Just when you’ve just about given up on jazz ever being lyrical and melodic again, up step two vets that bring class and style back into vogue. Bassist Dave Holland, who’s been doing some fantastic duet work of late, teams…
Category: Ringer of the Week
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Smoky Tenors: Keith Oxman: Two Cigarettes In The Dark
When push comes to shove, there are fewer things better in jazz than two tenors locking horns, whether in fast bopping swingers, or, as here, in mellow madness. Keith Oxman plays a tenor with warm embers, while veteran Houston Person…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Jeremy Pelt: The Art Of Intimacy, Volume 1
When I first heard Jeremy Pelt perform back in 2002, I ran into Bobby Shew at the same gig. He said that he hadn’t heard a horn player with such clarity in years and had to hear him in person…
****THIS IS A BEBOP PIANO****CLASSIC! Lennie Tristano: The Duo Sessions
One of the most overlooked giants of modern jazz, pianist Lennie Tristano (1919-1978) is largely forgotten these days, but he was one of the founding fathers of bebop, creating a unique sound and style, influencing everyone from Charlie Parker to…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Albare: Albare Plays Jobim
Yes, there is a plethora of albums giving tribute to the Bossa Nova giant Antonio Jobim, but this one by guitarist Albare is a cut above the fray. He takes the famous pieces that we’ve all grown accustomed to, but…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Connie Han: Iron Starlet
This is the second album I’ve heard by pianist/composer Connie Han, and although her album covers look like something from a graphic novel, the music is vintage Blue Note bopping grooves. She teams up with trumpeter Jeremy Pelt and tenor…
FRANK ZAPPA’S “BITCHES BREW”…Frank Zappa: The Hot Rats Rats Sessions 50th Anniversary
As we’re celebrating the 50th anniversary of the beginnings of fusion , it’s fitting that UME has released in a giant 6 disc format a collection of Frank Zappa’s most important album, 1969’s Hot Rats. 1969-70 were the halcyon days…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****THIS IS AN ALTO SAX 101: Brent Jensen: The Sound of a Dry Martini
You may ask “why would an alto sax player who sounds like Paul Desmond want to do material associated with him?”. Well, SOMEONE needs to remind all of us what an alto sax is supposed to sound like! Brent Jenson…
****ESSENTIAL VIEWING****Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool
There have been a plethora of books and films about Miles Davis. This 110 minute documentary by Firelight Films, directed by Stanley Nelson, is possibly the most comprehensive, clear and easily the most musically satisfying. Originally shown at the 2019…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK***Kandace Springs: The Women Who Raised Me
Being perfectly honest, I have to confess that I get a TON of albums by female singers, and they tend to all blend in and run together. This one by Kandace Springs really stands out for a variety of reasons.…