Modern Jazz

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JOHN COLTRANE A Love Supreme Album Cover A Love Supreme
JOHN COLTRANE
4.84 | 104 ratings
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MILES DAVIS Kind of Blue Album Cover Kind of Blue
MILES DAVIS
4.83 | 144 ratings
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BILL EVANS (PIANO) Waltz for Debby Album Cover Waltz for Debby
BILL EVANS (PIANO)
4.93 | 17 ratings
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BILL EVANS (PIANO) Sunday at the Village Vanguard (aka Live At The Village Vanguard) Album Cover Sunday at the Village Vanguard (aka Live At The Village Vanguard)
BILL EVANS (PIANO)
4.88 | 19 ratings
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HERBIE HANCOCK V.S.O.P.:Tempest in the Colosseum Album Cover V.S.O.P.:Tempest in the Colosseum
HERBIE HANCOCK
4.96 | 10 ratings
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CHARLES MINGUS The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady Album Cover The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady
CHARLES MINGUS
4.78 | 79 ratings
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WES MONTGOMERY The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery Album Cover The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery
WES MONTGOMERY
4.84 | 16 ratings
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JOHN COLTRANE Live at Birdland Album Cover Live at Birdland
JOHN COLTRANE
4.82 | 18 ratings
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ESBJÖRN SVENSSON TRIO (E.S.T.) Live in Hamburg Album Cover Live in Hamburg
ESBJÖRN SVENSSON TRIO (E.S.T.)
4.94 | 8 ratings
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JOHN COLTRANE Blue Train Album Cover Blue Train
JOHN COLTRANE
4.74 | 71 ratings
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JOHN COLTRANE My Favorite Things Album Cover My Favorite Things
JOHN COLTRANE
4.73 | 60 ratings
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HORACE SILVER Horace Silver And The Jazz Messengers Album Cover Horace Silver And The Jazz Messengers
HORACE SILVER
4.88 | 9 ratings
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Landscape
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SOUND ODISSEY
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Lazy Afternoon
EP
SOUND ODISSEY
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Committed
Album
RAPHAEL WRESSNIG
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Out Of Self & Into Others
Album
JUSSI KANNASTE
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Painter of the Invisible
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JALEEL SHAW
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For The Love Of It All
Album
BRANDON WOODY
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From One Path To Another
Album
BASILE RAHOLA
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Dom Salvador JID024
Album
JAZZ IS DEAD (YOUNGE & MUHAMMAD)
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In The Beginning
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SOMETHING BLUE
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Pivot Point
Album
BEHN GILLECE
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New Vienna
Live album
KEITH JARRETT
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Reverberations
Album
ALEX SIPIAGIN
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Full Steam Ahead
Album
LINDA DACHTYL
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Travelogue
Album
DANNY GRISSETT
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Sub Rosa
Album
JULIAN SHORE
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Equilibrium Suite
Album
KĀRLIS AUZIŅŠ
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Standard Deviation
Album
SONS OF RA
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Masahiko Satoh / Giotis Damianidis : Thousand Leaves 千 葉
Live album
MASAHIKO SATOH 佐藤允彦
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Arcanum
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ARVE HENRIKSEN
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Return to the Joyous Lake
Album
FAREED HAQUE
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Mother Harp
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MATT ULERY
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Memories Dreams Reflections
Album
NICOLE GLOVER
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Gadabout Season
Album
BRANDEE YOUNGER
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Dibango 82
Live album
MANU DIBANGO
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Quartet (England) 1985
Live album
ANTHONY BRAXTON
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All Aboard, Vol. 2: Arrivals
Album
ITAI KRISS איתי קריס
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Fellow Creatures : We Must Fight
Album
JASPER HØIBY
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Lost Session, Paris 1979
Album
DAVE BURRELL
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Live From Studio Rivbea 1974 & 1976
Live album
JIMMY LYONS
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Live at PS1
Live album
TRIO VOLTAÏCITY (AYUMI ISHITO - YUKO TOGAMI - STAN ZENKOV)
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Sound Remains
Album
REZ ABBASI
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Fantasma
Album
JOHN ZORN
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Words Fall Short
Album
JOSHUA REDMAN
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Daybreak
Album
ITAI KRISS איתי קריס
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Voyage
Album
JAN GUNNAR HOFF
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Threads of Time
Album
ALAN BROADBENT
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Continuing the Conversation
Live album
DANIEL CARTER
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Gather
Album
ALISTER SPENCE
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Ilusión Óptica
Album
PEDRITO MARTINEZ
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More Is
EP
CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE
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Avant Gonz
Album
JERRY BERGONZI
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Necessary Fictions
Album
GOGO PENGUIN
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Nuits de la Fondation Maeght
Boxset / Compilation
SUN RA
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Butterfly Effect
Album
IZUMI KIMURA
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Irene's Hot Four
Live album
IRÈNE SCHWEIZER
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Abstraction Is Deliverance
Album
JAMES BRANDON LEWIS
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Concord
Album
JOE MAGNARELLI
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Return To Electric
Album
PHIL HAYNES
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This Time
Album
MARTY EHRLICH
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City Life
Album
MICHAEL DEASE
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Agree To Diagree
Album
SIMON NABATOV
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Ignorant as the Dawn
Album
FABRICE MOREAU
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Keepers of the Eastern Door
Album
CHRIS CHEEK
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Tuff Times Never Last
Album
KOKOROKO
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Through The Looking Glass
Album
JOHN ZORN'S CHAOS MAGICK
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About Ghosts
Album
MARY HALVORSON
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Poets of Forest
Album
ARNAUD DOLMEN
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Edges
Album
SYLVAIN KASSAP
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Dear Alex
Album
STEFAN PASBORG
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Mirror
Album
TRILOK GURTU
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Unclassified Affections
Album
DAN WEISS
