Live at Jazz Standard [Live]

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Bill Mays is one of the most complete pianists in jazz. His range, spontaneity and inventiveness are all in the foreground on this set, Live at Jazz Standard, with his regular partners, Matt Wilson on drums and Martin Wind on bass. A consummate ballad player, Mays keeps finding fresh ways to approach a slow tune, reaching into the piano for the eerie muting of "Darn That Dream," strumming the strings like a banjo on "Willow Weep for Me," or letting luminous sustained notes hang in the air on his own "Euterpe." Mays also swings in any number of ways as he and Wilson and Wind move joyously through the great composers of jazz. There’s an ebullient bounce to Ellington’s "Squeeze Me," a rambunctious energy to "Let’s Call This" (introduced with a welter of quotations from other Monk tunes), and a soulful drive to Ornette Coleman’s "When Will the Blues Leave." --Stuart Broomer

Product Description
In his long career, pianist and composer Bill Mays has always strived for a sense of freedom in his playing and has kept his ears open to many musical influences. On his 3rd release for Palmetto Records, Live At Jazz Standard, Mays taps into these influences and swings hard and free with his trio of six years - Martin Wind on bass and Matt Wilson on drums - producing perhaps the most adventurous CD he's ever recorded.

Recorded at New York City's Jazz Standard in December of 2004, Mays' goal with the live CD was to try to capture the moments when the trio lets loose and creates great music on the fly. Mays and his trio played with few set arrangements, preferring to walk the proverbial tight rope without a net rather than confine themselves. Each player brought an arranger's sensibility to the bandstand and nothing was the same from night to night. The resulting recording is a stunning collection of original and reworked standard tunes, some of which the trio had never performed before.

Different from any CD Mays has recorded before; Live At Jazz Standard elevates the Bill Mays Trio to a whole new level and marks their emergence as one of the most elite, intuitive and sophisticated jazz trios performing.

Live at Jazz Standard,Bill Mays Trio,Palmetto Records,Jazz,Mainstream Jazz,Pop,Post-Bop,United States of America
Live at Jazz Standard
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Nancy does it again
  • Two Old Underrated Pros at Play
Live at Jazz Standard
Nancy King
Manufacturer: Max Jazz Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000F6ZP2M
Release Date: 2006-05-09

Tracks:

  1. There's A Small Hotel
  2. I Fall In Love Too Easily
  3. Little Suede Shoes/Day By Day
  4. Everything Happens To Me
  5. Ain't Misbehavin'
  6. If You Never Come To Me (Inutil Pasaigem)
  7. There Will Never Be Another You
  8. Autumn In New York
  9. Four

Album Description

Very few improvisers in vocal jazz have mastered the musical vocabulary like Nancy King. The same can be said for the extremely accomplished pianist Fred Hersch. After many years of circling each other, the two have finally been documented in Nancy's new MAXJAZZ release Live at Jazz Standard. In fact, the two had never met each other before this magical night when the tapes were rolling without Nancy's knowledge. Nothing on this disc was planned or rehearsed. These two talented artists chose songs, keys and tempos along the way, and the end result: jazz at its best.

The stage was set on Saturday, October 23rd, 2004 when Fred Hersch was concluding his second "Duo Invitation Series" at Jazz Standard in New York City, where he played with six different duo partners during the week. Fred was encouraged by Scott Morgan to fly Nancy in for the series. She had not appeared in a major New York venue in many years. Live at Jazz Standard features some wonderful standards performed by two extraordinary musicians.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Nancy does it again.......2007-03-17

This is one of her better ones and they are all good. A real jazz person's jazz not just pop or standard singer. Her phrasing is wonderful and you can understand all of it. Love it~~

5 out of 5 stars Two Old Underrated Pros at Play.......2006-08-30

When I heard that Nancy King and Fred Hersch had recorded an album live, at the Jazz Standard in NYC, of piano-voice duets, I rushed out to get my copy. I expected something fantastic. But that can be a problem due to the fact that disappointment can come crashing down more easily when you have such expectations.

I am not disappointed in the least.

This c.d. confirms two major truths: First, with the passing of Ella Fitzgerald and Betty Carter, Nancy King is the finest living scat singer in the world. Like Ms. Carter, Ms. King sounds like an instrument truly searching for the "less obvious" note that nevertheless fits in the chord. Ms. King is also a great story teller. She didn't make me forget Shirley Horn or Mark Murphy, but at times she certainly reminded me of them here.

