Category: Ringer of the Week

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.…

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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…

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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,…

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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…

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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…

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I don’t know how they still do it, but Mosaic Records continues to find some of the best obscure and undiscovered jazz sessions that immediately become essential once they come to light. This 11 disc set is no exception, consisting…

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In this current state of affairs, where most musicians seem to be trying to recreate something, it is refreshing to hear musicians from an era where music and styles were actually being created. Both trumpeter Freddie Hubbard and pianist McCoy…

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Here’s an album that gets you back to the roots of all music-worshipping God. But this ain’t no Presbyterian Trinity Hymnal, Oh No! Vocalist Radha Botofasina, playing harp and supported by musicians ranging from Cecil McBee Jr/b, John Lehman/p, Munyungo…

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Just when you thought you  had everything by Wes Montgomery… Back in 1965, when Wes Montgomery was putting out pop albums, he went into the NDR studios in Hamburg, Germany and for Old Time Sake, he met up with a…

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Vocalist Somi Kakoma is one of the few artists who have successfully bridged modern jazz with African roots. Born in Illinois, and currently living in New York, her Rwanda/Uganda-born parents have passed on an appreciation of the passions of Africa’s…

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