Has modern music finally reached the point where an actual melody is no lingered required? These two recent releases address that thorny issue. Tenor saxist Rich Halley teams up with Clyde Reed/b, Carson Halley/dr and Michael Vlatkovich/tb-perc-acc for a collection…
Month: July 2015
Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad: Bright Days
A rich mix of blues, boogie and country form a nice thick paste here as the GPGDS take you to the land of Johnny Cash and the Delta and back. The team of James Searl/b-voc, Chris O’Brian/dr-voc, Dylan Savage/g-voc, Dan…
Jesse Cook: One World
Jesse Cook takes his talents on the flamenco guitar and puts them into a 21st Century mix as he uses synthesized drums and programming along with classical strings as well as percussion, reeds and sounds from other parts of the…
Pete Rodriguez: El Conde Negro
Trumpeter and vocalist Pete Rodriguez does what every father dreams of his son; he takes over the business. Son of the famed crooner Pete “El Conde” Rodriguez, “young” Pete returns to songs made famous by his father and brings classic…
Paula Maya: Iluminar
Where else would you expect to get first rate Brazilian music except from Austin, Texas? Well, that’s where Paula Maya is from, and this most recent session of hers with Joe McCrearydr, Brad Taylor/b, Art Carvajal/g and Bruno Vinezof/perc has…
Lauren White: Experiment
Vocalist Lauren teams up with pianist Quinn Johnson’s Trio, which actually is part of Tierney Sutton’s working band of Trey Henry/b and Ray Brinker/dr, for this tribute to the recordings of legendary singer Irene Kral. White’s voice has a happy…
Continental Drifters: Drifted-In The Beginning & Beyond
Here’s a 2 disc retrospective of a band that unfairly slipped through the cracks of popularity. The band Continental Drifters consisted of Ray Ganucheau, Gary Eaton, Carlo Nuccio, Mark Walton, Peter Holsapple, Vicki Peterson and Susan Cowsill in various incarnations.…
THE INSPIRATION OF “BITCHES BREW”? Sly & The Family Stone: Live At The Fillmore East 1968
As Miles Davis would tell the story; one day he happened to go to a concert in the late 60s and took in a Sly and the Family Stone concert. He was startled by the number of enthusiastic kids, both…
Kurt Elling: Passion World
Vocalist Kurt Elling continues to create a unique catalogue of moods and tributes. This time around her collects various pieces or “charmers” (as he calls them) that he uses on the road in various countries as encores. Songs in German,…
Enoch Smith Jr: Misfits II Pop
Pianist/composer Enoch Smith Jr serves up an impressive mix of hip mainstream jazz and urban R&B here with a core team of Sangmin Lee/dr, Noah Jackson/b and vocalists Sarah Elizabeth Charles, Nate Anderson, renee Anderson and Dee-1. Straightahead and sleek…