This one caught me by surprise. A brother and sister team? The vocalist a French actress? It didn’t look promising, but if you want something a little bit different in your mellow jazz catalogue, give this one a try. Irene…
Author: George W. Harris
Joe Jackson: The Duke
Singer Joe Jackson has always had a jazzer’s heart. Remember that 1984 album Body and Soul where he did a spot on imitation of a Sonny Rollins Blue Note session? This latest release has him going to the Duke Ellington…
Fly: Year of the Snake
Here you’ve three jazz guys who are on the top tier: saxophonist Mark Turner, bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jeff Ballard. All three are known as sidemen, and their working together seems to sound like no one wants to take…
Bela Fleck & the Marcus Roberts Trio: Across The Imaginary Divide
Here’s a session that on paper makes absolutely NO sense. Banjo and jazz trio? But, let me tell ya, this is one of the most enjoyable outings you’re going to hear in awhile . Along with an erudite team of…
Brian Bromberg: Bromberg Plays Hendrix / In The Spirit of Jobim
Bassist Brian Bromberg (just try saying that 5 times real fast) is on a creative roll. He’s released three top notch discs the past couple months, each one as different and yet satisfying as the other. Bromberg Plays Hendrix is…
THE HARD BOP QUINTET-THE ESSENCE OF JAZZ
You can argue this point until doomsday, but for my money, nothing captures the mixture of melody, form, spontaneity and improvisation like the jazz quintet. Usually comprised of two horn (trumpet and sax-usually a tenor, but you can slum it…
Jean-Michel Pilc: Essential
Pianist Jean-Michel Pilc continues to put out iconoclastic music that, while holding on with a few fingers to the jazz tradition, also grasps at adventurous and modern classical sounds, as he demonstrates on this solo disc. This collection is culled…
Azam Ali: From Night To The Edge Of Day / Ballake Sissoki & Vincent Segal: Chamber Music
This tiny label doesn’t put a lot of material out quantitatively, but I’ve yet to hear anything from them that wasn’t at least interesting and exotic. These two latest releases confirm their status as one of the more important sources…
Sean Jones: No Need For Words
The big as a bear, yet gentle as a lamb Sean Jones has been one of my favorite “younger” trumpeters. He’s put out a handful of great discs under his own name, and has been with Marsalis’ LCJO for 5…
Sir Roland Hanna: Colors From A Giant’s Kit
The late pianist Sir Roland Hanna (1932-2002) was one of those great guys that came out of the Detroit jazz scene, along with Hank Jones, Tommy Flanagan, Gerald Wilson and Barry Harris. He was with Charles Mingus for awhile, and…