Back in the 1970s, when jazz was actually popular among the masses, each record label had a certain sound and feel. CTI, started by Creed Taylor, came up with the concept of mixing “classic” jazz with rich and luscious strings,…
Category: Ringer of the Week
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****DEFT DIGITS…Aaron Diehl: The Vagabond
Pianist Aaron Diehl takes some time away from touring with Cecile McLoren Salvant to show what he can do with his own team. This trio outing with bassist Paul Sikivie and drummer Gregory Hutchinson is a gorgeously melodic and impressionistic…
EARLY SOUL…Sam Cooke: The Complete KEEN Years-1957-1960
After he left the group the Soul Stirrers and before he became the proto-typical souls singer of the early 1960s, Sam Cooke took up a three year stint with the independent Los Angeles-based label KEEN records. This boxed set of…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Will Vinson: four forty one
Alto saxist Will Vinson does some creative mixing and matching with pianists in a series of quartet and duet settings. The pianists are a formidable collection, featuring Fred Hersch, Geral Clayton, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Sullivan Fortner and Tigran Hamasyan, with the…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Harrison Squared: Trout In Swimwear
Toronto-based tenor saxist Harrison Argatoff leads a double tenor front line quartet with Mike Murley on the other Selmer with drummer Harry Vetro and bassist Steve Wallace keeping everything both together and freely swinging. The result is a mix of…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK***The Al Belletto Quintet & Sextet 1954-1957
Got your recipe book out? OK-take a dash of Count Basie-Woody Herman Swing, add a heaping amount of West Coast Cool and throw in The Four Freshmen and you’ve got the tastiest collection of sounds coming your way. Al Belletto…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Dave Soldier: Zajal
Dave Soldier plays guitar and keyboards with a collection of artists both instrumental and vocal to celebrate musical intersections of Jewish, Christian and Muslim faiths and cultures. Sounds of the Mediterranean, Middle East and beyond are treated with respect as…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Christian McBride: The Movement Revisited-A Musical Portrait of Four Icons
It is a rare treat when the mix of music and message is balanced to please both the hearers of the music and not feel preached at by the messenger. Christian McBride perfectly walks the tightrope on this combination of…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****THE ROOT OF MODERN JAZZ…Petrolukas Halkias & Vasilis Kostas: The Soul of Epirus
Disclaimer: As a second generation Greek, I grew up listening to the folk music of my grandparents, not realizing that the pulsating rhythms, earthy voices and passionate clarinet or strings were anything exotic. It wasn’t until I listened to music…
STILL SCHIZOID AFTER ALL THESE YEARS…King Crimson: In The Court Of The Crimson King 50 Year Edition
It’s truly bewildering to consider how many ground-breaking albums were released in 1969-70, creating an entire new style of music called either “progressive rock” or “jazz fusion”, depending on what side of the street you lived. In the retrospect of…