JAZZ/R&B

Rating Scale: to

Artist:	"THE RIPPINGTONS"
Title:	"BLACK DIAMOND"
Label:	Peak Records
Reviewed By:	Donn Jehs
Rating:

This is the tenth album in ten years from "The Rippingtons," and may be the best one they've done yet. It is a thematic album revolving around Russ Freeman's latest passion, skiing. In it he is trying to impart the silent power of the experience, which may seem contradictory, but works exceptionally well. If you've ever seen the movie "Downhill Racer" you may have an idea of where this music goes. The opening and title track, "Black Diamond," refers to the symbol that signifies a difficult slope only experts should run. The music expresses that same theme with it's intricate interweaving of beautiful guitar play and riveting percussion, much as you might have to negotiate a tricky ski run.There is a suppressed joy to the music which builds within the tightly written piece until it explodes out of the chute and takes you rushing with it. "Deep Powder" starts off softly with an underlying echo of the percussion from "Black Diamond," like a fresh snowfall on the mountain covers the old. The vocal chants of Mark Williamson surround and amplify the simple but elegant electric guitar play. The next cut, "Seven Nights In Rome," has a beautiful Latin beat as the classical guitar play sweeps you away in waves of pleasure A change of pace with "Soul Seeker" as we get an R&B sound with still more echo of the title theme. Jeff Kashiwa's tenor sax and Dave Kochanski's keyboard play whisper in your ears as Russ smoothly blends in with his Rainsong jazz guitar. Following is "In Another Life," a more typical smooth jazz piece that bounces along trading between Freeman's giutar play and Mark Ledford's (from Pat Metheny's band) smoky trumpet . "Big Sky" opens up a bit more as Kashiwa uses the soprano sax with Russ' acoustic guitar to give us some daydreaming music, and leads to "If I Owned The World" which showcases the vocal talents of Mark Williamson on a dreamy love song which should receive a lot of airplay. Steve Reid's soundscape and percussion play, which has provided a strong background through all the pieces, is showcased on "North Peak." The rapid, breathtaking pace builds as you race down the mountainside to end in a short burst of the main theme. The pace is kept up as guests, Arturo Sandoval on the trumpet and Pete Escovedo on percussion, give "Angelfire" a distictly Latin, flamenco sound. This cut alone would make the album worth the price. A peppy hip-hop twist is given to the main theme in "Jewel Thieves," with Jeff's sax and flute play keeping the music rolling as we approach the base of the mountain - which reminds me I haven't given proper credit to Kim Stone (bass) and David Anderson (drums) for their solid work. You might compare what they do to the description of ski conditions - "three inches fresh snow over an 8 inch base." The play of the rest is supported by the slide underpinning Kim and Dave provide. The final cut is an acoustic version of "Black Diamond," in a more blues sounding form, as we leave the mountain behind knowing it will be there again for us - all we have to do is push play on the cd player.

Artist:	"LEE DORSEY"
Title:	"WHEELIN' AND DEALIN' "
Label:	Arista
Available:	Any Major Music Store
Reviewed By:	Donn Jehs
Rating:

"Lee Dorsey" is considered a rock icon whose songs have been covered by everyone from "Devo" to "Trini Lopez," but he always charted higher on the R&B charts than the pop charts with his work. Arista, as part of their Masters Collection, has gathered 20 tracks from the Fury, Amy, and Sansu catalogs. His first recording for the Fury label was the infectious "Ya Ya" which topped the R&B charts in '61, was #7 on the pop charts, and was followed by "Do Re Mi." Then the label crashed and left Dorsey out in the cold and returning to his trade as an auto body repairman for the next three years until the intervention of Allen Toussaint, the pianist on "Ya Ya" who had formed Sansu Records with Marshall Sehorn. At age 40, Dorsey returned to the charts with "Ride Your Pony." More than a dozen singles under the Amy label followed, all of which are included here. "Workin In A Coal Mine" is one of my favorite tunes from this time. Much of the New Orleans based rockin' R&B sound can be attributed to Lee's jaunty working man lyrics and the funky beat of his music. Joe Strummer of "The Clash" called Lee the "hidden jewel of soul music" and insisted that Dorsey open their summer '80 U.S. tour at age 55. One of the true treasures on this album is a duet with Betty Harris on "Love, Lots Of Lovin" from 1967. A unique and wonderful pairing that is a joy to listen to. These songs have all been digitally remastered and come across as if they were recorded yesterday, a tribute to the work of Bill Irwin. Anyone who is aware of the history of Rock and Roll should have this album in their collection - if not for the part of history it represents, then simply for the pleasure of hearing an artist at work.

Artist:	"WILL DOWNING"
Title:	"INVITATION ONLY"
Label:	Mercury
Available:	Any Major Music Store
Reviewed By:	Donn Jehs
Rating:

This is the sixth album from Will, and his R&B/Jazz stylings are finely honed here. The album is devoted to friend and fellow musician Art Porter with whom he recorded the original version of "Before We Say Goodbye," which Downing reprises on this album using Art's original sax parts in a very emotionally charged rendition. From the breezy opening track, "Island," to the sultry "Personal," sung with Tanya Tann Smith, we are seeing a vocalist at the top of his form, never reaching, but stretching to the limits in an impressive display of simmering, sensual sounds. The second cut, "Have I Told You (It's All About You)," has already been released as a single, and for good reason. This love ballad has beautiful lyrics, and with Will's smooth yet sexy voice delivering them, is bound to be a candlelight special. Will has invited a number of friends to join him on this album as has been a trend in the music scene. But here it works well, as his guests help make this a great party. Among them are "The Yellowjackets" and "Alex Bugnon." Vocal guests include "James 'D Train' Williams" and "Goodfellaz." Downing has written several of the songs on this album and I want to devote special attention to two of them - "Angel" and "If She Knew." The former is a special after the lovin' kind of song as "I lay awake while you sleep/ Counting every breath you breathe/ Girl, I just can't close my eyes/ 'Cause you are so beautiful to me/ I hold you near in my arms/ I pray the morning would never come/ Heaven must have sent you to me/ 'Cause you're much more than/ I could ever dream." Any guy out there who can't relate to those words hasn't been in love, and any woman would love her man to be thinking them. "If She Knew" is a nearly nine minute peaen to the office fantasy, the coworker you take that extra moment to be around, who appears in your thoughts. I'm sure a lot of woman out there will be wondering if Will was looking at her when he wrote these words. This song had a special appeal to me as I've been in Will's shoes a time or three. Besides his own work Downing has taken a couple of standards and made them his own. "When Sunny Gets Blue," a many covered jazz tune, takes on a fresh breath here, and "I Don't Want To Lose You," with Bugnon on the keys, is a keeper. As winter approaches and you lie curled up before the fire with the one you love, no better album could be playing than this one.

Back to Contents