If you want to know where today’s R&B sound originated with the ladies at the mic, you don’t have to look further than Ruth Brown (1928-2006). Overshadowed by Nina Simone and Aretha Franklin, Ms. Brown really started it all, with…
Month: October 2021
THE HEAT OF FUSION…Percy Jones/Alex Skolnick/Kenny Grohowski/Tim Motzer: PAKT, Asaf Sirkis: Solar Flash
Plugged in progs make for keeping the fusion fuse lit on these two recent albums. The quartet of Percy Jones/b, Alex Skolnick/g, Kenny Grohowski/dr and Tim Motzer/g-el used the time of the draconian lockdown for good, putting together a socially…
THE GOLDEN AGE OF VOCALS…Mel Torme’, Bing Crosby, Doris Day, Perry Como: America’s Greatest Hits 1949
One of the best reissue series out of the UK has to be Acrobat Records’ series of America’s Greatest Hits. These multi-disc sets include all of the hits on the airwaves for specific years, and they are grand reflections of…
CUMBERLAND GAP MEN…Daryl Wayne Dasher: Honky Tonk Ways, Jackson Melnick: Abilene
After just a couple seconds of putting on this vintage sounding C&W album, my mind drifted to “who does this guy remind me of?”. And then it ht me by the 5th song, as there’s a tune by Marty Robbins,…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Gerry Gibbs Thrasher Dream Trios: Songs From My Father
Drummer Gerry Gibbs has never built his career under the shadow of his famous vibes playing father Terry, and it’s to his credit. Here, the younger Gibbs finally gives a musical tribute to the bopping big band father and sideman…
OYE! La Banda Ramirez: Cuban Butterflies
Upbeat woodwinds, pulses and voices give celebration by the team of Carolyn Steinberg Ramirez/fl-af, Chacho Ramiriez/perc-dr, Jack Glottman/p, Michael O’Brien/b and guests Chris Eddleton/dr, Oscar Onoz/tp and Sofia Tossello/voc among others. Steinberg-Ramirez’s flute guides the way through most of the…
BASS INSTINCT
One of the first things I learned about jazz came from Jerryl Coker’s classic book Listening To Jazz. In it he recommends that you take multiple listenings to any song you want to learn about. First for the melody, and…