Eric Blumer plays drums, percussion, guitars, keyboards and synths along with a rotating team of bassists (Lonnie Motley, Bob Songster, Todd Edmunds), horns (Elijah Samuels/sax, Jason Klobnak/tp) and even a mandolinist (Tyler Grant) on this home made collection of synth…
Month: August 2021
POST ELVIS AND PRE-BEATLES…Jimmy Clanton: The Jimmy Clanton Collection 1957-62
People these days forget that at one time, “rock and roll music” was simply a genre, like jazz, pop, R&B and C&W. It wasn’t a given that rock would last beyond just being a fad after Elvis went into the…
Lisa Hilton: Transparent Sky
One of the most original sounding yet still under the radar pianist/composers has to be So Cal based Lisa Hilton. She’s quietly amassed an impressive catalogue of solo, trio and quartet albums sounding only like herself on her clever compositions.…
BONES TONES…Wayne Coniglio & Scott Whitfield: Faster Friends, Jared Dubin: Excuses Excuses, JC Sanford: Imminent Standards Trio
Always overlooked and ignored unless in a big band setting, the trombone gets the limelight on these three recent releases. We’ve got more sliding here than Rickey Henderson, as Wayne Coniglio plays bass and tenor trombone along with Scott Whitfield’s…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK***Alex Conde: Descarge for Bud
Pianist Alex Conde takes up the Quixotic task of not only reminding jazz fans of the importance of bebop pioneer Bud Powell, but he does so by Latinizing the icon’s best known material, bringing a picante’ flavor to the language.…
Masabumi Kikuchi: Hanamichi-The Final Studio Recording
Japanese pianist Masabumi Kikuchi (1939-2015) had a career that ranged from classical to digital to jazz, playing with luminaries as Sonny Rollins, Lionel Hampton, Joe Henderson and Miles Davis. This album has him, for his final studio recording, in a…
Ches Smith: We All Break/Path of Seven Colors
For the two albums in this box set, Ches Smith takes you on a tour of Latin America folk music, playing drums, percussion, kata and vocals in two different groups. On the first album, he’s teamed with a three-member percussion…
Sam Post: Post Bach
Pianist Sam Post gives a solo album indebted to the works of JS Bach, but in more of an inspiration than an imitation, taking the master’s works as a starting off point of departure. This album reminds us that bebop…
SUBLIME QUARTETS…Judson Green: Gratitude, Jill McCarron Trio with Will Anderson: Jazz Motif
Judson Green shows his composing skills as he plays piano and keys with Daniel Jordan/ww, Walt Hubbard/dr and Ron Jenkins/b for eighteen concise originals. There’s a six part “Heartland Suite” that salutes Aaron Copland with Billy Joelesque piano, cheerful melodies…
WEST COAST SOUNDS 2021…Will Lyle: LA Source Codes, Doug MacDonald: Live In Hawaii
LA-not too much music for the man… Bassist Willy Lyle cuts and pastes 12 tunes together with a rotating team of Bob Sheppard/ts, Mahesh Balasooriya-Jon Mayer-Adam Hersh-Mikan Zlatkovich/p, Marvin “Smitty” Smith-Roy McCurdy-Anthony Fong/dr, Nikki Cambpel/con and Jacques Lesure/g on a…