There have been bluegrass versions of Van Halen, Me tallica, Black Sabbath and beyond by the Iron H orse band, and this time, the team of Ricky Rogers/b, Vance Henry/g, Brian Robertson/pec, Tony Robertson/mand and Andy Richardson/banj-dob take Pearl Jam…
Month: July 2023
Will Bernard & Beth Custer: Sky
Playing a variety of guitars, Will Bernard teams up with clarinetist/vocalist Beth Custer for a collection of cozy duets. Custer sings a bit on the minstrelly “Glistening Spirit” and “Sky” among a couple others, but for the most part sticks to…
BT ALC Big Band: Hearing The Truth
Led by Alex Lee-Clark/tp and Brian Thomas/tb, the BT ALC Big Band swings out the soul on the collection of originals. The team has a feel of the Famous Flames at times, as it jabs like a middleweight on “…
LATIN LOVERS….Israel Tanenbaum & The Latinbaum Jazz Ensemble: Impressions, Ben Sher: Samba For Tarsila
There is a reason Latin is known as the “romance” language. Can you imagine sensuous music being called “Teutonic”?!? Israel Tanenbaum plays piano, keyboards and synthesizer as he leads a large team of percussion, brass, reeds and rhythm on a…
John Pizzarelli: Stage & Screen
John Pizzarelli sticks to his strengths of show tunes, swing and cozy humor on this album of Tin Pan Alley classics teamed wit Isaiah J. Thompson/p and Michael Karn/b. Showing he still has chops to spare, he waltzes and stretches…
DUETS…Sylvie Courvoisier & Cory Smyth: The Rite Of Spring-Spectre d’un Songe
Pianists Sylvie Courvoisier and Cory Smythe converse for 176 keys worth on an interpretation of Stravinsky’s “Rite Of Spring” as well as a 29 minute opus original, “Spectre d’un Songe”. Part 1, entitle “The Adoration of the Earth” has many…
Cecilia Smith: The Mary Lou Williams Resurgence Project Volume One
Vibist Celia Smith teams up with pianist B3er Lagayette Haris Junior and a cast of Carlton Holmes/p-B3, Kenny Davis/b Ron Savage and Carla Cook-Sheila Anderson/voc for a swinging tribute to one of the overlooked giants of jazz, Mary Lou Williams.…
CLASSY PIANO; Paul Smith: The Complete Liquid Sounds Sessions 1954-1958, Rare and Obscure Jazz Albums: The Cass Harrison Trio
This is a great time to be a jazz fan looking for new “old” sounds that got missed the first time around. Here are a couple tidbits to treasure… Pianist Paul Smith is best remembered for being Ella Fitzgerald’s accompanist…
Jonathan Butler: Ubuntu
Some of the most lovely soul jazz you’ll take in this year is delivered by guitarist/vocalist Jonathan Butler, as he joins together with Marcus Miller/b and special guests ranging from Stevie Wonder to Russel Ferrante on this latest release. Wonder’s…
TENOR TITAN…Richard Pavlidis: Iconography
One of the lost arts in modern jazz sax playing is the bold, big and bodacious sounds in the line of Sonny Rollins, Gato Barbieri and Michael Brecker. You know what I mean: a 3 inch steak of meat, lots…