UK based Acrobat Records came up with the clever idea of putting together material that is associated with Frank Sinatra, but selecting versions of songs like “Lean Baby,” “Witchcraft” and “Angel Eyes” by some of the finest of mainstream artists.…
Month: October 2018
Nobody’s Girl: Waterline
The vocal trio Nobody’s Girl consists of BettySoo, Grace Pettis and Rebecca Loebe, and they take turns going in lead and background harmony. They’re backed by a hard rocking team of JJ Johnson/dr, Michael Ramos/key, Glenn Fukunaga/b and David Grissom/g,…
IMPRESSIVE DEBUT…James Francies: Flight
Not quite as ambitious as the 3 disc debut of tenor saxist Kamasi Washington, this single album by pianist/keyboardist/composer James Francies is just a impressive. Produced by Derrick Hodge, it mixes furious and ambitions acoustic originals with exciting fusion moods…
Fima Ephron: Songs From The Tree
Bassist Fima Ephron shows that adventurous music can be as accessible as it is exciting. He brings together a top notch group reed master Chris Potter, guitarist Adam Rogers along with a stellar rhythm team of Nate Smith/dr, Kevin Hays/p-keys…
Ernesto Cervini’s Turboprop: Abundance
Unlike some politicians, drummer Ernesto Cervini leads well from behind on this album of originals and standards. He brings into the fold the impressive post bop team of Tara Davidson/as-ss-fl, Joel Frahm/ts, William Carn/tb, Adrean Farrugia/p and Dan Loomis/b. Cervini…
John Lennon & Yoko Ono: Imagine & Gimme Some Truth
“I’m just a guy” So summarizes John Lennon’s perspective as he converses with a pair of stalking stoned fans in front of his house during the filming of the Imagine documentary. These two films on dvd/blu-ray speak volumes of John…
Wolfgang Muthspiel: Where the River Goes
Austrian guitarist Wofgang Muthspiel mixes and matches with all stars Ambrose Akinmusire/tp, Brad Mehldau/p, Larry Grenadier/b and Eric Harland/dr on this reunion of sorts from his successful previous release. Whether on electric or acoustic/classical guitar, the mood is reflective with…
Ambrose Akinmusire: Origami Harvest
Trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire takes a side tour from his “regular” sound to deliver an album that mixes musical adventure with social commentary. His teaming of New York’s Mivos (String) Quartet with the jazz ensemble of himself with Marcus Gilmore/dr, Sam…
Jakob Bro: Bay of Rainbows
Guitarist Jakob Bro is caught in concert in NYC at the Jazz Standard with the simpatico team of Thomas Morgan/b and Joey Baron/dr as the trio reflects on material of the leader’s past. The songs range from just under 5…
Stefon Harris & Blackout: Sonic Creed
One of the most important, if not THE most important voice on the vibes today, Stefon Harris brings his Blackout band of James Francies/p-key, Joshua Crumbly/b, Terreon Gully/dr, Casey Benjamin/sax, Felix Peikli/cl-bcl and Mike Moreno/g and mixes and matches them…