Pianist Emmet Cohen mixes trios work with Philip Norris/b and Kyle Poole-Joe Farnsworth/dr while bringing in some horns once in awhile on this swinging session. His touch is almost Mozartian, giving hints of Brubeck on pieces like “Lion Song” and…
Category: Reviews
Robert Gordon, Link Wray & The Wildcats: Live at Rockpalast 1979
Back in the late 1970s there was a musical reaction to the bombastic production bands like Queen and the disco synth pulse of Donna Summer. Punk and New wave stripped music back to its essentials, with a diving back into…
WHEN LA WAS TRULY “LA LA LAND”… Sam Most: Undercurrent Blues-Sextettes 1952-1954, Buddy Collette and Teddy Edwards: The Crown Sessions
When LA was…LA! Jazz musicians had it nice in LA in the 1950s and 60s, making good money playing in the studios for movies and TV shows and then hitting the clubs at night for hip gigs. And they could…
John Mayall and The Bluesbreakers: Up Close and Personal-Live In Texas
While best known for his 1960s and early 70s work, John Mayall was still in excellent form during hi later years, exemplified well by this collection of concerts in Texas from 1999-98. His working band at the time, Buddy Whittington/g,…
David Friesen: A Light Shining Through
A rich tapestry of ideas both concise and drawn out are delivered by David Friesen, who plays the Hemage bass, piano and percussion with a mix and match team of saxist Joe Manis, percussionists Alex Fantaev & Charlie Dogget and…
Danny Jonokuchi Sextet w/ Christian Wiggs@The Grape Ventura 10.10.24
On the last leg of a cross country tour to promote his latest album, Decade, trumpeter Danny Jonokuchi returns home to La La Land with his group of locals, but unlike his album, and his last nights gig in “the…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK***Charlie Apicella & Iron City meet The Griots Speak: Call To Action/Call To Prayer
A meeting of minds and souls takes place with the duo of Brad Whiteley/org and Austin Walker/dr joining musical forces with Daniel Carter/wwinds-tp-p, William Parker/b-reeds-tp, Charlie Apicella/dr-perc and Juma Sultan/perc . There is a surfeit of various traditional reed, string…
Jack Magnet Science: Future Forecast
What if Weather Report had a female vocalist? Well, that question gets answered on this album of fusioners included WR’s own Peter Erskine/dr, joined with Eythor Gunnarsson/key, Matthew Garrison/b, Einar Scheving/perd-dr, Sygtryggur Baldursson/perc/dr, Gudmundur Petrusson/g, Phil Doyle-Joel Paalsson/sax, Ari Bragi…
Wolfgang Haffner: Life Rhythm
Drummer Wolfgang Haffner teams with a core of Simon Oelender/p-key, Thomas Stieger/g, Sebaestian Studnitzky/tp, Arto Makeli/g and a collection of guests on this wide ranging mix of originals. Bill Evans brings in his soprano sax for an R&Bish “Full Circle”…
Ryan Keberle: Bright Moments
Trombonist Ryan Keberle bops hard with a sax heavy team of Patrick Cornelius/ss-as-bcl-fl, Diego Rivera/ts, Michael Dease/bars along with Alex N orris/tp, Art H irahara/p, Boris Kozlov/b and Rudy Royston. The addition of the baritone sax works marvelously here, as…