Not every female singer sounds like Norah Jones, and not every male singer is a clone of Michael Buble’. Here are a pair of vocalists, one gone, one new, that show how it’s done. OK, will both of you…
Category: Reviews
Sara Gazarek: Blossom & Bee
Where has this lady been? I think she got married, and has finally gotten out of her honeymoon suite. Last time I heard her was at The Vic, promoting her then just released Return To You, which charmed my socks…
Dirty Dozen Brass Band: Twenty Dozen
Few bands capture the essential joy and heart of jazz like the long reigning DDBA. They made a big sensation when they first hit the scene in 1984, and it’s easy to take them for granted. They’ve tried various themes…
Pink Floyd: The Story of Wish You Were Here
This 85 minute documentary delivers an incisive insight into the background genesis and creation of the vastly popular progressive rock album that has sold over 13 million copies. There are contemporary interviews with the remaining members, Waters, Mason and Gilmore,as…
Nico Gori & Fred Hersch: Da Vinci, Magic Malik: Alternate Steps
Here are a couple of releases from a bit of an obscure label. One is from an old fav, the other one a bit more obscure. Fred Hersch is slowly becoming one of my favorite living pianists. He’s always…
Christian Scott: Christian aTunde Adjuah
A few years ago, trumpeter Christian Scott told me that he and his band made a covenant to commit 5 years together to work together and explore musical possibilities together. Since then, he released an impressive Yesterday You Said Tomorrow…
Keith Jarrett: Sleeper
AHHH! This is the ECM that I know and love! What we’ve got here is an archive recording of a Tokyo concert from 1979 with pianist Keith Jarrett accompanied by Jan Garbarek/ts-ss-fl-perc, Palle Danielsson/b and Jon Christensen/dr-perc, performing acoustic jazz…
Jay Farrar/Will Johnson/Anders Parker/Yim Yames: New Multitudes
Here’s an interesting concept: take previously unrecorded lyrics by folk legend Woody Guthrie, and put them in a 21st century neo-country setting. These four gents hail from bands like Son Volt, South San Gabriel, Gob Iron and Monsters Of Folk,…
Chloe Brisson: Blame It On My Youth
Vocalist Chloe Brisson glides through a number of standards backed by an A team of Angelenos, with Fred Haas/sax-arr, Bill Mays/p, Marvin Stamm/tp, Ben Williams/tb, Matt Wilson/dr and Martin Wind/b. The band sounds as slick as greased lightning on tunes…
Adam Kromelow Trio: Young Blood
Lead by pianist Adam Kromelow, this trio, with Raviv Markovitz/b and Jason Burger/dr plays post modern jazz with a collection of originals and a few covers. Kromelow’s writing and performing style is a bit elliptical and edgy, going in 2-3…