You usually don’t think of Serbia as a hotbed for jazz, but that’s where Szilard Mezei was born. He plays viola, and uses Hungarian folk songs as the basis for the twelve pieces on this two disc set. The ensemble…
Month: February 2017
Noah Haidu: Infinite Distances
Pianist and composer Noah Haidu brings together an impressive post-bop team of Jeremy Pelt/tp-fh, Sharel Cassity/as, Jon Irabagon/ss-ts, Peter Brendler-Ariel Alejandro De La Portilla/b and John Davis-Mark Ferber/dr for this toe tapper. Haidu’s touch is confident, with a touch of…
JAZZ OR MODERN CLASSICAL? Frank Carlberg Large Ensemble: Monk Dreams Hallucinations and Nightmares, Anders Lonne Gronseth: Mini Micro Ensemble 2nd Edt Vol 2
At one time, you had “jazz” and “classical music.” Then jazz tried to incorporate classic harmonies and classical imbibed polyphony, but you could still tell which was which. Now, the cross pollination is so strong that it’s just a matter…
TRUTH IN ADVERTISING…Ben Plotnick: Greenland-A Swing Record
Canadian Ben Plotnick tells it like it is as he plays viola and fiddle with a toe tapping team of Andrew Collins/mand, Adrian Gross/g and James McEleney/b through a collection of fun filled originals plus a traditional tune to close…
Rudy Royston Trio: RisE of Orion
It used to be that saxophone trios were the ultimate challenge for a band, but in this modern time it seems de rigueur and commonplace although nothing seems to ever come close to the Sonny Rollins standard bearers of Way…
Victor Goncalves Quartet
Victor Goncalves plays piano to his own compositions and arrangements with his quartet including Todd Neufeld/g, Thomas Morgan/b and Dan Weiss/dr. The moods are thoughtful and soft, but still able to flow forward. He reveals his romantic heart as he…
SLD Trio: Anfitrion
The trio of Paula Shocron/p, German Lamonega/b and Pablo Diaz/dr team up for five songs and a 23 minute six part suite in this wide ranging collection. The pieces such as “La Llave” and “24 Horas’ mix moments of piano…
Basak Yavuz: A Little Red Bug
Based in Turkey, vocalist and composer Basak Yavuz takes you on a musical journey on this album to make you feel like you’re veering into various nooks and crannies of an Istanbul souk. She sings in English and Turkish, making…
Ralph Towner: My Foolish Heart
Ralph Towner goes solo here with usually his classical guitar and intermittently his 12 string on this rich tapestry of material. He returns to his days of Oregon with a elegantly displayed “Shard” and folksy “Rewind” while the textures of…
Sherri Roberts: Anybody’s Spring
Vocalist Sherri Roberts tries to get our minds off the present snow and prepare us for the freshness of spring on her most recent album of that features songs of the primavera. She brings together a like minded Bay Area…