Taking in a concert with guitarist Stephane Wrembel is always a double treat. Not only did the packed house at The Grape Ventura get treated to some of the most swinging and lyrical music on the planet, but Wrembel always…
Author: George W. Harris
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Christoph Grab :Oneness
The beauty and genius of saxist Christoph Grab on this recent album of Thelonious Monk material is that there is not a hint of piano, thereby avoiding any haunting comparisons to the composer. Instead, Grab mixes up his sax selection…
POP AND URBAN MUSICAL INSPIRATIONS…MC Maguire: Dystophilia
When you think of experimentations with electronics, names like Wendy Carlos, Brian Eno or Morton Subotnick first come to mind. However, composer/producer MC Maguire has taken inspiration from the disparate sources of pop star Justin Bieber and rapper Juice Wrld…
Chien Chien Lu: Built In System
I was impressed by Chien Chien Lu’s debut a few years ago, and her promise is revealed here as she is caught in concert at the Hunter College’s Ida K. Lang Hall. She’s teamed up with trumpet giant Jeremy Pelt…
TRIOS…John Chin-Sean Conly-Jaimeo Brown: Sun Of Music, Ray Gallon: Grand Company, Meinild/Anderskov/Tom: Spectral Entanglements, Mads Vinding Trio: Quiet Yesterday
Good things come in threes… Pianist John Chin trios up with Sean Conly/b and J aimeo Brown/dr for a mix of post bop material. He gives space to Conly for a reading of Wayne Shorter’s “Fall” and a rich solo…
VINYL REVIVAL…Yusef Lateef: Eastern Sounds
There are a handful of jazz albums that are out there that you have to admit you love, even if you hate jazz with a holy hatred. Yusef Lateef’s 1961 release in which he plays flute, oboe and tenor sax…
LADIES AT THE MIC…Emma Wilson: Memphis Calling , Paul Reed Smith: Lions Roaring In Quicksand, Dianne Fraser: You And I
It’s ladies night… Vocalist Emma Wilson sounds as Memphis’d as dry rub ribs on this sweaty session of STAXY horns and a strutting rhythm section. She gets gritty with guitarist Joe Restivo on a stomping take of Steve Cropper’s “Water”…
Bernie Senensky: Moment To Moment
Pianist and composer Bernie Senensky brings in the muscular team of tenor sax titan Eric Alexander and a studio team of Kieran Overs/b and Joe Farnsworth/dr and gig unit of Morgan Childs/dr and Dave Young/b. The studio band stretches out…
Dustin Arbuckle and the Damnations: Live At The Shamrock
Sounding like a modern version of the Yardbirds, Dustin Arbuckle sings and plays harmonica with the blues-wailing Caleb Drummond/b and Kendal Newby/dr on this sweaty gig at the Shamrock Lounge in Wichita Kansas. The BBQ sauce is dry rub here,…
Ada Rovatti: The Hidden World of Piloo
Playing a wide variety of woodwinds, composer, arranger and lyricist Ada Rovatti teams u with a core of Simon Oslender/p-key, Claus Fischer/b and Tim Dudek/dr along with a surfeit of guests including Randy Brecker/tp-fh and Kurt Elling/voc. The ideas cover…