Second, Fred Hersch truly is one of the finest piano accompanists in the world. What amazes me about him is that he sounds quite different in accompanying Nancy King than he does in accompanying Janis Siegel, and in turn those recordings sound different than how he accompanies Renee Fleming. He basically knows what works for each singer.

Here, consistently throughout he lets Ms. King take the lead in the first chorus, then gradually gets more adventurous as she scats away. Then, when he solos, he plays even more "outside" than he does ordinarily with most singers--because that's how Ms. King sings. By the time he's done, we the audience have been in for quite a ride.

In the contest of most underrated jazz singer in the world (if there is one), Nancy King now is in the lead. Hopefully, someone soon will overtake her--but that will take some doing. Meanwhile, major kudos to Maxjazz: In the last few years, they have put out superlative vocal jazz recordings with Rene Marie, Dena DeRose, Erin Bode, and now this one. More, please. RC
City Nights: Live at the Jazz Standard
Average customer rating: Not rated
    City Nights: Live at the Jazz Standard
    Frank Morgan
    Manufacturer: Highnote
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

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    ASIN: B0002JP27U
    Release Date: 2004-08-03

    Tracks:

    1. Georgia On My Mind
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    Night in the Life: Live at the Jazz Standard
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      Night in the Life: Live at the Jazz Standard
      Frank Morgan
      Manufacturer: Highnote
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      ASIN: B000OCY6ZY
      Release Date: 2007-04-24

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      Live at Jazz Standard, Vol. 1
      Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
      • New listener
      • Mr.Malone Sings
      • Thanks Russell.....
      • An odd selection of material
      Live at Jazz Standard, Vol. 1
      Russell Malone
      Manufacturer: Max Jazz Records
      ProductGroup: Music
      Binding: Audio CD

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      ASIN: B000HWXRFG
      Release Date: 2006-10-10

      Tracks:

      1. He Said What?
      2. I Saw You Do It
      3. Flirt
      4. Blue Daniel
      5. Mean Streak
      6. Heartstrings
      7. Malone Blues

      Album Description

      Russell Malone is one of the most commanding and versatile guitarists performing today. He can move from jazz to blues to gospel to pop and R&B without hesitation, a rare facility that has prompted some of the highest profile artists in the world to call upon him: Shirley Horn, Diana Krall, Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, Christina Aguilera, B.B. King, David Sanborn, Harry Connick, Jr. to name a few. On his new MAXJAZZ release, Live at Jazz Standard (Volume One), Malone captivates from the opener and displays why he is one of the most in-demand guitarists today.

      Live at Jazz Standard features his working band of Martin Bejerano, piano; Tassili Bond, bass; and Johnathan Blake, drums. All arrangements are by Malone, who also produced the CD and wrote five of the seven tracks.

      MaloneÂ's crisp original and opener, He Said What?, begins with a driving groove by Bejerano and shows MaloneÂ's clean tone and dazzling guitar work. The group follows with another Malone original titled I Saw You Do It. With Bejerano sitting this one out, Bond and Blake keep driving the rhythm while Malone displays his ability to fuse distinct musical elements into an instantly appealing tune. On the smooth original Flirt, Malone showcases the fluid and lyrical movement that has distinguished him from his peers. The Frank Rosolino standard, Blue Daniel, swings with great energy. BejeranoÂ's piano and BlakeÂ's drums push the rhythm before Bond lays down a nice solo. Mean Streak is a blistering track written by Malone that features impressive solos by Malone, Bejerano and Blake. The pace slows with a hauntingly powerful version of the Milt Jackson ballad Heartstrings. Malone was further compelled to Â"dig a little deeperÂ" that night by the presence of JacksonÂ's widow, Sandy, and daughter Chyrise. Malone and crew close with a bang on his blues-infused original Malone Blues. The composition clearly showcases MaloneÂ's extraordinary versatility.

      Customer Reviews:

      4 out of 5 stars New listener.......2007-03-24

      I bought this CD, after reading a review of some Jimmy Bruno reviews. The review I read actually knocked the Jimmy Bruno CD, which I didn't agree with, but I figured I'd give this one a shot. I really enjoy the CD, but I like Jimmy Bruno better...

      5 out of 5 stars Mr.Malone Sings.......2007-01-29

      I'm So Glad I Bought This wonderful music.Mr. Malone is a fine musician and a
      great guitarist (a great musician and a fine guitarist,too).He moves me with his great command of all the different genres he incorporates.Overnight He is my favourite Guitarist.I will buy more ( and more ) of his work . I just loved the blues at the end...Eric Clapton , Jimi Hendrix , Muddy Waters - all
      rolled in to one ; Mr. Malone. Oh and don't forget all the Jazz you get for
      your money.An Australian fan.

