Rodrigo Lima: Saga

by Chris M. Slawecki
April 17, 2015

“I fell in love with the jazz guitar--all kinds of jazz guitarists, from Jim Hall to Pat Metheny to Luis Bonf��, by listening to their records," explains Brazilian composer, arranger, bandleader and guitarist Rodrigo Lima. Saga luxuriously extends this jazz guitar love affair across the American and Brazilian continents--it was recorded in New York, Los Angeles, Rio de Janeiro and Curitiba--and across the two CDs of Lima's utterly magnificent recorded debut. Producer Arnaldo DeSouteiro elegantly ...

Hubert Laws: In The Beginning

by Dan Bilawsky
July 5, 2011

Hubert LawsIn The BeginningCTI Masterworks2011 (1974) The release of a double album during the LP-era could be a double-edged sword. This format provided a platform for artists to elaborate on their ideas and serve a hefty portion of music to their fans and potential followers, but a single record forced musicians to self-edit a bit more, making them more likely to come out at the other end with a concise artistic ...

Hubert Laws: Flute Virtuoso and NEA Jazz Master

by Greg Thomas
February 23, 2011

After James Moody and Frank Wess established the flute as a solo jazz instrument in the 1950s, and Herbie Mann popularized it in the 1960s, the musician that has become most identified with virtuosic flute performance in jazz is Hubert Laws, who became a recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Jazz Masters Fellowship in the class of 2011, the penultimate group of honorees before the program closes after the 2012 ceremony. I've been enamored ...

McCoy Tyner: Fly With The Wind

by Graham L. Flanagan
May 18, 2009

McCoy Tyner may be best-known for his legendary tenure with John Coltrane's quartet in the early '60s, as well as his recordings as a leader for Blue Note, but budding fans should investigate his formidable output from the subsequent decade. In 1972, Tyner defected to Orrin Keepnews' Milestone label, where he remained through the early '80s. While at Milestone the pianist recorded no less than 20 albums. Recently released as part of the Keepnews Collection is the ...

McCoy Tyner: Fly With The Wind

by Glenn Astarita
August 8, 2008

Upon its release on LP in 1976, Fly With the Wind quickly became a significant part of pianist McCoy Tyner's growing canon. Played seemingly endlessly by fans, it's an album rarely cited as a classic from the '70s, since mainstream jazz was on the comeback trail from the difficult '60s. Nonetheless, this 24-bit remaster is one of many reissues emanating from legendary producer Orrin Keepnews' extensive Keepnews Collection.

Along with the original artwork and liners, Keepnews adds several ...

Hubert Laws: Moondance

by John Kelman
April 6, 2004

Returning to the soul jazz of his classic CTI recordings, flautist Hubert Laws delivers Moondance , an album of contemporary grooves and smooth sounds that, while a step above most smooth jazz recordings, is for the most part a little too safe, a little too conservative for a capable artist who has always seemed to represent more about potential and less about realization. There’s certainly nothing wrong with Laws’ tone; there are few flautists on the scene ...

Mark Towns: Passion

by John Kelman
April 6, 2004

Following up his 2000 d��but, Flamenco Jazz Latino , guitarist Mark Towns returns with another dose of Latin/Cuban-inflected jazz on Passion , again featuring flautist Hubert Laws. While not exactly a groundbreaking affair, there are enough pleasant melodies and good playing to make this album worth a spin for fans of the genre. The question is: does it merit repeated play?Passion also reunites Towns with pianist Rainel Pino and bassist Anibal Ambert, both players who are comfortable with ...