Mike Leonne - Waltz for an Urbanite (Criss Cross, 1995)

Mike LeDonne, piano
Peter Bernstein, guitar
Steve Nelson, vibes

Peter Washington, bass
Kenny Washington, drums

Recorded June 17, 1995

Systems Two, NYC

Engineer: Max Bolleman

I learned about Mike LeDonne's quintet from an entry in the Penguin Guide. With Peter Bernstein, Steve Nelson, and the Washingtons on this date, I could not go wrong with Waltz of an Urbanite. These were all accomplished artists, seemingly groomed to keep the flame alive as the superstars of the 50s and 60s began to fade from the scene.

Waltz for an Urbanite is distinctive in part because the instrumentation is rare in jazz, and for good reason. Piano, vibes and guitar occupy the same harmonic space, which leads to potential overlap and competition. (Bassist Peter Washington plays a third string instrument in the quintet but operates safely a few octaves below the piano, vibes and guitar). 

Solutions to harmonic crowding might involve unison playing, as in the George Shearing Quintet of the 1950s, or dividing the responsibility for melody and chords to avoid overlap. Key examples of this solution are Wes Montgomery and Milt Jackson's Bags Meets Wes (Verve, 1961), Laurindo Almeida with the Modern Jazz Quartet (Collaboration, Atlantic, 1965), and Gary Burton's Like Minds (Concord, 1998). 

LeDonne rises to the challenge with alternating strategies. First, playing melodies in unison produces a pleasing blend of timbres across plucked and hammered strings and metal bars. Unison lines produce a complex, shimmering texture not dominated by any single instrument.  

Second, the piano may comp behind vibes and guitar solos, providing chordal support and freeing the harmonic space for the soloist. The result is an uncluttered sound that allows each soloist to interpret LeDonne's compositions, especially the title track. LeDonne's ingenious arrangements for the quintet distinguish every track on Waltz for an Urbanite, resulting in a swinging, updated sound. 

I affectionately refer to "the Washingtons," Peter and Kenny, who are not related but who play together often as two thirds of the Bill Charlap trio. They appear together on at least 21 other Criss Cross albums, and their contributions to Waltz for an Urbanite are note-perfect. Listen to the mystical aura in Kenny's introduction to "Tranquility." Together, the Washingtons complete the quintet's sonic palette.

Reggie Workman - Cerebral Caverns (Postcards, 1995)

Reggie Workman, bass
Sam Rivers, tenor & soprano sax, flute
Julian Priester, trombone
Geri Allen, piano
Elizabeth Panzer, harp
Gerry Hemingway, drums
Al Foster, drums
Tapan Modak, tabla

Recorded April 27 & 28, 1995

Sound on Sound

Engineer: Joe Barbaria

The follow up to Reggie Workman's Summit Conference is a superb extension of the concepts introduced on his first Postcards outing. Sam Rivers and Julian Priester return, and Geri Allen replaces Andrew Hill at the piano. Drummers Gerry Hemingway and Al Foster replace Pheeroan akLaff, although they only play together on one track. Elizabeth Panzer on harp and Tapan Modak on tabla complete the line up, adding an exotic Eastern vibe to the session. 

Cerebral Caverns is a deeply rewarding album, full of surprises that begin on the title track with its earthy blend of bass, drum pads, percussion and harp. The mystery deepens during the number's 7:14 minutes. It's a captivating opener unlike any other jazz album I know.

"What's in Your Hand" changes the pace and format to a trio with Workman, Allen, and Hemingway. But this is no standard piano trio. Allen moves from slow dissonance to increasing vigor as she skates over the bass and percussion, resolving tensions with a gradual fade. 

"Fast Forward" follows with forward momentum right from the start. Rivers' blistering tenor solo dominates as Workman and Foster fan the fire. After Foster's solo, Priester enters with a virtuosic exploration of the trombone at high speed. "Fast Forward" is not free or chaotic. Its structure is clear and supportive of the intense soloing.

