Trumpeter Keyon Harrold made his name as supplying the trumpet sound for the Miles Davis biopic with Don Cheadle. Here, the horn player who’s toured and recorded with the likes of Beyonce’ and Jay-Z ventures out on his own, with…
Month: October 2017
LEO IN THE FALL…Bones: Haberdashery, Deniz Peters & Simon Rose: Edith’s Problem, VIP Pierre Audetat & Vinz Vonlanthen: Walking Contradition, Nabatov-Johnson-Sarin: Free Reservoir
The latest cache from Leo Records is filled with fun filled improvisations. Check them out. The trio of Ziv Taubenfeld/bcl, Shay Hazan/b and Nir Sabag/dr deliver 8 dark and long shadows on this release. Taubenfeld’s bass clarinet is rich and…
Peter Bernstein: Signs LIVE!
Peter Bernstein is one of the greatest of the “unheralded” straight-ahead guitarists alive. I’ve seen him a dozen times, in various group arrangements, and he mixes his warm toned strings with an inherent sense of swing and melody. This 2…
The Blue Note All-Stars: Our Point Of View
The shadow of Herbie Hancock is well cast over this excellent 2 cd collection. The Blue Note All-Stars consists of the strong team of Lionel Loueke/g, Ambrose Akinmusire/tp, Marcus Strickland/ts, Kendrick Scott/dr, Robert Glasper/key and Derrick Hodge/b produce and impressive…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Zem Audu: Spirits
Tenor saxist and composer Zem Audo puts together a highly exciting and textured album of originals. He boasts of a rich, strong and flavorful tone, delivering rich arias with pianist Benito Gonzales, all star bassist Ben Williams and drummer John…
POST MODERN…Oscar Feldman: Gol, Steve Sandberg Quartet: Alaya, Isamu McGregor: Resonance
Three albums reflecting the world of post bop sounds Oscar Feldman plays alto and soprano sax with an assertive team of Antonio Sanchez/dr, John Benitez/b, Leo Genovese/p-key and Guillermo/voc-key. He shows his bop charms on soprano on the snappy “Is…
CAN YA DIG IT? Isaac Hayes: The Spirit of Memphis 1962-1976
Most people associate Isaac Hayes only with the Shaft theme, and for most of us, that would be enough to make us happy for the rest of their lives. This 4 cd+ collection gives the full dimension of the Black…
Marc VW All Stars: Raise the Marc
Back in January 12, Tower of Power bassist Marc Vanwageningen was hit by an Amtrack train after a gig at Yoshi’s. By the grace of God he survived, but amassed a slew of medical bills. This album with all stars…
The Mica Bethea Big Band: Stage ‘N Studio
Composer Mica Bithea leads a big band through a mix of his creative originals as well as a couple standards, with the two disc set comprising the same songs, but with one in a studio and the other in a…
Shelly Berg & David Finck: The Deep
Pianist Shelly berg teams with bassist Dave Fink for a wonderful collection of jazz sonata duets. The mood is relaxed and simpatico, and a mix of space and gentle swing keeps the sounds flowing forward Finck takes the lead on…