Weather Report was the longest lasting, if also not the most important of the jazz “fusion” bands. The core of Wayne Shorter/ts-ss and Joe Zawinul/key was famous not only for its unique sound and songs such as “Birdland,” but also…
Month: November 2015
Lionel Loueke: Gaia
A number of years ago, Lionel Loueke was on the verge of becoming one of the most important guitarists to emerge on the scene. His mix of West African sounds and American jazz seemed to point modern music into a…
The Anderson-Ponty Band@The Saban Theatre 11.20.15
During this time of people debating over what marriage actually is, it was refreshing to see a renewal of wedding vows between jazz and rock at the Saban that included the traditional old, new, borrowed and blue. Vocalist Jon Anderson,…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Mort Weiss: Mort Weiss Is a Jazz Reality Show
He doesn’t release a lot of material, but when he does, clarinetist Mort Weiss makes it count. Each of his albums has a uniquely personal touch and feel to it. This latest one opens with Weiss discussing his recent personal losses…
Pete McCann: Range
Guitarist Pete McCann delivers a wide range of sounds, rhythms and harmonies with a flexible team of John O’Gallagher/as, Nenry Hey/key, Matt Clohesy/b and Mark Ferber/dr through a collection of sophisticated originals. The team shows clever modern sensibilities on the…
RHYTHM IS OUR BUSINESS…Max Pollak: Rumbatap
You want rhythm in your nursery rhyme? This album by Max Pollak is a HOOT! He sings and dances through a style called “Rumbatap,” which is described as “a fusion of Afro Cuban music and dance with tap dance, body…
Bixiga 70: III
The ten piece band Bixiga 70 comes from Sao Paolo, Brazil, but the sounds the emit make you think more of Africa. The four piece horn section of Cuca Ferreira/bs, Douglas Antunes/tb, Daniel Nogueira/ts and Daniel Gralha/tp create Afro Funksounds…
Catina De Luna: Brazilian Project
Vocalist Catina De Luna shows on this album that, when it comes to jazz, not all Brazilian music is bossa nova and vice versa. Her core team of Otmaro Ruiz/p-acc, Larry Koonse/g, Edwin Livingston/b and Aaron Serfaty are mixed and…
Fred Randolph: Song Without Singing
Bay Area-based Fred Randolph uses his acoustic, electric and fretless bass in a mix of snappy settings along with Matt Clark-Marcos Silva/key, Rob Roth-Alex Murzyn/reeds, Erik Jekabsen/tp-fh, Matthew Heulitt/g, Brian Rice-Christian Pepin/perc and a rotating drum team of Greg Wyser-Pratte,…
Hannah Burge’: Green River Sessions
Hanna Burge’ is in strong voice as she confidently works her way through a variety of moods and styles on this well paced album. She teams up with Robi Botos/key, Paco Luviano/b, Mark Kelso/dr and guests including Hendrik Muerkens/harm for…