Unlike most of the big band “canaries” of the Swing Era, Connie Haines (1921-2008) had a successful career both as a member of an orchestra and on her own. She had a cute little “boop boop a doop” voice, sort…
Month: June 2021
ROCKIN’ THE BLUES…Billy F. Gibbons: Hardware, Mike Zito: Resurrection, Dave Kalz: Relish
Nothing like electric guitars and the blues to get you ready for summer. Wasn’t there a song about that? For his third solo album apart from ZZ Top, Billy F. Gibbons hits the Palm Springs studio with drummer Matt Sorum,…
THE LAST FROM THE SWAMP FOX: Tony Joe White: Smoke From the Chimney
While he may have gone to that great Delta in the sky (hopefully!), Tony Joe White lives on with this posthumous release of nine demos of him on guitar and leathered vocals. It’s a treasure to have and hold on…
Tom Kennedy featuring Dave Weckl: Stories
Albums like this give support to the idea that the best friendships are the long lasting ones. Bassist Tom Kennedy has been teamed with drummer Dave Weckl since their adolescent years, touring and recording in a wide range of musical…
Judy Wexler: Back To The Garden
LA-based vocalist Judy Wexler takes on classic Baby Boomer hits that had social messages of conviction and hope, but cleverly avoids sounding either nostalgic or preachy in the tightrope of a process. She’s teamed with Jeff Colella/p, Larry Koonse/g, Gabe…
Steve Cole: Smoke + Mirrors
Full bodied tenor saxist Steve Cole delivers a smooth R&Bish album with a team including Bernd SChoenhart/g, Trevor Neuman/tp-fh, Mel Brown/b, Brian Dunne/dr and David Mann, who plays keyboards and a plethora of reeds along with drum programing. You get…
Ida Sand: Do You Hear Me?
Upbeat folksy and pop jazz are delivered by Joni Mitchell-sounding Ida Sand on this recent release. There’s an abundance of acoustic guitar troubadour moods as on the 70s-ish “Sweet Child” and “Too Close For Comfort” with a more jazzy side…
Albert Lee@The Baked Potato 06.26.21
Even before Albert Lee plugged in his famed Telecaster and delivered a steaming night of Western Swing, the atmosphere in the famed Baked Potato was electrifying. Everyone in attendance , from the mask-free audience to owner Justin serving the bar…
****RINGER OF WEEK****ALBUM OF THE YEAR?****TIMELESS SONATAS…Roy Hargrove & Mulgrew Miller: In Harmony
I never missed an opportunity to see either trumpeter Roy Hargrove or pianist Mulgrew Miller when they came to town. I took in Miller with Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, with Ron Carter and countless other trios, quartets and duos. Every gig…
Norah Jones: Til We Meet Again
For her first official “live” album, Norah Jones collections songs from her tours of 2017-19 from France, Italy, Brazil, Argentina and the US with her team of Jesse Murphy/b, Jesse Harris/g, Marcelo Costa/perc, Jorge Continentino/fl, Pete Remm/org, Christopher Thomas/b and…