Category: Ringer of the Week

This is a great time to be a fan of Van Morrison. His recent albums that focus on jumping the blues reveal a renewed musical enthusiasm. His live shows are swinging affairs with Morrison in not only wonderful voice, but…

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For her first few albums, optimistic sounding vocalist Cyrille Aimee’ has been part of a bohemian gypsy swing team with a wholistic sound. She has recently had a good terms departure with her longtime friends and bandmates, testing new worlds…

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Throughout his career, Quincy Jones discovery Alfredo Rodriguez has refused to stay still, releasing a catalogue of albums that are as varied as they are interesting. This time, the Cuban pianist teams up with percussionist/vocalist Pedrito Martinez for 11 concise…

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During the 1940s, Nat “King” Cole had a jazzy little trio with guitarist Oscar Moore and bass player Johnny Miller. What many don’t know is that Cole toured with a mirror image band that was had the bluesier voice of…

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Drummer Jack Kilby creates a wonderful mosaic of sounds as he leads a swinging core hard bop team of Kris Monson/b, Allyn Johnson/p, John D’earth/tp, Charls Owens/ts and Elad Cohen/tb with creative interludes from a wide variety of guests. The…

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Here’s a rewarding and exciting trio album by pianist/composer Brittany Anjoy. She works with a core team of Gregory Chudzik/b and Nicholas Anderson/dr on almost all of the tracks, and her composing skills are matched by her warm technique. The…

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If cool-toned voices in the vein of June Christy, Anita O’Day and Chris Connor are your thing, you are set for a series of discs made for your ears, as Fresh Sound Records has uncovered a cache of ladies that…

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Jordan Pettay uses her alto and soprano sax to put Sunday Morning soul back into the heart of jazz on this wonderful mix of spirituals and originals. Since the first days of jazz, the church has been an important foundation…

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General rule of thumb: if there’s a historical musical find by Zev Feldman, rush out and order it, as it’s an undiscovered gold nugget. This latest from Reel to Reel recordings (why not from Resonance?) features soulful jazz vocalist Etta…

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A side man back in the day for the likes of Lee Morgan, Grant Green, Art Farmer and Wes Montgomery, pianist Harold Mabern is finally getting the accolades as a leader in his own right. Here, the 82 year old…

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