Pun possibly unintended, but the lead singer of Queen was undoubtedly one of rock’s most mercurial stars in all of rock. Singer/songwriter/performer non parallel, Freddie Mercury is fascinatingly captured on this biographical documentary. It covers his entire life story, from…
Author: George W. Harris
Kathy Kallick Band: Time
Gotta admit that one of my guilty pleasures is bluegrass, and this lady, Kathy Kallick, does it just right. I’ve never understood why jazzers don’t dig this stuff, as the chops and improv skills by her and the supporting…
YEARNING AND SEARCHING TRUMPETS-Avishai Cohen: Triveni II, Erik Jekabson: Anti-Mass
Here are a couple of artists that keep the listener’s ears wide open… Trumpeter Avishai Cohen has consistently put our some impressive and creative material since coming to NYC from his homeland of Isreael. This time out, he walks the…
GUITAR MUSIC FROM ENJA: Albare iTD: Long Way, Waldemar Bastos: Classics of My Soul
Veteran jazz label Enja can still deliver impressive music, and even better, they haven’t succumbed to the temptation of some OTHER labels (not to mention any names like Blue Note or anything) of releasing things like country and pop to…
Negroni’s Trio: On the Way
Father and son combo Jose Negroni/p and Nomar Negroni/dr form two thirds of a trio with bassist Josh Allen on this collection of impressive (mostly) originals. The thing that wins you over on this disc is that each of the…
***RINGER OF THE WEEK***George Martin: Produced by George Martin
Not only is this documentary on famed producer George Martin a MUST for Beatles fans, but anyone remotely interested in the history of 60s rock or how the role of a producer changed because of this lanky and understated Brit…
Michael Formanek: Small Places
This is bassist Michael Formanek’s second release as a leader, after having an impressive career as a sideman for the likes of Stan Getz, Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard and Lee Konitz. Here, he employs the left of center altoist Tim…
Reggie Quinerly: Music Inspired by Freedman Town
Here’s a new guy on the block with a fresh and interesting sound: drummer Reggie Quinerly. Here, he links up with a hot band of Tim Wakefield/ts, Mike Moreno/g, Gerald Clayton/p, Vicente Archer/b and a selection of cameo horns on…
WHAT IS SOUL MUSIC? Jesse Fischer & Soul Cycle: Retro Future, Shuffle Demons: ClusterFunk
The words “Soul” and “Funk” are very slippery in their connotations. Is Horace Silver funky? How about Bootsy Randolph? Here are two bands that give divergent feels of what we may call the “soul groove”. Keyboardist/producer Jesse Fischer works with…
Clifton Anderson: And So We Carry On
Do you know how good it feels to review a straightahead jazz disc of originals and covers after listening to everything from avant garde to angst indie to cacophony to navel gazing? This is what got me excited about jazz…