I think it was the first album by the rock group Roxy Music that a musician was credited with “electronic effects.” As you probably know, that musician was Brian Eno, and the wake of that album and attitude is still…
Month: April 2016
Daniela Mercury: Virtual Vinyl
She’s sold over 20 million albums in Brazil, but vocalist Daniela Mercury hasn’t yet made a dent here in the states. Yet. This latest album mixes the earthy allure of Brazilian samba, and Mercury also adds pop sensibilities to give…
THIS IS A JAZZ GUITAR 101…Russell Malone: All About Melody
A lot of guitarists come in and out of LA for gig. One of the few guys I’ll make a point to see no matter what is Russell Malone. As the title of this latest album with Rick Germanson/p, Luke…
Anat Fort Trio with Gianluigi Trovesi: Birdwatching
Pianist Anat Fort and her trio of Gary Wang/b and Roland Schneider/dr team up with Gianluigi on the rarely jazzed up alto clarinet for some interesting sparring. Fort bookends the meeting with solo pieces, a spacious “First Rays” and a…
Gregoire Maret: Wanted
Gregoire Maret uses his writing skill, socializing skills and expert talents on the chromatic harmonica for this album filled with guest appearances and accessible easy listening jazz. A core team of James Genus/b, Ricardo Vogt/g, Gerald Clayton/key-p and Terri Lyne…
MIGHTY MYSTIC: The Art of Balance
Mighty Mystic includes Stephen Thunder/g, Marc smith/b, Koga Rite/key, John Felice/g, Salvador Pindea/dr as support for Kevin “Might Mystic” Holness’ rich voice. The distinction of this band is that it includes a dash of 70s hard rock guitar on a…
Ryan Baker: Timeless Again
Vocalist Ryan Baker has a warm and clear tenor’d tone to his delivery, and he uses it well here with Joe Lano/g, Jeff Davis/b, Jess Gopen/dr, Dave Loeb/p, Rocky Lombardo/fl and Eric Tewalt/sax. He knows how to hold a note, and…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Gregory Porter: Take Me To The Alley
To fully understand Gregory Porter’s musical world view, it’s essential to appreciate his church upbringing. Sunday Morning isn’t something he does, it’s who he is, and it comes out in each of his albums and in each of his songs.…
Aziza Brahim: Abbar el Hamada
Music from the Western Sahara mixes with latin moods as Aziza Brahim teams up with Aleix Tobias/dr, Sengane Ngom/perc, Kalilou Sangare/g, Guillem Aguilar/b and Ignasi Cusso/g for some luscious rhythms and messages. Her rich voice weaves in with flamenco like…
Bruce Torff: Down The Line
Here’s an impressive release by keyboardist Bruce Torff with his muscular team of Joel Frahm/ts-ss, Pete McCann/g and Ben Wittman/dr. Unfortunately, the session will also be known as the last recording for the trumpeter Lew Soloff, who sadly departed in…