Drummer Devin Gray leads a quartet with Chris Speed/ts-cl, Kris Davis/p and Chris Tordini/b and call themselves RelativE ResonancE. They collectively seem to desire to emphasize tricky and kinetic quirkiness over melodious song form, as ectomorphic piano and drum lines…
Month: August 2015
NDR Big Band: Tall Tales of Jasper County
The shadow of composer/arranger Gil Evans looms large over this album which features new pieces by Gil Evans Competition winner Dale Wilson, as his pieces are performed here by the NDR Bigband-Hamburg Radio Jazz Orchestra. The six pieces here give…
Carmell Jones: Quartet with Forrest Westbrook, Gary Peacock & Bill Schwemmer
Not appreciated these days because his career was mostly in the West Coast, trumpeter Carmell Jones is best known for his short stint with Horace Silver. His solo on “Song For My Father” is a classic and is reason enough…
BORN TO BE BLUES…John Mayall: Find A Way to Care
John Mayall holds to my theory on all jazz and blues artists. As opposed to rockers who age terribly, guys like Mayall keep getting better and better each year. The aging process adds to their veritas,and because the music is…
Mark Guiliana Jazz Quartet: Family First
Drummer Mark Guiliana leads a flexible and vibrant team ofChris Morrissey/b, Shai Maestro/p and Jason Rigby/ts through an album filled with originals sans one. The cover “Johnny Was” is a melancholy ballad that features Rigby’s sighing tenor, while the title…
MODERN GUITARS…Ken Silverman Trio: Parallel Man, Matt MacDougall: Boy Goes to City
Here are a couple guys that work their way through six strings, mixing elements of jazz and rock Guitarist Ken Silverman cuts a wide swath of styles here as he goes through a collection of originals and his own arrangement…
Jacob Fischer: In New York City
Jacob Fischer shows that you don’t need to play the electric guitar to be electrifying, as he lithely swings with Chuck Redd/vib, John Webber/b and Matt Wilson/dr through a rich mix of material. Vibes and strings coalesce in a loving…
Mads Vinding/Jean-Michel-Pilc/Marilyn Mazur:Composing
The music on this album by Jean-Michel Pilc/p, Mads Vinding/b and Marilyn Mazur/dr is summarized by two quotes in the liner notes. One is by Wayne Shorter who says “I’m going for the unknown,” and the other by Arnold Schoenberg…
Chuchito Valdes Jr CD Release Concert @ Catalina’s 08.12.15
On the wake of his latest release, pianist Chuchito Valdes and his band delivered a sizzling set that celebrated one of the all time great musical marriages, that of jazz and Cuban music. His core team of Santiago San Tuiste/cong,…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****FLORIAN ROSS QUINTET: Lines & Crosscurrents
Florian Ross uses his skills at composing, arranging and playing the piano and synthesizer while he leads a team through one of the most clever, original and enjoyable albums in memory. He brings together Niels Klien/cl-ts, Markus Segschneider//g-pedal, David Helm/b…