The great Wayne Shorter may be gone, but the spirit of Weather Report was carried by bassist Alphonso Johnson Friday night at The Baked Potato. Participating in arguably the band’s halcyon days, Johnson delivered a 90 minute first set with…
Month: September 2023
HARD BOPPING BASIE ALUMNI…Al Grey & Billy Mitchell: Studio Recordings, Sextet & Septet Live At The Museum of Modern Art
Making a living in the swinging Count Basie Big Band for years, trombonist Al Grey an saxist Billy Mitchell got together on their own for a bit to put out some adventurous hard bop that bounces like Bud. The collection…
THE PRINCE OF THE BLUES…Billy Wright: Blues For My Baby Collected Recordings 1949-59
You’ve undoubtedly heard of Little Richard, but one of the singers who influenced Mr. Penniman was Billy Wright (1932?-91), a blues singer who’s career consisted of flamboyant jump blues, in which this two cd, 43 song collection brings out the…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Terell Stafford: Between Two Worlds
Currently Director of Jazz Studies at Temple University, trumpeter Terell Stafford still gets a chance to show his students and fans the practical side of the trumpet, with this latest album a perfect addition to his curriculum. He’s amassed an…
JoVia Armstrong: Inception
Playing a Hybrid Cajon, JoVia Armstrong teams up with Leslie DeShazor/5str, Damon Warmack/b and Sasha Kashpeko/g for a mix of synthy fusion moods. At times, there are Asian tones as on “Embryo” while a folksy violin sweeps through “Hide, Then…
THROWBACK…Benny Benack III: Third Time’s The Charm
Here’s a guy that’s a throwback to the days when trumpeters not only had chops, but could sing, jive and just keep the joint jumping. Benny Benack mixes originals and clever covers on this fun filled album with Chad Lefkowitz-Brown/ts,…
Andrew Synowiec: Fun
LA-based guitarist Andrew Synowiec is the latest in the long tradition of first call studio guitarists (like Larry Carlton and Lee Ritenour) for albums, gigs, TV shows and film, keeping his chops warm with his own music at The Baked…
FOXY! Greg Sover: His-Story
Guitarist and vocalist Greg Sover takes his Jimi Hendrix pills for this album with Jim Salamone/dr-eg, Kyle Perrilli/lspst, Brad Hinton/lpst, David Palan/b, Kenny Aarons/b and others in an Experienced mood. Sovers own songs have the vintage Hendrix sound, and he…
Denny Zeitlin: Crazy Rhythm-Exploring George Gershwin
Bill Evans-inspired pianist Denny Zeitlin goes solo on this rich and melodic album of interpretations of George Gershwin material. Zeitlin is a master of the rabbit trail, and he does some glorious ones, with his left hand wandering on a…
Seth Kibel: Clown With A Stick
Should Seth Kibel’s recent album be better titled Clown with a SCHTICK? Most of the songs here by the clarinet and flute man are in the semi-klezmer form, celebrating the tribal side of swing. He teams up with Harry Appelman-Sean…