Jazz April: week 1 listening

Here's a rundown of my listening over the past week.

Wayne Shorter: Speak No Evil (Blue Note) Of Shorter's albums, I'm most familiar with this one but I'm still giving it attention as I make my through his work on Blue Note (one album per month). It had been a while since I last gave this a spin. Top playing, great tunes and a stellar line-up. Hard to go wrong really.

Steve Swell: Kende Dreams (Silkheart)
Released last year (I picked it up last week) the presence of Connie Crothers made this a must-have and it hasn't disappointed. The album features interesting tunes (all by Swell) and a very cohesive group [Swell (trb) Crothers (p) Rob Brown (as) William Parker (b) Chad Taylor (d)]. The improvising and accompaniment from all involved is dynamic. This one is set for many more listens. Recommended.

Jochen Rueckert: Introduction (Jazzline)
I'll keep things very brief as I am planning to write about this one at some stage. My accidental introduction to the world of Hayden Chisholm.

Ran Blake: Film Noir (Arista)
I picked up this one (along with two others) when Blake played at Constellation at the end of last month. Recorded in 1980 (reissued late last year) and comprised of varying line-ups from solo to 11 piece ensembles, this album sounds remarkably fresh.

Sal Mosca: Too Marvelous For Words (Cadence)
I've been listening to disc 2 from this 5 disc set of a 1981 concert tour of the Netherlands. A "must have" for Mosca fans but I urge pianists and fans to solo piano to check out this album. I remember Don Messina's enthusiasm as he told me about this upcoming release (6 months or so before its release) and I can hear why - staggering stuff.

Yusef Lateef: Before Dawn (Verve)
I've been meaning to check out more of Yusef Lateef and now I'm finally getting around to it having picked up a few albums (including this one) recently. I only managed to have one listen to it this week but the bluesy-bop brought to mind my friend Johnny Lippiett.

A few different versions of Thelonious Monk's song "Jackie-ing" have been getting a run. 5 by Monk by 5 (Riverside) and The London Collection (Black Lion) got me started. I can't think of a better Charlie Rouse solo on the former (Thad Jones is excellent too) and the latter is a great solo rendition with a different feeling to the quintet recording. Steve Lacy's More Monk has been another source too.