The Le Coq All Stars - Le Coq Records Presents: The Jazz All Stars Vol. 2 (CD)

Release Date: 02/04/22

Le Coq Records presents The Jazz All Stars Vol. 2 offers a vibrant calling card for a label quickly taking its place at the vanguard of modern jazz.

'The Jazz All-Stars Vol. 2 shows a little of everything Le Coq is about, from its compositional temperament to the high sonic quality,' says label founder Piero Pata. ', 'There's quite a mix of sounds and styles, and I feel that the album really shows off the talents of our wonderful artists. John Patitucci holds everything together magnificently so that Andy James' gorgeous vocals and the dazzling solos of Chris Potter, Rick Margitza, and Terell Stafford - just to name a few - can shine.'

Much of the roster on the new release has returned from Volume 1, including Cunliffe and Beasley; bassists Patitucci and Chris Colangelo; drummers Vinnie Colaiuta and Marvin 'Smitty' Smith; percussionist Alex Acuña; trumpeter Terell Stafford; saxophonist Margitza; guitarist Jake Langley and vocalist James, among others.

Volume 2 bolsters the line-up with such heavy hitters as saxophonists Chris Potter and Bob Sheppard; bassist Ben Williams; drummers Marcus Gilmore and Terreon Gully; trombonist Michael Dease; keyboardist Jon Cowherd; guitarists Russell Malone and Paul Jackson Jr.; and trumpeter Rashawn Ross.

This staggering stable of in-demand artists harkens back to the music's golden age, a time when (jazz) giants walked the earth and crossed paths in myriad combinations under the auspices of their shared labels. Pata conceived of that model when he dreamed of gathering the greatest modern musicians to record for Le Coq.

Like its predecessor, The Jazz All-Stars Vol. 2 features the label's unique take on some classic favorites, both arranged by the Grammy-winning Bill Cunliffe and featuring the entrancing vocals of Andy James. The Jerome Kern/Otto Harbach standard 'Yesterdays' is given a bold treatment perfect for James' unsentimental nostalgia, highlighted by an eloquent Chris Potter solo. Horace Silver's 'Doodlin'' is propelled by the robust swing of bassist Chris Colangelo and drummer Marvin 'Smitty' Smith, wonderfully matched by James' sassy playfulness.

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