One of the true masters of jazz that never quite got his due (outside of his hometown of Los Angeles) has to be Buddy Collette (1921-2010). Jazz fans “in the know” knew about him from his classic work as a…
Month: April 2020
GREASED LIGHTNIN’…Tom Gilberts: Old School, Leroy Ellington’s Sacred Hearts: Live and Kickin’ It
Journeys down dusty roads… Teamed with drummer Brian Foxworth and bassist Dave Captein, guitarist and singer Tom Gilberts plays a guitar with an allegiance to Robin Trower and a dash of Steve Miller on voice with some blues rocking originals…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****THIS IS AN ALTO SAX 101: Brent Jensen: The Sound of a Dry Martini
You may ask “why would an alto sax player who sounds like Paul Desmond want to do material associated with him?”. Well, SOMEONE needs to remind all of us what an alto sax is supposed to sound like! Brent Jenson…
The Brothers: The Music of Gregg Hill
Two bands, a trio and a quartet, interpret the compositions of Gregg Hill. Guitarist Randy Napoleon takes time away from Freddie Cole to team with Paul Keller/b, Randy Gelispie/dr and Rick Roe to play some classy melodies like “The Lost…
BLUE N’ BOOGIE…Bill Blue: The King of Crazy Town, Rott’n Dan and Lightnin’ Willy: Rott’n Dan and Lightnin’ Willy, Mick Kolassa: Blind Lemon Sessions
Hues of blues… Bill Blue sings, plays an ominous sounding guitar with resonator teaming with a rotating rhythm team and horn section on this gritty set of stompers. You get a strut not unlike “Poke Salad Annie” on a swampy…
Manteca: Augmented Indifference
The octet Manteca consists of Art Avalos/perc, Collen Allen/woodwinds, Charlie Cooley/dr, Mark Ferguson/tb-keys, Will Jarvis/b, Nick Tateishi/g, Doug Wilde/key, Matt Zimbel/perc and a collection of various guests on this four song ep. The band has a fusiony feel, mixing soul…
Sasha’s Bloc: Club Rendezvous
Bassist and bandleader Alexander Gershman (AKA “Sasha”) makes jazz both fun and accessible again. I’ve seen him numerous times in concert and his big bands always swing, his vocalists always bring it with style, and the original tunes are always…
Warren Wolf: Reincarnation
While vibist Warren Wolf may have a hard time selling the idea of reincarnation in an age of 7 billion, but the Christian Scott alumnus has no trouble getting a thumbs up on this album that mixes jazz with R&B…
INTO THE WILD BLUE YONDER…The United States Air Force Band: Air Power!
Swing is in the air with the USAFB “commanded” by Col Don Schofield. How’s THAT for taking orders! “You will play 16 bars!” “Yes SIR!” OK, it’s not that bad, but this team is a hip collection of aviators, bopping…
Christopher Icasiano: Provinces
Christopher Icasiano plays (deep breath) drums, percussion , capi shells, synthesizers and keyboards on this collection of eight songs in two suites. The first suite, “Provinces” includes snappy snares with a dash of synth, leading to thick textures and sounds…