Columbia CK 67617to order

Verve 314 537 563-2 to order

Verve 314 537 704-2 to order

Verve (Gitanes) 537 087-2 to order

American born, Canadian based (since 1979) pianist/lecturer/writer Bill Wescott has had a lengthy affiliation with York University's Music Department (Toronto). Having previously studied blues and piano with blues legend Eurreal "Little Brother" Montgomery, he dedicates this 1996 CD as a tribute to him. Westcott informs us that, though some of the numbers are note-for-note transcriptions, older material, taken chiefly from sheet music, is rendered faithfully at the performer's discretion. He draws from an eclectic selection of sources - King Oliver, Lovie Austin-Alberta Hunter, Cow Cow Davenport, Hersal Thomas, Clarence Williams, and includes some rarely heard items - Will Ezell's "Heifer Dust", Cooney Vaughan's "Temblin' Blues", Jimmy Marten's "Rice Hotel". Perhaps the strangest of all is the totally genial pairing of Joplin's "Male Leaf Rag" with Giuseppe Verdi's "Di Provenza il Mar". Westcott is certainly the entertainer here, recreating musical memories regretfully too often abandoned or forgotten. (J.S.)

York Artists Signature Series YFA 00396 to order

Nagel-Heyer 029 to order

Essentially a sextet recording (the final two numbers with additional clarinettists Antti Sarpila and Allan Vache), The International All Stars, performing at Hamburg's Amerika Haus (1995), present selections "that were either recorded by Benny or should have been" (liner), the exceptions being "You", "Did I Remember" and "Our Love is Here to Stay". Concord recording artists Ken Peplowski (clarinet/tenor) and Howard Alden (guitar) are joined by vibist Lars Erstrand, pianist Mark Shane, bassist Len Skeat, and drummer Joe Ascione in enthusiastic and fresh interpretations of some early Goodman studio releases - "Stardust" (1939), "You Brought a New Kind of Love to Me"(1945), "Limehouse Blues" (1941) and a medley of favourites. The concluding cut, "After You've Gone" (with three clarinets) is a real barn burner! (J.S.)

Nagel-Heyer 025 to order

Columbia (Legacy) CK 65326 to order

Nagel Heyer 030 to order

Blue Note 7243 8 38363-2-1 to order

Impulse 208 to order

Impulse 234 to order

The McCoy Tyner trio, with bassist Christian McBride and drummer Lewis Nash, is featured on this 1996 CD with the music of Burt Bacharach and accompanied by a symphony orchestra of "excellent people from California and hand-picked top calibre New York musicians". (liner). It's a melding of contrastingly different musical elements reminiscent in feeling and effect (to my ears) of a long forgotten but successful meeting of jazz and orchestra (circa 1961) with tenorman, Stan Getz, and arranger Eddie Sauter ("Focus", …note: recently reissued). Tyner, who can be powerfully explosive in his inventive explorations of the keyboard, easily adapts to the lush world of strings, aided beautifully by the subtle rhythmic impetus of Nash and McBride, creating new and lasting impressions of Bacharach ballads. "His travels and voyages through my music are amazing," states the composer. The range of approaches is appealing, from gentle improvisatory segments - "The Windows of the World"/"Alfie" - to more animated responses with "You'll Never Get to Heaven" or "Always Something There To Remind Me". As Tyner himself concluded, "It's been my pleasure to perform melodies that I think will be around forever". At a time, perhaps, when lasting melodies are rare, he's probably right. (J.S.)

Impulse 197 to order

As the album's title and the opening track clearly indicate, this is not the first musical collaboration between Montreal vocalist, Karen Young, and bassist Michel Donato, in fact, almost a decade has passed since their initial release on the Justin Time label. They seem ideally suited to the thirteen varied selections on this 1996 CD, ranging over standards such as "One for My Baby"/"You're my Thrill", jazz-oriented pieces with Randy Weston's "Little Niles", Mingus' "Goodbye Porkpie Hat", or "Parker's Mood", or more personal choices of Chuck Berry's "Memphis, Tennessee" and Jimi Hendrix's "Up from the Skies". Donato complements Karen Young's eclectic repertoire with its dramatic nuances, playful moments of vocalize, or sudden rhythmic changes, with ease. The overall effect is one of two instruments in perfect accord. (J.S.)

Ursh 1994 to order

LFQ 100 to order

This 2-Cd set is for the casual soul fan, who has heard some of these tracks on the radio or in a restaurant and would like to have them in one place. Every one of the 28 tracks was a hit, from one of several catalogues which the WEA group has access to. The first CD is loosely made up of tracks from the 60s; the second is drawn mostly from the 70s. There are no liner notes. It is difficult to comment further, since practically every track is so well known and within the overall soul umbrella they cover a lot of ground, but here are a few of them: I Heard it Through the Grapevine by Marvin Gaye, Respect by Aretha Franklin, In the Midnight Hour by Wilson Pickett, Stand by Me by Ben E. King, Midnight Train to Georgia by Gladys Knight and the Pips, Let's Stay Together by Al Green. (C.P.)

Warner Brothers WTVD 34851 to order

Regina's own Colin James turns away from some of the high powered music that he's made in the past on this more modest collection of blues. He plays acoustic guitar, including National Steel guitar, on most tracks here, and is joined by another Canadian blues guitarist of note, Colin Linden, on mandolin and acoustic guitar. Many of the tracks are either solo acoustic or acoustic duets by James and Linden. On a few they are joined by bass and drums, keyboards or horns, but overall an attempt is made to keep it simple. The material is taken from the repertoires of bluesmen from Yank Rachell to Muddy Waters, with nods to Otis Redding on These Arms of Mine, Sam Cooke on Somebody Have Mercy and Taj Mahal on Going Up to the Country. Jump blues is represented by Tiny Bradshaw's Postman's Sack and the jazz end of things by Mose Allison Your Mind is on Vacation (not My Mind, despite the sleeve). James and Linden also contribute an original apiece, with Linden's contribution being the standout Before the Dawn. How well you like this will probably depend on how well you like Colin James. It's a relaxed session, and obviously material dear to the musicians' hearts. James has a pleasant voice and the guitar playing is of a high standard, though he has a way to go to achieve the emotional depth of his idols. (C.P.)

Warner Brothers CD 19634 to order