Here are a couple lyrical latin lovers. One is sweet, the other caliente. Brazilian vocalist Paula Santoro has a gentle and nasal sounding sound to her delivery with jazzy team of Zeca Assumpcao/b, Kiko Freitas/dr, Marco Lobo/perc and Rafael Vernet/p.…
Author: George W. Harris
ARRANGERS’ DELIGHT…Justin Morell Dectet: Subjects and Complements, Joe Fielder’s Big Sackbut: Sackbut Stomp, Dan Willis and Velvet Gentlemen: The Satie Project II
Is the pen actually mightier than the sword? Here are three new releases that show how the pen is at least mightier than the horn, as it guides into (pun intended) uncharted waters. Composer/arranger Justin Morell puts together a ten…
BASS DESIRES…Charnett Moffett: Spirit Of Sound, Aaron Germain: Change
Upright, fretted, unfretted, four to six stringed, or piccolo, the bass is shown what it can do here when, literally, it is in the right hands on these two sessions. Charnett Moffett goes solo with the upright (“Bassland”), trio with…
HERE COMES THE SAX MAN! Jon Hamar: Idyl Wild, Clarence Johnson III: Watch Him Work
OK, so technically, one of these albums isn’t lead by a sax player, but there are two on the quartet date, so give me a break! Bassist Jon Hamar leads an unorthodox quartet with drummer Julian MacDonough and a front…
David Lanz: Movements of the Heart
Usually associated with contemporary and rootsy finger pickers, Shanachie throws a curveball with this fascinating piano solo session by David Lanz. Thirteen originals flow together like a Raphael tapestry, with wondrous layers on notes gliding by as if Monet’s lilies…
The SWR BIG BAND featuring Fola Dada: Kings of Swing Op. 1
The first question you always have to ask when you get a band that specializes in “classic jazz” is” Why not just listen to the originals? While the material here, consisting of Swing Era beauties such as “Opus One,” “Stealin’…
GUITARS IN THE RHYTHM SECTION…Todd Londagin: Look Out For Love, Tarun Balani Collective: Sacred World, Fareed Haque: Out of Nowhere
There was a time when it was considered high gauche, as well as highly cluttered, to have both a guitar and piano in the same small group. Basie being the exception, it rarely worked well in the past, but the…
Kevin Coelho: Turn It Up
This guy’s only seventeen years old? I have corns that old! He creates a classic B3 trio session with Derek DiCenzo/g and Reggie Jackson/dr that will make you put this in your collection next to Joey D and Jimmy Smith.…
THIRD WORLD JAZZ…Kheswa & Her Martians: Meadowlands, Stolen Jazz, Salaam: Train to Basra, Chandrika Krishnamurthy Tandon: Soul March
One of the delightful things about jazz is how well it absorbs sounds from other countries and continents. Here, we’ve got meldings from Africa, the Mid East and India. What a way to go! South African vocalist Nonhlanhla Kheswa has…
Thelonious Monk: Paris 1969
Ah! Here’s the Blue Note label I grew up with and loved! A cd/dvd set of Thelonious Monk with a quartet consisting of old time mate Charlie Rouse/ts along with relative youngsters Nate Hygelund/b and Paris Wright/dr as well as…