Dan Rose - Last Night & New Leaves

Dan Rose - Last Night - Ride Symbol Records

Dan Rose & Claudine François - New Leaves - Ride Symbol Records

Guitarist Dan Rose is heard on an album of solo guitar interpretations of standards and an album of duets with a longtime musical friend, French pianist Claudine François. Rose has a long career going back to regularly playing with Paul Bley and being part of the New York loft scene. Living in Europe for several years, he met Ms. François, and they recorded a duo album for Enja, one of several projects Rose recorded for Enja. His varied career has had him perform and record with Perry Robinson, Jay Clayton, Billy Hart, Thomas Chapin, Arthur Blythe, Rashied Ali, John Abercrombie, Connie Crothers, Eric Reed, Steve Turre, Cyrus Chestnutt, and many others. Claudine François was classically trained before becoming interested in jazz. She has formed a free jazz ensemble and composed for theater and dance. Her ensembles have included Jim Pepper and Jane Burnett, and she has worked in groups with Marion Brown, Hamid Drake, Lee Konitz, and others. 

"Last Night" is a recording of considerable allure. Rose states he has long wanted to do a solo album, and while initially, he intended to do original compositions, but when he began playing, the songs heard emerged. They are familiar songs like "Body and Soul," "Darn That Dream," "Tenderly," "What's New," "If I Loved You," and "Moonlight in Vermont." There is an Ellington Medley of "Prelude to a Kiss," 'Things Ain't What They Used To Be," and "Sophisticated Lady," along with another medley of "Guess I'll hang My Tears To Cry," Detour Ahead," and "Dreamsville." With a beautiful tone and a clean, precise attack, we are treated to renditions built upon the lyrics of these classic songs. Rose has provided us with an exquisite solo guitar recording.

Rose brings this same warm tone and guitar styling to the musical conversations with pianist François with whom he has played with for thirty years. "The New Leaf" is an original he wrote with her in mind and is a lovely ballad with her measured solo following his guitar solo with her use of block chords as he comps with soft chords. It is followed by one of the standout performances here, their bouncy rendition of "Monk's Dream." Other standout performances include the light Latin-tinged "Lady in Mercedes" and François' "Le Desert," with her rumbling and then dreamy introduction. This is followed by Rose's thoughtful, spare pinched note solo. There is playfulness in the duo's handling of Horace Silver's "Senor Blues." Another intriguing performance is François' "Mr. Slaint," a tribute to Steve Lacy and a composition with a touch of Monk, whose music was a significant inspiration to Lacy. Life Rose's solo album, this album of duets, is full of performances of charm and considerable appeal.

I received review copies from a publicist. Here is a performance from Dan Rose & Claudine François in 2013.

Rah! Rah! The Claire Daly Quartet

Rah! Rah!
The Claire Daly Quartet
Ride Symbol Records

Claire Daly's new album, "Rah! Rah!," is a salute to one of her main musical inspirations, Rahsaan Roland Kirk. She was a student at Berklee College of Music when she first saw Kirk at Boston's Jazz Workshop. She saw him at a performance after Kirk had suffered a stroke. Still, she was overwhelmed that despite his apparent fragility, "but each night the music got stronger and better. He had this unstoppable quality. … He was such a force of nature. He made me so happy, and still does." To join her in her salute to Kirk, Daly, on baritone sax, flute, and vocals, is backed by her band of Eli Yamin on piano, Dave Hofstra on bass, and Peter Grant on drums. The program includes interpretations of songs composed by Kirk, standards Kirk covered, and two originals based on Kirk's tunes.

Daly's performances display her musical personality and make for rewarding listening. As she states, Kirk was a force of nature, and his performances of "Volunteered Slavery" and "Serenade for a Cuckoo" will overshadow the interpretations by others. That does not mean one should dismiss her robust renditions. Her flute playing is exquisite on "Cuckoo." At the same time, her mashup of "Volunteered Slavery" with Sly and the Family Stone's "Everyday People" showcases her burly baritone playing and her direct, genuine singing. Her baritone sax playing has an authority evident of the opening "Blue Lady," based on Kirk's "Lady Blues." This selection also introduces listeners to her excellent band with pianist Yamin displaying a measured touch over the swinging rhythm section.

Bassist Hofstra opens up "Funk Underneath," another showcase for Daly's appealing, sparkling flute. Then, she dances on the baritone playing an Afro-Cuban version of Kirk's "Theme For the Eulipions." Daly's delivers another charming vocal on "Alfie," with Yamin leading the trio with an understated, sympathetic accompaniment. There is more delightful flute from Daly on "Momentus Brighticus," her contrafact of Kirk's "Bright Moments," followed by some barreling bebop baritone on Charlie Parker's "Blues For Alice." Daly's displays her qualities on "I'll Be Seeing You." With Daly's first-rate band and her outstanding playing, "Rah! Rah!" is an exceptional recording and a memorable tribute to Rashaan Roland Kirk, full of bright moments.

I received my review copy from a publicist. Claire Daly has been playing the music of Rashaan Roland Kirk for years. here is a performance from 2010.

Vito Dieterle - Joel Forrester Status Sphere

Vito Dieterle - Joel Forrester
Status Sphere
Ride Symbol Records

I am most familiar with the versatile pianist-composer Forrester from the Microscopic Septet. Tenor saxophonist Dieterle is new to me. Originally from Chicago, he has been part of the New York scene for the past decade and recently been a member of Forrester's quartet. This recording is centered around the music of Thelonious Monk as the two perform 6 Monk compositions (one in two takes). Forrester wrote five originals in a Monk-inspired vein. The inspiration of Monk is also reflected in the album title and this CD's cover, which is a play on the cover of the classic Riverside album, "Monk's Music" with two spheres sitting in a red child's wagon.

Forrester is a marvelous pianist who brings a bit of stride in his playing while Dieterle impresses with his hearty, but lyrical playing. Forrester leaves plenty of space in his playing if not quite as spare or quirky as Monk himself. Dieterle plays with restraint, and the performances breathe with a relaxed lyrical quality as they nourish the roots Monk's compositions provide.

Two poignant takes of "Crepuscule With Nellie" stand out, as does the evocative beauty of the duo's interpretations of "Ruby My Dear" and "Pannonica." Of the originals, "Mock Time," one of Forrester's originals, charms with their bouncy performance. Another original "About Francoise" is a contrafact of "I Can't Get Started. It is a showcase for Dieterle's marvelous ballad playing. While the publicity materials suggest his playing recalls Charlie Rouse, I observe his playing touches the listener similarly to Houston Person or Eric Anderson as well as rouse.

The remainder of "Status Sphere" is as marvelous as the selections I have highlighted. The two are excellent interpreters of Monk's compositions who honor Monk's legacy with the splendid playing on this release.

I received my review copy from a publicist. Here are Dieterle and Forrester, as members of Forrester's Quartet performing "About Francoise."