The mix of silk and sass work well with vocalist Rene’ Marie. She can do wonders with a lyric, and puts out another impressive release here with a core team of Elias Bailey/b, John Chin/p and Quentin E. Baxter/dr and…
Month: July 2016
Naomi Moon Siegel: Shoebox View
On one hand, you have accessible melodies and concise songs by Naomi Moon Siegel that feel like easy going folk and indie tunes. But then, because she features herself on the trombone, piano and keyboard along with a wide range…
Ricky Rodriguez Group: Looking Beyond
Bassist/composer Ricky Rodriguez is filled with ideas here, leading a post bop team of Adam Rogers/g, Luis Perdomo/key, Obed Calvaire/dr, Myron Walden/as-bcl and a handfulof guests through some clever originals. The mix of ice-toned Rogers on guitar is a good…
Chicago Jazz Philharmonic: Havana Blue
If you can’t take a week off to visit the recently opened up country of Cuba, this concertwith Obert Davis leading the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic is a photo finish close second. Recorded at Chicago’s Auditorium Theatre, the music takes you…
Zhongyu: “Zhongyu” is Chinese for “Finally”
The band Zhongyu consists of Jon Davis on the Chapman stick, guzheng and electronic keyboards, Dennis Rea/g, Alicia DeJoie/ v, James DeJoie/woodwinds, Randy Doak/dr and Daniel Barry/tp. The music itself mixes between pastoral Asian landscapes and electronic rock. Dashes of…
Fabrizio Sotti Trio: Forty
Guitarist Fabrizio Sotti teams up with Francisco Mela/dr and Peter Slavov/b for some rich and swinging interplay on this collection of mostly originals. On electric guitar, he leans toward a rich and tensile tone, gently picking on “Redemption” and bopping…
Will Magid: Alligator Spacewalk
Here’s some fresh sounds from SFO-based trumpeter Will Magid, who puts together a band for this 9 song album that is fresh, swinging and fun. He’s got a lovely sound on his horn, as he displays on “Prelude to Mars”…
The Danish Jazz Quartet: On The Road
Swing is still in the air in Europe, as the Danish team of Leif Juul Jorgensen/cl, Jesper Lundgaard/b, Soren Kristiansen/p and Alex Riel/dr deliver a cheerful collection of classics during a concert in Flensborg Germany back in 2014. Jorgensen likes…
Marcus Strickland’s Twi-Life: Nihil Novi
Marcus Strickland has been one of the top tier sax players of his generation, having ideas wide enough to play straight ahead with Jeremy Pelt or get a bit “urban” with Robert Glasper. Here, he leads his Twi-Life band of…
REAL RARITES FROM AVID…Bobby Darin: Four Classic Albums, Jackie Davis: Five Classic Albums, BB King: Four Classic Albums, Ricky Nelson: Four Classic Albums, Larry Young: Four Classic Albums
UK based Avid Records continues to amaze me. They find material that I never knew existed, sometimes by artist I’d never heard of, and I’m always impressed by what I hear. I’m willing to bet that NO ONE out there…