Bird Songs
Reviews
Fo
Reviewed 2011-01-23
Reviewed 2011-01-23
JOE LOVANO US FIVE: Bird Songs
Blue Note, 2011
MODERN BOP – Tributes to Charlie “Bird” Parker may be old hat, but the approach taken by modern sax giant Lovano and his fabulous two-drummer Us Five quintet really opens up the familiar tunes into brand new but still comfortable territory, spinning out from snippets of the original melodies or harmonies with grace, balance and humor.
Joe Lovano : saxophones
James Weidman : piano
Esperanza Spalding : bass
Otis Brown III, Francisco Mela : drums
All really good! Fo’s Picks: 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 10
1. 5:26 – jaunty, spiraling theme drops into flowing sax solos, slow & fast
2. 4:30 – sweet balladry: sax sings over billowing drums, elegant piano/bass
3. 6:19 – upbeat: sunny tune with Caribbean feel, warm rhythm, joyous piano
4. 6:35 – sleazy vamp blues: sax twists & turns, some swinging interludes
5. 9:03 – standard ballad: great tone from “G mezzo soprano” sax; fine solos
6. 1:47 – strange interlude with aulochrome (double-sax) & bashing drums
7. 6:20 – sax drifts into complex drum thickets; twisty melody peeks through
8. 1:52 – 3 tunes merged beautifully: strolling sax/piano/bass trio
9. 2:49 – sax/piano/bass trade off over rolling drums, melody emerges later
10. 8:25 – cool drum/bass feature; slips in & out of a breezy Brazilian wiggle
11. 11:57 – casual grace: unfolds gradually, riding a dusky swing; good solos
[ Fo ] 01/23/11
Blue Note, 2011
MODERN BOP – Tributes to Charlie “Bird” Parker may be old hat, but the approach taken by modern sax giant Lovano and his fabulous two-drummer Us Five quintet really opens up the familiar tunes into brand new but still comfortable territory, spinning out from snippets of the original melodies or harmonies with grace, balance and humor.
Joe Lovano : saxophones
James Weidman : piano
Esperanza Spalding : bass
Otis Brown III, Francisco Mela : drums
All really good! Fo’s Picks: 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 10
1. 5:26 – jaunty, spiraling theme drops into flowing sax solos, slow & fast
2. 4:30 – sweet balladry: sax sings over billowing drums, elegant piano/bass
3. 6:19 – upbeat: sunny tune with Caribbean feel, warm rhythm, joyous piano
4. 6:35 – sleazy vamp blues: sax twists & turns, some swinging interludes
5. 9:03 – standard ballad: great tone from “G mezzo soprano” sax; fine solos
6. 1:47 – strange interlude with aulochrome (double-sax) & bashing drums
7. 6:20 – sax drifts into complex drum thickets; twisty melody peeks through
8. 1:52 – 3 tunes merged beautifully: strolling sax/piano/bass trio
9. 2:49 – sax/piano/bass trade off over rolling drums, melody emerges later
10. 8:25 – cool drum/bass feature; slips in & out of a breezy Brazilian wiggle
11. 11:57 – casual grace: unfolds gradually, riding a dusky swing; good solos
[ Fo ] 01/23/11
Recent airplay
Moose The Mooche, Moose The Mooche
The Proselytizer Radio News Hour — Nov 23, 2013
Moose The Mooche
No Cover, No Minimum — Mar 11, 2011
Dewey Square
No Cover, No Minimum — Mar 04, 2011
Dewey Square
No Cover, No Minimum — Feb 25, 2011
Dewey Square
Rebop — Feb 22, 2011
Ko Ko
No Cover, No Minimum — Feb 18, 2011
Charting
2011-01-23 — 2011-03-27
Jazz
| Week Ending | Airplays |
|---|---|
| Mar 13 | 1 |
| Mar 6 | 1 |
| Feb 27 | 2 |
| Feb 20 | 3 |
| Feb 13 | 3 |
| Feb 6 | 2 |
| Jan 30 | 2 |
Track listing
| 1. | Passport | ||
| 2. | Donna Lee | ||
| 3. | Barbados | ||
| 4. | Moose The Mooche | ||
| 5. | Lover Man | ||
| 6. | Birdyard | ||
| 7. | Ko Ko | ||
| 8. | Blues Collage | ||
| 9. | Dexterity | ||
| 10. | Dewey Square | ||
| 11. | Yardbird Suite |