Improvisations (Ran Blake & Jaki Byard album)

Improvisations
Improvisations
Studio album by Ran Blake & Jaki Byard
Released	1982
Recorded	May 25–26, 1981
Genre	Jazz
Length	44:38
Label	Soul Note
Producer	Giovanni Bonandrini
Jaki Byard chronology
Ran Blake chronology

Improvisations is an album of piano duets by the American jazz pianists Ran Blake and Jaki Byard, recorded in 1981 and released on the Italian Soul Note label.^[1]

Reception

The AllMusic review by Scott Yanow stated: "Because Byard (who can play credibly in virtually every jazz style) is highly flexible, he was able to meet Blake on his own terms and inspire him to play more extrovertedly than usual... In other words, this matchup works".^[2]

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[2]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings	^[3]

Track listing

All compositions by Ran Blake & Jaki Byard except as indicated

"On Green Dolphin Street" (Bronislau Kaper, Ned Washington) - 6:06
"Prelude" - 4:09
"Chromatics" - 8:28
"Wende" (Ran Blake) - 3:42
"Tea for Two" (Irving Caesar, Vincent Youmans) - 6:57
"Victoria" (Greg Silberman) - 4:41
"Sonata for Two Pianos" - 10:35

Recorded at Barigozzi Studio in Milano, Italy on May 25 & 26, 1981

Personnel

Jaki Byard – piano
Ran Blake - piano

References

^ Soul Note discography accessed July 12, 2011
^ ^a ^b Yanow, S. AllMusic Review accessed July 12, 2011
^ Cook, Richard; Brian Morton (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings. The Penguin Guide to Jazz (9th ed.). London: Penguin. p. 131. ISBN 978-0-14-103401-0.

[Soul_Note_discography-1] Soul Note discography accessed July 12, 2011

[Allmusic-2] Yanow, S. AllMusic Review accessed July 12, 2011

[Penguin-3] Cook, Richard; Brian Morton (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings. The Penguin Guide to Jazz (9th ed.). London: Penguin. p. 131. ISBN 978-0-14-103401-0.

[1]

[2]

[3]

v t e Jaki Byard
Year(s) indicated are for the recording(s), not first release, except in most cases where this was long delayed
As leader or co-leader	Here's Jaki (1961) Hi-Fly (1962) Out Front! (1964) Jaki Byard Quartet Live! (1965) The Last from Lennie's (1965 [2003]) Freedom Together! (1966) On the Spot! (1967) Sunshine of My Soul (1967) Jaki Byard with Strings! (1968) The Jaki Byard Experience (1968) Live at the Jazz'Inn (1971) Duet! (1972) Family Man (1978) Improvisations (1981) The Magic of 2 (1982 [2013]) Live at the Royal Festival Hall (1984) Phantasies (1984) Phantasies II (1988) Foolin' Myself (1988) The Changes of Life (1996) This Happening (1997) Night Leaves (1997) July in Paris (1998)
Solo piano	Blues for Smoke (1960 [1988]) Solo Piano (1969) Parisian Solos (1971) The Entertainer (1972) There'll Be Some Changes Made (1972) Flight of the Fly (1976) Sunshine of My Soul: Live at the Keystone Korner (1978 [2007]) A Matter of Black and White (1978–79 [2011]) The Late Show: An Evening with Jaki Byard (1979 [2014]) To Them – To Us (1982) Jaki Byard at Maybeck (1991)
With Charles Mingus	The Complete Town Hall Concert (1962) The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady (1963) Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus (1963) Town Hall Concert (1964) The Great Concert of Charles Mingus (1964) Mingus in Europe Volume I (1964) Mingus in Europe Volume II (1964) Mingus at Monterey (1964) Astral Weeks (1964) Cornell 1964 (1964) Revenge! (1964) Charles Mingus in Paris: The Complete America Session (1970) Charles Mingus Sextet In Berlin (1970)
With others	Live in '65 (Art Blakey DVD, 1965) Body and Soul (Al Cohn & Zoot Sims, 1973) Double Exposure (Chris Connor & Maynard Ferguson), 196061) Far Cry (Eric Dolphy, 1961) Outward Bound (Eric Dolphy, 1961) How Time Passes (Don Ellis, 1960) New Ideas (Don Ellis, 1961) The Freedom Book (Booker Ervin, 1963) The Space Book (Booker Ervin, 1964) Groovin' High (Booker Ervin, 1963–64) The Trance (Booker Ervin, 1965) Setting the Pace (Dexter Gordon & Booker Ervin, 1965) Heavy!!! (Booker Ervin, 1966) Newport Suite (Maynard Ferguson, 1960) Let's Face the Music and Dance (Maynard Ferguson, 1960) Maynard '61 (Maynard Ferguson, 1960–61) Two's Company (Maynard Ferguson and Chris Connor, 1960–61) "Straightaway" Jazz Themes (Maynard Ferguson, 1961) Maynard '64 (Maynard Ferguson, 1961) Manhattan Plaza (Ricky Ford, 1978) Manhattan Blues (Ricky Ford, 1989) Ebony Rhapsody (Ricky Ford, 1990) American-African Blues (Ricky Ford, 1991) Honi Gordon Sings (Honi Gordon, 1962) Smackwater Jack (Quincy Jones, 1971) Five on Eight (Rufus "Speedy" Jones, 1964) Dr. Chicago (Clifford Jordan, 1984) Rip, Rig and Panic (Roland Kirk, 1965) Here Comes the Whistleman (Roland Kirk, 1966) Grits & Gravy (Eric Kloss, 1966) Sky Shadows (Eric Kloss, 1968) In the Land of the Giants (Eric Kloss, 1969) Involution (Michael Marcus, 1998) Charlie Mariano with His Jazz Group (Charlie Mariano, 1950) Modern Saxophone Stylings of Charlie Mariano (Charlie Mariano, 1951) Year of the Iron Sheep (Ken McIntyre, 1962) Home (Ken McIntyre, 1975) Live at the Theatre Boulogne-Billancourt/Paris, Vol. 1 (Mingus Dynasty, 1988) Live at the Theatre Boulogne-Billancourt/Paris, Vol. 2, 1988) Body and Soul (Ray Nance, 1969) Life Is a Many Splendored Gig (Herb Pomeroy, 1957) "In" Jazz for the Culture Set (Dannie Richmond, 1965) Fuchsia Swing Song (Sam Rivers, 1964) Rhythm Is Our Business (Jordan Sandke, 1985) Lady Bird (Archie Shepp, 1978) Amarcord Nino Rota (Hal Willner, 1981) Musique du Bois (Phil Woods, 1974)