Guitarist Simon Angell joins forces with drummer Tommy Crane to create an album that is part Eno-ish ambient and part metallic rock. Angell uses his six strings like a paintbrush, creating effects on the driving “Swingjugend” as well as synthscapes…
Author: George W. Harris
Mike Stern @ The Baked Potato 12.13.24
Legendary guitarist Mike Stern came to the Baked Potato Friday night that was stuffed like a stocking on the mantle, and the audience was treated to a night that reflected the allure of improvisation, in more ways than one. First,…
Marcus Miller@Catalina’s 12.12.24
When Marcus Miller comes to town, the question seems to always be which part of his illustrious career as a bassist/producer is he going to emphasize? The good news for the packed house at Catalina’s is that the Grammy Winning…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK***The Crew: The Crew
You gotta love this team of Bryan J Hughes/voc, James Suggs/tp, Alejandro Arenas/b, Jean Bolduc/dr and John C. O’Leary III/p-key, just for moxie alone on this totally hip album. They’ve got swing in their collective bone marrow, but keep everything…
Dann Zinn: Two Roads
Playing tenor sax and a “processed” sax, Dann ZIn brings together heavy hitters Rachel Z/p, Jeff Denson/b-voc, Omar Hakim/dr and Brian Rice for a collection of rich originals. I assume the sax gets processed on the echoey “East Bay Punk”…
Papo Vazquez’s Mighty Pirates Troubadours
Trombonist Papo Vazquez sings and joins in the chorus with Jose Mangual/voc, Ivan Renta/ts, Rick Germanson/p, Ariel Robles/b, and various guests on this earthy mix of salsa originals. There’s a big Afro-Cuban sound to “NYP 9 Hudson” and the stop…
Yosef Gutman & Itay Sher: Unity
Gorgeous gentle tapestries are sewn by nylon string guitarist Itay Sher and bassist Yosef Gutman Levitt,as the two (with occasional additional reeds and orchestra by Gilad Ronen)create a soft pastel collection of sounds. There’s a plaintiff folk feel to pieces…
VOCALS OR KARAOKE? Yuka Mito: How Deep Is The Ocean, Doug Ferony: Alright Okay You Win
People sing for various reasons. Is imitation a possible choice? Yuka Mito has a warm voice on this album of standards with Hiroki Morioka/p, Iwao Masuhara/b and Yoshifumi Nihomatsu/dr. The problem is that her accent is so rounded that her…
Satoko Fujii Quartet: Dog Days of Summer
Free jazz legendary pianist Satoko Fujii brings together the like minded Natsuki Tamura/tp, Hayakawa Takeharu/b and Tatsuya Yoshida/dr for seven originals that beg for sheet music. Actually, there is a lot of cohesion to the pretty “Low” with Fujii in…
Caroline Davis: Portals Vol 2
Composer and alto saxist Caroline Davis brings in the team of Marquis Hill/tp, Julian Shore/p, Chris Tordini/b and Allan Mednard/dr along with some guests on a thoughtful and sensitive release. There’s a loose Milestoney feel to the grooving “Gate of…