We are presently in a Golden Age of discovering, or rediscovering vintage sounds of R&B just as rock and roll was rocking and rolling. Here are a handful of recent gems to enjoy . Two presentations from “Mojo” Man are…
Author: George W. Harris
FORGOTTEN REEDS…Aaron Sachs: Tenor, Clarinet & Co, Presenting: Brazilian Jazz Quartet/The Good Neighbors Jazz
There was such a surfeit of great sax players in the 1950w that it’s understandable that many got overlooked. Here’s a chance to see what you’ve been missing with a pair of rich reissues from Fresh Sound Records. Aaron Sachs…
Ronnie Foster @ The Baked Potato 03.08.24
Back in the day, there were so many jazzers playing the Hammond B3 that you could throw a rock into a crowd in Westwood and probably hit one. These days, an artist who’s dedicated his whole career to the humming…
GOOD VIBRATIONS…Tom Collier: Boomer Vibes Volume 2
Digging into the songbook of the Kenney, Johnson and Nixon years Tom Collier p lays a wide variety of vibes and similar things that go bump in the night ,at times teamed with guitarist Eddie McCord and bassist Ed Kraft.…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****THE CHILD OF R&B AND GOSPEL…Forever Soul Collection
Muddy Waters once sang, “The blues had a child and they named it rock and roll”. Well, R&B went to church on Sunday, took gospel music and gave birth to what became known in the 1960s as “Soul”. The mix…
Lawrence Fields: To The Surface
Some fresh fingers are in the hands of pianist Lawrence Fields, featured mostly in a trio setting with Corey Fonville/dr and Yasushi Nakamura/b on a collection of mostly originals. He has a nice and clean style, warm and bluesy like…
Gerald Cannon: Love At Dizzy’s Club-The Music of Elvin & McCoy
The muscles were flexed at Dizzy’s Club with bassist Gerald Cannon at the helm, leading the testosteroned team of Eddie Henderson/tp, Sherman Irby/as, Joe Lovano/ts, Steve Turre/tb, Dave Kikoski/p and Lenny White through a collection of tunes associated with John…
A FORGOTTEN BOPPIN’ LADY…Clora Bryant: Plays and Sings-Complete Recordings 1957-1960
It never ceases to amaze me that, after being a jazz fan for over half a century, Spain-based Fresh Sound Records is still able to bring up from the depths singers and musicians I’ve never heard before. Case in point…
Marshall Gilkes and the WDR Big Band: LifeSongs
Trombonist Marshall Gilkes teams up with the WDR Big Band for some sophisticated charts on this recent album. He features himself on the upbeat “Fresh Start” and the marching band like high stepper Sin Filtro” with some exciting percussion in…
Chief Keegan: The Piles High Club
Comprised of Luke Dunford/key, Mark Dudley/g , Alan Elliott/b and Cian Hanley/dr, the band Chief Keegan may come from Ireland, but they sound like they imbibed the waters of the Mississippi instead of Guinness. The band has a funky Memphis…