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…
Category: Ringer of the Week
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.…
Jazz at the Lincoln Center with Wynton Marsalis: The Music of Wayne Shorter
As a rule, the JALC has dedicated itself to jazz stars that have already passed away, so it’s refreshing to have Wynton Marsalis give tribute to a living legend, saxist Wayne Shorter. In fact, Shorter een plays tenor and soprano…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Jeff Rupert & George Garzone: The Ripple
Since the Swing Era, two tenor summits have been one of the joys of jazz. This one with warm toned Jeff Rupert and modern sounding George Garzone is an absolute delight, with the comparison, contrasts and combinations of the two…
****ALBUM OF THE YEAR?****A RETURN TO VINTAGE DAYS OF CTI…Pat Metheny: From This Place
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,…
****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…