Grammy award winning pianist/composer Bill Cunliffe decked the halls of Vitellos with some swinging Christmas small group jazz and a stocking stuffer followup of big band Brazilian sounds that warmed up a cold winter night for a packed house of…
Month: December 2013
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Sachal Studios Orchestra: Jazz and All That
Remember those great CTI albums with strings and arrangements by Claus Oberman back in the 60s and 70s? Imagine if Henri Mancini wrote and arranged for Bollywood, and Oberman did the final touches, and you get a hint of how…
Jonny Lang: Fight For My Soul
A number of years ago, guitarist Jonny Lang hit the scene and caught everyone’s attention because this young Christian kid was playing his Fender like he was raised in the Mississippi Delta and sang like he grew up in the…
Hans Koller & Friends: Legends Live
This German label keeps releasing some wonderfully obscure material. Most of the time, it seems we’re discovering European artists that should have received more attention. In this case, tenor saxist Hans Koller is the artist spotlighted during these concert recordings…
VOCALISTS FROM A BYGONE ERA…Bryan Ferry: Live In Lyon, Peter Gabriel: Live in Athens 1987
Back in the 70s, Bryan Ferry and Peter Gabriel were two of the biggest names in rock, being the face and voice of Roxy Music and Genesis respectively. Here are a couple concerts that show where their paths took them…
Joey DeFrancesco: One For Rudy
If you’ve been in the jazz scene for awhile, there’s only one Rudy who everyone knows, the revered engineer Rudy Van Gelder, whose studio and mixing style is simply part of the jazz dna. The sound of the drums that…
THE NATURAL…Wilford Brimley w/ the Jeff Hamilton Trio, Mike Jones Trio: Plays Well with Others
YES! That WIlford Brimley! The guy that was in The Natural, The Firm and China Syndrome. And you know what? This guy sounds great! He’s got an avuncular tone and pace, along with a lounge lizard’s sense of timing as…
TWO QUARTETS…Samo Salamon Quartets: Stretching Out
Guitarist Samo Salamon has two different quartets on this double cd set; one being an American team with Donny McCaslin/ts, John Hebert/b and Gerald Cleaver/dr, and the European band fatureing Dominique Pifarely/vio, Bruno Chevillon/b and Roberto Dani/dr. Both recordings are…
Pentultima: Snow Paws
If you’re longing for the days when rock and pop sounded at least halfway intelligent and optimistic, this Australian group lead by Lu Ruello might be right up your alley. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard a non-country/bluegrass…
Chris Campbell/Grant Cutler: Schooldays Over
Here’s either a 45 rpm vinyl album or 20 minute download by Chris Campbell and Grant Cutler. They, along with guests Michelle Kinney, Jacqueline Ultan and Joey Van Phillips, make a seven part suite out of the Irish folk ballad…