Joe La Barbera Quintet - Silver Streams

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2012
Time: 62:16
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 142,6 MB
Art: Front

( 7:59) 1. Afluencia
( 7:08) 2. Bradley's, 2am
( 6:50) 3. Monkey Tree
( 7:03) 4. Bite Your Grandmother
( 6:21) 5. Jade Visions
(13:37) 6. Silver Streams
( 4:47) 7. Grace
( 8:27) 8. E.J.'s Blues

If there is a stream of any kind that runs through Silver Streams by The Joe La Barbera Quintet, it is the flow of energy—intense to the point of ignition—that is tapped. No meandering "Old Man River," this team drinks from the source with gusto and unified creativity. That shouldn't be a surprise, since La Barbera and his mates—each a Los Angeles first call musician—have performed together for decades.

La Barbera, one-third of a celebrated jazz family, with brothers saxophonist Pat La Barberaand composer/arranger/educator John La Barbera, is one of the busiest, most respected and beloved drummers in the business. He's performed worldwide with singer Tony Bennett, pianist Bill Evans and others in the jazz pantheon. Here he takes the leader's role and performs with his usual meticulous time, brilliant cymbal and set work and total immersion into the creative forces around him.

The eight selections, all superb originals, provide a diverse platform from which frontline performers and rhythm section deliver. The groove gamut is covered from classic hard bop ("Afluencia," "E.J.'s Blues") and straight-ahead stroll ("Bradley's, 2 AM?") to Frank Zappa-esque quirk ("Bite Your Grandmother"). Throughout the session the intensity and creative energy never let up.

The interplay between these superb players, elegantly subtle at times and in-your-face intense at others, is a joy. Front-liners Bob Sheppard (saxophones) and Clay Jenkins (trumpet) deliver ideas and interpretations which flitter back and forth with little or no regard for their respective instruments' limitations. Each pushes the other's envelope relentlessly, but never in a competitive manner.

Sheppard's saxophones blow from the serene ("Jade Visions") to sublime ("Grace"). His is a creative approach of sustained surprise and rhythmic invention. Jenkins, playing in a highly stylized manner, unabashedly channels Miles Davis and startles with his sound, technical gymnastics, lyric lines and utterly intelligent approach. Pianist Bill Cunliffe beautifully explores tonalities from the Impressionist to the post-Modern and bassist Tom Warrington is a rock throughout. The ensemble's moments of freer group play are a veritable highlight show.

Bill Evans talked about a "Universal Mind Force," into which the finest musicians tap. Silver Streams demonstrates what is ultimately possible when five stellar players merge to simultaneously access that force and deliver its awesome power through their magnificent music.

https://www.allaboutjazz.com/silver-streams-jazz-compass-review-by-nicholas-f-mondello

Personnel:

Joe La Barbera: drums;

Clay Jenkins: trumpet;

Bob Sheppard: tenor and soprano saxophone;

Bill Cunliffe: piano;

Tom Warrington: bass.

Silver Streams

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Joe La Barbera Quintet - Mark Time

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2003
Time: 67:12
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 153,8 MB
Art: Front

( 6:26) 1. Chick It Out
( 6:57) 2. Suite Sixteen
(10:12) 3. Automaton
( 8:47) 4. For Gillian
( 9:25) 5. Mark Time
( 8:42) 6. Contour
( 7:44) 7. Bella Luce (For Conte Candoli)
( 8:56) 8. S'Matta

Drummer Joe La Barbera leads an all-star group of top Los Angeles-based players on Mark Time. Trumpeter Clay Jenkins, pianist Bill Cunliffe, and bassist Tom Warrington all contribute many colorful statements along the way while Bob Sheppard (on tenor and soprano) often takes solo honors. The quintet performs two songs by La Barbera (including a melancholy ballad for the late trumpeter Conte Candoli called "Bella Luce"), a pair of numbers from Cunliffe, and selections by Kenny Wheeler, John Abercrombie, and Kenny Drew ("Contour"). The music includes some adventurous post-bop explorations (Sheppard is excellent on "Automaton" and "Suite Sixteen") and boppish renditions of "Contour" and Cunliffe's up-tempo blues "Chick It Out." The musicians were clearly inspired by each other and this moody and modern straight-ahead set has many bright moments along the way. ~ Scott Yanow

https://catalog.ccclib.org/?section=resource&resourceid=1093102577&currentIndex=2&view=fullDetailsDetailsTab

Personnel:

Bass – Tom Warrington

Drums – Joe La Barbera

Photography By – James Frank Dean

Piano – Bill Cunliffe

Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Bob Sheppard

Trumpet – Clay Jenkins

Mark Time

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The Joe La Barbera Quintet - The Joe La Barbera Quintet Live !

