Customer Reviews

Live at Newport

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is Christian Scott's third release and as the title states its recorded in performance live from the Newport jazz festival 08. I was so taken with this album when I first heard it that I was compelled to buy his previous releases Rewind That & Anthem. The reason I bought all of Scott's previous albums is because lately I'v been searching for some jazz music or just music that is a true hybrid of the times we live in & I believe Christian & his band have created that 21st century sound if you will. They have successfully combined the sounds of modern groove music & R&B with some traditional elements via Miles Davis a hero of Scott's. This album is even more chilled out than the previous two albums. He plays a few tunes from Rewind That & Anthem but in the spirit of the moment they are very different from their recorded versions. The other 6 tunes are new songs. I personally love the lead off track Died in Love & track 3 Isadora, both tunes are of the ballad sort. Died in Love has a post Coltrane/Hendrix dissonance to it that enhances its beauty all the more. Litany Against Fear is also a standout track which first appeared on Anthem, here its extended to 11 minutes and gets a slightly different feel. The band is in top form most notable being Matt Stevens on guitar sounding alittle like Pat Metheny but with a bit more edge sonically. Aaron Parks on keys provides a backdrop of beautiful piano voicings giving the music a Radiohead meets Miles Davis vibe with a romantic touch at the keyboard a la Bill Evans. The rest of the band is made up of Christian's peers. Joining the band on the 2nd track is sax man Walter Smith iii playing tenor. Walter Smith appeared on both of Scott's previous albums & has three very enjoyable albums to his credit,his latest III is very good. On acoustic bass is Milwaukee native Joe Sanders who recently placed 3rd at the international Monk Bass Competition(not bad). On drums Jamire Williams plays in a Elvin Jones free flowing rhythmic style swing but with a Chris Dave,?uestlov hip hop style also strongly present in his playing. Williams is definitely a drummer in the class of guys like Eric Harland,and Kendrick Scott. I recommend this album to fans of new jazz or people searching for something a little bit different than what jazz has produced in the last ten years, not that I think post bop or straight ahead swing is bad, I love it but I think the essence of jazz is for the musician to fuse his life & the times with his music & I would say that Christian Scott has done that beautifully on this album. You also get high quality footage of the show on DVD which comes with the audio cd. Bottom line is this value can't be beat & the music is of the highest quality not at all the product of media hype. Christian Scott plays for the music! Check this out you won't be disappointed.

I heard the track "Died in Love" from this album on my local jazz station, and I had to get it immediately.
I certainly was not disappointed. Christian Scott is very original. He has a very subdued low key sound.
Backed up by a top notch band, this album is outta site. I can't understand why it's so overlooked.
Also check out his other albums.

I agree with the earlier post. This CD/DVD is probably a better introduction to Christian Scott than his earlier discs "Rewind That" and "Anthem", because it's a live disc (and jazz, as opposed to other genres of music, is almost always better live) and you get the extra value of the DVD as well, which showcases his music visually as well. Bottom line, it is great music. Scott is on his way to becoming one of the dominant voices in jazz.

I also recommend seeing Scott live.

This album has been out a month and for some strange reason is being ignored. Why, I don't know. This kid can play. And he definitely can play live. You can hear Clark Terry and you can hear Miles in his tone and phrasing, but he's well on his way to having his own voice. This is serious jazz for real ears. The side players are exceptional. You can get a free download of one of the songs on allaboutjazz.com, but I definitely recommend you picking up the whole CD, which also comes with a DVD. Christian Scott may well become the greatest jazz trumpeter of his generation.