Boy, doesn’t this guy sound just like Michael Buble’? Remember when they compared Connick to Sinatra? Well, times sure have changed; a few decades have passed and Harry himself is the standard to which other vocalists are compared (or imitated!).…
Author: George W. Harris
BEFORE MTV, THERE WAS…FRANK ZAPPA: A TOKEN OF HIS EXTREME
You don’t think modern rock has lost its innovation? Watch this time capsule of a TV Special from 1974 that features Frank Zappa and his Mothers of Invention (George Duke/key, Napoleon Murphy Brock/sax-voc, Ruth Underwood/perc, Tom Fowler/b and Chester Thompson/dr).…
****ROTW****WHERE’D THIS GUY COME FROM?!? Richard Lanham: Thou Swell
Here’s a fifteen year old recording that’s been hidden in the netherworld for awhile, but like the pearl of great price in the Bible, it was finally found and it’s definitely worth the wait. Richard Lanham has been in the…
BING’S BEST! Bing Crosby: Bing on Broadway, Bing & Rosie
If you want to hear what REAL singing is supposed to sound like, these two releases by Bing Crosby Enterprises are possibly the best template in which to compare everyone else from Frank to Buble’. They may be different, and…
ALL THINGS BING! Bing Crosby: So Rare, Return to Paradise Islands, A Southern Memoir
Did Bing Crosby ever have an artistic nadir? These three latest releases that are part of a retrospective of Der Bingster would indicate NO! NO! NO! The double disc So Rare is the most intriguing, as it is almost literally…
CRUISE NIGHT! Redtenbacher’s Funkestra: The Cooker
Once upon a time, people actually went to night clubs to dance. I don’t mean jump up and down like you’re trying to assist your peristalsis, but to get down and BOOGIE to music like The Average White Band, EWF…
SOLO PIANO-Billy Lester: Storytime, David Chesky: The New York Rags, Laszlo Gardony: Clarity
Think all solo piano records sound the same? Here is a trio of new releases in this genre that you’ll compare and contrast for quite some time. I’ve never heard of any of the artists before, but am impressed by each one…
OUTSIDE TENORS-Ivo Perelman/Matthew Shipp: The Art of The Duet, Perelman/Shipp/Parker/Cleaver: Serendipity, Perelman/Shipp/Bisio/Dickey: The Edge, Rich Halley 4: Crossing The Passes
What actually IS “Avant Garde”? What is “Free Jazz?” Are there variations of them? Styles of them? Is there a “Neo Avant Garde” as opposed to “Classic Avant Garde”? When does advanced hard bop transition into free? Here are a…
VOICE AND ACCOMPANIMENT-Jan Shapiro: Piano Bar After Hours, Iva Bittova’: Iva Bittova’
Just a voice and Spartan accompaniment. Two completely different means to the end here. Vocalist Jan Shapiro goes the route of standards with a rotating team of pianists. Danela Schachter, Bob Winter, Tim Ray, Russell Hoffman and John Harrison III…
POST-BOP HEAVEN-Will Calhoun: Life In This World, Chris Massey & The NJP: Whosoever
If you like your jazz straight down the line, but not predictable and still looking forward, here are a couple discs lead by a pair of drummers that should be in your sights. Will Calhoun, better known as the drummer…