Timeless vocals and piano are served by Catherine Russell and Sean Mason as they come together for a cozy and rich read of Tin Pan Alley standards, when songs wre written for and by the likes of stride pianists like…
Category: Ringer of the Week
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Gonzalo Rubalcaba & Dongfeng Liu: China Afro Cuba
I’ve been a sucker for piano duet albums going back to the boogie stride summits of Albert Ammons and Pete Johnson. This one between Gonzalo Rubalcaba and Dongeng Liu is special in that it combines sounds of their respective homelands,…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Ken Peplowski: Live At Mezzrow
While known for having a rich and beautiful tone and swinging delivery on the clarinet, Ken Peplowski is having his tenor sax slowly turning into the embodiment of Lester Young, well displayed on this album recorded at Mezzrow back in…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Nancy Reed & Spencer Reed: Happying
The husband and wife team of Spencer/g-voc and Nancy/b-voc create joyful and bouncy cooings on this album hinting at Lambert, Hendricks and Ross in terms of harmony and style. Teamed with drummer Bill Goodwin and with cameos by Dave Liebman/ss,…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Joel Lyssarides & Georgios Prokopiou: Arcs & Rivers
Music of Sparta and Athens are delivered by the Hellenic combination of pianist Joel Lyssarides and bouzouki-meister Georgios Prokopiou on this exciting album of sounds from Mouunt Olympus. There are a couple of exciting runs of the fingers as on…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Zack Foley: Silent Boomer X
I have never heard of vocalist Zack Foley before, but this album of his with just the bass of Frank Wagner and hip drums of C.J. Everett is going to get under my skin. Foley’s got a voice akin to…
****THE GOLD STANDARD****…Chick Corea, Christian McBride, Brian Blade: Chick Corea Trilogy
Those who were fortunate to have seen Chick Corea’s acoustic trio with Brian Blade/dr and Christian McBride are going to need to listento this massive 8 disc collection in order to appreciate what was experienced at those events. The 29…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Tord Gustavsen Trio: Seeing
Christian pilgrim Tord Gustavsen brings his trio of Steinar Raknes/b and Jarle Vespestad/dr into the world of church themes and hymns on this liturgical meditation. The pianist plays each song like a prayer, soft and reverent on “Jesus Gjor Meg…
****CO-RINGERS OF THE WEEK****THREE FORMS OF JAZZ IN CONCERT…Wayne Shorter: Celebration, Volume 1, Louis Armstrong: Louis In London, Bill Charlap Trio: And Then Again
Three masters performing they way jazz was meant to be played, in front of an audience. Three completely different styles, yet unified by the connection with the audience In what is sure to be the first in a series of…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****THIS IS A HARD BOP TENOR SAX 101…Johnny Griffin: Live In Valencia 92
The confident, hard bopping and muscular yet lyrical tenor sax played by the likes of Johnny Griffen, as recorded here from a 1992 gig in Valencia, Spain, is something that we unfortunately may never hear again in person. Thank the…