Drummer Jack Mouse and sax/cornetist Scott Robinson avoid all of the potential pitfalls of free form duets on this collection of musical conversations. First avoided pitfall: Most songs are between 3-5 minutes, so the ideas stay fresh in the mind…
Month: March 2015
Allan Harris: Black Bar Jukebox
Singers like Allan Harris are such a rare breed that when one is sptted you’ve got to take notice. He’s got a rich sound to his voice, not a hint of “smooth” jazz glibness in sight, and sounds like he’s…
Tigran Hamasyan: Mockroot
Here’s a release that takes you through a variety of moods and atmospheres. Tigran Hamasyan brings a voice and selection of various keyboards along with a band of Sam Minaie/b and Arthur Hnatek/dr on this collection of originals. Sometimes he creates thoughtful…
Anouar Braham: Souvenance
Tunisian born oud master Anouar Braham has released a number of albums in intimate envrironments, but this time out he gets ambitious, and successfully so, by teaming up with a string quartet and a string orchestra along with a simpatico…
Phil Markowitz & Zach Brock: Perpetuity
Phil Markowitz/p-key and Zach Brock/vio lead a flexible band of Jay Anderson/ab, Lincoln Goines/eb, Obed Calvaire/dr and Edson Da Silva/perc/voc on a mix of originals that mixes the complexity of jazz-rock fusion with the lightness of acoustic jazz. You get…
SWING AND BOP FROM AVID…Earl Hines: Four Classic Albums Plus, Harry James: Four Classic Albums Plus, Cecil Payne: Three Classic Albums Plus, Phil Woods: Four Classic Albums
Uk-based Avid continues its stellar reissue program, this time spotlighting guys that were the standard bearers for swing and bop, respectively. Earl “Fatha” Hines is easily one of the top 5 most important pianists in jazz history, liberating it from it’s…
Joanna Wallfisch with Dan Tepfer: The Origin of Adjustable Things
Here’s a lovely duet between vocalist Joanna Wallfisch and keyboardist Dan Tepfer. The tunes are mostly originals, and Tepfer plays it smart by keeping the support varied in sounds and background, coming back and forth like a gentle current. Wallfisch’s…
JIMMY GREENE: A BEAUTIFUL LIFE
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul. Horatio Spafford What could cause you…
JANE MONHEIT: GRABBING THE GARLAND
VOCALIST JANE MONHEIT FIRST GOT OUR ATTENTION YEARS AGO WHEN SHE CAME ON THE JAZZ SCENE WITH A STUNNING TAKE OF “OVER THE RAINBOW,” FIRST MADE FAMOUS IN THE MOVIE CLASSIC “THE WIZARD OF OZ.” COMING FULL CIRCLE, MS. MONHEIT…