Here’s a rewarding and exciting trio album by pianist/composer Brittany Anjoy. She works with a core team of Gregory Chudzik/b and Nicholas Anderson/dr on almost all of the tracks, and her composing skills are matched by her warm technique. The…
Month: February 2019
RICH MEZZO-SOPRANOS…Douye: Quatro-Bossa Nova Deluxe, Alicia Olatuja: Intuition-Songs From the Minds of Women
Here are a pair of releases by women with deep souls and palpably molten voices. Nigerian-born Douye’ delivers a warm collection of bossa nova classics and samba’d jazz standards on this delightfully lithe session. Some of the best in supporting…
Johnny Griffith Quintet: The Lion, Camel and Child
Full toned tenor saxist Johnny Griffith leads a swinging and erudite hard bop quintet along with Jeremy Pelt/tp, Adrean Farrugia/p, Jon Maharaj/b and Ethan Ardelli/dr for a collection of originals. A four part title track Has Pelt in hip form…
Vasil Hadzimanov Band: Lines in Sand
Leader and keyboardist Vasil Hadzimov leads a hip fusiony band with Branko Trijic/g, Miroslav Tovirac/b, Peda Milutinovic/dr, Bojan Ivkovic/perc-voc and guests Marta Hadzimanov/voc, Dean Bowman/voc and Rastko Obradovic/sax. The team sounds Weather Reportish on the funky “Maklik” and wonderfully kinetic…
Ada Bird Wolfe: Birdie, Karla Harris: Certain Elements, Simone Morris: Settling Up
Three voices of song… Ada Bird Wolfe uses her rich and swinging voice to team up on some standards with Jamieson Trotter/key, Dan Lutz/b, Mike Shapiro/dr, Scott Mahyo/ts, Jamelle Adisa/tp and a trio of guitarists. She has a Carmen McRae…
Gabriel Espinosa: Nostalgias De Mi Vida
Electric bassist Gabriel Espinosa creates an upbeat and cheerful album mixing and matching strings and Latin pulses. Guest vocalist Kim Nazarian is featured on many of the tracks, and she oozes joy on the cheerful “Gabriela” and peppy “Sambatico,” both…
A/B Trio: Triolioquy
The pianoless team of Thom Bennett/dr, Josh McHan/b and Dan Davis/ts brings in guest trumpeter Kevin Turcotte for a mix of grooves and free improvs. McHan’s bass digs a deep pulse for a nourish tenor on the three manned “Bluesaholic”…
INTUITIVE…Crispell/Kalmanovitch/Teitelbaum: Dream Libretto, Fourth Page: The Forest From Above
A pair of albums strong on intuitive communication. The trio of pianist Marilyn Crispell, violinist Tanya Kalmanovitch and electronist Richared Teitelbaum create two improvistory suites on this album. The first, a five part “Memoria/For Pessa Malka” has the three creating…
Mariel Austin: Runner in the Rain
Trombonist Mariel Austin brings together an impressive big band that boasts the likes of Noah Preminger on tenor along with a rich string section for this five song ep . The team is big and bold with Neil Patton’s electric…
Mike Field: True Stories
Vocalist, trumpeter and leader Mike Field takes his band on a wide ranging and energetic collection of originals. The team, which includes Russ Boswell-George Koller/b, Mark Camilleri/p-orb, Jerry Caringi/acc, Davide DiRenzo/dr, Tony Zorzi-Dominic Mancuso/g and Rosendo Leon/perc take you on…