Trumpeter Jeremy Pelt is at his muscular best in a quintet setting for a 2017 Paris gig. He leads as the only linear instrument, teamed with Victor Gould/p, Vicente Archer/b, Jonathan Barber/dr and Jacquelene Acevedo/perc for an extroverted and hard…
Month: April 2018
IMPORTANT MALE VOICES…Kurt Elling: The Questions, Allan Harris: The Genius of Eddie Jefferson
In this day of most singers relying on The Great American Songbook, two singers take on a path less traveled, and that makes all the difference. One of today’s important voices, Kurt Elling has come a long way to his…
The Core-Tet: The Core-Tet Project
The team of Evelyn Glennie/perc, Jon Hemmersam/g, Szilard Mezei/viola and Michael Jefry Stevens/p form an ensemble that focuses on freely improvised music. The difference between this and “free jazz” is that these artists come from a classical background, making the…
Robert Diack: Lost Villages
Drummer Robert Diack creates a musical story about a collection of 9 communities in Southern Ontario on this moody album of textures and emotions. His team includes Patrick O’Reilly/g, Jacob Thompson/p and Brandon Davis/b, and they mix stark and ominous…
Jakob Bro: Returnings
Guitarist Jakob Bro creates a wide palate of atmospheres with his latest album with Thomas Morgan/b, Jon Christensen/dr and Palle Mikkelborg/tp-fh. The moods are sepia toned, with a mix of ambient contemplations and soft water colors provided by Mikkelborg’s chestnut…
Carmella Rappazzo: Howlin’ at the Moon
Vocalist Carmella Rappazzo shows impressive flexibility and emotional range on this collection of originals plus one. Her voice has an attractive growl that she uses instead of vibrato, and it works well in adding emphasis as she teams with a…
The TEN Tenors: Wish You Were Here
So, the Three Tenors, or Take Six isn’t enough for you? Get a load of this dektet that mixes rich vocal harmonies with solo arias with a clever selection of material. Produced and arranged by Steven Baker, the Tenors put…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****THE BEAUTIFUL ONES…The John L. Nelson Project: Don’t Play With Love
The first question I asked myself after taking in this bopping album was “Would I be as excited about this album if it were not a collection of jazz originals by Prince’s father?” To be perfectly honest, I’m not sure.…
HORN OF PLENTY…Louise Baranger: Plays the Great American Groove Book, Mike Vax & Ron Romm: Collaboration
Gabriel’s horn blows well on these two recent releases… Louise Baranger taps into an underappreciated resource on this collection of soul classics from the Baby Boomer period. She brings together a barn burner of teammates which include Rick Kriska/as, don…
Lewis Porter: Beauty & Mystery
Lewis Porter brings together an all star team of John Patitucci/b, Terri Lyne Carrington/dr and guest Tia Fuller/sax for some creative and thoughtful post bop pieces. Fuller’s joined with the band for only a pair of tunes, but she makes…