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…
Category: Ringer of the Week
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****FORGET THE OTHER POSERS…Matt Forbes: Solitary Man
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…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Dave Bennett: Blood Moon
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…
LOOK AT ME!!! Johnny Mathis: The Columbia Album Collection
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…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Guy Mendilow Ensemble: Music From The Forgotten Kingdom
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…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Hamilton De Holanda Quintet: Casa De Bituca
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,…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Chuck Owen and the Jazz Surge: Whispers On The Wind
One of the uncharted waters for jazz is country and traditional Americana. Usually, any attempt gets either too hokey or lost in the translation. Composer and orchestrator Chuck Owen does an impressive melding of Montana and 52nd Street on this…
50 YEARS AND STILL STRONG…The Moody Blues: Days of Future Passed-Deramic Sound System Edition
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the iconic Days of Future Passed, this 2 cd 1 dvd covers the waterfront of the album that is the high water mark for mixing rock and classical music. Originally intended as simply a sonic…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Or Bareket: OB1
With family and influences ranging from Morocco, Iraq, Israel and Argentina, bassist Or Bareket delivers an exciting album filled with sounds, rhythms and smells akin to an open market. He creates a band with Shachar Elnatan/g, Gadi Lehavi/p, Ziv Ravitz/dr,…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Sherman Irby & Momentum: Cerulean Canvas
Alto saxist Sherman Irby has carved out a successful career starting with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra and Roy Hargrove before going out on his own. But somewhere along the way the smooth toned alto saxist started taking his Charles…