A musical tribute to famed “Gonzo” journalist Hunter Thompson is delivered by vibist Dan McCarthy and his team of guitarists (Don Scott-Luan Phung), bassist (Daniel Fortin) and drummer (Ernesto Cervini). The panoramic album is bookended by bold and metallic guitar…
Month: February 2023
TRIOS…Laszlo Gardony: Close Connection
Laszlo Gardony plays piano and melodica with bassist John Lockwood and drummer Yoron Israel on this album of mostly originals. Israel’s drums seem to stick out in front, and sound a big heavy handed throughout, funky on the upbeat “Irrepressible”…
VOCALS FEMME…Samantha Fierke: Mirage
Singing with elasticity, Samantha Fierke mixes post bop vocals with synthy pop on this wide ranging collection of originals. She shows impressive chops on the rapid unison lines of “Kick It Loose” while is sleek on the sandied “I Remember…
Ramsey Lewis: The Beatles Songbook-The Saturday Salon Series Volume 1
This release from the Ramsey Lewis archives is an intimate collection of the late and legendary pianist delivering a casual read of Beatles classics. What could have been an essential album becomes one mostly for true believers, as the recording…
RJ LeBlanc: Heyday
Canadian bassist Remi-Jean LeBlanc puts together a fusiony team of Jerome Beaulier/key, Nicolas Ferron-Francois Jalbert/g, Kevin Warren-Tommy Crane-Luis-Vincent Hamel/dr, and various guests including vocalists Elizabeth Sheph erd and Erika Angell on a n album that mixes sounds of ambience, soul…
BOBBY WATSON: FROM ART BLAKEY AND NYC, BACK IN KANSAS CITY
I STILL REMEMBER THUMBING THROUGH THE ‘JAZZ’ SECTION AT TOWER RECORDS BACK IN THE 1970S, TRYING TO FIND MY WAY THROUGH THE WIDE OPEN RANGE OF JAZZ ARTISTS IN WHICH TO INITIATE MYSELF. WHERE TO BEGIN? “START WITH KANSAS CITY”…
THE UNIVERSITY OF ART BLAKEY
If you’re a self-respecting jazz fan, somewhere in your life you were introduced to Art Blakey, either through his group The Jazz Messengers, or by listening to him as a “sideman” on countless albums. If you’re not familiar with him,…
BILLY HARPER: LAST OF THE TEXAS TENORS
THE TERM “TEXAS TENOR” IS NOT USED MUCH ANYMORE, SIMPLY BECAUSE THERE AREN’T MANY OF THEM LEFT. THE TERM STARTED BACK IN THE 1940S WITH TENOR SAX PLAYERS LIKE ILLINOIS JACQUET, ARNETT COBB, BUDDY TATE, KING CURTIS AND DAVID ‘FATHEAD’…