Clarinetist Louis Sclavis teams up with Gilles Coronado/g, Benjamin Moussay/p-key and Keyvan Chemiriani/perc to create a variety of moods. Some of the tunes such as “L’autre rive” have a rich, chamberlike romanticism and display all of the warmth a clarinet…
Month: September 2014
Rotem Sivan Trio: For Emotional Use Only
Quiet echoes of Jim Hall are felt on this delicate and subtle release by guitarist Rotem Sivan and his team of Haggai Cohen Milo/b and Mark McLean/dr as they deliver gentle moods on this collection of originals minus one. Nimble…
Hamid Cooper: Caliente
LA based percussionist Hamid Cooper has put together another irresistible mix of latin and Afro Cuban tunes here. Armed with a simpatico team of Artis Ford/p, Bill James/fl-as-ss, Bill Mason/tp and Doug White-Mike Monty/b, Hamid provides a sizzling mix of…
Barbara Morrison: I Love You, Yes I Do
Just like with preachers, some deliver because they’ve gone to school, others because they’ve seen the Burning Bush. LA veteran Barbara Morrison has the instincts of Moses and Elijah here in both song selection and delivery with a team of…
LONG LIVE THE KING! Elvis Presley: That’s The Way It Is
To paraphrase, if there wasn’t an Elvis Presley, man would have had to invent him. He simply embodies modern American music like no one can, could, or ever will. Men loved him because we all fantasize being able to BE…
Rodrigo Y Gabriela: 9 Dead Alive
For their first studio disc of original material in quite some time, the team of Rodrigo y Gabriela unplug from their high voltage concert sounds and go acoustic on this thrilling new release. Dramatic rhythms and flashy solos are still…
Anja Lechner & Francois Courturier: Moderato Cantabile
Byzantine and Middle Eastern moods are conjured up here on an intriguing series of duets between violoncellist Anja Lechner and pianist Francois Courturier. Brooding and Orthodox mysticism is reflected in the fact that hymns from the Armenian monk Komitas are…
Jazz Bakery Presents Angel City Jazz Festival 2014: Wadada Leo Smith’s Silver Orchestra & Anthony Braxton Trio @ Zipper Hall 09.27.14
Ho hum. Another day at the Angel City Jazz Fest, another jazz legend comes to town. There’s something always happening at the Angel City Jazz Fest. While not the biggest fan of free/avant garde jazz, I always enjoy every show…
Jazz Bakery Presents Angel City Jazz Festival 2014 Toshiko Akiyoshi Trio & Cathlene Pineda Quartet @ Redcat 09.26.14
Now in its 6th year, the Angel City Jazz Festival is becoming one of the most impressive fests, not only in CA (which really doesn’t take much) but all over the world (which does!). This year, Jeff Gauthier, Ruth Price…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Fo’ and Mo’: ALIVE at Firehouse 12 Vol 2
This is one of the most fun “outside” albums I’ve heard in decades. The teams of Fo’ (Joseph Doubleday/vibes, Feliz Peikli/cl-bcl, RP/dr) and Mo’(Steve Wilson/ss, Eguie Castrillo/perc) deliver wild, frenzied and wonderfully virtuosic music at a 2013 gig that I…