Date = 6 July 2014    

Artist’s name = Adrian Cunningham   

Genre = Jazz

Title = “Ain’t That Right!” The Music of Neal Hefti

Record company = Arbors

Review =

            Trumpeter Neal Hefti played in bands led by Benny Carter, Woody Herman, Harry James, and others, and recorded with the likes of Billie Holiday and Lucky Thompson. In time he led his own band. Yet he is most important as a composer and arranger. He made his mark on popular culture by creating the theme for the television series Batman and producing scores for such movies as Barefoot in the Park and The Odd Couple. His writing contributed significantly to the smaller world of jazz. He wrote for many groups and arranged for jazz-oriented singers, including Peggy Lee, Frank Sinatra, and Mel Tormé. He arranged the music for the masterful Clifford Brown with Strings. His major contribution to jazz resulted from composing and arranging for the Count Basie band in the 1950s. The tunes immediately entered and forever remained in Basie’s book. Partly because of his arrangements of them, the focus of the band changed. Previously, it had used arrangements primarily to set up solos by such musicians as Buck Clayton and Lester Young. In the 1950s, the arrangements of Hefti and others required the band to focus more on the arrangements themselves than on solos, though the band included solid soloists, including Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis, who is especially forceful on Basie (also known as The Atomic Basie), the initial Basie album of Hefti’s compositions and arrangements.

            Australian Adrian Cunningham performs only Hefti’s music on his newest release, and such a tribute is welcome. Though he plays some of the composer’s most familiar tunes, many are not well known. Among the latter, surprises abound. “It’s Awfully Nice to Be with You” is a pretty melody that Cunningham interprets slowly on clarinet and that features pianist Dan Nimmer. “Ain’t That Right” and “I’ve Got Love” are in a gospel vein. Of these less familiar tunes, I find most rewarding “Zankie,” a blues Hefti wrote for the movie Synanon. Cunningham (again on clarinet) takes it at an attractive deliberate tempo.

            In the notes to this release, Will Friedwald comments about Cunningham’s probable rationale for omitting some Hefti tunes. He writes: “Some works are not included for the apparent reason that they’ve already been played so definitively that no one wants to come up with something that would, in all likelihood, be compared unfavorably to the iconic recordings.” He identifies “Splanky” as a composition possibly rejected for this reason. His statement implies that the tunes Cunningham performs have not been recorded definitively. Though people can disagree about what constitutes a definitive recording, at least two of the tunes Cunningham chose to release strike me as not having been surpassed since Basie recorded them in the 1950s: “Li’l Darlin’” from Basie and “Cute” from the follow-up album, Basie Plays Hefti. If one believes that Basie’s recordings of these compositions are iconic (perhaps Friedwald does not so consider them), then, according to Friedwald, later versions—such as Cunningham’s—might reasonably be compared with them.

            The original “Li’l Darlin’” is probably one of the slowest big band recordings: it creeps along, with the beat sustained primarily by the light, almost unnoticeable guitar strumming of Freddie Green and bass plucking of Eddie Jones. Cunningham’s tempo is a little faster than Basie’s, but the beat on Cunningham’s is heavy, not subtle. Further, Cunningham (here, on tenor saxophone) is joined by trombonist Wycliffe Gordon. The two men do as well as could be expected in creating harmonies reminiscent of those Basie produced with an entire band. However, Gordon’s gutbucket playing during his interjections seems inappropriate on a tune of such delicacy. Within the context of Friedwald’s comment, Cunningham should not have released this recording of “Li’l Darlin’,” unless he did not mind having it compared with Basie’s version.    

            Basie first recorded “Cute” as a feature for flautist Frank Wess and drummer Sonny Payne, on brushes. This skittish performance is all surface, precisely as suggested by the nature of the composition and implied by the title. There are several differences between Basie’s and Cunningham’s treatments of it. Cunningham’s tempo is slower than Basie’s. Though Cunningham is an able flautist, here he plays tenor saxophone; drummer Chuck Redd uses sticks, not brushes. After the melodic statement, Cunningham’s recording turns into a typical jazz performance, with solos by the leader and the pianist before Cunningham and Redd interact toward the end. This selection concludes without restating the theme. That is, Basie honors the composition while Cunningham uses it as a means of getting to blowing. Cunningham’s version is valid—using a composition as a taking-off point for improvisation—but it is exceptional only in the sense that it is different from any other interpretation of “Cute” of which I am aware.