The most fascinating tune is "Ballad Explorations," which begins with a polite discussion between tabla and trombone. The duet soon becomes a quartet as Hemingway and Workman add new colors while the tabla gains prominence. It's hard to tell where the piece is headed; it sounds more like pieces of ballads that never form a distinct melody. The discussion continues as Rivers gets in the final word. 

"Eastern Persuasion" alters the sonic palette with Panzer's harp sounding like both a guzheng and a guitar. Hemingway exploits his kit to make exotic percussive noises while Workman anchors the proceedings.

Innovations like these rarely form the core of a jazz album, which makes Cerebral Caverns all the more impressive. The compositions and deployment of instrumentalists reflect Workman's "restless intelligence," according to Francis Davis's booklet notes. 

To read my post of Reggie Workman's Synthesis, go to:

Post: Edit Synthesis

Dave Holland - Dream of the Elders (ECM, 1995)

Dave Holland, bass
Steve Nelson, vibes & marimba
Eric Person, alto & soprano saxes
Gene Jackson, drums

Cassandra Wilson, vocal

Recorded March 1995

Power Station, NYC

Engineer: James Farber

Dave Holland's quintet (DHQ) was preceded by trios and quartets. Sometimes those earlier groups get overshadowed by the brilliance of the quintets, but the earlier albums are gems in their own right. On Dream of the Elders, Eric Person and Gene Jackson assume the roles that Chris Potter and Billy Kilson would later play in the DHQ. 

Person is a perfect fit with the smaller quartet. On Dream of the Elders, he forges a special relationship with Steve Nelson, the other main soloist. Their work is cooler than the DHQ with Potter and Kilson, but Nelson and Jackson generate enough fireworks to keep the session lively.

The first two pieces on the album - "The Winding Way" and "Lazy Snake" - establish the quartet's sinuously modal style. "The Winding Way" begins with Holland and Nelson laying down a repetitive vamp, as Person's soprano plays slithering figures over the modal chord changes. Nelson's vibes take over to further the narrative, to be joined again by Person and Holland to close the number.

"Lazy Snake" begins with an arco bass solo that reveals the tactile contact of bow on strings. Nelson follows cautiously on marimba behind Holland, and Person joins for a measured solo on alto. Nelson switches from marimba to vibes for his solo. Each soloist in turn portrays the snake in various states of arousal. I love the pace of "Lazy Snake" because it gives soloists ample space to craft sonic images, and time for the listener to absorb them.

Halfway through the program, vocalist Cassandra Wilson almost steals the show, singing Maya Angelou's poem, "Equality." Wilson's solemn vocal expresses each nuance of the poem. It's also a treat that the quartet plays an instrumental version of "Equality" as their last number.

Dream of the Elders is one of the few ECM releases to be recorded in the U.S. with James Farber at the controls of the Power Station studio. I hear no drop off of sonic quality from the typically pristine ECM sound. 

For my review of Holland's Extensions album, go to:

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Don Friedman - Almost Everything (SteepleChase, 1995)

Don Friedman, piano
Ron McClure, bass
Matt Wilson, drums

Recorded April 1995
SteepleChase Digital Studio
Engineer: Josiah Gluck

This is my second consecutive post of piano trio recordings by Don Friedman: The Days of Wine and Roses (Soul Note, 1995) and Almost Everything on SteepleChase. I consider Friedman to be one of jazz's greatest pianists. I'm not sure anyone agrees, but on the off chance that a reader's interest might be piqued, I offer these posts as Exhibits A and B in the court of blogospheric opinion. 

Fittingly perhaps, almost everything I like about Friedman's trio work is displayed on Almost Everything. The program consists of 4 Friedman originals, 1 each by Matt Wilson and Ron McClure, and 3 standards. 

The title piece, programmed last, is a clever variation on Jerome Kern's "All the Things You Are." Friedman often names his originals as hints identifying his sources. In this case, almost everything is not all the things you are, but almost. It actually sounds like a solo Friedman would play after stating Kern's familiar melody.

