Ray Vega and Thomas Marriott make up a two pronged battering ram as they bring their trumpets to the front line along with a soulful rhythm team of George Colligan/B3 and Matt Jorgenson/dr. Jorgenson lays down the groove for some…
Month: March 2016
Rosanne Cash w/ John Leventhal@The Broad Stage 03.12.16
One of the chief people forget about jazz is that it is a verb, as in the phrase “to jazz things up.” The current state of this genre is that it is being ignored by a large segment of the…
Hamilton Price Quartet@The Blue Whale 03.11.16
Taking some time off from being in the Military Service, bassist Hamilton Price got back in his civilian clothes and teamed up with all stars Billy Childs/p, Walter Smith III/ts and Jonathan Pinson/dr for a swinging mix of original inspirations…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Clark Gibson & Orchestra: Bird With Strings-The Lost Arrangements
Alto saxist Clark Gibson does a yeoman’s job of going back to some of the most important music in modern jazz with a new eye. He returns to the “Bird With Strings” recordings, but not the more famous arrangements; he…
Mack Avenue Superband: Live From the Detroit Jazz Festival 2015
If Sonny Rollins is correct is stating that “albums are invitations to see me in concert” then I’ve gotta make it to Detroit. This is about the 4th or 5th release from the Mack Avenue Superband over the years from…
LIFE AFTER “ROCKY”…Maynard Ferguson: Live From San Francisco, Storm
Trumpet legend Maynard Ferguson has had the rare pleasure of being popular to more than one generation of music fans. He scored big in Stan Kenton’s orchestra as well in his own back in the 50s and 60s. Then, he…
Mike Moreno: Lotus
Here’s a gorgeous album by guitarist Mike Moreno, who switches between electric and acoustic along with Aaron Parks/p-key, Doug Weiss/b and Eric Harland/dr on a collection of rich originals. On acoustic, he exudes elegance on pastoral pieces such as the…
Freddie Hendrix: Jersey Cat
Trumpeter Freddie Hendrix has a hard bopper’s dna, and he wears it well on his sleeve here with his team of Bruce Williams/as-fl, Abraham Burton/ts, David Gibson/tb, Brandon McCune/p, Corcoran Holt/b and Cecil Brooks III/dr. Over half the songs are…
Christian Howe: American Spirit
While Resonance Records may be better known for its ability to find important vintage recordings by the likes of Wes Montgomery, Bill Evans or Charles Lloyd, they also do a yeoman’s job of bringing up modern sounds. This latest album…
Micha Schellhaas: Double Take
Guitar fans, take notice; you’re gonna like this axe-grinder Micha Schillhaas. He teams up with Dave Marota/b, Chad Wackerman/dr and a flexible Jim Cox/p-B3-rhodes who sets a different mood with each instrument. He’s got the heart of a blues rocker,…