Record Reviews

JANE IRA BLOOM ~ ART AND AVIATION ARABESQUE 107 (Barcode: 026724010729) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1992 Released: 1992 This is an album by American Jazz saxophonist / composer Jane Ira BloomFind albums by this artist, recorded with British Jazz trumpeter Kenny WheelerFind albums by this artist and American musicians: trumpeter Ron HortonFind albums by this artist, pianist Kenny WernerFind albums by this artist, bassists Rufus ReidFind albums by this artist or Michael FormanekFind albums by this artist and drummer Jerry GranelliFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine tracks, seven of which are original compositions by the leader and two are standards. As far as I know this is one of two recordings by Bloom with Wheeler and since it was released over thirty years ago it is not very easy to find. This is one of Wheeler’s recordings, which remains almost completely obscure and does not appear in most of his discographies. I was very lucky to get it from Kenny’s private collection. Bloom is one of my favorite American Jazz musicians / composers since she appeared on the scene in the 1980s. She is daring and original and is also one of the pioneers of incorporating electronics in her music. Her music sounds more like European Jazz rather than American, which is quite refreshing. This album has especially somewhat ECMish sound and atmosphere, which must have been influenced by Wheeler’s presence. For the many Wheeler followers, he can be heard playing some marvelous trumpet parts here, easily comparable to his best work on more renowned albums. Overall, this is an excellent modern Jazz album, performed by first class musicians and is absolutely worth digging for, not only for the great contributions by Kenny Wheeler, but no less importantly for the splendid music and superb performances by the entire team.

Updated: 12/05/2023Posted: 29/03/2023

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MICHAEL FORMANEK ~ THE RUB AND THE SPARE CHANGE ECM 2167 (Barcode: 602527395142) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 2009 Released: 2010 This is the debut album for the prestigious ECMFind albums on this label label by American bassist Michael FormanekFind albums by this artist. It was recorded with a brilliant all-American quartet, which includes saxophonist Tim BerneFind albums by this artist, pianist Craig TabornFind albums by this artist and drummer Gerald CleaverFind albums by this artist, all three belonging to the top class of American musicians today. All the music was composed by Formanek and the quartet performs it brilliantly, from start to finish. Both Berne and Taborn have distinctive voices of their own and their contributions are superb throughout. Formanek and Cleaver work together harmoniously and brilliantly as a rhythms section, turning this quartet into a splendid music-making unit, with very few rivals around. The music is strongly influenced by European aesthetics, which is unusual for American Jazz musicians, but common (not surprisingly) to those recording for ECM. This is a very strong album, which should appeal to all Jazz connoisseurs. Highly recommended!

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