Back in the 70s, LA was brimming with jazz pianists making an extra buck by playing in cocktail bars. You had guys like Page Cavanaugh at the Money Tree and Johnny Guarnieri at Tail of the Cock playing just about…
Month: June 2016
ALL STARS SHINING…The Power Quintet: High Art
Sometimes when jazz “summit meetings” form, the affair can sound deferential and safe. Not here; Jeremy Pelt/tp, Steve Nelson/vib, Danny Grissett/p, Peter Washington/b and Bill Stewart/dr, all studs in their own right, show their teeth and flex their muscles on…
WESTERN SWING…The Highwaymen: Live-American Outlaws
Call it what you want, maybe it’s a guilty pleasure, but this kind of country music creates just as much energy as most jazz artists. The “supergroup” of Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and Kris Kristofferson toured around as…
Julian Lage: Arclight
While Julian Lage continues his restless guitar quest as he guests with artists ranging from Nels Cline to Fred Hersch, he steps back into his most comfortable mode here, that of a trio. With Scott Colley/b and Kenny Wollesen/dr, he…
LEO’S LATEST….Kuhne/Ullmann/Kaufmann: Marbrakeys, Gebhard Ullman/Achim Kaufmann: Geode, Taubenfeld/Hazan/Sabag: Bones, Uwe Oberg/Silke Eberhardt: Turns
Always fresh, exciting and challenging, UK’s Leo Records continues to expand the boundaries of jazz like the Starship Enterprise, boldly going where no man has gone before. Here are the four latest adventures. Vocalist Almut Kuhne, pianist Achim Kaufmann and…
TRIPLE THREAT…Ana Popovic: Trilogy
Maybe it’s because I was a total reject as a nerd in High School, but I have an inherent distrust of drop dead attractive women. Years of adolescent rejection mixed? Not sure, but when I see a lady like Ana…
Ratatet: Arctic
Intriguing tones and harmonies abound on this album, as Paul Hanson brings on the rarely played electric bassoon for the jazz context. He brings it together with clever arrangements by leader,composer and drummer Alan Hall, with a mix of bop…
Raul Agraz: Between Brothers
Here’s an exciting collection of Latin moods by trumpeter Raul Agraz, who brings together a small-big band as well as strings on this release. Agraz himself has a warm and bel canto sound to his horn, and he lets it…
Arthur Vint & Associates: Through The Badlands
Here’s one for the books-jazz meeting the land of the Lewis and Clark trail! Hey, it works! Drummer Arthur Vint rounds up Ian Stapp/b, Jon Cowherd/p, Tony Scherr/b, Andrew Halchak/bcl, Rich Perry/ts, Yvonnik Prene/harm and Blanca gCecilia Gonzalez/vio through a collection…
FRESH FEMALE SOUNDS…Anne Walsh: Brand New, Daphna Levy: Late Night Journey
Here are a couple jazz vocalists that you might want to discover. Vocalist Anne Walsh has a sweet spirit of a tone, and works it well on this Brazilian flavored session. She enlists the talents of Brian Bromberg/g, Thomas Zink/key,…