Taking
a closer look at CDs by The 3D Jazz Trio, Artemis, Mayita Dinos, theTNEK Jazz
Quintet, and Bernard Purdie, Christian Fabian & Ron Oswanski….
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Two
years after a stunning main stage performance at the Newport Jazz Festival, the
all-woman supergroup Artemis has made its recording debut. The band is named
for a Greek goddess who was an explorer and goddess of the hunt. The globally rooted band
includes pianist and musical director Renee Rosnes, tenor saxophonist Melissa
Aldana, clarinetist Anat Cohen, trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, bassist Noriko Ueda,
drummer Allison Miller and singer Cecile McLorin Salvant. All of the material
here was written and/or arranged by the band’s six instrumentalists. Favorite
tracks: Miller’s fierce opening track “Goddess of the Hunt,” the Rosnes-penned
“Big Top,” the Rosnes-arranged Stevie Wonder hit “If It’s Magic,” featuring
Salvant on vocals, and the band’s transformative take on Lee Morgan’s
instrumental jazz chestnut, "The Sidewinder.” This version is more
pensive and teasing than the funk-driven original. This is a September 11 release.
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Puerto
Rico-born, Los Angeles-based singer Mayita Dinos’ debut recording is a garden
of musical delights. How cool that she’s a renowned landscape designer by day –
and jazz singer by night. She was able to blend those two passions on this session, which was produced by singer Cathy Segal-Garcia. Every tune here has
a nature or garden theme or reference. The opening track is also the most
intriguing. Dinos set her own words to Charlie Parker’s “Ornithology.” Other
gems: getting back to the garden) through Joni Mitchell’s “Woodstock,” honoring
the rose in “Spanish Harlem,” a run through Freddie Hubbard’s “Little
Sunflower” and, quite naturally, Billy Strayhorn’s “A Flower is a Lovesome
Thing.” Dinos wrote the melody for an ethereal voice-and-bass duet with Gabe Davis that digs into
the Federico Garcia Lorca poem “La Lola.”
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This
one throws a different twist into the organ trio concept, which usually
involves Hammond B-3, drums and either guitar or saxophone as the third
instrument. Here we have B-3 player Ron Oswanski and bassist Christian Fabian
teamed with the legendary funk drummer Bernard “Pretty” Purdie. Besides five
Fabian originals, they put their funky stamp on diverse covers of Tower of Power’s “Can’t You
See (You’re Doin’ Me Wrong),” Duke Ellington’s “Love You Madly,” Miles Davis’
classic “So What” and even “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” Producer and
principal composer Fabian’s “Got Groove (Pt. 2)” is my favorite, but every
track is distinctive and drenched with energy from these three creative melodic
improvisers. The result is the funkiest jazz recording I’ve heard so far this
year, and it will be hard to beat in that regard.
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This
is a mighty fine – and long overdue – concept recording. It pays homage to music
of Sam Jones, a bassist and composer best known for his work in the 1950s and ‘60s with the
Adderley Brothers. He also worked fat various times with Bill Evans, Dizzy
Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Oscar Peterson and Cedar Walton – and in the late
1970s co-led a New York big band with trumpeter Tom Harrell. Jones, a Jacksonville FL native, died in 1981. Washington DC-area saxophonist Ron Kearns produced this session, assembling some of his
favorite players. Bassist Kent Miller is joined by pianist Darius Scott, drummer
Greg Holloway, and saxophonists Antonio Parker (alto) & Benny Russell
(tenor and soprano). The unusual band name is an anagram of bassist Miller’s
first name. They put their own spin on a range of Jones compositions, from the best-known “Unit
Seven” (long the unofficial Cannonball Adderley band theme song) and “Del
Sasser” to “Biittersuite,” “Some More of Dat” and the ballad “Lillie.” This hard-swinging
recording winds down with Kenny Barron’s “Tragic Magic” from Jones' 1979 trio
recording The Bassist. Barron was in
that band.