Sublime guitar moods are created by Nate Najar with his trio of Tommy Cecil/b and Matthew Home/dr as the leader tackles a Gaul-dominated songbook. His touch and tone are cool and thoughtful on gentle breezes such as “La Mort Douce”…
Month: October 2018
SMOOTH SAILING…Sam Rucker: Redemption, dee Brown: Remembering You
“Smooth” jazz used to be a curse word, associated with Kenny G or music for the elevator. Here are two artists that, while considered part of that genre, definitely have some muscles to flex. Tenor saxist Sam Rucker has a…
SENHOR BLUES…
I just got back from a trip to Portugal, and was thrilled by the musical and cultural wonders. Of all of the Latin speaking countries, Portugal gets overlooked, but it is really important for a variety of reasons. I’ve made…
Cuong Vu 4tet: Change in the Air
Trumpeter and composer Cuong Vu forms a creative and intuitive quartet featuring guitar wizard Bill Frisell as well as Luke Bergman/b and Ted Poor/dr. The overall sound which features Vu’s warm and rich tone combined with Frisell’s elliptical six string…
Jon Batiste: Hollywood Africans
Louisiana local Jon Batiste brings his roots to the front as he plays his piano and sings in a variety of settings for this well produced album. His touch on the piano is filled with Louisiana Red Clay, as on…
LEO IN THE FALL…Roz Harding: Supermood, gabriela Friedli Trio: areas, Pago Libre & Friends: Got Hard, Pat Battstone: The Last Taxi-In Transit
The freest and most adventurous music these days comes from Leo Records. Hold on tight! Alto saxist Roz Harding forms a trio with Mike Outram/g and Jim Bashford/dr for this collection of originals. She can’t decide if she wants to…
Jorge Santana: Love the Way-The Solo 70s Recordings
Best known as both one of the founding members of the Latin rock group Malo, and for being the brother of Carlos Santana, Jorge Santana shows impressive form on this reissue of his own solo albums. The 1978 eponymous album…
Ben Paterson: Live At Van Gelder’s
The Hammond B3 is humming like a 61 Caddy with Ben Paterson at the wheel. Along with Gillespie-alum Ed Cherry/g and Jason Tiemann/dr, you get some hot grooves that stick to your ribs. The pedals are pushed for a bluesy…
Senri Oe: Boys & Girls
Pianist and composer Senri Oe revisits some of his earlier compositions in solo piano form, showing great lyricism in both pen and ivory on this rich album. He’s got a warm touch, and he can make the mood go uptown…
JORGE SANTANA: MALO ES BUENO!
RECENTLY, OMNIVORE RECORDS HAS REISSUED A COLLECTION OF ALBUMS FEATURING THE CAREER OF GUITARIST JORGE SANTANA. BROTHER OF CARLOS SANTANA, JORGE HIMSELF HAS CARVED OUT AN IMPRESSIVE CAREER AS ON OF THE FOUNDING MEMBERS OF THE LATIN JAZZ-ROCK GROUP MALO,…