If Philly Joe Jones didn’t invent hard bop drumming, he certainly pioneered it, being on countless Club in 1962. He’s with two different groups, both with Elmo Hope/p and Larry Ridley/b but different front lines. Dizzy Reece/tp, Sonny Red/as and…
Author: George W. Harris
John Scofield: Uncle John’s Band
Yes, this is guitar icon John Scofield’s album, but the fact is that drummer Bill Stewart shines brightest on this trio album with Vicente Archer. The tunes range between dark blues, funky shuffles, bopping toe tappers and delicate fragrances, with…
VINYL REVIVAL…Curtis Counce: You Get More Bounce With Counce
Continuing it’s vinyl revival of re-issuing classic sessions, Craft dug deep for this one by the underappreciated bassist Curtis Counce. Here, the West Coast bassist teams up with Carl Perkins/p, Frank Butler/dr, Harold Land/ts and Jack Sheldon/tp. Counce brings in…
****THIS IS MODERN JAZZ 101****Miles Davis: The Classic Albums Collection
If you’re fairly new to jazz, and want to know where to begin, please look no further than this four disc set that has 8 of the quintessential albums the define what jazz is all about. Miles Davis essentially defined…
Mike Clark: Kosen Rufo
Best known for his work with Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters, Mike Clark displays his comfort food sounds here with a team of Eddie Henderson/tp, Henry ‘The Skipper’ Franklin/b, Sherik/ts, Wayne Horvitz/p-key and Bill Summers/per on an album that gives memories more…
Bobby Zankel/Wonderful Sound 8: A Change of Density
Mixing freebop and deep grooves, alto saxist and composer Bobby Zankel brings together an octet to assemble a musical history of slavery in the US. With vocalist Ruth Naomi Floyd singing complex lines, ranging from the names of slaves who…
Tom Paxton & John McCutcheon: Together
Folk music legends John McCutcheon and Tom Paxton join singing and songwriting forces together for a fun and casual collaboration. The gents mix and match with Stuart Duncan/fid, Jon Carrolll/key, JT Brown/b, and guest Charlie McCoy/harp, with a mix of…
Wolfgang Muthspiel: Dance of the Elders
Guitarist Wolfgang Muthspiel forms a lyrical trio with drummer Brian Blade and bassist Scott Colley on this recent album of folkish modernity. Of the more traditional side (in the Western Civ sense), Colley bows to Muthspiel’s strings on “Prelude To…
Vince Guaraldi: A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
As the soundtrack to the 1973 TV Special, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving is not as iconic as the Christmas one, but it definitely has its own charms. Originally televised and recorded 8 years after Christmas, the music reflects the change…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****BIG BANDS…Doug Richards Orchestra: Through A Sonic Prism-The Music of Antonio Carlos Jobim
What? Another album of Tom Jobim? Sure! First, you can never get enough of his music, but secondly, this orchestral album arranged by Doug Richards, featuring vocalist Laura Ann Singh and anchored by drummer Brian Jones, is just so fresh…