Tasty guitar work and rocking blues are delivered by “Nashville” Paul Brown on keyboards and “LA” Paul Brown on guitars and vocals, teamed with David Santos/b-g-voc and Peter Young/drd-perc-g-voc. The rhythm team sizzles with Santos’ lithe bass under the slinky…
Author: George W. Harris
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****John Dokes: Our Day
Here’s a guy that knocks me out every time he puts out an album. John Dokes has the classic honey’d soul voice, relaxed and suave-why isn’t he a late night deejay? Here’s he’s backed by George Gee’s orchestra, and his…
Andy Garcia & The Cineson All Stars Cuban Jam Session@Catalina’s 02.03.24
Sure, he can act a bit, but I doubt that anyone in the overflowing Catalina’s came to see Andy Garcia deliver lines from Ocean’s Eleven or The Untouchables. No, the crowd wanted to sing and dance, and Garcia gave a…
HAVE I GOT A LINE FOR YOU! GREAT BASS LINES
We’re not going to focus on bass solos here for the most part, per se, because isn’t that when most fans leave the tables go to the restroom or the bar? Instead, here are some bass lines that just dance…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****LA’S FINEST…Gerald Wiggins: Classic Trio Sessions-Swingin’ With Wig
Because of the abundance of studio jobs for TV and movies for musicians, LA was a hotbed for musicians. How can you beat steady work, no travel and great weather? The plethora of pianists during the 50s-70s was an embarrassment…
CANDID IDEAS…Stacey Kent: Let Yourself Go, The Jimmy Giuffre 3: Music for People, Birds, Butterflies & Mosquitoes, Lee Konitz: Tenorlee,Thoots Thielemans: Captured Live, The Count Basie Orchestra: Swings The Blues
Candid records mixes the old with the new on this latest collection of releases. Still releasing important material to this day, Stacey Kent shows she was full of ideas back in 200 with this tribute to Fred Astaire. Joined by…
The Dave Stryker Trio With Bob Mintzer: Groove Street
Bluesy jazzer guitarist Dave Stryker returns to his soulful B3 roots of Jake McDuff on this humming session with Jared Gold/org, McClenty Hunter/dr and guest Bob MIntzer/ts on this mix of hip huggers. At times, the team veers into Larry…
Benjamin Koppel: White Buses-Passage To Freedom
I’m usually not a big fan of “message” albums, as they tend towards sounding whiney or self-important. Not so this one led by saxist Benjamin Koppel; he brings together a series of testimonials translated by Thana Alexa about various eyewitness…
Marlon Simon and the Nagual Spirits: On Different Paths
Drummer and composer Marlon Simon leads a richly textured team of Edward Simon/p, Michael Simon/tp, Alex Norris/tp, Peter Brainin/sax, Boris Kozlov/b, Roberto Quintero/perc, Monica Ellis/bassoon and Kevin Newton/Frh through some fragrant originals. What sets this album apart from other Latin…
Aaron Lehrian: A Joyous Opus
Pianist Aaron Lehrian teams up with Stefan Klein/dr and Stan Piper/b for some upscale trio originals. He’s got a rich melodic touch throughout, as on the lovely “Iroha” and the graceful “Why Do The Stars Fade?” while creates a haunting…