Pianist Bruce Barth displays his suave taste and lyrical touch on this collection of originals and jazz standards. He mixes duets, trios, quartets and quintets anlong with Steve Nelson/vibe, Terell Stafford/tp-fh, Vicente Archer/b and Montez Coleman/dr in order to spotlight…
Author: George W. Harris
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Alejandro Almenares: Casa De Trova Cuba 50’s
If you’re a fan of the Buena Vista Social Club, this guy’s gonna make them seem like a bunch of posers. Composer, vocalist and tres guitarist, Alejandro Almenares delivers the real thing from Cuba here on this two cd set.…
James Booker: Classified-Remixed and Expanded
I’d never heard of New Orleans pianist James Booker before this here reissue of his last studio record from 1983. How did I miss out on this tragic guy who died not long after this release at the age of…
Nistha Raj: Exit 1
Indian violinist Nistha Raj does an impressive job here mixing Central Asian sounds and harmonies with jazz sensibilities and lyricism. Each track has a different mix of instrumental combinations, going from traditional folk to mainstream jazz without any time travel…
Beat Kaestli: Collage
Beat Kaestli tackles an unexplored source of inspiration on this intriguing album: The great French Songbook. He’s supported by the team of Jesse Lewis/g, Will Holshauser/acc, Matt Wigton/b and Fred Kennedy/dr for a wide swath of Gaul influences. With folksy…
Chris Campbell: Things You Already Know
The title of keyboardist/composer Chris Campbell’s latest release comes from Aristotle’s famous teaching. Using that theme, Campbell brings together a collection of artists that use instruments from all over the creative map, mixing and matching genres and creating a sound…
New Study Guide…Don Stiernberg: Jazz Mandolin Appetizers
It seems that the mandolin is getting a lot of popularity within the jazz realm. Don Stiernberg, who’s released a number of sessions on his own, has put together a first rate book/cd via Mel Bay to get past the…
Daniel Szabo/Peter Erskine/Edwin Livingston: A Song From There
Pianist/composer Daniel Szabo trios up with bassist Edwin Livingston and drum icon Peter Erskine for a fresh collection of originals that mix melody with intuitive interplay. Szabo has a wonderful control of dynamics here, going to infinitesimally small sounds on…
Eli Degibri: Twelve
Eli Degibri has a “throwback” sound on his tenor: rich, thick with early morning fog that burns off in the afternoon. He fronts a quartet with Gadi Lehavi/p, Barak Mori/b and Ofri Nehemya/dr through a mix of standards and clever…
Amy Cervini: Jazz Country, Carmen Cuesta: Toda Una VIda…
Here are a pair of female vocalists that say a lot by understatement. Amy Cervini released an impressive tribute to Blossom Dearie last year; this one takes a bit of different direction in that she mixes country and jazz sensibilities…