Old School trumpeter Paul Litteral plays to serve the music and not show off his own prowess on this delightful album of old, new, borrowed and blue. He’s with a mix an match team of Bill Bodine/b, Michael Rosen/dr, Rocky…
Month: February 2023
SOLO…Simona Premazzi: Wave In Gravity
Pianist Simona Premazzi shows a wide kaleidoscope of ideas on this mosaic of solo performances, interpreting composers ranging from the baroque of Bach to the bop of Monk and post bop of Andrew Hill, throwing in some originals and standards…
Mick Kolassa: For The Feral Heart
Guitarist and singer Mick Kolassa rocks the blues on mostly originals with Jeff Jenson/g, Bill Ruffino-Carl Casperson/b, Rick Steff-TJ Bonta/keys, Tom Leonardo-Andrew McNeil/dr and various guests. When plugged in, Kolassa gives a 50s rock feel to “Running To You” and…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****THIS IS A BLUES TENOR 101: Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis with Shirley Scott: Cookin’ With Jaws and The Queen
If you want to know what is missing in today’s sax players, this four disc set will serve as the template for comparison. Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis (1933-86) was one of the last “tough tenors”, meaning he had a bluesy growl…
Dan Trudell: Fishin’ Again
Hammond B3 man Dan Trudell gives a tribute to fellow hummer Dr. Lonnie Smith and drummer Clyde Stubblefield on this fun and funky session with Mike Standal/g, Dana Hall/dr, Pat Mallinger/as, John Wojciechowski/ts and Joel Adams in mix and match…
Mason Razavi: Six-String Standards
Mason Razavi gives a workshop of how to use various guitars ranging from archtop, nylon and steel stings,in how to interpret The Great American Songbook in a solo setting. His nylon strings glow on ‘Body and Soul”, while glistening on…
VOCALS Heather Ferguson: Lush Life
Warm toned and streetwise vocalist Heather Ferguson mixes and matches moods with a team of Dr. Tony Genge/p-org, Joey Smith/g-b, Damian Graham/dr, Miguelito Valdes/tp and Barrie Sorenson/sax, sharing the spotlight with each on various standards. Genge’s organ gets smoky with…
Anthony Branker & Imagine: What Place Can This Be For Us?
There are a couple ways to critique an album that uses music for a stepping board for expressing social issues, such as this one by composer and musical director Anthony Branker. The ten movement suite includes impressive artists including Walter…
Brad Goode: The Unknown
Trumpeter Brad Goode brings together Jeff Jenkins/keys, Seth Lewis/eb and Paa Kow/dr for rich and deeply grooved originals, with a few clever covers. Goode’s horn glistens with Jenkins on a sensitive read of Janis Ian’s “At Seventeen” while a synthy…
Manzanita Quintet: Osmosis
Soulful post bop is produced by the team of Josh D. Red/tp, Peter Epstein/as, Adam Benjamin/p-key, Hans Halt/b and Andrew Heglund/dr on a tasty mix of originals and coves. Of the latter, Epstein has a gas of a time staggering…