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2002
Time: 70:07
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 160,6 MB
Art: Front

(10:04) 1. On the Q.T
(11:29) 2. Speak Softly
(10:14) 3. Evidence
( 9:17) 4. Soul Eyes
( 8:43) 5. East Broadway Rundown
( 9:41) 6. Kind of Bill (For Bill Evans)
(10:36) 7. Message from Art (For Art Blakey)

Stung too often by inscrutable contracts and creative bookkeeping, a growing number of jazz musicians are taking matters into their own hands, producing and distributing albums on their own independent labels as an alternative to the bondage in which they’ve long been held by corporate overseers. Four of these artists trumpeter Clay Jenkins, guitarist Larry Koonse, bassist Tom Warrington and drummer Joe LaBarbera have come together to form Jazz Compass Records, an online label whose mandate is to “provide the serious listener with outstanding improvisational music,” presented “as they envision it, without compromise.”

This is the second Jazz Compass album I’ve heard, and each of them upholds the admirable standards expressed in that statement. Bassist Warrington, who led the other one ( Corduroy Road ), is a sideman this time with drummer LaBarbera’s quintet, recorded in concert nearly four years ago at Rocco, which I presume is a nightclub somewhere in the US (most probably California). Trumpeter Jenkins is there too, manning the front line with saxophonist Bob Sheppard, while pianist Bill Cunliffe rounds out the rhythm section. This is a roomy blowing session (the seven tracks average around ten minutes apiece) and everyone makes the most of the opportunity to stretch.

LaBarbera opens with engaging tunes by Freddie Hubbard (“On the Q.T.”), Phil Dwyer (“Speak Softly”), Thelonious Monk (“Evidence”), Mal Waldron (“Soul Eyes”) and Sonny Rollins (“East Broadway Rundown”), then wraps things up with his soulful ballad “Kind of Bill (Evans)” and swinging “Message for Art (Blakey).” Cunliffe and Sheppard (soprano) are mesmerizing on “Kind of Bill,” which salutes the drummer’s membership in Evans’ last trio, while LaBarbera is surprisingly reserved on “Blakey,” comping superbly but earmarking no solo space for himself. In fact, LaBarbera solos at length only on “Q.T.,” which he introduces with an exciting two-and-one-half-minute enfilade that prefaces cogent remarks by Cunliffe, Sheppard (tenor) and Jenkins.

Elsewhere, LaBarbera seems content to play a supporting role, which he does extremely well. Warrington, another resourceful cast member, takes an impressive solo on “Speak Softly,” with Sheppard shining again on soprano. Jenkins, whose bright sound and broad vocabulary serve him well, is featured on “Soul Eyes” as Sheppard sits that one out, returning to offer a hot-blooded impression of Rollins on “Rundown.”

This is an admirable quintet, one whose members work extremely well together and have strong voices of their own (but you probably already knew that). The excellent sound and generous 70- minute playing time help make this endorsement clear-cut and simple. By Jack Bowers https://www.allaboutjazz.com/live-joe-labarbera-jazz-compass-review-by-jack-bowers

The Joe La Barbera Quintet Live !

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Joe La Barbera - World Travelers

Styles: Jazz, Bop
Year: 2024
Time: 74:20
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 170,8 MB
Art: Front

( 9:50) 1. Blue Notes
( 5:24) 2. Landmarks Along The Way
(10:09) 3. Lake Erie
( 7:24) 4. Barcelona
( 6:43) 5. You Know I Care
( 5:15) 6. It's a Big Wide Wonderful Word
(10:43) 7. Simone
( 9:12) 8. Soultrane
( 9:35) 9. Grand Central

Drummer Joe La Barbera has an extensive and impressive resume. At the age of 20, he played in the second drum chair for the Buddy Rich Big Band before driving the 1972 stellar lineup of Woody Herman's Thundering Herd. In 1978, he was offered the prestigious opportunity to be part of the acclaimed (and what turned out to be the final) line-up of the Bill Evans Trio, where he stayed until the pianist's tragic death in 1980. Later, gigs with Chuck Mangione, Tony Bennett, Art Pepper and Art Farmer, to name but a few, showcased La Barbera's versatility and ability to play in any style, and to steer and complement whatever the leader's vision called for.

