This 1991 session between guitarists Brad Shepik and Ron Samworth has been hiding in the bramble bushes until now. They are partnered with Phil Sparks/b and Michael Sarin/dr and the inauspicious beginnings of two impressive careers are documented here. The…
Month: May 2016
Jackie Gage: Siren Song
There is a surfeit of female vocalists that all sound the same doing the exact same material. How enjoyable to find someone who sounds fresh while mixing classic material with her own exciting compositions. Jackie Gage has a husky honey…
Pat Metheny, Ron Carter, Jim Hall, Mike Stern, etc: Message to Attila-The Music of Attila Zoller
He didn’t get enough appreciation from the mainstream, but guitarist/composer Attila Zoller finally gets a tribute from the people who cared the most, his contemporaries. This album has some of jazz’s biggest names both speaking and playing for the artist…
Florian Weber Trio: Criss Cross
The simultaneous analysis of the music by pianists Thelonious Monk and Bill Evans may seem like an incongruous challenge, but Florian Weber gives it a go with Donny McCaslin/ts and Dan Weiss/dr. For the Evans side of life, Florian has conversant…
Kirk MacDonald: Symmetry
Here’s a pleasantly swinging album by tenor saxophonist Kirk MacDonald, who joins together with Tom Harrell/tp-fh, Brian Dickinson/p,Neil Swainson/b and Dennis Mackrel/dr for a Decalogue of originals. MacDonald’s tone is rich and tensile, blending well with Harrell on pieces like…
Brothers of The Baladi: Gravity of Love
The band Brothers of the Baladi consists of Michael beach/voc/perc, Michael Kearsey/voc/b, Clark Salisbury/voc/b-g-str, Charles Pike/perc, and with a handful of guests create a mix of Central Asian and American sounds. At times, you get a dash of Bollywood with…
Mike Pachelli: Fade To Blue
If you’re a 70s rock fan, this is your guy. Mike Packelli lists al of his guitars and amps for this blues-rock disc, and with Rich Russo/dr, Baba Elefante/b and Kevin McKendree/p-B3 (what? They ran out of Italians in the…
Freddy Cole Quartet@Dakota 05.23.16
There are certain jazz artists that when you see them, you’ll think, “Even my friends that hate jazz would like this.” Then, you have artists like Freddy Cole, who, even if your friend hates LIFE, he would like an evening…
Ehud Asherie: Shuffle Along
Pianist Ehud Asherie takes it all in stride (OK, so I just couldn’t resist!) on this disc that finds the pianist tackling the songs to the 1921-22 musical Shuffle Along. It was the first black musical to play in white…
COOL STRINGS!…The Guitars Inc: Invitation & Soft and Subtle, Al Caiola: Deep in a Dream & Serenade in Blue
Before rock and roll turned the guitar into a Stratocaster food fight on the frets, the jazz guitar was a subtle and swinging collection of six strings. Here are a couple of reissues by Fresh Sound Records that rekindle a…