Bassist and composer Daniel Foose creates a pastoral album with a string section to augment a sensitive team of Sebastian Noelle/g and Keita Ogawa/perc. The album consists of two “Suites” of sorts. The “Sonora Suite” is a four part collection…
Month: November 2016
Dave Holland-Chris Potter-Lionel Loueke-Eric Harland: AZIZA
I know! I know! So called “Supergroup” sessions can be either a) too safe or b) self serving. This one’s a treat, as all four gents have made careers being stellar sidemen as well as leaders. They all share in…
BLUE HUES…Jay Willie Blues Band: Hell On Wheels, Sugar Ray and the Bluetones: Seeing is Believing, The Fabulous Thunderbirds: Strong Like That
The Bible states that after all is said and done, “three things remain; faith, hope and love. The greatest of these is love.” If the Apostle Paul were a guitarist, he probably would have added, “the blues.” But that is…
RE-MASTERED CLASSICS…Blood, Sweat & Tears: Greatest Hits, Leon Russell: And the Shelter People
Not only was popular music better a generation ago, but now it sounds better! Here are a couple reissues that have aged superbly. It’s almost inconceivable that jazz and rock melded together to create sounds that ruled the airwaves. Conceived…
THE APOTHEOSIS OF BIG BAND JAZZ…Duke Ellington: The Treasury Shows, Vol 22
Listening to this most recent volume of radio broadcasts of Duke Ellington’s Orchestra from 1942-46 is akin to reading the Bible after listening to pop psychology. One is simply transient opinion and the other is authoritative. Ellington’s band during the…
OYE! Jane Bunnett & Maqueque: Oddara, Spirits of Havana 25th Anniversary Edition
One of the overlooked wonders of jazz is Jane Bunnett, who has dedicated her career to bringing the intoxicating mix of Afro-Cuban sounds with post bop jazz. These two releases reveal her most recent and most famous releases. The all-female…
HE COULD BE HEROES…Donny McCaslin: Beyond Now
Tenor Saxist Donny McCaslin has formed a respectable career balancing his solo ventures with his chair in Marie Schneider’s Orchestra. Here, he stretches his boundaries by playing also the flute, alto flute and clarinet as well as allowing David Binney…
UPBEAT LADIES…Rebecca DuMaine: Happy Madness, Deborah Silver: The Gold Standards
SIngers to help you put on a happy face… Vocalist Rebecca DuMaine mixes Broadway class with girl next door allure on this mix of standards with pianist Dave Miller’s trio with Perry Thoorsell/b and Bill Belasco/dr. DuMaine sounds chipper and eager…
Nick Sanders & Logan Strosahl: Janus
The allure of duet albums is that there is really nowhere to hide. That, and the fact that someone has to either state or imply the rhythm keeps the listener involved and on ones toes. Such is the case of…
Ray Obiedo: Latin Jazz Project Vol. 1
Guitarist Ray Obiedo delivers a wide ranging palate of Latin sounds and moods on this album of originals and covers. He mixes and matches a team of Paul van Wageningen/dr, Marc Van Wageningen-David Belove/b, Michael Spiro/perc, David Mathews/p and Karl…