So, does the name of the band signify something besides a New York area code? There is definitely a NY State of mind within the trio of Phil Palombi/eb, Eric Halvorson/dr and Matthew Fries/Rhodes. These three gents create an electric…
Month: April 2014
Jazz Bakery Moveable Feast Presents: Regina Carter “Southern Comfort Quintet” @ Zipper Concert Hall 04.19.14
Violinist Regina Carter has explored her musical roots with albums dedicated to music from her mother’s era, her own upbringing in Detroit, and even her African heritage the past few years. This time around, she’s exploring the sounds and music…
Stacey Kent: The Changing Lights
Blossom Dearie-toned Stacey Kent has been mixing her honeycomb-sweet voice with Brazilian songs and sounds for quite some time, and has it down to a perfect salsa, with this latest release possibly being the apotheosis. She mixes and matches musicians…
FOXY! Jazzedelics: Jazzedelics
Here’s a genre that hasn’t been done yet-the Psychedelic Psongbook of the Psixties. Consisting of Doug Perkins/g, Tony Jones/voc-perc, Chris Smith/key, Adam Cohen/b and David Anderson/dr, the Jazzedelics take tunes from the days of black light posters and put a…
BLUE NOTE TRUMPETS! Ambrose Akinmusire: The Imagined Savior is Far Easier to Paint, Takuya Kuroda: Rising Sun
It’s wonderful to see the venerable Blue Note records going back to its roots and bringing to the fore promising young musicians. Here are a couple trumpet players that are making waves. Ambrose Akinmusire has been getting a lot of…
Bruce Barth: Daybreak
Pianist Bruce Barth displays his suave taste and lyrical touch on this collection of originals and jazz standards. He mixes duets, trios, quartets and quintets anlong with Steve Nelson/vibe, Terell Stafford/tp-fh, Vicente Archer/b and Montez Coleman/dr in order to spotlight…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Alejandro Almenares: Casa De Trova Cuba 50’s
If you’re a fan of the Buena Vista Social Club, this guy’s gonna make them seem like a bunch of posers. Composer, vocalist and tres guitarist, Alejandro Almenares delivers the real thing from Cuba here on this two cd set.…
James Booker: Classified-Remixed and Expanded
I’d never heard of New Orleans pianist James Booker before this here reissue of his last studio record from 1983. How did I miss out on this tragic guy who died not long after this release at the age of…
Nistha Raj: Exit 1
Indian violinist Nistha Raj does an impressive job here mixing Central Asian sounds and harmonies with jazz sensibilities and lyricism. Each track has a different mix of instrumental combinations, going from traditional folk to mainstream jazz without any time travel…
Beat Kaestli: Collage
Beat Kaestli tackles an unexplored source of inspiration on this intriguing album: The great French Songbook. He’s supported by the team of Jesse Lewis/g, Will Holshauser/acc, Matt Wigton/b and Fred Kennedy/dr for a wide swath of Gaul influences. With folksy…