Not sure what kind of jazz you want to get interested in? Step right up! The latest reissue series from Avid covers just about anything you could desire, from swing to bebop to bop to free. Sure, there are other…
Author: George W. Harris
Nicholas Payton: Sketches of Spain
Talking about challenges! Miles Davis’ original mono recording of the famous “original’ mix of big band and jazz horn from 50+ years ago just got reissued, and a couple of other horn players like Dave Liebman and Lew Soloff have…
THIS IS A PIANO 101…Alan Broadbent: Heart to Heart
It’s fitting and proper that Alan Broadbent is recorded on this disc performing at a concert hall for the Classic Piano store in Portland, OR, as if he is the guy that you want if you want to know how a piano…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Ricardo Silveira/Vinicius Cantuaria: RSVC
This is the kind of stuff that the label Adventure Music does so well: puts together fresh sounding material that mixes traditional Brazilian with 21st Century inquisitiveness. Guitarist Ricardo Silveira and singer/vocalist Vinicius Cantuaria gather together for a summit meeting…
Spyro Gyra: The Rhinebeck Sessions
Of the jazz bands that formed in the 80s, only the Yellowjackets and Spyro Gyra are still standing. I gotta tell ya, these guys still sound GREAT. They’ve grown and changed with the times, and actually sound a bit more…
Calvin Keys: Electric Keys
You want to know how a bluesy groove is supposed to lay out? Check out this session by guitarist Calvin Keys. He’s got a supple necked team of Matt Montgomery/b-key, Josh Jones-Thomas McCree/dr, and a horn section of Doug Rowan/sax …
Ted Brancato: The Next Step, Florian Hoefner Group: Falling Up
Two jazz composers here, both with accessible pens in hand. Keyboardist Ted Brancato brings to the field a mix of acoustic and electric musicians including Ron Carter/b as well as a reed and brass section for this collection of material…
SOUNDS MELDING TOGETHER…Earl MacDonald & the Creative Opportunity Workshop: Mirror of the Mind, Bombay Dub Orchestra: Tales From the Grand Bazaar, Uri Sharlin and the Dogcat Ensemble: Back to the Woods
Is it a style? Or is it just “music”? Pianist Earl MacDonald wrote and arranged all of the material on this album that includes the intriguing combination of cello (Christopher Hoffman), percussion (Rogerio Boccato) and saxes (Kris Allen). Many of…
Enrico Granafei: Alone (and) Together
Harmonica master Enrico Granafei shows a wide variety of moods on this collection of tunes with guests includeing Vic Juris’g, Wallace Roney/tp and Dave Stryker/g along with a basic team of Amina Figarova/p, Rick Crane/b and Billy Hart/dr. A lilting…
INTIMATE CONVERSATIONS…Laurent Coq: Dialogue, Stephan Crump’s Rosetta Trio: Thwirl
Some of the most attractive aspects of jazz occurs during intimate conversations between musicians. Here are two noteworthy examples. Pianist Laurent Coq meets up with Ralph Lavital/g and Nicolas Pelage/voc (on 5 tracks) for 11 originals to be interpreted and…