Marcus Miller is one of the few artists that can cross the worlds of funk, hip hop and jazz and satisfy all audiences. His latest album is a rubber necking affair that will get your head bobbing to the grooves,…
Month: June 2018
Ketil Bjornstad: A Suite of Poems (Lars Saabye Christensen)
While there have been many collaborations in the past between jazz and poetry, it’s usually associated with beatniks and smoky nightclubs or soulful street preaching. Soft touched pianist Ketil Bjornstad goes in a completely different direction, bringing in soft toned…
Roni Ben-Hur & Harvie S: Introspection
Guitarist Roni Ben-Hur and bassist Harvie S bring in drummer Tim Horner to crate a rich and subtly swinging trio through a mix of standards. The team takes you on a wonderful trip to Brazil on a couple of sambas…
OUTSIDE ATMOSPHERES…This Is It!: 1538, Fujii Fonda Mimmo: Triad
Sonic Jackson Pollocks hit the canvas of your ears… The trio of Natsuki tamura/tp, Satoko Fujii/p and Takashi Itani/dr-perc celebrate the pianists 60th year with some free from compositions. There are unison lines of piano and horn that veer in…
Ramin Partovi: 27 Faces of a Broken Heart
This two disc set has guitarist Ramin Partovi teaming with drummer Simon Phillips and bassist Jimmy Johnson to mix and match with over 2 dozen guitarists and a couple of pianists. Six string stars such as Carl Verheyen, Oz Noy,…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****HOLY COW!!! The Flying Horse Big Band: The Bat Swings!
Here is a great idea, and it’s done with the absolutely perfect attitude. Director Jeff Rupert takes on the role of Commissioner Gordon and brings together themes and motifs from the wonderfully kitschy and iconic 60s Batman TV show and…
SO, EIGHT BEATS GO INTO A BAR…Eddie Boyd: The Singles Collection 1947-62
Few blues pianists have been as influential as Eddie Boyd (1914-94), with this gritty two disc set well demonstrating the various shades of blues and boogie that still resonate to this day. His most important singles from his itinerant days…
PROOF OF INTELLIGENT DESIGN…Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: The Treasury Shows Volume 25, Duke Ellington: In Coventry 1966
I usually use two arguments to counter the belief that man came out of a primordial soup to eventually evolve into his present state. One is Joe DiMaggio’s 56 game hitting streak (of which even anthropologist Stephen Gould admitted was…
Bill Warfield Big Band: For Lew
Trumpet/bandleader Bill Warfield delivers a rich tribute to departed friend and fellow horn player Lew Soloff. The session is from the early to mid 90s, so it includes the late trumpeter. The 12 tunes includes contributions from all stars Dave…
NPO Trio: Live at the Stone
The trio of Meg Okura/vi, Sam Newsome/ss and Jean-Michel Pilc/p team up for a 2016 concert in NYC’s The Stone Club. The mood and music is intuitive and free form, as piano and violin go rhapsodic on “A Four Forty”…