|
|
Nightscape | RSR CD 197 |
|---|
|
Nightscape
|
To Purchase this CD, click HERE! |
|
|
So Many Stars | RSR CD 191 |
|---|
|
So Many Stars
|
To Purchase this CD, click HERE! |
|
|
My Romance | RSR CD 183 |
|---|
|
My Romance
|
To Purchase this CD, click HERE! |
| CD REVIEW JON MAYER TRIO J on Mayer got a rather belated start on his solo career, but he seems to be making up for lost time with his series of CDs for Reservoir. His third date for the label is a trio session with bassist Rufus Reid once again on hand, along with drummer Dick Berk, with whom he last played nearly a half-century earlier. The ten selections should be familiar to seasoned jazz fans, though Mayer's buoyant take of "Yours Is My Heart Alone," his upbeat arrangement of "I Have Dreamed" (from The King and I), and his brisk setting of Antonio Carlos Jobim's "If You Never Come to Me" make one wonder why these songs are performed so infrequently by jazz musicians. Mayer's fleet bop arrangement of Jerome Kern's "Yesterdays" and dreamy take of "But Beautiful" demonstrate that he can find something fresh within time-tested standards as well. The rhythm section provides strong support throughout the disc. While this release may seem a little brief by CD standards at 47 minutes, it is an absolute delight from start to finish, without a hint of filler material.by Ken Dryden / AMG allmusic.com |
|
|
The Classics | RSR CD 175 |
|---|
|
The Classics
|
To Purchase this CD, click HERE! |
|
|
Full Circle | RSR CD 169 |
|---|
|
Full Circle
|
To Purchase this CD, click HERE! |
| CD REVIEW JON MAYER TRIO I t's an an utter mystery why Mayer, 63, has not had a more visible career -- even though the pianist has recorded or performed with everyone from Jackie McLean and John Coltrane to Chet Baker and Freddie Hubbard. A consistently inventive player with a rich harmonic imagination and an innately upbeat sense of swing, he is always a pleasure to hear. On this album, perhaps because he was stimulated by recording in the energetic surroundings of his native New York City with bassist Rufus Reid and drummer Victor Lewis, he plays with even more density and texture than his local gigs.The album is filled with lofty achievements, among them a beautifully harmonized rendering of "Stolen Moments" and a pensive version of J.J. Johnson's "Lament". In a more upbeat vein, there are highly energetic, rhythmically in-the-pocket romps through "Night and Day" and "Falling in Love." Here too, echoes of Bill Evans are heard, especially in Mayer's loose, swinging rendering of "I Should Care." In this case, however, the association is not surprising, since Evans and Mayer were in New York in the late '50s, exploring similar musical territory, with Mayer eventually replacing Evans in the Tony Scott Quartet. by Don Heckman / Los Angeles Times |
|
Live At The Jazz Bakery
|
To Purchase this CD, click HERE! |
| CD REVIEW JON MAYER TRIO J on Mayer first gained some recognition during the second half of the 1950s when he was part of the New York jazz scene and recorded with Jackie McLean and John Coltrane. Although fame eluded him, the bop based pianist kept on working through the decades including a year (1967-68) with Sarah Vaughan, he had some success as a pop songwriter in the 1970s and he toured with the Manhattan Transfer. A period in the 1980s outside of music preceded his move in 1991 to Los Angeles.
Since relocating to L.A., Mayer has become a regular in the top jazz clubs and recorded several albums as a leader of which Rip Van Winkle is his third. The pianist has grown quite a bit as a player during the past decade and is currently at the peak of his powers. On this CD, recorded live at the Jazz Bakery on Nov. 25, 1998, Mayer is joined by bassist Bob Maize and drummer Harold Mason. Much of the repertoire (which includes "On Green Dolphin Street","Stella By Starlight" and "If You Could See Me Now") has certainly been performed countless number of times by jazz musicians but Mayer's variations make the songs sound fresh and new. His unaccompanied piano feature on "Embraceable You" is a highlight, he romps through Kenny Barron's "Tragic Magic" (which deserves to be a standard) and introduces two originals of his own: "Shari's Bolero" and "Rip Van Winkle." Throughout the set Mayer revitalizes the jazz tradition by infusing the music with his own personality and subtle but inventive ideas.