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Mikołaj Trzaska & Daktyle : Transient Riot
Live album
MIKOŁAJ TRZASKA
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Song over støv
Album
ERLEND APNESETH
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Rhythm, Melody and Harmony
Album
CYRUS CHESTNUT
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Natural Information Society and Bitchin Bajas : Totality
Album
NATURAL INFORMATION SOCIETY (JOSHUA ABRAMS NATURAL INFORMATION SOCIETY)
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Eternity And A Day
Album
MICHIKA FUKUMORI
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New African Orleans
Album
ALUNE WADE
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For Years Gone
Album
STEVE KNIGHT
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For These Streets
Album
ADAM O'FARRILL
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Solace Of The Mind
Album
AMINA CLAUDINE MYERS
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Prophecy Live, First visit
Boxset / Compilation
ALBERT AYLER
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About (or On)First Visit
Album
ELLERY ESKELIN
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To Walk On Eggshells
Album
RUSS JOHNSON
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Snakeoil : Snakeoil Ok
Live album
TIM BERNE
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East/West/Also
Boxset / Compilation
CURLEW
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Hiwar
Album
ALEPH QUINTET
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Jazz Suite Outcome Of Choice
Live album
PAUL DUNMALL
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Stavanger 9 9 2024
Live album
FRODE GJERSTAD
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Birdly Serenade
Album
DAVID MURRAY
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Dave Rempis Nico Chkifi Duo : Aula
Live album
DAVE REMPIS
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Standards Lost and Found 2
Album
GATO BARBIERI
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Nocturne
Live album
GERRY MULLIGAN
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Maiden Voyage
Album
HAKAN BAŞAR
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Live At the Jazz Standard
Live album
GEORGE COLLIGAN
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At the Peninsula Library 1972
Live album
MARIAN MCPARTLAND
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Rushin'
Album
EMANUELE CISI
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Esquina
Album
MICHAEL SARIAN
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Wojciech Jachna Squad : Ad Astra
Album
WOJCIECH JACHNA
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Nitty Gritty
Album
RUSS SPIEGEL
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Peter Brötzmann Trio : Hurricane
Live album
PETER BRÖTZMANN
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Live at The Village Vanguard
Live album
JAKOB BRO
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Faces Of Love
Album
PETER MADSEN
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Into the Sweet Unknown
Album
DANIEL ERDMANN
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Homage
Album
JOE LOVANO
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Lili
Album
TOM BOURGEOIS
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Rain Sultanov Syndicate : Mr. Joe
Live album
RAIN SULTANOV
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All The Quiet (Part I)
Album
JOE ARMON-JONES
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Scenery in My Story
Album
ZHENGTAO PAN
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For All We Know
Album
THOMAS RÜCKERT
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Native Son
Album
MICHAEL WALDROP
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The Penelope Album Live
Live album
BILLY MARROWS
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Poems For Travellers
Album
EMIL BRANDQVIST
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Fourth Page. Meaning Of A Nest
Album
SUN-MI HONG 홍선미
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Memory Lane
Album
HANS ULRIK
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Avenue Wagram Paris
Album
THIERRY MAILLARD
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Uncharted Passages
Live album
SUN RA
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Barb & Feather
Album
RED SNAPPER
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Radio Paradise
Album
YARON HERMAN
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Samba of Sorts
Album
UNITY QUARTET (HELIO ALVES - GUILHERME MONTEIRO - GILI LOPES - ALEX KAUTZ)
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Poetry Legroom
Album
ZOO TOO TRIO (MICHAEL CAIN - KEITH PRICE - PHEEROAN AKLAFF)
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Geneva 1980
Live album
ART PEPPER
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Spellbound
Album
SHEZ RAJA
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What Happens Next
Album
RAY SUHY & LEWIS PORTER
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Evening Song (Aftensang)
Album
KETIL BJØRNSTAD
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Poems Never End
Album
TONY TIXIER
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Echo
Album
EMI MAKABE
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The Tubby Hayes Quintet : Antibes '62
Live album
TUBBY HAYES
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Am Are
Album
BUGGE WESSELTOFT
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Jessica Jones Quartet : Edible Flowers
Live album
JESSICA JONES
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Proof of Life
Album
OLA ONABULE
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The Call
Album
FRANK KIMBROUGH
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Songs Inspired by People and Places
Album
ACCIDENTAL TOURISTS
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Bees In The Bonnet
Album
HEDVIG MOLLESTAD
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Out Late
Album
ERIC REED
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In The Shadow First Visit
Album
JOE MANERI / MANERI ENSEMBLE
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Building Characters
Album
CHARLES CHEN
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Rivers
Album
REGGIE WATKINS
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From Then Till When
Album
FRANCESCO CAFISO
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Ballads
Album
NOAH PREMINGER
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Heavy Drops
Album
ADAM BEN EZRA
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破 Old and New Dreams Chapter-2
Live album
OTOMO YOSHIHIDE
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Then and Now
Album
TERJE GEWELT
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Un Presente
Album
DANIEL FERRUZ
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Luminous Axis
Album
DUO B.
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Open Roads
Album
ROMAIN PILON
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The Cave
Album
MARILYN CRISPELL
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Journey Through Life
Album
FEMI KUTI
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Ones & Twos
Album
GERALD CLAYTON
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Requiem For A Nomad King
Album
BENJAMIN PETIT
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Vieux bougre
Album
5 FOR TRIO
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7 Shades of Melancholia
Album
MEHMET ALI SANLIKOL
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Coming Around Mr Brown
EP
GEORGE CARTWRIGHT
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Server Farm
Album
JON IRABAGON
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Silent Moods
Album
HENRIK GUNDE
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New Dawn
Album
MARSHALL ALLEN
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In Argentina : the Buenos Aires Concerts
