The exciting band Tribu consists of David Casini/perc-vib, Ruben Salcido/as-ss-fl, Marcus Lopez/b-perc, Mario Salomon/dr-perc, Jesus Gonzalez/cong-perc and Steve McQuarry/key through a collection of percolating originals. Casini’s vibes adds extra dimension and textures to the volcanic percussion for Salcido’s alto on…
Month: July 2018
Shawn Maxwell’s New Tomorrow: Music In My Mind
Leader Shawn Maxwell plays alto sax, flute and clarinet with his core ream of Matt Nelson/p-key, Junius Paul/b, Phil Beale/dr while rotating around Dee Alexander/voc, Victor Garcia-Chad McCullough-Corey Wilkes/tp, Patrick Mulcahhy-Tim Seisser/eb, Stephen Lynerd/vib and Kalyan Pathak/perc. His compositions create…
Troy Roberts: Nu-Jive Perspective
Tenor saxist Troy Roberts brings together a muscular team of Tim Jago/g, Silvano Monasterios/key, Eric England/b and Dave Chiverton/dr for some funky soul originals. Roberts’ tone is strong and confident, and surfs the waves created by England’s bass like a…
Jaqueline Tabor: The Lady in the Gown
Jaqueline Tabor wears a series of different gowns provided by the seamless support of Greg Feingold/b, Max Holmberg/dr and Cole Schuster/g. The material is mostly standard patterns, but the wardrobe is well worn as she gets coy with the trio…
88 KEYS AND BEYOND…Bongwool Lee: My Singing Fingers, Bill Anschell: Shifting Standards
The piano still has things to say. Here are a pair of interpreters. Bongwool Lee forms a trio with Kendrick Scott/dr and Luques Curtis/b for a collection of mostly originals. The sole cover is a pastel themed “Bye Bye Blackbird”…
Kamasi Washington: Heaven and Earth
A few years ago, Kamasi Washington was an LA based tenor saxist best known for his work with the Gerald Wilson Orchestra and his being a co-founder of The West Coast Get Down along with Ronald Bruner/dr, Steven Bruner/eb, Ryan…
SMOOTH WITH MUSCLE…Jessy J: Live at Yoshi’s
I’ve always found it befuddling that tenor saxist Jessy J has been relegated to the “smooth jazz” field. Is it because she’s an attractive woman who plays accessible material? This album of her with her band of Jay Rowe/key, Frank…
Vincent Poag: Heroes and Demons
As vagabonds go, Vincent Poag is one that makes the life of a troubadour fun and winsome. He sings, plays guitar and composes all of the material, creating a rich tapestry of sounds and moods with a coming and going…
HARD AND POST BOP DELIGHTS…Kobie Watkins Grouptet: Movement, Roman Filiu: Quarteria
Vintage sounds of hard bop are modernized on these two recent releases by today’s generation. Drummer and percussionist Kobie Watkins brings together a strong collection of Jonathan Armstrong/ts-ss, Ryan Hielsen/tp-fh, Justin Nielsen/p-key and Aaron Miller/b for a collection of mostly…
Tia Fuller: Diamond Cut
Tia Fuller may look and pose like Donna Summer’s Bad Girls album, but she plays like she just stepped out of a vintage Blue Note session on this hard hitting album with all stars Jack DeJohnette-Bill Stewart/dr, James Genus-Dave Holland/b,…