Albums that ooze with casual charm are the latest releases from Avid Records. One of the truly underrated vocalists, Dean Martin epitomizes casual cool on these early releases. From 1958, he scored a couple of hits by tapping into his…
Month: June 2023
VINYL REVIVAL..THE GREATEST TRIO EVER? Bill Evans Trio: Waltz For Debby
You know that there is a revival of vinyl albums when for the first time since 1987 their sales actually outnumbered those of compact discs. Why is that? Probably the warmth and intimacy that the 33 1/3rds provide, as exemplified…
A FORGOTTEN BELTER OF THE BLUES…Julia Lee: King Size Papa
If you’re a fan of the likes of R&Bers like Ruth Brown or Big Maybelle, gather ‘round this three disc, 72 song set focused on Julia Lee. She sang down and gritty, with this collection going back to her earliest days…
EARLY MOTOWN…Marv Johnson: You Got What It Takes-The Complete Singles and Albums 1958-62
While people usually associate the ”Motown Sound” with groups like The Temptations and The Supremes, the artist that was really the progenitor was “Marvelous” Marv Johnson. This 2 disc, 52 song collection includes his big hits like the fun “You…
PSYCHEDELIC SAN FRANCISCO…Santana, The Grateful Dead, The Jefferson Airplane, Steve Miller Band, etc…A Night At The Family Dog-Go Ride The Music-Westpole
If you want to do a bit of time travel and actually see what the “hippie” movement, both musically and socially, was like, this 2 dvd set is a great place to take your trip. Pun intended. The first film,…
Jeremy Dutton: Anyone Is Better Than Here
Drummer Jeremy Dutton brings together Ambrose Akinmusire/tp, Ben Wendel/sax, Mike Moreno/b, James Francies/p, Joel Ross/vib, Matt Brewer-Daryl Johns/b and Jasper Dutz/bcl for a collection of modern originals. The tunes all have multiple ideas and dynamics with Moreno’s guitar going from…
SOUNDTRACK TO SWORDS AND SANDALS…Miklos Rozsa: Legendary Hollywood
Some of the most famous epic movie, based on either the Bible or ancient history, have the music of Miklos Rozsa a the soundtrack. This album, with the Utah Symphony Orchestra or Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Elmer Bernstein and…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Dizzy & Fay: Hooked
Lalama (aka “Dizzy”) plays the piano, while Amanda Walther (“Fay”) sings like Julie London on a collection of originals destined for Lonely Avenue. The ringer in this swampy noir-fest team of Davide DiRenzo/dr, Rich Moore/b, Drew Jurecka/vi, Johnny Johnson/wwinds, William…
Pilc/Moutin/Hoenig: YOU Are The Song
Long-time associates Jean-Michel Pilc/p, Francois Moutin/b and Ari Hoenig/dr reunite for the first time in over 10 years to record an album of mostly covers, all done with original flair. Moutin and Hoenig sound like they’ve got something to prove,…
Nightcrawlers: Get Ready
Recorded at a steamy gig in Frankies Jazz Club back in 022, this album has the hard hitting team of Nick Hempton/s,Cory Weeds/ts, Dave Sikula/g, Chris Gestrin/B3, Jesse Cahil/dr and Jack Duncan/perc pulling out all the stops for a humming…