Pianist Fred Hersch has been putting out some incredible trio material the past few years. His Village Vanguard set was on everyone’s Top Ten List. He goes back into the studio with his trio of John Hebert/b and Eric McPherson/dr…
Month: September 2014
SMOKIN’!…Darren Barrett dBQuintet: Live and Direct 2014
Here’s a trumpet player that you’re gonna love. Darren Barrett’s got a big fat tone and an attack like vintage Lee Morgan on this concert set that includes Myron Walden/ts-ss, Takeshi Ohbayashi/p, Alexander Toth/b and Anthony Toth/dr. All the songs…
Samo Salamon’s Bassless Quartet: 2 Alto
Post bop guitarist Samo Salamon does some creative configurations here by putting together a team of himself with two alto saxes (provided by Loren stillman and John O’Gallagher) and one drummer, Robert Dant. The result gives hints of Lee Konitz’s…
Mark De Clive-Lowe: Church
New Zealand born and bred, keyboardist Mark de Clive-Lowe has been making a name for himself in the LA scene lately. I just saw him in an impressive performance with Harvey Mason, and he knows his ways around the electronics.…
Ginger Baker: Why?
Even when he was actively one of the legends of rock drumming, Ginger Baker always gave homage to his jazz influence, stating that guys like Art Blakey made him the drummer (if not the addict) that he was. His work…
Downing/Lewis/Occhipinti: Bristles
Here’s a jazz trio that you don’t hear every day. You’ve got guitarist David Occhipinti, bassist Andrew Downing and trumpeter Jim Lewis caught in a 2013 gig in Ontario, Canada and in the studio where they mix and match standards…
Jason Paul Curtis: Faux Bourgeois Café’
Over a year ago, Rat Pack vocalist Jason Paul Curtis put out an impressive Christmas album. This time out, the singer/trumpeter shows he can also compose as he puts together of his own tunes (and a couple covers) with a…
Larry Goldings-Peter Bernstein-Bill Stewart: Ramshackle Serenade
The trio of Larry Goldings/B3, Peter Bernstein/g and Bill Stewart/dr have been together and jamming in the LA scene for quite some time, and this latest release shows the benefits of long term friendships. The underlying blues permeate much of…
Jeff Cosgrove/Matthew Shipp/William Parker: Alternating Current
Three musicians, three songs, sixty minutes. Worried? Don’t be. Drummer Jeff Cosgrove mixes it up with Matthew Shipp/p and William Parker/b, and do the nearly impossible in that they definitely freely improvise, but without a trace of cataclysmic cacophony or…
David Olney: When the Deal Goes Down
Every now and then, I veer into my guilty pleasure of country singers that walk with a limp, and this time around I came across David Olney. He looks like he was on a wagon train with Walter Brennan, and…