Here’s what is frustrating about a 5 disc anthology like this of pianist Bill Evans: you’re eventually going to want to get everything he did, so why bother with this tempting morsel? Maybe not now, maybe not tomorrow, but someday.…
Month: July 2021
21ST CENTURY FUSION MAN…Mahogany Frog: In The Electric Universe, Stephan Thelen: Fractal Guitar 2
MoonJune Records keeps the jazz fusion torch alive, with these two recent releases showing a rich new direction for the plugged in genre. Heavy on electronics and keyboards, the band Mahogany Frog teams together Graham Epp/g-key-tp-el, Jesse Warkentin/g-key-el, Scott Ellenberger/b-key-tp-el…
Alchemy Sound Project: Afrika Love
Rich horn meldings are produced by Samantha/tp, Erica Lindsay/ts-fl-cl, Salim Washington/ts-fl-bcl-ob and Michael Ventoso/tb as they float and veer over the flexible rhythm team of Sumi Tonooka/p, David Arend/b and Chad Taylor/dr on this collection of originals. Washington’s bass clarinet…
Alex Martin: Folk Songs, Jazz Journeys
Guitarist Alex Martin takes you on a world tour of six stringed sounds and atmospheres with his core team of Keith Butler Jr/dr, Ethan Foote/b and a collection of guests to fit the soundscapes. Born in France, but living for…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Min Xiao-Fen: White Lotus (featuring Rez Abbasi)
East meets Mid-East on this fascinating collection of strings between Min Xiao-Fen and Rez Ababasi. While Abassi sticks to acoustic and electric guitar, Xiao-Fen not only switches between traditional instruments on the four stringed Chinese pipa, lute-like ruan, banjo/sanxian and…
Rodney Whitaker: Outrospection-The Music of Gregg Hill
Michigan bassist Rodney Whitaker gives tribute to the pen of fellow statesman Gregg Hill on this classy post bop album teaming the leader with Xavier Davis/p, Dana Hall-Randy Gelispie/dr, Diego Rivera-Marcus Elliot/sax, Randy Napoleon/g, Michael Dease/tb, Etienne Charles/tp and Rockelle…
The Offerings of Curtis Andrews: Speaking Hands
Curtis Andrews plays drums and percussion as he mixes sounds of Latin and India with a core team of Meredith Bates/vi, Jared Burrows/g, Robin Layne/vib, David Spidel/b and a rotating collection of guests on this exciting curry of flavors. You…
Gerald Gradwohl Group: Episode 6
Guitarist Gerald Gradwohl teams with Thomas Kugi/ts, Jojo Lackner/bs and Harald Tanschek/dr for a mix of metal and jazz. Dark chords inspired by Robin Trower come out on “Long For Home” with a salute to Led Zeppelin’s III on “Viking”.…
Disctrict 97: Screen Play
The team of Leslie Hunt/voc, Andrew Lawrence/key, Jim Tashjian/g-voc, Tim Seisser/b and Jonathan Schang are captured (mostly) live at a gig in Netherlands back in 2019, with the band mixing originals of hard hitting metal with some intriguing covers. The…
Rich Pellegrin: Solitude
Pianist Rich Pellegrin goes solo for XXV Improvisations ranging between a concise 48 seconds and a stretched out 6 minutes plus. There are plenty of rewards, with dashes similar to Eric Satie on “XII” and “XXII” to romance a la…