Usually remembered for releasing some advanced-thinking jazz and blues albums in the 1960s, Candid Records had a renaissance in the late 1980s when Alan Bates started up the label again, creating a catalogue of artists both new and old. Here is a sample of some material that grows more important in retrospect.–
Pianist Kenny Barron is found in 1991 with Monk alumnus Ben Riley/dr and Ray Drummond/b on a mix of originals and bopping covers. Barron is a Monk master, and sounds wonderful on “Ask Me 
Now” while the team cooks on Blue Mitchell’s “Fungii Mama”. His own “Seascape” and “Lemuria” bookend the album, and are filled with moments of class, style and grace. Effortless sounding timelessness.
Now” while the team cooks on Blue Mitchell’s “Fungii Mama”. His own “Seascape” and “Lemuria” bookend the album, and are filled with moments of class, style and grace. Effortless sounding timelessness.–
Somehow always overlooked, pianist Joanne Brackeen was between stints with Art Blakey and Stan Getz when she recorded this trio album with Billy Hart/dr and Cecil McBee in 1975. He strong hands give rich primary colors to Miles Davis-associated material such as “Circles” and “Nefertiti” and there’s a palpable thickness to “Old Devil 
Moon”. Her own pieces such as “Zulu” and “Sixate” are complex and an avalanche of ideas, with Hart and McBee panting to keep up . WHEW!
Moon”. Her own pieces such as “Zulu” and “Sixate” are complex and an avalanche of ideas, with Hart and McBee panting to keep up . WHEW!–
Jamie Cullum’s debut album from 2002 has him hitting the ground running, already singing like a 2 pack a day film noir actor. Cullum mixes it up between jazz standards like “In The Wee Small Hours Of The Evening” and boppers such as a wild “Well You Needn’t” to Radiohead’s “High And Dry”. There’s a rich duet between Cullum and tenor saxist Dave O’Higgins on ”A Time For Love” and a hoot of his own piece “I Want To Be A Popstar” that rivals anything Dave Frishberg ever composed, who’s also represented on the hip “Lookin’ Good”. This guy’s got a future!
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A real obscurity is Stacey Kent’s 2003 recording that only got briefly released in ’07. The album is a collection of songs by singers that have inspired her over the years. Teamed with Jim Tomlinson/sax, Colin Oxley/g, David Newton/p-key, Dave Chamberlain/b, Matt Home/dr and Curtis Schwartz/voc, she glides through an intimate take of Paul Simon’s “Bookends”, bops to Dizzy Gillespie’s “Ooh-Shoo-Be-Ddo-Bee”, swings to the sax of “Too Darn Hot” and glows in a surrey on “People Will Say We’re In Love”. Lovely pastels.
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Shirley Scott surrounds herself with a crew of up and comers like Terell Stafford/tp and Tim Warfield/ts along with Arthur Harper/b and Aaron Walker/dr for her last recording in 1992. She’s still got the magic touch, diggin in with Stafford on “D.T. Blues” and pushing Warfield on a dedication to Art Blakey on “Shades Of Bu”. Scott in trio format goes out in style with a riveting take of “When A Man Loves A Woman” , and shows she still had blues in her blood as she and the band cruise like a 57 Chevy on a simmering “A Walkin’ Thing”. How’d this one get past me?
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