      5 out of 5 stars Thanks Russell............2006-11-26

      This is my favorite disc he has released to date. Russell's writing shows even more maturity -- he continues to grow. Listen to "Flirt" if you don't believe me -- absolutely gorgeous. Also, his regular group is made up of 3 young up-and-coming New York monsters, who keep everything sounding fresh and current. Oh, and "Malone Blues" encompasses 100 years of blues guitar.

      3 out of 5 stars An odd selection of material.......2006-11-21

      I've been following Malone for a few years, have the studio discs (including the stellar Benny Green duo albums), and seen him live twice. He's indescribably talented, but also is cursed by a tone and "sweetness" that some outsiders might judge as old-fashioned in an "elevator music" style. In his studio discs he makes up for this with brilliance in all styles, from ballads to dynamic funk. The live at Jazz Standard disc collects what seems to be his middle-of-the-road songs that don't show off alot of dynamism or chops (except the last track, which seems included only because of the novelty of him playing "dirty blues"). The songs are great, the playing is very tasteful, but I rarely try to turn on my non-jazz friends to a disc because it's "hella tasteful". Get "Bluebird" or "Sweet Georgia Peach" if you want amazing Malone.
      Live at Jazz Standard, Vol. 2
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        Live at Jazz Standard, Vol. 2
        Russell Malone
        Manufacturer: MaxJazz Records
        ProductGroup: Music
        Binding: Audio CD

        GeneralGeneral | Jazz | Styles | Music
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        ASIN: B000ROAM2U
        Release Date: 2007-07-17

        Tracks:

        1. MugshotFor The Love Of You
        2. Theme From Gunsmoke
        3. How About Me?
        4. Don't Point That Over Here
        5. Playground
        6. Sugar Buzz

        Album Description

        Recorded September 9-11, 2005 at Jazz Standard in New York, Live at Jazz Standard (Vol. 2) offers a dynamic set of music. There is nothing quite like an entrancing live recording that puts the listener right inside the club. Live at Jazz Standard features guitarist Malone's acclaimed working band of Martin Bejerano, piano; Tassili Bond, bass; and Johnathan Blake, drums. All arrangements are by Malone, who also produced the CD and wrote four of the seven tracks.
        Live at the Jazz Standard
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          Live at the Jazz Standard
          Dave Douglas Quintet
          Manufacturer: Koch Records
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          Marvin Gaye at the Copa
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            Marvin Gaye at the Copa
            Marvin Gaye
            Manufacturer: Hip-O Select
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            ASIN: B000AO3544
            Release Date: 2006-11-13

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            To Motown founder Berry Gordy, the Copa was a destination. The mere concept that a roster of black artists from inner-city Detroit who had a few teen hits would perform there, release albums recorded there and be accepted and return there was a revolutionary thought. And it happened. Marvin wanted to be the Motown crooner, to sit on a stool and purr love songs like Perry Como, Nat and Sinatra. When he got his shot, over the first two weekends of August 1966 during a dry hits period Marvin was game but ambivalent: he chafed at the choreography, prepared little stage patter, wavered a bit during the first set. But reviews were generally good, and Motown sent an eight-track reel-to-reel tape recorder the second weekend to record five shows. Marvin Gaye At The Copa was slated to be released in early 1967, with catalog number Tamla 273, and Motowns art department mocked up a cover. It never happened. The shows were never mixed down for staff review. Marvin never returned to the Copa. Until right now. Hip-O Selects edition represents the best of those shows. Since Marvin didnt do the exact same set every night, now you can feel like you went to every one. Newly and painstakingly remixed, the Select version runs twice as long as what the original LP may have been. Marvin is amped from the opening number, getting the audience involved during How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You), and making the ladies swoon during the sexy Brazilian number, Laia Ladia (Reza). His ballads are breathtaking, especially Night Song, taken from Sammy Davis Jr.s Broadway show Golden Boy. He takes on Sinatra, re-interpreting Strangers In The Night, which then was a #1 hit for the Chairman. The Motown Medleys are also a lot of fun, as they include (brief) live versions of his songs he rarely did live and hits by other Motown artists. The Copacabana Orchestra, conducted by Motowns Maurice King, kicks butt from start to finish.
            Live at Jazz Standard
            Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
            • The Jazz Standard
            • Creative Art from a Creative Artist
            • And Five More for Her Take on Ravel.
            • Was expecting more
            • Another winner!
            Live at Jazz Standard
            Rene Marie
            Manufacturer: Max Jazz Records
            ProductGroup: Music
            Binding: Audio CD

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            ASIN: B00008V5U8
            Release Date: 2003-04-22

            Tracks:

            1. 'Deed I Do
            2. Where Or When
            3. It Might As Well Be Spring
            4. I Loves You Porgy
            5. Nature Boy
            6. Bolero/Suzanne
            7. Shelter In Your Arms
            8. A Foggy Day
            9. Paris On Ponce
            10. How Can I Keep From Singing?

