Nothing gets as personal and intimate in jazz as piano & vocal duets, and this one with Hilary Gardner with Ehud Asherie is a beaut. Asherie has two relaxed and strong hands, and Gardner is confident and dynamic , able…
Month: January 2018
Gene Pritsker’s Sound Liberaton: Rite Through An Eclectic Spectrum
Gene Pritsker mixes Stravinsky with modern sounds and attitudes as he plays guitar, dj and even throws in some rap along with Franz Hackl/tp, Greg Baker/g, Philipp Moll/b, Gernot Bernodier/dr and the voice of Chanda Rule as well as some…
TESTOSTERONE-TONED TENORS…Dexter Gordon: The Resurgence of Dexter Gordon From Los Angeles to York, Sal Nistico Quartet: Live At Carmelos 1981, Lucky Thompson: In Paris 1960
Listening to sounds from the past helps put the present jazz scene in proper perspective. Here are three releases from the Spain-based label present us with three tenor saxists from an era when big and brawny sounds swung with a…
WHEN KINGS WALKED ON EARTH…Louis Armstrong: The Standard Oil Sessions, The Nightclubs
You’re going to have to trust me on this, but once upon a time, the greatest artists in America were also the most popular. Smelling salts, please! These two releases from Dot Time Records find jazz progenitor Louis Armstrong at…
BOSS TENORS…Eric Alexander: Song of No Regrets, Houston Person: Rain or Shine
Tenor saxes are like salami sticks; as long as it’s beefy or smoky, I’m good to go. Here are two of the best living guys that are carrying the Texas Tenor torch. Eric Alexander has a strong chop sirloin slab…
FROM STREET POET TO STREET PREACHER…Bob Dylan: Trouble No More; The Bootleg Series Vol. 13/1978-1981
“And they took offense at Him, but Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is without honor in his own home country.’” Matthew 13:57 For years, Bob Dylan was the Pied Piper to the Baby Boomer generation, with his songs of…
SULTRY VOICES…Michelle Coltrane: Awakening, Eva Cortes: Crossing Borders, Black Gardenia: Lucky Star
Wonderful female voices in three different settings… While not as well known as her dad John, mom Alice, or brother Ravi, vocalist Michelle Coltrane shows that she has her own personal voice and delivery on this clever mix of originals…
A RAT PACKED FROM THE UK…Paul Rasmussen: That Swing Thing, Singing & Swinging
Here’s a guy from Scotland who’s got the dna of a lounge lizard. Paul Rasmussen demonstrates a confident, strong and upbeat voice on this pair of releases that focus on standards made famous by the likes of Sinatra, Darin, Martin…
INTIMATE EVENINGS…Michel Camilo: Live in London, Delfeayo Marsalis: Kalamazoo
Nothing like the rapport between an artist and audience. Here are two examples of musical personal encounters. Pianist Michel Camilo delivers a rich and passionate solo performance at this concert at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London back in June,…
Glenn Kostur: The Way of It
Glenn Kostur seems to lean towards the baritone sax, as it is most played here, and it’s warm and filled with alma. With the team of Steve Kovalcheck/g, Dana Landry/p-key, Erik Applegate/b and Jim White/dr he fills the room on…