It seemed for awhile that after the producer of Arbors Records, Mat Domber, died in 2012, the swinging little label might just cash in its chips. However, it seems to have bounced back with a hip release last year by…
Month: June 2014
SWING IT, GATE! Louis Prima Jr. and the Witnesses: Blow, Swing Fever with Mary Stallings: One Full Hour of Music
Remember when jazz used to be fun? That’s how I originally got into it; guys like Louis Jordan and Dizzy Gillespie were able to make you want to dance and smile at the same time. Nowadays it’s more like a…
HARD HITTERS…Dewabudjana w/ Jimmy Johnson & Vinnie Coliauta: Surya Namaskar, Xavi Reija: Resolution
Dedicated to “progressive music exploring the boundaries of jazz, rock, avant-garde & the unknown, MoonJune Records has release two new albums that make fusion a good word again. You probably haven’t ever heard of Indonesian guitarist Dewa Budjana, so it’s…
Flavorful Big Bands…The Pete McGuinness Jazz Orchestra: Strength in Numbers, David White Orchestra: The Chase
Who says the Big Band Era is over? Here are a couple of recordings that are both intelligent and swinging. Grammy nominated arranger, trombonist and vocalist Pete McGuinness puts together some exciting charts on both originals, standards and traditionals. He…
Steven Kroon: On the #1
Steven Kroon plays congas and percussion while leading a sleek and savvy latin band which includes Igor Atalita/key, Bryan Carrott/vib, Craig Rivers/fl, Tim Ries/sax, Ruben Rodriguez/b and Vince Cherico/dr. Compositions by Donald Vega, George Cables and others feature feathery woodwinds…
PIANO TRIOS! Ted Rosenthal Trio: Rhapsody in Gershwin, Krom: Krom
Ah! The stripped down essence of jazz-the piano trio! Pianist Ted Rosenthal brings together Martin Wind/b and Tim Horner/dr for some highly clever arrangements of Gershwin tunes. The centerpiece, however, is a tour de force rendition of the whole meghilla…
Donald Edwards: Evolution of An Influenced Mind
Drummer Donald Edwards leads a post bop quintet that includes Walter Smith III/ts, David Gilmore/g, Orrin Evans/p and Eric Revis/b through a collection of originals. The leader’s drumming is varied, clever and quite diverse, ranging from an African influenced “History…
Theo Croker: Afro Physicist
Theo Croker actually has a pretty good pedigree for his career as a trumpet player, being the grandson of hall of famer Doc Cheatham. This album isn’t swing or mainstream, though, Croker does give homage to the jazz traditions of…
Paul Bley: Play Blue-Live in Oslo Solo
One of the more undeservedly overlooked members of the ECM family, pianist/composer Paul Bley has been one of the founding fathers of the experimental side of jazz, even though at one time he was known as a bebopper for the…
Nels Cline Singers: Macroscope
Guitarist/leader Nels Cline continues to mix forward looking music and experimentation with the jazz tradition like few others. Here, on his band’s fifth release, he and his base team of Scott Amendola/perc, and Trevor Dunn/b mix electronics and loops along…