Vocalist Lauren White teams with producer Mark Winkler to give homage to songs from film noir classics. She’s got a clean and approachably flexible voice, and is able to slink to Andrew Carney’s growling horn and Trey Henry’s lithe bass…
Month: July 2016
CLEVER GUITAR IDEAS…Horace Bray: Dreamstate, Hazmat Modine: Extra-Deluxe-Supreme
Fresh and clever use of six strings. Horace Bray uses his guitar in some rich settings with a team of Colin Campbell/key, Mike Luzecky/b, Matt Young-Connor Kent/dr and a mix of voices and strings on a collection of originals. Many…
Myriad 3: Moons
It is groups like Myriad 3 that make you realize how long a shadow The Bad Plus has cast. The team of Chris Donnelly/p-synth, Dan Fortin/b-synth and Ernesto Cervini/dr produce an approach to music very similar to TBP. Lots of…
Gian-Carla Tisera@Boston Court 07.09.16
A couple of years ago, Bolivian vocalist Gian-Carla Tisera released her debut album Nora La Bella that impressed me so much that I actually wrote in the review “When is she coming to LA?”. Well, she finally arrived here, and…
Marquis Hill CD Release Concert@The Blue Whale 07.08.16
Trumpeter Marquis Hill give ample justification for being selected as the winner of the 2014 Thelonious Monk International Trumpet Competition as he presented music from his latest album The Way We Play in front of a packed crowd at the…
****ROTW****WELCOME BACK!! Chico Freeman 4-Tet: Spoken Into Existence
At one time, Chico Freeman (along with Arthur Blythe, David Murray and the late Lester Bowie) were the darlings of the left of center jazz cognizenti. Since the heady 80s, their patented mix of freedom and form have drifted away…
Louis Heriveaux: Triadic Episode
Here’s a pianist with a light and buoyant touch with the heart of a bebopper. Louis Herveaux leads a trio with Curtis Lundy/b and Terreon Gully/dr for a mix of originals and covers. There’s a spark of joy every time…
BODY SLAMS! Six-In-One: Subjects and Structures, Pegasys: Pegasys, George Haslam-Mario Rua: Maresia, Leonid Vintskevich/Steve Kershaw/Nick Vintskevich: Under A Different Sky
UK based Slam Productions refuses to fall into musical predictability and homogenization. Here are three releases to keep you on your auricular toes. The five teamed Pegasys consists of Errico De Fabritis/as, Giagio Orlandi/ss-ts, Francesco Lo Cascio-vib-perc, Gianfranco Tedeschi/b and…
Matthew Fries: Parallel States
Pianist Matthew Fries delivers a solo piano album of original compositions here, and he’s got a good sense of melody and song. His touch is calm and relaxed, which works well on lyrical pieces such as “Muse” and the flowing…
Phil Palombi: Detroit Lean
Phil Palombi delivers a sonic tribute to legendary bassist Scott LaFaro, a man who revolutionized the upright during and after his stint with Bill Evans 50+ years ago. He plays LaFaro’s Prescott bass, and along with Matthew Fries/key, Keith Hall/dr-perc,…