Live album
CHARLES MINGUS
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On Fire : Live From the Blue Morocco
Live album
FREDDIE HUBBARD
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Next Standards
Album
MABUMI YAMAGUCHI
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NuMBq
Album
MICHAEL BISIO
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Fourth Atlas
Album
TIM DAISY
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Live At The Village Vanguard
Live album
BILL STEWART
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Piano Jazz In New York
Boxset / Compilation
GEORGES ARVANITAS
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Poncha
Album
NICK COSTLEY-WHITE
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The Crisis Knows No Borders
Album
GUSTAVO CORTIÑAS
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I Will
Live album
LARRY GOLDINGS
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Standards, Vol. 2
Album
YOTAM SILBERSTEIN
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Being-A-Ning
Album
SILKE EBERHARD
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Splash
Album
MYRA MELFORD
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Reach
EP
KNEEBODY
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LA BOA Meets Tony Allen
Album
TONY ALLEN
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SEMA4
Live album
ALISON RAYNER
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Blue DNA
Album
JERRY BERGONZI
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Inner Flight Music
Album
TOBIAS WIKLUND
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Riofonic
Album
MAFALDA MINNOZZI
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Chapter III : We Return to Light
EP
ANOUSHKA SHANKAR
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Silt Remembrance Ensemble : The Order
Album
SILT REMEMBRANCE ENSEMBLE / REMEMBRANCE QUINTET
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Afro-Puerto Rican Jazz
Album
ALEX APOLO AYALA
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Artistic Being
Live album
IDRIS ACKAMOOR
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East by Midwest
Album
CHARLIE BALLANTINE
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Big & Lovely
Album
ALLISON MILLER
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Elegy
Album
REX RICHARDSON
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Tuomo Uusitalo Trio : Sörkka
Album
TUOMO UUSITALO
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Abundância
Album
MARIA JOÃO
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Silver on Aluminum
Album
ELDAD TARMU
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REQUESTS - Tsuyoshi Yamamoto Trio LIVE vol.1
Live album
TSUYOSHI YAMAMOTO 山本剛
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REQUESTS - Tsuyoshi Yamamoto Trio LIVE - Vol.2
Live album
TSUYOSHI YAMAMOTO 山本剛
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Borderless
Album
BRIAN CHARETTE
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Arboresque
Album
ARTEMIS
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Motherland
Album
DIETER ILG
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Eddy m'a dit
Album
EMMANUEL BEX
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Joona Toivanen Trio : Gravity
Album
JOONA TOIVANEN
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Kinetic
Album
BLACK FLOWER
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You Better Bet
Album
JACOB WUTZKE
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Walkabout
Album
ROB BROWN
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I’m Just Say’n
Album
JOE MCPHEE
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ARC
Album
FANTASTIC SWIMMERS
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Belonging
Album
BRANFORD MARSALIS
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III
Album
ANDORRA
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And Now
Album
KJETIL MULELID
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One of These Nights
Live album
AL DI MEOLA
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Fiend
Live album
ENEMY (KIT DOWNES - PETTER ELDH - JAMES MADDREN)
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Gratitude
Album
SHAREL CASSITY
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The Eternal
Album
BILLY MOHLER
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When Shadows Dance
Album
EYOLF DALE
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Duduka Da Fonseca Trio : Rio Fantasia
Album
DUDUKA DA FONSECA
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Exits
Album
STRAT ANDRIOTIS
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Mean What You Say
Album
YVES BROUQUI
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Jazz Detectives
Album
FRODE KJEKSTAD
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Tribute to Dom Minasi
EP
JACK DESALVO
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Hope
Album
MIKKEL PLOUG
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Speilstillevariasjoner
Album
STEIN URHEIM
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Live In Helsinki
Live album
TIMO LASSY
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Chicago To New York
Album
ERIC ALEXANDER
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It's All So
Album
BRAD TURNER
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Next Gen
Album
JOHN STEIN
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A Brand New State
Album
ALEX MCLAUGHLIN
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Thrive
Album
FABIENNE AMBÜHL (AMBUEHL)
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Fasten Up
Album
YELLOWJACKETS
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After the Last Sky
Album
ANOUAR BRAHEM
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Downhill From Here
Album
GILAD HEKSELMAN
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Illuminescence
Album
HEARTS AND MINDS
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Better If You Let It
Album
THE YOUNG MOTHERS
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Positive Energy
Album
GREG ABATE
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Peaceful (with Tim Hagans)
Album
THE MODERN JAZZ TRIO
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Mosaic : The Music of Gregg Hill
Album
RODNEY WHITAKER
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Consentrik Quartet
Album
NELS CLINE
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Every Journey
Album
ENSEMBLE C
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Yikes Too
Album
TIM BERNE
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Latent Info
Album
PETROS KLAMPANIS
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Fantome
Album
SASHA BERLINER
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With Respect To Oscar & Niels
Album
IGNASI TERRAZA
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The Music of Anthony Braxton
Live album
STEVE LEHMAN
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Ianchelevici
Album
FLYGMASKIN
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Everyday
Album
TAKUYA KURODA
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Unbound Inner
Album
WILLIE MORRIS
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In Jazz We Trust
Album
POSI-TONE SWINGTET
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Tell The Truth
Album
BEN MARKLEY
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Dust
Album
ROMAIN COLLIN
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Hard Believer
Album
BELIEVERS
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At Club Danshaku NY
Live album
RON MCCLURE
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South
Album
RANDAL DESPOMMIER
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Table For Three
Album
ALEX NORRIS
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Lost in the Shadow
Album
ANDREW RATHBUN
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modern jazz Music Reviews

