Pianist Michael Jefry Stevens sticks to brass tacks here as two trombones supplied by Steve Swell and Dave Taylor combine with two trumpets from Dave Ballou and Ed Sarath to sound off on some crafty pieces conducted by Amy Kohn.…
Month: September 2016
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Richard Bona: Heritage
Usually, when you think of Afro-Cuban music, sounds of Cuba with a bit of octane come to mind. Well, Cameroon-born bassist Richard Bona changes that thought on this album. With Osmany Paredes/p, Roberto & Luisito Quintero/perc, Rey Alejandre/tb, Dennis Hernandez/tp,…
Ben Adkins: Salmagundi
Originally, the word “salsmagundi” was meant to describe a salad that included various meats with eggs and vegetables in order to display the contrast of each food. Here, drummer Ben Adkins uses it to emphasized the various moods and styles…
KIRK WHALUM: PASTORING THE FLOCK IN MEMPHIS AND BEYOND.
PLACES LIKE NEW YORK, LOS ANGELES AND NASHVILLE GET THE REPUTATIONS FOR BEING CENTERS OF MUSIC, BUT THE FACT IS THAT MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE HAS BEEN ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL CITIES FOR AMERICAN MUSIC, RANKING MAYBE ONLY SECOND TO NYC…
SOUL MEN…Gene & Eddie: True Enough
Don’t be surprised if you’ve never heard of the mid-60s to early 70s team of Gene and Eddie. They hailed from Baltimore, and didn’t get much farther than that. Don’t let that discourage you; they joined together with songwriter/producer Joe…
Andrew McAnsh: Illustrations
Canadian horn player Andrew McAnsh brings a wide ranging collection of originals together on this excellent and fresh album. He teams up his trumpet and flugelhorn with Jeff Larochelle/ts and PJ Andersson/tb along with a rhythm team of Chris Pruden/p,…
Lou Caputo’s Not So Big Band: Uh Oh!
Band leader and woodwind specialist Lou Caputo brings together some swinging charts that keep the toes energetically tapping. The 14+ piece band has a brilliant sax and reed section and the soar over the rhythm team like pelicans looking for…
Kris Allen: Be Loved
Alto saxist Kris Allen brings a quartet together with tenor saxist Frank Kozyra, bassist Luques Curtis and drummer Jonathan Barber for a lighter than air reading of originals. The reeds deliver post bop melodies such as “Mandy Have Mercy” or…
LOSS LIEDERS…Semer Ensemble: Rescued Treasure
Here’s a group that takes you to a sound an era you don’t usually get exposed to. The Semer Ensemble performs music that goes back to the days of Berlin just before WWII. The songs are in German, Hebrew and…
BOOKER T JONES: STAX OF GREAT SONGS
ONE NOTE. CAN YOU TELL WHO IT IS? YOU CAN WITH B3 GIANT BOOKER T JONES, WHO MADE A LIVING PLAYING WITH THE HOTTEST ‘INSTRUMENTAL’ BAND OF THE 60’S, BOOKER T AND THE MGS. TUNES LIKE ‘GREEN ONIONS’ AND ‘TIME…