          Despite Cunningham’s and Basie’s different approaches to some of the tunes presented on this release, the playing of Cunningham and his sidemen is engaging. Perhaps this CD of Hefti tunes will help this able, inventive instrumentalist become better known than he is outside Australia, as he deserves to be.

Author = Benjamin Franklin V

I wasn’t familiar with Rachele Lynae until I listened to her self-titled debut album. When I started listening, I immediately headed over to her web site to read her bio, and find out a little more about her. She grew up in Kodiak, Alaska, and started singing at a very early age. By the time she was 10 years old she had already been singing in church for five years. She started writing songs when she was 12, and at age 17 she started doing live shows, and building a reputation as a ‘riveting live performer’.

She moved to Nashville to attend Belmont University. That is a great music school, and is also where Josh Turner, Trisha Yearwood and Brad Paisley went to school. Rachele has been performing at Nashville’s famous clubs, and recorded a five song EP, which shared with Jimmy Murphy – who shared it with his daughter, Jamie O’Neal. That was all it took.

Jamie and Rachele began working on the new album. Rachele co-wrote every song on the album, Jamie produced it. Four of the songs even had Jamie in that ‘co-writer’ seat. 

“Done is Done” was written by Rachele and Luke Sheets. The title pretty much tells you what to expect from the song. Someone is about to get their heart broken. Someone is leaving. What is “Done is Done”. There aren’t any surprises with this song, and yet it was one of my favorites. Her vocals, which are so strong and so powerful in some of the faster songs, actually have a softer side. Even when Rachele slows things down, she still has perfect control, and perfect tone. And she still makes you want to see her on stage.

I jumped all the way down to the 10th track (Done is Done) there – let me list them all for you, in order, with their writers, and tell you a little about some of the rest of them. Here is what you are going to get on this new album: Touch the Stars, Rachele Lynae, Danick Dupelle, Patricia Conroy; Words in Red, Rachele Lynae, Kyle Stallons; Cigarette, Rachele Lynae, Katelynn Beckett; Sometimes You Fly, Rachele Lynae, Luke Sheets; Party Til the Cows Come Home, Rachele Lynae, Jamie O’Neal, Stephanie Bentley, Jimmy Murphy; Fishin for Something, Rachele Lynae, Hannah Bethel; Clean, Rachele Lynae, Justin Halpin; Out On the Floor, Rachele Lynae, Jimmy Murphy, Jamie O’Neal; Sticky Summer Lovin, Rachele Lynae, Jamie O’Neal, Hannah Bethel; Done is Done, Rachele Lynae, Luke Sheets; Two for One Special, Rachele Lynae, Jamie O’Neal, Shaye Smith; Old Fashioned Love, Rachele Lynae, Josh Holiday.

By the time I got to the end of the album, I realized I had a lot of favorite songs. Leading the pack for me are  “Done is Done” and “Sometimes You Fly,” but if they don’t end up being your favorites, no need to worry! You are definitely going to find a lot you like among the 12 songs on this CD. The first song very much falls into the category of ‘country/pop’, and is very much like a lot of the songs you hear on today’s Top 40 stations.  It is an upbeat song, and I can’t imagine Rachele being able to stand still and sing that one.

The second song, “Words in Red” gave her a great opportunity to showcase her vocals. With a title like “Cigarette” I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this song. But it’s a great song. I think we will all understand the lyrics, and I think most of us have probably been there at one time or another. The song is about regret. 

I don’t know what Rachele plans on releasing as a single, but if I were asked, I would to point to “Clean”. This song made me think about growing up’’; about my family; getting hurt as a kid; Mom always being ready with warm, soapy washcloth; church; leaving home; and, coming back. All that in addition to the fact that it is a beautiful song, being sung by an artist with a beautiful voice. This song, more than any of the others on this album, sounds ‘country’ to me. It isn’t country/rock, or country/pop, or country/soul, or country/blues, or country/jazz … it is country. 

