Tenor saxist Rich Halley brings together intuitive masters Matthew Shipp/p, Michael Bisio/b and Newman Taylor Baker/dr for some stretched out original explorations. Halley’s music always have a Charles Mingusy feel to it, combining the jazz tradition with stratospheric adventures, and…
Author: George W. Harris
Jeff Babko-Tim Lefebvre-Mark Guiliana: Clam City
Best known for his work on piano and keyboards (and even sometimes trombone) with the likes of Steve Gadd, Larry Carlton and Steve Lukather (as well as holding down the piano chair on Jimmy Kimmel Live), Angeleno Jeff Babko brings…
Mathias Heise Quintet: Mouth Games
Danish harmonica man Mathias Heise brings together Jacob Christoffersen/p, Pelle von Bulow/g, Thomas Fonnesbaek/b and Jeppe Gram/dr for a large palate of colors. Using mostly originals, Heise does delve into a coule of covers, bopping hard with Gram on John…
Ciara Moser: Blind, So What
Playing bass, Ciara Moser puts together an ambitious band and concept album with a wide range of support. The core teammate is Lumanyano MZI, playing drums, helping the production and adding spoken voice and vocals. There is a team of…
Rob Luft: Dahab Days
These days, it seems guitarists sound like everyone else, so it’s refreshing to hear one like Rob Luft who has managed to create a unique and yet still attractive sound. He’s with a core unit of Joe Wright/ts, Joe Webb/p-B3,…
Jazzrausch Bigband: Mahler’s Breakdown
Founder and bandleader of the Jazzrauch Big Band Roman Sladek comes up with the ambitious idea of “jazzing up” Mahler’s 5th Symphony. In fact, I wouldn’t call it as much jazzing it, as making it more funky, as the team…
BEYOND THE COURT OF THE CRIMSON KING…Mendoza-Hoff-Revels: Echolocation
In the struggle to replace King Crimson, Ava Mendoza/eg, James Brandon Lewis/ts, Devin Hoff/b and Ches Smith/dr take up the challenge on this recent release. It seems like they stretch out the last note of “20th Century Schizoid Man” for…
FEMALE VOICES…Shakura S’Aida: Hold On To Love
For her first new album in a decade, Toronto-based Shakura S’Aida shows a wide range of styles on this album co-produced with Donna Grantis, Keb’Mo and Roger Costa. The songs range from swampy stompers like the title tune, a funky…
Mathias Heise Quintet: Mouth Games
Danish harmonica man Mathias Heise brings together Jacob Christoffersen/p, Pelle von Bulow/g, Thomas Fonnesbaek/b and Jeppe Gram/dr for a large palate of colors. Using mostly originals, Heise does delve into a coule of covers, bopping hard with Gram on John…
A MISSING LINK…Don Byas: Classic Don Byas Sessions 1944-1946
Because he spent most of his career as an ex-patriot living in Europe, tenor saxist Don Byas (1913-72) is overlooked in terms of the important jazz musicians. But during his career, he was considered an important link between swing and…