Believe it or not, there was a time when jazz was a really popular style of music, and the electric guitar was ruled by gods such as Larry Coryell, John McGlaughlin, Al DiMeola and Jeff Beck. All four of these…
Month: September 2015
Ramsey Lewis: Taking Another Look
Pianist Ramsey Lewis here revisits his 1974 successful Sun Goddess with a team of Henry Johnson/g, Mike Logan/key, Joshua Ramos/b and Charles Heath/dr. Lewis has made a career of making jazz accessible to the current generation, and this one had…
Stefano Battaglia Trio: In The Morning
The gentle piano hands of Stefano Battaglia teams up with Salvatore Maiore/b and Roberto Dani/dr for seven pieces that mix gentle melodies with ambitious opuses. Of the former, “River Run” takes you on an atmospheric journey with Maiore’s tensile bass…
Mark Knopfler@Dolby Theatre 09.19.15
If the goal of a musician is to tell a story, Mark Knopfler could very well be one of our modern day Bards. His concert at the Dolby was a 2 hour collection of 15+ musical novellas, taking you to…
Duchess @ E Spot Lounge 09-17-15
It felt like a wedding at the E Spot Lounge as the triple threat vocal team Duchess delivered something old, new, borrowed and blue, mixing music from the Coolidge years with a vibe as modern as a phone app. The…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Kamasi Washington: The Epic
Talking about throwing down the gauntlet for a debut album. I don’t think ANYONE’S ever released three complete compact discs (3 hours) as their initial album. WHEW! Well, it’s not like tenor saxist Kamasi Washington is a neophyte. He’s been…
SLAM DUNKS…Paul Dunmall & Tony Bianco: Homage to John Coltrane, Improgressive: Primo, I Giganti Della Montagna: Oi Dialogoi
Ever faithful to expressive and free form jazz, Slam Productions has released three new albums that are sure to create interest. Paul Dunmall brings his tenor sax, flute and saxello to a team up with drummer Tony Bianco on an…
NEW CROONER ON THE BLOCK…Anthony Strong: On A Clear Day
Do you want some besides Mike Bubbles to sing to you? WHO DOESN’T?!? Here’s a guy you’re gonna like. Not only does Anthony Strong have a nice tenor tone to his voice and a hip attitude, but he takes songs…
Jeff Denson Trio: And Lee Konitz
Bassist/vocalist Jeff Denson leads his trio of Dan Zemelman/p and Jon Arkin/dr along with guest alto icon Lee Konitz through a mix of standards and cool bop classics. Konitz’s acrid tone sounds dreamy on the gentle gait of “Duet” and…
QUIRKY TIMES…Bicicletas Por La Paz: Musica Por Puppets, Ou: Scrambled!
Lots of ideas bouncing around. Does anything stick to the wall? Lead by guitarist and singer Adley Penner, Biciletas Por La Paz is a high energy band from the Bay area that deliever s quick and concise songs in an…