Guitarist, singer and composer Joe Caro leads his blues rocking Met Band through a foot stomping mix of originals and covers. The core team includes legendary drummer Anton Fig on most tracks, as well as Billy Peterson-Mark Egan/b, Chris Palmaro/key…
Month: January 2018
Marc Copland: Nightfall
Pianist Marc Copland has been John Abercrombie’s sideman for some time, and with this album he steps out into the limelight. The late guitarist’s hand is still felt, as Copland interprets a couple Abercrombie pieces, two lovingly lyrical tunes “Another…
CREATIVE AND ECLECTIC…Jesse Jones: Ephemera, Dorothy Hindman: Tightly Wound, Eric Stokes: The Lyrical Pickpocket
Three recent releases from Innova Records mix elements of jazz, classical and modern thought. Five pieces by Jesse Jones mix poetry, prose and passion here, with moods and textures changing with each piece. “Abraxas” I sperformed by the Argento Chamber…
THE NEW “NEW AGE” MUSIC…Will Ackerman-Fiona Joy-Lawrence Blatt-Jeff Oster: Flow
Back in the 80s, “New Age” music was the rage. Impressionistic, gentle, melodic with plenty of space, it captured the airwaves. Here, one of its leaders, guitarist and Grammy-winner Will Ackerman delivers 21st Century sounds from the Windham Hill crowd…
Deanna Witkowski: Makes the Heart Sing-Jazz Hymns
Pianist Deanna Witkowski shows that you can stay awake in church, with some clever arrangements of popular traditional hymns. The joins together with Daniel Foose/b and Scott Latzky/dr. Much of the time, she takes the original melodies from the countries…
Joel Levine: The Whistleblower
The recorder is not one of the most used instruments in jazz, and for good reason. There’s very little dynamics to it, and the fingering has no margin of error. Nevertheless, Joel Levine not only tackles the instrument, but he…
Alma Micic: That Old Feeling
Vocalist Alma Micic has a girl-next-door sound and deliver, more Betty than Veronica in the Archie Comics of jazz. She teams up with a deftly swinging team of Rale Micic/g, Corcoran holt/b, Johnathan Blake/dr and Tom Beckham/vib for a mix…
Monique DeBose: The Sovereign One
Mixing pop and jazz with a dose of fragile poetry, Monique DeBose brings a fragile voice with potent messages supported by Edwin Livingston/b, Kyle O’Donnnell/sax, Dylan Meek/keys, Thorald Koren/p-g-voc, Shakerleg/dr and Isaac Koren/voc. Heartfelt moods are emitted on the riveting…
JOHN LODGE: ISN’T LIFE STRANGE?
CELEBRATING IT’S 50TH YEAR ANNIVERSARY IN 2017, THE MOODY BLUES ALBUM DAYS OF FUTURE PASSED, LIKE THE BAND ITSELF, HAS HAD A FASCINATING RUN. AS BASSIST JOHN LODGE EXPLAINS IN THIS INTERVIEW, THE ALBUM WAS A MAJOR SHIFT FROM THE…
GRAEME EDGE: THE FUTURE, THE PAST AND DAYS OF FUTURE PASSED
NOT MANY DRUMMERS ALSO DOUBLE AS POETS, BUT THAT IS ACTUALLY THE TALENT THAT GRAEME EDGE GAVE TO THE MOODY BLUES TO MAKE THEIR FIRST TRUE ALBUM DAYS OF FUTURE PASSED SO REVOLUTIONARY. UP TO THAT TIME, MOST POP AND…