CHICK COREA Return to Forever

Album · 1972 · Fusion
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FunkFreak75
During the two years after participating in the August 1969 recording sessions for Mile Davis' seminal album, Bitches Brew, Chick had participated in the recording of many diverse albums--from Miles Davis' live albums to Wayne Shorter and Larry Coryell's experimental First Wave Fusion albums Supernova and Spaces, respectively, but more, he chose to hang around his more steadfast jazz compatriots Jack DeJohnette, Dave Holland, Eric Kloss, Joe Farrell, and Gary Burton. Return to Forever marked his own first foray into true j-R-F as a bandleader.

1. "Return to Forever" (12:06) now I know where the idea for The Northettes (and other Canterbury female vocals) came from! Flora Purim's angelic and ethereal wordless vocalese performs as if another instrument in the weave with Chick's Fender Rhodes, Stanley Clarke's fairly-untreated electric bass, Airto Moreira's classical jazz drumming, and Joe Farrell's background flutes. (24/25) 2. "Crystal Silence" (6:59) a beautiful Fender Rhodes song that features the respectful and only intermittent inputs of Joe Farrell's soprano sax and Airto Moreira's shakers and bells--a song that would be expanded upon significantly with vibraphonist Gary Burton on the album of the same name that would come out later in the same year. (14.5/15)

3. "What Games Shall We Play Today?" (4:30) a gentle Latin-bossa nova light (reminding me of Burt Bacharach/Hal David's "Do You Know the Way to San Jose?") with Flora actually singing over the Fender Rhodes, Latin drums and bass lines and BOB JAMES-like keyboard and flute melodies. A light, innocuous song illustrating Chick's pop capabilities. (8.875/10)

4. "Sometime Ago / La Fiesta" (23:13) the whole of Side Two is occupied by this sprawling tune--a -part suite that starts out with Chick's vibrating Fender Rhodes being reacted to from the right side by Stanley's gentle, respectful double bass play. Eventually, in the third minute, Chick backs off to allow Stanley some solo time bowing his bass. Then Joe Farrell's flute and Airto's full drum kit get into the act for a couple minutes of more active, full-ensemble play until things begin being dismantled at the end of the seventh minute. By 7:30 a new more Latin/Brasilian motif starts up over which in the ninth minute Flora Purim begins singing (a rather simple, cheesy English lyric--which makes me wonder how beautiful this might have been had it been sung in Flora's native Portuguese tongue). Both Chick and Joe continue mirroring and creating variations on the main melody that Flora's vocal uses (rather rigidly, I might add). Both are creative but never really getting very daring--until, finally, the 12th minute when Chick and Airto seem to egg one another on--sweeping Joe up into the frenzy (with piccolo?). Overall, this light and delightful second movement lasts for about six minutes before there is a slow down and return to Chick's solo Fender Rhodes, tout seul. For the next couple of minutes he continues to gently, introspectively explore the main melody that he, Flora, and Joe had just been using before a slow down and complete stop at 15:25 signals an opportunity for the whole band to jump back in with a more percussive Latinized version of the four chord vamp they'd been using, this time with Joe playing his soprano sax up front. At 7:18 the whole key signature shifts and with it the melody line, now sounding much more aligned to a different, more Spanish theme and melody (Olé!)--but the shift was so subtle! If you weren't paying attention you might not even notice it! Joe swoops and soars covering the entire octaval capacity of his sax until the 20th minute when the band pretty much comes together to carry the melody together. Then Chick, Airto, and Stanley switch into a different kind of style while maintaining their carry of the same melody (basically), giving Joe a break for a minute. Stanley is walking all over that fretboard and Chick is really hammering and tickling his keys. Then Flora's hand percussion and Joe's sax step back in to liven up the final 90 seconds. Fun, melodic, sophisticated, though not as individually flashy as future RTF albums. (41/45)

Total Time 46:48

An album that really explored the more spacious, contemplative potential of the newly emerging wave of Jazz-Rock Fusion, Chick used his Return To Forever project as a means to exploring his curiosities with the world of electrified instruments and emerging new sound treatments--as well as some of his fire and vigor.

A/five stars; despite the feeling that these guys are just getting into their exploration and exhibition of Jazz-Rock Fusion, the music here is so melodious and the musicianship so high (though never mind-blowing as the future RTF individuals would display) this is truly a masterpiece of First or Second Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion. (First for the exploration of "uncharted territory," second for the use of forms and sounds that are already being explored by others--like Weather Report.)

NUCLEUS Ian Carr With Nucleus : Solar Plexus

Album · 1971 · Fusion
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FunkFreak75
Recorded in December of 1970, this was Ian Carr's relatively-new "jazz-rock fusion" project's third album release (though many cite Chris Spedding's Ian-Carr-less album from 1970, Songs Without Words as another Nucleus album, which would make Solar Plexus the band's fourth release). Here we see the final appearance on Nucleus/Ian Carr albums of Karl Jenkins, Chris Spedding, Jeff Clyne, and drummer John Marshall while at the same time we see the significant contributions of a number of hired guests to thicken and give variety to Ian's band's sound.

