recommendations: February 2009 Archives

Jeff "Tain" Watts, Watts (Dark Keys). The vigorous drummer is in charge of a quartet with saxophonist Branford Marsalis, trumpeter Terence Blanchard and bassist Christian McBride. There's a lovely ballad ("Owed"), shuckin' and jivin' ("Dancin' 4 Chicken," take 25), a variation on Monk's "Trinkle, Tinkle" called "Dingle-Dangle" and an audio theater sketch about dealing with the devil. Along with the fun and games, you get exceptional playing by all hands.

Zoot Sims in Copenhagen (Storyville). This catches the great tenor saxophonist in a 1978 club performance with the stellar rhythm section of pianist Kenny Drew, bassist Niels-Henning Ørsted Pederson and drummer Ed Thigpen. No Sims version of "I'll Remember April," a staple in his repertoire, has more heat than the one here. I recommend devoting one hearing to concentrating on N-HOP's bass lines. Storyville reissues this every few years, a good idea; it should be always available.

Jim Hall & Bill Frisell, Hemispheres (ArtistShare). Hall inspired Frisell. The younger guitarist famously became what Hall would have encouraged him to be, his own man. On Dialogues in 1995, they showed flashes of what they could develop together. On this 2-CD set, they follow through, in duo and with bassist Scott Colley and drummer Joey Baron. Everything works, from Frisell's outré "Throughout" at the beginning to Sonny Rollins' blues "Sonnymoon for Two" at the end.

Nels Cline, Coward (Cryptogramophone). Hall and Frisell have impressed Cline. Jimmy Hendrix and John Abercrombie also seem to be in his DNA. Here, Cline is alone with his influences, his guitars, an arsenal of electronics and his startling originality. Despite his searching edginess, the CD is curiously relaxing. The high point is an extended piece called "Rod Poole's Gradual Ascent to Heaven," in which Cline builds a monument to a murdered fellow guitarist.

Louis Armstrong All Stars Live In Australia 1964 (Medici Arts). Armstrong, Trummy Young, Billy Kyle, Arvell Shaw, Danny Barcelona and Joe Darensbourg were wired. No one was phoning it in this day. The Australian television crew did a masterly job of capturing the complete concert. The closeups catch Armstrong's exuberance playing and singing. The repertoire is typical of Armstrong at the time, "High Society," "Blueberry Hill," "Mack the Knife" - his hits. Jewel Brown overdoes a calypso novelty but redeems herself with a mostly unaffected "I Left My Heart in San Francisco."