Back when my daughter Angela was in college, she told me how she was in someone’s house and they had on some music. “What were you listening to?” I asked. “They said it was jazz,” she replied, “but I told…
Month: March 2016
A CENTURY OF SWINGING!!! Svend Asumssen: The Incomparable Fiddler
Yes, the legendary violinist Svend Asmussen is still alive! This 5 cd/dvd set shows what has kept him going this 5 score years; an infectious sense of swing emitted from his violin which kept Scandinavians warm though 100 years of…
Herlin Riley: New Direction
Drummer Herlin Riley shows his New Orleans roots here with a mix of incessant groove and a dash of other cultures on this rich session. He brings together Emmet Cohen/p, Russell Hall/b, Bruce Harris/tp and Godwin Lewis/as-ss for some snappy…
Alexis Cole: Dazzling Blue
Here’s a brilliant idea that vocalist Alexis Cole pulls off successfully. She delves into the compositions of Paul Simon, but not the usual 60s material when he and Art Garfunkel had hits with “Bridge Over Troubled Water” or “Mrs. Robinson.”…
Tord Gustavsen: What Was Said
Pianist Tord Gustavsen takes some time away from his usual trio sound with an adventurous session with vocalist Simin Tander and long-time drummer Jarle Vespestad. Gustavsen not only plays his usually spacious and deeply reflective piano here, but he adds…
Ari Erev: Flow
Pianist Ari Erev mixes and matches between trio, quartet and quintet on this successful post-bop album. The core trio has him with Eli Magen/b and Ron Almog/dr, and they deliver some wonderful sounds, as the pianist chimes on “Domingo” while…
Javier Colon: Gravity
Who would have thought 20 years ago that a pop-rock-R&B artist would headline on Concord Records. Such is the financial life of record labels these days, as Javier Colon, a singer-songwriter-guitarist makes his jazz label debut here. Good news-it’s pretty…
NOT EASILY CATEGORIZED…Zusha: Kavana, Todd Grubbs: As The Worm Turns
Here are a couple releases that don’t fit into any simple style. Interesting, and thought provoking. Zusha is made up of primarily Shlomo Gaisi/voc, Zach Goldschmiedt/g-voc and Elisha Mlotek/perc/voc. They team up with various strings, horns and percussion and deliver…
*****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Hristo Vitchev Quartet: In Search of Wonders
Guitarist Hristo Vitchev has released an impressive variety and number of albums, ranging from Mediterranean duets to exciting fusion. This time around, he leads a simpatico quartet with Jasnan Daya Sing/p, Dan Robbins/b and Mike Shannon/dr through two full cds…
STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS…Sonny Sharrock: Ask The Ages
Guitarist Sonny Sharrock left earth and jazz all too soon over 20 years ago, dying of a heart attack under 3 score years of age. This 1994 session is essentially his last, and definitely his best. It still sounds modern,…