Another original is "Flamands," a vamp-based three-note ascent within one octave that builds in intensity. "Waltz for Marilyn" is one of Friedman's most-played compositions, and he unhurriedly lingers over the chords before stating the melody. 

The standards demonstrate Friedman's seemingly inexhaustible capacity to play variations, especially on "Darn That Dream" and "Emily." These are both "pretty" songs that don't naturally stimulate improvisation, but Friedman turns them into master classes. I'm truly amazed every time I hear him improvise, turning familiar fare into new experiences.

Ron McClure is a few years younger than Friedman, and both of their discographies extend back into the 1960s. Discogs lists over 240 credits for McClure as a performer. He is also a leader of many SteepleChase CDs beginning in 1990. On Almost Everything, his original "El Niño" has an interesting rhythm in which Wilson plays a bit behind the beat, thereby adding tension to the song. Friedman's solo on "El Niño" is another model of creative elaboration.  

In 1995, Wilson was a fresh face at the beginning of his recording career. From the outset, his style was humorously adventurous and on Almost Everything he plays fascinating little figures that add interest to both melodies and solos. His own "Twigs and Branches" is less of a song than a progression of sounds that cohere but are hard to analyze. It's the most novel piece on the album.

Don Friedman - The Days of Wine and Roses (Soul Note, 1995)

Don Friedman, piano
Marco Ricci, bass

Giampiero Prina, drums

Recorded March 13, 1995
Mu Rec Studio, Milano
Engineer: Paolo Falascone

Don Friedman's The Days of Wine and Roses is one of the best piano trio recordings of the 1990s, the decade when Friedman's recorded output increased dramatically. I remember finding multiple copies of this album 30 years ago in a media chain store in Atlanta. They were discounted a lot, so I bought a copy without knowing much about the artist or label. It was part of my jazz-buying frenzy after my move to Atlanta where I encountered new retail outlets during an especially fertile time for jazz on CD. 

Friedman, who died in 2015 at 80 years of age, was one of the greatest pianists in the history of jazz, but not many critics or listeners would agree with me. I included two of his solo recordings in my 1980s blog with Scott Mortensen (see links below). There I listed 10 more recordings of Friedman in a trio format. Jazz aficionados not tuned into Friedman's many recordings are missing something special.

The Days of Wine and Roses alternates 4 of Friedman's original compositions with 5 standards. This sequencing emphasizes his talents as both composer and performer. Of the originals, only "New Dawn" sounds like an actual composition, and a lovely one it is. I'm not sure if it's meant to be an update of Friedman's "Dawn," which opened his first album, A Day in the City (Riverside, 1961). I have not compared "Dawn" and "New Dawn" side by side.

The other 3 originals employ minimal structures that require spontaneous responses from the group. "Hi Low Fast Low Hi" describes the tune's 5 movements, each rather brief and related to both pitch (hi and low) and tempo. "I Don't Know Yet" is a fascinating work that seems like a long introduction that never reaches a musical theme. The title suggests uncertainty about the composition's destination, which arrives as a whispered Spanish scale. 

Friedman's Italian bandmates play their parts extremely well. For example, Marco Ricci's bass solo on "It Could Happen to You" fits perfectly with Friedman's approach to the standard. (As an aside, the photo of Ricci accurately portrays him as a left-handed upright bass player. The only other upright lefty I could find is Jennifer Leitham). 

Drummer Giampiero Prina plays actively, delighting in the feast of standards and Friedman originals, on which he provides colors and accents while implying rhythms. His drums swell mysteriously behind Ricci's bass solo that introduces "I Don't Know Yet."

I recall one jazz writer insisting that the best jazz of the 1990s was coming out of Italy. Teaming Friedman with the Italian rhythm players on Wine and Roses is strong evidence supporting that assertion.

