Chick Corea: The Ultimate Adventure (2006)

Just as some books need to be edited for length, so do some albums inspired by works of literature. At least that's the case with The Ultimate Adventure, Chick Corea's second straight album project derived from a novel by his late Scientology mentor L. Ron Hubbard. Dubbed a tone poem by Corea, the nearly 75-minute work has some of his airiest, most cooly fluent music in some time. With its distinctive electric piano punctuation and contributions by flutist Hubert Laws and RTF percussionist Airto Moreira, the lyrical passages have echoes of his much-loved band of the seventies, Return to Forever. And the Spanish tinge for which he is known gravitates winningly south to Arabic North Africa. Ultimately, though, not all of the album's chapters are equally lively: the "Adventure" goes on a bit much for those who aren't using it as a soundtrack to the plot about a boy on a self-actualization quest, and even for some who are. But Corea has never negotiated the acoustic-electric (or, in his parlance, akoustic/elektric) divide as well as he does here and his ability to command a large cast including saxophonist Tim Garland and guitarist Frank Gambale is impressive. --Lloyd Sachs

Tracklist:
1. Three Ghouls-Part 1 1:38
2. Three Ghouls-Part 2 4:02
3. Three Ghouls-Part 3 3:11
4. City Of Brass 6:38
5. Queen Tedmur 5:15
6. El Stephen-Part 1 6:39
7. El Stephen-Part 2 1:47
8. King & Queen 6:06
9. Moseb The Executioner-Part 1 1:39
10. Moseb The Executioner-Part 2 2:20
11. Moseb The Executioner-Part 3 1:54
12. North Africa 6:24
13. Flight From Karoof-Part 1 6:11
14. Flight From Karoof-Part 2 1:35
15. Plane Of Existence-Part 1 5:25
16. Arabian Nights-Part 1 4:31   
17. Arabian Nights-Part 2 2:38
18. Gods & Devils 2:15  
19. Plane Of Existence-Part 2 2:52
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FLAC / 501 Mb
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Bob Mintzer: Bop Boy (2002)

Recorded over two days in 2002, Bop Boy was previously only available in Japan on the Cheetah label. Thanks to Explore and their excellent catalog of diverse jazz and classical recordings, it is now available in the United States as well. Unlike Bob Mintzer's '80s offerings on Cheetah (Source and Papa Lips), the band used on this session is a quartet made up of star talent: bassist Eddie Gomez, the elegant pianist Steve Kuhn, and drummer Steve Gadd. On first glance it might appear that Gadd is out of place among these more subtle members of the rhythm section. Being a consummate professional as a studio musician, Gadd is an excellent jazz drummer adding grace, subtlety and tension to a very sophisticated rhythm section. Mintzer a generation younger than Gomez, and Kuhn leads this band through killer arrangements of a fine batch of standards and a trio of top-flight originals. Beginning with Kenny Dorham's and Wynton Kelly's "Blue Bossa," the swing quotient is high here. Kuhn is at his most muscular on this hard bop gem, pushing his minors and thirds right into the rim shots by Gadd. Mintzer's solo is full of deep blues feeling and economy. Mintzer wrote the title track; it is what it claims to be: bebop pure and simple. Beginning with a galloping pace set by Gomez, Gadd's ride cymbal provides fuel and Kuhn plays selectively angular chords, moving right into Mintzer's stating the head and solo. Kuhn's playing around the beat as the tune goes on reveals excellent counterpoint to what's being laid down by the tenor player. The tenderness with which an edgy player like Mintzer approaches "Embraceable You" is remarkable, and here Kuhn's utterly moving pianism is at its best. This is followed by a lovely soft samba called "Francisca" written by Toninho Horta. "Invitation" brings the harder edge of bluesy, post-bop into the area, and the interplay between Gomez and Gadd is nearly symbiotic. Two Mintzer originals follow, and the stroll of "Re-Re" is contrasted in a mirror with the knotty twist and turn sprint of "Runferyerlife." The reading of "St. James Infirmary" brings the tune back to the kind of mournful blues ballad it began is. Mintzer's tone on the bass clarinet is startling. He goes underneath the melody for his phrasing and fills as Kuhn offers a constant, slowly evolving wash of minor chord voicings underneath him. The ballad "Why Did I Choose You" is a perfect way to send things off as it puts on shining display the intuitive interaction between Kuhn -- a sublime melodist through his wide array of textured chord shapes and his sense of space and economy with the right hand in his solo. Gomez is wonderful here, flowing into the body of the tune, allowing for Gadd to lay out and enter at will. Mintzer's solo is an emotive one, but never undercuts or overwhelms the tune. Bop Boy is one of the most satisfying dates in his long career as a leader, a composer, and as an arranger.