1. Elements I & II (2:12) full-on experimentation with the latest advances/offerings from the world of electronics: here a VCS3 synthesizer, courtesy of Keith Winter, joined by bowed double bass, flanged electric guitar notes, and metallic percussion noises. Interesting and, actually, rather structured! (4.5/5)

2. Changing Times (4:44) so many elements here that refer to other songs, other artists--like HERB ALPERT, OLATUNDE BABATUNJI, HUGH MASAKELA, BURT BACHARACH, and so many others An absolutely brilliant blend of so many styles and sounds: like a brief history of Jazz-Rock music! I'm glad! If anyone in the early Fusion world had a grip on where Jazz-Rock Fusion was coming from and the many, many arms and tentacles it could reach into, it was Ian Carr. A complete visionary! (9/10)

3. Bedrock Deadlock (6:52) opens sounding like a song from mediæval church music with oboe and bowed double bass dancing around one another in a kind of pre-tango pairs dance. Quite lovely--and brilliant! At 1:49, then, the classical music intro ends, there is a pause, and then a full band jumps into a weird motif that forces enters the listener to enter into a mish-mash of early-Beatles psychedelia. At 3:48 a horn section of saxes starts up a new expression of the main melodies--which is then countered by Ian Carr's own competing melody presentation from a horn section that he leads. Mix into the weave Chris Spedding and Jeff Clyne's own competing thread and we have a really cool, really beautiful weave of doubled up melodies--all supported by the rhythm play of John Marshall's drums paired up with Chris Karan's conga play. Cool mathematical exercise! (9.5/10)

4. Spirit Level (9:20) opening with another anachronistic weave of multiple "old" instruments that lasts about 60 seconds before turning into a little sprite-like dance between guests Tony Roberts' bass clarinet and Ron Matthewson's bass--which goes on for about two and a half minutes while late-night jazz brushed drums eventually join in as well as harmonically-arranged horn section. The bass clarinet and bass continue on well into the sixth minute before the band slides into a slightly more substantial jazz motif with sticks being used on the drum kit and Ian stepping up into the lead position while Chris Spedding, Ron Matthewson, Chris Karan, and the other horn players all fall into interestingly creative support roles. Another interesting song that sounds and feels like a journey through several time periods and styles. (18/20)

5. Torso (6:12) a song that feels somewhat rooted in the popular "beach rock" that became popular in the 1960s. There is also a Spanish hue to the song--quite like the Animals version of the classic tune, "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" (and the later version by Santa Esmeralda) as well as The Mamas And The Papas' chords from "California Dreamin'" and future [June of 1971] hit, "One Fine Morning" by Canadian band Skylark. A real rousing, rollicking, and engaging tune that makes you want to get up and move! (9.5/10)

6. Snakehips Dream (15:16) a song that starts out as if borrowing an old James Brown R&B motif to ge t started: bass, drums, two rhythm guitar tracks (on the left: more rhythm-oriented with lots of strumming of fast-changing chords; on the right with more jazz sounds and intonations. I'm guessing that Eumir Deodato and his guitarist John Tropea had this in mind when playing/recording for "Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001)"). Weird to just be noticing how there are virtually no keyboards on this album! The first four minutes of this are just as described: all R&B exploration of a theme, but then horns enter and start to fill some spaces and accent others until Brian Smith branches off into the sunlight to posit a smooth tenor sax solo over the hep R&B jam. At the 8:00 mark two different horn groups break off to perform a call-and-response passage that serves as a bridge to Ian's turn to solo--this time on a flugelhorn. Meanwhile, Chris Spedding's two guitar tracks continue to improvise, exploring and entertaining just beneath the lead and rhythm sections. (27/30) Total Time: 44:36

As suggested above, Ian Carr's vision for Jazz-Rock Fusion's potential is about as complete as anyone's that I've encountered: where others are imitators or simply jumping on a bandwagon with the other "cool kids" (like Miles, Freddie Hubbard, Art Farmer, Sonny Rollins, Herbie Mann, Jack DeJohnette, Donald Byrd and even Herbie Hancock (who was really more into exploring the latest and greatest technologies), Ian is actually totally committed, invested, and immersed in the movement--which I really admire. On Solar Plexus one can see Ian growing: spanning two worlds at the same time, with one foot still drawing from all that was fresh and innovative in the pop-jazz world of the 1960s while the other is in the forward-thinking, potential-realizing of his own imagination.

A-/five stars; another minor masterpiece of cutting-edge, exploratory Jazz-Rock Fusion from one of the true leaders and apostles of the movement.

IAN CARR Belladonna

Album · 1972 · Fusion
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FunkFreak75
In effect a NUCLEUS album, I can see, however, how/why Ian Carr dropped that moniker for this album in that only one musician (other than himself) remains from the original Nucleus albums (Elastic Rock and We'll Talk about it Later). (Brian Smith.)

1. "Belladonna" (13:42) an album that sounds very much as if it is taking its cues and inspiration from the post-Bitches Brew work of Joe Zawinul & Wayne Shorter (who had just launched their WEATHER REPORT project with both the self- titles debut and 1972 release, I Sing the Body Electric, both having been released prior to Belladonna's July recording sessions) and especially, Herbie Hancock, whose Mwandishi and Crossings albums had also both been released prior to Belladonna's recording sessions. (In case you were wondering, Chick Corea's Return to Forever album had its European release in September of 1972, two months after, Belladonna came out.) While Brian Smith's soprano sax is the real start of this show, Gordon Beck's peaceful Hohner electric piano is a key component to its success. While Brian's play and melodies are quite pleasing, even enjoyable, the song never gets elevated into anything but a long late night contemplative--and, perhaps a fitting inspiration for Vangelis Papathanassiou for the spacey "New Age" music that would occupy his attention for the rest of his life. (26.333/30)

