Pianist/vocalist Dena DeRose delivers a swinging tribute to kindred spirit Shirley Horn on this latest release. Her trio of Matt Wilson/dr and Martin Wind/b are hand in glove symbiotic as DeRose plays and sings with authority, verve and lighthearted sass…
Month: October 2014
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Pat Senatore Trio: Ascensione
Because I live in LA, I’ve probably seen bassist Pat Senatore more times in concert during my lifetime than any other bassist. He was the house bassist for his own club in Malibu during the 70s and 80s, and currently…
Gary Gray: Shades of Gray
Noted for his impeccable studio work on countless TV and film scores, UCLA professor and clarinestist Gary Gray puts out a release of his own that displays a wide variety of sounds and styles that is a wonderful mix of…
Tony Kadleck Big Band: Around The Horn
Trumpeter and arranger Tony Kadleck puts together an impressive big band session that breathes new life into some standards and soul tunes. A trio of Motown pieces hit for the cycle with the easy groove of “What’s Going On” including…
Al Basile: Swing n’ Strings
Here’s a fun and friendly release by Al Basile, who sings and plays cornet in a drummerless band with Fred Bates/g, Rich Lataille/sax, Bob Zuck/g and Marty Ballou/b. Except for the snappy “Heat Wave” all the songs have either Basile…
Kenny Lavender: Conscious Journey Part 1 & 2
Kenny Lavender does just about everything but sweep the studio floor here. He playes the trumpet and flugelhorn, writes much of the music here, arranges it all, and leaves off some spare time to sing a handful of the big…
Sherie Julianne: 10 Degrees South
Although looking a bit like Sandra Bullock, vocalist Sherrie Julianne evokes sounds from Brazil as she uses her comfy mezzo soprano on a collection of standard and new bossa nova pieces. She’s teamed up with Marcos Silva/key, Scott Thompson/b, Phil…
Hendrik Meurkens & Misha Tsiganov: Junity
Famed harmonica player Hendrik Meurkens teams up with pianist Misha Tsiganov for some lovely and lyrical duets as well as a handful of quartet pieces with Oleg Osenkov/b and Willard Dyson/dr to make the sounds varied and rich. On the…
Christopher Bono: Bardo
Written and produced by Christopher Bono, this collection of seven pieces of music combines modern classical music and ambient sounds in a fascinating mix of instruments and movements. The Prague FILMharmonic Orchestra includes 34 strings along with various reeds and…
Bobby Broom: My Shining Hour
Few guitarists these days possess an identifiable tone; Bobby Broom’s one of the guys who does. He’s been a perfect foil for tenor guys like Stanley Turrentine and Sonny Rollins, as His #2 pencil thin tone mixed with a duster…