Erykah Badu - Live

Me gustan cantantes del género llamado neo-soul como Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill y Jill Scott, pero no me agradan demasiado sus discos en estudio donde suelen acompañarse por una batería electrónica tocando un beat repetitivo y algunos sintetizadores. Siempre me da la impresión que desatienden las interpretaciones y los arreglos, los que carecen de inspiración. Algo de ésto me sucede con Baduizm, el promisorio álbum debut de Badu. Pero aquí todo es diferente. Junto a una banda y un coro integrado por tres cantantes, ella levanta vuelo entregando canciones, la mayoría pertenecientes al nombrado CD, que suenan con una frescura y una energía brutales. Su voz luce espectacular en composiciones como Ye-Yo, el cover de Chaka Khan Stay y en Tyrone, entre otras. Ah, el comienzo con Rimshot incluye un guiño cómplice a So What de Miles Davis. (Kedar, 1997).

I like singers of the genre known as neo-soul Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill and Jill Scott, but I don't like their studio albums which usually accompanied by a drum machine playing a repetitive beat and some synths. Whenever I get the impression that disregard the interpretations and arrangements, wich lack of inspiration. Something like this happens to me with Baduizm, Badu's promising debut album. But here everything is different. Together with a band and a choir integrated by three singers, she rose flight delivering songs, most belonging to the named CD, that sound with a freshness and brutal power. Her voice shines in compositions as Ye-Yo, the cover of Chaka Khan Stay and in Tyrone, among others. Ah, the beginning with Rimshot includes a complicit wink to So What by Miles Davis. (Kedar, 1997).

Tracks:
1.Rimshot (Intro) 3:50
2.Other Side Of The Game 8:22
3.On & On 5:31
4.Reprise 2:15
5.Apple Tree 4:05
6.Ye Yo 4:59
7.Searching 4:19
8.Boogie Nights/All Night 6:29
9.Certainly 6:59
10.Stay 4:51
11.Next Lifetime (Interlude) 1:30
12.Tyrone 3:42
13.Next Lifetime 12:06
14.Tyrone (extended version) 5:46

Personnel:
Erykah Badu (vocals)
Norman "Keys" Hurt (piano)
Hubert Eaves IV (bass)
Charles "Poogie" Bell (drums)
Joyce M. Strong, Karen Bernod, Chonita "N'Dambi" Gilbert (background vocals)

Recorded live at Sony Music Studios, New York.

Anita Baker - Giving You The Best That I Got

Siempre me gustó la voz de Anita Baker, desde los ochenta cuando las FM repetían una y otra vez Sweet Love y Giving You The Best That I Got. (Elektra/Asylum, 1988).

Always like Anita Baker's voice, since the eighties when the FM radio stations were repeating again and again Sweet Love and Giving You The Best That I Got. (Elektra/Asylum, 1988).

Tracks:
1.Priceless (4:47)
2.Lead Me Into Love (4:44)
3.Giving You The Best That I Got (4:18)
4.Good Love (5:38)
5.Rules (3:50)
6.Good Enough (4:49)
7.Just Because (5:09)
8.You Belong To Me (3:50)

Produced by Michael J. Powell

The Gary Burton Quartet With Eberhard Weber - Passengers

Este es el segundo disco de Gary Burton junto a los dos grandes bajistas Steve Swallow y Eberhard Weber, y el tercero y último que incluye a un joven Pat Metheny, quien asume aquí un rol más destacado que en los anteriores, siendo el único guitarrista, pues ya no forma parte de la banda su mentor en Berklee Mick Goodrick, aportando además tres de los seis temas. Por ese entonces, Metheny ya había editado su primer álbum solista, Bright Size Life (ECM, 1976), un año antes, en el cual graba una primera versión de Midwestern Nights Dream, lo cual permite, a partir de la comparación entre ambas, notar su temprana evolución. (ECM, 1977).

This is the second album by Gary Burton alongside the two great bassists Steve Swallow and Eberhard Weber, and the third and last that includes a young Pat Metheny, who assumes a more prominent role than before, being the only guitarist, because already his mentor at Berklee Mick Goodrick does not form a part of the band, providing also three of the six compositions here. By then Metheny had published his first album soloist, Bright Size Life (ECM, 1976), a year earlier, in which recorded a first version of Midwestern Nights Dream, allowing, from the comparison between both, noted his early evolution. (ECM, 1977).

Tracks:
1.Sea Journey Chick Corea 9:14
2.Nacada Pat Metheny 4:11
3.The Whopper Pat Metheny 5:28
4.B & G (MidWestern Nights Dream) Pat Metheny 8:22
5.Yellow Fields Eberhard Weber 6:58
6.Claude And Betty Steve Swallow 6:16

Personnel:
Gary Burton (vibraharp)
Pat Metheny (electric guitar)
Steve Swallow (bass guitar)
Eberhard Weber (electric upright bass)
Danny Gottlieb (drums)

Recorded November 1976 at Talent Studio, Oslo.

