Roni Ben-Hur is one of the unheralded guitarists on the modern jazz scene. Each of his releases is an impressive display of picking, and his selection of material is stellar. Here, he teams up with Santi Debriano/b and the ubiquitous…
Category: Reviews
****RINGERS OF THE WEEK****Ahmad Jamal: Blue Moon, Oliver Jones: Live In Baden Switzerland
Just when you give up hope for anything fresh to come from the jazz piano tradition, here come two gents from the “Old School,” meaning: melody, rhythm, style, and above all…their own sound. AHHHH! This is why I love jazz!…
Sean O’Bryan Smith: Reflection
Well respected as a first call session musician, bassist Sean O’Bryan Smith gets together with an all star congregation to deliver music from the most long lasting songbook on earth: Christian Spirituals and Hymns. When you think Crosby here, it…
Alison Wedding: This Dance
Alison Wedding’s style beckons to the era of the sensitive singer/songwriter of the 70s. Think Joni Mitchell, Janis Ian, Joan Baez and other “Ladies of the Canyon.” She writes all of the material here, almost all of the themes are…
Amit Friedman Sextet: Sunrise
Here’s a guy that keeps with the jazz groove and sounds, but adds some exciting new ideas along the way. Amit Friedman plays tenor, soprano and flute, and teams up with a band that sounds fairly normal, with a pianist…
Bill Cantrall & Axio: Live at the Kitano
Trombonist/composer Bill Cantrall leads a driving hard bop team through a driving gig at the NYC’s famous Kitano club, demonstrating that classic elements of jazz are still alive and well. The regular team of Stacy Dillard/ts-ss, Rick Germanson/p, Gerald Cannon/b…
Andrea Veneziani Trio featuring Kenny Werner: Oltreoceano
Bassist Andrea Veneziani leads a trio with Kenny Werner/p and Ross Pederson/dr that shows the heart of a bopper as well as the mind of an experimenter. A few “free” vignettes are interspersed between some material like “Segment” that mixes…
Bria Skonberg: So Is The Day
Fine. I’ll admit that I’m a “jazz sexist.” I get this cd, and on the jacket I see this cute blond (about my older daughter’s age) posing with her trumpet while looking into a sunset. First thought, “gotta be another…
Conrad Herwig/Richie Beirach/Jack DeJohnette: The Tip Of The Sword
All three gents are names of the left of center elite. Getting together could have caused problems, but these vets know how to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em. We don’t need no stinking bass, man! Beirach’s piano and…
Linda Oh: Initial Here
Bassist/composer Linda Oh put out an impressive debut disc not too long ago, and this followup has some moments when she sounds like she could be a major voice for jazz’s future. She leads a band her with Dayna Stephens/ts,…