To put the fusion pioneer band’s career into perspective, Robert Fripp’s King Crimson has now been together for over 50 years, longer than Duke Ellington’s venerable orchestra. Judging by the packed house of multiple generations of fans, it is impressive…
Month: August 2021
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Leni Stern: Dance
One of the overlooked gems of today’s music has to be Leni Stern. I caught her last year as part of hubby Mike Stern’s band, and she almost stole the show with her playing and singing, with husband smiling on…
MESSAGE IN THE MUSIC…Jalen Baker: This Is Me, This Is Us, Dee Daniels: The Promise, Dara Tucker: Dreams of Waking-Music For A Better World, Keith Brown Trio: African Ripples
Social messages are being delivered in a wide variety of ways, such as sports and music. Here are some albums addressing the issues of today. Vibraphonist Jalen Baker brings together a clever collection of musicians in a mix and match…
Tim Mayer: Keeper of the Flame
Playing tenor sax, soprano sax and alto flute, Tim Mayer breathes new life into some jazz standards as well as bringing in some new material with a swinging octet of Michael Dease/tb, Antony Stanco/tp, Adam Rongo/as, Tony Lustig/bs, Miki Hayama-Emmet…
Eddie Turner: Change In Me
Guitarist and vocalist Eddie Turner mixes Jimi Hendrix-like guitar work with Staple Singers-styled soul on this rich blues-soaked release with Kenny Kenny Passarelli/key-b-voc, Neal Evans/B-3, David Brenowitz-Neal Evans-Dean Oldencott and Jessie Lee Thetford/voc. It’s logical that Turner would cover a…
Sam Ross: Live at the Mira Room
Whether it’s a social event or a concert, whenever there’s a crowd of people, there are always one or two who know how to “work a room”. Pianist and keyboardist Sam Ross works the crowd at the Mira Room like…
Johannes Wallman: Elegy For An Undiscovered Species
Here’s a winner of an album by pianist and composer Johannes Wallman, who cuts and pastes with a core rhythm team of Allison Miller/dr and Nick Moran/b while also adding and subtracting trumpeter Ingrid Jensen and tenor saxist/EWI player Dayna…
SWINGING AND FOLK SINGING FROM AVID…Helen Humes: Three Classic Albums Plus, The Kingston Trio: Five Classic Albums
Vocals that swing from Kansas City and ones that started a whole revival are presented by Avid… Helen Humes lived a wider ranging career spanning many decades, with her styles including Kansas City swing with Count Basie in the 30s…
FUSION OF VIOLINS! Tomoko Omura: Branches Vol 2, Ali’ Bello & The Sweet Wire Band: Inheritance
String along with some creative sounds… Tomoko Omura plays 5-string violin as she melds traditional Japanese themes with modern jazz nuances with her team of Jeff Miles/g, Glenn Zaleski/p, pablo Menares/b and Jay Sawyer/dr on this intriguing album. There’s a…
Jon Allen: …Meanwhile
Singer/songwriter Jon Allen is a throwback to the troubadours of the 70s on this collection of 11 originals. He mixes his road-worn voice with guitar and occasional drumming , mixing and matching with Rich Milner/B3, Luke Bullen-Adam Skinner-Pat Levett/dr, Sharon…