Here’s an intriguing album by a woman with a wondrous voice, mixing elements of her own cultural heritage of German, Italian and Iranian sounds. She also plays guitar and piano, mixing and matching with Harold Lopez-Nussa/p, Mayquel Gonzalez/tp, Julio Cesar…
Category: Ringer of the Week
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****THIS IS A HARD BOP TRUMPET****Freddie Hubbard: The Complete Freddie Hubbard Blue Note & Impulse Studio Sessions
The comes a point in certain artists where they not only master a certain style of their art, but simply embody it. During the 1950s and 60s, Freddie Hubbard was the living image and sound of what a hard bop…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****WHERE WAS THIS GUY HIDING? Don Sleet: All Members
I know that I’ve said this before, but just when you think you’ve heard every hard bopping trumpet player, Spain-based Fresh Sound Records digs into the magma to find another undiscovered gem. This time, it’s Don Sleet (1938-61), and he…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****NOCTURNES…Enrico Rava & Fred Hersch: The Song Is You
The Chopinesque piano of Fred Hersch is the perfect dance partner for the mellifluously fluffy horn of Enrico Rava on this collection of mostly standards. Relaxed, reflective and made for a noir alley, the songs mix lyricism with bluesy improvisation…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****WHEN “HOT” WAS COOL…Dick Hyman: George Avakian Presents One Step To Chicago-The Legacy of Frank Teschemacher and the Austin High Gang
Back in the early days of jazz, the beats were two stepping hot, the solos were wild yet concise and the tunes were danceable. One of the most famous of the “Chicago” style of music (think of the movie Some…
MILES’ MAJOR INFLUENCE…Ahmad Jamal’s Three Strings: The Complete OKEH, PARROT and EPIC Sessions 1951-1955
If there is one musician that had an impact on Miles Davis’ sparse and unique sound, it has to be pianist Ahmad Jamal, who is not only still with us, but still releasing fantastic albums of his still unique sound.…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****THE LAST BEATNIK…Tom Waits: Standing On The Corner
The label Revolution Beats specializes in finding vintage and obscure concert or studio sessions from artists of the 1970s and 80s. This 10 disc set is a real treasure, as it focuses on Tom Waits, who during the 1970s was…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Lyle Lovett: 12th of June
Few artists are able to cross musical boundaries as adroitly and seamless as Lyle Lovett. Rising above musical genre’s, he is one of the best deliverers of what used to be called “Americana”, rooted in blues, swing and American folk,…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****SWEDE DREAMS…Kolonien: Till Skogen
Rich vocal harmonies, upbeat folk beats and acoustic joys are delivered by the team of Eric/b-voc and Arvid/g/voc Rusk, cousin Anna Moller/vi-va-fid-voc and neighbor Mischa Grind/perc-org-voc on a mix of vocal and instrumental tunes that are as fresh as today’s…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****CLASSIC SWING…Clark Terry: Big Bad Band L ive in Holland 1979
The legendary trumpeter and flugelhorn master Clark Terry led his own big band during the 1970s, and I had the pleasure of seeing this swinging outfit when I lived in Italy during these years. A veteran of both Basie and…