Customer Reviews

Here and Gone

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This a great unexpected release from David Sanborn. I usually tend to stay away from commercial jazz releases but here the guest artists (Clapton,Trucks,Stone,Moore) are stellar and give tasteful performances. Sanborn's playing is more bluesy than usual, and his tone is the classic sound as always. The backing band, especially bassist Christian McBride and Drummer Steve Gadd, are extremely tight which would be expected if you know these musicians. The quality stays consistent through the nine tracks, and with a shorter length the album doesn't overstay its welcome. If you usually find David Sanborn a little too sappy I urge you to give this recording a chance.

David Sanborn is, and has always been, rather better than that. An A-list session player, perhaps best known to the wider world for guesting on David Bowie's "Young Americans", he was also a stalwart of the Brecker Brothers band, and on top form he can lend more content to the crossover jazz format than any other altoist.
His technique is fabulous, his command of harmonics and the high register flawless, and his rich, chewy tone is as dense as molten caramel - and when cooled down, as instantly brittle, too.
He has undoubtedly been a huge influence on the smooth jazz wailers with whom no note goes unornamented and no phrase is not weighed down by the heaviest of emotional baggage.
While his previous album were geared toward the crossover jazz market, on his last few releases, particularly "Timeagain" and "Closer" he's been playing with artists who have pushed him, including top bass players like Christian McBride and Marcus Miller. And his playing has been both soulful and boppish.
Now that crossover jazz has given way to an even more watered-down genre known as smooth jazz, the saxophonist has finally "returned to his roots and influences -- R&B, blues and gospel -- and to the music that saxophone players like David "Fathead" Newman and Hank Crawford were playing in the '50s and '60s".-Michael Walch
Recent Ray Charles tribute albums by John Scofield, David "Fathead' Newman and Maceo Parker have mined this territory in the past few years, and all to greater effect.
Perhaps it's his studio-slick sound that betrays him, but Sanborn has to do a lot more before he can get really down and dirty.
With a core backing band of Russell Malone (guitar), Christian McBride (bass) and Steve Gadd (drums), Sanborn has plenty of room to showcase his chops and from the first cut, "St. Louis Blues", jumps out front with his soulful sax.
Eric Clapton, Joss Stone and Sam Moore lend a hand to craft an understated tribute to sax man Hank Crawford, the great arranger for Ray Charles in the 1950s.
The nine songs unfold in the classic Charles style, big on feeling yet economical in delivery.
The highlights: "St. Louis Blues," "Brother Ray" and "I'm Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town" specialize in restraint. "The latter features a few tasty guitar licks and a cocktail-lounge vocal by Clapton, above a simmering big-band arrangement".Jim Abbott
Other highlights: "I Believe to My Soul", featuring Joss Stone, who tries her best to sound natural and soulful, and Sam Moore's moving "I've Got News for You".
It may be a little too laid-back, but it is still a good snapshot of what he's doing now.
The overall style remains tasteful, soulful and classy.
David Sanborn's fans will not be disappointed.

That's What I Say: John Scofield Plays the Music of Ray Charles
I Remember Brother Ray
Roots and Grooves

Are you a drummer? Are you a fan of Steve Gadd? Do not walk, RUN away from this release. It's baffling how Phil Ramone, the guy that captured "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" and more from Paul Simon and Gadd, can absolutely bury Gadd's grooves on this recording. The drums don't sound like Gadd's signature sound. Yes, this is a Sanborn album, not a Gadd album. Nevertheless, the saxophone is pushed way out front in the mix, at the expense of any sort of realistic live sound.
The choice of tunes is good. The players are top notch. I think it all falls apart in the production. I don't know what the goal here was, but it sure falls short in my opinion. You've been warned.

As a recording engineer for over 35 years, this disc leaves me flat. It is so obviously overdubbed (band played first, David and other guests added their part later) that there is no interaction with the rhythm section. Could any drummer actually be hearing Joss Stone and be so asleep at the wheel? In going for technical perfection all feeling has been put on the back burner. Any cut recorded live, from Ella to The Jazz Messengers, sounds like it's in your living room compared to this CD that sounds like it's in one of those germ free labs. Let's get back to the idea of a "band," musicians hearing each other and working together.

I love David Sanborn whether he's playing sweet and slow or hot and fast. This tribute CD's got some of jazz standards and heavy hitters from other genres as guests. It's 9 songs and about 2 minutes--could be a bit longer. Still it's a very listenable CD, maybe not Sanborn's best, but well worth having on the shelf.

My favorites:

I'm Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town--featuring Eric Clapton
Basin Street Blues
I Believe it to my Soul--Joss Stone

Okay, it's all good, but these are my current faves. Give this one a listen.

Rebecca Kyle, August 2008

I know alto saxophonist David Sanborn has his critics. Put him on after listening to a Kenny Garret CD and it's easy to see why. He's not exactly hardcore.

