I had to go back into my archives to confirm my suspicions, and it was true-The Baylor Project’s earlier release of The Journey also got my RINGER OF THE WEEK award. The husband and wife team of vocalist Jean Baylor…
Month: September 2021
Wolfgang Lackerschmid: Summer Changes
Vibraphonist Wolfgang Lackerschmid leads his quartet of Mark Soskin/p, Jay Anderson/b and Adam Nussbaum/dr through a sublime mix of originals and standards. Of the latter, there is an eerie mood created by the resonant metal on a haunting “Rosemary’s Baby”…
Dave Koz and Cory Wong: The Golden Hour
Saxist Dave Koz creates a symbiotic relationship with guitarist Cory Wong on the mix of smooth jazz and hip R&B. A lot of the tunes make you feel like you’re watching a 50s B crime movie, with the sax section…
John Stein: Serendipity
This may be a session led by guitarist John Stein, but electric bassist Ed Lucie sure figures into the success of this hip trio session along with drummer Mike Connors. Leader Stein has a clean and warm tone to his…
Sam Pilnick’s Nonet Project: The Adler Suite
Tenor saxist Sam Pilnick puts together a band consisting of Max Bessesen/as, Ted Hogarth/bs, Emily Kuhn/tp, Euan Edmonds/tb, Ben Cruz/g, Meghan Stagl/p, Ben Dillinger/b and Matthew Smalligan for nine post bop originals. The horns make for rich textures, but are…
Pete Rodriguez: Obstacles
Trumpeter Pete Rodrigues uses his warm and rich sounding trumpet in a wide variety of post bop settings with John Ellis/ts-ss, Luis Perdomo/p-key, Ricardo Rodriguez/b and Rudy Royston/dr on this mix of originals. On the two tunes with soulful keyboards,…
Mehmet Ali Sanlikol: An Elegant Ritual
Pianist and composer Mehmet Ali Sanlikol mixes jazz and Anatolian folk music to create a rich tapestry of music and worship on this album with James Heazlewood-Dale/b and George Lernis/dr-perc. Think of this like an Asia Minor version of A…
Chuck Owen and The Jazz Surge: Within Us
Celebrating a quarter century of swinging, big band leader Chuck Owen plays to his strengths with a 5 woodwind, 4 trumpet, 4 ‘bone, rhythm and string section as well as some guests on this flavorful mix of originals and jazz…
Greg Loughman: Re: Connection
Bassist Greg Loughman creates deep and dark textures with his rotating impressionistic team of Nathan Kay/tp, Dan Elbert/as, Anton Derevyenko/ts, Matt Stubbs/cl-bcl, Anastassiya Petrova/p, Tyson Jackson/dr, Faris Ishaq/fl, Jerry Leake/perc, Max O’Rourke/g and Nadia Washington/voc. Almost every song has an…
Arturo O’Farrill/The Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble: Dreaming In Lions
For his Blue Note debut, pianist and composer Arturo O’Farrill leads a big band thourgh some rich dark and well textured Afro Cuban originals. The predominant feature here is the overwhelming percussion instruments, with the avalanche delivered by Vince Cherico,…