Best known as the heartbeat and pulse of Pat Metheny’s recent work, drummer Antonio Sanchez shows that he’s got leadership qualities of his own on this exciting and energetic release. He’s teamed with some impressive names here-Dave Binney/as and Donny…
Month: April 2013
A BIT LEFT OF CENTER FUN-Verneri Pohjola & Black Motor: Rubidium, Barry Altshul: The 3dom Factor
Here are a couple of releases that play games with melodies and meters. Hang on! Finnish trumpeter Verneri Pohjola fronts a quartet with Sami Sippola/ts-ss, Ville Rauhala/b and Simo Laihonen/dr on this collection of wild and wooly originals. Most of…
Bennett Paster: Relentless Pursuit of the Beautiful
Here’s a release by pianist/composer Bennett Paster that lives up to its title. Paster leads a team of Joel Frahm/ts, Tim Armacost/ts-ss, Alex Pope Norris/tp, Gregory Ryan/b, Willard B. Dyson Jr/dr and Gilad/perc through a collection of modern day post…
Ben Sidran: Don’t Cry For No Hipster
Even when it WASN’T hep to be hip, vocalist/songwriter/pianist Ben Sidran has been, was and always will be…hip. He’s been on the scene in various forms for decades, weaving in and out of semi-popularity since his association with Steve Miller.…
Vadim Neselovsky: Music For September
Well, he’s been a sideman for Gary Burton, and this solo recording is produced by Fred Hersch, so he’s got the ears of some guys who know what to listen for. Pianist Vadim Neselovsky puts together an impressive session here.…
Oli Rockberger: Old Habits
Having worked with the likes of Randy Brecker, Les McCann and Charlie Hunter as well as more pop oriented artists like Levon Helm and John Mayer, singer-songwriter Oli Rockberger brings all of those sounds to the table on this self …
Luke Celenza: Back & Forth
Here’s a debut disc by a guy who shows lots of promise. Pianist Luke Celenza is a Michel Camilo-influenced artist, which is hard to gripe about, and this disc has him in a trio and quartet context with Joshua Crumbly/b,…
Marcus Miller’s Tribute To Miles Davis with Wayne Shorter & Herbie Hancock@Disney Hall 04.22.13
Bassist Marcus Miller pointed out how quickly time marches on when he told the packed house at Disney Hall that the impetus for his concert tribute to Miles Davis was realizing that it’s been 20 years that his former boss…
SARAH GAZAREK BLOSSOMS DEARLY
In the arts and entertainment field, possibly the biggest career killer is to have your name out of circulation for any amount of time. If a teacher’s creed is “publish or perish,” a musician must live by “record or retire.”…
JOE JACKSON: BEGINNING TO SEE ELLINGTON’S LIGHT
Standing in line at for a rockabilly show McCabe’s the other day, the person behind me asked a simple question, “Who’s your all time favorite jazz artist?” Without a nanosecond of hesitation, I blurted “Duke Ellington.” Immediately, the surrounding crowd…