What if Weather Report had a female vocalist? Well, that question gets answered on this album of fusioners included WR’s own Peter Erskine/dr, joined with Eythor Gunnarsson/key, Matthew Garrison/b, Einar Scheving/perd-dr, Sygtryggur Baldursson/perc/dr, Gudmundur Petrusson/g, Phil Doyle-Joel Paalsson/sax, Ari Bragi…
Author: George W. Harris
Wolfgang Haffner: Life Rhythm
Drummer Wolfgang Haffner teams with a core of Simon Oelender/p-key, Thomas Stieger/g, Sebaestian Studnitzky/tp, Arto Makeli/g and a collection of guests on this wide ranging mix of originals. Bill Evans brings in his soprano sax for an R&Bish “Full Circle”…
Ryan Keberle: Bright Moments
Trombonist Ryan Keberle bops hard with a sax heavy team of Patrick Cornelius/ss-as-bcl-fl, Diego Rivera/ts, Michael Dease/bars along with Alex N orris/tp, Art H irahara/p, Boris Kozlov/b and Rudy Royston. The addition of the baritone sax works marvelously here, as…
Linda Sikhakhane: Iladi
Shades of vintage John Coltrane are created by South African saxist Lina Sikhaklane with her team of Kweku Sumbry/dr, Zwelakhe-Duma Bell le Pere/b and Nduduzo Makhathini/p. All of the songs are originals, yet steeped in the Impulse! mood of latter…
Hot Toddies Jazz Band: Triple Step
Danceable, two stepping and hot swing is delivered by two sizzling ladies at the mic in Hannah Gill and Queen Esther, as they trade off together as well as taking time to do their own work on this toe tapping…
Augie Haas+8: Live At the Speakeasy
Here’s an album that sounds like it was recorded back in the 1940s by Symphony Sid. Trumpet and vocalist Augie Haas has a hard swinging attitude, and he hits hard on this recorded gig with a team of Todd Groves/as,…
LAST OF THE ORIGINAL HARD BOPPERS…Louis Hayes: Artform Revisited
Well into his 80s, drummer Louis Hayes is still as crisp as an Italian suit, hitting the bop sticks for ¾ of a century, starting Horace Silver and playing the traps for just about everyone else. Here, he’s surrounded himself…
Piet Verbist: Flamenco Jazz Summit
Exciting and enticing moments from Iberia and beyond take place on this album led by bassist Piet Verbist along with pianist Milan Verbist, saxist Tom Van Dyck, drummer Juan Sainz, Carlos Cortes on flamenco guitar and percussion and the inclusion…
Eric Alexander & Mike Ledonne: Together
Maybe this album should have been titled Alone and Together, as saxist Eric Alexander and pianist Mike Ledonne spend a good part of the album performing solo pieces as well. Together, the large tone saxist and bop inspired pianist work…
Dan Siegel: Unity
Playing piano, organ and keyboards, Dan Siegel creates a core of DJ Ginyard/b, Oscar Seaton/dr and Lenny Castro around a rotating guitar collection of Rob Bacon, Allen Hinds, Michael Miller, Dean Parks and Michael Miller on this collection of originals.…