2. "Summer Rain" (6:13) after a 90-second slow and deliberated intro in which Ian's trumpet and Brian's tenor sax set the melodic groundwork, this song is blessed by a dynamic breakout performance on the "dirty" Fender Rhodes by a Kiwi age-mate of Ian's, Dave MacRae (who would stay with Ian for the next three Ian Carr/Nucleus albums). I find myself not only absolutely mesmerized by this piece, but actually loving both the sound and melodies created by Dave and his Fender Rhodes. (It's the same sound that French downtempo chillout band AIR used so successfully on their massively-popular 1998 debut album, Moon Safari.) Bass, jazz guitar (mixed far-left into the background) and chill drums progress throughout the length of the song. Weird to hear Allan Holdsworth--the Allan Holdsworth--relegated to playing rhythm/background jazz guitar using neither his own trademark scales nor his own "trademark" sound. (9.6667/10)

3. "Remadione" (3:48) flutes take up a full two minutes of this song's opening while dirty Fender Rhodes electric piano (L) and more rock/proggy lead electric guitar gently support. The third and fourth minutes see the full band engage in another AIR-like downtempo motif while Dave and Allan ramp up considerably their "duel." (9/10)

4. "Mayday" (5:41) opening with the "Shaft"-like cymbal play and over all sound of Bitches Brew and Mwandishi/Crossings, Allan is strumming away wildly in the background while Dave MacRae and Gordon Beck. At 3:35 the band's rhythm section feels as if it finally "falls into" the song's main motif--which is an awesome jazz-rock groove while Brian continues soloing. The finish is tailed off with a coordinated horn section riff and poof! It's over! I'm not so great a fan of Brian's sax solo (most of the time I don't even hear it) but the bass and double keyboard play are awesome. (9.125/10)

5. "Suspension" (6:15) opening tracks dedicated to bamboo flutes, electric pianos, and percussion sounds is kind of cool--definitely evoking garden and/or Japanese/Asian images/feelings. Roy Babbington's bass enters around 1:15, soloing on its own as if trying to find its place in the mix, but then suddenly at 1:55 he "falls into" a steady riff that becomes the foundation for the rest of the song--and which Allan Holdsworth doubles up with his own lowest octave strings. Meanwhile the bamboo flute and Gordon Beck's dreamy Hohner electric piano continue to explore the background but now we add Ian's trumpet up front left and, soon, Dave MacRae's dirty Fender Rhodes in the right channel. The bamboo flutes disappear as Ian and the two electric pianos continue to explore their passions on their own tracks with their own separately effected instruments (Dave's Rhodes getting particularly wild--sounding like a wile organ or heavily-treated lead guitar). Despite a rather mundane and pastoral opening, this one became something quite interesting--especially with that cool Fender Rhodes sound flailing aggressively away in the final third. (9.125/10)

6. "Hector's House" (4:33) though definitely firmly rooted in the rock traditions, this one has one of the more convincing jazz-rock feels to it--all built on a riff and motif that is not so far from the opening song, "Song for the Bearded Lady" from We'll Talk about it Later. Brian Smith really tears an awesomely-smooth high-speed performance on his soprano sax in the second and third minutes while Allan Holdworth really rips up the soundwaves in the fourth with his jazz-rock guitar shredding. Once again there are such highs in this song to offset the lows/deficiencies. (9.125/10)

Total Time: 40:12

One of the most significant outcomes of the making of this album is the meeting of young Allan Holdsworth and elder statesman Gordon Beck as the two would forge a life-long friendship that would result in their collaboration on no less than four albums over the next few decades.

A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of highly-creative First or Second Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion.

DIDIER LOCKWOOD New World

Album · 1979 · Post Bop
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FunkFreak75
French violinist records an album for MPS in the Netherlands with an international all-star cast. Here we find Didier deciding to reach backward toward a more classic acoustic-oriented jazz, sounding very much like the music Stéphane Grappelli and the great European jazz violinists of the 1950s and 60s. Didier even goes so far as to cover several jazz "classics"--as if he feels he has to prove himself to the Jazz community.

1. "Vieux Pape" (5:19) opening with a sound palette and style that sounds completely acoustic Sixties, this Didier composition is highly melodic and richly-full with the busy, virtuosic jazz musicianship of pianist Gordon Beck, bassist Niels-Henning Orsted-Pedersen, and drummer extraordinaire, Tony Williams while Didier puts in a performance that would make him worthy for competition with the great Jean-Luc Ponty. Beck's wonderful piano play is capped by a solo that finds me thinking of the late, great Chick Corea. Lovely! Then Niels-Henning Orsted-Pedersen takes a turn in the spotlight and he's also quite wonderful--projecting lovely melody despite moving along the fretboard of his stand-up double bass at breakneck speeds. (9.25/10)

2. "Autumn Leaves" (5:24) a fully-jazz expression of the jazz classic (which was originally composed by Frenchmen Joseph Kosma and lyricist Jacques Prévoert when titled "Les feiulles mortes"--meaning "dead leaves"). Great performances--especially if you like high quality jazz musicianship. Also, I never really realized how wonderfully this song's main melody lends itself to expression on the acoustic violin. A kind of revelation! Gordon Beck's pristine solo in the second minute is so clean, crisp and yet beautiful. And Niels-Henning Orsted-Pedersen's walking bass line so perfect for holding it all together. (9.3333/10)

3. "La Manufacture De Sucre Engloutie" (3:50) gorgeous piano chord play opens this song--a composition credited to both Gordon Beck and Didier. Listening to this song truly is like being in the presence of humans possessed with a direct line to otherworldly beauty. I can definitely see how anomolous music mathematician Allan Holdsworth forged such a deep and lasting bond with Mr. Beck. (9.75/10)

