Don Braden – Earth Wind and Wonder

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Title: Earth Wind and Wonder

Artist: Don Braden

Label: Creative Perspective Music

Formats: CD

Release date: May 4, 2018

 

Growing up in Louisville, Kentucky in the 1970s, world-renowned straight ahead jazz saxophonist Don Braden fell in love with the music of Earth, Wind & Fire and Stevie Wonder. According to Braden, “This is the music that first imprinted my teenage brain…and captured my heart.” Now, although this album pays tribute to these great artists and their musical legacy, Earth Wind and Wonder also demonstrates Braden’s versatility and his creativity as a performer and arranger, while re-introducing his audience to the positive messages of strength, love and joy within the music of EWF and Stevie.

This collection of songs includes notable hits such as “Fantasy,” “Higher Ground,” “Can’t Hide Love,” “Getaway” and “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing,” among others. Also featured are two original compositions by Braden—“The Elements” and “The Wonder of You”—that complement the overarching EWF and Wonder theme of the album. Braden recorded the album over a period of four years (summer 2014, fall 2017, and early spring 2018) with instrumentalists such as Brandon McCune (piano), Joris Teepe (bass), Cecil Brooks III (drums), Art Hirahara (piano), Kenny Davis (bass), Jeremy Warren (drums), and Kahlil Kwame Bell (percussion).

Opening with a medium-up swing rendition of “Fantasy,” Braden uses EWF’s original harmony in his introduction, but soon transitions into his own interpretation filled with re-harmonization and rhythmic figures. We are later treated to “The Wonder of You,” where Braden channels the compositional spirit of Stevie Wonder’s music into a smooth and light bossa-funk groove coupled with jazz harmony and a memorable melody.

Performing new arrangements of Earth, Wind & Fire and Stevie Wonder’s notable hits is certainly not an easy task. However, Braden accomplishes this mission with his superb renditions, while staying true to the essence of their artistry. Earth Wind and Wonder is truly an artistic expression that will capture the hearts and minds of its listeners.

Reviewed by Jamaal Baptiste

 

 

Lakecia Benjamin – Rise Up

Lakecia Benjamin
Title: Rise Up

Artist: Lakecia Benjamin

Label: Ropeadope
Formats: CD, Digital

Release date: March 23, 2018

 

 

Growing up in New York City’s Washington Heights neighborhood, Lakecia Benjamin moved away from home at the young age of 14 to attend La Guardia High School of Music & Art, where she got her start playing jazz. Since then, Benjamin has become one of the most sought after saxophonists in the music industry, playing with jazz giants like Clark Terry and Reggie Workman as well as arranging and leading the horn sections of superstars like Macy Gray, Alicia Keys, and even Stevie Wonder. Now, as she releases her third album, Rise Up featuring  her group Soul Squad, Benjamin reminds us once again of her prowess as a songwriter and band leader.

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Benjamin uses this album to send a message about moving through life’s many challenges, opening with the funky title track “March On,” which begins with a quote from Les Brown: “You can either live your dreams or live your fears.” This song features a fun and motivational rap from Benjamin as well as a powerful vocal from jazz singer China Moses. “March On” speaks towards the idea of moving through the obstacles life puts in your way, with the lyric: “We March On to find victory / We March On to find the peace we seek / We March On to reclaim our being / We March On! We March On! We March On!”

“Take Back” is another truly spectacular track. Though entirely instrumental, this jazz fusion tune is meant to convey a story of taking back control over your life and reclaiming your destiny. With its driving rock groove and catchy and rhythmic horn riff you can’t help but move with the music.

Rise Up includes other phenomenal new original songs from Benjamin, including “Cornbread,” “Survivor” and “On The One.” It’s such a fun album that it’s sure to appeal to a wide range of jazz and soul fans alike.

Reviewed by Jared Griffin

Rahsaan Barber – The Music in the Night

The Music in the Night
Title: The Music in the Night

Artist: Rahsaan Barber

Label: Jazz Music City

Formats: CD, MP3

Release date: November 3, 2017

 

 

Saxophonist Rahsaan Barber, known for his magnificent compositions and virtuosic playing, recently released his newest project, The Music in the Night. This album showcases Barber’s renditions of well-known standards while also displaying his versatility as an arranger. Barber creatively uses rhythmic hits, melodic interludes, and minimal re-harmonization in his arrangements while maintaining the original musical structure of the standards. He described the album’s concept and personnel in his Kickstarter campaign video:

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The album begins with a beautiful interpretation of Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely,” arranged as a jazz swing tune with a slight harmonic variation that adds a pleasant surprise to the ears. The listener is later treated to a reggae-flavored version of “My Funny Valentine,” beginning with a memorable foot-stomping groove that repeats throughout the tune. On Barber’s slow blues rendition of “Georgia on My Mind,” we experience the soulful side of the ensemble through heartfelt solos by Barber, guitarist James DaSilva, and pianist Matt Endahl. The Indiana University Jacobs School of Music alum also included a version of “Skylark” by another IU alum, Hoagy Carmichael, the lyrics of which inspired the album title.

The Music in the Night is comprised of brilliant arrangements and great performances by the members of the band (which also includes drummer Derrek Phillips and 20-year-old bassist Jack Aylor). I recommend this album to anyone interested in listening to beautiful interpretations of well-known standards.