“Old Fashioned Love” is another great ballad. I like songs that have memorable lyrics. After listening to the album three times, I found myself singing along with this one – and actually waiting for it to come around again. 
Regardless of your taste, you are going to find music on this CD that you like, and you will find music that will make you want to sing, dance, tap your feet, close your eyes and relax, think back, and play again.
To learn more about Rachele, visit her web site at www.rachelelynae.com. You can also follow her on Twitter @Rachele Lynae. Keep up with all the latest country music news at www.countryschatter.com, and follow us on Twitter @countryschatter.​

Music Charts Magazine Country music CD Review of Dolly Parton - Blue Smoke - by Donna Rea /of the website we all know and love: www.CountrysChatter.com

Date = 3 July 2014    

Artists’ names = Jeff Colella and Putter Smith; Jeff Denson and Joshua White        

Genre = Jazz

Title = Lotus Blossom; I’ll Fly Away

Record companies = American Jazz Institute; pfMENTUM

Review =

            Though I cannot identify the first recorded piano-bass duet, Duke Ellington and Jimmy Blanton recorded four duets in 1940. Oscar Pettiford (later to be Ellington’s bassist) recorded two with pianist Clyde Hart in 1944, one dedicated to Blanton, though this music is not known to exist. Bassist Red Mitchell recorded two albums of duets with pianists, one with Guido Manusardi (1974) and another with Kenny Barron (1986). Bassist Ray Brown recorded three such albums, two with Jimmy Rowles in the late 1970s and, early that decade, one with Ellington titled This One’s for Blanton. Beginning with a session with Hampton Hawes in 1976, bassist Charlie Haden might have been involved in more duet recordings than anyone, having also participated in sessions at least with Chris Anderson, Kenny Barron, Egberto Gismanto, and Hank Jones. Piano-bass duets continue being performed, as two recent CDs illustrate.  

            Pianist Jeff Colella and bassist Putter Smith recorded together initially in the 1990s. They recently reunited for an album of duets linked by mood, which is mainly subdued, introspective. As a result of the deliberate tempos, one can hear every note and appreciate the interplay between the two men. Colella states the melodies and Smith supports him, always playing pizzicato. While they both solo attractively and together do justice to the compositions, I am most smitten by their conception.

            Consider Miles Davis’s “All Blues.” During Smith’s introduction, Colella announces his presence with five spaced dissonant chords. The pianist strikes similar chords at the end of the second blues chorus and a few bars into the third, but also at the conclusion of the performance, which otherwise ends without resolution. That is, his chording constitutes a unifying device, a motif.

            Daringly, the musicians draw attention to the briefest selection (3:28) by titling the CD Lotus Blossom. Why daringly? This lovely, simple tune was written by Billy Strayhorn, Ellington’s songwriting associate. While musicians were packing at the conclusion of a recording session three months after the composer’s death in 1967, Ellington sat at a piano and played “Lotus Blossom” unaccompanied, with Strayhorn obviously in mind. Fortunately, the tape kept running so the music was preserved. Probably the most moving performance of Ellington’s long career, “Lotus Blossom” is pure emotion. Because it is, any recording of Strayhorn’s composition will likely be compared with Ellington’s and risk being deemed inferior. Possibly as a result—or because of the inherent nature of the composition--musicians performing “Lotus Blossom” follow Ellington’s example by treating it respectfully, ruminatively. With Smith discreetly in the background, this is precisely what Colella does in his interpretation that, though less deep than Ellington’s, is beautiful nonetheless. It succeeds on its own terms.

            While mood characterizes Colella and Smith’s CD, bassist Jeff Denson and pianist Joshua White’s is unified by the nature of the tunes, which are religious in nature. Their CD gets off to a rousing start and concludes with a bang with different versions of “I’ll Fly Away.” (A third version is more restrained.) Raucous and dissonant, these two selections are, with “Just As I Am,” the most extroverted pieces on this release, though other ones have passionate moments. Yet Denson and White also demonstrate an ability to sustain a performance at a slow tempo. For example, their deliberate treatment of “What a Friend We Have in Jesus,” the longest selection, permits the natural beauty of the composition to emerge. Played not quite so slowly, “In the Garden” is similarly attractive, and moving. On all nine tunes the instrumentalists play together, they interact engagingly. Though Denson solos, he is most important when keeping the beat during White’s adventuresome solos. White’s playing sometimes reminds me of Don Pullen’s.  

            Denson performs two tunes unaccompanied, “Crying in the Chapel” (pizzicato) and “Amazing Grace” (arco). Played slowly, the latter is more impressive than the former. On “Amazing Grace” he makes multiphonic sounds that lead one to wonder if they result from overdubbing. (They do not.) This technique creates great interest in his version of this revered song that, at least for me, long ago entered the realm of cliché, possibly because I have heard it at so many funerals.

            Though different in almost every way other than instrumentation and a high level of musicianship, these two CDs delight. With varied selections, the first is similar in mood throughout. With unified selections, the second has a wide range of moods. Both duos make meaningful contributions to the tradition of piano-bass duets possibly initiated by Duke Ellington and Jimmy Blanton in 1940.

Author = Benjamin Franklin V