Month: September 2017

New Latitude: Vantage  Point

The twin acoustic guitars of Dave Erickson and Jim Carr make for rich and pretty sounds as they team up with Deon  Kuhl/dr and Robert Strickland/b for eleven upbeat originals. Delicate plucks and strums abound on pieces like the spacious…

Harold Little: Akoben

Trumpeter Harold Little gets fun and funky on this upbeat and plugged in session. Complete with a heavy backbeat rotating  rhythm team, guitars, reeds and even a choir, Akoben swings over a slapping bass on “East of the River” and…

Gerald Cannon: Combinations

Bassist Gerald Cannon does some impressive mixing and matching with some major jazz stars on this clever session. He teams up with a basic core of pianist Rick Germanson and drummer Willie Jones III while forming various sized groups that…

Carsten Dahl: The Jester

Scandinavian Carsten Dahl is best known as a lyrical jazz pianist, so this album of thirteen pieces with him at the harpsichord is an intriguing stunner. Seeing the instrument in the studio, Dahl records it on a whim, with all…

Maurice  Brown: The Mood

Mentored by Wynton Marsalis, trumpeter Maurice Brown delivers an impressive and hip album that shows him in a variety of logical settings, which figures, since he’s been a sideman for the likes of John Legend to Santana. Here, he sizes…

Errol Rackipov Group: Distant Dreams

Errol Rackipov plays vibes and marimbas as he leads a sextet through a collection of his compositions and arrangements. The team of himself with Lubomir Gospodinov/ts-ss, David Leon/as, Martin Bejerano/p, Peter Slavov/b and Ludwig Afonso/dr is highly rhythmic, and Rackpov…

Pull: Pull A String, Puppet Moves

Consisting of Brodie Jarvie/b, Alistair Payne/tp, Teis Semey/g, and Guy Salamon/dr, the band Pull mixes danceable jazz grooves and indie rock moods on this album of ten originals. Guitar strums and legato horns mix well on “Stargazing #3” while an…