So, you’d think that an album inspired by the “electric” period of Miles Davis would include a lot of wacka-wooka plugged in sounds, right? Well, saxist, leader and arranger Charles Pillow throws a curveball here, bringing in a big band…
Month: September 2023
SLOOPY HANGS ON…Rick & Jenda Derringer: Rock The Yacht
Guitarist and vocalist Rick Derringer, famed for the classic garage hit “Hang On Sloopy”, as well as his own bluesrocker “Rock and Roll Hootchie Coo” teams up with wife Jenda for an upbeat album that shows why he’s one of…
A FORGOTTEN GIANT…Cal Tjader: Catch The Groove-Live At The Penthouse 1963-1967
While presently overlooked amongst the a reflection of vibes giants of the past, but at one time Cal Tjader was one of the most important bopping vibes men, particularly on the West Coast. At a time when jazz was getting…
Snarky Puppy @ The Orpheum 09.24.23
Due to the COVID lockdown, it’s been four years since Snarky Puppy as been in town. If nothing else, this recent concert confirmed my belief that Michael League’s vision of a musical worldview is what is going to keep jazz…
Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Festival 09.23.23
So, did anyone else notice that Eric Clapton wore blue bell bottoms the first day of the Crossroads Guitar Festival on Saturday? For the seventh installment of raising support for the Crossroads Centre in Antigua (which provides treatment and education…
Wayne Alpern: Rezurrektion
Melding genres and styles, Wayne Alpern takes compositions ranging from Ellington to Mozart and lets the string quartet of Chern Hwe Fung/vi, Gregor Huebner/vi, Ron Lawrence/va and Jeremy Harmon/cel create a rich mosaic of sounds and ideas. You’ll be familiar…
THIS IS SWING 101…The Benny Goodman Hits Collection, Volume 1 1931-31, Volume 2 1939-53
You’re going to have to take this on faith, but at one time, jazz was America’s most popular music. And while you may argue if he invented it, you can’t argue that Benny Goodman was the most popular figure of…
OH YEAH! Black Pearls Vol. 1 : Rhythm & Blues
After swing gave birth to modern jazz and bebop, teenagers had to figure out what to dance to, since bebop just wasn’t going to do it. Up came R&B, and this 28 song collection shows you what got kids on…
Frank Kohl: Pacific
Guitarist Frank Kohl goes solo on his latest release, mixing up standards with some rich originals. His delivery is patient and inquisitive, taking melodies such as the reclined “When I Fall In Love” or patient “Time After Time” and inspecting…
Blind Boy Fuller: Step It Up And Go-The Collection 1935-40
One of the masters of the rural blues, also known as “Piedmont Blues” was Blind Boy Fuller, aka Fulton Allen (1904-41). Fuller had a picking and singing style not unlike contemporary Rev. Gary Davis, but a bit more earthy and…