Six strings gently strung… Benjamin Schnake plays mostly nylon but occasionally plugs in on this lithe mix of Brazilian with Dave Pietro/as, Sunhyun Yoo/as-ss, Tim Struven/ts, John Blevins/tp, Eric Quinn/tb, Jennifer Wharton/btb, Ammon Swinbank/fl in a mix and match along…
Month: September 2021
David Garfield: Stretchin’ Outside the Box
Throughout his illustrious career, keyboardist David Garfield has played with just about everyone, and on this most recent albums (like his other previous ones), he, well, plays with EVERYONE! To just give a hint of the artists that are mixed…
Dave Zinno Unisphere: Fetish
Bassist Dave ZInno states that this album is “the culmination of a yar without live music. Every ounce of energy and ambition, in reserve from not expending it for so long, is on this record”. That captures the feelings of…
Sidemen: Sidemen with Special Guests Bill Champlin, Tom Scott, Steve Morse, Tony Levin & Pete Levin
Remember that hit by David Frishberg “I Want To Be A Sideman”? Well trumpeter/pianist/arranger/composer Peter Welker and fellow leader Todd Tribble had and have that gig, along with all of the guys on this rock steady swinger of an album.…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Lauren Henderson: Musa
I don’t know how one gets that indefinable thing called “IT”, but vocalist Lauren Henderson definitely is blessed with that intangible quality of making a lyric speak directly to you. The amazing fact about her is that she doesn’t communicate…
Scott Reeves Quintet: The Alchemist
Scott Reeves plays the more unorthodox alto valve trombone, alto flugelhorn and adds electronics to his post bop team of Russ Spiegel/g, Mike Holober/p, Howard Britz/b and Andy Watson/dr. Except for the rocking version of “All Or Nothing At All”…
Ari Erev: Close to Home
Joyful moods are created by the pen and piano of Ari Erev, as he mixes his core team of Gasper Bertoncelj/dr, Assaf Hakimi/b, Gilad Dobrecky/perc and guests Hadar Noiberg/fl and Yuval Cohen/ss. Noiberg’s flute is cheerful on the pretty “Israel…
ELECTRONICA…Jon Durant & Stephan Thelen: Crossings, J. Peter Schwalm & Markus Reuter: Aufbruch
As Marshall McLuhan famously said, “The medium is the message”. It holds true with instrumentation, as evidenced by these two releases. Jon Durant plays fretted and fretless guitars, cloud guitar and effects as he teams with Stephan Thelan who brings…
LEO ON THE LOOSE…Bloom Effect: The Way Out In, Sergio Armaroli & Roger Turner: Dance Steps, Plande’/Poulsen/Tchamitchian: Beyond Dreams
Free and loose sounds come through the door of Leo Record. Here are three of the latest… Jochen Baldes/ts-ss, Franz Hellmuller/g, Patrick Sommer/b and Tonhy Renold/dr create pastel impressions on these eight originals. A soft soprano sax is delicate with…
Joel Frahm: The Bright Side
Saxist Joel Frahm shows that he’s imbibed deeply from the well of Sonny Rollins on this trio session with bassist Dan Loomis and drummer Ernesto Cervino. Except for Frahms misty foray on the soprano for the delicate and soft “Silk…