Bill Evans: Soul Insider (2000)

Tenor and soprano saxophonist Bill Evans has always been one of jazz's most forward-thinking and prolific musicians; yet, he's also one of its most undervalued. Pursuing contrasting styles and sounds, accompanied by his scorching, soulful technique, Evans has courted jazz-rap (Escape), all- acoustic bop (Starfish and the Moon), and neo-smooth jazz (Touch). With skills honed in the furnaces of Miles Davis's groups and the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Evans has addressed commercial concerns but has also made time to blow mean music and push the boundaries. Soul Insider is a bump- righteous, soul-jazz affair as funky as a Blues Brothers record, but as smooth as silk and cigar smoke. Surrounding himself with a crack band, including guitarist John Scofield, organist Ricky Peterson, percussionist Don Alias, and heroic funk-drummer supreme, Steve Jordan, Soul Insider simmers slowly to the boiling point. It's a rare record where everyone actually grooves like mad in the studio live, and tracks such as "Van's Joint" and "Cool Eddie" pump like Booker T & the MGs injected with NYC grease and gravy. Les McCann adds vocals on "Lose My Number" and "You Sure Look Good to Me," bringing a good-natured glee to the rumpus-room funk. "Cheeks" recalls early David Sanborn or classic King Curtis or Aretha, while "Sneaky" is drenched in a nocturnal urban edge, as is the sweltering "Older Days." Evans blows hot and boisterous throughout, raising high this squirming soul soufflé. --Ken Micallef

Tracklist:

1. Vans Joint
2. Cool Eddie
3. Lose My Number
4. Cheeks
5. You Sure Look Good to Me
6. Big Mama
7. Sneaky
8. Gimme Some
9. Older Days
10. Thump
11. The Shorty Shuffle

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Peter Erskine: Sweet Soul (1991)

Six of the 11 selections on this CD (most of which were written by drummer Peter Erskine, Vince Mendoza, or Kenny Werner) feature Joe Lovano on tenor (and in one instance soprano) in a quartet with pianist Werner, bassist Marc Johnson, and Erskine; Lovano (who would soon hit it big) already sounds quite mature and creative. Three of the other numbers have slightly larger groups (with guitarist John Scofield, tenor saxophonist Bob Mintzer, and trumpeter Randy Brecker appearing on some of the cuts), Dave Brubeck's "In Your Own Sweet Way" is taken by the Werner-Johnson-Erskine trio, and the brief "But Is It Art?" is a drum solo. Throughout the date, the solos uplift the material and make this CD a worthy purchase for listeners who enjoy challenging but sometimes accessible post-bop music.

Tracklist:
01. Touch Her Soft Lips And Part 6:58
02. Press Enter 8:24
03. Sweet Soul 9:41
04. To Be Or Not To Be 9:18
05. Ambivalence 4:58
06. Angels And Devils 6:05
07. Speak Low 5:48
08. Scolastic 7:40
09. Distant Blossom 6:20
10. But Is It Art? 2:00
11. In Your Own Sweet Way 7:03
Personnel:
Peter Erskine - drums
Marc Johnson - bass
John Scofield - guitar
Bob Mintzer - tenor sax
Kenny Werner - piano and synths
Joe Lovano - tenor and soprano saxes
Randy Brecker - trumpet
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The Doky Brothers: 2 (1997)

The Doky Brothers, Vol. 2 pales slightly in comparison to the duo's first release, but the album remains a fine example of contemporary mainstream jazz due to the exceptional playing of pianist Niels Lan Doky and bassist Chris Minh Doky.

