Live At Birdland: Cookin' In Midtown [Live]

Amazon.com
This latter-day Birdland collection catches the club at a very up-to-date phase in its long career. You'd expect to find particular--mostly 1950s- and '60s-era--artists at a place with Birdland's history (click here for a list of Birdland-titled CDs), and what you get instead is a host of younger folk. The CD counters the idea that most exciting jazz at century's turn is happening on the fringe, in the "Downtown" scene around the Knitting Factory, with a stable of strong postbop from pianist D.D. Jackson's violin-led sextet, trumpeter Dave Douglas's quartet, and guitarist Peter Bernstein's laid-back quartet. Never staking the avant-garde realm, this CD also turns a bold face at the listener, with Jackson's slippy piano chords and tenor saxophonist Jimmy Greene and his band's Wayne Shorter-esque modal compositions. But the most ear-catching moments come when Ralph Irizarry and Timbalaye are blasting away with their dance-groove Cuban bop. Bright and fast, it's this impressive collection's strongest suit. --Andrew Bartlett

From Jazziz
A couple of years ago, producer Steve Backer helmed a series of recording sessions documenting the clique associated with the Greenwich Village jazz club Smalls. Business advantages of the resulting Impulse! disc were obvious: The record brought subrosa artists to the retail racks of Tulsa and Edinburgh, creating a public presence for virtual unknowns. But the album's truer value was found in the artistic camaraderie heard between the tracks. Several bands shared members; some even had kindred notions of style. The five ensembles included in this Backer-helmed Birdland album lack such parallels, so a wisp of contrivance is in the air. That contrivance is furthered by the fact that beyond very intermittent gigs, the bands don't have much of an affiliation with the midtown club itself. That said, every iota of music here is vital, making this sampler an entertaining item for any discerning jazz fan. The unstated thesis is clear: the mainstream can be an extremely wide playing field. Guitarist Peter Bernstein's unit swings in an old-school style, using virtuosity as its calling card. Both the leader and pianist Bruce Barth are underheralded experts on their instruments. On the aptly titled "Jet Stream," they both take cunning solos. The comparatively modern front line of Dave Douglas' Quartet also effects a caginess, and the half-valved squeaks of the leader's trumpet on a sideways waltz called "The Frisell Dream" are just as lyrical and cogent as Bernstein's eighth-note flights. In reaction, Chris Potter's tenor lines wax flawlessly peculiar. The group - co-led by Darren Barrett and Jimmy Greene - is keen on dynamics, once again making hard bop an exciting place. "Half-Steps" finds wily saxophonist Greene cruising authoritatively on his tenor, while his trumpeter/partner blows hard and phat modern blues. D. D. Jackson plays against type for his opening track, "Easy." Known as a rambunctious improvisor, the pianist opts for a graceful, Jarrett-like lilt. On their second track (each band is heard twice), Jackson's crew swings hard, with violinist Christian Howes creating plenty of exclamation. Exclamation, of course, is Timbalaya's stock in trade, and as percussionist Ralph Irizarry's unit integrates Latin beats with funk-swing, it proves that precision is part of their arsenal, as well. These five ensembles may not share any one notion of what jazz "is," but they all have a good handle on what it can be. Maybe that's their bond.

Live At Birdland: Cookin' In Midtown,Various Artists,D.D. Jackson,RCA,Contemporary Jazz,Hard Bop,Jazz,Jazz Music,Pop,Post-Bop

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