Sometimes jazz can be the medium for a different type of message. Here are two examples. Bassist Alexis Cuadrado leads a pair of vocalists that recite poetry over a rotating team of Miles Okazaki/g, Andy Milne/p-key and Tyshawn Sorey/dr. Melcion…
Month: July 2016
MUSIC DOCS…Janis: Little Girl Blue, Pride and Joy: The Story of Alligator Records
Music is supposed to tell a story. Here are a couple interesting visual stories on storytellers. The musical story of Janis Joplin has been told many times, but this one is possibly the most important as it brings Joplin’s background…
SOUTHERN, BELLE! Jeri Southern: Blue Note, Chicago, March 1956
Unjustly overlooked these days, at one time Jeri Southern was the vocal belle of the ball. She didn’t’ have a lot of chops, but she knew how to milk a mood, and her favorite one was located at Desolation Blvd.…
DIZZY’S OBSCURE SIDEMAN…Wade Legge: Wade Legge Trio
He didn’t even live to see 30 years old, so it’s easy to not know too much about Wade Legge, who played piano with Dizzy Gillespie’s band in the early 50s, and recorded only when he had an off night…
COMPARED TO WHAT?…Maarja Nuut: Une Meeles
You know how when you listen to singers you say to yourself, ”She sounds like so and so,” or “She’s influenced by this lady”? That ain’t gonna happen here. Estonian fiddler and vocalist Maarja Nuut sounds like NO ONE and…
BLUES ACOUSTIC AND ELECTRIC…Eric Bibb & North Country Far with Danny Thompson: The Happiest Man In The World, Paul Reddick: Ride The One
As one of the albums here says on the front cover, “Blues Is A Beautiful Landscape.” Here, you get it on the back porched and plugged in. Eric Bibb plays 6 & 12 string guitar, 6 string banjo and guitalele…
FRIVOLITY! Naftule’s Dream: Blood, Chris Cheek Presents: Saturday Songs
Doesn’t it feel like music gets too serious sometimes, especially jazz? Here are couple of albums that put the fun back into swing. Clarinetist Glenn Dickson brings together Gary Bohan/ct, Michael Mclaughlin/acc, Andrew Stern/g, Jim Gray/tub and Eric Rosenthal/dr for…
BLUES BREAKERS…Mark May Band: Blues Heaven, Louisiana Soul Revival: Featuring Doug Duffey, Mighty Orq: Love In A Hurricane
Blues in three colors… Mark May plays a plethora of guitars along with a rough and ready voice as he teams up with Dave Absalom/g, Tim Keefe/b, Gary Jorgenson/dr and a thick and sweaty horn section. The band sounds like…
WHERE’D SHE COME FROM? Audrey Morris: Bistro Ballads
I’ve stopped being surprised by the surfeit of female vocalists that the Spanish label Fresh Sound Records comes up with. Through them, I’ve discovered swingers like Nancy Harrow and luscious vamps such as Sallie Blair. Here, we’ve got from 1950s…
Mimi Jones: Feet in the Mud
Bassist Mimi Jones mixes trio and quartet pieces on this soulful collection of material with a core team of Jon Cowherd/p-key and Jonathan Barber/dr with guest Samir Zarif/ss joining in now and then. Jones creates some hip CTI easy fusion…