxophonist Bill Evans, but once again Aziza produced an album unmistakeably imbued with her particular inclinations.

     Artist: Keith Jarrett Trio
     Album: Inside Out
     Label: ECM
     Year: 2000, release: 2001
     Format, bitrate: mp3, 320 kbps
     Time: 78:04
     Size: 187 MB (100 + 87)
     AMG Rating

For many years, the trio of Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock, and Jack DeJohnette has been taking jazz standards and expanding them via improvisation into an entire language that reflects not only the history but also the eternal present of jazz. Many have wondered if Jarrett would ever return to the "free" style of playing he did in the 1960s on releases for Columbia, Atlantic, and Impulse! It would be both impossible and unreasonable to expect a musician like Jarrett and his sidemen for that matter to return to the fold of an innocence they lost long ago, when they were lesser musicians than they are now. Inside Out, recorded over two nights in July 2000 in London, bridges that gap: It is completely improvised save for one tune an almost unbearably beautiful reading of "When I Fall in Love" done as an encore. Here are Jarrett, Peacock, and DeJohnette as they haven't been heard from in years, starting from silence, digging deep into the history of jazz, blues and even R&B to invent spontaneously a musical language that is trio-specific, communicative on the deepest levels of nuance, sonances, and spirit. The opening track, "From the Body," begins as a careening trip through the blues, from Memphis to St. Louis back through Mississippi to New Orleans and coming to rest in Chicago. Given how close the dialogue is here, and the expansive harmonic invention at work in the middle registers of the piano and the bass, it becomes a blur it's impossible to really know who is leading or following or if such a hierarchy even exists anymore. When the blues disintegrate gradually -- and momentarily -- and are replaced by what is defined in the vernacular as "free" playing, the dissonance is traipsed upon only slightly. It's not as if it doesn't belong or isn't welcome, it's just that it's a minor concern because these guys know where they are going or at least want to go. It's familiar but not well-tread or predictable; it's invigorating, knife-edge improvisation. By the time the title track fades in, listeners know that the entire fake book has been thrown out the window and the standards have been erased (or at least left in the hallmarks of collective jazz memory), in favor of this language that calls upon their dignity and verve while establishing its own propriety and basis of utterance. Does it swing? Hell yes it does, if your definition of that word is something other than cut, 4/4, or waltz time -- though some of the music played here engages those very signatures exquisitely. Most importantly, the trio of Jarrett, Peacock, and DeJohnette offers a new kind of free jazz one that is lyrical, tonally accessible, and musically elegant, tailored by the ears and executed with the grace of the heart. Many younger players who believe that the only way to improvise freely is to tear their chosen instrument to shreds and bleat every ounce of pain and suffering that can be extracted from it need to hear this record, badly. In it they may find the true secrets of the masters, and the sheer poetics of the improvisational artistry that is jazz. ~ Thom Jurek, AMG

     Artist: Keith Jarrett with Jan Garbarek
     Album: Belonging
     Label: ECM
     Year: Apr 24, 1974
     Release: May 09, 2000
     Format, bitrate: mp3, 320 kbps
     Time: 46:35
     Size: 99 MB
     AMG Rating:




     On Keith Jarrett's first recording with his "European" quartet -- Jan Garbarek (sax), Palle Danielsson (bass), Jon Christiensen (drums) -- he stakes out somewhat less abrasive territory than that which his "American" foursome was exploring at this time. Garbarek sports a neutral, vibratoless tone that occasionally reaches an emotional climax; the rhythm section is supportive and just loose enough. The record operates at its strongest level when Jarrett locks the quartet into his winning gospel mode on "'Long as You Know You're Living Yours" and the tense drive of "Spiral Dance"; the reflective numbers are less compelling. Still, this LP-turned-CD successfully bucked the powerful electric trends of its time and holds up well today. ~ Richard S. Ginell, All Music Guide

Artist: Karrin Allyson
Album: Imagina: Songs of Brasil
Label: Concord
Recording Date: Jun 29, 2007 - Jul 1, 2007
Release Date: Mar 25, 2008
Genre: Brazilian Jazz
Format, bitrate: mp3, 320 kbps
Time: 60:27
Size: 120
AMG Rating:

Karrin Allyson has sung Brazilian tunes before, notably on 1999's From Paris to Rio, but this time she's dedicated an entire album to the swaying rhythms of bossa nova and samba, and she's never sounded lovelier. Allyson has always been a gifted interpreter, and while her material in the past has drawn from any number of sources, her prime focus here is on the music of Antonio Carlos Jobim. While choosing oft-covered tunes like "Desafinado" and "A Felicidade" may not be the riskiest thing Allyson could have done, nor the most original, she is so clearly in love with these compositions that she's easily forgiven for adding her name to the list of artists who have lent their voices to them. Allyson's vocal instrument is somewhat coarser and more world-weary than the majority of singers who gravitate toward Jobim's material, and here she favors stripped-down arrangements that accentuate the vulnerabilities and lived-in qualities of that voice. It works to great effect, as on "Double Rainbow," a ballad that begins sparsely, Allyson singing in Portuguese before switching over to English, a tactic she employs throughout much of the record. Accompanying herself on piano, Allyson phrases Gene Lees' Tin Pan Alley-esque lyrics, a meditation on the wonders of nature, carefully and thoughtfully, before handing the tune over to bassist David Finck, who turns in a solo that's creative but not showy. Not all of the songs here come courtesy of Jobim, and Allyson does equal justice to the moody "Pra Dizer Adeus" (Time to Say Goodbye), co-penned by Edú Lobo, Torquato Neto, and Chris Caswell, and the closing "É Com Esse Que Eu Vou," by Pedro Caetano, which pushes the beat somewhat harder than the more ballad-oriented music that populates most of the record. But in the end it's those Jobim songs that stick: Steve Nelson's vibes and marimba work lends a sensuality to "O Morro Não Tem Vez (Favela)," by Jobim and Vinícius de Moraes, and Gil Goldstein's accordion injects a bit of France into the Brazilian mood on the title track. Through it all, Karrin Allyson reminds listeners why she has consistently received praise over the years for her inherent ability to make any song her own. - by Jeff Tamarkin, AMG

Artist: Keith Jarrett Quartet
Album: My Song
Label: ECM
Release: Nov 1977
Genre: Jazz
Format, bitrate: mp3, 320 kbps
Time: 48:20
Size: 98 MB

In addition to his solo piano concerts and the American group he led that featured tenor saxophonist Dewey Redman, Keith Jarrett was also busy in the mid-'70s with his European band, a quartet comprised of Jan Garbarek on tenor and soprano, bassist Palle Danielsson, and drummer Jon Christensen. Due to the popularity of the haunting "My Song," this album is the best known of the Jarrett-Garbarek collaborations and it actually is their most rewarding meeting on record. Jarrett contributed all six compositions and the results are relaxed and introspective yet full of inner tension - Scott Yanow, AMG