Quietly and slowly, pianist Gerald Clayton is growing an impressive catalogue in a variety of settings. Stepping outside the trio format, Clayton here teams up with Joe Sanders/b, Justin Brown and a horn section boasting of Logan Richardson/as, Ben Wendel/ts-bs…
Month: June 2017
Trevor Salloum & Bobby Sanabria: The Conga and Bongo Drum in Jazz
This latest published by Mel Bay educational books is the first book to teach how to play jazz conga and bongo drums, and for that alone it is worthwhile. Trevor Salloum and Bobby Sanabria write about conga and bongo drums…
Matt Holman: The Tenth Muse
Matt Holman brings his trumpet and flugelhorn te team up with the multiple woodwinds of Sam Sadigursky, the vibes of Chris Dingman and Bobby Avey’s piano on this collection of 16 musical “Fragments.” As expected without any drums or piano,…
Rakkatak: Small Pieces
The duo of Anita Katakkar/perc-harmonium and Oriana Barbato/b-perc mix sounds of Central Asia and Western jazz in a variety of settings with a surfeit of guests. Sitar and tables meld on “Medley-Norwegian Wood” and the melodic “Heliosphere” while “Rain After…
Jack DeJohnette, Larry Grenadier, John Medeski, John Scofield: Hudson
“Supergroup” get-togethers, like All Star games, can be dangerous things, as the meeting can become more gentlemanly than sport-like. This one works exceedingly well, as the ideas and execution from all stars Jack DeJohnette/dr, Larry Grenadier/b, John Medeski/p-key and John…
GUITAR FORMS…Jim Yanda Trio: Regional Cookin’, Home Road
Iowa born and New Jersey residing, guitarist Jim Yanda has a rich tone and lyrical approach to the strings in the line of Howard Roberts and Pat Martino. Here are two albums of his, one from a few years ago,…
Chris Potter Quartet@The Dakota 05.31.17
Chris Potter has not only established himself as one of today’s pre-eminent saxists, but as he displayed at The Dakota Wednesday night at the packed house at The Dakota, he is also turning into a formidable composer and arranger. Teamed…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****The Ed Palermo Big Band: The Great Un-American Songbook
You’ve got to give kudos to leader/conductor/arranger and alto sax player Ed Palermo just for the moxie of putting together a big band for such an audacious project. The 17 piece jazz orchestra plus two vocalists takes rock songs of…
ERIC BIBB: A DEEP WELL OF THE BLUES
IN THIS DAY OF POWER GUITARISTS AND THE RESURGENCE OF ROCKING THE BLUES, THE FOLK ACOUSTIC GUITAR SOUNDS BY ERIC BIBB STAND IN REFRESHING CONTRAST. GROWING UP IN A MUSICAL FAMILY INCLUDING JOHN LEWIS AND FRIENDS WITH THE LIKES OF…
STEVE VAI: MODERN AND PRIMITIVE
ONE OF TODAY’S PREMIER POWER GUITARISTS, STEVE VAI KEEPS LOOKING FORWARD WHILE STILL ACKNOWLEDGING HIS PAST. LAST YEAR, HE RELEASED A 25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION OF HIS SEMINAL PASSION AND WARFARE. CURRENTLY, HE HAS CONTRIBUTED THE 7TH INSTALLMENT OF HIS 10 DISC…