Note: The tray card lists track 5 as "You Got to My Head." It is not a clever variation of "You Go to My Head," but rather a typographical error. 

For my reviews of two of Friedman's solo recordings go to:

Post: Edit Stella by Starlight

Post: Edit I Hear a Rhapsody

Joey Calderazzo - Secrets (AudioQuest, 1995)

Joey Calderazzo, piano

Tim Hagans, trumpet, flugelhorn
Charles Pillow, tenor sax, bass clarinet, English horn

John Clark, French horn

Earl McIntyre, bass trombone, tuba
Tim Ries, soprano sax, flute
Fareed Haque, guitar

Thomas Ulrich, cello
James Genus, bass
Clarence Penn, drums

Bob Belden, arranger

Recorded January 26 & 27, 1995
Systems Two, NYC
Engineer: Joe Marciano

One of the pleasant surprises of the 1990s was producer Joe Harley's introduction of the Audioquest Music label. Audioquest is a brand known for its outstanding line of Hi-Fi cables. Audioquest Music's jazz and blues titles are engineered to the highest industry standards. Jazz artists recording for Audioquest include Larry Willis, Bennie Wallace, James Newton, David Binney, and Joey Calderazzo, among others. 

Calderazzo was initially admired for his early albums on Blue Note - In the Door (1991), To Know One (1992), and The Traveler (1993) - if only for the reputation of the label and the pianist's showy style. I was not impressed by these albums, but his self-titled trio album on Columbia (2000) revealed a more mature artist with his dues paid.

Thanks to Bob Belden's arrangements, Secrets bears little resemblance to Calderazzo's earliest recordings. With 7 additional players and 11 instruments to work with, Belden transforms 6 of the album's 8 cuts with glorious blends of timbres and pitch. Add in the audiophile-standard recording, and I hear a minor masterpiece.

Calderazzo penned 6 of the numbers on Secrets. The others are Vince Mendoza's "Scriabin," which first appeared on Michael Brecker's Don't Try This at Home (Impulse, 1988); and Miles Davis's "Filles de Kilimanjaro."

Belden's arrangements showcase Calderazzo's piano against a lush and sometimes disturbing backdrop. The lush numbers include "Secrets," "Aurora," and "Filles de Kilimanjaro," which Belden considers to be the album's centerpiece. 

The more disturbing arrangements include "Echoes," which is based on a repeated vamp played on bass clarinet for 7 full minutes. The minor "Scriabin" is sad and baroque. Only master arrangers could blend sadness with beauty, and it's no surprise that Belden's own Black Dahlia (Blue Note, 2001) is widely considered to be a "dark masterpiece."

Throughout, the sonics are wonderfully balanced. The 10-page liner notes refer to the Steinway grand piano used at the Systems Two studio, and the recording reveals its grandness. Sadly, Systems Two closed its doors in 2018 after more than 30 years and thousands of recordings.

Harold Danko - After the Rain (SteepleChase, 1994)

Harold Danko, piano

Recorded August 4, 1994
SteepleChase Digital Studio
Engineer: Nils Winther

After the Rain is Harold Danko's solo tribute to the music of John Coltrane. As Danko explains in the booklet notes, his fascination with Coltrane began in his early teens as a "pleasurable struggle to somehow adapt his ideas for the piano." I was also fascinated by Coltrane during the 1960s but would never have expected any Coltrane tribute album to feature an hour of solo piano. Trane's tenor and soprano in group settings are so dominant, both technically and emotionally. How could such powerful expression translate to the keyboard?

The answer comes from Danko's discovery that "the flow of the harmonies and lines are actually well suited to the piano, especially with regard to their ties to the impressionism of Debussy and Ravel." I could not have imagined 60 years ago that Coltrane and impressionism were compatible, but I now hear those associations in Danko's interpretations. And they are spellbinding.

