Here’s a soothingly swinging album by a quartet lead by saxist Michael Zilber and guitarist John Stowell. Together with John Shifflett/b and Jason/dr they mix a pair of covers with their own well crafted and wide ranging originals. Stowell’s tenor…
Month: October 2016
Michael Gamble: Michael Gamble and the Rhythm Serenaders
Bandleader Michael Gamble brings the “hotcha” back in hot jazz on this exciting tribute to two beat swing. He plays bass and leads a snappy rhythm team of Josh Collazo/dr, James Posedel- Brooks Prumo/g, Craig Gildner/p as well as a…
Steve Heckman: Legacy-A Coltrane Tribute
Saxophonist Steve Heckman performs a concert back in October of 2013 where he delivers a rich tribute to the legendary John Coltrane. He plays both tenor and soprano with the flexible team of Grant Levin/p, Eric Markowitz/b and Smith Dobson…
JAZZ WITH AN URBAN SOUL…Robert Glasper Experiment: ArtScience, Derrick Hodge: The Second
Here are a pair of releases trying to bridge the generation gap in order to keep the essence of jazz alive. Robert Glasper is one of the most ardent musicians attempting to mix hip hop and rap with jazz sensibilities.…
Norah Jones: Day Breaks
In what might be her jazziest album yet, Norah Jones gets into some late night smoky moods on this mix of originals and jazz covers. It’s going to be hard to beat her teammates on this session, as Wayne Shorter/ss,…
Carol Duboc: Open The Curtains
Carol Duboc displays a winning charm on this collection of her own tunes mixed with some covers. She’s got an optimistic lilt in her voice along with a vibrato that lures you into her lyrics. She brings together an impressive…
2 Ton Bridge: 2 Ton Bridge
A mix of old fashioned blue grass teams up with modern indie and raw tones on this album by the band 2 Ton Bridge. Alexander Wright sings and plays a ton of strings, Eric Heywood plays pedal steels and other…
Kevin Bowers: Nova
Kevin Bowers plays drums and acoustic guitar on his compositions in a sleek and subtly swinging album. He joins together to create a soft and swift groove with Kevin Bachmann-Zebadiah Briskovich/b, Dave Grelle/key and Jordan Heimburger/g while the horns of…
Delfeayo Marsalis & Uptown Jazz Orchestra: Make America Great Again
No, the album is not (necessarily) an endorsement of Don Trump; rather it’s a celebration of what’s right about this great country, warts and all. Trombonist/leader Delfeayo Marsalis brings together a strong Jazz Orchestra which includes heavy hitters like Victor…
Mara Rosenbloom Trio: Prairie Burn
Pianist Mara Rosenbloom gets playful on this trio session with Sean Conly/b and Chad Taylor/dr. After a free form improvised opening track, the team delivers a four part “Prairie Burn Set” that includes a melodic and innocent “Red-Winged Blackbirds” and…