In the liner notes, alto trombonist Michael Lake states “It’s not bebop with the traditional piano, bass drums, but is that necessarily where jazz ends?” This album serves as the answer, as he brings together various electronics to create a…
Month: February 2017
FRESH GUNS…Arne Jansen Trio: Nine Firmaments, Tyler Reese: Moving On
Here is a pair of newer guitarists that deserve your attention… German-based Arne Jensen creates a wide ranging album in a trio format with Robert Lucaciu/b and Eric Schaefer/dr. He mixes it up between rock-jazz fusion, straight-ahead jazz and some…
John MacMurchy’s Art Of Breath: Volume One
The Canadian group Art of Breath is led by John MacMurchy, who plays tenor, clarinet and harmonica along with his own charts with Bruce Cassidy/tp-fh-evi, Mark Kieswetter/p-k, Ross MacIntyre/b, Dan Inonescu/g Daniel Barnes/dr and Alan Hetherington/perc. There are some guest…
SWISS BLUES THAT AIN’T CHEESY…Philipp Fankhauser & Margie Evans: Unplugged
I’ll bet you’ve never heard of Philipp Fankhauser, as he’s spent most of his career in Switzerland playing the blues. He teams up with Old Schooler Margie Evans, who’s sung with everyone from Johnny Otis to T-Bone Walker and Big…
MELLOW BRASS…Ron Helman: It Never Entered My Mind, Erik Jekabson: A Brand New Take
Not everyone plays the trumpet or flugelhorn like Arturo Sandoval, and not every song is “Happy New Year.” Here are a couple of horn players that veer toward delicacy. Ron Helman sticks to the flugelhorn as he teams up with…
SENSITIVE TRIOS…Frank Kimbrough: Solstice, David Friesen Circle 3 Trio: Triple Exposure
Calm interpretations in threes. Pianist Frank Kimbrough has made a name for himself in the Marie Schneider Orchestra, as well as releasing some strong material on his own. He comes together with Jay Anderson/b and Jeff Hirshfield/dr for a wide…
Frank Kohl Quartet: Rising Tide
Guitarist Frank Kohl has an original rich and thick tone on this pleasing quartet album with Steve LaSpina/b, Tom Kohl/p and Jon Doty/dr. He displays his ability flow like linen drapes on his solo read of “Beautiful Love,” while his…
Hannah Williams & The Affirmations: Late Nights & Heartbreak
One of the exciting things happening in music these days is the resurgence of earthy Stax-styled R&B. Vocalist Hannah Williams is the most recent and most exciting ones to enter into the circle, delivering a style similar to Sharon Jones.…
JW Jones: High Temperature
Here’s a blues rocker that sounds like he has dirt underneath his fingernails. JW-Jones sings and plays guitar here with a team including Laura Greenberg-Dominic John Davis/b, Mathieu Lapensee-Bryan Owings, Kevin McKendree/key and Colin Linden/g through a mix of originals…
Snaggle: The Long Slog
The group Snaggle consists of Nick MacLean/key, Mike Murray/g, Max Forster/tp, Doug Moore/b, Graem Wallace/ts, Tom Grosset/dr and guest Brownman Ali/tp and they have an attractive allegiance to vintage hard bop. The team sounds 70s funky on a couple of…