As soon as you hear the opening salvo of Lew Tabackin’s tenor sax on “Afternoon in Paris” with Boris Kozlov/b and Mark Taylor/dr, you can palpably detect the difference a generation of saxophonists has made. Tabackin spent years blowing over…
Month: March 2016
SNARKY PUPPY RABBIT TRAIL…Bill Laurance: Aftersun
The popular jazz group (is that an oxymoron?) Snarky Puppy has had some of its members branch off into side adventures lately. Here, keyboardist Bill Laurance teams up with buddies Michael Leabue/b, Robert Searight/dr-moog-B3 an dWeedie Braimah/perc for a highly…
Julian Shore: Which Way Now?
Julian Shore shows his intelligent mix of composition, arranging and keyboard skills here as he mixes chamber sounds with jazz on this recent release. He’s got a core team of Gilad hekselman/g, Dayna Stephens/ts, Aidan Carrll/b and Colin Starnahan/dr for…
OPA! Why The Mountains Are Black: Primeval Greek Village Music 1907-1960
This is not music that is from My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Rather, its music from the villages of Greece, where smoke filled rooms were packed with dancers holding hands and swooping around in a circle. You’re not getting bouzouki’s…
KEYBOARD CONCEPTS…Arturo O’Farrill: Boss Level, Renee Rosnes: Written in the Rocks
Modern jazz piano is more than just trios. Here are a couple excellent and fresh sounding presentations from the 88 ivories (or plastics, for those endangered specie-aware). Arturo O’Farrill leads a flexible and assertive team of Livio Almeida/ts, Shawn Conley/b,…
NEW ORLEANS NEWS…Matthew Hartnett: Southern Comfort, Jason Marsalis: Heirs of the Crescent City
The multi-textured sounds of New Orleans are featured here in a pair of albums. The jewel of Louisiana has all of its prismatic colors shining brightly. Trombonist Matthew Hartnett takes you on a tour through various neighborhoods of the Crescent…
SLAM INTO SPRING…Jorge Cabadas: …More Steps, Szilard Mezei Trio: Flute & Strings, Grencsco Open Collective: Derenges/Dawn
Never giving in to trends, UK based Slam Records continues to fascinate with three recent releases. Jorge Cabadas uses his guitar in a variety of sounds and moods, creating a mix of picking the strings with a myriad of electronic…
A RETURN TO THE 70s? Jefferson Grizzard: Daydream of Hope, Mark Huff: Down River
In this present era of indie groaners and navel gazers, here are a couple albums that are throwbacks. Jefferson Grizzard sings, plays guitar and composes the material here with a band that includes Mike Brignardello/b, Will Denton-Steve Brewster/dr, Dennis Wage/key,…
YOUNG AND RESTLESS…Larry Young: In Paris-The ORTF Recordings
Larry Young was labeled “The John Coltrane of the B3” during his career, as he freed up the organ from being a soul groove machine to more complex modal sound and grooves. This very important 2 cd set from Resonance…
Michael Benita & Ethics: River Silver
Here’s some music that is like sonic Asian water colors. Bassist Michel Benita brings together the pastel sounds of Matthieu Michel/fh, Mieko Miyazaki/koto, Eivind Aarset/g-el and Philippe Garcia/dr to create a pastoral landscape of song. Benita uses his rich and…