Category: Ringer of the Week

The harp is probably the most ignored instrument in jazz, usually identified with the avant garde strummings of Alice Coltrane, and then forgotten for anything that swings along with Dorothy Ashby. Brandee Younger makes the harp not only swing, but…

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This debut recording by composer/conductor Fabial Mantwill boldly states that there’s a new and fresh wind blowing in the big band scene. This nine song album includes a 12 pieces string section, a seven member horn section, vibes, harp, guitar…

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Pianist Alex Conde takes up the Quixotic task of not only reminding jazz fans of the importance of bebop pioneer Bud Powell, but he does so by Latinizing the icon’s best known material, bringing a  picante’ flavor to the language.…

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This 8 disc (or 12 lp limited edition vinyl) box set is the complete collection of music that Lee Morgan recorded with his band of Bennie Maupin/ts-bcl-fl, Harold Mabern/p, Jymie Merritt/b and Mickey Roker/dr at the Lighthouse in July, 1970.…

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Pianist Nikolaj Hess adroitly walks the balance of jazz piano and modern strings on this rich and satisfying album of juxtapositions of jazz and classical. He combines his trio of Anders Ac Christensen/b and Mikkel Hess/dr with a string quartet…

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When you think of musical fusions, one of the last combinations would be Greece and Korea, but that’s what you get with the creative Gugak Jazz Society. The band consists of instrumentation, melodies and harmonies from both countries. On the…

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Like so few people, producer and musical gold miner Zev Feldman understands that one can never have enough previously unreleased material by the likes of Wes Montgomery, Bill Evans, Sonny Rollins or Nat Cole. He keeps looking through nooks and…

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Here’s a gorgeous and sublime album by Aaron Bell, who plays a copious variety of guitars, including soprano, 6 string classical bass and guiro. He brings in one to two guests for most of the tunes, including Nestor Torres/fl, Paul…

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East meets Mid-East on this fascinating collection of strings between Min Xiao-Fen and Rez Ababasi. While Abassi sticks to acoustic and electric guitar, Xiao-Fen not only switches between traditional instruments on the four stringed Chinese pipa, lute-like ruan, banjo/sanxian and…

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Just when you think the future of music has gone to the  Philistines, along comes a guy like Rahsaan Barber, who plays alto, baritone and tenor sax as well as alto and tenor simultaneously a la Roland Kirk. He’s supported…

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