Category: Ringer of the Week

Back in the 70s, Richie Cole was the creator of Alto Madness, a tribute to all things from the bop infested alto sax. After being out of the limelight for awhile, Cole has returned with a vengeance. He put out…

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You’re going to have to trust me on this, but once upon a time, the greatest artists in America were also the most popular. Smelling salts, please! These two releases from Dot Time Records find jazz progenitor Louis Armstrong at…

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Saxist Gaia Wilmer creates a pastoral album with the team of Yulia Musayelyan/fl, Song Yi Jeon/voc, Gustavo D’Amico/sax, Lendro Pellegrino/g, Vitor Goncalves/p-acc, Mayo Pamplona/b, Richie Barshay/dr and guest Raphael Lehnen/perc. The songs mix Jeon’s ethereal voice blending in with the…

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I really thought that sax players forgot to play this way. The translation of the title by alto saxist Falando Docemente means “speak sweet” referencing to the tone and style of mellifluous artists like Paul Desmond, Johnny Hodges and Stan…

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Without looking at the liner notes to see who the artist was, I just started listening to this album. I couldn’t figure out who the leader was. The first thing you hear is a brooding big toned tenor agonizing over…

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I said it before on his 2015 debut album Coulda Woulda Shoulda, and I’m saying it again after his new release Solitary Man…this Matt Forbes is the vocalist that you want to discover. Forget the posers and TV personalities. Forbes…

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Clarinetist Dave Bennett brings the clarinet out of its Swing Era past and gives it a modern yet melodic environment as he teams up with producer Shelly Berger for eleven well chosen or co-crafted tunes. The simpatico team of Dave…

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If you want to get the mother lode of pop vocals, save your money, do some weight lifting and invest in this massive multi-pound 67 album set of the apotheosis of male vocalists, Johnny Mathis. This commemorative set covers the…

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Musical director Guy Mendilow takes you on a “musical trek,” letting you journey through the ancient lands of the Ottoman Empire, with songs, sounds and fragrances from Greece, Turkey and Spain. The multinational team of Sofia Tosello/voc, Mike Rivard/b-sintir, Tareq…

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Hamilton De Holanda brings his 10 stringed mandolin and voice to lead a rich team of Andre Vasconcellos/b, Daniel Santiago/g-voc, Gabriel Grossi/harm and Marcio Bahia/dr on a glowing tribute to Milton Nascimento. Santiago’s clever arrangements take you to folk villages,…

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