Tim Berne has put together a working team named after his last album, consisting of Oscar Noriega/cl-bcl, Matt Mitchell/p and Ches Smith/dr-perc/vibes in support of the leader, songwriter and alto sax player. They are recorded in upstate New York, with…
Author: George W. Harris
Arturo Sandoval’s Big Band @ The Broad Stage 11.15.13
This is the third time I’ve seen Arturo Sandoval in a matter of little more than a year, and each concert has had a completely different feel. This one, at the acoustically wondrous Broad Stage in Santa Monica, had the…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Sam Jones: Cello & Bass/The Chant/Down Home
Yeah, right. A sideman/bass player to be the ROTW? Believe it! Sam Jones is best known, if known at all, for his stint with Cannonball Adderley’s Quintet way back when. He played both bass and cello, and somehow he put…
INTRIGUING FINGERS…Roberta Piket: Solo, Sides, Colors
Here’s a pianist that has lots of creative ideas along with a unique approach and touch. One album is a solo disc while the other one mixes and matches various combinations in an intriguing manner. Piket’s Solo album is impressive…
Geri Allen: Grand River Crossings
Pianist Geri Allen has one of the most distinct sounds and styles, and for the life of me can’t figure out why she doesn’t get more acclaim. Each one of her releases, since I discovered her 1991 The Nurturer, is…
SEPHARDIC HEAVEN…David Buchbinder: Odessa/Havana
David Buchbinder leads a cooking ensemble here that mixes both Jewish and Cuban cultures and sounds. Talk about guilt! Jewish and Catholic? Oy Veh! So, how does salsa mix with gefelte fish? On this plate of sounds, it works absolutely…
OYE…Salsa De La Bahia: Volume 1, Michele Rosewoman: New Yor-Uba
You want Afro-Cuban music? We’ve got it in abundance here on a pair of 2 cd sets that will get you sweating up a fever in no time! First question-when is Volume 2 coming out?!? This two cd set collections…
OH YEAH! Big Maybelle: The Best of Blues, Candy and Big Maybelle
If you’ve ever seen the classic film Jazz on a Summer’s Day, the unforgettable vision of watching Big Maybelle wail out the blues in a white dress with delicate gloves is something that you can never forget. That one scene…
Kellye Gray: And, They Call Us Cowboys/The Texas Music Project
If someone had told my 25 years ago that there would someday be a remake of Roger Miller’s “Dang Me,” I’d have taken that bet. Yet, here it is, in excellent form along with eight other tunes written (mostly) by…
CHE’ BELLA! Newpoli: Tempo Antico
If you want the real roots of lyrical music, here’s a treat from the Mediterranean. The group Newpoli consists of Angela Rossi/voc, Carmen Marsico/voc, Roberto Cassan/fisarmonica, Fabio Pirozzolo, perc, Daniel Meyes/flute, Megum Sasaki/violin, SeanFarias/b and guest John La Barbera/mand. Together,…