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…
Category: Ringer of the Week
****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…
WHY ARE YOU LISTENING TO ANYONE ELSE?…Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Rotterdam 1969
I’m going to be completely frank with you. I listen to A LOT of music every day. Some of it good, some of it excellent, and a lot of it very average. Then, I come across something by Duke Ellington…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****STANLEY CLARKE THE GYPSY!!! Stanley Clarke/Jean-Luc Ponty/Bireli Lagrene: D-Stringz
Just when you think you’ve heard it all, along comes a release that renews your faith in the joys of jazz. Three stars of improvisation, coming from the worlds of fusion and beyond, get together for a gypsy caravan of…
THE FIRST DAY, 50 YEARS LATER…Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra: All My Yesterdays
By all standards, the Thad Jones/ Mel Lewis Orchestra was one of the most important post bop big bands around. It started because co-leader Thad Jones felt constrained under the yoke of the Count Basie Band, as the Count wanted…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****MC Shoehorn: Wingin’ It
Here’s an exciting and in your face disc that dares you to sit still. Michael “Shoehorn” Conley plays alto, soprano and tenor sax as well as the fife and even tap dances on this wildly diverse and yet passionately rhythmic…