Pianist Dan Lundgren teams with bassist Hans Backenroth for a lyrical collaboration of duets, picking some clever tunes to mix in with originals. The two give a lullabye feel the The Beatles’ “She’s Leaving Home” and are graceful with Mozart’s…
Month: December 2022
Marius Neset: Happy
Saxist Marius Neset brings in upbeat and smoothish jazz sounds on this album with Conor Chaplin/b, Elliot Galvin/key and Anton Eger/dr, Magnus Hjorth/key. There’s a Caribbean upbeat feel with his beefy tenor to the sleek title tune, with synth sax…
FOXY! Jim Hendrix Experience: Los Angeles Forum-April 26, 1969
To put this essential album in perspective, by April of 1969, Jimi Hendrix had released his last album with his “Experience” of drummer Mitch Mitchell and bassist Noel Redding, namely the classic Electric Ladyland. He would soon break up that…
WOMEN OF THE WORD…Roberta Donnay: Blossoming!, Samara Joy: Linger Awhile
Ladies that carry on a rich vocal tradition… If anyone is qualified to give tribute to the quirky but swinging Blossom Dearie, it is the quirky but swinging ex-Hot Lick Roberta Donnay. She’s joined by a mix and match of…
HE ALSO DANCED A BIT, TOO…Fred Astaire: The Singles Collection 1923-42
Truth be told, no one introduced The Great American Songbook more than Fred Astaire. The reason is quite simple, as back in the day, songs were debuted on the Silver Screen, and the famed hoofer Astaire was used to sing…
ALBERT AYLER BIO…Holy Ghost: Richard Koloda
There are few tests as to a jazz fans commitment to free jazz as to one’s commitment to the music of Albert Ayler. His entire life, both spiritually and personally seemed as free and passionate as his music. His all…
AMERICANA…The Carter Family Collection Volume 2 1935-41
This 6 disc, 130 song collection is the second volume of an essential anthology that puts together essentially all of the material that the groundbreaking Carter Family recorded on various labels. Any words trying to state the importance of the…
VINYL REVIVAL… Benny Carter: Jazz Giant, Gary Saracho: En Medio
One of the benefits of the revival of vinyl albums is that a ton of classic lps from the 50s and 60s are getting a chance to be heard by a new set of ears. This 1958 classic from alto…
Marco Pignataro: Chant For Our Planet
On soprano, alto and tenor saxes, Marco Pignataro creates fragrant and yearning moods on an album with all stars Joe Lovano/wwinds, John Patitucci/b, Terri Lyne Carrington/dr, Choco Pinheiro/g along with Nadia Washington/voc and Anastassiya Petrova/p. The dominant piece here is…
LADY SINGS THE TUNES…Judy Niemack: What’s Love?, The Baylor Project: The Evening-Live At Apparatus
Women at work… Judy Niemack mixes and matches talents and moods, bopping with aplomb on a collection of tunes and a team of all stars including Peter Bernstein/g, Sullivan Fortner/p, Doug Weiss/b and Joe Farnsworth/dr. Eric Alexander brings in his…