If you haven’t ever seen the original version of The Producers, the scene of Lorenzo St. Dubois (“LSD”) singing the song “Love Power, ” do yourself a favor and youtube it, as it is something that will never leave your…
Month: February 2017
WHERE’S SHE BEEN HIDING?!? Mary Ann McCall: Complete Recordings 1950-1959
Just when you think you’ve heard every jazz vocalist, Fresh Sound Records finds another mother lode. This time it’s Mary Ann McCall, who was a “canary” for Tommy Dorsey, Woody Herman and Charlie Barnet before doing a few short stings…
THIS IS A BEBOP ALTO SAX 101…Art Pepper: Volume 1 Featuring Sonny Stitt, Volume 2 Featuring Pete Jolly
Laurie Pepper continues to keep the sound and vision of alto sax legend Art Pepper alive. She’s dug up a plethora of wonderful concert recordings the past years, and now she’s written the liner notes for these two delicious 1980-era…
John Abercrombie Quartet: Up and Coming
John Abercrombie has been teaming with his band of Marc Copland/p, Drew Gress/b and Joey Baron for quite awhile, and the symbiotic telepathy that only long term relationships create is in full force here. The music is subtle, swinging, intuitive…
WHERE’S SHE BEEN HIDING? Natalia M. King: Bluezzin T’il Dawn
This is Natalia M. King’s second album, and since she was born in 1969, you may want to ask yourself after taking in these intriguing sounds, “where has she been hiding?” and “what took her so long?” Neither of those…
FREE AT LAST…Ornette Coleman, Pharoah Sanders, Joe Lovano, Branford Marsalis, Cecil Taylor, David Murray, Henry Threadgill, etc: Celebrate Ornette
This box set of 3 cds, 2 dvds, and a 24 page book with liner notes and photographs contains the last recordings of the jazz icon and pioneer Ornette Coleman. The music is culled from the 2014 “Celebrate Ornette” Concert…
Theo Bleckmann: Elegy
Vocalist Theo Bleckmann continues to create new vocal worlds with this latest album. He uses his voice, as well as his team of Shae Maestro/p, Ben Monder/g, Chris Tordini/b and John Hollenbeck/dr to create various landscapes, even stepping out in…
FOR SWINGIN’ LOVERS…Curtis Stigers: One More For The Road
Curtis Stigers puts out an album about every other year, and each one is an absolute treat. He’s got the heart of a crooner, the voice of a carney, and the soul of a dreamer. Here, he revisits the sound…
Aggregate Prime: Dream Deferred
Drummer Ralph Peterson writes most of the material and brings together a muscular post bop team of Kenny Davis/b, Mark Whitfield/g, Vijay Iyer/p and Gary Thomas/ts-fl for some exciting sounds. Thomas’ flute bops with delight on a hip take of…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****THIS IS A TENOR SAX 101… Jeff Rupert & Richard Drexler: Imagination
Once in awhile, and album comes out that reminds everyone how a tenor sax is supposed to sound. This album of duets between Jeff Rupert and pianist Richard Drexler is a perfect example of what the standard of sound should…