Particularly with guitarists, the questions always seems to be “Who is the “next big thing?”. Well, my vote goes to Dewa Budjana, who is slowly building up an impressive and creative catalogue. Obviously, today’s artists are in agreement, as the…
Month: October 2021
Sarah Wilson: Kaleidoscope
Sarah Wilson creates various moods when playing the trumpet or singing on this album with Charles Burnham/vi, John Schott/g, Myra Melford/p, Jerome Harris/b and Matt Wilson/dr on these 12 originals that give tribute to various artists of inspiration. When at…
Chris Standring: Wonderful World
Guitarist Chris Standring mixes and matches trios with all star drummers Peter Erskine-Harvey Mason and bassists Chuck Berghofer-Geoff Gascoyne-Darek Oleszkiewicz with strings, harp and some swinging guests on this lush collection of standards that is reminiscent of the vintage A&M…
THE RETURN OF DISCO? Kool & The Gang: Perfect Union
Just when you thought it was safe to wear polyester again… If you’ve never heard of Kool and the Gang, and songs like “Ladies Night”, “Get Down On It” “Celebration” or “Jungle Boogie”, you either are 1) under 20 2)…
VINTAGE BRASILIA…Rodrigo Amarante: Drama
When I first put on this recent album by Brazilian composer/singer Rodrigo Amarante, my first thought was “Is this a lost session of Tom Jobim’s stint with A&M records?” Even the cover has that classic 70s CTI look of “Wave”…
Mike Younger: Burning the Big Top Down
Recorded 20 years ago, this album features singer and guitarist Mike Younger teamed with classic rockers like The Band’s Levon Helm/g along with Luther Dickenson/g, Sppner Oldham/key, Jim Dickenson/p, David Hood/b, a horn section and rotating guest team on this…
Senri Oe: Letter To N.Y.
Sounds created during the COVID lockdown are delivered by keyboardist/composer Senri Oe as he plays all of the instruments on this personal album of social distanced reflections. He uses his keyboards and electronics in various motifs, creating a kalimba/tropical atmosphere…
Air Craft: Divergent Path
Composer and keyboardist Doug McKeehan teams up with violinist T. Bruce Bowers and Jack Dorsey/d, Myron Dove-Aaron Germain/b as well as guests on strings and vocals for a fragrant collection of fusion fancies. Guest violinists include Mads Tolling, Jim Hurley…
Tim Kobza: Montecito Heights
Tim Kobza plays a variety of guitars along with bass and doing some programming with a mix and match team of Brian Hargrove/keys, Andrew Hill/b, Arlan Oscar/key, Kait Dunton/keys, Wes Smith/woodwinds and other cameo guests. With Bonamassa alumnus Oscar, Kobza…
David Haney: Circadian World Clock
A mix of field recordings with David Haney’s ensemble of piano with a team of Bernard Purdie/dr, Dave Storrs/perc and the Circadian Consort make for a quixotic mix of ambience and free form instrumentation. There are four major pieces, ranging…