Trumpeter and composer John Daversa takes time from his big band to tap into the roots of Latin life, the family with compatriots Dafnis Prieto/dr, Gonzalo Rubalcaba/p, Sammy Figueroa/perc and Carlo De Rosa/b. The fun part of this album is…
Month: December 2020
Christopher Parker & Kelley Hurt: No Tears Suite
In commemoration of the 60th Anniversary of the Little Rock Central High Crisis, which was the integration of the southern public schools, pianist Christopher Parker teams up with vocalist Kelley Hurt and a supporting cast of Bill Huntington/b, Brian Blade/dr,…
Dione Taylor: Spirits In The Water
Rich hues of blues in various moods are created by Canadian singer/songwriter Dione Taylor and her team of Joel Schwartz-Sean Pinchin-Nichol Robertson/g, Lyle Molzan-Benjamin Rollo/dr, Jordan O’Connor-Mark McIntyre/b, and various guests on keyboards and strings. Taylor’s voice as a churchified…
THIS IS A HARD BOP TENOR 101…George Coleman: The George Coleman Quintet In Baltimore
One of the last living hard bop tenor masters, George Coleman, is unfortunately known for his career move of leaving Miles Davis’ classic quartet with Ron Carter/b, Tony Williams/dr and Herbie Hancock/p, a team that is captured on a series…
THIS IS A JAZZ GUITAR 101…Peter Bernstein: What Comes Next
Like Russell Malone or Kenny Burrell, Peter Bernstein is one of those guys that simply can’t play a note that doesn’t swing with sophistication. He’s had a career as a sideman with Jimmy Cobb as well as his most famous…
SOULFUL MESSAGES…The Staples Singers: Come Go With Me-The STAX Collection
The perfect mix of gospel and secular messages was achieved by the Staples Singers, led by Roebuck “Pops” Staples and anchored by daughter Mavis, who is still actively recording and on tour. This 7disc boxed set (and accompanying booklet) contain…
THE TRAILBLAZER…Billy Eckstine: The Billy Eckstine Collection 1947-1962
As a young kid, I grew up in Encino, California and had Billy Eckstine’s sons, Guy and Eddie, in my elementary and Jr. High schools. Guy and I played ball together at school and parks, and used to mention that…
Dexter Gordon: Montmartre 1964
Not only did no artists look better posing with a cigarette than Dexter Gordon (as proven by this cover as well as a surfeit of others in the past), but few gave lyrical or spoken intros to each tune like…
The Aubrey Wilson Quartet: Honeysuckle Rose
Sweet-toned vocalist Aubrey Wilson creates some clever reads of standards on this album with a supporting cast of Chris Bruder/p-Wurl, Tom Altobelli/b, Sean Bruce Parker/dr and guests Luis Deniz/as and Scott Tapley/g. Wilson wisps through a modern and smoothly soulful…
Mandoki Soulmates: Living In The Gap
German-Hungarian musician Leslie Mandoki mixes jazz and rock with an all star cast on this ambitious double album filled with music and messages. The list of guests is quite impressive, including guitarists Mike Stern, Al Di Meola, drummer Simon Phillips,…