Playing piano, Rhodes and synthesizers, Misha Tsiganov uses a wide range of paint brushes on this collection of musical pictures at an exhibition. He brings in heavyweights like Chris Potter/ts-ss, Miguel Zenon/as, Alex Sipiagin/tp, Johnathan Blake/dr, Matt Brewer/b as well…
Author: George W. Harris
Lucian Ban & Mat Maneir: Transylvania Dance
Pianist Lucian Ban joins with violaist Mat Maneri on a mix of original and traditional pieces, creating dreamy folk textures. There is a delicate pastoral sense to themes such as “Poor Is My Heart” and the rural “Romanian Folk Dance”…
Soren Lee: Hope
Danish guitarist Soren Lee creates lyrical modern moments with his team of Jakoc Dinesen/ts, Yasser Pino/b, Victor Jones/dr and Rune Harder Olesen/perc on this collection of originals. Lee has an electric sound hinting at a John Scofield influence, rich and…
The Baylor Project@The Sun Rose 07.25.24
You know that the evening at the Sun Rose is going to take music to its root when co-leader and drummer Marcus Baylor started and concluded the 90 minute set by asking the packed house “Let the church say ‘what’”?…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****AMEN!****THE LOUIS ARMSTRONG OF GOSPEL…Sister Rosetta Tharpe: The Singles Collection As & Bs 1939-1950
Yes, it’s a bold claim that Sister Rosetta Tharpe was to gospel what Louis Armstrong was to jazz, but it’s simply true. Back in the 1920s, not only did Armstrong transform jazz by being the best trumpet player around, but…
Isaiah Collier & The Chosen Few: The Almighty
Inspirations of John Coltrane during his latter Apocalyptic period are heard her from tenor saxist Isaiah Collier and his team of vocalist Dee Alexander, pianist Julian Davis Reid/p, Ari Brown/sax, Michael Oda/dr and Jennifer Hunt/b, with a household of guests…
Raul Midon: Lost & Found
Singer/songwriter Raul MIdon mixes and matches with Richard Hammond/b, Andres Forero/dr, Fredirico Penay/p-key and various guests on this intimate release of originals. He does all the work himself including drum programming on the smooth “A Condition of Love” and is…
JAZZ ROCK RETURNS…Hawkestrel: Chaos Rocks, Todd Rundgren: Re-imagining the Court of the Crimson King, Galactic Tide: The Haas Company Volume 1
Call it fusion, jazz rock, progressive or “prog” rock, it’s coming back in popularity. Here are a few recent plugged in wonders. A spin off from the 70s band Hawkwind is created by former member Alan Davey, who teams up…
Isrea Butler: Congo Lament
Any jazzer who uses Ike Quebec as an inspiration for an album is all right in my book. Isrea Butler takes some time off from the Count Basie Orchestra for a vintage hard bopping album with Douglas Lawrence/ts, David Loeb/p,…
Louise Dam Eckardt Jensen-Carol Liebowitz-Tom Blancarte-John Bernard Wagner: Ephemeris
The quartet of Louise Dam Eckardt Jensen/as-ss-fl, Carol Liebowitz/p, Tom Blancarte/b and John Bernard Wagner/dr put together an album of highly intuitive originals. Jensen’s alto broods around the swirling and chaotic “Gnom” and pleads with Liebowitz on the somber “The…