Bassist Miroslav Vitous was one of the founding members of the iconic “fusion” band Weather Report, and until Jaco Pastorius came along, was considered the standard for all subsequent bassists to be measured by. He kind of returns to the…
Month: June 2016
Motor City Jazz Octet: Sanctuary
Here’s a band that takes you back to the soul-jazz days of CTI, as six covers are presented here with an emphasis on mellow hipness. The rhythm team of Joe Syrian/dr, Andrew Lloyd-Don Leandowski/b, Steve Carryer/g and Gary Schunk/key get…
Miroslav Vitous: Music of Weather Report
Bassist Miroslav Vitous was one of the founding members of the iconic “fusion” band Weather Report, and until Jaco Pastorius came along, was considered the standard for all subsequent bassists to be measured by. He kind of returns to the…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Jim Cullum Jazz Band: Porgy and Bess Live
Yes. Yes. YES!! I know that there is a surfeit of Porgy and Bess recordings out there. Satch and Ella, Miles, Torme’. But this one just might be the most swinging of them all. Performed back in 1992 at The…
Ian Carey Quintet +1: Interview Music
So, which guy is the “+1” of trumpeter Ian Carey’s Quintet? They all sound fairly necessary here. You get Jon Arkin/dr, Sheldon Brown/bcl, Kasey Knudsen/as, Fred Randolph/b and Adam Shulman/p all contributing major parts in a IV part suite plus…
Matt Lavelle’s 12 Houses: Solidarity
Matt Lavelle plays cornet, flugelhorn and alto clarinet as he conducts a large scale band through a half dozen originals. You get a mix of reeds, woodwinds, strings and various things like vibes, mandola and banjo ere, and the mood…
Rocco John Quartet: Embrace The Change
Alto and soprano saxophonist Rocco John Iacovone fronts a light on feet quartet of Rich Rosenthal/g, Francois Grillot/b and Tom Cabrera/dr through 8 soft and melodic originals. The reeds are soft and fluffy on the melodic and dream “Escape” with…
Kat Parra: Songbook of the Americas
I’ve liked this lady for a long time; Kat Parra used to be graphic designer for Cisco, and gave up all of the glamour to devote her talents to jazz vocals. She’s a swinger with an overflow of heart. You can…
Ernie Watts Quartet: Wheel Of Time
One of the stalwarts of LA jazz, Ernie Watts has made a successful living in the studios and jazz clubs. It’s easy to hear why on this album with Christo Saenger/p, Rudi Engel/b and Heinrich Koebberling/dr. He’s got a strong…
Michael Blum Quartet: Chasin’ Oscar
Yes, a guitarist is delivering a tribute to a master pianist! What’s even more interesting is that Michael Blum doesn’t sound like like Peterson on strings, nor like Herb Ellis. What’s captured here is an ode to an attitude; sublime…