Ronnie Mathews - Trip To The Orient

barabara sounds sez:

Ronnie Mathews leading a trio on East Wind, recorded and issued in 1975. By then, he'd been around for almost 20 years, working with some of the major players but never making much of a name for himself. This was just his second album as a leader (the first was back in '63, on Prestige with Freddie Hubbard in the band). 

No doubt because it was on a "minor" label issued in "the Orient", this one has mostly fallen through the cracks... But it's well worth your time, especially the tracks Jean-Marie and, my favorite, the hip, slinky Manha do Carnival for which he moves to Fender.

     

Factoid: "Ichiban" literally means "first", or "number one". But back in the day it was slang (among non-Japanese) for "outstanding", "great", etc. All these tracks are ichiban.

There's more about Ronnie Mathews here on Wiki and from his obit in the NYT...

personnel:
Ronnie Mathews, piano; Yoshio Suzuki, bass; Louis Hayes on drums

tracks:
Ichiban; Manha do Carnival; Linda; K's Waltz; Jean-Marie; When Sunny Gets Blue; Summertime

Masabumi Kikuchi Slash Trio – Slash 2゜

barabara sounds sez:
Not drowning, just waving. And plotting my next move.
9.28. Time for a new move. Just the one track for now…
Let's see what happens!

dusty sez:
Go for it!

Mal Waldron Trio - Spring in Prague + No More Tears for Lady Day

barabara sounds sez:  

More Mal – in fact a double-header, both featuring his trio with John Betsch and Paulo Carduso, both recorded in Germany and issued in Japan on the Alfa label.

No More Tears (recorded Nov.'88) is all mellow and introspective, like Mal is still feeling the grief all those years later. Whereas Spring in Prague (Feb.'90) is infused with much more vigor, reflecting the upheaval that had been going on in Eastern Europe in the previous year. Check out 'We demand' and 'Let us live': these are strong statements. In contrast, the title track is softer, an elegy no doubt looking back at the events in Czechoslovakia in 1968.

Apart from the allmusic review of No More Tears, there's very little out there about either of these albums – such as whether No More Tears came out first on Alfa or Timeless – so if anyone has any info, let's hear from you.

allmusic (Steve Loewy) sez:  

Not to be confused with the trio session recorded in the early '70s, Blues for Lady Day, this recording takes the same familiar trio format to revisit several tunes associated with Billie Holiday, as well as a few written in her memory by Waldron. The pianist is in a somber mood, perhaps because of the theme, though his performance is up to his usually high standards. A master of understatement, Waldron favors lingering chords that hang laconically even with the faster tempos. He rarely inserts an unneeded note, but instead concentrates on total sound. Drummer John Betsch brings out the best in each tune, pushing Waldron when appropriate. Bassist Paulo Cardoso makes little impression, particularly as a soloist, where he sometimes appears trapped by the structures of the songs. He is more successful as an accompanist. The delightful ambience of the trio results in a laid-back atmosphere that soothes and calms. A fine antidote to a stressful world and a lovely tribute to Lady Day.

Yosuke Yamashita - Spider

barabara sounds sez:

Staying close to home, and more from the superb Yosuke Yamashita. Spider is one of six (I believe) he made with his New York Trio, which comprised him plus the great Cecil McBee and Pheeroan akLaff. They began playing together in 1988, and so by the time this fine set was laid down (in NYC, in June '95) they'd built up a really good understanding.

The trio are in top form from the get-go. and there's some great playing. One of the stand-outs for me is One for M, but the title track, at the very end, is also a blast.

tracks:

Cats Dance; Revenge Of Picasso; One For M; Quiet Days; Fourth Step; Kids In Memory;Doubles; Stream; Spider

The other feature of this album is the cool spider-themed artwork — full scans of the CD inserts included!

Looking for more Yamashita? Then check out the comprehensive discography over on the indispensible — but currently dormant — El Goog Ja, here... Unfortunately most of the RS links are extinct, but it'll give you an idea of what to look out for. Expect a few more posts in the future here...