World of Jazz 499

A mix of old and new on this show with a focus on Anthony Braxton. There’s also lots of older material emerging from archives for the first time including recordings never before heard from Henry Lowther and Dave Brubeck

Show Intro 00:00
Jean Fineberg “Away With Words” from Jean Fineberg & Jazzphoria (Pivotal Records) 00:48
Kneebody “Spectra” from Live At Le Crescent 2019 (Edition Records) 07:02
Joel Quarrington “Quartet 89” from The Music Of Don Thompson (Modica Music) 16:10
Evan Parker, Paul Rutherford, Anthony Braxton “The Honker” from Trio (London) 1993 (Leo Records) 33:42
John Scofield “Coral” from Solo (ECM) 52:01
John Scofield “Not Fade Away” from Solo (ECM) 54:39
Soft Machine “Gesolreut” from NDR Jazz Workshop – Hamburg, Germany, May 17, 1973 (Cuneiform) 1:00:24
Anthony Braxton and Gino Robair “Composition No. 86” from Duets 1987 (Music & Arts) 1:12:59
Eddie Harris “South Side” from Live at Newport (Atlantic) 1:25:35
Ben Sidran “Swing State” from Swing State (Nardis/Bonsai) 1:35:06
The Dave Brubeck Quartet “Blue Rondo A La Turk” from Time Outtakes (Brubeck Editions) 1:41:45
Henry Lowther’s Quaternity “Never Never Land” from Never Never Land (Jazz In Britain) 1:51:49

Jean Fineberg

Jean Fineberg & JAZZphoria is Fineberg’s long-in-the-making debut as name-above-the title bandleader.
JAZZphoria is a contemporary octet led by the tenor saxophonist/composer. Their original repertoire ranges from swing to bebop, funk, R&B, blues, salsa and reggae. Comprised of veteran musicians, JAZZphoria features an impressive four-woman horn section and a solid grooving rhythm section.

Jean Fineberg – tenor saxophone, flute
Carolyn Walter – baritone saxophone, bass clarinet, flute
Tiffany Carrico – trumpet/flugelhorn
Marina Garza – trumpet, flugelhorn
Nancy Wenstrom – guitars
Erika Oba – keyboards, flute, piccolo
Susanne DiVincenzo – acoustic & electric bass
Lance Dresser – drums

Kneebody

Firebrand US-based collective Kneebody are one of the most adventurous and exciting bands of their
generation, known for their sheer virtuosity and musicianship. In October 2019, the group (featuring
Ben Wendel, Nate Wood, Shane Endsley and Adam Benjamin) released their debut album on Edition
Records, “Chapters.” The all-encompassing and powerhouse record that mixes deep grooves and deft
melodies was adventurous, exuberant and above all, powerful; music for a new generation from a band
with a committed and distinctive sound alongside an all-star guest-list of collaborators including
Gretchen Parlato, Josh Dion, Becca Stevens, Gerald Clayton and Michael Mayo.

Following the success of Chapters and whilst on tour in Europe, the group played to a sold-out
audience at Le Crescent in France. Performing music from their last album and firm favourites from
their back catalogue, ‘Kneebody: Live at Le Crescent’ is vibrant and commands your attention with
surprises at every turn. Everything about their musical signature is on display: displaced beats,
infectious riffs and haunting unison horns blended with affecting solos and an unmatched confidence

Joel Quarrington

This recording by Joel Quarrington is a unique meeting of musicians from Jazz and Classical backgrounds performing music specifically written by Don Thompson. In 2013 , Joel Quarrington was invited to be one of the featured performers at the International Society of Bassists at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester. One of the highlights of the performance was Don Thompson’s arrangement of the the song “A Nightingale Sang In Berkley Square”, performed by Joel on bass and Don on Piano.

This became the genus of this recording , and Don set out to arrange some of his other compositions for this unique project. I am featuring Quartet 89. In 1989 , New Music Concerts of Canada presented a concert featuring the double bass. There were solo, duo and trio pieces culminating in a commission by Don Thompson for a bass quartet, Quartet 89 for 3 classical players and one Jazz improvisor. The line up is Bass 1 -Joel Quarrington, Bass 2-Travis Harrison, Bass 3-Joseph Phillips, Bass 4-Roberto Occhipinti (jazz bass). The piece starts with an open improvisation based on the initial theme, with the basses coming in with a chorale like melody , A short jazz improvisation follows with another cadenza leading in to development section in 5/4 over a driving ostinato There is a duet with the first soloist , a Fugue like section leading to another cadenza , back to a recap of the opening melody and ending with the solo jazz bass fading out. Sessions were recorded at Modica Music Studio June 27 and 28, 2021 by Jeff Wolpert and produced by Roberto Occhipinti.

