Charles Mingus alumnus Charles McPherson successfully combines swinging bop with movements for ballet on this fascinating release with a flexible team of Terell Stafford/tp, Jeb Patton-Randy Porter/p, Billy Drummond/b, David Wong/b, Yotam Silberstein/g and Lorraine Castellanos/voc. McPherson’s daughter is a…
Category: Ringer of the Week
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Ralph Peterson and the Messenger Legacy: Onward and Upward
There is a lot worse a drummer can do than continue the inspirational legacy of Art Blakey. Ralph Peterson brings back alumni from Blakey’s band like it’s a reunion of sorts along with material penned by the graduates to create…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Rez Abbasi: Django-shift
The thing that I really like about guitarist Rez Abassi is that he keeps one foot in the jazz tradition, but is not locked into it, always looking for new colors to add to the palate. This time around, he…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Mehmet Ali Sanlikol & Whatsnext? Featuring Dave Liebman: The Rise Up
The best of music is to bring people and ideas together. Mehmet Ali Sanlikol brings his voice and middle eastern instruments of the ney, zurna and ud to team up with guest soprano saxist Dave Liebmen and the 18 member…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Mon David & Josh Nelson: D+N+A
Two of LA’s finest get together for a meeting made in jazz heaven. Pianist Josh Nelson has made a career balancing swinging small group jazz with being one of the best vocal accompanists while Mon David is one of the…
THE APOTHEOSIS OF SMALL GROUP SWING…Eddie Heywood: The Eddie Heywood Collection 1940-59
Virtually unknown these days, pianist Eddie Heywood (1915-89) led a group of small bands in the 40s up through the 50s, and during the Swing Era put out some of the most sublime sounds you’ll ever encounter, as this two…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Kenny Washington: What’s The Hurry
With such a dearth of male singers that sound fresh, lyrical and yet holding onto the tradition, Kenny Washington is like a vocal oasis. The tenor shines brightly on recent release, and he creates an art gallery of musical portraits…
MONK IN HIGH SCHOOL…Thelonious Monk: Palo Alto
If nothing else, 16 year old high school student Danny Scher had Chutzpah. How many teenagers would have the guts to even try to sign up Thelonious Monk for a gig at a local school, but somehow this guy pulled…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Throttle Elevator Music: Emergency Exit
Here’s an exciting album by this generation’s prophetic voices mixing jazz with modern sounds that crosses all lines of taste. Tenor sax titan Kamasi Washington takes part in this sessoin with Matt Montgomery/b-p, Gregory Howe/g-b-B3, Erik Jekabson/tp-fh, Mike Hughes-“Lumpy”/dr, Kasey…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Mafalda Minnozzi: Sensorial-Portraits In Bossa & Jazz
OK! Sue me, sue me, what can you do me? I love bossa albums! This one by Mafalda Minnozzi is a real treat in that her voice and emotions show a dash of late period Billie Holiday, making it a…