If you want to know why I’m down on so many modern female vocalists (as well as trumpet players and musicians in general), just give a listen to the music on this heavenly 3 cd set. A few years ago…
Category: Reviews
Eddie Daniels@ Vitello’s 10.26.12
The full house at Vitellos Upstairs was treated to not only a serving of great Italian food and inspiring small group jazz, but got a chance to be on a recording session that everyone in attendance (“and beyond!”) will want…
****ROTW****Eddie Gomez: Per Sempre
This seems to be the year of the older generation getting their faces back into the music scene. Chick Corea just put out a hot little trio disc with Eddie Gomez and Paul Motian, and now the famed Bill Evans…
FRESH SOUND PIANO CLASSICS-Dick Morgan: Dick Morgan Trio, Randy Weston: Randy Weston Trio Plus Cecil Payne
Fresh Sound Records is doing what Mosaic Records USED to do: put out important but obscure material by important but obscure artists. For some reason, Mosaic releases only dribbles a year, while the Spain-based Fresh Sound Records is making more…
Gary Moore: Blues For Jimi
So, what’s your dream gig? Rhythm guitar for The Beatles? Sax section with Ellington? Bass with Miles? Playing the Strat with Jimi Hendrix’s band has got to be up there, and back in 2007, guitarist Gary Moore (who has since…
Arthur Kell Quartet: Jester
Here’s a bass player leading a band that’s a bit on the undiscovered side-this one should get your attention. Arthur Kell leads a quartet with Brad Shepik/g, Loren Stillman/as and Mark Ferber/dr. The litheness of the instrumentation works quite well here, as alto players…
THE PIANO IN TRIO AND SOLO FORM: Marc Copland: Some More Love Songs, Jamie Reynolds Trio: Time With People, Sumi Tonooka: Now, Bill Carrothers: Family Life
The essence of jazz can be stripped down to the piano, but the question then remains if it’s best served in trio or solo form. Here are a couple examples arguing for each direction. 1)Pianist Marc Copland teams up with…
Duke Ellington Legacy with Special Guest Houston Person: Single Petal of a Rose, Aha! Quintet: Freespace, Eric Erhardt: A Better Fate
Here are three recent releases that look back a little, and then take the idiom a step forward at times. Produced by Edward Kennedy Ellington II (who also plays guitar here) and Gaye Ellington, this session is a fitting tribute…
Cynthia Felton: Freedom Jazz Dance, Rebecca Sullivan & Mike Allemana: This Way, This Time
Here are a couple of ladies that take a completely different approach to singing, and both work marvelously. Cynthia Felton has a golden and rich voice, range as big as the Grand Canyon and a vibrato that would make Sidney…
Melvin Taylor: Beyond the Burning Guitar, Dafnis Prieto: Proverb Trio
Sometimes, you hear a record, you ask yourself “Why was this recording done?” Here, unfortunately are two of them. Guitarist Melvin Taylor wrote and arranged all of the music on this double cd set. He’s got a great sound and…