Category: Ringer of the Week

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…

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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…

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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,…

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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…

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Listening to Cecile McLorin Salvant is like strolling through a sonic art gallery of impressionists. The vocalist creates audible framed works of art, each with its own story and style, allowing you to examine each brush stroke, be it water…

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Steve Smith brings his NYC Edition of Vital Information into the studio and delivers a highly grooving album that is both traditional and inspirational. His drumming skills are perfectly recorded here, and you feel like you’re sitting right next to…

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If you’re ever wondering what made Frank Sinatra the most influential jazz vocalist (even though he always referred to himself as “a saloon singer”), just get a load of this dvd, which has him at two important zeniths of his…

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Some of the most creative and exciting sounds are coming from Central Asia. Just like Brazil’s bossa nova grooves created a tidal wave of influence back in the 50s and 60s, the intricate rhythms and complex harmonies from India and…

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One of the truly sad stories of jazz is the career arc of “Lucky” Thompson, who, as the excellent liner notes from the 4 cd set state, couldn’t have  been a more ironic moniker. He had a smooth tone akin…

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A timeless collection of songs put together by timeless minds and souls lead by veteran bopping pianist Harold Mabern make this album a comfort food for jazz aficionados. Mabern’s touch is warm and clean, filled with rich chords that can…

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