Jazz Gumbo

Artist - Tune - Album Wayne Shorter - Speak No Evil - Speak No Evil John McLaughlin, Jaco Pastorius & Tony Williams - Dark Prince - Trio Of Doom Osibisa - Beautiful 7 - Woyaya Paul Horn - Reflected Moon - China Gerry Niewood - Joy - Gerry Niewood & Timepiece Linda Lewis - Old Smokey - Lark Kenny Garrett - Wheatgrass Shot - Do Your Dance! Return to Forever - Where Have I Loved You Before? - Where Have I Known You Before? Return to Forever - The Shadow of Lo - Where Have I Known You Before? Ryan Porter - The Psalmist - The Optimist Santana - Waiting - Santana Dexter Gordon - In Case You Haven’t Heard - Homecoming Stevie Wonder - Love’s In Need Of Love Today - Songs In The Key Of Life Joe Bonner - Love’s Dance - Angel Eyes Bill Frisell, Melvin Gibbs, Ronald Shannon Jackson - Blame & Shame - Power Tools: Strange Meeting The ode to musical styles past and present that introduces Jazz Gumbo is “Music Evolution” by Branford Marsalis and Buckshot LeFonque. Playlists for all past Sets of Jazz Gumbo will be found at jazzgumbo.blogspot.ca There are a few pieces in this Set that are fairly new to me, and that I really love. We can start with the opening number, Shorter’s “Speak No Evil”. This is an album I’ve wanted to explore for a while, and now having done so, I’m a little annoyed with myself for having taken so long. Shorter has covered such a range of music over the last half century that I’m not surprised that this is so different than the late 60’s and early 70’s music that introduced us. I’ll even go so far as to say that his constant evolution is a reason it’s taken so long for me to get to this one. No only Shorter, but so many leading artists of his generation, continue to be in constant flux, so one could never assume the qualities of an unfamiliar album. This is a sweet one. Another one I really like is “Blame & Shame” by Power Tools. This is from a vinyl album I bought a few years ago, because I liked other work by both Frisell and Jackson, but didn’t much appreciate initially. My ears had to grow into it over time. And as is so often the case, I now can’t hear whatever it was about the album that put me off. This is the arc of listening I often refer to here and on the show as “stretching the ears”. When an artist has spoken to me powerfully in one style, I generally assume that they can still reach me, even if their style has changed. I first experienced this listening arc through following the likes of Trane and Miles, and I think it holds true for just about any artist who truly puts themself into their art. A third new favorite is “The Psalmist” from Ryan Porter. Wow! Is it ever rousing! Unlike the other artists I’m mentioning here, Porter wasn’t even a name to me. I don’t remember when I first heard him, but I have that wonderful Shazam app to thank for getting him into my phone, and his name onto my list to explore. It sure paid off, and I look forward to hearing more from him. A final mention goes to Kenny Garrett’s “Wheatgrass Shot”. Never imagined I’d hear an ode to wheatgrass, but here it is. And it’s great. I haven’t had a shot in a while, and this has me thinking to drop into one of those health juice shops! Love & Thrive! Kirby