Here’s a sizzling disc lead by drummer Alex Garcia. All of the compositions are his own, and he leads a hard hitting team of Ole Mathisen/ss, Ariel De La Portilla/b and Mike Eckroth/key that mixes the best of Latin Jazz…
Month: June 2014
The Omar Hakim Experience: We Are One
If any percussionist deserves bragging rights this side of Airto, it’s Omar Hakim. He’s worked with suds like Weather Report, Miles, Madonna, Stine, Bowie and even Dire Straits. He goes straightahead on this session with Rachel Z/key, Chieli Minucci/g, Jimi…
Sara Serpa & Andre’ Matos: Primavera
An interesting concept: wordless vocals, sometimes multitracked, backed by keyboards and or guitar. The title track has lots of Serpa’s voice overdubbed in almost a percussive manner, while the rest is fairly Spartan. Greg Osby’s soprano guests on “Choro,” Pete…
Tyler Blanton: Gotham
Vibist Tyler Blanton leads a highly rhythmic team of Matt Clohesy/b, Nate Wood and Donny McCaslin/ts through subtly swinging originals. Lots of grooves and driving energy on pieces such as “Never Sleeps,” “Tunnels” and the title track, while McCaslin’s beefy…
Brenda Earle Stokes: Right About Now
Here’s an impressive album by a vocalist you might want to pay attention to. She hasn’t released anything for a few years, but this one should lead to more projects. She is backed by a team of Matt Aronoff/b, Jordan…
Christos DC: Long Road
Here’s a hip little disc for reggae fans. Christos DC wrote arranged and produced all of the material here and his earthy voice is a plus, as he’s backed by a solid band that includes brass and Hammond B3 on…
Ellen Rowe Quintet: Courage Music
Pianist Ellen Rowe leads a band with Ingrid Jensen/tp-fh, Andrew Bishop/ts-cl, Kurt Krahnke/b, Peter Siers/dr and guest Paul Ferguson/tb over a mix of tunes that exude a chamber jazz ensemble. Pieces such as “Circle of Life” and “Colindrinas de los…
ELLINGTON’S HIDDEN GENIUS…Billy Strayhorn: Out of the Shadows
Most Ellington fans know that one of the reasons for his success was his “discovering” composer/pianist Billy Strayhorn and making him almost an extended part of the famed bandleader. Few people are able to listen to a piece by the…
REED RAPTURE…Jerry Bergonzi: Intersecting Lines, JD Allen: Bloom
How is a tenor supposed to sound? Here are two modern guys giving a nice little workshop. Jerry Bergonzi teams up with alto saxist Dick Oatts to create a lithe and open air quartet with Dave Santoro/b and Andrea Michelutti/dr…
Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band: Life in the Bubble
The LA-based and Grammy-winning Gordon Goodwin Big Phat Band scores another victory with this latest release. Usually, the BPB discs feature guest appearances to help goose up the radio play; it’s not used, or needed this time, sans the frenetic…