Search - Various Artists :: Montreux Jazz Festival

A performance of 10 stars, live jazz at its best

Warren Wen | 12/02/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD has been one of my top ten all time favorite jazz CDs for the past 12 years.



The album was recorded live at Montreux Jazz Festival in July 1988. James Morrison played trumpet, fluegehorn, trombone, euphonium with virtuous command at the age of 26 at that time. Adam Makowitz conversed with James Morrison all the way through with phenomenal grace and touch of his own. His piano tone has a very unique shading-- one of the most beautful tone you can ever ask among any classic or jazz painists. He also demonstated you do not need to play whole bunch of notes to make good jazz. Both players are so good that every note is carried out naturally with ease without technical show-off. Buster Williams (bass) and Al Foster(drum)also provided excellent rhythm support, although they just met Morrison and Makowitz one day before the recording session.



Among the seven songs, some are standards, some are originals by either Morrison or Makowitz. Every single piece is presented like delicate jewel. The arrangement of the standards are fresh and superb, such as "Softly, As in a Morninig Sunrise", the interchange between the trumpet and piano is intimate like two lovers breathing to each other. The original "Blues For Judy" is mind -blowing, where James Morrison used multiphonics /double decker playing both trumpet and trombone. It sounds like two trumpeters playing against each other. Simply amazing.



This is supreme live jazz commended with simplicity and sophistication. You will find intelligent converstaion between these two vitruosos but no exaggeration or self indulgence. The sound quality is also at reference level. With performance of 10 stars like this, you can put 95 percent of your collections away for a very long time, I did. And I do not feel bad about that."

Recomendo

John Lester | Vila Velha, Espírito Santo Brazil | 09/02/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Falando em Wynton lembrei do Morrison, James Morrison. Um australiano que hoje conta com 44 anos e dá uma surra de espontaneidade, alegria e swing no azulão do Lincoln Center. Quem diria, um branco azedo fazendo o que o Wynton deveria estar fazendo ...



Com a academização do jazz, com aulas regulares sobre improviso e regras sobre liberdade, as universidades norte-americanas estão conseguindo destruir aquilo que mais me atrai no jazz: o chute no balde das concepções acadêmicas. Tem coisa mais chata que jazz arrumadinho ?



Bem, fica a dica do grande trompetista australiano, um virtuose do instrumento que toca com alegria e ainda se aventura no trombone, sax alto e barítono e piano, sem medo de ser feliz.

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