What I've Been Listening To Lately

It's time for another exciting episode in the series: "What I've Been Listening To Lately."  Though I routinely discover great music and artists that I'm not familiar with, over the summer it seems I have been finding amazing new (to me) artists, labels, and music just about every day.  Here are a few of my favorite discoveries from the last few months.

First up is What Is This Thing Called Love? (right) by The Richie Beirach Trio.  This is a gorgeous, straight-ahead effort by pianist Beirach, backed by the veteran rhythm section of George Mraz on bass and Billy Hart on drums.  The album is swinging, vibrant, and completely in the pocket.  Originally issued in 1999 on the Japanese label Venus Records, it has never been released in the U.S.  [I've been a fan of Beirach since I discovered his fabulous 1976 debut album EON on the ECM label, so I was particularly happy to find this release.  As an added bonus, Beirach reprises his take on Miles Davis' classic "Nardis," which also appeared on his debut.]  

This reissue of What Is This Thing Called Love? from Venus dates from 2021 and features stunning sound and gorgeous packaging.  Venus was founded in 1992 by Japanese engineer and producer Tetsuo Hara.  He began Venus as a reissue label, but soon began traveling regularly to New York to record sessions exclusively for his label using a roster of first-rate jazz talent.  Venus is a goldmine of fabulous titles by the likes of Beirach, Phil Woods, Scott Hamilton, Eddie Higgins, Massimo Farao, and Bill Charlap that have mostly never been released in the States.  It's kind of like finding out that the Beatles released a bunch of records in Australia that you never knew existed.  Venus LPs are often hard to find and always expensive, but they're worth every penny.  [Note to fans of Bill Charlap:  You won't find him listed as leader on any of his eight Venus sessions.  Because of copyright reasons, his albums are credited to the New York Trio.]

I recently got an offer to buy a bunch of sealed "new old stock" records on the Landmark Records label from a dealer in New York.  I had never heard of Landmark, but some of the featured artists included Donald Byrd, Jimmy Heath, Jack DeJohnette, Bobby Hutcherson, and Cannonball Adderley, so naturally I agreed to take all of them.  

A bit of research revealed that Landmark was founded by legendary producer Orin Keepnews in 1985 after he sold his Milestone label to Fantasy.  I ended up with 14 Landmark albums, and every one of them is a keeper.  Perhaps my favorite is Keys To The City (left), the 1985 debut album by pianist Mulgrew Miller, who I'm pretty sure I had never heard of before.  Which is surprising, because I'm a huge fan of McCoy Tyner, and Keys To The City sounds like a long lost Tyner album, complete with his trademark percussive left hand and flashing right hand runs.  I've since picked up three other Miller releases, and I'm pleased to note that although Tyner's influence is apparent in all of them, Miller has developed into a stellar pianist with a style all his own.

Unfortunately, when Landmark Records began releasing music in 1985, demand for vinyl LPs was already sinking fast.  When the label shifted exclusively to CD and cassette releases in 1990, they had a catalog of about 50 vinyl titles.  I'm hoping to track down all of them eventually.

Bruce Forman is yet another fine jazz artist that I had never heard of before I found his 1982 release 20/20 (right).  And to be honest, it caught my eye because I recognized sidemen Billy Hart and Tom Harrell.  Well, that and the fact that nearly all of Muse Records' output is worth owning.  Founded by record executive Joe Fields in 1972, Muse had a nearly 30-year run of consistently outstanding releases by both big name artists like Grant Green, Lou Donaldson, Sonny Stitt, Kenny Burrell, and Woody Shaw, as well as talented but lesser-known artists such as Forman, Hart, Harrell, and scores of others.  20/20 was Forman's third release as a leader and his second album for Muse Records.  

20/20 is a rocket-fueled hard bop session that cooks from beginning to end.  Forman is quoted in the liner notes as saying his approach for the session was: "Turn on the tape and let's go," which is exactly what it sounds like.  Even on the ballads there is a simmering, smokey intensity that never lets up.  Naturally, I'm now on the lookout for more Forman releases.

Speaking of Muse Records, I recently picked up a sealed copy of Wallace Roney's 1988 Muse release titled Intuition, and once again I was primarily influenced by the sidemen, including Ron Carter, Kenny Garrett, and my new favorite pianist, Mulgrew Miller.  While I had certainly heard of Roney, I had no idea that he had done two stints with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers (replacing Wynton Marsalis and Terrance Blanchard, respectively), and had toured with and played on two albums with drummer Tony Williams.

Intuition is a fine hard bop date that gives all the members of the group room to stretch out.  In addition to Mulgrew Miller's fine contribution, veterans Ron Carter, Gary Thomas, and Kenny Garrett provide outstanding support.  However, for my money, drummer Cindy Blackman steals the show.  Yet another "new to me" musician, Blackman is a revelation, alternately providing a driving beat, delicate cymbal and brush work, and lots of tasty fills.  As an added bonus, the session was recorded by Rudy Van Gelder, and this is about as good as I've ever heard drums sound on a recording.  [Fun fact: Blackman is married to Carlos Santana.  Who knew?]  Sad to say, Roney died in 2020 from complications of Covid-19.  He was 59.

Last up is a Horn Of Plenty (right), a 1979 release by The Don Menza Sextet on the short-lived Discwasher Recordings label (yes, the same folks that made the record cleaning brushes).  From 1978 to 1980, Discwasher put out seven direct-to-disk jazz recordings. All the discs were pressed in Japan, and based on information in the promo booklet included in the jacket, it appears they were produced in cooperation with the Denon company of Japan.  

I'm a huge fan of direct-to-disc recordings because they sound fantastic.  You can read more about the process online, but briefly, the session is cut live directly to a lacquer, with no tape transfer and no additional edits or mixing.  By eliminating a couple of the normal steps in the recording process, the result is startlingly lifelike.  I've got 15 or so direct-to-disc recordings on labels like Sheffield Lab, Crystal Clear, Nautilus, East Wind, and Century Records, and they are some of the best-sounding albums in my collection.  

Horn Of Plenty is catalog number DR 005, the fifth of the seven titles released, and the first of the Discwasher series that I have found.  Leader Don Menza on tenor is joined by Frank Strazzeri on piano, Bill Reichenbach on trombone, Chuck Findley on trumpet, Frank De La Rosa on bass, and John Dentz on drums.  Although the members aren't household names, they were all seasoned musicians with decades of experience playing in Vegas show bands and in the recording studio, in addition to touring with stars such as Ella Fitzgerald, Barbra Streisand, Lena Horne, and Neil Diamond.  Menza played in bands led by Stan Keaton, Buddy Rich, and Maynard Ferguson, among others.  As you might expect, the group is tight, hot, and swinging as they blow through two classic tracks by Duke Ellington and four originals.  But in the end, it's the sound that floors you.  There is something magical about direct-to-disc recordings that makes it feel like you're standing in the studio.  The disk was cut by legendary mastering engineer Stan Ricker.  

I've since found one other Discwasher direct-to-disc release, DR 002, a 1978 session by drummer Louie Bellson and his big band, titled Note Smoking.  Once again, the sound is incredible -- during Belson's drum solo on the last track on side 1, "Odyssey In Rhythm," it feels like he's bashing the skins right in the room.  Interestingly enough, Don Menza and Chuck Finley also play on this session.  Only five more to go for the complete set.

Enjoy the music!