Because of the abundance of studio jobs for TV and movies for musicians, LA was a hotbed for musicians. How can you beat steady work, no travel and great weather? The plethora of pianists during the 50s-70s was an embarrassment…
Category: Ringer of the Week
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Christoph Grab :Oneness
The beauty and genius of saxist Christoph Grab on this recent album of Thelonious Monk material is that there is not a hint of piano, thereby avoiding any haunting comparisons to the composer. Instead, Grab mixes up his sax selection…
****WHO IS THIS GUY?!?***RINGER OF THE WEEK***Tommy Wolf: Wolf At Your Door/Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most
I’ll tell you right now that piano man/singer Tommy Wolf is so obscure that he’s not even mentioned in Will Friedland’s encyclopedic book Jazz Singers. Give homage to Fresh Sound records for digging this one up, as Tommy Wolf is…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Kevin Burt & Big Medicine: Thank You Bill-A Tribute to Bill Withers
In order to not prejudice myself one way or another in reviewing an album, I tend not to read the musicians playing or liner notes before listening; I want to take the songs in on their own merits. So, I…
*****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Andrew Hill Sextet Plus 10: A Beautiful Day, Revisited
This two disc set of previously unreleased material is special for a couple of reasons. One, it is rare glimpse of latter day sounds of piano giant Andrew Hill, and even better, it finds him in rare group forms, a…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Geri Allen & Kurt Rosenwinkel: A Lovesome Thing
Why this 2012 concert recording between the late pianist Geri Allen and guitar wonder Kurt Rosenwinkel has been under wraps for so long is beyond me. Both artists are caught in intriguing periods of there respective careers, with the guitarist…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Steve Davis: Meets Hank Jones, Vol. 1
For some reason, this 2088 meeting between trombonist and the legendary pianist Hank Jones (long with bassist Peter Washington) has been hidden in the shelves. This just might be Jones’ last recording, having left for his reward in 2010 and…
A MISSING LINK…Don Byas: Classic Don Byas Sessions 1944-1946
Because he spent most of his career as an ex-patriot living in Europe, tenor saxist Don Byas (1913-72) is overlooked in terms of the important jazz musicians. But during his career, he was considered an important link between swing and…
Steve Gadd@Catalina’s 12.07.23
It was certainly fitting that “Rhymin’” Paul Simon was part of the packed house at Catalina’s on Thursday night, as Gadd’s 90 minute set reminded everyone why the Gadd/Simon collaboration of “Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover” has stood the…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Olivia Perez-Collellmir: Olivia
Mixing sounds of Iberia and jazz, pianist and composer Olivia Perez-Collellmir has put together an enchanting musical mosaic of an album, blending solo piano sonatas with passionate folk-group ensembles. The solo “Promenades” that are interspersed around the larger piece include…