Gaetano Letizia plays a modern sounding electric guitar in the tradition of Larry Coryell in this swinging trio setting with Mark Gonder/dr and Kip Reed/b. The tunes are all his own, ranging from a deeply grooved “Back & Blue” to…
Month: April 2023
RARE BIRD SIGHTING…Charlie Parker: Afro Cuban Bop-The Long Lost Live Bird Recordings
It’s kind of hard to appreciate it now, 70+ years later, but at one time the recordings on this single disc created a tectonic shift in modern music. Not only did the bebop of Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, ray Brown,…
NEW ORLEANS SWAMP…Frankie Ford: Sea Cruise-The Complete Releases 1958-62
One of the pioneers of mixing New Orleans R&B with early rock and roll was Frankie Ford (1939-2015), who became a local legend and one of the progenitors of what eventually became known as “Swamp Rock”. This sound was a…
****THIS IS A TRUMPET****Chet Baker: Blue Room-The 1979 Vara Studio Sessions in Holland
It’s historical albums like this that make you regret being a Jazz Snob. – I was just starting to get interested in jazz , and my “cool guy” mentor turned me on to guys like Clifford Brown, Miles Davis, Freddie…
*****FILLING IN THE GAPS****…Bill Evans: Treasures
Another discovery by jazz detective Zev Feldman comes to light in this two disc collection of Bill Evans material. Unlike other of the releases that usually captured a single concert or studio session, this one spans a handful of years…
A FRESH SINGER/SONGWRITER…Ilaria Crociani: Connecting the Dots
Yes, there is a surfeit of female jazz vocalists around. So, how do you decide which to listen to? How about one that writes here own material? I mean, just how many versions of “My Funny Valentine” is a guy…
Les DeMerle Sound 67: Once In A Lifetime
Back in 1967, the careers of both drummer Les DeMerle and trumpeter Randy Brecker were just beginning, and this recently discovered album has the two together along with a rotating team of Lanny Morgan/asfl, Alan Gauvin/as, Terry Plumeri-Jack Greg/b and…
Kaze & Ikue Mori: Crustal Movement
What do you get when Ikue Mori plays various electronic devises with a two trumpet team of Christian Pruvost and Natsuki Tamura, along with legendary pianist Satoko Fujii and drummer Peter Orins? – How about Bubber Miley mixed into a…
Jamie Breiwick: Awake Volume 2-The Music of Don Cherry
Trumpeter and leader Jamie Beiwick gives a tribute to one of the truly iconoclastic trumpeters in the history of jazz, Don Cherry on this album of tunes associated with him. The flexible team of Lenard Simpson/as, Chris Weller/ts, Tim Ipsen/b-koto…
Jeff Johnson: My Heart
Bassist Jeff Johnson teams up with John Gross/ts, Art Resnick/p and Billy Mintz/dr for a collection of lyrical originals. He links well with Mintz, blending in with the brushes on the soft “My Heart” while adding textures around “Watercolors” and…