Was there a secret female singer breeding ground back in the 1950s or something? It’s simply amazing how many vocalists Fresh Sound Records finds and re-introduces to today’s ears that I’ve never heard of. These two sessions will make you…
Month: June 2017
Alma Matters: Alma Matters
Rich vocals by Sandy Cressman, Tony Lindsay, Natalie Cressman, Julianna Cressman,Peter Apfelbum, Destani Wolf and Terrance Kelly range from gospel to funk on this richly textured album lead by drummer/vocalist Jeff Weinmann. The pastoral tones supplied by Apfelbum’s flute, Cressman’s…
THE SIXTIES REVISITED…Arthur Lee & Love: Complete “Forever Changes” Live, Phil Ochs: Live in Montreal 10/22/66
The more things change… Here are a couple of recent release from major contributors to the sounds and attitudes of the 60s that still resonate today. Largely forgotten today, Arthur Lee recorded the album Forever Changes back in the year…
Tetraptych: Tetraptych
Pianist Bert Seager composes all but one tune for the quartet that has him along with Hery Paz/ts, Max Ridley/b and Dor Herskovits/dr delivering intelligent post bop material. The team is quite flexible in moods, with Seager showing a dash…
GENRE BENDING…CarbonWorks: CarbonWorks
Here’s a band that sounds like a band, yet sounds like no other band, as they mix sounds, directions and attitudes from all over the world. Led by guitarist/keyboardist Neal Barnard and violinist Allegra Havens, CarbonWorks features ebullient vocals from…
Joe Mongelli & the Cape Jazz Crew: Wash Ashore
Joe Mongelli has a warm and alluring tone on both trumpet and flugelhorn, arranging most of the material here as he teams up with Fred Boyle/p, Ron Ormsby/b, Steve Langone-Bart Weisman/dr and a couple guests for rich workings of standards.…
JAZZ TRIOS! Mike Longo Trio: Only Time Will Tell, Organissimo: B3tles, The Pete Malinverni Trio: Heaven
Pianist Mike Long pumps his bebopping hear in a trio setting with Paul West/b and Lewis Nash/dr. The password is swing on this session, with the trio getting into a bossa mood on Longo’s “Stepping Up” and taking the show…
Cowbell: Haunted Heart
Co-lead by Jack Sandham/voc-g-key and Wednesday Lyle/voc-dr-perc, Cowbell mixes and matches sounds and moods to range from rockabilly to punk with a dash or R&B. Shades of Link Wray bring out the 50s on the title track and “Nothing But…
GUITARS AND ELECTRONICA…Zero Times Everything: Sonic Cinema, Yang: The Failure of Worlds
These days it’s not enough to “just” play the guitar; extra electronics and effects are slowly becoming de rigueur. Here are a couple of examples. Tony GeBalle plays guitar along with “rhythmic programming” and synthesizer along with pietro Russino’s guitar,…
THE MERCEDES 80s…Cedar Walton/Pat Senatore/Billy Higgins: The V.I.P. Trio-Standards Volume 2
“Once upon a time there was a tavern…” Mary Hopkins If you were a jazz fan, life was good in the 1980s. For just $5-10, you could go to one of a plethora of clubs and see artists ranging from…