Last time I heard a Freda Payne album were those two mid 60s classics After The Lights Go Down and How Do You Say I Don’t Love You Anymore (what was she, twelve?). These sessions had the likes of Phil…
Month: September 2014
Carmen Lundy: Soul to Soul
Carmen Lundy is sort of like the Arthur Prysock or Johnny Hartmann of female vocalists. Once you hear that dark and husky tone, you’re not going anywhere. So few ladies go as convincingly deep as Ms. Lundy, and once again…
Jay Willie Blues Band: Rumblin’ and Slidin’
This is the second album I’ve heard by guitarist and gritty vocalist Jay Willie, and he’s got the rockin’ blues down like he was born in Memphis. He’s got a regular team of Bob Calahhan/g-v, Steve Clarke/b-p and Bobby t…
YO! Adrian Cunningham: Ain’t That Right! The Music of Neal Hefti
Here’s a great idea done right. Woodwinder Adrian Cunningham brings his breathy tenor, fluid clarinet and cirrus sounding flute along with the mix of Wycliffe Gordon/tb, Dan Nimmer/p Corcoran Holt/b and Chuck Redd/dr for an anthology of tunes from the…
Celia Berk: You Can’t Rush Spring
Here’s a singer with a smart delivery and even wiser selection of material. Celia Berk has a relaxed and assured sort of Broadway Musical kind of voice, so she selects material that work well with shows, giving them a jazzier…
Analog Son: Analog Son
If you want some hard rocking funk, give your speakers a workout with this fun disc that has as its foundation the hard hitting power trio of Jordan Linit/g, Josh Fairman/b and Mike Marlier/dr who bring in a team of…
Jim Stranahan Little Big Band: Migration to Higher Ground
Jim stranahan leads a pair of bands here while playing just about anything with a reed on a collection of fascinatingly arranged charts from both studio and concert settings. The smaller group with Brad Good/tp, Wade Sander/tb, Glan Zaleski/p, Rick…
Andreas Varady: Andreas Varady
Quincy Jones, after all these years, still has his fingers and toes in the jazz scene. He’s always on the lookout for new artists, and this European gypsy guitarist is his latest promising discovery. This disc has Varady in a…
Donna Deussen & The Paul Weitz Trio
Here’s a nice bouncy album of jazz vocals. Donna Deussen has a warmer than Tierney Sutton tone to her voice, and teams it up well with guitarist Paul Weitz and his cast of Matt VanBenschoten/b and Gus Duffy/dr , along…
WHOA!!! Otis Brown III: The Thought Of You
Lost your faith in the future of jazz? Think that it’s going to devolve into either cacophonic noodlings, retreads of the past or groaning hints of hip hop? YOU HAVE HOPE! Drummer Otis Brown III, who’s been a sideman for…