4. "New World" (5:04) composed by Didier's brother, Francis, the ensemble really has fun with this one--especially, methinks, Didier and Tony. A great listen of impressive musicianship. (9.25/10)

5. "The Last Blade Of Grass" (4:26) the first song to sound a little like J-R Fusion with electrified violin, electric guitars, this song is attributed to guest fusion guitarist Jean-Michel Kajdan. Jean-Michel's performance is particularly impressive for its fiery dexterity as well as emotional expressiveness. Matter of fact, the rest of the band seem rather sleepy when set beside J-M's play: as if they're all stunned, standing in jaw-on-the-floor shock, as they go through their motions perfunctorily while Jean-Michel plays. In fact, it takes a full 20-to-30 seconds after Jean-Michel pauses for the others to re-focus and put some passion back into their own play--including the next soloist himself (Didier)! In the end, everybody gets up to speed and the song finishes well, but those first two minutes were extraordinary! (9.3333/10)

6. "My Memories Of You" (5:40) interesting that this Francis Lockwood-penned song title and sound, chord progressions all sound like a song of a similar name that would find its way onto Vangelis Pappathanassiou's soundtrack for the 1982 sci-fi film Blade Runner. This duet between the Lockwood brothers finds the one using electrified violin, the other using a standard grand piano. (8.875/10)

7. "Giant Steps" (2:10) an interesting sprint through one of the giants of jazz history. (4.5/5)

8. "Pent-up House" (2:31) a Sonny Rollins song that Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli made their own on which guitarist John Etheridge quite capably takes the role of Django, while Didier, of course, takes that of Stéphane. Quite a respectful and faithful rendering. (9.125/10)

9. "Zbiggy" (6:55) a tribute to the recently-deceased Polish-born jazz violinist Zbigniew Seifert. Perishing of cancer at the age of 32, "Zbiggy" had been an early pioneer of electrified violin sounds and an active member of the "free jazz" movement though he contributed significantly to the J-R Fusion albums of Volker Kriegel, Jan "Ptaszyn" Wróbleweski, Jasper van 't Hof, Joachim Kühn, Hans Koller, Charlie Mariano, and Glenn Moore's Oregon. Didier's song here allows his collaborators (Tony Williams, John Etheridge, Gordon Beck, and Niels-Henning Orsted-Pedersen) to also pay tribute to their lost compatriot. Kind of a two-chord high-speed, dynamic vamp that allows for lots of soloing. (13.375/15)

Total Time: 41:19

It's all great acoustic jazz--maybe "rock" can be tagged onto the descriptive referents, but it's really just jazz. To me, this album is more of a retrospective tribute to Jazz history than a step forward in the evolution of Jazz-Rock Fusion. At the same time, after repeated listens I've come to appreciate the absolute genius of the performances of these jazz stalwarts. Beautiful!

A/five stars; while not what I would consider an expression or full-fledged Jazz-Rock Fusion, this is without a doubt a wonderful expression of music, musicianship, and jazz of the absolute highest quality and must, therefore, be extolled as a masterpiece of music--general Götterdämmerung-ed music--no matter what genre or category you choose to assign it to.

JOE SANTA MARIA Joe Santa Maria & David Tranchina : Oblique Rhyme

Album · 2025 · 21st Century Modern
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js
Saxophonist Joe Santa Maria and bassist David Tranchina are the main composers and band leaders on “Oblique Rhyme”, but they get ample help from pianist Gary Fukushima and drummer Colin Woodward who both provide musical direction and a couple compositions of their own. Looking at the many musicians these four have worked with in the past, some big names include; Bob Mintzer, Mike Stern, Patrice Rushen, Bennie Maupin, Walter Smith III and many more. “Oblique Rhyme” reflects today’s current jazz with an emphasis on abstract rhythms and tonality. Many influences are at work here, but in their own stated reflections on their music, two names tend to show up the most; Ornette Coleman and Wayne Shorter.

Album opener, “War Crime”, is one of the best tracks on the album with it’s driving but fractured hard bop, very much in an Ornette style. “Hidden Lake” is a pastoral and almost gospel sounding ballad that reflects Tranchina’s childhood in a sleepy rural community. The three tracks that follow are not actually atonal or a-rhythmic, but they are very free and loose with a shifting feel for pulse that may remind some of Paul Motion. Maria’s choppy phrases on the saxophone also recalls Wayne Shorter’s work with Miles and the first more experimental version of Weather Report. The Weather Report comparison is furthered on “Ambient Ambience”, on which Fukushima backs Maria with electronic keyboards.

The album closes out with, “This Must be for You”, a Herbie Hancock styled post bop ballad, “Caricature”, which brings back the Ornette styled fractured hard bop and “Picking up the Pieces”, a Wayne Shorter composition in flowing three time. “Oblique Rhyme” presents a nice addition to today’s world of modern jazz, all the tracks are good, but quite possibly, a lot of jazz fans would like to hear more tracks like “War Crime” and “Caricature”, those are the two with the most heat.

modern jazz movie reviews

JACO PASTORIUS Jaco

Movie · 2015 · Fusion
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Maxsmusic
A truly great retrospective of the greatest bass player through the words of musicians and his closest associates. It traces his early influences with cuban music and jazz, growing up in south Florida. Jaco learned to play the bass after having an injury to his arm which forbid him from playing his first love, the drums. He is a true drumming bassist. He fused the rhythm of percussion, the groove of soul and the essence of improvisation into a holistic motif of beauty. Thus he is now considered a pioneer of innovation and true musicality. He probably influenced more bass players and all musicians with his unique style. The movie also explores his tragic demise and how his mental problems caused him to slide down into a deep dark hole of misery. He left a mark on music and is solely missed.

