Also known as Sylvester Uzoma Onyejiaka II, Sly5thAve has put out an intriguingly original and creative album that mixes bop, funk and some smart arrangements with just enough room for explorative solos that will satisfy just about every fan of…
Author: George W. Harris
Lizzie Thomas: Easy to Love
Vocalist Lizzie Thomas has a bright and clear delivery on this collection of standards with a mixture of trios, duets and small group performances. The mix of horns works as a frame to surround and also coax Thomas on crisp…
Rich Rosenthal: Falling Up
As guitarist/leader Rich Rosenthal states in the liner notes, “The music you are about to hear is no Easy Listening.” Truth in advertising is always a good sign-Rosenthall teams up with Joe Girdullo/sax, Craig Nixon/b and Matt Crane/dr for a…
Mumpbeak: Mumpbeak
The band Mumpbeak consists of Ray Powell/cav-pedals, Pat Mastelotto/dr-perc and the double bassed team of Bill Laswell with either/and Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz, Lorenzo Feliciati and Tony Levin. The music, as expected by the lineup, is heavy on the heavy, with…
Gary Husband & Alex Machacek: Now
Here’s a ear-friendly collection of duets between guitarist Alex Machacek and pianist Gary Husband. All of the tunes are written by the two gents and they mix intricate interplay with accessible melodies. Most of the time, the material is cozy…
Whirlpool: This World and One More
The trio Whirlpool consists of the interesting combination of Caroline Davis/as, Charles Rumback/dr and Jeff Swanson/g. Excepting Paul Motian’s title track, all of the songs are self composed and display a quiet lyricism and sensitive interplay. What could have been…
Neil Rolnick: Gardening at Gropius House
Not too many bands are headed by a guy that leads with a laptop computer, but that’s what Neil Rolnick does. Is this going to be a new category in Downbeat? Anyway, this release is divided into two parts and…
Shlomi Cohen: Breather
If you like your Mediterranean sounds on the smooth side, saxist Shlomi Cohen delivers the goods here on this session that mixes old with the new. Some traditional material ranging from Greek (“Miserlou”) to Israeli (“Eli Ata”) features warm, fluffy…
Greg Lewis Organ Monk: American Standard
For the past few years, B3er Greg Lewis has been leading a trio celebrating the Thelonious Monk songbook, having shed intriguing lights on the jazz icons music. This time around, along with Ron Jackson/g and Jeremy Bean Clemons/dr, he takes…
Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson: With the Cannonball Adderley Quintet
Here’s a soulful team for you. Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson who basically defined the blues alto sax, joins together with the bopping funk and gospel specialist Cannonball Adderley with a prime time band of Nat Adderley/ct, Joe Zawinul/p, Sam Jones/b and…