One of the best of the hard bop trombonists, the recently deceased Slide Hampton (1932-2021) was a musician of classic style and voicings. He never put out anything less than stellar, whether playing or arranging. This four cd set covers…
Month: February 2023
Mr. Chair: Better Days
Consisting of Ben Ferris/b, Jose Guzman/g, Mark Hetzler/tb, Mike Zoszewski/dr, Jason Kutz/key, Eddie Barbashas and Buzz Kemper/voc, the band Mr. Chair runs the range of chamber music to poetry to even some rocking fusion on this album of originals. For…
Ella & The Bossa Beat: In The Moment
The father/daughter team of Magrus Borges/dr and Ella Borges/voc-p-key-b deliver a warm mix of accessible samba pulses with a team of Rodrigo Sha/sax, Jonathan Dills/cel, Kim Freitas/ag, Alain Bradette/sax, Greg Little/tp, Ruvit Bracho/vi and Larry Williams/tp through a selection of…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****THE MOUNT RUSHMORE OF TENOR SAXES…Classic Jazz At The Philharmonic Jam Sessions (1950-1957)
Once upon a time, the Giants roamed the earth… To put this 10 cd, limited edition by Mosaic Records in perspective, one must remember that after The Swing Era of 1935-45, musicians from that era started hearing the modern sounds…
Jim Self: My America 2
Tuba meister Jim is turning into a musical Charles Kuralt, creating a catalogue of musical journeys with a rotating cast of hitchikers. Here, he brings together Brian Kilgore/perc, Kendall Kay/dr, Ken Wild/b, Bill Cunliffe/p-mel, guitarists John Chiodini/Steve Fister, saxists Tom…
John Paul McGee: Gospeljazzical
If you think that there is a separation of church and the state of jazz, let pianist John Paul McGee straighten you out. He’s recorded here at the First Congregational Church in Atlanta, Georgia with a core team of Joel…
Reuter-Motzer-Grohowski: Bleed
Thick and palpable textures are produced by Markus Reuter, playing touch guitars and loops, teaming up with Tim Motzer on a wide variety of electronics and guitars with drummer/percussionist Kenny Grohowski. There are many overdubs by keyboards as well, resulting…
Peter Manning Robinson: Celestial Candy
Peter Manning Robinson goes solo once again on this album, playing either a solo piano or a “Refractor” piano in order to mix things up a bit. On the former, his touch is of classical inclination and flowing on “Anjo…
Tobin Mueller: Best of Tobin Mueller, Volume 1-Jazz Originals
As Tony Bennett once said, “I don’t make hit albums; I make hit catalogues” Keyboardist and composer Tobin Mueller could put that on his tombstone, as he’s released a series of albums that never top any charts, but some day…
Eric Zolan: Calder’s Universe
This may be a debut album by guitarist Eric Zolan, but he sounds like a veteran, as he’s already learned the value of not what to play, but what to NOT play, on this tasty session with organist Brian Charette…