When you think of jazz and violin, you usually have images of Stephane Grappelli or Stuff Smith, but the Quartet San Francisco is trying to change that a bit. Consisting of Jeremy Cohen/v, Matthew Szemela/v, Chad Kaltinger/vla and Kelley Maulbetsch/cel,…
Author: George W. Harris
OH YEAH!!! Hugh Laurie: Live on the Queen Mary
I have to confess, I’ve never even HEARD of this UK guy Hugh Laurie. After watching this dvd of him in concert at the Queen Mary, I want to find EVERYTHING he’s ever done. His accent goes away and evolves…
FOR ART’S SAKE: Art Pepper: Unreleased Art Vol. VIII
Few artists have embodied “the jazz life” like Art Pepper. The California bred alto saxist and clarinetist, who left this earth way too young over 30 years ago, had a life of fighting various demons while playing every note as…
****ROTW****WHY I FELL IN LOVE WITH JAZZ…Clark Terry, Buddy DeFranco, Terry Gibbs and Jackie Ryan: Grand Masters of Jazz
After getting tired of the limitations and nihilism of rock, and the lack of progress in classical, I ventured out into the unknown world of jazz. It was the music like such played on this cd/2dvd performed by by Terry…
Dana Lyn: Aqualude
Violinist/composer Dana Lyn teams up with Jonathan Goldberger/g, Clara Kennedy/cello, Mike McGinnis/cl-bcl and Vinnie Sperrazza/dr for an intriguing collection of themes that gives “an Instrumental Story of the Sea.” The unorthodox mixture of instruments gives a hint of the equally…
Gretchen Parlato: Live In NYC
For the past few years, Gretchen Parlato has been on the cusp of being one of the most important female jazz vocalists, and this concert cd/dvd of her at the Rockwood Music Hall from Dec 5 & 62012 gives ample…
THEY DON’T TEACH THIS TO YOU IN SCHOOL…Ed Reed: I’m A Shy Guy, Jay Clayton: Harry Who?
As a friend of mine says, there’s one thing that God didn’t create, and that was a substitute for experience. These two singers ably show that it’s not the schools of Berklee or Manhattan that make the artist, but the…
Pierre de Gaillande: Bad Reputation Volume 2
Vocalist/guitarist Pierre de Gaillande sings material composed by George Brassens accompanied by a Left Bank sounding small band that veers towards cabaret swing with hints of klezmer and a dash of clarinet bohemia. The music itself is bouncy and suave,…
IT TAKES A LOT OF PLUCK…Chris Biesterfeldt: Urban Mandolin
Any guy who takes up his mandolin and starts off the session with Dizzy Gillespie’s “Bebop” and then Charlie Parker’s “Quasimodo” is going to get my attention. Chris Biesterfeldt, along with the simpatico team of Adam Armstrong/b and Eric Halvorson/dr…
TWO DIFFERENT TRIOS…Albert Heath/Ethan Iverson/Ben Street: Tootie’s Tempo, The Inventions Trio: Life’s a Movie
Here are a couple variations of the standard jazz trio where the piano tells the bass and drums what to do. Have fun! You can even tell by the front cover that the guy in charge of this session is…