Am I being hyperbolic by comparing guitarist Dewa Budjana to Pat Metheny? Hey, I’m not the one who hired Ben Williams/b and Antonio Sanchez/dr to the session! This guy is known in Bali for his rock band GIGVI, but here…
Month: April 2015
Chantale Gagne: The Left Side of the Moon
Pianist Chantale Gagne delivers with a lovely glassy touch as she fronts a quartet with the studly team of Steve Wilson/ss-as, Peter Washington/b and Lewis Nash/dr through a collection of originals. Her piano dances with Asian chimes on a handful…
Dario Boente: Limelight
Some albums simply have a great feel to them, no matter what the mood is. This one, lead by pianist/keyboardist Dario Boent, is one such release. He goes solo, duo, trio and small band and in almost as many styles…
Kansas: Out Of Nowhere
Back in the 70s, both jazz and rock bands were creating the halcyon days of what was called either “jazz fusion” or “progressive rock.” One of the bands that literally came out of the sticks was Kansas, which was sort…
Richie Goods & Nuclear Fusion: Three Rivers
Are any of you old enough out there when “fusion” was the latest and most exciting trend in music? At one time, bands like Return To Forever, Mahavishnu Orchestra and Weather Report attracted fans of both jazz and rock, filling…
EVER HEAR OF…Michael Jefry Stevens? Trio Generations: Brain Inventory Trio, Side Effects, l, The Fonda/Stevens Group: 20th Anniversary Tour, Brain Inventory Trio: The Wall, Jon Hammersam & Michael Jefry Stevens: Dear Jonas, Wendy Jones Quartet: Perfect Dream
One of the frustrations of being a jazz fan is that there are SO MANY great artists that get overlooked. Sometimes because they don’t live in NYC, other times because they don’t tour incessantly, or just because there’s no defined…
BKO Quintet: Bamako Today
As it says in the liner notes, this collection of songs was “recorded in France, somewhere in Cevennes Mountains.” How’s that for keeping the sounds traditional? The two vocalists Fassara Sacko and Nfaly Diakite team up with Ibrahima Sarr/djembe, Abdoulaye…
Tim & Caio: In Brazil
Violinist Tim Snider from Portland and guitarist Caio Andreatta from Brazil team up to create some modern sounds that mix indie with jazz and samba. The guys mix and match with Max Ribner/tp-fh, Claudio Baeta/dr-perc, Claudio Rocha/b and other guests,…
Lawson Rollins: Traveler
Guitarist Lawson Rollins is one of the few out there that can bridge the gap between jazz, world and smooth. He’s got a lyrical touch on the guitar, and also has some fun with drum programming on this collection of…
Singing and Swinging…Maureen Budway: Sweet Candor, Katie Thiroux: Introducing…
Here are a couple ladies that know how to carry a tune, more ways than one for the latter. Maureen Budway has a rich and clear voice. She uses it well with David Budway/p, Jeff Grubs-Paul Thompson/b, James Johnson III-Thomas…