Afterwards he settled in Los Angeles and became an in-demand freelancer. In the '90s he formed his own quintet with local friends, trumpeter Clay Jenkins, saxophonist Bob Sheppard and pianist Bill Cunliffe, all of whom have extensive and impressive resumes as well.. Each had stints in big band settings, offering a great understanding of the subtle importance of a song's arrangement. Bassist Jonathan Richards (who replaced founding member Tom Warrington), by far the youngster in the band, is a great find and fits perfectly. This tight-knit group has been (in between occasional side gigs) mainly active ever since. Their debut release was The Joe La Barbera Quintet Live (Jazz Compass, 1999). World Travelers is the group's fifth release.and their first since Silver Streams (Jazz Compass, 2012).

This live record is the perfect vehicle to showcase the band's abilities, strengths and empathy with each other. Four newer originals open the record. Cunliffe's "Blue Notes" sets the table with the bass and drums setting a groove one can drive a truck (and sometimes a high performance sports car) through. It is a sultry bop piece which has twists and turns leading to some captivating duo leads and solos by the horns. The Joe Lovano-penned barn-burner "Landmarks Along the Way" also has an unconventional form, hinting at John Coltrane's "Giant Steps." The crowd's response at the song's end says it all.

La Barbera's original "Lake Erie" begins appropriately with a drum solo. Here, he shows in less than two minutes his prodigious ability and impeccable taste. The song then segues into an old-school Blue Note, Art Blakey-type performance. Pianist Alan Pasqua's composition "Barcelona" is a lovely bossa nova. The interplay and harmonies between Sheppard and Jenkins are simpatico. Sheppard shines on a lilting soprano saxophone (he plays tenor saxophone on all other tracks), while Jenkins' solo is beautifully thought out. It is simple, eloquent and lyrical. Richards shows he belongs with these masters during his break. Here and throughout the record, Cunliffe is the glue that holds everything together, while also showing off his impressive soloing skills.

The remaining cuts are five carefully selected songs which are familiar, but not quite standards. Pianist Duke Pearson's lovely ballad, "You Know I Care" features a sensitive Sheppard, while the other ballad, Tadd Dameron's "Soultrane," showcases Jenkins' expressive vocabulary. "Simone" by Frank Foster is perhaps the album's best-known piece. It is a minor-key blues waltz which includes a lovely bowed bass solo by Richards and a wonderful solo by Cunliffe reminiscent of McCoy Tyner.

The remaining two tracks are up-tempo jam fests. "It's a Big, Wide, Wonderful World" was written for a 1940 Broadway musical, while the classic John Coltrane tune, "Grand Central" is the set's closer. The former has a Latin-tinged intro before the familiar melody appears, while the latter stays true to the original. Both tracks allow all the players a chance to blow. Once again, the groove created by La Barbera and Richards is deep and foundational, allowing plenty of room for everyone to explore the compositions, utilizing their unique sensibilities.

The album was recorded live at the Los Angeles club, Sam First. Recently, the owners decided to start their own label and release albums recorded at their venue. Initially, all releases are digital only, followed later by a very Limited Edition (only 200) vinyl option. For example, the digital files for this album were released in February 2023, but the vinyl LP was released in August.

The Joe La Barbera Quintet comprises extraordinary players, but more than that, they are an experienced, well-oiled group where the whole is even greater than the sum of its talented parts. Put them in a live, intimate setting, with a wonderful mix of great originals and covers and the result is the front-runner for live jazz album of the year.By Dave Linn https://www.allaboutjazz.com/world-travelers-joe-la-barbera-sam-first-records

Line-up/Musicians: Joe La Barbera: drums; Bob Sheppard: saxophone, tenor; Clay Jenkins: trumpet; Bill Cunliffe: piano; Jonathan Richards: bass

World Travelers

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