            Customer Reviews:

            5 out of 5 stars The Jazz Standard.......2005-08-07

            Rene Marie is not just a singer, and she's not merely a performer, she's a true artistic genius.

            Put this disc in your player. And pay attention.

            5 out of 5 stars Creative Art from a Creative Artist.......2005-03-10

            Rene Marie is one of the most creative artists you probably don't know, and this album proves the point.

            Recorded live at the Jazz Standard in New York City and released in 2003, Ms. Marie drives her trio--John Toomey (p), Elias Bailey (b) and Howard Curtis (d)--to artistic heights worthy of Jarrett, Peacock and DeJohnette, or any other piano trio you wish to name. And the four of them together create some really fascinating art.

            Consider the album's highlight, a medley of Ravel's "Bolero" and Leonard Cohen's "Suzanne". "Huh? Did I read that right?" you ask. You did. But when you consider the 6/8 march drumbeat to "Bolero" and think about elongating any song to fit that beat, you can picture how Ms. Marie and her mates did that. But the point is: who before Ms. Marie would have even thought to try something like that?

            Or consider her cover of the old Rodgers & Hart chestnut, "Where or When." Mr. Curtis taps out a rhythm on the high hat that puts a dream-like quality on the piece. "Where or When" works as a dream-like fog. Why didn't someone think of that before?

            Or consider her original, "Paris on Ponce." This is a "Hernando's Hideaway"-style tango with witty, hilarious lyrics by Ms. Marie about Paree, of the kind you'd expect to hear Robert Preston sing from "Victor-Victoria." The bridge is noteworthy for some wild bowing by Mr. Bailey. Then, out of nowhere, the band shifts the tune into a hard 4/4 rhumba with Ms. Marie intoning "funky tango" throughout. (But, one might argue, isn't a rhumba really a funky tango, anyway?!)

            She does a similar "out of nowhere" shift to "A Foggy Day", which goes from well-done lounge music to a double-time scat that would have made Mel Torme sit up and take notice.

            And lest anyone doubt Ms. Marie's abilities as a singer, take a good listen to her recital-like read of "I Loves You Porgy." This is as dramatic a cover of this classic as any I've heard, including that of the immortal Ella Fitzgerald.

            And to put her imprimatur on the whole concert, she does an a capella encore to one of her signature songs, "How Can I Keep for Singing." That's remarkable enough; but she takes the song from a straight read, to a scat, to a slow scat, to a rendition of Belafonte's "Day-O" in a language only she knows but we all understand.

            Maxjazz is a small label that doesn't have the budget to put Rene Marie into the public vanguard, a la Blue Note, Impulse! or Verve. But I believe that, sooner or later, talent wins out. On that basis, Rene Marie deserves widespread recognition as one of the most creative of all jazz vocalists, and someday soon she has to get it. RC

            5 out of 5 stars And Five More for Her Take on Ravel........2004-01-09

            You must hear her vocalese on Bolero. Legend has it that she came to a jazz vocal career after given the ultimatum from her husband "Well, it's gonna be me or this hobby of yours" (realize, of course, I am a reviewer given to be liberal with poetic and verbal licenses).

            Suffice it to say she ain't with that dude no more. And that's a good thing for us lovers of jazz lounge vocals like Rene gives. I would also say she is a leader of a new school of jazzists coming from this Max Jazz house, Crossroads/St Louis. Watch out for more of her and this new crop of artists.

            2 out of 5 stars Was expecting more.......2003-11-03

            This artist has had so much hype in the jazz press that I was prepared to be blown away. I wasn't. Her voice is fine but I felt sung "at" not sung "to." Her scatting is more on the order of noodling and she doesn't seem to like to state the melodies before she abstracts them. The whole appraoch seems contrived, unnatural and over the top. After getting this "live" CD I actually went to see her live and the whole first set she only sang 3 songs and most of it was mediocre soloing from her band while she ooohed and aaahed and strutted and posed while listening to them. Different strokes, I suppose, but I was completely underwhelmed and left mid-show, as did lots of others in the audience. Maybe it was a bad day for her. This CD was better than the show for sure. I'd give her another chance but not for awhile!

