This is the second release I’ve heard by the vocalist Eugenie Jones, and with this being a 2 disc outing, I’m doubly impressed from the first time, and that’s saying something. She writes a few of the tunes, teams up…
Category: Ringer of the Week
IF IT AIN’T DUTCH, IT AIN’T MUCH…Cool Jazz From Holland: The First Dutch Modern Jazz Recordings 1955-1957
If you’re a fan of the West Coast Cool sounds of the 1950s, try taking a trip to Holland on this album of guys that drank from the same well. You’re not going to no the names, in fact you…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Martin Wind New York Bass Quartet: Air
Just on the sheer guts alone of making an album featuring four bassists, you’ve got to admire the moxie and creativity of bassist Martin Wind. He forms a quartet with three other bassists in Gregg August, Jordan Frazier and Sam…
****CO-RINGERS OF THE WEEK****RE: A PIANIST I KNEW…Bill Evans: Morning Glory-The 1973 Concert…, Inner Spirit-The 1979 Concert…
Every year for the past 5 years, Resonance Records gets my vote in my Downbeat Critic’s Poll as “The Best Jazz Label”. How could it be otherwise? They find previously unreleased or hidden recordings from the greatest of jazz artists,…
A MINGUS AMONG US…Charles Mingus: The Lost Album From Ronnie Scott’s
I still remember the first time I heard a Charles Mingus album; my “jazz tutor” Bob Carlton put on Mingus Ah Um, with the rollicking horns and bass of “Better Git It In Your Soul” just exciting my ears, preparing…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Joel Ross: The Parable of the Poet
One of the most important of today’s generations of artists must be vibist/composer Joel Ross. He seems to have a double life, as his concerts tend to be extroverted affairs, while his albums are consistently thoughtful and reflective. This latest…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Quadro Nuevo: Odyssee-A Journey Into The Light
Leave it to a German band with a Latin name to deliver an album about the Greek classic The Odyssey. Better believe it, as Mulo Francel/reeds, Andreas Hinterseher/acc-band-tp-fh, DD Lowka/b-perc, Chris Gall/-p-key, Paulo Morellog/g, Robert Kainar/dr, Philipp Sterzer/fl and Max…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Anna Laura Quinn: Open The Door
I get so many female vocal albums that it discourages me from making one a RINGER OF THE WEEK, as so many of them sound exactly alike. Not this one by Anna Laura Quinn. By the cover, I was anticipating…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Doug Scarborough: The Color Of Angels
Glorious musical journeys to far a way lands both acoustic and electric are delivered by trombonist Doug Scarborough and his wide ranging team of violinist Akram Abdulfattah, pianist Jeremy Siskind, bassist Damian Erskine, drummer Reinhardt Melz and Mustafa Boztuy on…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Fred Hersch: Breath By Breath
As Pat Metheny is to the guitar, Fred Hersch is to the piano. Both are ambitiously and artistically restless, always looking for new sonic lands to conquer. He’s done solos, operas and trios, but this one with his team of…