Kicking off with the tightly swinging Buddy Greco tune "Around the World," this smart soundtrack captures the dawn of the jet set age with a combination of swinging mid-century tunes and newly recorded versions of classics (the second track is rock chanteuse Grace Potter's take on "Fly Me to the Moon"). While the tracks by Brenda Lee and Basie have all been heard before, the result is winning, and the collection is able to stand alone in evoking the age of first-class crooners and exotic destinations.
Although Marsalis is a jazz ambassador, virtuoso and historian, this double compilation spotlights Marsalis as the composer, rolling together his compositions over the past 25 years. Because of Marsalis' widely varied ensembles over the years, it's hardly seamless: After "Express Crossing" gallops along with twittering piccolos and belching brass, there are lilting orchestral works and some eloquent small group work from 2000's The Marciac Suite. Still, altogether, the collection ably displays Marsalis' expressive gifts as a writer, and it makes an excellent introduction to his compositions.
DeJohnette came to fame behind the kit with Charles Lloyd's quartet, but Sound Travels finds the acclaimed jazz elder playing more piano than drums. The release is bookended by a pair of delicate piano tunes. When he does take to the kit -- joined by two hugely popular young stars in modern jazz, bassist Esperanza Spalding and trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire -- the tunes are stylistically broad (Sonny Rollins joins for a calypso tune, "Sonny Light") and include some surprising guests writers (an inspirational dedication to Katrina survivors, "Dirty Ground" is sung by its writer, Bruce Hornsby).
Haden and Jones recorded their first duo in 1995, the sublime, deeply personal Steal Away, a collection of hymns, spirituals and folk tunes. The same concept and elegantly understated playing is behind this, their immaculate follow-up, recorded just before Jones' death in 2010. Though Jones was 91, his treatment of these simple songs is loving, powerful and lyrical. On Sunday standards like "Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?" and "Down By the Riverside," there is not only a deeply spiritual connection between the players, but also between two deeply spiritual men and their maker.
A veteran of the jazz fusion outfit Satya Project, Spanish pianist Juan Galiardo's debut as a bandleader suggests he can hold his own in the context of acoustic jazz, as a player and composer. His crackling small group (with drummer Andrea Michelutti, bassist Dave Santoro, tenor player Jerry Bergonzi and trumpeter Joe Magnarelli) plays with a warm, focused sound on up-tempo tunes like "Blues for Dave" and the swinging waltz "Otaru Souko," which sounds like a lost Hank Mobley side.
Monk's compositions are his greatest legacy, and Owens' particularly inventive recording succeeds on two levels. First, the personnel: There's Owens himself, whose pedigree includes gigs with Dizzy, Count Basie and Mingus, alongside tenor player Marcus Strickland, pianist Kenny Barron and bassist Kenny Davis. Then there's Owens' detailed exploration of the compositions. By playing some straight ("Stuffy Turkey") while turning some inside out ("Well You Needn't" takes a lazy tempo, "Let's Cool One" changes time signatures), Owens endows his homage with appropriately creative vision.
Neil Cowley's Trio can't ever be accused of understatement, with a catalog filled with fistfuls of rock-inspired piano swells and four-on-the-floor backbeats. The skeleton of Mount Molehill follows these traditions, but the trio adds some strings and spacey guitar effects for a (slightly) more atmospheric result. The greatest success is in "Mini Ha Ha," where a loop of a child's laugh and some arching strings add a surreal texture. It's nothing for jazz purists and a bit shy on artistic complexity, but suggests that Cowley and company might be heading into deeper waters.
