Jim Hall / Ron Carter: Alone Together

Straightahead / Mainstream Jazz
premiera polska: 27.05.2011
kontynent: Ameryka Północna
kraj: USA
opakowanie: plastikowe etui
opis:
Editor's Info:
Guitarist Jim Hall and bassist Ron Carter are renowned as both studio musicians and members of stellar outfits (Hall played with Jimmy Giuffre and Art Farmer; Carter with Miles Davis's second great quintet). In the intimate, chamber-jazz atmosphere of these live dates, however, the true sensitivity and flexibility of both artists can be heard.

Carter and Hall are sophisticated, harmonically advanced players. They value balance and space as much as technical showmanship, and both play with a cool tone and rhythmically intricate flair that scintillates as it soothes and seduces. The majority of the program consists of standards ("Autumn Leaves" and "Prelude to a Kiss)," along with other covers (Sonny Rollins's "St. Thomas"). Hall contributes an original, the smoky "Whose Blues," as does Carter, with the sly bop flourishes on "Receipt, Please."

Throughout, the music is playful, highly lyrical, energetic, and beautiful, while representing an almost uncanny telepathy between the two performers. Aside from faint crowd noise from the club audience, this album is perfection.

somethingelsereviews.com:
When I heard that Jim Hall had died I thought, “Shoot, I was hoping he was gonna live till the ripe old age of…” Of course, I then realized that he had lived that long. In my moment of denial, I ruminated on the fact that I’d seem him play at the Regattabar in Cambridge just…twenty years ago. Nuts.

I got something of a jazz guitar player primer back during the few years that I took guitar lessons. This was back in the late 1980s. My guitar teacher introduced me to pile of great artists: Howard Roberts, Gene Bertoncini, Tal Farlow, Lenny Breau, and Jim Hall. He loaned me a lot of records great records — Howard Roberts Is A Dirty Guitar Player, Artistry of Tal Farlow, Lenny Breau’s The Living Room Tapes, and then a couple of Jim Hall albums: Alone Together (with Ron Carter), and Undercurrent, with Bill Evans.

If you’re a fan of Jim Hall, you’ve no doubt already read tons of copy about him. For fans of guitar in general, it’s tough to pinpoint what made Hall so great. His compositions were uncluttered, leaving a lot of space. He wasn’t type of player to spew out a ton of notes. It was more that the notes came from interesting directions. The roster of greats he played with won’t exactly help you to determine style, as the list is fairly wide-ranging: Bill Evans, Sonny Rollins, Chico Hamilton, Jimmy Giuffre, Red Mitchell, Art Farmer, Paul Desmond, Chet Baker, Tom Harrell, Ron Carter, Pat Metheny. That’s not even close to a complete list.

So many of the people he worked with are gone, but there are a lot of modern players who have presented some very heartfelt tributes, including the great Nels Cline. In his moving reflection, he mentions Hall’s warmth and humbleness. This is true. For as big as his legend grew, the man never became full of himself. That time I saw him play in Cambridge, the intermission was one of the longest I’d ever waited through…because Jim was wading through the audience, just standing around and chatting with his fans.

And his fans were just as loyal. In fact, my guitar teacher spoke of the times he’d purchased tickets to the Merv Griffin Show because Hall was in Griffin’s house band. Now that is dedication.

This morning I’m listening to the first Jim Hall record I ever heard. Hall and Carter made it sound easy. Simple ain’t easy. Thanks, Jim.
BY MARK SALESKI

muzycy:
Jim Hall: guitar
Ron Carter: bass

utwory:
1. St. Thomas
2. Alone Together
3. Receipt, Please
4. I'll Remember April
5. Softly, As in A Morning Sunrise
6. Whose Blues
7. Prelude To A Kiss
8. Autumn Leaves

wydano: 2006-11-16