Tracklist:
01. How Can I Help You Say 4:29
02. Man In The Mirror 5:20
03. Forever Grateful 5:23
04.Tender Lies 5:18
05. Efter Festen 8:08
06. Waiting In Vain 5:06
07. Sex Pots 2:50
08. Silent Prayer 5:32
09. Reminiscence 4:26
10. Waiting On You 4:55
11. If You Were My Man 4:49
12. Time To Say Goodbye 3:09
Personnel:
Niels Lan Doky - acoustic piano
Chris Minh Doky - bass
Al Jarreau - vocal on track 1
John Scofield - guitar on track 2
Jeff "Tain" Watts - drums on track 10
Trilok Gurtu - tabla on tracks 6,7
David Sanborn - alto saxophone on track 11
Randy Brecker - trumpet on track 12
Darryl Munyungo Jackson - percussion on track 6
Gino Vannelli - vocal and guitar on track 4, percussion
Toots Thielemans - harmonica on track 9
Dianne Reeves - vocal on track 6
Bill Evans - soprano saxophone on track 8
Sanne Salomonsen - vocal on track 11
Terri Lyne Carrington - drums, percussion, cymbal
Alex Riel - drums
Paul Mazzio - trumpet on track 4
Xavier Dessandre-Navarre - percussion on tracks 2, 3, 7
Jeff Boudreaux - drums
Mitch Forman - organ on track 11
Joyce Imbesi - keyboards
Randy Cannon - keyboards
Louis Winsberg - guitar
Chris Parks - guitar
Anders Mogensen - cymbal roll on track 4
Sharon Fuller - background vocal on track 11
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Mesedski, Scofield, Martin, Wood: Live - In Case the World Changes its Mind (2011)

With significant pressure on artists to look for new territory to mine and new collaborations to explore, it’s always great to see those that have worked well kept as ongoing concerns, like guitarist John Scofield‘s first-encounter with jam band darlings Medeski, Martin & Wood on the superb A Go Go (Verve, 1998). The now-named Medeski Scofield Martin & Wood still reconvenes occasionally, with its follow-up, Out Louder (Indirecto, 2006), a more free-wheeling alternative to its predecessor’s focus on Scofield’s particularly fine writing. Five years later, In Case The World Changes Its Mind strikes the perfect balance between form and freedom. Recorded on tour in 2006, while some of the same songs also appear on the European double-disc version of Out Louder, they’re different versions. If that bonus, EP-length live disc gave fans a taste of MSMW in performance, then In Case The World Changes Its Mind is the real deal, its groove-laden, 115-minute set of 11 tunes equitably split between MSMW’s two studio discs, with an extended jam thrown in for good measure, along with a gospel-drenched version of “Amazing Grace.”

Scofield may be working his softer side lately on his relaxed A Moment’s Peace (EmArcy, 2011), but he’s in incendiary form here, in particular on a searing version of “Miles Behind,” where his wah-driven guitar goes head-to-head with John Medeski‘s grittily overdriven electric piano, bolstered by a nuclear groove from bassist Chris Wood and drummer Billy Martin that seems always on the edge of a precipice—threatening to dissolve into complete anarchy at times, but always pulled back from the brink at the last possible moment. Medeski’s piano also drives the greasier title track, though he mixes it up with a melodica in the front line with Scofield, who’s featured in an extended duo with the second line-informed Martin, the guitarist’s complex voicings and angular phrases leading to some visceral slide playing. Both these songs from Out Louder are considerably expanded in length here; exemplifying one of MSMW’s major MOs: taking ideas stemming from jams and turning them into tunes.

The material from A Go Go is given equal chance to expand, in particular the 11-minute set-closer, “Hottentot,” where Medeski’s swirling organ work is at its best, though his remarkable command over tone and texture—an analog fan’s wet dream—is a cornerstones throughout. A Go Go‘s title track is equally compelling, while a medley of that album’s “Deadzy” and Out Louder‘s “What Now” blends idiosyncrasy with straightforward boogie to great effect.

But the centerpiece of In Case The World Changes Its Mind is the 25-minute “Walter Hanuman,” starting with a sprawling N’awlins jam that takes its good time getting to the core of Out Louder‘s “Hanuman,” stretching inexorably towards a fiery climax, only to wind down with an extended outro defined by Medeski’s mad-scientist synth and Scofield’s reverse-attack loops. MSMW may only convene occasionally, but with MMW driving Scofield to places he’d never find otherwise, and the guitarist lending MMW a stronger compositional focus, it’s the perfect combination, with the whole of In Case The World Changes Its Mind clearly greater than the sum of its considerable parts.

Tracklist:

Disc 1:
1. A Go Go
2. Deadzy
3. What Now
4. Tootie Ma Is a Big Fine Thing
5. Cachaca
6. In Case the World Changes It’s Mind
7. Miles Behind

Disc 2:

1. Little Walter Rides Again
2. Hanuman
3. Amazing Grace
4. Southern Pacific
5. Hottentot

Personnel: John Medeski: keyboards; John Scofield: guitar; Billy Martin: basses; Chris Wood: drums, percussion.

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