Known for his TV show that catered to Russian audiences, vocalist-entertainer Oleg Frish pulls one out of his hat here with a “Duets” album that smokes the ones made by more famous (and aging) stars. He’s backed by a swinging…
Month: July 2015
Steve Davis: Say When
Sonny Rollins once told me that “albums are invitations to see me in concert.” If that’s so, then the catalogue of issues from Smoke Sessions Records should make you want to frequent that NYC jazz club, because everything they put…
Pat Bianchi Trio: A Higher Standard
The key factor in any organ trio is 1) song selection and 2) how deeply you want to set the groove. Hammond B3-er Pat Bianchi joins with Craig Ebner/g and Byron Landham/dr for a collection of some clever picks of…
STRING TRIOS! April Verch: The Newpart, Ameranouche: Sun Shine Soul
Piano trios get more press, but string trios actually have been around much longer. Here are a pair of them, coming from divergent parts of town. Violinist April Verch comes from a bluegrass and folk styled approach here and teams…
Perry Beekman: S’Wonderful
Perry Beekman continues his “tribute” album series with this most recent one being dedicated to George and Ira Gershwin. His first two were tips of the cap to Rodgers & Hart and Cole Porter, and this time out the guitarist/vocalist…
Charles Evans: On Beauty
You sometimes have to ask where the line is drawn between modern jazz and modern classical. Baritone saxist Charles Evans walks the tightrope between the two here with David Liebman/ss, Ron Stabinsky/p and Tony Marino/b on a 9 movement collection…
Dirty Bourbon River Show: Important Things Humans Should Know
You want quirky? We got quirky here. Right up there with Captain Beefheart or Commander Cody-type quirky. The Dirty Bourbon River Show cinsists of Noah Adams/voc-key-g-tp-acc, Matt Thomas-voc-reeds, Dane Schindler/dr and Jimmy Williams/tuba-b along with some guests on strings, slide…
TWO SIDES OF KEITH JARRETT…Keith Jarrett: Barber/Bartok/Jarrett, Creation
In order to say “happy birthday” to Keith Jarrett for his 70th, ECM has released a pair of “new” releases of Jarrett that have been in the vaults for awhile. What were they waiting for? The first is a 2…
IS THIS A GREAT COUNTRY OR WHAT?!?
Yeah, I know! The government, the leaders, and the whole system seems like a total joke lately. The President, Congress, the candidates, police and race scandals, and we in California have “Moonbeam” for our governor who is more concerned about a…
Aaron Diehl: Space Time Continuum
In between his touring with vocalist Cecile McLoren Salvant and Wynton Marsalis, pianist Aaron Diehl has released some impressive albums of his own. This latest one has him with his core trio of David Wong/b and Quincy Davis/dr showing their…