"Thank you Marc Johnson and ECM for an album which gives jazz a good shot in the arm. ECM has gotten pretty complacent these days and this album has its' share of mellow moments, but, all in all it is some wonderful composing and playing!!!
Lovano and Scofield both sound fantastic. The SOUND of Sco's guitar is awesome. Johnson and Elias work great together. Joey Baron's drumming is also very tasteful. I love the Bass Desires albums from years ago and have been wanting Marc Johnson to put out another solo effort on ECM. I have no complaints!!! Just a great album on all levels.....recording quality is superb (as usual on ECM).....the playing is stellar.....if anyone is looking for an excellent new jazz album.....THIS IS IT!"
Ethereal
Big House | Houston, TX United States | 01/19/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is simply a magical disc. I never heard of Elaine Elias before, but her compositions on this disc are otherworldly and her playing touch is unique and beautiful. Johnson, Scofield, Baron and Lovano need no introduction, and as good as they are individually, they sacrifice their own fireworks here for the sake of a work that, amazingly, goes far beyond the sum of its talented parts. Subtle and delicate probably describe this one, though the words seem inadequate. It transports me to such an extent that I have, against my usual practice, played this over and over again."
Dream come true!
Olukayode Balogun | Leeds, England | 04/22/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Although this is a Marc Johsnson CD, it is also a collaboration of giants. Although I would never have been able to dream it up all on my own, now that I think of it, it's a rather obvious coming together of like minded talents. The ultimate dream collabo. Marc Johnson has worked for many years with Eliane Elias and features and co-produced many of her brilliant albums. Meanwhile, Joe Lovano has also worked with John Scofield, most remarkably, in my opinion, on the recent Scolohofo "oh!" project with Dave Holland and Al Foster. Indeed, The John Scofield Quartet, which released 1991's "Meant To Be" was made up of Scofield, Lovano, Johnson and drummer Bill Stewart. I wasn't really familiar with either Joey Baron or Alain Mallet before this CD but I will definitely be checking them out now.
"Shades of Jade" is indeed an "ethereal" collection of songs, as one other reviewer described it. Each song offers something different and if you focus in on any of the major players each time you listen to any song, you hear and learn something different. Fantastic stuff! Eliane veers away from the latin-infused melodic playing I'm used to hearing from her and does what piano players are often expected to do in bands - just provide some background and nothing else. John Scofield's sound also seems to be evolving. It's certainly more restrained than the wild wailing sound he used to produce back in the day. But he still remains unmistakable and unique.
My favourites? "Ton Sur Ton", "Shades of Jade", "Snow" and "Raise" but I really love the whole album. I recommend that anyone reading this gives it a go. You will not be disappointed. A must for those lazy summer afternoons or for unwinding on an evening after a stressful day. Just perfect!"
Excellent outing with fine contributions from all
Tanager | Durham, NC USA | 01/31/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I wanted to love this disk at first listen. I really did. I read praise from folks whose opinions are usually on the money (and who know my tastes), and I wanted to love this disk. It's got several players (Johnson, Baron, Scofield, Lovano) whose playing I readily enjoy and whose releases, in the case of Lovano and Scofield, I usually pick up pretty quickly. I wasn't terribly familiar with Elias, and I'd simply never heard of Mallet, but he only plays on one or two tracks. I first listened to this album Tuesday evening while driving to an appointment, and it started promisingly. The languid "Ton Sur Ton" leads off, and all are in fine form. Lovano and Sco state the melody in unison with Elias taking the first solo - her playing is moody and tempered, in keeping with the tune. I was somehow reminded of the Pink Panther theme - I felt like it should be a rainy night in Paris. Good start, I was thinking.
The album continued very promisingly. Lovano took the majority of solo space, playing with a light feel and sticking (mostly) to the upper register of his horn. The next three tracks are all down-tempo as well - good rainy-night-in-Paris music. Scofield sits out until the fifth track, the appropriately-named "Blue Nefertiti," which is a fun and quirky romp - Scofield brings his trademark blues-meets-odd-angles approach to the table, and Lovano cuts loose with some squeals and squonks to keep you on edge. The song has a wierd sort of fadeout finish, however - it's not a board fade, but the band just sort of subsides amidst some sonic noodling from Lovano and Scofield. The following track, "Snow" is really the first time Johnson interjects his personality noticeably (beyond able accompaniment) and takes any sort of solo space, that over a repeating piano figure.
Johnson follows that up with a duet between him and Baron (sticking mostly to cymbals), who is outstanding throughout the entire disk, but the one after that, the gospelized soul-jazz swinger "Raise," was for me easily the weakest track on the disk. Maybe it was meant to change the mood, but its effect is more jarring than anything else, and not in a good way. Scofield, in particular, sounds like he's just trying to sound like every other guitarist who's played in an organ trio, and I like him much better when he sounds like Scofield.
"All Yours" is a restatement of the theme from "Snow" although Elias doesn't pep up the proceedings in her solo as much this time around - it's not entirely somber, but it's not quite the ray of light effect that her solo in the earlier tune had. The album finishes with the bass-organ duet "Don't Ask of Me," with Johnson playing bowed here, and the effect is entirely sobering - it's a sad glower of a tune which underscores the overall moody feel of this excellent album.
I said I wanted to love the album at first listen, and to be honest, I didn't. I just liked it - I didn't care for Elias' solo in "Snow," and I *really* didn't like "Raise" - now I just don't like it, and at further listening, I think Elias' playing is just fine, although I still think her solo on "Snow" is one of her weaker moments in the album. But after a second and third listen, it's really grown on me. Baron doesn't have a weak moment anywhere, and the compositions are all pretty strong (with the one exception). I also thought that Lovano and Scofield were underutilized at first, but then I decided that the sparse settings served the feel better, probably. It's really an excellent effort, I think, even if it won't change any lives."
Calm but no storm
Bernard | 09/09/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"There's no three and half stars, and three might be a bit harsh, so it's four stars from me. I feel guilty. I don't like this album as much as I'm supposed to, and in fact hoped I would. I came in expecting to be blown away, but was instead able only to detect a gentle breeze.
These musicians are all seriously good whenever they play, and the compositions are very nice indeed. Love the gospel-ish 'Raise', and there seems to be half a discful of nice ballads. Despite all of the right ingredients being here, I just find this album low on energy. There seems to be little spark happening, and in the end it's kind of anaemic.
Sco is definitely not in top gear at all, and it all seems so polite. Let me say I am a huge ECM fan and love their sonic genius in the studio. I am also an admirer of everyone involved in this project, but this album doesn't move me. It's a very nice album, to be sure, but for me it doesn't deliver the magic that it could have.
NOTE: This recording is NOT "discontinued by the manufacturer" as stated, but is sadly the victim of someone somewhere who can't be bothered to make it available. It IS available in other parts of the world, and it's a shame that you can't buy it here at Amazon.com at a reasonable price."
Track Listings (10) - Disc #1
