For All Seasons (Henry Butler album)

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For All Seasons
Studio album by
Released1996
Recorded1995
GenreJazz
LabelAtlantic Jazz
Henry Butler chronology
Blues & More
(1992)
For All Seasons
(1996)
Blues After Sunset
(1998)

For All Seasons is an album by the American musician Henry Butler, released in 1996.[1][2] Butler supported the album with a North American tour.[3] After touring the album, Butler decided to concentrate more on blues- and New Orleans-based music.[4]

Production[edit]

Butler returned to recording in the summer of 1995, after spending several years teaching at Eastern Illinois University.[5][6] He recorded the album with Herman Jackson on drums and Dave Holland on bass.[7] Steve Turre contributed on trombone.[8] Butler composed five of the album's songs.[9]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[10]
Chicago Sun-Times[11]
Fort Worth Star-Telegram[12]
The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide[13]

The Chicago Tribune wrote that "the dizzying right-hand virtuosity that Butler offers on the opening track, 'Blues for All Seasons', the unconventionally aggressive rhythms he brings to Antonio Carlos Jobim's 'How Insensitive' and the rambunctious, technically audacious solo he plays on 'St. Louis Blues' place Butler among the top jazz pianists working today."[14] The St. Louis Post-Dispatch determined that Butler "has a very rich and personal sound (strongly blues-'n'-bop-based), although one hears influences of such well-known pianists as Ahmad Jamal."[7]

The Star Tribune said that "Butler has the amazing facility to spin a variety of melodic and rhythmic lines at once, as if each hand had a brain."[15] The Fort Worth Star-Telegram concluded that Butler mixes "a loose, fast-forward stride style with the focus and intelligence of a committed jazzman."[12]

AllMusic called the album "one of Butler's strongest jazz dates and finds him displaying his individuality on basic but viable chord structures."[10]

Track listing[edit]

No.TitleLength
1."Blues for All Seasons" 
2."How Insensitive" 
3."St. Louis Blues" 
4."A Winter's Blues" 
5."Souvenir d'un Amour" 
6."Without a Song" 
7."Spring Jam" 
8."Love in Autumn" 

References[edit]

  1. ^ Takiff, Jonathan (2 Jan 1996). "A Medley of Artists Rings Out for '96". Features Yo!. Philadelphia Daily News. p. 35.
  2. ^ Conrad, Thomas (Aug 1996). "For All Seasons". DownBeat. Vol. 63, no. 8. p. 59.
  3. ^ "Jazz". The Times-Picayune. 26 Apr 1996. p. L11.
  4. ^ "Henry Butler and the Game Band". Bangor Daily News. 14 Aug 2004. p. 34.
  5. ^ "Revving Up". The State. 28 Mar 1996. p. D2.
  6. ^ Wyckoff, Geraldine (Apr 1997). "Jazz all-stars: A New Orleans Magazine tradition". New Orleans. Vol. 31, no. 7. pp. 50–57.
  7. ^ a b Protzman, Bob (14 June 1996). "Late but Great". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 4E.
  8. ^ "Jazz musicians make sweet music in Quad-Cities". Quad-City Times. 8 Feb 1996. p. 3T.
  9. ^ Lofton, Dewanna (29 Mar 1996). "Butler to bring eclectic sound to Wooden Flute". Weekend. The State. p. 6.
  10. ^ a b "For All Seasons Review by Scott Yanow". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  11. ^ "Spin Control". Showcase. Chicago Sun-Times. 10 Mar 1996. p. 8.
  12. ^ a b Shull, Chris (30 Aug 1996). "Henry Butler, For All Seasons". Star Time. Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. 15.
  13. ^ Swenson, John (1999). The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide. Random House. p. 117.
  14. ^ Reich, Howard (10 Mar 1996). "Take Note". Arts & Entertainment. Chicago Tribune. p. 14.
  15. ^ Campbell, Tim (31 May 1996). "Music: Henry Butler". Star Tribune. p. E9.