Alto saxist Sherman Irby has carved out a successful career starting with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra and Roy Hargrove before going out on his own. But somewhere along the way the smooth toned alto saxist started taking his Charles…
Month: November 2017
Mark Whitfield: Live & Uncut
Guitarist Mark Whitfield was a major up and comer back in the 90s, highly influenced by George Benson and serving as a sideman for B3er Jimmy Smith. He went through a period where his releases were few and far between,…
Gary Meek: Originals
Tenor saxist Gary Meek brings jazz back into accessibility and swing on this hip album with an all star team of Teri Lyne Carrington/dr, Brian Bromberg/b-prod, Mitchel Forman/p and guests Randy Brecker/tp-fh, Bruce Forman-Michael Lent/g and Airto Moreira/perc. All of…
Richard X Bennett: Experiments with Truth, What is Now
Composer and pianist Richard X Bennett shows two sides of his musical mind on a pair of releases. Experiments with Truth have Bennet teamed with a quintet of Adam Armstrong/b and Alex Wyatt/dr as well saxists MattParker/ts-ss and Lisa Parrott/bs-as.…
ASIAN BLENDS…David Lopato: Gendhing For A Spirit Rising, Billy Drewes: Under One Sun
Western jazz teams with sounds from afar… This ambitious 2 disc set features David Lopato in a pair of different settings. He himself plays piano along with a plethora of instruments such as virtual violin, sampled zither, marimba and various…
Manny Echazabal: Short Notice
Post bop tenor saxist Manny Echazabal shows great form with this quartet including Tal Cohen/p, Dion Kerr/b and David Chiverton/dr sizzling through a collection of originals. His tone is warm and relaxed on the graceful “Time Out” and “Out of…
Benny Benack III: One Of A Kind
Benny Benack III uses both voice and trumpet to create a warm mood of songs fit for a love nest. He teams up with Joel Frahm/sax, Yotam Silberstein/g, Emmet Cohen/p, Alex Claffy/b and Ulysses Owens Jr/dr for a mix of…
Clemens Grassmann: Labyrinths and Tales
Clemens Grassmann plays drums and percussion as he leads a core band of Jonathan Chapman/b, Andrew Marzotta/g, Antoni Vaquer/p and a rotating team of horns, percussion and keys through a collection of his own compositions. The material is quite wide…
ROCKER SONG BOOK IN JAZZ TRIO FORM…Hazelrigg Brothers: Songs We Like
The brother team of George/p and Geoff/b Hazelrigg bring in drummer John O’Reilly for a fun collection of jazzy interpretations of mostly 70s fm rock hits. The idea works well here, as O’Reilly brings deft brush work to a nimble…
THE REAL SOUL MEN…The Original Blues Brothers Band: The Last Shade of Blue Before Black
With original members Steve Cropper/g and Blue Lou Marini/sax, the Blues Brothers reunite one more (last?) time, and they sound like STAX Records never closed down. Bobby Harden, Rob Paparozzi and Tommy McDonnell share the vocals for the snappy rhythm…