Records like this make you wonder if producer Zev Feldman was in a Raymond Chandler novel, as he’s one of the great detectives in finding rare and important vintage jazz recordings. This latest discovery complements last year’s 2 disc set…
Category: Ringer of the Week
OH YEAH! Jimmy Reed: Mr. Luck-The Complete Vee Jay Singles
It could be easily argued that Jimmy Reed is rock and roll’s most influential artist. His patented style of blues boogie sound, which he created with soul-mate sideman guitarist Eddie Taylor, has been imitated by black and white artists in…
DOO WOP LIVES! The Penguins: The Complete Releases 1954-62
Before going Back to the Future, the radio waves were filled with vocal doo wop bands, most of whom had names associated with birds, such as The Flamingos, The Orioles and The Crows. Best of all were The Penguins, whose…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Dan Dean: Songs Without Words
Wanna know what heaven is going to sound like? Grab a hold of this album and you’ll at least have a hint. Dan Dean supplies layers of his voice as well as an occasional bass and whistle to this wonderfully…
WHY DID HE DROP OUT? John Jenkins: 1957 Quintet Sessions
I know that I belabor the point, but Spain-based Fresh Sound Records continues to amaze me by bringing to surface bona fide jazz artisans that were simultaneously creative and overlooked both during their time and afterwards. This time, we get…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****George Thorogood: Party of One
Guitarist George Thorogood has always been associated with the electric guitar boogie and blues with his Destroyers band since the ‘80s. He strips down, sits down and gets down with vintage and modern blues as he plays acoustic, electric, slide…
THIS IS A HARD BOP QUINTET…Kenny Dorham: K.D. Is Here, New York City 1962 & 1966
In jazz circles, hard bop trumpets have one of two sounds; either the brash and blistering chops of someone like Freddie Hubbard, or the sweet lyricism of Kenny Dorham. Dorham was one of the pioneers of bebop trumpet, having honed…
THIS IS BEBOP VOCALS 101…Joe Carroll: The Epic & Prestige Sessions and more
Quick…name 5 bebop singers. See, that’s the problem. There were and are a ton of big band singers from the Swing Era, but after Jon Hendricks and Mark Murphy the well looks pretty dry for the bebop era vocalists. Joe…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Yelena Eckemoff: In the Shadow of a Cloud
Pianist and composer Yelena Eckemoff continues to release impressive material that is both melodic and adventurous. This time she releases a double album worth of material with the flexible and sensitive team of Adam Rogers/g, Drew Gress/b, Gerald Cleaver/dr and…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Calabria Foti: In the Still of the Night
It’s been about 10 years since vocalist Calabria Foti has released an album, the seductively Julie London-inspired A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening. After listening to this one, all I’ve got to say is “WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!?” Instead…