Monday, July 8, 2013

Cary Honors Abbey; Django All-Stars - Bob Stewart




Marc Cary has gained a reputation as one of the most creative pianists of our time, a bandleader with musical interests that encompass jazz, go-go, hip-hop, electronic music, Indian classical music and more. But Cary is also an incisive and sought-after accompanist, a fact famously borne out by his 12-year tenure with the great vocalist, songwriter and jazz icon Abbey Lincoln. "For the Love of Abbey", Cary's first solo piano recording, is the most personal and heartfelt of tributes, shedding light on Lincoln's remarkable body of work and honoring her extraordinary gift for melody and song craft.

The most meaningful tribute that can be paid to great jazz artists is not to simply pay homage, but to be inspired by that legacy to create new and vibrant music in that same spirit. From that perspective, the Django Festival All-Stars "Live at Birdland 2012" is an unbridled success. With the immortal Django Reinhardt as its life spring, the 14-year-old Django Reinhardt New York Festival as its central nervous system, and the Schmitt Gypsy family dynasty as its heartbeat, the Django Festival All-Stars bring the legendary Gypsy guitarist's legacy fully into the 21st Century. Schmitt family patriarch Dorado, a legendary Gypsy guitarist himself, and his son Samson are joined by the younger family members Bronson and Amati to create a veritable guitar dynasty, and are all featured prominently on the disc.

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