Tag: Kenny Wheeler

World of Jazz Podcast 47

This time around cuts from the new releases from Dave Holland, and  John Abercrombie , a selection from previous recordings from the two leaders plus a nod towards close colleague Ralph Towner who has a new album out in a couple weeks. Plus an  example of all three of them working together on Kenny Wheeler’s classic “Deer Wan” album. To conclude another cut from Deer Wan and a track from drummer Joey Baron who appears on the Abercrombie tracks.

  1. Dave Holland – The Watcher
  2. John Abercrombie – LST
  3. Kenny Wheeler – 3/4 In The Afternoon
  4. Dave Holland – See Saw
  5. John Abercrombie – Out of Towner
  6. Ralph Towner & Paulo Fresu – Zephyr
  7. Kenny Wheeler – Deer Wan
  8. Joey Baron – Contact

As usual the show can be streamed from Mixcloud

  1. Prism (2013) – Holland on the bass with guitarist Kevin Eubanks, pianist/Rhodes keyboardist Craig Taborn, and drummer Eric Harland.

  2. 39 Steps (2013) – Abercrombie is the guitarist, the pianist is Marc Copland, the bassist Drew Gress, and the drummer Joey Baron

  3.  Deer Wan (1977) – Wheeler with Jan Garbarek (on tenor and soprano),John Abercrombie,Dave Holland, drummer Jack DeJohnette and on this track Ralph Towner,

  4. Conference of the Birds (1972) – Hollands debut as a leader with Anthony Braxton, Sam Rivers, and Barry Altschul on the drums.
  5. Wait Till You See Her (2009) Abercrombie with Mark Feldman, Thomas Morgan and Joey Baron.
  6. Chiaroscuro (2010) – Towner with Italian Trumpeter Fresu.
  7. as 3. this time without Towner
  8. We’ll Soon Find Out (2000) Baron with the dream team of Bill Frisell (guitar), Ron Carter (bass), and Arthur Blythe (alto sax.
John Abercrombie
John Abercrombie

World of Jazz Radio Show – 23rd August 2012

On this show ……. listen in here

1 Charles Tolliver Household of Saud Paper Man
2 Eddie Henderson Discoveries Inside Out
3 Yoshie Fruchter Davita Pitom
4 Kenny Wheeler Smatter Gnu High
5 Kenny Wheeler 3/4 In the Afternoon Deer Wan
6 Nicky Skopelitis Heresy Ekstasis
7 Sun Ra & His Arkestra Celestial Love Nuclear War
8 Norman Connors Morning Change Dance of Magic
9 Blue Mitchell The Thing to do The Thing to do

World of Jazz – John Abercrombie Special

John Abercrombie’s ability to merge various jazz forms through his fluid and laid back technique has made him one of the most influential acoustic and electric guitarists of the music; his recordings for ECM  clearly demonstrate great writing in a “chamber jazz” style which draws upon a range of contemporary improvised music; his approach is   jazz-based, but he also touches on  folk, rock as well as both  Eastern and Western music. This show picks up on some of the highlights of his career:

1 Gateway – Unshielded Desire – Gateway : Abercrombie was one of the stars of ECM in its early days. His playing on this trio set with bassist Dave Holland and drummer Jack DeJohnette is both sophisticated and replete with intense rock elements. The trio have made three albums together under the Gateway name over the years all of which are required listening.

2 Enrico Rava – By The Sea –  The Pilgrim and the Stars : Enrico Rava’s debut for ECM in 1975 in great company with  Abercrombie, bassist Palle Danielsson, and drummer Jon Christensen.

3 Kenny Wheeler – 34 in the afternoon – Deer Wan : a  classic ECM release which finds Wheeler with  Jan Garbarek on tenor and soprano, plus the Gateway trio of Abercrombie,  Holland, and  DeJohnette.

4 John Abercrombie – Bright Rain – Animato : for this 1990 album with Vince Mendoza and Jon Christensen Abercrombie offered a different direction for the ECM label, with electronic and synthesizer based compositions – a huge stylistic leap for the lable.

5 John Abercrombie – Dolorosa – While We Were Young : intense and exploratory music from Abercrombie with Mark Wall and Adam Nussbaum, unique  and a landmark fusion album of the 1990s.

6 John Abercrombie – Just In Time – Open Land : the same trio as the above some five years later with trumpeter Kenny Wheeler, the tenor of  Joe Lovano, and violinist Mark Feldman.  One of his best albums in my opinion.

7 The Impossible Gentlemen – Laugh Lines – The Impossible Gentlemen : and talking of Nussbaum getting right up to date with the fantastic new album with Gwilym Simcock, Salford’s very own Mike Walker, and completing the legendary rhythm section – Steve Swallow. This album is out on Basho on June 6th and I will be playing more of this in the run up to their gig at the Bridgewater Hall on 21st June.

8 John Abercrombie – String Thing –  Cat N Mouse : from 2002 and the first of three great albums with Mark Feldman, Joey Baron and Marc Johnson.

9 John Abercrombie – Jack and Betty – Class Trip : two years later and the quartet that promised much on the Cat N Mouse album delivered again and more so with Class Trip. Virtuoso performances with stunning improvisation make this a classic album.

10 John Abercrombie – Epilogue – The Third Quartet : this reading of Bill Evans Epilogue is breathtakingly good and demonstrates the almost uncanny interplay that these four musicians developed over these three albums.

11 John Abercrombie – Wait ’til you see her – Wait ’til you see her : Thomas Morgan replaces Marc Johnson for the most recent release from Abercrombie.

To listen to the show click on the link below: