Singer and harp man Derrick Procell rollicks with his band The Rays and guest guitarist Zac Harmon on this collection of blues rockers. The horn section of Andy Roman/ts-as, Nick Flood/bs-ts, Mike Middleton/tp and Frank Otero/tb sound like a Memphis…
Month: October 2022
TRIOS…Mike Clark and Leon Lee Dorsey featuring Mike LeDonne: Blues On Top, Frank Kimbrough: 2003-2006
Nothing like a bopping piano trio… Hard bop vets Mike Clark/dr, Leon Lee Dorsey/b and Mike LeDonne/p get together for a hard swinging set that is about as live sounding as you’d ever imagine. Usually noted for his B3 work,…
Blue Moon Marquee: Scream , Holler & Howl
Earthy vocals are shared by guitarist AW Cardinal and bassist Jasmine Colette, backed by the dark blue team of Duke Robillard/g, Darcy Phillips/p-B3, Jerry Cook/ts-bs, Matt Pease/dr, Paul Pigat/g, Bonnie Northgraves/tp and Senor Erik/tamb. Cardinal at times sounds like mid…
Walt Weiskopf European Quartet: Diamonds and Other Jewels
Tenor saxist Walt Weiskopf has a classic warm tone and drive on this bopping album with Carl Winther/p, Andreas Lang/b and Anders Mogensen/dr. He blows warm embers on the intro to the glistening take of “My Old Flame”, the only…
TRANE STILL SPEAKS…Keith LaMar & Albert Marques: Freedom First
Vocalist Keith LaMar and pianist Albert Marques put together a musical mosaic of sounds and message, melding words and music inspired by the searching pilgrimage of John Coltrane. The mix and match team includes Salim Washington/ts, Scott Colberg/b, Zack O’Farrill/dr,…
Cedric Hanriot: Time Is Color
When an artist like Cedric Hanriot puts in his credits “sound design”, you know you’re going to get some atmospheres, and the pianist/keyboardist/composer does just that with bassist Bertrand Beruard and drummer Elie Martin Charriere on this collection of mostly…
HARD BOP AND COUNTRY FROM AVID…Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers: Four Classic Albums, Johnny Horton: Five Classic Albums Plus
Two sides of Americana are on display on the latest two discs reissue sets from the Avid Group… One of the premier hard bop drummers, Art Blakey, was in his halcyon days in the 50s-60s. 1957’s outing has with the…
The Branford Marsalis Quartet@Royce Hall 10.16.22
If there’s one thing that the audience learned from the 90 minute performance by Branford Marsalis’ quartet of Eric Revis/b, Justin Faulkner/dr and Joey Calderazzo/p, it’s that there are some things that simply cannot be replaced by the benefits of…
THE MAN WHO BROUGHT US BASIE AND BIRD…My Baby With The Black Dress On, Some Blues, & Ralph Sutton: Last of the Whorehouse Piano Players (x2)
Some say jazz started in New Orleans, others in Chicago or New York. You could make a good argument that the real feel of jazz, with its classic steady beat, started in Kansas City. Best known for the style was…
TODAY’S MOST RELEVANT JAZZ BAND? Snarky Puppy: Empire Central
This latest release by Snarky Puppy further advances their ambitious nature, making the band feel more like a movement than a collection of artists. Oh, there’s a collection, of course. There’s still a core of Michael League/b (who is actually…