The threesome of alto saxist Tim Berne, drummer Tom Rainey and guitarist Gregg Belisle-Chi are caught recorded in studio and at a concert in Seattle’s Royal Room. Especially considering how “improvised” each tune is, the songs that are replicated in…
Category: Reviews
Stefano Bollani & Iiro Rantala: Jazz at Berlin Philharmonic XV
Pianists Stefano Bollani and Iiro Rantala bring together 176 ivories to interpret and give tribute to songs associated with opera on this concert recording. The interplay is in a friendly mood, longing on “Caruso” and graceful for “Musetta Waltz” with …
BREEZIN’…James Zito: Zito’s Jump
If your idea of jazz guitar is the likes of Wes Montgomery or George Benson, step right up into the world of James Zito, who imbibes from the same waters with style on this album. He’s a bopper, all right,…
Silvano Monasterios: The River
Venezuelan composer and pianist Silvano Monasterios brings together a rich sounding nonet of Troy Roberts/ts, Nestor Torres/fl, Alex Norris/tp-fh, Jeff Lederer/bcl-cl, Ricky Rodriguez/b, Luisito Quintero/perc, Jimmy MacBride/dr and Juan Diego Villalobos/vib for suite-like collection of originals. The focus here is…
Kim Waters: Time 2 Groove
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…
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…