This swinging yet thoughtful recital is highly recommended, as are Mayer's previous sets: Round Up the Usual Suspects (Pullen) and Do It Like This (A Records).
|
|
|
Do It Like This | A-Records AL-73129 |
|---|
|
With Special Guest Ernie Watts
|
To Purchase this CD, click HERE! |
| CD REVIEW JON MAYER TRIO F rom the first note of this fine CD it's clear that as a pianist Jon Mayer's technique and sensibilities were forged within the great tradition of his acknowledged influences - chiefly, Wynton Kelly, Red Garland, and Kenny Barron. At the same time Mayer cannot be pigeonholed easily. He can show the drive of Kelly and the gloss of Garland, yes, but after all, Mayer himself was recording in the Fifties with John Coltrane and Jackie McLean, so he is more of a colleague than a disciple of those two great pianists; and his own unique voice is clear throughout this disc.On this disc are four Mayer originals, one by Watts, and four by others, including the standards "If I Should Lose You" and "Like Someone in Love," plus Horace Silver's wonderful "Out of the Night Came You." Victor Feldman's "Azul Serape" kicks it all off brightly, displaying Mayer's fleetness and fluency and the carefree simpatico he enjoys with bassist Bob Maize and drummer Harold Mason. The only problem is that with Mayer in mid-flight, this track fades out abruptly. ("Live music is best - bumper stickers should be issued." -Neil Young) Monster tenorman Ernie Watts appears on the scene for his own "Lonely Hearts," giving Mayer a chance to demonstrate his generosity and sensitivity as an accompanist. He allows Watts to take center stage and provides a low-key palette for the reedman to stretch out a bit. Mayer's own stretching comes on his originals: the smoky "Shari's Bolero," where Watts shows his gentle side, includes a tremendous solo by Mayer. Focused on the right hand and returning here and there to hornlike lines, Mayer paints a picture of smoldering passion with effortlessness and surety. "Randy's Tune," on the other hand, jumps out with a recurring three-note left-hand power figure that recalls Mal Waldron; Mayer quickly weaves in more genial material, but this one is still an engaging example of his high-speed mastery - was it playing like this that made Trane see in Mayer something of what he ultimately found in McCoy Tyner? Or perhaps it was the searching inventiveness and uncompromising beauty of Mayer's darker-edged "Ballad for Trane," a piece that only slightly recalls Coltrane or Tyner audibly, but which pays them the tribute of emotional depth, shifting moods and unsparing honesty. Mayer is clearly a top-flight pianist whose "Rip Van Winkle" reappearance after a long silence is welcome for a number of reasons: his perseverance is inspiring, his piano playing is cheering, his music is great. Recommended. by Robert Spencer / All About Jazz |
 |
|
|
Round up the Usual Suspects | Pull-2240 |
|---|
|
To Purchase this CD, click HERE! |
| CD REVIEW JON MAYER TRIO I t seems strange considering his talent and accomplishments that pianist Jon Mayer is not better-known. He recorded with Jackie McLean and John Coltrane.during 1957-58, played in Paris with Chet Baker, later performed regularly with the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis big band, Sarah Vaughan and the Manhattan Transfer (among others) and recently has been playing with Les McCann's Magic Band. Now finally Mayer has gotten the opportunity to record as a leader.For this session, the hard bop-based pianist enlisted a pair of notable players to complete his trio: bassist Ron Carter and drummer Billy Higgins. Mayer performs his original title tune (a medium- tempo blues) plus Tom Harrell's "Because I Love You" and eight superior standards. the interplay between musicians is quite impressive, the music always swings (even on the slower tempos) and Mayer holds his own with his famous sidemen on a set including such tunes as "Soul Eyes," "When I Fall In Love" and ;'Speak Low." This is an impressive effort, making
one look forward to Jon Mayer's future
projects. |
