Four ladies interpreting lyrics… Kelley Johnson has a sweet and wistful sound, working together with John Hansen/p, Michael Glynn/b, Kendrick Scott/dr and Jay Thomas/ts-ss-tp on standards and obscurities. She winsomely sings and whistles on “Anyone Can Whistle” and is coy…
Month: December 2019
Joshua Redman and Brooklyn Rider: Sun on Sand
The juxtaposition of Joshua Redman’s trio of Scott Coley/b and Takeihi/dr works wondrously with the string quartet of Brooklyn Rider on this mix of chamber moods and extrapolations. Redman’s warm and breathy tone fits well here, dramatic on the Bartokian…
Rainforest Band: Peace To The Planet
If good vibes could save the world, then this album might be the prescription. Vernon “Ice” Black/g, Tony Saunders/b and Sylvester Burks/p-key lead a team with Austin White/dr, Jeff Ryan/sax and Gail Johnson/key on an upbeat and funky collection of…
Jan Garbarek and The Hilliard Ensemble: Remember Me, My Dear
Wondrous and liturgical sounds and moods meld on this album with the cantoral sax of Jan Garbarek and the incantations of The Hilliard Ensemble. The pieces are a mix of church themes ranging form modern artist like Arvo Part to…
Bill Crosby: Three Bones
A jazz version of child focused Raffi takes place here with Bill Crosby giving fun voices to jazz tunes. A reggae’d “Bahama Llama Mama Drama” and peppy ditty of a title track keep things cheerful. The team shuffles to “Learning…
Jeff Goldblum and the Mildred Snitzer Orchestra: I Shouldn’t Be Telling You This
Jeff Goldblum continues his delving into the nightclub jazz scene with this album of him backed by The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra. Goldblum plays it a bit like an emcee, as he brings up cameo singing appearances by the likes of…
Fima Chupakhin: Water
Pianist/composer Fima Chupakhin leads a post bop team of Sergey Avanesov/ts, Josh Evans/tp, Yoav Eshed/g, James Robbins/b and jonathan Barber/dr through a mix of originals and bop classics. Vuyo Sotashe brings her voice to meld with the leader on a…
Eric Hofbauer & Dylan Jack: Remains of Echoes
Guitarist Eric Hofbauer and drummer/percussionist Dylan Jack get together for a collection of ten intuitive interpretations of jazz and rock classics. Don’t expect to be able to “ name that tune” in the first 8 bars, as some of the…
Alex Lore and Weirdear: Karol
Leader Alex Lore plays alto and soprano saxes, bringing together pianist Glenn Zeleski, drummer Allan Mednard and bassist Desmond White for post bopping themes dedicated to and inspired by classical composers ranging from Bach to Ives and Stravinsky. Legendary tenor…
The Time Flies: Powerlines
Fluid and upbeat moods are in the game with Peter Kienle/g, Monika Herzig/key, Scott Paera/b and Josh Roberts/dr bringing in original material in a collection of indie jazz themes. Pascal Pahl adds voice and whistling on the laid back soulful…