The California-based group The Holdup creates a mix of reggae and synth hip hop on this collection of 16 quick in and out tunes. Lead by vocalist and composer Michael Garmany, the band listing is not present on the liner…
Month: March 2017
Lucas Haneman Express: Tearing Up The Rails
The Lucas Haneman Express consists of Lucas Haneman/voc-g, Jeff Asselin/dr-perc Megan Laurence/voc-tamb and Martin Newman/b-voc. They specialize in rootsy blues tunes, and with Steve Marriner from MonkeyJunk on harmonica, get down and dirty on the moaning “The Verdict” and a…
David Longoria: The Journey
Trumpeter David Longoria mixes party dance themes with trumpet sounds ranging from 70s Miles Davis to Doc Severinsen on this collection of originals. You might think you’ve been dropped into an Armenian wedding with the celebratory synthesizers on “Playground” and…
Victor Wooten Trio@The Dakota 03.10.17
The hearty fans that braved the 10 degree weather and packed The Dakota Saturday night got musically rewarded with Victor Wooten and his team of Bob DeFranceschini/sax and Joe Collins/dr emitting enough musical heat to warm up the most frigid…
PIANO TRIOS FROM ECM…Julia Hulsmann Trio: Sooner or Later, Benedict Jahnel Trio: The Invariant
Very few labels have an identifiable sound anymore. Not so with ECM. Check out these two trios. Pianist Julia Hulsmann joins together with Marc Muellbauer/b and Heinrich Kobberling/dr for a lyrical collection of impressionistic interplay. She’s deft as using space…
Charlie Sepulveda and The Turnaround: Mr. Ep-A Tribute to Eddie Palmieri
Caliente sounds and rhythms are served on a hot plate as Eddie Palmieri serves as a guest on his own tribute. His lovely piano touch bookends the album with a pair of beautiful “Variations” while the exciting percussion provided by…
THE ARRANGER’S TOUCH: John Blevins: Matterhorn, The Mark Masters Ensemble: Blue Skylight, Joel LaRue Smith: The Motorman’s Son, KMJO: Common Ground
It’s not just what you say, but the way that you say it. Here are some well arranged albums. Trumpeter and composer John Blevins brings together a full team of Drew Williams/ts, Brad Mulholland/wwinds, Nick Grinder/tb, Marta key, Jeff McLaughlin/g,…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Beata Pater: Fire Dance
This is the third album I’ve heard by vocalist Beata Pater, and it is a change from the Spartan “Golden Lady” or fusiony “Red,” the clever lady takes her wordless approach and delivers a mix of CTI soul jazz and…
FREE AND LOOSE…Satoko Fujii Orchestra Tokyo: Peace, Curtis Bahn & Thomas Ciufo: Sonic Constructions, Allison Philips: Trio
Boundaries are stretched and crossed on these three recent releases. Satoko Fujii steps in front of the bandstand to lead a 16 member band through four elaborate explorations. Featuring Christian Pruvost/tp, Sachi Hayasaka/ss and Peter Orins/dr, the band stretches out…
Sandy Cressman: Entre Amigos
Vocalist Sandy Cressman takes you on a Brazilian tour of sounds in both English and Portuguese on this charming and lithe session. She mixes and matches her warm and nasal intonations with a rotating team of David Matthews/key, Phil Thompson/dr,…