Trumpeter Natsuki Tamura teams up with pianist Satoko Fujii for a collection of intuitive originals, some focusing on lyrics and others on moody atmospheres. Of the latter, Tamura’s mouthpiece of guttural effects contrasts with Fujii’s ectomorphic melodies on “On the…
Author: George W. Harris
Matthew Whitaker: On Their Shoulders
Organist Matthew Whitaker gives a tribute to his Hammond heroes on this album that mixes and matches him with the likes of Marcos Rogoinson/g, Daniel Winshll/b, Johnny Sterle/dr, Ivan Llanes Montjo/perc, and a rotating horn section and guest church. The…
Taylor Eigsti Trio @ Libretto 09.21.24
I’d heard good things about a new club opening up in Paso Robles, about a 2 ½ hours up north, called Libretto, so decided to check it out. Besides, I hadn’t seen pianist Taylor Eigsti in years, having followed his…
COREY JORDAN: PUTTING THE WORD “CLUB” BACK INTO THE JAZZ CLUB
WHEN I FIRST BECAME A JAZZ FAN IN THE 1970S, LOS ANGELES WAS BRIMMING OVER WITH CLUBS TO ATTEND. THERE WASN’T A NIGHT A WEEK WHERE SOMEONE WASN’T PLAYING AT PLACES L IKE DONTE’S, THE LIGHTHOUSE, CONCERTS BY THE SEA,…
Forq: Big Party
Like the Band Snarky Puppy from the same label, Forq is a kind of co-op, with band members mixing and matching, hopping on and off of the bus that journeys around town. The key members, Henry Hey/key-voc, Chris McQueen/g, Jason…
Mark Guiliana: MARK
Playing everything from drums to piano, keys, a myriad of electronics and even throwing in some voice, Mark Guiliana puts together a personal “solo” album that feels like stream of consciousness in music form. Some pieces like “Kamakura” sound like…
Marc Ciprut: Moonshine
Guitarist Marc Ciprut rocks hard on this album produce by former Yellowjackets bassist Jimmy Haslip, and teamed with a mix and match group of Jeremy Manasia-Jn Cowherd-Etienne Lytle-key, James Genus-Haslip/b, and Tobias Ralph –Charles Ruggiero-Tommi Rautiannen/dr. Sometimes you might think…
The Noonan Trio: Inherit A Memory
Drummer Sean Noonan forms a trio with pianist Matthew Bourne and bassist Michael Bardon in which his compositions feature him, well, if not singing, then at least using vocal messages in a wild and adventurous way that sounds like if…
DRUMMERS IN THE LEAD…Dafnis Prieto: 3 Sides of the Coin, Antonio Dayyani: Trop Op
Sticks out in front. Drumming and directing traffic, Dafnist Prieto’s Si o Si Quartet brings together Peter Apfelbaum/ss-ts-fl, Martin Bejerano/p and Ricky Rodriguez/eb for an upbeat mix of clever originals. Apfelbaum’s soprano goes along Prieto’s funky feel on “Humanoid” and…
John Fedchock: Justifiably JJ
John Fedchock gives a tribute to the undisputed master of the trombone, JJ Johnson, giving inspired takes of some of his most famous compositions. Joined by Steve Allee/p, Jeremy Allen/b and Sean Dobbins/dr, Fedchock doesn’t imitate but salutes the pioneer…