The kantale is a kind of Scandinavian zither/dulcimer and Vilma Timonen plays it as well as sings with Toumas Timonen/perc, Topi Korhonen/g-tp-mand and Jaako Kamarainen/b through a collection of folksy originals mixed with traditions and myths. There’s a mix of…
Month: January 2016
TOWERS OF POWER…Richard Niles: Bandzilla, Jefferson St. Parade Band: Viral
Here are a couple of current bands that sound like they drank from the waters of Tower of Power and Sons of Champlin. Richard Niles brings together a wide ranging band that includes vocalists Randy Brecker, Leo Sayer, Baskerville Jones,…
TRIBUTES TO FOLK LEGENDS…Eric Bibb & JJ Milteau: Lead Belly’s Gold, Cold and Bitter Tears: The Songs of Ted Hawkins
Legends come in different sizes and for different reasons. Here are two different salutes, one to a famed blues icon, and the other to a true street musician who was a fixture in the LA area. Eric Bibb sings while…
DRUM SOLO! Phil Haynes: Sanctuary
Here’s a clever concept that is better than it sounds; drummer Phil Haynes delivers a five piece suite of sorts simply using his “solo drum set & found instruments.” There are 27 movements in this piece, ranging from a quick…
EAST COAST HOT…Larry Sonn: The Sound Of Larry Sonn
Back in the mid 50s, big bands were having a tough time finding themselves, being overlooked in favor of the “cool” sounds of the West Coast or the more complex sounds of bebop or Third Stream music. Here, you get…
Amina Figarova: Blue Whisper
Pianist and composer Amina Figarova brings together a pastoral band of Bart Platteau/fl, Alex Pope Norris/tp, Marc Mommaas-Wayne Escoffery/sax, Yasushi Nakamura-Luques Curtis/b and Jason Bronw/dr with various guests for a collection of gracious moods. Platteau’s flute takes a major part…
The Katie Bull Group Project: All Hot Bodies Radiate
Vocalist Katie Bull leads a flexible band of Landon Knoblock/key, George Schuller/dr, Jeff Leder/ss-ts and Joe Fonda/b through a dozen originals and a standard. She has a highly artsy voice and attitude, so the tunes get a bit askance as…
Mike Holober: Balancing Act
Pianist/composer Mike Holober creates an album of sepia toned themes and moods with vocalist Kate McGarry and a team of Marvin Stamm/tp-fh, Dick Oatts/fl-as-ss, Jason Rigby/ts-cl-bcl, Mark Patterson/tb, John Hebert/b and Brian Blade/dr. McGarry’s wispy voice works well on the…
Lee Ritenour@Catalina’s 01.21.16
About to embark on a European tour, legendary guitarist Lee Ritenour filled Catalina’s with a set that included material from his latest album A Twist Of Rit, which also summarized the attitude of the evening, as the leader mixed up…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Harvey Valdes: Roundabout
One thing you learn from the best cooks in the world is that they all let the basic ingredient speak for themselves. No self respecting Italian chef adds too much spice to any pasta sauce. The tomatoes are rich enough…