Month: May 2014

This delightful duet album between vocalist Kendra Shank and guitarist John Stowell is filled with creativity, surprise and artistic joy. They mix up the tunes with standards and originals, lyrics and sounds as well as Shank bringing in electronic loops,…

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Back in 1976, bassist Jaco Pastorius threw down the bass playing gauntlet with a debut album that still astonishes to this day. Jazz solos of bop standards, Memphis Soul and adventurous fusion all came together in a way that set the…

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Vocalist Nicky Schrire released an impressive album last year, and is tempting us more with this six song ep of originals. Backed by a sensitive team of Fabian Almazan/p and Desmond White/b, Schrire uses the spartan support to serve as…

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Here’s a cd/dvd that will warm your cockles, if they ever needed warming. The ultimate eclectic 70s band, Little Feat, is caught in their prime on this cd/dvd recording during a concert at the Dutch festival Pinkpop back in June…

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Besides jazz, country and bluegrass are products of America, and these two releases display a world view and musicianship that deserves the respect of all improvisers and composers. Carlene Carter has been mixing country, blues and rock since her debut…

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I am one of the judges for the Downbeat Magazine Critics Poll, and the most disheartening part of the job is to pick the “Best…” of the year in each category. I used to revel in deciding, “Hmm…was Rollins better…

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The vocal quartet of Anonymous 4 consists of Ruth Cunningham, Marsha Genensky, Susan Hellauer and Jacqueline Horner-Kwiatek. Together, they delve into the songbook of 13th Century France, more specifically the chansons and motets of the period, and deliver the medieval…

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