Category: Ringer of the Week

Though recently departed to his eternal reward, Mark Murphy remains arguably the most influential vocalist for today’s generation of male singers. From Kurt Elling to Theo Bleckman, the shadow of Murphy’s smile is found via his ability to play with…

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Here’s a rich collection of two minds, twenty fingers and 176 ivories mixing together for 8 songs and 49 minutes. Bruno Canino and Enrico Pieranunzi  venture into the Great North and South American songbooks with 8 rich and ebullient piano…

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Back in the 1970s, the Allman Brothers band, boasting the mix of twin lead guitars and smoky Hammond organ, became not only one of the most popular bands with “hit” songs like “Melissa” and “Revival,” but they also created a…

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Drummer and composer Zan Tetickovic, aka “Jean John”  assembles a classical and jazz team to create a musical experience of a journey that involves the thoughts and moods of “an immigrant on an unforgiving emotional path of acculturation.” While it…

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Petros Klampanis brings his bass to create rich pastels of color on this richly textured album of originals. He teams up with Gilad Hekselman/g, Shai Maestro/p, John Hadfield/dr, Keita Ogawa/perc and a string section to create sweeping sonic panoramas. Hints…

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One of THE most influential bands of the 20th Century, the Ventures created, perfected and personified the “ rock instrumental” that inspired legions of guitarists, with Neil Young being one of the most vocal supporters these days. Initially formed by…

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For the first time released as a single unit, this 3 disc set has long unavailable broadcasts of Charles Mingus when he was at the apotheosis of his talents. To put the collection into discographic perspective, Mingus had recently released…

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The last time I was this excited about a male jazz vocalist was when Gregory Porter had his debut album. Here, you’ve got this guy Sidney Jacobs who sings, writes and arranges his own stuff and displays an amazing wide…

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Guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel continues to follow a sui generis path. Each album is an intriguing step in his musical journey. This most recent one is his most sonically ambitious one since 2003’s Heartcore, as Rosenwinkel veers away from “mere” guitar…

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Here’s a lady that you’ll want to get to know. Joan Shaw (aka Salena Jones b. 1930) sang and toured with such notables as King Curtis, Cab Calloway, Big Maybelle and Louis Armstrong. She had a career as an R&B…

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