I’ve always been a sucker for jazz duets. Lonnie Johnson and Eddie Lang, Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, Jim Hall & Pat Metheny…the list could go on forever. There’s nowhere to hide, and if you’re posing, it’s going to come…
Month: January 2013
BEST SOUNDING TENOR ALIVE-AS LEADER AND SIDEMAN: Houston Person: Naturally, LaVerne Butler Love Lost and Found Again
I’m sorry, but the more I listen to jazz, the less impressed I am by chops for chops sake, and the more I spend time listening to a horn player that’s got a sound that calls me back for more. …
Woody Herman: Blue Flame-Portrait of a Jazz Legend
Woody Herman would have been 100 years old if he had made it to the year 2013; unfortunately, the heart that he gave to his musicians, his wife and his fans gave out a few decades before that. This wonderful…
JAZZ AT CAMELOT-Paul Winter Sextet: Count Me In 1962/1963
This 2cd set is a 50th year anniversary anthology of a band, a style of music and an era that is regrettably long gone. Back in 1961, a young student at Northwestern University named Paul Winter started a small band…
Henry “Skipper” Franklin: June Night
Bassist Henry “Skipper” Franklin has been one of those reliable guys on the LA jazz scene for decades. Always playing somewhere, and always playing swinging jazz, he is guaranteed to put out impressive material, whether in concert on in the…
Clayton Brothers and Friends: The Gathering
If you have a finger on any part of the LA jazz scene’s pulse, you know that John Clayton is one of the major musical movers and shakers. Talent scout, producer, co-leader of a big band and small group (right…
David Gilmore: Numerology-Live at Jazz Standard
Guitarist David Gilmore leads an all start team of Miguel Zenon/as, Luis P erdomo/p, Christian McBride/b, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Mino Cinelu/perc and Claudia Acuna/voc on this exciting and explansive collection of originals performed at the NYC club back in 2010.…
Lalo Schifrin: My Life In Music
If you grew up during the Baby Boomer years, this 4 disc set which chronicles the music of composer/musician Lalo Schifrin is essentially the soundtrack to your life. Celebrating the 80th birthday of the famed artist, Aleph Records has compiled…
Caroline Davis Quartet: Live Work & Play
Chicago based alto saxist Caroline Davis has a deep and earthy sounding horn, not unlike Lee Konitz, and her improvisatory skills veer toward the same direction as well: free flowing and tangential. Here, she leads a light on the bottom…
THREE FEMALE VOICES-Cecile Hortensia: Pappilons, Valarie Pettiford: Velvet Sky, Joan Watson-Jones with Frank Wilkins/piano: Quiet Conversations, a Duet
Here is a trio of vocalists you’ve probably never been introduced to. Each have a style and delivery completely different from the other. Choose your partner! Cecile Hortensia mixes a gaul-like Chasson style with a dash of country and western on…