Bassist/composer Dave Morgan hails from swinging Ohio and with a large ensemble of horns, brass and percussion delivers rich textures of post bop moods. The mix of Pete Mills’ tenor sax as well as Amanda Powell’s lovely voice makes for…
Month: July 2019
OLD SCHOOL FOLK…Carla Olson & Todd Wolfe: The Hidden Hills Sessions
Here’s a casual and relaxed session by a couple of pros that know their way around folksy blues. Todd Wolfe has had a career that includes stints with Cheryl Crow, and Carla Olson has teamed up with the likes of…
Rodrigo y Gabriela @ The Greek Theatre 07.23.19
Having only previously seen the guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela in an electric band format, I was curious as to how they could keep an audience like the 5000 attendees at the Greek Theatre attentive. After all, just down the…
STRING INTO SWING…Doug MacDonald: Califournia Quartet
Warm toned LA-based guitarist Doug MacDonald brings together fellow Angelenos Kim Richmond/as-ss-fl, Harvey Newmark/b and Paul Kriebich/dr for a thoroughly enjoyable mainstream outing. MacDonald displays his rich textures and lyricism on a solo read of the tender “ The Things…
PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY…Matt Olson: 789 Miles
Like peanut butter and jelly, the tenor sax-Hammond B3 trio is a combo that never fails. Here, we have the thick and beefy sirloin of tenor saxist Matt Olson along with the humming Mike Kocour and the snappy Dom Moio…
TYPES OF TRIOS…Will Sellenraad-Eric McPherson-Rene Hart: Greene Street Volume 1, Jeremy Udden: Three In Parisee In Paris
Not all trios are created equal, or are of the piano/bass/drum variety. Here are some samples… A mix of ambient atmospheres with improvisations are collected together by guitarist Will Sellenraad and drummer Eric McPherson and Rene Hart, who combines double…
IDEAS BOUNCING AROUND…Eitan Kenner: 8 Ball City, Gerry Gibbs’ Thrasher People: Our People
If you think there are no new ideas in music, have a listen to these two albums… Eitan Kenner plays a myriad of keyboards while creating a mix and match collection of settings of himself by himself, or with a…
Marco Ambrosini/Ensemble Supersonus: Resonances
When you think of harps, it’s usually either the nickname for the harmonica, or the stringed thing that angels play in heaven. Not here; we’ve got Marco Ambrosini on the nyckelharpa, Wolf Janscha on the Jew’s harp, while the harpsichord…
LATIN LOVERS…Havana Big Band Sound: Antobal’s Cuban All Stars, The George Bohanon Quartet: Boss-Bossa Nova
You could make a credible argument that Latin Music from Cuba and Brazil essentially saved jazz in the 50s and 60s from becoming a sterile collection of musical naval gazing by injecting a new and fresh sense of pulsations and…
SIR PAUL WAS AND IS SURPRISINGLY ALIVE…Paul McCartney: Wings Over America, CHOBA B CCCP, Amoeba Gig, Paul Is Live
Back in the day, there was a rumor that Beatle legend Paul McCartney was dead, with hints displayed throughout album covers and songs. Although John Legend satirized his “death” in song, the fact is that Sir Paul has always been…