Cassandra Wilson - Blue Skies

No opino del mismo modo que quienes señalan que los mejores discos de Cassandra Wilson son aquellos más recientes en los que mezcla jazz con otros géneros populares como el blues y el pop. Y en modo alguno que ésto sea algo novedoso para una cantante, en todo caso, merecidamente, encontró cierto reconocimiento al hacerlo. Personalmente prefiero, al menos hoy, sus primeros trabajos orientados al jazz tradicional, donde su voz irrumpe a mitad de los ochenta con una frescura singular en sus grabaciones para el sello JMT. (JMT, 1988).

Do not feel the same way that those who say that the best discs of Cassandra Wilson are those most recent in which mixes jazz with other popular genres such as the blues and pop. And in any way that this is something new for a singer, in any case, deservedly, found some recognition in doing so. Personally I prefer, at least today, its first traditional jazz-oriented work, where her voice breaks in the middle of the eighties with a unique freshness in their recordings for the JMT label. (JMT, 1988).

Tracks:
1.Shall We Dance Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein (7:17)
2.Polka Dots And Moonbeams James Van Heusen, Johnny Burke (5:43)
3.I've Grown Accoustomed To His Face Frederick Loewe, Alan Jay Lerner (5:13)
4.I Didn't Know What Time It Was Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart (4:40)
5.Gee Baby Ain't I Good To You Don Redman, Andy Razaf (5:01)
6.I'm Old Fashioned Jerome Kern, Johnny Mercer (3:03)
7.Sweet Lorraine Clifford Burwell, Mitchell Parish (5:28)
8.My One And Only Love Guy Wood, Robert Mellin (5:59)
9.Autumn Nocturne Josef Myrow, Kim Gannon (4:59)
10.Blue Skies Irving Berlin (3:07)

Personnel:
Cassandra Wilson vocals
Mulgrew Miller piano
Lonnie Plaxico acoustic bass
Terri Lyne Carrington drums

Recorded February 1988 A & R Recording Studios, New York City

Keith Jarrett Trio - Standards Live

Este es otro de mis discos en vivo preferidos. Es la primera grabación de un concierto del Standards Trio, registrado en Paris en 1985. (ECM, 1986).

This is another of my favorite live albums. It is the first recording of a concert by the Standards Trio, registered in Paris in 1985. (ECM, 1986).

Tracks:
1.Stella By Starlight Ned Washington/Victor Young 11:14
2.The Wrong Blues Alec Wilder/William Engvick 8:03
3.Falling In Love With Love Richard Rodgers/Lorenz Hart 8:41
4.Too Young To Go Steady Harold Adamson/Jimmy McHugh 10:10
5.The Way You Look Tonight Dorothy Fields/Jerome Kern 9:31
6.The Old Country Curtis Lewis/Nat Adderley 6:36

Personnel:
Keith Jarrett: piano
Gary Peacock: bass
Jack DeJohnette: drums

Recorded July 1985

Pat Metheny Group - Travels

Quería compartir algo de Pat Metheny de los ochenta y elegí este disco doble en vivo. Quienes visitan Jazz en la Web saben de mi fascinación por las grabaciones de los conciertos y ésta es de mis favoritas, con la calidad de sonido que garantiza una edición oficial. La banda brilla en Phase Dance, que solía abrir las presentaciones durante muchos años, en la explosión de percusión de Straight On Red y en las versiones de clásicos como Are You Going With Me?, Song For Bilbao y San Lorenzo. (ECM, 1983).

I wanted to share some of Pat Metheny of the eighties and chose this double live album. Visitors to Jazz en la Web know of my fascination with the recordings of the concerts and this is one of my favorites ever, with the sound quality that guarantees an official edition. The band shines in Phase Dance, which used to open the presentations for many years, the explosion of percussion Straight On Red and the versions of classics as Are You Going With Me?, Song For Bilbao and San Lorenzo. (ECM, 1983).

CD 1:
1.Are You Going With Me? (9:18)
2.The Fields, The Sky* (7:46)
3.Goodbye* (8:16)
4.Phase Dance (8:03)
5.Straight On Red (7:25)
6.Farmer's Trust* (6:25)

CD 2:
1.Extradition* (5:42)
2.Goin' Ahead*/As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls (16:20)
3.Travels (5:03)
4.Song For Bilbao* (8:26)
5.San Lorenzo (13:35)

Personnel:
Pat Metheny: Guitars, Guitar Synthesizer
Lyle Mays: Piano, Synthesizer, Organ, Autoharp, Synclavier
Steve Rodby: Acoustic and Electric Bass, Bass Synthesizer
Dan Gottlieb: Drums
Nana Vasconcelos: Voice, Percussion, Berimbau

Compositions by Pat Metheny* and Pat Metheny/Lyle Mays

Recorded in July, October, November 1982