Alto saxist Matt Criscuolo teams up with a post bop team of Tony Purrone/g, Will Calhoun /dr and Dave Anderson/b for a flexible mix of originals and standards. The leader has dark yet warm tone, and can use it for…
Month: June 2016
Al Di Meola@Canyon Club 06.16.16
It seems that guitarist Al Di Meola can’t stop relighting the fuse to fusion, and justifiably so. Billing this tour as the “Elegant Gypsy Meets Romantic Warrior”, the jazz-rock pioneer keeps the candle lit in the window as he makes…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****George Coleman: A Master Speaks
Truer words couldn’t be found for the title of this album by tenor saxist George Coleman. He’s most famous for being part of the front line of Miles Davis quintet during the famed ’64 tour of Europe that gave us…
Pram Trio: Saga Thirteen
The trio of Jack Bodkin/p, Mark Godfrey/b and Eric West/dr make for some dynamic work here on this 6 song ep (which would have passed for an entire album back in the days of vinyl and roses). The trio works…
Jeff Williams: Outlier
Jeff Williams leads a strong quintet as he drums, plays percussion and even a bit of Fender Rhodes along with Josh Arcoleo/ts, Phil Robson/g, Kit Downes/key and Sam Lasserson/b through a collection of originals. He’s been in the rhythm sections…
Dominic Miller & Manolito Simonet: Hecho En Cuba
Guitarist Dominic Miller co leads an exciting band with pianist Manolito Simonet as they take you through a rich tour of Cuban side streets. The band of Andy Abad Acosta/p, Roberto Vazquez/b, Raicel Riveron/dr and Evelio Ramos/perc and punctuated and…
Cristina Braga & Brandenburger Symphoniker: Whisper
Famed for her harp playing, Brazilian Cristian Braga delivers quasi symphonic interpretations of material in three, count’ em three languages. Classic pieces by Jobim and Caymmi such as “Meditation” and “E Doce Morrer No Mar” are dressed up in a…
David Fiuczynski: Flam! Blam ! Pan-Asian MicroJam
Guitarist David Fiuczynski mixeshis career between rock and jazz, having worked with fusion artists such as Hiromi with fantastic results. This time around, he brings together a wide reaching team of Helen Sherrah-Davies/v, Yazhi Guo/perc-suona, Urar Artun/key, Jake Sherman/key, Justin…
Steve Smith, Tony Monaco & Vinny Valentino: Groove Blue
Here’s a hummer of a Hammond Trio set with all stars Steve Smith/dr, Tony Monaco/dr and Vinny Valentino/go on a mix of originals and grooving standards. They deliver a sleek ¾ read of “It’s Only A Paper Moon” and boogaloo…
Tobias Meinhart: Natural Perception
Natural perception? Almost “Extra Sensory Perception” as in Miles Davis’ classic album, as Tobias Meinhart brings together a quintet with Ingrid Jensen/tp, Yago Vazquez/p-key, Phil Donkin/b and Jesse Simpson/dr that evokes images of the loose swing of The Prince of…