I’m not sure why the dobro has never caught on in jazz circles. It’s a hip sounding instrument, with a lot of opportunities for expression and making your own voice. Here, you’ve got three of the most famous masters in…
Month: January 2015
The Spin Quartet: In Circles
The post bop quartet of Chad McCullough/tp-fh, Geof Bradfield/sax, Clark Sommers/b and Kobie Watkins/dr do some impressive work with clever and sophisticate originals. Without a piano as a safety net, the two horns weave in and out of unison like…
Bija: Bija
Bija is a core trio of Gabriele di Franco/g-loops, Francesco Pellizzari/dr-perc and Marco Puzzello/tp-fh with some guest work by Emanuele Coluccia/sax and Stefano Luigi Mangia/voc. The unorthodox trio works wonders here, with Puzello’s gentle and romantic horn working wonders as…
JAZZ, BLUES AND ELLINGTONIA FROM AVID…Duke Ellington: The Great 1940-1942 Band, Yusef Lateef: Four Classic Albums, Memphis Slim: Four Classic Albums Plus, Phil Woods: Four Classic Albums
These latest 2cd reissue packages from UK based Avid Group not only answers the question “where did we come from” but implies another question , “Where did we go wrong?” as everything here exudes the apotheosis of 20th Century civilization.…
Outhead: Send This Sound to the King
Alex Weiss plays alto and tenor sax on this mix sounds with Charlie Gurke/bs, Rob Woodcock/b and Dillon Westbrook/dr. The sounds come across as a mix of vintage Charles Mingus, but without the neurosis and Ornette Coleman yet without the…
Sons of Champlin & Will Champlin @ The Lobero 01.03.15
It was a true Night of Champlins as the legendary group Sons of Champlin came to Santa Barbara not only with their own mix of rock, funk and jazz, but the SON of the Sons of Champlin took the baton…
Myriam Alter: Cross/Ways
Myriam Alter composes, arranges and even plays a bit of piano on this album that focuses on the mix of mediterranea and jazz. The team of Luciano Biondini/acc, John Ruocco/cl, Michel Massot/tuba-tb, Michel Bisceglia/p, Nic Thys/b and Lander Gyselinck/dr .…
Michael Hedges: Aerial Boundaries (Remastered)
Continuing its run of remastering classic albums through the SACD hybrid, Audio Fidelity has recently re-released Michael Hedges’ Grammy nominated Aerial Boundaries from 1984. Hedges was one of the originators of the two handed tapping approach to guitar playing, and…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Melissa Stylianou: No Regrets
First, a disclaimer: I’m Greek. My wife says that disqualifies me from critiquing an album by a Greek because “You’d love it even if it were terrible, just because she’s Greek.” Then, I’d hear the rant about how Greeks think…
KJ Dave Doran & Christy Doran:XL-Target
A lot of music is delivered by this tiny trio, but each guy works overtime. Kj Dave Doran plays drums, samples and programming, Christy Doran hits the guitar and “efx” and Joe Bowie sings along with providing some hip trombone…