There have been a plethora of books and films about Miles Davis. This 110 minute documentary by Firelight Films, directed by Stanley Nelson, is possibly the most comprehensive, clear and easily the most musically satisfying. Originally shown at the 2019…
Month: March 2020
Anson Wright: Only Love
Richly swinging and sophisticated guitar tones akin to vintage Herb Ellis are rendered by Anson Wright as he leads a quartet with Jasnam Daya Singh/p, Brian Casey/b and Todd Scott Bishop/dr through a collection of originals. Singh’s “All Shall Rise…
Jenny Davis: Rearranged
Clear and indie-voiced Jenny Davis fronts an ensemble of Jovino Santos Neto/p, Chuck Deardorf/b, Jeff Busch/dr and a mix and match cast of Kurt Festinger/ts, Dmitri Mathenhy/fh, Mark Taylor/as, Heather Bentley /vi-va, David Lange/acc, Lorrie Ruiz-Vanessa Littrell/voc and the Yeoman…
The Seth Weaver Big Band: Truth
Seth Weaver sings in a relaxed and hip manner and plays his trombone in a similarly swinging vein as he leads his 17 piece jazz orchestra through a mix of his own tunes and standards. Weaver is suave and supple…
MODERN CLASSICAL MOODS…Aizuri Quartet and Adrienne Kim: The Bells Bow Down, Jeremy Beck: By Moonlight
Some rich, original and yet accessible sounds are coming out of St. Paul’s Innova Records. Creative but not cacophonic, these two albums reveal today’s most thoughtful composers. The chamber music of Ilari Kaila is approached and interpreted in a series…
Eric Johnson: EJ II
If you only know guitarist Eric Johnson by his tunes like “Cliffs Of Dover” and “Trademark”, this album is going to surprise you, but not disappoint. Yes, he holds back on his massive chops for the most part, and even…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK***Kandace Springs: The Women Who Raised Me
Being perfectly honest, I have to confess that I get a TON of albums by female singers, and they tend to all blend in and run together. This one by Kandace Springs really stands out for a variety of reasons.…
Ginetta Vendetta: Pocketful Of Cool
Usually associated with the left of center Don Cherry, the pocket trumpet is in hard bop heaven in the hands of Ginetta Vendetta as she leads a swinging team with Danny Walsh/ts, Jon Davis/p, Eric Halvorson/dr and Belden Bullock/b. Her…
Never Weather: Blissonance
The post bop team of Dillon Vado/dr, Aaron Wolf/as-ts, Josh D. Reed/tp, Tyler Harlow/b and Justin Rock/g deliver a dozen tunes, mostly by the drummer’s pen with a free and loose feel to the proceedings. Reed’s warm horn is a…
Mark Segger Sextet: Lift Off
Drummer Mark Segger brings together a three horn front line of Jim Lewis/tp, Peter Lutek/ts-cl and Heather Saumer/tb as the create rich textures as well as clever excursions. Segger’s rhythm team of bassist Rob Clutton and pianist Tania Gill (also…