Clarinetist Dr. Michael White has one of the real rich tones, making these tributes to the music of the Crescent City a pleasure to behold. This one has him mixing and matching with various trumpet and trombone players, with a…
Author: George W. Harris
David Basse w/Phil Woods & Mike Melvoin: Uptown
Here’s a Kansas City-based singer that’s got a voice and delivery you’re going to like. Produced by LA composer/singer Mark Winkler, Uptown has Basse singing in a style that sounds like he’s a cross between a ticket scalper and carney…
Joe Deninzon: Plugged In-A Guide to Gear and New Techniques for the 21st Century Violinist
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…
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…