This disc caught me completely by surprise. Vocalist Heather Masse comes across like a classic swing era canary, mixing clarity and style like a Helen Forrest or Francis Wayne. Roswell Rudd comes from the left side of things, mixing growls,…
Category: Ringer of the Week
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Michael Spiro/Wayne Wallace & La Orquesta Sinfonietta: Canto America
When you think of the mix of Afro Cuban with jazz, you usually get reflections of woodwinds, brass and dance rhythms. Trombonist Wayne Wallace and percussionist Michael Spiro throw us for a loop here as they mix the tradition of…
THIS IS JAZZ 101…Al Cohn-Dexter Gordon: True Blue/Silver Blue, Dolo Coker: California Hard, Ronnie Cuber: Cuber Libre, Kenny Drew: Home Is Where The Soul Is, Charles McPherson: Beautiful!
Back when my daughter Angela was in college, she told me how she was in someone’s house and they had on some music. “What were you listening to?” I asked. “They said it was jazz,” she replied, “but I told…
A CENTURY OF SWINGING!!! Svend Asumssen: The Incomparable Fiddler
Yes, the legendary violinist Svend Asmussen is still alive! This 5 cd/dvd set shows what has kept him going this 5 score years; an infectious sense of swing emitted from his violin which kept Scandinavians warm though 100 years of…
*****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Hristo Vitchev Quartet: In Search of Wonders
Guitarist Hristo Vitchev has released an impressive variety and number of albums, ranging from Mediterranean duets to exciting fusion. This time around, he leads a simpatico quartet with Jasnan Daya Sing/p, Dan Robbins/b and Mike Shannon/dr through two full cds…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Trio Da Paz: 30
It seems that guitarist Romero Lubambo always gets on my Ringer of the Week list, either for his solo albums or on one of his many collaborations. This long term trio of the Brazilian with Duduka da Fonseca/dr and Nilson…
THIS IS A JAZZ VOCALIST 101…Sarah Vaughan: Live At Rosy’s
Nothing like a voice from the past to show how the present has fallen short. Resonance Records, one of the top deliverers of historic albums, has been dumping out a goldmine of material lately, and this one of vocalist Sarah…
THIS IS A POST BOP TENOR 101…Lew Tabackin Trio: Soundscapes
As soon as you hear the opening salvo of Lew Tabackin’s tenor sax on “Afternoon in Paris” with Boris Kozlov/b and Mark Taylor/dr, you can palpably detect the difference a generation of saxophonists has made. Tabackin spent years blowing over…
YOUNG AND RESTLESS…Larry Young: In Paris-The ORTF Recordings
Larry Young was labeled “The John Coltrane of the B3” during his career, as he freed up the organ from being a soul groove machine to more complex modal sound and grooves. This very important 2 cd set from Resonance…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Clark Gibson & Orchestra: Bird With Strings-The Lost Arrangements
Alto saxist Clark Gibson does a yeoman’s job of going back to some of the most important music in modern jazz with a new eye. He returns to the “Bird With Strings” recordings, but not the more famous arrangements; he…