Taking a break from his stint with Pat Metheny, and still basking in the joy of being nominated for his soundtrack on the Birdman movie, drummer Antonio Sanchez presented his own band that mixed the chops of the latter with the…
Month: June 2015
TWO GEMS FROM AVID…Howlin’ Wolf & Muddy Waters: Four Classic Albums, Lem Winchester: Four Classic Albums
The great thing about Avid Records is that they find material from artists not only world famous, but completely obscure. These latest two releases are perfect examples. This double disc of blues includes four of the most important releases to…
A BOPPER! Terell Stafford: Brotherlee Love
Terell Stafford is a God-chosen pick to deliver a tribute to legendary trumpeter Lee Morgan. He’s got the ability to capture Morgan’s swagger as well as lyricism, yet keep his own voice as he teams up with Tim Warfield/ts, Bruce…
THIS IS A HARD BOP TENOR 101…Jimmy Heath: The Jimmy Heath Sextet and Orchestra, The Quota and Triple Threat
Tenorist Jimmy Heath is one of the last living musicians that played under the shadow of Charlie Parker. He switched from alto so he’d stop being compared to the icon. His composing and arranging skills set him apart from guys…
THIS IS A BARITONE SAX 101…Lars Gullin: Complete 1956-1960 Studio Recordings
I’m willing to bet that there aren’t enough fans out there of Swedish baritone saxist Lars Gullin (1928-1978) to fill a Volkswagen Beetle. His legacy has at least two strikes against him; 1) he spent most of his time in…
THE BEST TRIBUTE TO BILLIE’S 100TH…Billie Holiday: Banned From New York City-Live 1948-1957
I’m sure that you’ve noticed that there is not a shortage of “celebrations” of Billie Holiday’s 100th birthday. Reissues and tributes from vocalists to pianists are as ubiquitous as stories on Bruce Jenner. This 2 cd set from Uptown Records…
Jerry Bergonzi: Rigamaroll
The souls of John Coltrane and Freddie Hubbard cast long shadows on this strong session by tenorist Jerry Bergonzi as he teams up with Phil Grenadier/tp, Bruce Barth/p, Dave Santoro/b and Andrea Michelutti/dr through a collection of tunes from the…
Justin Grinnell Quartet: Without You
I just saw this San Diego pianist play at Vibrato in LA and had to check out to confirm if his studio work is as impressive as his concert demeanor. He leads a stron quartet of Robby Marshall/ts, Josh Nelson/p…
Michelle Lordi: Drive
Vocalist Michelle Lordi teams up with Orrin Evans-Tom Lawton/p, Madison Rast/b Dan Monaghan/dr and Larry McKenna/ts for a collection of moody deliveries of standards. Her voice has a folk singer’s phrasing to it, never reaching too high or low, and…
Albert Lee w/ Cindy Cashdollar@The Canyon Club 06.25.15
In a recent interview with us, Albert Lee pointed out that the main ingredient missing in today’s music is the ability to swing. What does he mean by that term? His evening at the Canyon Club on the 25th was…