Drummer Matt Slocum brings together an unorthodox trio of sax with Dayna Stephens and guitarist Steve Cardenas through a mix of jazz standards and originals. Stephens’ tenor is soft and breathy, dreamily floating on “Passaic” and floating during “Afterglow” while…
Month: October 2016
THREE SHADES OF BLUES…Jeremiah Johnson Band: Blues Heart Attack, Ally Venable Band: No Glass Shoes, Al Basile: Mid-Century Modern
Modern blues come in many hues. Here are three different brush strokes: Jeremiah Johnson sings with a country snarl and plays guitar with a power trio of Jeff Girardier/b and Benet Schaeffer/dr along with guests Nathen Hershey/key and Frank Bauer/sax.…
Mixed Culture: Deluxe Edition
I’m still not sure of the difference between reggae and “dub” music. This two disc album tries to show the difference. The first one by Gary Woung has lyrics in English and Spanish for lilting Jamaican grooves with topics ranging…
UNO, DUE…Joey Locascio: Meets the Legend
Vocalist Joey Locascio teams up with pre-eminent Hammond B3er Joey DeFrancesco along with t snappy rhythm team of Paul Bollenback/g, Greg Artry/dr, Carlos Garcia/perc and a swinging horn section in this tribute not only to Jimmy Smith, but to every…
George Gershwin: An American In Paris
If you don’t have a version of Gershwin’s classic An American In Paris, this one conducted by Steven Richman with the Harmonie Ensemble is a great place to start. Fun, rich and sparkling, it captures the joy of life that…
LATIN LIVES…Changui Majadero: El Changui Majadero, Harold Lopez-Nussa: El Viaje, Bob Baldwin: The Brazilian-American Soundtrack
Rich sounds and rhythms from various Latin Lovers. The band Changui Majadero is the most traditional sounding of the three. Gabriel Garcia’s tres strums like a harp along with his vocals and team of Gorge Ortiz/bongo, Norell Thompson/voc-guayo, Alfred Ortiz/voc-mar…
Matty Harris: Double Septet
Matty Harris brings together a wide ranging team of twins of drummers (Michael Lockwood-Tim Carr), bassists (Jake Rosenzweig-Mathan Phelps) as well as guitarist Maxwell Gualtieri and keybardist Garett Grow as the base for horn players Vinny Golia, Paul Novros, Ryan…
SCOFIELD PLAYS THE MOOSE LODGE…John Scofield: Country For Old Men
Fresh from winning a Grammy on his last album with Joe Lovano, guitarist John Scofield takes a side dirt road and plays music that fits the local VFW or Moose Lodge. He did a roots album a few years ago…
FROM THE JAZZHUS IN COPENHAGEN…Tomas Franck Quartet: Association, Kenny Washington: Moanin’
Copenhagen’s Jazzhus Montmarte is a regular stop for lots of jazz artists. Here are a couple recent gigs that had some good sounds recorded for posterity. Tomas Franck plays his tenor sax along with Carsten Dahl/p, Daniel Franck/b and Rodney…
HAVE YOU DISCOVERED THIS LABEL YET? Resonance Records: Jazz Haunts & Magic Vaults Volume One
If you haven’t picked up any of the releases from Resonance Records the past few years, you are sadly out of the loop and are missing some of the best vintage jazz around. The team of George Klabin and Zev…