Ron Carter’s long time trio of guitarist Russell Malone and pianist Donald Vega delivered an evening of vintage jazz that was as classy and stylish as their sartorial attire. While he has been famous for his bands with legends like…
Month: September 2019
MODERN BIG BANDS…Mike Holober & The Gotham Jazz Orchestra: Hiding Out, Vince Mendoza: Constant Renaissance
While they may not tour like back in the Swing Era, Big Bands are still making waves in local venues and colleges. Here are a couple samples. Conductor Mike Holober plays piano and keyboards while leading his big band through…
Pat Metheny Side Eye@Dakota 09.04.19
It’s because of concerts like this that I can’t stand living in Los Angeles. Why is it that Lowell Pickett’s Dakota Jazz Club gets artists and tours to come to Minneapolis, MN and not darken the doors of any club…
THE BEST VOICES TIME FORGOT…Marty Bell: The Voice of Marty Bell/Don Heller: Blame It On My Youth, Marlene: I Think Of You With Every Breath I Take/Pat O’Day: When Your Lover Has Gone, Juanita Cruse: Juanita!/Jeri Jorden: Easy Living
If Spain-based Fresh Sound Records has proven anything by these reissues, it’s that the 50s and 60s were the halcyon days for jazz vocals. There was such a surfeit of talent that artists like these on these three packs simply…
RINGER OF THE WEEK…Lorez Alexandria: On King 1957-1959
One of the underappreciated vocalists during the era of the heyday of female singers, Lorez Alexandra (1929-2001) had a unique style that successfully mixed jazz and gospel tones. Her long and successful career had her in a variety of settings,…
Laurence Hobgood: Tesseterra
Best known for his work as pianist/arranger for Kurt Elling, Laurence Hobgood is also building up an impressive catalogue in his own right. This time around, he walks the successful tightrope of balancing chamber music and jazz trio work. The…
Pureum Jin: The Real Blue
Vintage hard and post bop is covered here by alto saxist Pureum Jin, leading a muscular ensemble of Jeremy Manisa/p, Luke Sellick/b and Willie Jones III/dr through a set of mostly originals and a handful of covers. Her tone is…
Camila Meza and the Nectar Orchestra: Ambar
Originally from Chile, Camila Meza mixes sounds and moods from worldwide environs as she sings, plays guitar and arranges material of her own and some covers with a team of Eden Ladin/key, Noam Wiesenberg/b-arr, Keita Ogawa/dr and a string quartet.…
Sofia Ribeiro: Lunga
Not all sounds from Portugal are folk or fado. Vocalist/composer Sofia Ribeiro mixes poetry with modern jazz moods on this impressionistic post-bop album with Juan Andres Ospina/p, Petros Klampanis/b, Marcelo Woloski/perc and a handful of guests. Her voice is sweet…
Aaron Whitby: Cousin From Another Planet
Playing off the title from the John Sayles film Brother From Another Planet, Aaron Whitby plays piano synth, Rhodes and vocal FX with a funk laden team of Charlie Burnham/vi, Fred Cash-Jerome Harris/b, Gary Fritz/perc, Rodney Holmes/dr and Keith Loftis/ts.…