Husky voiced La Tanya Hall teams with pianist Andy Milne’s band of John Hebert/p and Clarence Penn/dr for some sophisticated reads of jazz standards. Guest trumpeter Michael Leonhart brings a Miles Davis mute to Penn’s Poinciana pulse of “All You…
Month: December 2019
Kiki Valera: Vivencias En Clave Cubana
Cuban sounds of joy are delivered by Kiki Valera, who plays cuatro, guitar and percussion as he features the bel canto voice of Coco Freeman and a snappy team of Alex Baro/tp, Jose Alayo-Yanill Nario/b, Pedro Vargas/perc and guest vocalists…
Rodney Whitaker: All Too Soon-The Music of Duke Ellington
When in doubt, keep with the classics. That’s what bassist Rodney Whitaker does in delving into jazz’s greatest composer and giving eternal songs a modern touch. Whitaker brings together a strong team in trumpet legend Brian Lynch along wit Diego…
Peter Curtis: Christmas With Your Jewish Boyfriend
What could be more Jewish about Christmas than having seasonal songs performed and composed by members of The Messiah’s tribe? Guitarist Peter Curtis takes a dozen Christmas tunes and gives dreidel spins to them in acoustic and electric guitar. His…
Stephane Wrembel: Django L’Impressionniste
As one who used to play the guitar and try to emulate the Belgian master, I understand the allure of trying to recapture the sound and style of Django Reinhardt. Guitarist Stephane Wrembel is making a career out of it,…
John Basile: Silent Night
Guitarist John Basile plays guitar and programming to give a wide ranging feel of Christmas tunes on this sublime album. A couple of the tunes, such as “Auld Lang Syne” and the traditional “Toyland” have Basile mixing his acoustic strings…
Jazz at Lincoln Center with Wynton Marsalis: Big Band Holidays II
Swinging Celestial seasons are provided by the JALC with Wynton Marsalis and a stocking stuffer of guest vocalists. Marsalis himself gives a swaggering Crescent City jab on “Snowfall” and a dramatic “Rise Up Shepherd, and Follow” features trumpeter Marcus Printup”…
Accent: Christmas All The Way
The vocal team of tenors Jean-Baptiste Craipeau, Simon Akesson, Danny Fong, Andrew Kesler, baritonist James Rose and bass man Evan Sanders go a cappella with rich harmonies as well as combining them in instrumental settings on this rewarding Christmas session.…
Fostina Dixon: Vertical Alignment
As a rule, the term “vertical alignment” refers to one’s relationship to God, and by the testimony both musical and written on this album by saxist Fostina Dixon, it seems like the line is straight up. Ms. Dixon plays soprano,…
HMC: High and Outside
Jimmy Halperin plays a Lester Young-inspired tenor sax, with bassist Don Messina and drummer Bill Chattin swinging at the Daisy Chain on this collection of cool themes mostly from the pen of Lennie Tristano but mixing in other breathy artists…