Once committed to the recording session, Danko writes: "...my concept of what I was doing changed and enlarged quite spontaneously...Edits seemed out of place in the company of such honest music, so we decided against them." As a result, the album steers away from a mere recital of Coltrane's works, and toward novel improvisations. In one sense, Danko is merely applying Coltrane's own practice of improvising extensively on these same compositions.

Fourteen selections, all familiar to Coltrane fans, range in length from 3:26 to 6:37 minutes. Certain selections demonstrate Danko's ability to elaborate seemingly simple themes, showing them to be more complex than presumed. "Syeeda's Song Flute," "Like Sonny," "Your Lady," and "Straight Street" are the best examples. 

Other selections plumb the depths of Coltrane's compositions to reveal new emotional layers. Danko's versions of "After the Rain," "Lonnie's Lament," and "Wise One" amplify my understanding and appreciation of Coltrane's more meditative works. Again, I never would have expected this from a solo piano album.

Since 1977, Danko has served as Professor and Emeritus Professor of Jazz Studies and Contemporary Media at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY.  His recorded contributions to jazz span more than 40 years and include dozens of albums on SteepleChase, many with his quartet featuring Rich Perry. 

Keith Jarrett - At the Blue Note: The Complete Recordings (ECM, 1994)

Keith Jarrett, piano
Gary Peacock, bass
Jack DeJohnette, drums

Recorded June 3-5, 1994

Blue Note Jazz Club, NYC

Engineer: Jan Erik Kongshaug

Keith Jarrett's At the Blue Note: The Complete Recordings comprises six complete sets spread across VI (6) CDs. Because his recordings are so numerous, Jarrett is often unfairly regarded as self-indulgent or excessive. Since all performing artists are self-indulgent (otherwise, why perform?), Jarrett's recordings are more accurately a demonstration of his artistic fecundity, and not many are as prolific as Jarrett. 

I am normally not one to snap up a 6-CD box set when I already have nice vinyl versions of the same trio playing live. However, after acquiring the Blue Note sets, I found that I could play any one of them and experience different facets of the trio's art. The collection of sets in The Complete Recordings is worth the entire 7 hours, 3 minutes, and 38 seconds of play time across 41 tracks.

The moniker, "Standards Trio," is commonly applied to the group, yet every set includes a Jarrett original along with a mix of jazz standards and show tunes. A few of the tunes are played more than once over the three nights, but repetition matters little because the trio never plays anything the same way twice. I am constantly amazed at how many interesting ideas are expressed on practically every track. Many of the most familiar standards become barely recognizable after a few choruses. 

At the Blue Note is all the more impressive because it is a live recording. Studio recordings are safer territory for artists because takes can be repeated until the final take is "perfected." Since the core of jazz as an artform is improvisation, live performance is the ideal testing ground. Jarrett and company obviously thrive on the opportunity to perform "without a net." Remarkable!

It helps that engineer Jan Erik Kongshaug came from Norway to record these New York sessions. The sound is warm, intimate, and carefully balanced. The audience's presence is more felt than heard during the playing; Blue Note customers are well-mannered, respectful and appreciative. Jarrett also curtails his tendency to vocalize while playing except for an occasional ecstatic groan or sigh. 

Kongshaug died in 2019. He receives engineering credit for 7 of my favorites in this blog, trailing only Jim Anderson's 11. 

For my review of Keith Jarrett's Standards Live album, go to:

Post: Edit Standards Live

Chico Freeman - Focus (Contemporary, 1994)

Chico Freeman, tenor sax
Arthur Blythe, alto sax
George Cables, piano
Santi Debriano, bass
Yoron Israel, drums

Recorded May 16, 1994

Fantasy Studios, Berkeley CA

Engineer: David Luke

Born in Chicago in 1949, Chico Freeman did not rush into a career as a jazz musician. Although he took music lessons (piano and trumpet) as a child, in 1967 he entered Northwestern University on a math scholarship. His father, Von Freeman, was an established jazz tenor saxophonist, so it was probably inevitable that Chico would also take up the tenor at some point.  

