With the death of former boss Chick Corea, guitarist Frank Gambale has found a new home with drummer Steve Haas’ team of Pete Drungle/key, Al MacDowell-Percy Jones-Kirwan Brown/b, Pete Gallio-Jay Rodriguea/sax-wwinds and Samuel Hallkvist/g on this recent recording. One of…
Author: George W. Harris
Doug MacDonald: Live at the Rancho Mirage Library
One of the best of So Cal’s mainstream guitarists, Doug MacDonald is caught here with a swinging team of Larry Holloway/b, Tim Pleasant/dr and Big Black/djembe for a bopping gig back in April, 2024 at the Rancho Mirage Library and…
The Hot Club of Tenerife: Filippo Dall Asta
Guitairist Filippo Dall’Asta leads a Django Reinhardt inspired team of Kep Martinez/cl, Yeray Herrera/g, Agustin Buenavente/ and Fernando Angulo/dr through a mix of gypsy’d standards and originals. He gives a lot of room to the warm clarinet of Martinez, who…
Mitch Woods: Happy Hour
Playing piano like he’s been infected by the boogie man, singer Mitch Woods hits eight to the bar with Kid Andersen/g, Larry Vann/dr, Dave Somers/sax and Kedar Roy/b through an album of hot jiving originals. He hammers at the ivories…
Tobias Hoffmann Jazz Orchestra: Innuendo
Tobias Hoffman conducts a large jazz orchestra through a series of original charts. The five reeds, 9 brass and four rhythm teams are tighter than a hipsters skinny jeans, with some fun dynamics on a title piece inspired by the…
Patricia Brennan Septet: Breaking Stretch
Playing vibes, marimba and electronics, Patricia Brennan leads a forward looking team of Jon Irabagon/as-ss, Mark Shim/ts, Adam O’Farrill/tp-el, Marcus Gilmore/dr, Mauricio Herrera/perc and Kim Bass/b through a series of complex originals. The mix of vibes and percussion makes for…
STATE OF THE ART…Keith Jarrett/Gary Peacock/Paul Motian: The Old Country
They sure weren’t under-recorded, but nevertheless the classic trio of pianist Keith Jarrett, bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Paul Motian (replacing Jack DeJohnette for this 1992 gig in Delaware’s Dear Head Inn jazz club) always deserves to have whatever performances…
VINYL REVIVAL…Max Roach: Deeds, Not Words, Jazz Dispensary: The Golden Hour
The latest vinyl cache from Craft Recordings include a classic from the 1950s and a mix of 70s sound. Max Roach’s 1958 Deeds, Not Words is a collection of advanced hard bop with unique instrumentation. It features a young Brooker…
PAN Project: Borderless Flows
Sounds from multiple continents are put together, as folk instruments are plucked, strummed, blown into and tapped for vocalist Jessika Kenney by Ned Rothenberg/bcl-shakuhachi, Jeff Roberts: electronics-etc, Woonjung Sim/ Korean perc and Gamin/piri. The results is some dark almost monkish…
THIS IS MODERN JAZZ VOCALS…Al Jarreau: Wow! Live At The Childe Harold
To put this important album of a previously unreleased recording of Al Jarreau in context, this Washington DC gig catches the iconic star just before hitting fame, after his 1976 Glow and before his chart topping 1977 Look To The…