Jose’ James has created a catalogue so far of tributes to the likes of Bill Withers and Billie Holiday. This time around, he gets into a soul mood somewhere between these two, going from bohemia to 50s and back on…
Month: April 2020
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Connie Han: Iron Starlet
This is the second album I’ve heard by pianist/composer Connie Han, and although her album covers look like something from a graphic novel, the music is vintage Blue Note bopping grooves. She teams up with trumpeter Jeremy Pelt and tenor…
OUR MOST SOOTHING SWEATER…Mister Rogers: You Are Special, Coming and Going, You’re Growing, Bedtime
This past year, Fred Rogers has had a wonderful documentary as well as a feature film with Tom Hanks rekindling not only his memory, but his impact on our culture. Here we have four albums with him singing-reassuring us with…
Marina Albero: A Life Soundtrack
An ambitious three disc set by pianist/composer Marina Albero ranges from her own compositions, standards and improvisations, ranging in formats from solo to duet to ensembles, including vocalits. Each album has a title and mood. Alberto has in a trio…
LADY BIRDS…Sarah Thorpe: Deep Blue Love, Gina Kronstadt: October Comes Too Soon, Lisa Bell: Back Seat
Sarah Thorpe supplies a healthy mix of her own tunes with some rich arrangements of modern material with a team of Olivier Hutman/p, Darryl Hall/b, John Betsch/dr and guests TK Blue/ss-as, Josiah Woodson-Ronald Baker/tp and Ismael Nobour/dr. She delivers a…
Quite Frankly: Introducing Sam Hirsh
Pianist Sam Hirsh debuts on this trio/quartet album of mostly originals with the team of John Webber/b, Kevin Kanner/dr and guest Ralph Moore/ts. Hirsh has a nice swinging pulse to his playing, bopping hard on the shuffling “No C!” and…
CREATIVE TRIOS…Heare Ensemble: Vox, Clark Sommers’ Ba(SH): Peninsula, Yvonnick Prene’: New York Moments
There is more to jazz trios than piano-bass-drum. Take these three creative threesomes. Jennie Oh Brown plays a variety of flutes, teaming with pianist Jennifer Blyth and cellist Kurt Fowler for interpretations of material by George Crumb, Narong Prangcharoen, Stacy…
Dan Loomis: Job’s Trials
Bassist Dan Loomis goes back to the oldest story and book in the Bible, the Book of Job, for an intriguing musical creation of the classic question of Theodicy, or how does one justify God in the existence of evil.…
SMOOTH SAILING…Judson Green: Discover, Andrea Brachfeld: Brazilian Whispers, Special EFX All Stars: Featuring Chieli Minucci
Pianist and composer Judson Green creates sleek soundscapes with Daniel Jordan/ww, Ron Jenkins/b, Walt Hubbard/dr and Fitzroy Harris/perc on this Baker’s Dozen of originals. Jordan’s flute is a warm breeze with Green’s keys on “La Corriente De Agua” and slinky…
GRAND SLAM…Howard Riley: More Listening, More Hearing, Perlin Nose: John Eats Bacon With Francis In The Cage, Locked: Locked
UK-based Slam Productions has three new releases, some veering off the cliff and others right in the middle of the current. Pianist Howard Riley gives a gorgeous solo recital on this collection of twelve ideas. He does two reads of…