Drummer and composer Tomas Fujiwara leads a trio with cellist Tomeka Reid and vibist Patricia Brennan through six mellow musings. There is a graceful pulse to “Solace”, a bluesy post bop appeal on “Josho” and hovering ambience with Brennan’s vibes…
Month: December 2023
Quinsin Nachoff: Stars and Constellations
Composer and tenor saxist Quinsin Nachoff leads a trio of Mark Helias/b and Dan Weiss/dr along with two, count ‘em, two, string quartets on three long opuses. “Stars and Constellations: Scorpio” consists of the Bergamot Quartet bowing, scratching and picking…
Samara Joy’s Joyful Holiday featuring The McLendon Family@Granada Theatre 12.08.23
After seeing Grammy winner Samara Joy perform for the first time back in February, my first thought was “Someone raised this young lady right”. Yes, she is an incredible singer with an irresistible sense of swing and inspiring sense of…
Steve Gadd@Catalina’s 12.07.23
It was certainly fitting that “Rhymin’” Paul Simon was part of the packed house at Catalina’s on Thursday night, as Gadd’s 90 minute set reminded everyone why the Gadd/Simon collaboration of “Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover” has stood the…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Olivia Perez-Collellmir: Olivia
Mixing sounds of Iberia and jazz, pianist and composer Olivia Perez-Collellmir has put together an enchanting musical mosaic of an album, blending solo piano sonatas with passionate folk-group ensembles. The solo “Promenades” that are interspersed around the larger piece include…
Brad Turner Quintet: The Magnificent
Brad Turner plays both piano and trumpet as he leads a team with Cory Weeds/ts, Peter Bernstein/g, Nel Swainson/b and Quincy Davis/dr on this album of originals. On piano, Turner gets into a romantic setting with Bernstein on “Virtue Signals”…
Lezlie Harrison: Let Them Talk
I love a vocalist that doesn’t overplay her hand, and Lezlie Harrison sings with the wisdom of a card shark who knows when to hold ‘em and fold ‘em. She’s teamed up with the simpatico cast of Ben Paterson/B3, Matt…
TENORS FROM CELLAR…Kelly Jefferson: Rituals, Joel Haynes: The Return!, Sharon Minemoto: Dark Night Bright Stars
Tenors of various tones are represented on these three recent albums from Cellar Records. Kelly Jefferson plays tenor and a bit of soprano sax with her team of Amanda Tosoff/p, Jon Maharaj/b and Morgan Childs/dr on this collection of original.…
Leah Waybright: Dreamed
Playing piano and keyboards with accompanying voice, Leah Waybright teams up with Gary Blue/woodwinds, Rick Kennel/b-dr-perc an Stanley Whitaker/g for a collection of unpretentious originals. There’s a celestial feel to her material such as “Candlewink”, with Blu’s clarinet gliding over…
SIX STRINGER…John Stein: No Goodbyes
Guitarist John Stein uses his thick tone to team up with bassist Ed Lucie and drummer Mike Connors for some clear and sleek reads of standards. He is reminiscent of Jim Hall in the sense that he doesn’t overstate his…