Charlie Porter (self titled)

Some of you old guys (like me) might remember a unique Benny Golson album called Take A Number From One To Ten. On it, Golson opened with a tenor sax solo. From there he added one player on each selection until there was a total of ten. Interesting concept, right? Well, Portland player supreme Charlie Porter has done just that on ten original tracks plus one by Duke Ellington. He employs a bevy of Portland's finest musicians. Among them are Mel Brown, Alan Jones, David Greenblatt, David Evans, Chuck Israels, Tim Gilson, Dan Gaynor, George Colligan and a lot more. Porter's writing is clear and contemporary, yet he finds a way to stay in the middle of the tradition. His own sound is as pure and beautiful as any trumpet player I've ever heard. A lot of planning and effort went into this project. From a musician's standpoint it's very thoughtful music, and from a listener's view, very thought provoking. I would go so far as saying that Charlie Porter sounds like what Clifford Brown may have developed into had he lived longer than twenty-five years. Porter brings intensity, lyricism, creativity and chops to the table. This meeting of Portland jazz giants is a must-hear session.

Self-produced; 2018; appx. 60 min.

"New Dedications and Latin Moods" Chip White

Chip White is a veteran East Coaster with years of experience, and with many highly esteemed jazz stars. He also is an excellent poet, and here on volume five in a long series, he demonstrates his compositional and poetic skills at their best. His nine originals on one of two CDs finds him in the company of superb talent such as Terell Stafford, trumpet; Wycliffe Gordon, trombone; Bruce Williams, alto and soprano saxes; Renee Rosnes, piano; and other star power players. White's writing is very much along fiery, Blue Note-like bop with heavy duty solo opportunities for nearly all. CD#2 is a showcase for White's poetry, all of which is delivered with a swingin' background. It is here that he honors jazz heroes such as Count Basie, Benny Golson, John Coltrane, Art Blakey, Wayne Shorter, Dexter Gordon and lots more. And don't lose sight of the fact that this marks the fifth time Chip White has offered this music in poetic format. This one, like the four that preceded  it, offers both superb music and poetry that reads like jazz history condensed. I can think of nobody else who has ever taken this approach. So from just about every other standpoint, this is well worth hearing. And you'll likely learn something, too.

Dark Colors; 2017; 2 CDs: 54:56 and 14:03.