            5 out of 5 stars Another winner!.......2003-10-13

            Rene Marie has done it again. This album is even better than her first two, and they were both hard to beat. The combination of her outstanding voice, her skillful interpretations of old classics ("I Loves You Porgy"), and unique renditions of "non-jazz" material (creative juxtaposition of "Bolero/Suzanne") make this an album worth buying.
            Live at Jazz Standard
            Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
            • very good sound, crisp...
            • It's a sleeper
            Live at Jazz Standard
            Bill Mays Trio
            Manufacturer: Palmetto Records
            ProductGroup: Music
            Binding: Audio CD

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            ASIN: B000A2H9ZC
            Release Date: 2005-08-16

            Tracks:

            1. Have You Met Miss Jones
            2. Squeeze Me
            3. How Are Things In Glocca Morra?
            4. Darn That Dream
            5. Music House
            6. Let's Call This
            7. Euterpe
            8. Willow Weep For Me
            9. When Will The Blues Leave?
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            Amazon.com

            Bill Mays is one of the most complete pianists in jazz. His range, spontaneity and inventiveness are all in the foreground on this set, Live at Jazz Standard, with his regular partners, Matt Wilson on drums and Martin Wind on bass. A consummate ballad player, Mays keeps finding fresh ways to approach a slow tune, reaching into the piano for the eerie muting of "Darn That Dream," strumming the strings like a banjo on "Willow Weep for Me," or letting luminous sustained notes hang in the air on his own "Euterpe." Mays also swings in any number of ways as he and Wilson and Wind move joyously through the great composers of jazz. There's an ebullient bounce to Ellington's "Squeeze Me," a rambunctious energy to "Let's Call This" (introduced with a welter of quotations from other Monk tunes), and a soulful drive to Ornette Coleman's "When Will the Blues Leave." --Stuart Broomer

            Album Description

            In his long career, pianist and composer Bill Mays has always strived for a sense of freedom in his playing and has kept his ears open to many musical influences. On his 3rd release for Palmetto Records, Live At Jazz Standard, Mays taps into these influences and swings hard and free with his trio of six years - Martin Wind on bass and Matt Wilson on drums - producing perhaps the most adventurous CD he's ever recorded.

            Recorded at New York City's Jazz Standard in December of 2004, Mays' goal with the live CD was to try to capture the moments when the trio lets loose and creates great music on the fly. Mays and his trio played with few set arrangements, preferring to walk the proverbial tight rope without a net rather than confine themselves. Each player brought an arranger's sensibility to the bandstand and nothing was the same from night to night. The resulting recording is a stunning collection of original and reworked standard tunes, some of which the trio had never performed before.

            Different from any CD Mays has recorded before; Live At Jazz Standard elevates the Bill Mays Trio to a whole new level and marks their emergence as one of the most elite, intuitive and sophisticated jazz trios performing.

            Customer Reviews:

            4 out of 5 stars very good sound, crisp..........2005-10-07

            ...feels/sounds like you were there, cool sounding track #3 nicely unexpected.

            4 out of 5 stars It's a sleeper.......2005-09-28

            I'll have to confess, first of all, that my son gave me this album because he didn't care for it. I slipped it into my CD player not expecting much...it's still in there after a week. I keep playing it. The more I listen the more in awe I am of the trio's playing. I'm primarily a wind instrument player and all piano players kinda sound alike to me. Not Bill Mays. He has a definitive style of his own. Very inventive, very clever, very humourous with his brief quotes of other tunes thrown in. I don't get tired of listening (it's a 72 minute CD) as I would with another pianist (outside of Monk, maybe).

            Drummer Wilson and bassist Wind are equally inventive and add much more than just back up to May's playing. These familiar tunes are fresh, inventive (I can't help using that adjective) arrangements that will bear listening to over and over. As a rule I don't give any recording 5 stars. I'll let the test of time decide that, but I'm close to it on this album.

            P.S. The recording has great sonics. Every voice is heard clear and balanced with just enough reverb to bring the musicians out of the speakers and into your room. 5 stars for the engineer.
            Burnin' Live at the Jazz Standard
            Average customer rating: Not rated
              Burnin' Live at the Jazz Standard
              Pete Zimmer Quintet
              Manufacturer: Tippin Records
              ProductGroup: Music
              Binding: Audio CD

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