Once in awhile, I see what’s out there in the pop/rock field, and came across this little band. Consisting of Jacob Loden/voc-g, Mike Reynolds/g-banj-voc, Tim Mathew/b, Kelsey Mathew/dr, this quartet puts together an album of what is called either “indie…
Month: February 2014
Shirish Korde: Ka
A mixture of Central Asia and the Western Hemisphere come into play her as Deepti Navaratna/voc-sit, Jan Muller-Szeraws/cello, Amit Kavthekar/tab and The Boston Musica Viva coalesce for a handful of creative sounds and visions. Szeraws’ brooding cello creates a wondrously…
Dee Bell-Marcos Silva: Silva Bell Elation
Vocalist Dee Bell joins together with pianist Marcos Silva for a collection of upbeat and smooth takes of jazz standards along with a few surprises. Scott Thompson/b and Phil Thompson/dr round out the team that has Bell’s husky voice approach…
Herbie Hancock, Christian McBride & Dianne Reeves@Disney Hall 02.09.14
“This is no longer Disney Hall,” joked vocalist Dianne Reeves as she began the 10th year anniversary show for the acoustically adroit theatre. “This is our living room,” she declared, as she turned the hall into an intimate setting in…
BACK TO THE FUTURE…George Lewis: Keeper of the Flame
Back during the Swing Era, music fans were trying to get back to the roots of jazz and search for some of the progenitors of what became known as “traditional jazz.” Finding and finally recording the likes of Bunk Johnson,…
SHE’S STILL AROUND! Sue Raney: Complete Capitol Years 1956-1960
Vocalist Sue Raney is still making the rounds on the LA scene, and has bridged the gap between jazz and pop since her first recordings, which are found on this fresh 2 cd set. Her career began just as jazz…
David Ian: Valentine’s Day
Pianist/arranger David ian seems to be inspired by holidays. He’s released a couple Christmas albums, and now he’s upping the ante with a tip of the arrow to Valentine’s Day. He mixes a trio setting with guest vocals, with the…
Dave Van Ronk: Inside Dave Van Ronk
Concord Records is going deep into its vaults and bringing out some wonderful material. Case in point are two albums folk guitarist/singer Dave Van Ronk recorded back in 1962. Originally titled Folksinger and Inside Dave Van Ronk, these 25…
Bela Fleck and Brooklyn Rider@Valley Performing Arts Center 02.08.14
“What is a banjo doing with a string quartet, and vice versa?” was a question poignantly asked by violinist Jonathan Gandelsman and answered during the 2 hour concert at CSUNs Performing Arts Center with banjo extraordinaire Bela Fleck and the…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****John Stowell & Dave Liebman: Blue Rose
If you’re not a sucker for duet albums, maybe THIS one will change your mind. Acoustic guitarist John Stowell sits down by the fireplace with Dave Liebman for a collection of duets that sounds like a conversation between masters of…