Yes, there are a plethora of excellent pianists out there on the jazz scene. But, with all of them from Mehldau on down, you listen to them and think, “there’s the Evans influence, there’s the Jarrett sound, etc.” Ahmad Jamal,…
Author: George W. Harris
MIDDLE EASTERN INTRIGUE…Nashaz: Nashaz, Albare: The Road Ahead
The melding of music from what is called “The 10-40 Window” (check the latitudes and longitudes some day)is what will probably propel jazz into the 21st Century. Here are two different approaches. One assimilates, the other accommodates. Nashaz is comprised…
OLD SCHOOL NEVER SOUNDED SO GOOD…Jeff Golub with Brian Auger: Train Keeps a Rolling
Put together a couple of old coots that rocked and boogied back when Republicans were in the White House, throw in some tunes that range from 50s jazz soul to modern reggae, and add a dash of top flight studio…
David Chesky: Jazz in the New Harmonic
This album lead by pianist/composer David Chesky is being billed as a “new twist” on what used to be termed “Third Stream” music, essentially a mix of jazz and classical that was a big deal in the late 50s and…
Andreas Steinkogler: Welcome to the Machine
The saying is that there are some things that you should never see how they are made: laws and Chinese food. Well, a rock/pop band may be the third part of this equation, as this 90 minute documentary by Andreas…
Hadiza: Chapter 4
Here’s a lady that is a bit of a throwback; vocalist Hadiza Dockeray has a ruby like clarity to her tone, but she mixes it with some earthy rock, R&B and soul with a team that includes Steve Bargonetti/g, Leon…
Charles Evans: Subliminal Leaps
Baritone saxist Charles Evans fronts a floating team with the unorthodox combination of David Liebman/ss, Ron Stabinsky/p and Tony Marino/b for a collection of free floating and, well, FREE compositions. Without a drummer, the artists are trying to create more…
Five Play Jazz Quintet: Five & More
The FivePlay Jazz Quintet consists of Tony Corman/g, Lara Klein/p, Dave Tidball/reeds, Alan Hall/dr and Paul Smith/b. They hail from the Bay Area and have recorded a session at the famous Fantasy Studios that is a warm and enjoyable collection…
Kathy Kosins: The Space Between
Last year, vocalist Kathy Kosins released a hot (or should I say “cool”) disc dedicated to the Ladies of Cool such as Peggy Lee. This time around, she brings together some of LA’s best artists (Tamir Hendelman/p, Bob Hurst/b, Eric…
FOXY!!! Jimi Hendrix Experience: Miami Pop Festival
Well, it only took half of a century, but the Hendrix catalogue is finally starting to look respectable in both content and sound quality. Experience Hendrix LLC is releasing the dvd/blue ray American Masters documentary Jimi Hendrix-Here My Train A…