Still crooning at 84, singer Frankie Valli is one of the last living do woppers. If you only know him from the play “The Jersey Boys” or his Four Season hits, this two disc, 58 song set will set you…
Month: March 2022
Richard Wilkins: Life’s For Livin’
Music made for cruising the boulevard and humming out of your car speakers is served up by Richard Wilkins, who sings, plays a mean tenor and hits the bass with his low riding band of Jimi Bott/dr, Kevin Selfe/g, Steve…
Sean Nelson’s New London Big Band: Social Hour!
Sean Nelson leads a full bodied and polished brassy big band, even adding his own collection of trombone, electric trombone and alto trombone into the mix of the 17+ members. A number of the tunes reveal Nelson’s marrow of a…
Matt Hall: I Hope To My Never
Matt Hall swings his trombone like it was hanging from a tree with his snappy team of Charlie Arbelaez/as, Louis Valenzuela/g, Jason Shattil/p, Mackenzie Leighton/b and Kevin Kanner/dr through a mix of originals. Hall shows his impressive chops on his…
MUSICAL MESSAGES…Nick Vasallo: Apophany
Guitarist and composer Nick Vasallo creates a mosaic of various colors and textures on this album of thoughtful moods and atmospheres in various musical settings. With the University of the Pacific Orchestra, there is a war-like dramatic “Ein Sof” that…
ELECTRONIC DANCES…Stefania de Kenessey: In Her Words
Stefania de Kenessey has woven together an intriguing album that brings sonic threads of electronics, dances and childhood Hungarian folk tunes along with messages concerning the lives of 21st Century women. That sounds like an ambitious grasp, but de Kenessey…
Tony Adamo: Better Than Picasso at Midnite
Well, the blue jeaned, floppy hat wearing singing street preacher Tony Adamo is back with a new upcoming album. Here’s the first single from it, “Better Than Picasso At Midnight”, which is essentially polishing, refurbishing, new engine adding remake of…
The Sully Band: Let’s Straighten It Out!
If I had talent, and had my own band, would want it to sound like Sully Sullivan’s band with James Est/b, Jon Harford/g, Mark Charles Hattersley/key, Tres Hidgens/dr, Ignacio Sobers/perc and a horn section of Tripp Sprague, April Leslie, Tomoka…
KRAFTWERK RETURNS? Wayne Alpern: Secular Rituals
Using a wide variety of electronics, Wayne Alpern creates a panoply of soundscapes on this “digitally created” album. The return of the 70s-80s techno band Kraftwerk is felt on the busy keyboard pulse of “Utopia” with harplike voicings for “Schenker’s…
Victor Wooten’s Bass Extremes@Catalina’s 03.11.22
With the draconian COVID laws finally loosening up, everyone at Catalina’s Jazz club was glad to be in attendance. The packed audience was buzzing with enthusiasm, and as far as Victor Wooten’s Bass Extreme trio is concerned, drummer Derico Watson…