WHO IS THIS CHICK?!?!? I put on this 1960 session by a singer I’ve never heard of, and all I hear for the first few minutes is a hip KC-bluesy jam that sounds like a bunch of Basie alumni having…
Author: George W. Harris
WHOA! Felix Peikli: Royal Flush
Great jazz records these days are pretty tough to come by. Great CLARINET jazz records are even rarer. Great clarinet POST BOP jazz records are about as common as blacks on Don Sterling’s guest list. This guy Felix Peikli was…
AN UNAPPRECIATED PIONEER…Francy Boland: Playing With The Trio
Originally recorded in Cologne, Germany back in 1967, this album/bonus cd featured the pianist Francy Boland in a rare trio setting with his co-leader Kenny Clarke/dr and Jimmy Woode Jr/b. Besides hearing the famous big band leader/arranger in a more…
Oz Noy: Twisted Blues Vol. 2
If you’re thing is blues/rock, and you liked Volume 1 by the Strat bearing guitarist, you’ll LOVE this followup release. He teams up with artists ranging from Chick Corea (!)/p, /orgJohn Medeskiand Eric Johnson/g as well as Will Lee/b and…
Alessandro Scala Quartet: Viaggio Stellare
Using his base quartet as a starting point, saxist Alessandro Scala’s soprano and tenor along with Nico Menci/key, Paolo Ghetti/b and Stefano Paolini/dr lay the foundation of some smoking latin-based jazz. Guests Fabrizio Bosso/tp-fh and Roberto Rossi/tb take turns making…
Earth Mama: A Sense of Place
Joyce Rouse is a singer/songwriter who goes by the name “Earth Mama” and delves into American Folk music on this collection of originals dedicated to “understanding our home, the natural world.” While you can argue about Earth Day and the…
Lenny Pickett with the UMO Jazz Orchestra: The Prescription
I know one of the 10 Commandments tells us not to envy, but I can’t help being just a LITTLE envious of Lenny Pickett’s career. Sax man for the Tower of Power when they were THE band in the 70s,…
JC Sanford Orchestra: Views from the Inside
Composer and trombonist JC Sanford leads a jazz orchestra through a collection of sophisticated pieces that mix the harmonies and rhythms of modern classical with the gestalt of jazz. A combination of strings, electronics and other things normally associated with…
Soulful Singers…Sharon Marie Cline: This is Where I Wanna Be, Kate Ross: People Make the World Go Round
Here are two femme fatales for the jazz fan! Sharon Marie Cline brings together a team including Rich Eames/key, Luther Hughes/b and Jon Stuart/dr along with other guests on this rich collection of material that stretches generations and continents. Her…
Doug Munro: Doug Munroe’s Loop-Mania
Is it entertainment? Art? Education? CD? Dvd? Book? It’s all of the above, as guitarist Doug Munro plays his guitar through six originals, which are impressive, varied and enjoyable (and unbelievably without overdubs) in their own right. But, what you…