Tracklist:1 Blue Bossa
2 Bop Boy
3 Embraceable You
4 Francisca    
5 Invitation    
6 Re-Re   
7 Speak Low    
8 Runferyerlife    
9 St. James Infirmary   
10 Why Did I Choose You
Personnel:
Bob Mintzer - Tenor sax, bass clarinet
Steve Kuhn - Piano
Eddie Gomez - Bass
Steve Gadd - Drums
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[BY REQUEST] - Joe Farrell: La Catedral Y El Toro (1977)

Signed to Warner Bros. in 1977, Farrell, who had been a valued sideman, had also released a few albums under his own name. On CTI, he released albums like Moon Germs, Song of the Wind, and Outback. But like many artists of his type, he was only as good as his producers and the album's premises. Ralph McDonald and William Eaton produced La Catedral Y El Toro. Despite the authoritative title, this is a fairly standard fusion set. The title track aims for Chick Corea-like expansion and excitement, but the production renders it listless, even Stanley Clarke's bass solo sounds enervated. "Promise Me Your Love" is trademark low-key and soothing McDonald and Eaton, with guitarist Eric Gale and Richard Tee's keyboards ably assisting Farrell's fluid soprano and tenor sax solos. Even halfway before it's over, it's apparent that La Catedral Y El Toro's most notable facet is how it squanders the eye-popping talent and Farrell's gifts. "Cyclone Rider" and Patti Austin's "Is It Asking Too Much" both feature Farrell as little more than a bystander on his own album. The final track, "Imagine Me," is a feather light offering featuring his often-captivating flute work falling into off notes and lack of energy. La Cathedral Y El Toro also features the talents of bassist Anthony Jackson and drummer Steve Gadd, among others. This 1977 effort is a case of Farrell not clicking with his producers, and that fact makes this less than recommended.

Tracklist:
A1 La Catedral Y El Toro - Drums [Orchestra Snare Drum] – Chris Parker (2), Guitar – Jay Berliner, Piccolo [Bass] – Stanley Clarke, Saxophone [Soprano] – Joe Farrell, Synthesizer – Kenneth Bichel* 9:52
A2 Promise Me Your Love - Saxophone [Soprano, Tenor] – Joe Farrell 4:32
A3 Disco Dust - Percussion [Additional] – Rubens Bassini, Saxophone [Tenor] – Joe Farrell 4:37
B1 Cyclone Rider - Saxophone [Tenor] – Joe Farrell, Synthesizer [Mini-moog] – Dave Grusin 6:06
B2 Is It Asking Too Much - Flute, Oboe – Joe Farrell 6:02
B3 Imagine Me - Flute – Joe Farrell, Percussion [Additional] – Rubens Bassini 6:04
Personnel:

Arranged By, Conductor – William Eaton
Bass – Anthony Jackson
Congas, Percussion – Ralph MacDonald
Drums – Steve Gadd
Engineer – Richard Alderson
Engineer [Assistant] – Eddie Heath Jr.*
Guitar – Eric Gale
Horns – Alan Rubin, Barry Rogers, Brooks Tillotson, Dave Taylor*, George Young (2), Jim Buffington, Michael Brecker, Paul Faulise, Randy Brecker, Ray Alonge, Ronnie Cuber, Tony Miranda, Tony Price (2), Victor Paz
Mastered By – George Marino
Mixed By – Ralph MacDonald, Richard Alderson, William Eaton
Piano – Richard Tee
Producer – Ralph MacDonald, William Eaton
Strings – Alan Shulman, Alfred Brown, Avram Weiss, Charles Libove, David Nadien, George Duvivier, Harry Cykman, Joe Malin, Julien Barber, Kermit Moore, Max Ellen, Max Pollikoff, Regis Iandiorio, Sanford Allen, Selwart Clarke

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256K

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John Tropea: A Short Trip To Space (1977)