Reviewed by Jamaal Baptiste

Phil Perry – Breathless

Phil Perry Breathless
Album: Breathless

Artist:  Phil Perry

Label: Shanachie

Formats: CD, MP3

Release date: February 24, 2017

 

 

Phil Perry is back with his latest album Breathless, a ten-track CD of R&B and smooth jazz. Joined on the album by his producer and pianist Chris Davis, Perry has this to say about the musical partnership: “Chris and I respect the music the same way we respect each other. It’s a unique and rare thing and it’s easy because we speak the same language.”  It’s obvious that Davis and Perry trust one another and have something special going, and the album reflects their successful combination. Phil Perry, you see, is a voice one must listen to—a dynamic singer with the uncanny ability to make you a believer with a single note. I would put Perry in the Will Downing category, flying under the radar to where the solid R&B fans are, but Perry’s true music listeners know the real deal when they hear it.

Perry includes his own covers of three songs previously performed by other artists, which are “Love In Need Of Love” by Stevie Wonder, “Is It You” by Lee Rittenour and “One Less Bell To Answer” by the Fifth Dimension. He takes a different approach on the Stevie Wonder classic by slowing the pace down—way down. On “Is It You,” Perry stays with Rittenhour’s original sound, and on the Fifth Dimension classic he adds a fresh perspective by singing it from a male point of view. “Do Whatcha Gotta Do,” written by Chris Davis, is a cute piece. It showcases the combined talents of both artists, giving fans a true dose of the magic that is Perry’s rich smooth tenor.

Providing the soundtracks for over four generations of fans, Phil Perry has done it once again. In a class by itself, Breathless is smooth, and Phil Perry’s vocals will leave you feeling just that.

Reviewed by Eddie Bowman

Miles Davis & Robert Glasper – Everything’s Beautiful

davisandglasper_everythingsbeautiful

Title: Everything’s Beautiful

Artist: Miles Davis & Robert Glasper

Label: Columbia/Legacy

Formats: CD, LP, MP3

Release Date: May 27, 2016

 

 

Miles Davis is something of a musical Mona Lisa: iconic, innovative, and—despite being well-documented—open to as many possible interpretations as there are interpreters.  This is likely in equal parts due to Davis’s ever-shifting musical approach as well as his cryptic and often ambiguous utterances.  Everything’s Beautiful must be read as one of many possible ways to interpret Davis’s music, perhaps usefully construed as paying tribute to Miles the innovator.  It is no accident that this tribute is led by an innovator in the contemporary jazz scene, Robert Glasper, who alternates between albums with his electric/electronic and acoustic groups, bringing hip hop and jazz with him along the way.  Each of the album’s 12 cuts, with the exception of the first track, features a guest artist; each of these artists presents a unique take on Miles that is filtered through Glasper’s electronic neo-soul jazz fusion, with heavy sampling from Davis’s large body of recorded work, including both the trumpeter’s music and voice.

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As the album’s cover art, created by Francine Turk based upon Miles’s own artwork suggests (and tinged with the heavy influence of Basquiat), Everything’s Beautiful is largely an impressionistic effort.  While its songs are built around Miles samples, it is often difficult to tell where samples end and new material begins.  Tribute albums often consist predominantly of cover versions of key tracks from the original artist’s repertoire.  However, Everything’s Beautiful features a starkly different approach—the closest thing to a cover on Everything’s Beautiful is Georgia Anne Muldrow’s reading of “Miles Ahead,” an electronic reimagining of the iconic tune that features Glasper’s only piano solo on the disc. Much of the record depends on creative sampling—rather than grabbing a tune’s hook (a la US3’s “Cantaloop”), Glasper and company pick small bits and pieces to construct their new tracks.  “I’m Leaving You,” for instance, is punctuated by a sample of Miles saying “Wait a Minute” atop a Lenny White drum pattern.  John Scofield (a Davis band alum) grooves and solos on the funky track while Ledisi lays down R&B inflected vocals.  This sampling technique also informs the album’s opener, “Talking Shit,” on which Glasper and company lay down instrumental grooves combined with a sample of Davis talking about playing, likely recorded in the studio between takes.

The album is chock full of other superstar guests—Bilal appears on “Ghetto Walkin’”, Illa J (J-Dilla’s younger brother, who Glasper knew from his days hanging out at Dilla’s house with Kareem Wiggins and) lends vocals to “They Can’t Hold Me Down,” Eyrkah Badu sings on “Maiysha (So Long)” and even Stevie Wonder makes an appearance, playing harmonica on the instrumental “Right on Brother.” Each of these cuts reflects the featured artists’ as well as Glasper’s interpretation of Davis’s legacy, lending broad room for experimentation in hip hop, funk, soul, R&B, and jazz, as the individual collaborator sees fit.

What this album lacks in cohesiveness or definition it makes up for in droves with experimentation.  Everything’s Beautiful draws upon Miles Davis the innovator, using the trumpeter’s words and music as a springboard for new sounds and approaches, solidifying jazz and hip hop through Glasper’s tasteful neo-soul production. I must emphasize that there is nothing definitive about this album—it is certainly not the final word on the trumpeter’s musical legacy and represents only one part of Miles.  But the adventurousness that these artists purvey is certainly a fitting tribute to a musician who was on the vanguard of all of the major jazz movements during his lifetime.

 

Reviewed by Matthew Alley