Not too noisy, not too boisterous, but still able to deftly swing. Here are three small groups that keep it simple. Guitarist Bruce Forman is one of LA’s six stringed studs. He’s always playing somewhere in the city, usually with…
Month: October 2015
OH YEAH!! Jay Willie Blues Band: Johnny’s Juke Joint
OK, you know an album is gonna be hot when they open with the clarion call riffs to “Wooly Bully” and don’t let go until Jason Ricci’s harp and Malorie Leogrande’s vocals are done tearing it apart. The team of…
CLEVER! Forro in the Dark: Plays Zorn, Church of Betty: Swirled World
Here are a couple of bands that are creating some clever sounds outside the normal realm, looking both back and forward. Forro in the Dark consists of Jorge Continentino/reeds-winds, Guilherme Monteiro/g, Mauro Refosco/perc and Rea Mochiach/b-perc along with a handful…
EIGHTEEN STRINGS…Thom Douvan: All Over Again, Michael Blum & Jim Stinnett: Commitment, Scott Henderson: Vibe Station
Here are three different guitarists with as many diverse approaches to modern fret sounds. Thom Douvan does us the service of including a picture of each guitar for the specified songs. He’s with a core team of Jimmy Earl/b, Mithcchel…
GOLDEN GLOVES…Eugenie Jones: Comes Out Swinging
I’ve seen a lot of album covers in my time, but I can honestly say that this one is the first that I’ve seen with a woman in a boxing outfit. Gotta admit I was a bit concerned, but once…
HE CAN STILL WHIP THE CREAM…Herb Alpert: Come Fly With Me
At 80 years old, Herb Alpert still sounds as fresh as in his days with the Tijuana Brass. This album, his first in years, has him in a Brazilian jazz mood along with his currently touring team of Michael Shapiro/dr,…
Sullivan Fortner: Aria
New Orleans delivers a new pianist onto the scene in the name of Sullivan Portner. He’s studied under the likes of Fred Hersch and Jason Moran, and has been a sideman for Stefon Harris, Roy Hargrove and Christian Scott, so…
Cecile McClorin Salvant: For One To Love
Last year, vocalist Cecile McClorin Salvant became the darling of the jazz crowd with her justifiably impressive “Woman Child” album. This time she ups the ante and creates an album that is almost like walking through an art gallery. Each…
Becky Kilgore and Nicki Parrott: Two Songbirds of a Feather
Here’s a charmer of a vocal disc. Sweethearts of the jazz rodeo Becky Kilgore and Nicki Parrot form a rich bond of sound as there coalesce and solo on this album with rich and swinging support by Mike Renzi/p, Harry…
Johnny Mathis: The Singles
Is Johnny Mathis really 80 years old? I just saw him a bit over a year ago with Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band, and he sounded incredible. This past year we’ve seen a reissue of his Complete Global Albums collection,…