One of the best fusion albums of the '70s! I picked this up on LP right after it went out of print and then proceeded to grab about 15 copies of it whenever I could find it cheap. I never thought it would come out on CD, but there it was a few years ago. Thank you, Japan! The cover artwork by Larry Laslo is really cool (from a time when cover art meant something), and the music is great if you like jazz fusion with an emphasis on melody. Tropea is at his best here, with great melodies like Skip Scarborough's "Can't Hide Love," Don Grolnick's "You Can't Have It All," and Tropea's own "Blue Too" (one of my all-time favorites) and "Short Trip to Space," a fascinating and complex tune that actually sounds like its title. The production is excellent, with a double-drum setup featuring Steve Gadd and Rick Marotta on most of the tunes that adds a lot of depth to the sound. Boosting the treble on your system will help this set sound even better. One detraction: "The Funk You See Is the Funk You Do" is not the LP version but a hacked up single version with very noticeable edits. It's not a great loss, although the tune is rather amusing and it sounds better in its complete form.

Tracklist:
1. The Funk You See, Is The Funk You Do
2. Can't Hide Love
3. Southside
4. You Can't Have It all
5. Short Trip To Space
6. Blue Too
7. Love's Final Moment
8. Twist Of The Wrist

All song arranged and orchestrated by John Tropea, except "You Can't Have It All" arranged by Don Grolnick, orchestrated by John Tropea, "Blue Too" arranged by John Tropea, strings and horns orchestrated by David Spinozza, "Love's Final Moment" arranged and orchestrated by Mike Mainieri, "Twist Of The Wrist" arranged and orchestrated by David Spinozza

Personnel:

guitar : John Tropea 
keyboards : Don Grolnick, Leon Pendarvis 
vibes : Mike Mainieri 
bass guitar : Will Lee 
acoustic bass : Richard Davis 
drums : Rick Marotta, Steve Gadd 
percussion : Rubens Bassini, Ralph MacDonald 
Michael Brecker : tenor saxophone solo 
Randy Brecker : trumpet solo 
harp : Margaret Ross 
vocals : Ron Cartalemi, Jeffrey Kawalek, Will Lee, John Tropea 
background vocals and hand claps : Charlie Blackwell, Duncan Cleary, Brian Drake, Bruce Goldberg, Bill Guerra, Lani Groves, Will Lee 
horn section I
(except 3,7)  : Alan Rubin, Jon Faddis, Randy Brecker (trumpet, flugelhorn), Lewis Del Gatto, Michael Brecker, George Young, Lou Marini (reeds), Tony Price (tuba), Dave Taylor, Sam Burtis (trombone) 
horn section II
(on 3)  : Lou Del Gatto (flute), Elen Sieling (trumpet), Jeanne Dindberg (alto saxophone), Jeff King (tenor saxophone) 
horn section III
(on 7) : Lewis Del Gatto (english horn), Ron Jannelli (bassoon), George Young (flute), Jim Buffington, Earl Chapin (french horn)
string section : Gene Orloff, Kermit Moore, Jessy Levy, Joe Malin, Aaron Rosand, Selwart Clarke, Theodore Israel, Noel Da Costa, Guy Lumia, Gerald Tarack, Lewis Eley, Peter Dimitriades

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320K
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Joe Farrell: Penny Arcade (1973)

Joe Farrell gained his greatest fame with his popular string of CTI recordings. For this set, he performs three of his originals (none of which caught on), guitarist Joe Beck's "Penny Arcade," and a 13-minute version of Stevie Wonder's "Too High." Farrell (heard on tenor, soprano, flute and piccolo) is in excellent form, as are keyboardist Herbie Hancock, Beck, bassist Herb Bushler, drummer Steve Gadd and Don Alias on conga. As is true of his other CTI sets, this Joe Farrell effort expertly mixes together some slightly commercial elements and superior recording quality with strong solos.

Tracklist:
A1 Penny Arcade 4:45
A2 Too High 13:15
B1 Hurricane Jane 4:25
B2 Cloud Cream 6:15
B3 Geo Blue 7:30
Personnel:
Congas – Don Alias
Drums – Steve Gadd
Bass - Herb Bushler
Guitar – Joe Beck
Piano – Herbie Hancock
Saxophone [Tenor, Soprano], Flute, Piccolo Flute – Joe Farrell
Recorded at Van Gelder Studios , October, 1973
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