Here’s an ambitious and energetic big band album, recorded in concert at the National Kauhsiung Center for the Arts back in 2021. Bassist and ldader Vincent Hsu puts together a nine movement suite entitled “The Spirit of Live River and…
Month: January 2024
Kavita Shah: Cape Verdean Blues
Yes, she only does one song Horace Silver songbook, but vocalist Kavita Shah also teams with guitarist Bau, percussionist Mirocca Paris and a collection of guests for some fragrant folk ideas. Her voice and delivery is warm and lilting, dancing…
Joe Policastro Trio: Ceremony
Bassist Joe Policastro trios up with Dave Miller/g and Mikel Avery/dr for a collection of originals and clever covers. Of the latter, the team takes on and uptempo read of Roy Orbison’s “Blue Bayou” that breezes through the honeysuckle, while…
Aruan Ortiz: Pastor’s Paradox
Pianist and composer Aruan Ortiz puts together an album dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the “Freedom March” led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., famed for the “I have a dream” speech. Here, Mtume Gant recites some of Kings…
Ashley Henry: Who We Are
Ambitious energy oozes out of the speakers on this album by singer and keyboardist Ashley Henry. With a core team of Alec Hewes/b and Myele Manzana/dr, he mixes horns and tones on an album the feels part heart of Donny…
JD Allen: The Dark, The Light, The Grey and The Colorful
Tenor saxist JD Allen has built a career creating a tone that is reminiscent of the lionesque roar of Ben Webster. This time around, he tightens it up a bit and taps into his inner Dexter Gordon, with more of…
IT’S TOP TEN TIME!
EACH YEAR, I GET THE HONOR OF GETTING THE “TOP TEN” LISTS OF SOME OF THE MOST ASTUTE JAZZ JOURNALISTS. THIS LIST WILL SAVE YOU TONS OF TIME AND MONEY IN TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO.…
TIMES ARE ON HIS SIDE…Dennis Winge: Digital Interfaith
When you think of a “solo” album, you think of a solitary musician sitting in front of a microphone and giving a series of arias. Dennis WInge makes this solo session a “group” effort, so to speak, in that he…
Dylan Jack Quartet: Eine Quartett Des Grauens
Drummer Dylan Jack teams up with Tony Leva/b, Eric Hofbauer/g-el and J erry Sabatine/tp-ct-euph for an EP of intuitive originals. Sabatini is languid on the laconic “To The Land Of Thieves And Phantoms” and mutes with the acostic strings of…
STEPHANE WREMBEL: THE HEART OF REINHARDT
ONE OF THE GREATEST CHALLENGES IN THE LIFE OF A MUSICIAN IS TO BE ABLE TO DEVELOP ONE’S OWN SOUND AND STYLE. GUITARIST STEPHANE WREMBEL HAS TAKEN THAT CHALLENGE IN HIS EFFORT TO CONTINUE THE LEGACY OF GYPSY LEGEND DJANGO…