It’s the end of the month, which means it’s time for my regular downloading extravaganza, courtesy of emusic.  This month I have acquired the following gems:

Seamus Blake – Live in Italy

I’m not that familiar with tenor player Seamus Blake, but will be soon.  This got a great review in this month’s Down Beat, and that’s usually good enough for me.  What I’ve heard so far sounds excellent – urgent, engaging, fresh.  Chance my wife is going to hate it: 65% 85%.

Kind of Brown – Christian McBride

Not sure about the title, but this promises to be a treat.  I love Christian McBride.  I first saw him play in Columbia as part of the Pat Metheny Trio a few years ago and was blown away by him.  Since then he’s been back with Benny Green in one of the most memorable gigs I’ve been to, a Ray Brown tribute with Greg Hutchinson on drums.  

Quite apart from his astonishing bass playing, he also seems to be a genuinely nice man, and very much his own guy.  There’s a great profile on him in the current issueof Down Beat.  This new album, his first “straight ahead” jazz album for ages, also features Steve Wilson, who played an incredible house concert in Columbia about a month ago with Bruce Barth, and who also appeared here recently with the Blue Note 7 – I wrote a preview of that gig here.  Vibist Warren Wolf joins Steve in the front line, causing welcome echoes of the recent bands of another bass hero of mine, Dave Holland.  Chance my wife will hate it: 55%.

Standards – Alan Pasqua, Peter Erskine, Dave Carpenter

I have had my eye on this for quite a while.  Simple, elegant, frill-free playing of the highest quality.  There’s an awful lot of piano trios in my music collection, but I suspect this one will get more listens than most.  Tasteful and refined stuff.  Erskine is a master.  Chance my wife will hate it: 10%