Rare is the singer these days who not only writes his own material, but plays just about everything in support of himself in the process. Canadian Len Mizzoni mixes some covers with tasty originals with a wide range of a…
Month: March 2021
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Zvonimir Tot’s Jazz Stringtet
This mix of gypsy guitar by Zvonimir teamed up with the sring team of Carmen Kassinger/vi, Lisa Fako/vi, Cheryl Wilson/va, paula Kosower/cel and Rob Kassinger/b feels like the logical step of Django Reinhardt if he were alive today. The mix…
LIFE APART FROM YES…Jon Anderson: Song of Seven
This is a reissue of Jon Anderson’s second solo album, back in 1980, when he left the group Yes after they seemed spent out on Tormato. He returned a while later to the band, which sounded revitalized on 1983’s 90125,…
Rossano Sportiello: That’s It!
Pianist Rossano Sportiello delivers an intimate and personal solo outing that mixes his own compositions with jazz standards,and to be honest, you can’t tell the difference between the two, as Sportiello has a heart born and raised in Tin Pan…
Diego Figueiredo: Antartica
Brazilian Diego Figueiredo mixes rich solo material with modern sounds via his quartet of Eduardo Machado/b, Fernando Rast/dr and Alexandre Piu/p on this latest of his lyrical releases. As with all thing Brazilian, Figueiredo glistens on sensuous samba pulses as…
Omar Sosa: An East African Journey
If you’ve seen keyboardist Omar Sosa in concert, you know that it’s like a musical National Geographic tour, taking you to exotic environs. This album has the sonic Livingston exploring East Africa in a wide ranging series of collaborations of…
Mike Scott: Collecting Things
Mike Scott shows his talents on both electric and nylon strings with his team of Joe Bagg/p-org, Darek Oles and Jake Reed/dr on a tasty mix of material. With Bagg at the keys, Scott’s strings get blue on “Jack’s Dilemma”…
Roderick Harper: e.volv.ing
I always have a soft spot for male vocalists, as they seem outnumbered by the ladies by about 10:1 in terms of albums released. Louisiana-stationed Roderick Harper has a warm, relaxed and comfortable voice, sort of in the line of…
Dave Keller: You Get What You Give-Duets
Vocalist and guitarist Dave Keller delivers a STAXY soul fest of duets with a collection of rich vocalists on this album dedicated to “racial justice and equity”. While we could talk and hash out a variety of opinions on that…
Alabama Slim: The Parlor
With the recent passing of Lucky Peterson, Alabama Slim dutifully takes the seat as the man who embodies the roots of the blues and carries its torch. This album has him playing guitar and rasping out earthy material with Little…