Journalist Rick Mitchell worked for the Houston Chronicle and got the enviable job of interviewing all of the artists who performed at the local La Camera Jazz Series for the Houston International Festival. This just under 150 page book comprises…
Month: January 2015
A WELCOME BLAST FROM THE PAST…John Abercrombie: The First Quartet
With all of the jazz guitarists around these days, it’s easy to forget how important John Abercrombie has been, and therefore still is, on the vaulted status of the six strings. This 3 cd set features his albums with…
Lee Ritenour@ Catalina’s 01.09.15
January is starting the year of with a feast for guitar fans. In just these four short weeks you can see (deep breath) Mike Stern, Eric Johnson, Alan Holdsworth, Julian Lage, Nels Cline,Larry Koonse, Bill Frisell and of course the…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****The Urban Renewal Project: Local Legend
I really didn’t think people were capable of making albums like this anymore. What you’ve got here is a mix of old school soul a la Stax Records or the Funk Brothers, some incredible vocal duets, and yet a dash…
Phil Bowler: Phil Bowler & Pocket Jungle
Bassist Phil Bowler leads a band that knows how to create a groove. He teams up with Pete Smith-g, Paul Carlon/ts, Willeam Bausch/dr and Scott Latzky/dr-perc on a collection of material that can snap and sizzle like “Funky Cha” or…
Owen Howard: Drum Lore Vol. 2-More Lore
I’ll tell you right now, this album doesn’t feel like on lead by a drummer. Owen Howard wrote most of the tunes and arranged them all as he leads a hard bopping team of John O’Gallagher/as, Adam Kolker/ts-ss-bcl, Jrank carlberg/p…
Gabriel Espinosa & Hendrik Meurkens: Samba Little Samba
Here’s some fun Brazilian music brought to you by bassist/vocalist Gabriel Espinosa along with vibes and harmonica man Hendrik Meirkens, who seems to have been bred to samba. You get some lively teamwork here as well, as Anat Cohen brings…
Ezra Weiss Sextet: Before You Know It
Subtitled, “Live In Portland,” this album features pianist Ezra Weiss teaming up with his band of Farnell Newton/tp, John Nastos/as, Devin Phillips/ts, Jon Shaw/b and Christopher Brown/dr on a couple of shows at the Ivories Jazz Lounge in front of…
Clare Fischer Big Band: Pacific Jazz
Directed by Clare Fischer’s son Brent, this big band boasts some wonderful LA legends through a collection of fun and fascinating charts. Studio studs like Bob Sheppard/ts-ss, Andy Martin/tb, Carl Saunders/tp and Scott Whitfield/tb are just some of the guest…
Cynthia Felton: Save Your Love For Me
This is about the third album I’ve heard by this vocalist, and each one knocks me out. This time, the clarion voiced lady does a tip of the sombrero to the Nancy Wilson songbook, and she makes it work very…