One of the premier drummers, and inventors as well, of hard bop drummers is without a doubt Philly Joe Jones, who made his name with Miles Davis, but is also featured on innumerable sessions in the 1950s-60s. This single disc…
Month: January 2024
Stella Bass: Look For The Silver Lining
Teamed up with the simpatico trio of Johnny Taylor/p, Barry Donohue/b and Dominic Mulla/dr as well as guests Michael Buckley/sax-Ronan Dooney/fh, vocalist Stella Bass mixes classy versions of standards with some clever originals. She’s got a great sense of clarity…
WHEN LA WAS “LA LA LAND”…Conte Candoli Quintet/Zoot Sims Sextet: Los Angeles 1955 Live Sessions
While being dubbed the home of “Cool Jazz”, this collection of Los Angeles gigs circa 1955 shows how “hot” West Coast Cool could be. Trumpeter Conte Candoli is found at Hollywood’s Jazz City with bill H olman/ts, Carl Perkins/p, Leroy…
Roberta Gambarini @ Catalina’s 01.04.24
Even though she hasn’t released an album in years, vocalist Roberta Gambarini is still able to pack the house at Catalina’s because the appreciative audience didn’t want to hear anything necessarily new. No, they came to see the veteran vocalist…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Geri Allen & Kurt Rosenwinkel: A Lovesome Thing
Why this 2012 concert recording between the late pianist Geri Allen and guitar wonder Kurt Rosenwinkel has been under wraps for so long is beyond me. Both artists are caught in intriguing periods of there respective careers, with the guitarist…
Ed Motta: Behind The Tea Chronicles
Vocalist Ed Motta feels like a throwback to the Old School style of soul singing on this recent album. His tone and delivery are reminiscent of Michael McDonald, warm and rhythmic, and able to mix with strings and bluesy keyboards…
Angela DeNiro: Swingin’ With Legends 2
Backed by Ron Aprea’s swinging big band, Angela DeNiro drives like a V8 engine on this collection of tunes. She has a tone and relentlessly bopping delivery reminiscent of Ella Fitzgerald, which works like a hand in glove on pumpers…
Antoine Drye with Strings: Retreat To Beauty
Since Clifford Brown recorded his album with strings back in the 1950s, the allure of trumpet and orchestra has been the goal of every trumpet player. Antoine Drye meets that challenge with this gorgeous release that has orchestrator Isaac Raz…
BLUES ROCKERS…Richard Rozze: Lion, Cassius King: Last Call For The Blues
Through all of the years, rocking the blues has never ebbed or flowed. Here are a couple new releases. Leading a rocking trio, guitarist and vocalist Richard Rozze brings together Jonathan Noyce/b and Simon Lea/dr for a mix of tunes…
Jonathan Powell: Mambo Jazz Party
Playing trumpet and flugelhorn, Jonathan Powell mixes and matches with a core of Luques Curtis/b, Axel Tosca/key, Luisito Quintero/perc and Camilo Molina/dr-perc with a rotating cast of orns, vocals and percussion, percussion, percussion. Vocalists belt it out as well, as…