Back in the latter 20th century, Denmark’s Montmartre jazz club was a haven for ex-pats Dexter Gordon and Ben Webster as well as a stopover point for the likes of Bill Evans. It’s recently re-opened, and Storyville (which released a…
Author: George W. Harris
WHERE’D SHE COME FROM?!? Tina May: Divas
Ah, a singer that has an original personality in her delivery! I thought everyone was trying to sound like either Diana Krall or Norah Jones. Yes, Tina May here is giving a tribute to various jazz “divas”, but she sounds…
Kuenta i Tambu: Tambutronic
As described in the liner notes, “Tambutronic is an electronic music style which combines various elements from modern dance music.” So, what you’re getting here is lots, of synthetic beats and rhythms, usually in a hip-hop mode, throw in some…
Tommy Emmanuel & Martin Taylor@Smothers Theatre 01.22.14
If you are a guitarist, this past month of performances will either inspire you to increase your hours of practice or to smash your guitar into a million pieces in frustration after being either encouraged or overwhelmed by what you’ve…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Giovanca: Satellite Love
On first glance, this release has at least two strikes against it from the start. Any singer that goes by only one name always worries me. Think “Raffi” or “Madonna”. Second, will someone please explain the outfit of afro, smoke…
The Ghost Train Orchestra: Book of Rhapsodies
There are basically two ways to appreciate jazz. One is to follow the world of improvisation, and the other is to embrace the wondrous arrangements. When the two work together in a symbiotic relationship, the essence of jazz is reached,…
Sketches: Volume One
The band Sketches is a quintet collective consisting of Matt Holman/tp, Jeremy Udden/as, Jarrett Cherner/p, Martin Nevin/b and Ziv Ravitz/dr, all of whom contribute compositions to this release. The tunes themselves are impressive post bop material, with rich and intelligent…
The Joshua Shneider Orchestra: Love Speaks
Here’s a big band with a big and fresh sound. Joshua Shneider wrote and arranged all of the material, and conducts the band that not only is chock full of winds and brass, but includes Dave Stryker’s lithe guitar. The…
GUITARS AND KEYBOARDS…Dewa Budjana: Joged Kahyangan, SimakDIALOG: The 6th Story
Some of the most wonderful blendings of sounds comes when guitars meet with keyboards. Here are a couple different approaches to this timeless sound. Guitaris Dewa Budjana mixes and matches with LA studs Larry Goldings/key, Bob Mingtzer/reeds, Jimmy Johnson/b and…
Maria Pia De Vito: La Pergolese
Classical vocalist Maria Pia De Vito sings in a variety of settings and moods in this wide ranging album with Francois Couturier/p, Anja Lechner/cel and Michele Rabbia/perc-elec. Most of the pieces, such as “Amen/Fac ut Portem” and “Ogni Pena Cchiu…