Drummer, leader and composer Raphael Pannier leads his team of Miguel Zenon/as, Aaron Goldberg/p and Francois Moutin/b through a rich mix of passionate originals and interpretations. Alto saxist Zenon agonizes over Moutin’s bass on Ornette Coleman’s “Lonely Woman” and is…
Category: Reviews
THE KING RETURNS FROM EXILE…Little Richard: The Rill Thing, King of Rock and Roll, The Second Coming, Lifetime Friend
While at times disputed as “The King Of Rock and Roll” by other princes such as Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley, Richard Wayne Penniman, aka “Little Richard” is at least part of it’s Mount Rushmore. His entire career was a…
Analog Players Society: Tilted
Tenor titan Donny McCaslin teams with pianist Orrin Evans, bassist Dezron Douglas and hard hitting drummer Eric McPherson for three 10 minute songs filled with sparks and energy. McPherson rides the cymbal with punishment with Evans’ hands in a Hancock…
Maceo Parker: Soul Food-Cooking with Maceo
Alto-saxist Maceo Parker has dug a niche that is hard to resist, mixing blues, jazz and vintage R&B with artists ranging from James Brown to Parliament as well as his own solo career. Here, he brings together a Crescent City…
VOICES THAT TIME FORGOT…Kitty White: Intimate Kitty White Sings, Donna Drake: Donna Drake Sings Dinah/Paula Haliday: Haliday Sings Holiday, Tony Travis: I See Your Face Before Me/Come Swing With Me,
It’s amazing how many jazz vocalists have been overlooked over the decades. Here are three reissue sets that make you wonder how some singers strike it big and others get overlooked, as no one here deserved the obscurity that they…
Jesse Fischer: Resilience
Keyboardist and composer Jesse Fischer creates rich and dramatic post bop material with a key team of Billy Buss/tp, Godwin Louis/ss-as, Morgan Guerin/ts-EWI, Jordan Peters/g, David Cutler/b, Obed Calvaire/dr, Keita Ogawa/perc and various special guests. Trumpet star Christian Scott lends…
EARTH TONES…Andrew “Smokey” Hogg: The Andrew “Smokey Hogg Collection 1937-57
Blues ranging from back porch casuals to juke joint smokers were delivered by Texas bluesman Andrew “Smokey” Hogg (1914-1960). Influenced by the likes of Big Bill Broonzy and Lightnin’ Hopkins (who might have been his cousing), Hogg’s career is captured…
Nicole Zuraitis: All Wandering Hearts
I’ve gotta admit that I’m a sucker for a jazz singer who writes her own stuff. I mean, do we really need one more “My Funny Valentine”? Nicole Zuraitis has a nice use of the pen, sometimes feeling like a…
Christian Euman: Allemong
Drummer Christian Euman steps out from his role as a sideman for the likes of Billy Childs, Walter Smith II, Marquis Hill and Geoff Keezer and shows his style and styles on this soulful disc with a core team of…
Adam Kolker: Lost
Adam Kolker plays tenor and a bit of soprano sax as he leads an impressive team anchored by legendary drummer Billy Hart, pianist Bruce Barth and bassist Ugonna Okegwo on this collection of jazz covers and a couple originals. Of…