Upon graduation, Freeman pursued a master's in music while teaching at the AACM School in Chicago. Given the downturn in opportunities to record jazz for major labels in the 1970s, Freeman's first recordings were on an indie label, India Navigation, where they received glowing critical reviews. The label also became home for players such as David Murray, Arthur Blythe, James Newton, Anthony Davis, and Jay Hoggard.  Freeman's Spirit Sensitive (India Navigation,1979) became an audiophile favorite due to its transparently minimalist recording. It has been reissued twice (1995 & 2024) by the audiophile label Analogue Productions 

While Freeman's India Navigation recordings continue to receive positive critical attention, his records for Contemporary and Blackhawk in the 1980s sound more fully realized to me. Destiny's Dance (Contemporary, 1981) and The Pied Piper (Blackhawk, 1987) are masterpieces that I reviewed in my previous blog (see the links below). 

The 1990s found Freeman exploiting a fertile partnership with altoist Arthur Blythe. Focus is the best of three albums recorded with Blythe. The other two - Luminous (1989) and The Unspoken Word (1994) - are excellent live recordings but Focus remains my favorite for its excellent studio sonics and its, um, focus. The rhythm section is first rate, although choosing between George Cables and John Hicks (the pianist on Luminous) is difficult. 

The Focus CD includes a lavish version of "Ah George, We Hardly Knew Ya," composed by Don Pullen and dedicated to tenorist George Adams. Two Monk tunes, "Bemsha Swing" and "Rhythm-a-Ning," are powerful opening and closing tracks, respectively. Cables' "Blackfoot" is also a standout. 

On all tunes, the horns are in complete sync, supporting and contrasting each other. Both players have their best talents on display on every track, and no notes are wasted on mindless blowing. This is focused jazz that packs a powerful artistic punch.

For my reviews of Chico Freeman's 1980s albums, go to:

Post: Edit The Pied Piper

Post: Edit Destiny's Dance

Gerry Mulligan - Dream a Little Dream (Telarc, 1994)

Gerry Mulligan, baritone sax
Ted Rosenthal, piano
Dean Johnson, bass
Ron Vincent, drums

Bill Mays, piano

Recorded April 14-16 & 28-29, 1994

Clinton Recording Studio A, NYC

Engineer: Jack Renner

Thanks to my oldest brother, I became a Gerry Mulligan fan when I was 10 years old. His LPs from the mid 1950s were the soundtrack for my pre-adolescent years, before I got interested in rock and roll. Jazz was especially popular during the 1950s, so I was not alone in my appreciation of Mulligan, Monk, Brubeck, the MJQ, and many others. I started my own jazz collection when I had the money. Most often played was Mulligan's What Is There to Say? (Columbia, 1959). 

Fast forward 40 years to the 1990s, and there was Gerry Mulligan, recording quartet music on the high-brow Telarc label. In contrast to Mulligan's Lonesome Boulevard (A&M, 1990), which features new Mulligan originals, Dream a Little Dream has a mix of standards and original compositions, some old and some new. The album overall could be considered a "slow cooker," given the preponderance of ballads and standards. Nonetheless, Mulligan's wonderful tone and mastery of the baritone sax remain intact. 

Ted Rosenthal and Bill Mays are the perfect choices for piano duties. Rosenthal is an outstanding accompanist, just what the quartet session calls for. Mulligan performs two duets with guest pianist Mays: "My Funny Valentine" and "As Close as Pages in a Book." The duets obviously shine more light on the piano than the quartet numbers do, but the album's dreamy mood pervades all tracks. 

The sound is first rate. The digital recording is warm and detailed, especially on the piano solos. On the quartets, drums and bass are in the background as they should be.

Mulligan died in 1996 at age 69, less than two years after recording Dream a Little Dream. His music shaped my understanding of jazz and touched me deeply at a young age. It still does.

For my review of Mulligan's Lonesome Boulevard, go to:

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