The UK-based reissue specialists AVID RECORDS continues to find material that I never even knew existed, let alone was looking for. These undeservedly overlooked gems are finally seeing the light of day, and we are the better for it. Here…
Author: George W. Harris
Harvey Mason: Chameleon
Now, I realized that many of you are going to have to take this statement on faith, but once upon a time, modern jazz was actually POPULAR. Yes! It’s True! They played it on the airwaves, filled places like the…
UNJUSTLY FORGOTTEN…Lee Morgan/Clifford Jordan Quintet: Live in Baltimore 1968
Here is a recording from hard bop masters that need to be re-heard and re-evaluated in order for you to renew your jazz ears! Trumpeter Lee Morgan was one of the young studs on the trumpet from the mid 50s…
AMBASSADOR SATCH…Louis Armstrong: The Columbia and Victor Live Recordings of Louis Armstrong and the All Stars
Every artist goes through periods of peaks and valleys. The reasons can be musical or personal. It happened to Ellington, it happened to Miles, and it happened to Louis Armstrong. This 9 cd collection of (mostly) concert material from 1947-1958…
Tatiana Parra w/ Vardan Ovsepian@Vibrato’s 06.05.14
Yes, I know I just caught pianist Vardan Ovsepian with his chamber orchestra with vocalist Tatiana Parra, but this time the roles are reversed, and the band has been filtered. Tatiana, just landed from her home country of Brazil a…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Noshir Mody: Stories From The Years of Living Passionately
Never heard of this guy before, but after taking in this album, I’ve got to find out more about him. Where’s he from? Where’s he been? Who are his influences? No matter, as guitarist/composer Noshir Mody lets the laundry out…
Oscar Penas: Music of Departures and Returns
A sweet but sublime session of guitarist Oscar Penas teams him in a diverse collection of environs with guests ranging from Paquito D’Rivera/cl and Gil Goldstein/acc to Esperanza Spalding/voc. The regular team of Sara Caswell/v, Moto Fukushima/b and Richie Barshay/dr-perc…
Andrew Litton: A Tribute to Oscar Peterson
Classically trained pianist Andrew Litton tips the hat to Oscar Peterson on this collection of jazz standards. The label says this is a “Super Audio CD,” but to my ears the entire recording sounds quite distant and sterile. That doesn’t…
Leslie Pintchik: In The Nature of Things
Pianist Leslie Pintchik has been impressing me the past year. Here, she continues her winning streak with Steve Wilson/as-ss, ron Horton/tp-fh, CScott Hardy/b, Michael Sarin/dr and Satoshi Takeishi/perc as she mixes and matches as well as builds on the basic…
Carrying the Torch…Kristen Miranda: Double Time, Libby York: Memoir, Anna Danes: Longing
Here are three ladies that are keeping the light in the window for someone… Kristen Miranda’s got a rich mezzo soprano yet husky voice, and she uses it here in clever takes of jazz and pop standards. Featuring Joe Gilman/p,…