IF YOU MISSED GOING TO SUNDAY SCHOOL AS A CHILD, YOU MAY NOT BE FAMILIAR WITH THE STORY OF JOB, ONE OF THE WORLD’S OLDEST AND MOST RELEVANT STORIES OF MANKIND. ON TOP OF HIS GAME FOR MOST OF HIS LIFE,…
Month: January 2015
Steve Gadd Band@Catalina’s 01.29.15
The term “Deep Pockets” is usually a financial term, but in the case of drummer Steve Gadd, it’s a fitting description of the music that he has created over his career. Celebrating his 70th birthday, he filled up Catalina’s with…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Marcus Goldhaber: A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening
This is the about the third album I’ve heard by vocalist Marcus Goldhaber, and each one is a joy. First, he writes a lot of his own material, and it’s all clever, thoughtful, lyrical and swinging. Second, he’s got a…
Alex Belhaj’s Crescent City Quartet: Sugar Blues
The wondrous grit and feel of all things New Orleans are presented here with the heartfelt team of Ray Heitger/cl, Dave Kowmyna/ct, Jordan Schug/b and Alex Belhaj/g as the team delivers a fun mix of nostalgia and classic earth tones.…
Joey Sommerville: Overnight Sensation
Trumpeter Joey Sommerville mixes old school soul with modern smooth here on a mix of originals with a cover. He shows his jazz bona fides with a growling reading of Duke Ellington’s “Caravan”with trombonist Jeff Bradshaw, but can also show his…
Kevin Conlon & The Groove Rebellion:In Transit
The fact that bassist/keyboardist/guitarist/percussionist/vocalist Kevin Conlon feels that creating a groove is actually a rebellion in itself should tell you that this disc is made for the finger snapper in all of us. He doesn’t disappoint; A collection of drummers…
Shivani Kumar: Where Do We Go From Here
Here’s a lady that knows here way around a song. Shivani Kumar works with a trio of trios here as she tackles a Baker’s Dozen standards. She has a comfortable and assured presence in her delivery, sounding hip on the…
Peter Zak: The Disciple
Pianist Peter Zak leads an interactive trio with Peter Washington/b and Willie Jones III/dr through a soulful and thoughtful collection of originals and jazz classics. He’s got a gentle and pensive touch, not unlike Bill Evans, which is reflected in…
Joseph Daley: Portraits-Wind, Thunder and Love
Better known as a sideman for the likes of Sam Rivers, Gil Evans and Charlie Haden, Joseph Daley has lately turned to conducting and arranging, making some very intriguing and original sounding music. This time around, he mixes strings and…
Fabio Delvo: Rastplatz
Indian and Israeli jazz artists have been getting a lot of print lately, but let’s not forget that Italians have been linked to this music for decades and have created their own sound and tradition. Here, as a perfect example…