Consisting of Matt Easton/voc-g, Shyam Rao/g, Ehren Becker/b and Michael Phillips/dr, the Berkley-based The Jenny Thing mixes indie rock with new wave beats, on this recent album. There are some synth-driven pieces on the rockers Waiting for The Knife” and…
Month: July 2021
Kalya Ramu & Ewen Farncombe: Duo
Relaxed and casual vocal/piano duets are delivered by the voice of Kalya Ramu and late night-sounding pianist Ewen Farncombe on this ep of originals. Some of the tunes, such as “The Swingin’ Rhythm” and “The Things I Do”, have a…
Almog Sharvit: Get Up Or Cry
For his debut release, Almo Sharvit plays both electric and acoustic bass with a team of Adam O’Farrill/tp, Brandon Seabrook/g-banj, Micha Gilad/p-key and Lukas Konig/dr on this 6 song ep of originals. Sharvit shows his bop allegiances, although modernized, on…
Orrin Evans: The Magic of Now
Vintage sounding post bop is at the fingertips of pianist Orrin Evans along with his team of Immanuel Wilkins/ss, Vicente Archer/b and Bill Stewart/dr on this lithe collection of tunes. You’ve got some real all star vets here, and it…
Kenny Shanker: Beautiful Things
Some people figure it out, and some don’t. Someone taught alto saxist Kenny Shanker well by advising him to stick to the strengths of the alto sax, namely to keep it rooted in bebop, which he does well with his…
PIANO TRIOS: Dave Miller Trio: The Mask-erade Is Over, Billy Test Trio: Coming Down Roses
Supporting the bible verse that “A chord of three strands is not easily broken”, the piano trio with bass and drums is arguably the foundation of all modern jazz. Here are a couple great recent samples of what the power…
GAUL GUITAR…Jimmy Courley: The Cool Guitar of Jimmy Courley (1953-1961)
Just when you think you’ve heard every swinging guitarist… Fresh Sound Records has uncovered yet another lost jazz artist that deserves modern appreciation. This time around it’s guitarist Jimmy Gourley, who was born in the Midwest but made his name…
Patty Tuite: Consider This
Rootys songwriter Patty Tuite puts her earth-laden voice in a variety of settings with her core team of Jan Jungden/key-fl, Mark Annuli/b, Justin Blackburn/dr-perc and a collection of bluesy guests. Her clear and passionate voice hearkens to Susan Tedeschi as…
RIP… Ralph Peterson: Raise Up Off Me
For what becomes drummer Ralph Peterson’s last recording, just short of his 59th birthday, this album has the iconic master playing not only drums, but trumpet, cajon, djimbe, kalimba, rain stick and a variety of other percussion instruments with his…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****IS THERE A CORRESPONDING RESTAURANT? Greekorea: Greeting the Moon
When you think of musical fusions, one of the last combinations would be Greece and Korea, but that’s what you get with the creative Gugak Jazz Society. The band consists of instrumentation, melodies and harmonies from both countries. On the…