JEFF BECK Performing This Week...Live At Ronnie Scott's

Movie · 2008 · Fusion
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FunkFreak75
Have you seen this concert footage? If not you are missing an important document that preserves for all-time the mind-blowing guitar technique and genius of one of the greatest electric guitar players of all-time. The song selection, the band members present, the vocalists' contributions, are all sublime and masterful--plus we are here seeing the introduction to the world one of the new blood in bass player Tal Wilkenfeld. Vinnie Coluaita may be the best drummer of the past 25 years--How lucky are we to get these artists all playing such gorgeous, powerful songs? Whether he plays his own tunes or covers classics from others' pens, Jeff Beck is a master--raises every song and every performance to a new level never before imagined. Thank you, Jeff Beck! Thank you, Ronnie Scott's! Thank you video technology!

WEATHER REPORT Live At Montreux 1976

Movie · 2006 · Fusion
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Maxsmusic
The mid 70's was the pinnacle for jazz fusion and this concert captures the energy and excitement of the era. The artists were playing in front of large crowds and making money. This band evolved from the post bop of the 60's and was super talented. The leader was a keyboard virtuoso and he wanted to create a new sound fusing jazz with rock. Weather Report actually had hits played on the radio, which was unheard of for a jazz band. This is not traditional jazz, as this was the electronic era and the musicians wanted to crank it up and play with synths and feedback. The 70's was the decade of experimentation in all forms of music and they took the jazz format to its limit. On bass the incredible artist of Jaco Pastorius, who had only recently joined the band, makes his mark with a vengeance. He plays as a true great bassist with feel and funkiness. This music is a direct offshoot of the Miles Davis school of music. It is highly recommended for the art it conveys. 5 stars.

PAT METHENY Imaginary Day Live

Movie · 2001 · World Fusion
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Matti P
The gig date is July 1998 and the venue is not-so-ordinary stage at the Mountain Winery, Saratoga, California. The film is beautifully directed and edited by Steve Rodby, the bassist of the seven-piece group. The composition credits are shared by Metheny and keyboardist Lyle Mays. The main body of the set is from the then-latest album Imaginary Day (1997), which is one of the finest and most eclectic Pat Metheny Group albums.

On the opening solo number 'Into the Dream' Metheny plays peculiar 42-string "Pikasso" guitar that produces sounds reminiscent to kantele or zither. The group joins him on the groovy, bright & happy 'Follow Me' that features also some wordless singing from multi-instrumentalists Mark Ledford (trumpet, guitar, percussion) and Philip Hamilton (percussion, guitar). The frontman himself throws in his trade mark high-pitched guitar sound.

The 10-minute title track is an impressive example of the way this wonderful group builds exciting sonic textures and eclectic musical vocabulary without ever losing a certain positively charged accessibility and emotion. 'Heat of the Day' is a hectic piece full of percussive vitality but also a more serene pianism of Mays. Mellow 'Across the Sky' approaches a song structure in a nice way. The warm-spirited gig ends with three pieces outside of Imaginary Day. 'Message to a Friend' is a moody acoustic guitar solo.

Extra features on the 93-min. DVD include a Metheny interview, discography (featuring album covers and track lists), band member biographies, and Notes About the Album / Instrumentation / Tracks / Writing Process. Reading it all can be a bit exhausting, but in the end these extras help this DVD deserve a sincere recommendation for all fans of Pat Metheny. Musically speaking, this is one of the most enjoyable jazz/fusion live DVD's I have ever viewed.

WEATHER REPORT Live in Germany 1971

Movie · 2010 · Fusion
Cover art Buy this album from MMA partners
Sean Trane
Well if the world still has to find some live recording from the very first studio all-star line-up (not likely, though), at least we've got now something very close to and we can even see the quintet at work with this just-as-famous version in the form of a German TV show called the Beat Club. With only Airto Moreira gone, replaced by Brazilian countryman Um Romao, the other four being Vitous, Shorter, Mouzon and Zawinul, Weather Report embarked on this TV show adventure not knowing that Alphonse Mouzon would leave the band in a while.

As you'd expect this broadcast consisted mainly of tracks from the debut album, but some are fairly different as WR always made improvisation their force. So you'll recognize 'Umbrellas generic structure, but drafted fairly differently, not just because of Romao's constant change of percussions instruments - he's one of the visual focus of the group, who otherwise remains fairly static and even blows a flute (and later some whistles) for a short while. One of the big difference between the studio album and this broadcast is that Miroslav has taken up the electric bass (his contrabass is still very present but mainly played with a bow), thus allowing even more energy to invade the quintet's shared space. The group's steaming-hot improvised fusion is simply awesome and flows naturally from your speakers like a river of fresh lave spewing out from your volcanic woofers.

Clearly the gravitational centre of the band is Zawinul's Rhodes, but it is clear that it is the group's tightness its main force. Morning Lake is much needed breathing space, starting out slowly with Shorter's sax signalling the dawn for Romao's birdsongs. Just past that Dom pulls an Brazilian berimbau . Drummer Alphonse sings funkilly (rather well, too) a rare sung track in the closing medley, but it's will veer into the Dr Honoris Causa - later on the Body Electric album.

A while later, Mouzon would leave the band and be replaced by drummer Erik Gravatt and this line-up would go on to record Body Electric and the Tokyo concert (released in 77, but part of it in the ISTBE album) and in the process become the definitive line-up of the Vitous- era Weather Report But for now, this German TV broadcast is an inestimable witness of the group's almost original line-up, and is just as essential as their debut album, the Tokyo concert or Body Electric.Too bad it's relatively short, though. Run for this baby...

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