Playing tenor, soprano and mostly alto sax, Kim Waters rides a longboard of whitecapped waves on this album of originals. He’s teamed with a funkified mix of Chris Davis/key-prog, Bernd Schenhart/g and vocalist Raynard Gibson, while supplying just about every…
Author: George W. Harris
THE KING OF JAZZ…The Paul Whiteman Orchestra: Volume 1-The Hits Collection 1920-27, Volulme 2. 1928-54
One of the oldest arguments in music is whether Paul Whiteman (1890-1967) was the “inventor” or “king” of jazz, as he was crowned during his lifetime. Fans of Jelly Roll Morton , King Oliver or Buddy Bolden may argue, and…
Etta James: Rocks
One of the boldest voices in soul and R&B, Etta James is captured on this one disc anthology and her most ravenous early days, covering her 54-60 years like a warm blanket. She starts things off belting out “The Wallflower”…
Christian Larumbe: Refugio
Guitarist and vocalist Christian Larumbe brings the best of North and South America together in this latest release, as his trio of bassist Kitt Lyles and drummer Gustavo Cortinas explore Latin American musical landscapes with modern jazz sensibilities, with each…
Tony Adamo: Dig What I Say
Bay Area soul brother Tony Adamo mixes street savvy and jazz preaching on this latest single. Like a funkified Dave Frishberg, he raps out references and lyrics to a sizzling percussion section, pulpit hitting tenor sax and magma hitting B3…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****THIS IS JAZZ PIANO 101…Classic Vanguard Jazz Piano Sessions
A number of months ago, Mosaic Records released a cache of vintage recordings in a 7 cd boxed set. It featured a surfeit of vintage jazz sessions from the likes of Coleman Hawkins, Vic Dickenson and Jimmy Rushing, just to…
Jon Balke: Skrifum
What is a “Spektrafon”? Well, you’re going to find out on this album with John Blake, as he uses it to accompany his piano for 14 of his “solo” compositions. The electronic doo dad gives an eerie background to reflective…
Billy Hart Quartet: Just
Drum legend Billy Hart teams with vets Mark Turner/ts, Ethan Iverson/p and Ben Street/b for a classy collection of originals. Each musician, a leader in their own rights, give a team effort here, with Iverson in a Mozartian mood before…
Boyce Justice Griffith: The Point
Playing tenor and soprano sax, Boyce Justice Griffith shows swagger and style on this post bopping release with Anthony Hervey/tp, Isaiah J. Thompson/p, Martin Jaffe/b and John Sturino/dr. The rhythm section shows it’s energy on a bop shuffler on “The…
John Daversa Big Band: Improvisatory Observatory-Live at the Baked Potato Exhibit 2
I’m still not sure how trumpeter/composer John Daversa shoehorns his 16 member big band into the legendary and cozy Baked Potato, but he stuffs it like one of the hot spuds served to the audience with some of the most…