1956-1958 Art Farmer & Hal Mckusick Quintet - Complete Studio Recordings (2005) {Lone Hill Jazz} [CD]

Eloisia (voc)
Eva Ventura (voc)
Rolando Faria (voc)
Olvido Ruiz Castellanos (voc)
Reggie Moore (piano)
Guilherme Castro (electric bass)
Rolo Rodriguez (drums & percussion)
Natalie Blaum (background voc)
Alani Hoff (background voc)
Jan Roder (bass)
Pepe Berns (bass)
Michael Griener (drums)
Special guests:
Ron Carter (bass)
Hubert Laws (alto flute)
David "Fathead" Newman (tenor saxophone, flute)
Eddie Henderson (trumpet, flugelhorn)
Charlie Mariano (alto saxophone)
Mario "El Indio" Morejon (trumpet)
David Friedman (vibes)
Bob Lenox (piano)
Доп. информация:
Produced by Meeco
Recorded & mixed by Jürgen Heckel, Studio P2, Berlin, Germany
Mastered by Max Ross, Systems Two, Brooklyn, NY

On his first album "Amargo Mel" Meeco worked with American pianist Reggie Moore, Brazilian bassist Guilherme Castro and Uruguayan drummer / percussionist Rolo Rodriguez creating a very unique blend of styles and sounds. Further, Meeco assembled a stellar cast of special guests including bassist Ron Carter, trumpeter / flugelhornist Eddie Henderson, the late tenor saxophonist David "Fathead" Newman, altoist Charlie Mariano and flutist Hubert Laws, among a host of others. Furthermore, there are several vocalists who have collaborated with Meeco to provide both the lyrics and vocals: Eva Ventura from Spain, Olivido Ruiz from Cuba, Rolando Faria and Eloisia from Brazil. This record comprises some of the most romantic charts that ought to haunt the waves of jazz and Latin radio stations for a long time to come.

Eloisia (voc)
Kenny Barron (piano)
James Moody (flute)
Eddie Henderson (trumpet, flugelhorn)
Vincent Herring (alto saxophone)
Buster Williams (bass)
Доп. информация:
Composed and produced by Meeco
All lyrics written by Eloisia
Recorded at Clinton Recording Studios, New York
Mixed by Jürgen Heckel
Mastered by Nathan James, Vault Mastering Studios New York

Meeco assembled an all-star cast for this session. Pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Buster Williams and trumpeter Eddie Henderson constitute the core group, and woodwind wonders Vincent Herring and James Moody add some finishing touches to a few tracks. Henderson adds some nocturnal allure to the music, and his hushed solos have a Miles Davis-like intensity. Barron and Williams often maintain a symbiotic relationship, with the title track being the best example of their beneficial coexistence. In addition, Williams proves to be an architect of the first order, as he creates and shapes his lines, which add to the music's weight and direction. All of this material is performed at a relaxed pace, and Barron is a master of space and touch in everything he does. Eloisia's whisper-soft vocals, sung in Portuguese, melt like butter. The songs on this album, like caresses themselves, are intimate moments to be savored.

 

Anyone unfamiliar with Paris-based composer/producer Meeco and his gorgeous, sophisticated jazz can get approximate bearings from two other artists. One is Antonio Carlos Jobim, partly for the influence of bossa nova on Meeco's writing, partly for the heart-on-sleeve romanticism his songwriting shares with Jobim. The second is Astrud Gilberto, who is suggested by the Brazilian vocalist Eloisia, Meeco's regular collaborator. That said, Meeco is more jazz centered than either of those bossa stylists.
Beauty of the Night is Meeco's third disc, following Amargo Mel (Connector, 2009) and Perfume e Caricias (Connector, 2010). As on the earlier albums, the music has a retro vibe evoking the early jet age's glamorous conflation of Rio, Rome and the Cote d'Azur—something the albeit fleeting presence on the new album of chanteuse Jane Birkin does nothing to diminish. But it is more than retro. Classicist is a better description. Pianist Ahmad Jamal calls the music he makes not "jazz," but "American classical music." South American and European provenances notwithstanding, the description lends itself to Beauty of the Night: well crafted songs, elegantly arranged and performed with intelligence and virtuosity.
Meeco assembled illustrious lineups for both his earlier discs, and did so again for Beauty and the Night. Pianist Kenny Barron and bassist Buster Williams, who came aboard on Perfume e Caricias, are again at the band's core; trumpeter Eddie Henderson, featured on both previous albums, is still present; and flautist Hubert Laws, included on Amargo Mel, is back. New faces include tenor saxophonist Benny Golson, bass clarinetist Bennie Maupin, vibraphonist Stefon Harris, drummer Victor Lewis and guitarists Lionel Loueke and Romero Lubambo.
Everyone gets to solo, most of them more than once. Henderson, Golson, Barron, Harris and Maupin turn in gems, and so does Loueke on his feature, "Luzes de Flores." Loueke's own-name albums have been underwhelming—he needs to loosen up and not strive so hard to impress—but his solo here reminds us why bandleaders such as keyboardist Herbie Hancock rate him so highly. Lubambo is another six string treat.
The guest singers—who share the vocals with Eloisia on five tracks—are as distinguished as the intrumentalists. From jazz, or ACM, as you prefer, Freddy Cole and Gregory Porter; from Latin soul, Joe Bataan; from Braziliana, Ze Manoel. Birkin is briefly heard reciting the poem "Ombres et Luminieres," written by Meeco's French/Spanish mother (his father is German), to whose memory the album is dedicated. The rest of the lyrics were written or co-written by Eloisia.
The CD release of Beauty and the Beast includes a second disc of remixes by brothers Marco and Robert Meister, from the Paris/Berlin musicians' and DJs' collective Terranova. Synths, both pumping and ambient, are to the fore; house and chillout beats replace free-flowing jazz and bossa rhythms. Rather surprisingly, it works. The music retains its essence, and, while the original instrumentalists are pretty much mixed out in favor of the Meisters' synths, Eloisia and the other singers remain centerstage.
A beautifully conceived and realized album. Play it and be seduced.

Eloisia (voc)(1-7)
Freddy Cole (voc)(2)
Gregory Porter (voc)(6)
Joe Bataan (voc)(5)
Ze Manoel (voc)(4)
Jane Birkin (voc)(7)
Hubert Laws (alto flute)(4, 7, 8)
Eddie Henderson (trumpet)(2, 6, 8)
Benny Golson (tenor saxophone)(2, 8)
Bennie Maupin (bass clarinet)(1, 5)
Kenny Barron (piano)(2-4, 6-8)
Lionel Loueke (guitar, voc)(3)
Romero Lubambo (guitar)(1, 5)
Stefon Harris (vibes)(1, 5)
Jaques Morelenbaum (cello)(2, 4, 5, 7)
Buster Williams (bass)(1-8)
Victor Lewis (drums)(1-3, 5, 7, 8)
Доп. информация:
Composed and produced by Meeco
Cello arrangements by Jaques Morelenbaum
Remixes by Meister & Meister
Recorded at Avatar Recording Studios, New York
Mixed by Bryan Smith
Mastered by Bernie Grundman at Bernie Grundman Mastering