While guitarists have been comfortably plugged in to their amplifiers since the Swing Era, violinists have generally been less ambitious to explore the sonic potential of “going electric.” This booklet and cd/dvd goes a long way to introduce the curious…
Author: George W. Harris
Lakecia Benjamin: Retox
Lakecia Benjamin plays alto and soprano sax here, and also does the arranging on this release that is a throwback to the days when R&B was filled with wacka-wooka guitars, fuzzy bass riffs and disco inferno horn punctuation. Some of…
***ROTW*** Brian Bromberg: Compared To That
Bassist Brian Bromberg (say THAT 5 times real quickly!!!) is one of those “steady Eddie” musicians that has made respectable career as a reliable side for the likes of Stan Getz, Dizzy Gillespie, Herbie Hancock, Diana Krall, George Benson and…
John Pizzarelli@Catalina’s 07.18.12
The first thing you do when you grab a seat for a John Pizzarelli concert (or is it a show? We’ll get to that!) is to ask yourself, “Am I coming to see a) a guitarist who also sings and…
Tessa Souter: Beyond The Blue
Every now and then, you get the feel that a certain release is going to be the one that finally lets an artist break out and become (deservedly) better known. This latest release by vocalist Tessa Souter may just be…
EXOTIC MIXES OF SOUNDS FROM AFAR: Caramelo, Ceu, Ljuba Davis Ladino Ensemble, Nyaz, Jef Stott, Imani Uzuri
CarameloRidewww.caramelobeat.com CeuCaravaba Sereia BloomSix Degrees Recordswww.sixdegreesrecord.com Ljuba Davis Ladino EnsembleEast and Westwww.ldlensemble.com NyazSumudSix Degrees Recordswww.sixdegreesrecords.com Jef StottArcanaSix Degrees Recordswww.sixdegreesrecords.com Imani UzuriThe Gypsy Diarieswww.imaniuzuri.com Here is an oversized handful of releases that looks for music outside of the Great American Songbook.…
Amy Cervini: Digging Me Digging You
Honey-toned vocalist Amy Cervini has a playful sound to her delivery as this well rounded disc of standards and obscurities amply demonstrates with a regular team of Bruce Barth/p, Jesse Lewis/g, matt Aronoff/b and Matt Wilson/dr. She likes to keep…
Brainkiller: The Infiltration
Hey Brian, it’s me Jacob! I’ve got a brand new set of electronic toys to play with. How about calling Herman over and we can experiment with some sounds to see what we can do with them. Nothing serious, just…
Heiner Stadler: Brains On Fire
If you’re a fan of left of center music, you’ll definitely want it. German-American Heiner Stadler was a composer/arranger/pianist who was part of the avant-garde music scene of the 60s and 70s. This 2 disc set includes material from his…
Juhani Aaltonen and Heikki Sarmanto: Conversations
This two disc set features the tenor saxophone of Finnish musician Juhani Aaltonen and piano of likewise Heikki Sarmanto. Most of the tunes are originals, save for standards “You and the Night and the Music” and “Alone Together.” Aalonen’s got…