Evan Parker, Paul Rutherford, Anthony Braxton

Braxton – alto saxophone, sopranino saxophone , Parker – tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, Rutherford – trombone

All music composed by Anthony Braxton

Recorded May 22, 1993 live at Bloomsbury Theatre (London Jazz Festival)

John Scofield

With a career spanning over half a century, marked by influential collaborations with jazz greats like Miles Davis and Joe Henderson as well as several dozen genre-bending leader dates, it’s all the more striking that this is in fact John Scofield’s first ever guitar-solo recording. The long wait, however, pays off, as John is able to benefit from his decades of experience and charts an intimate path through the styles and idioms he has traversed up until today. He is not entirely all on his own on this endeavour though: the guitarist enters into dialogues with himself, soloing to his own tasteful chordal and rhythmic accompaniment via loop machine.

Soft Machine

Soft Machine’s television broadcast, recorded for Germany’s famous “NDR Jazz Workshop” on May 17, 1973 released by Cuneiform in 2010. This performance was one of the earliest shows by the quartet of Roy Babbington (electric bass), Karl Jenkins (oboe, baritone sax, soprano sax, electric piano), John Marshall (drums) and Mike Ratledge (electric piano, organ). This was a very high profile appearance by the group and for this performance Soft Machine made it a special show. They performed a set of their repertoire in their quartet format and then for the second set they were augmented by two guests: guitarist Gary Boyle (who had just started Isotope) and saxist Art Themen.

Anthony Braxton and Gino Robair

Anthony Braxton’s collaboration with composer/percussionist Gino Robair, Duets (1987), features pieces written by both musicians, separately and collaboratively. It was recorded on August 6 and October 3, 1987 at Cal State University, Hayward, California The featured track is a Braxton composition.

Eddie Harris

Live at the Newport Jazz Festival 12th July 1970 and released by Atlantic

Eddie Harris – tenor saxophone, varitone
Jodie Christian – piano, electric piano
Louis Spears – bass
Robert Crowder – drums

Given short shrift by the critics at the time – in hindsight he was breaking barriers.

Ben Sidran

In his 60-year career, Ben Sidran’s love of music has led him to be a pianist, a singer-songwriter, an author, a record producer and a music journalist among other things. He has been his own short-order cook, juggling his own career and his projects. But we all return to our core, that is, the music that fueled our desires and tacitly directed our lives. Ben went home at the age of 78 with this album. His core was/is modern jazz piano of the late ‘40s, 50s and early 60s. The trios of Bud Powell, Horace Silver and Oscar Peterson among others informed his vocabulary and his imagination. How can you not love a musician whose favorite pianist is Sonny Clark?

The seed for this project was planted a few years ago at Tommy LiPuma’s house when Ben was passing time at his piano and Tommy urged him to do an instrumental album. As the idea flourished in Ben’s mind, he opted for ‘30s standards instead of be-bop anthems ‘50s funk. Ben and Billy Peterson have worked together for almost 50 years and are amazingly in sync at all times. Leo is Ben’s now 45-year-old son who wears as many hats as his father does. Here he plays his first instrument (drums), often channeling Vernel Fournier. Like the great trios, this music is highly arranged to be loosely played. Ben uses all the pianistic devices of the day to create new music, bathed in warm familiarity with fresh invention. The time-honoured compositions are transformed in varying degrees.

The Dave Brubeck Quartet

Previously unissued alternate takes and unissued performances from the 1959 studio sessions that produced the LP Time Out. Released in 2020 by Brubeck Editions.

Henry Lowther’s Quaternity

Previously unreleased live in studio recordings from between 1974-1978 in a new double LP from Jazz in Britain. Music by Henry and Phil Lee. Full release on August 12th. This group gigged a lot but never released an album prior to this.

The core band is

Henry Lowther – trumpet, flugelhorn, violin
Phil Lee – guitar
Dave Green – bass
Trevor Tomkins – drums

who play on this the title track which was written by Henry.

On other tracks the band is filled out by either Art Themen or Alan Wakeman on tenor & soprano saxophones