This one caught me by surprise. A brother and sister team? The vocalist a French actress? It didn’t look promising, but if you want something a little bit different in your mellow jazz catalogue, give this one a try. Irene…
Month: July 2012
Joe Jackson: The Duke
Singer Joe Jackson has always had a jazzer’s heart. Remember that 1984 album Body and Soul where he did a spot on imitation of a Sonny Rollins Blue Note session? This latest release has him going to the Duke Ellington…
Fly: Year of the Snake
Here you’ve three jazz guys who are on the top tier: saxophonist Mark Turner, bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jeff Ballard. All three are known as sidemen, and their working together seems to sound like no one wants to take…
Bela Fleck & the Marcus Roberts Trio: Across The Imaginary Divide
Here’s a session that on paper makes absolutely NO sense. Banjo and jazz trio? But, let me tell ya, this is one of the most enjoyable outings you’re going to hear in awhile . Along with an erudite team of…
Brian Bromberg: Bromberg Plays Hendrix / In The Spirit of Jobim
Bassist Brian Bromberg (just try saying that 5 times real fast) is on a creative roll. He’s released three top notch discs the past couple months, each one as different and yet satisfying as the other. Bromberg Plays Hendrix is…
THE HARD BOP QUINTET-THE ESSENCE OF JAZZ
You can argue this point until doomsday, but for my money, nothing captures the mixture of melody, form, spontaneity and improvisation like the jazz quintet. Usually comprised of two horn (trumpet and sax-usually a tenor, but you can slum it…
A FIRESIDE CHAT WITH ARTHUR BLYTHE
At one time, Arthur Blythe was part of the Columbia machine (not unlike the Miramax machine, how else do you explain the Gangs of New York phenomenon). Then trends took precedent over music and a young Wynton over a middle-aged…
A FIRESIDE CHAT WITH AMIRI BARAKA
Amiri Baraka is one of the most influential Afro-American writers of my generation. Baraka’s Blues People: Negro Music in White America, Black Music, Digging: The Afro-American Soul of American Classical Music, and his countless poems and essays (available www.amiribaraka.com) are…