But I like him. His music was part of my introduction to contemporary jazz (or jazz fusion as it was called back then), so many years ago and I've been a fan ever since. This album, produced by Phil Ramone and inspired by Hank Crawford, is a nice set of blues-influenced songs and with a big band line-up like the one he has here: Steve Gadd on drums; Christian McBride on bass; Russell Malone on drums; Gil Goldstein on Rhodes & Wurlitzer electric piano; Ricky Peterson on Hammond B3; Keyon Harrold, Lew Soloff & Wallace Roney on trumpet; Mike Davis on tenor trombone; Lou Marini on tenor sax; Howard Johnson on baritone sax and Charles Pillow & John Moses on bass clarinet, the music couldn't possibly be anything but good.

I balked when I learned that Joss Stone was on this album (I simply. Can. Not. Stand. The woman) but I thought, she's only on the one track after all and really, how bad could she possibly be?

As it turns out, the track she sings on, "I Believe To My Soul", isn't bad at all. In fact, I think it's quite good. But it's the song itself I like and not Joss Stone's performance on it, if that makes any sense. The producer thankfully kept her wannabee pretensions in check and she sounds just like any other competent singer - if I close my eyes and try my hardest to forget that it's her.

My favourite tracks on here include the dreamy album opener, "St. Louis Blues" (written by W.C. Handy); the Marcus Miller-penned "Brother Ray", featuring Derek Trucks on guitar; "I'm Gonna Move To The Outskirts Of Town" (Roy Jordan/William Weldon), featuring vocals (and guitar?) by Eric Clapton; "Basin Street Blues (Spencer Williams); the solemn "What Will I Tell My Heart" (Peter Tinturn/Jack Lawrence/Irving Gordon) and the obviously Ray Charles-influenced album closer, "I've Got News For You", written by Roy Alfred and featuring vocals by Sam Moore.

Have I heard better from David Sanborn? Most definitely. I'm still waiting for an album to top classics and personal favourites like 1982's As We Speak, 1984's Straight to the Heart, 1995's Pearls and 1996's Songs from the Night Before. But this is definitely up there. In my view, one of his best in recent times.

On this well thought out release, David Sanborn's soulful, roots-based, and grooving Decca debut, Here & Gone, the six-time Grammy winner becomes the fourth (known to me) artist (John Scofield's That's What I Say, Maceo Parker's Roots and Grooves, and Fathead Newman's I Remember Brother Ray) to pay homage to the genius, Ray Charles. Sanborn's approach to Brother Ray is not all that apparent and obvious, as he makes deeper connections to one of his own early influences, that being Hank Crawford, who was Charles' arranger and sax-player.

Some of my favorite tracks include: Marcus Miller's "Brother Ray," featuring Derek Trucks; Roy Jordan and William Weldon's "I'm Gonna Move To the Outskirts Of Town" with exceptional vocals from Clapton, where interestingly he does not get an abundance of time to solo, but it's all good just the same; Hank Crawford's "Stoney Lonesome"; Charles' "I Believe To My Soul" with strong vocals from Joss Stone, who sounds far better here than on her most recent recordings; and Ray Alfred's "I've Got News For You," where Sam Moore delivers the goods big time and sounds so much like Brother Ray (with his vocal inflections) that it's scary.

This is a great, unexpected, and most welcome release from Sanborn. The guest artists (Eric Clapton, Derek Trucks, Joss Stone, and Sam Moore) are all right-on and give tasty performances. Sanborn's playing is far more bluesy than usual and his tone is (as always) uniquely Sanborn. The core band consists of bassist Christian McBride, guitarist Russell Malone, keyboardist Gil Goldstein (who deserves huge kudos for providing the extremely sensitive and evocative arrangements), plus B3 player Ricky Peterson and the always wonderful Steve Gadd on drums. All are "A" team players who offer more than an appropriate backdrop, making the quality of this recording consistent throughout. Throw in guest horn appearances from top-shelf session players like Lew Soloff, Wallace Roney, "Blue Lou" Marini, and Howard Johnson and it's no wonder that this is a very solid recording. Producer Phil Ramone has also done a fine job at bringing out the best from each and every musician.

If you're like me and usually find David Sanborn's recent outings a little too smooth, I would suggest that you to give this recording ample listening, as it's the real deal and not a commercial throwaway. Clearly this disc is not like Sanborn's days with Butterfield (who he performed at Woodstock with), this is about Brother Ray and Hank Crawford, as Sanborn states in the liner notes: "Very special thanks to Hank Crawford for his inspiration," which says it all for me!

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Some nice ballads here but to me something grates a little. Some of these tunes would probably be better played by a tenor player. Sanborn is good but we are getting short changed here as running time is only 42 mins, if this was a stellar CD I wouldn't be bothered.

It's nice hearing Sanborn in a more bluesy setting but it doesn't quite hit the spot. Very good arrangements but a little twee sometimes.

If only he could make a REAL funk album again.

I really enjoy listening to this cd. It was my first but definately not my last David Sanborn cd. Just love it!

exxcellent compulation if different types of jazz and another great album (CD) from David Sandborn